ok ladies-

here are some of MY thoughts on developing a cohesive presentation-(consider this a guide, as part of a ciriculum developed by me, you may share it but please do credit me, thank you dahlings)- this in not presented as the end all, be all but just a system to help you formulate your vision and take your presentation to the next level...

here's the email you all got

i look forward to working with you and helping you find and define your voice in this exciting time of evolving contemporary belly dance.

I'll be leading you through a "lab" section where you wil be delving in to your personal process to create cohesion and intention in your dance presentation.

This segment will focus on YOUR creative inspiration and how to utilize those sources and turn them in to tangible elements of your dance.

This "lab" portion of the intensive will run in two segments on consecutive days with the intention that you will have time to sit with the material from section 1 and come to section 2 with new and developed ideas and concepts for your self.

Please come to the intensive with a "source book" for your self.

this can be similar to a journal but should focus on the things that inspire you, MAKE IT PERSONAL, find what resonates for you-

IMAGES-of costuming, makeup, haute couture, hair, paintings, jewelry, color palettes, etc...

MUSIC- that one piece that you just "HAVE TO" choreograph to

VIDEO CLIPS- DVD format please- of dance/movement

ACTUAL COSTUMING PIECES-

these are just suggestions to get you started but please bring anything that is personally relevant to your inspiration process and we'll talk about how to work from a place of cohesion and intention to ultimately create a style distinctly your own.

i wanted to get you all working with the concept that all your choices are intentional, your music, your costuming, your choreography and that all those choices are influential to the resulting presentation...
in other words- you're not just putting on a skirt and boots cause it's all the rage and then using a piece of music that doesn't relate-
you are honoring each element you choose to work with and highlight in a way that makes sense.

you have four important elements to consider in your presentation

* Emotional content or intention- that can be happy and light but even that is an intention
* Music- does your music reflect the above? music can also determine all the other elements
* Choreography- does your choreography relate to the music and emotional content, are you using your movements with the costuming?
* Asthetics/costuming- your costuming should reflect a consideration of all the other elements, it should highlight the movement vocabulary
you have chosen to work with. It should be a compliment to your intention

here are the excercises i led you through-
taking your "inspiration item" write down the first 5 words that come to your mind
give your item to someone else and have them do the same

once you begin to craft your piece-
2-4 words about each of the 4 elements,

for considering fusing 2 distinct elements-
start with a list- 2 columns, one for each element
list the things that resonate for you the most, simplify
try to find the things from your lists that compliment each other or will work seamlessly together

get and give feedback to your troupe/dance community, it's always great to get another view

i'd love to hear how all this going!