Finding Your Dance Niche

I have always believed and taught this for 40 years ... No one, absolutely no one, can be everything to everyone and every scenario, particularly in art that is completely subjective and in constant flux.

Ask a bunch of brutally honest questions of oneself to find what you have to offer and its true value. Do you fit, or even want to fit, into already existing markets? If not, go elsewhere where you do fit in or else create your own niche and let people follow you.

I discourage my students to participate in competitions or even most BD festivals where the teachers are catering to and promoting a shallow commercial and superficial small corner of a vast rich artform. I find masses of dancers emulating one or two popular dancers really boring.

Non-commercial and original expression from an authentic place linked to the essence of Raqs Sharqi thrills me...a lot.

If I see an area where I would have to bend my personality and appearance in order to fit in such as dancing in restaurants to prerecorded music, venues that call for audience participation as the main objective , a place where Arab looking Barbie doll figure is the aesthetic or competitive environments, then I have always stayed away from such venues. They don't want me and I don't want to change in order for them to want me.

If I find the very rare audiences or students that appreciate the way I am already. great. If they do not exist, I create them by making efforts to open people's minds to new possibilities.

All of my theatrical dance productions over 30 years with live musicians (most recent had 45 dancers and musicians) or pre-recorded interpretive music like "Descent of Ishtar" or "Isis", all of my 20 dance companies including Allspice and Earthshakers, all my 4 conferences (IBCC 2006-2012 ) and 6 festivals (Bellydance Blossom 2013-2016) and (GYPSY 1992), all of my intensive courses including The Pro Course and Be The Muse and my weekly Arab nightclub (Layali Arabeque 2004-2009) were created to change hearts and minds in order to appreciate my little corner of value. Worked well enough.

I am not in favour of bending oneself or the artform to make money. I love and respect myself and the art form too much to do that.

If this post is offensive to some, I do not apologize. I offer these suggestions to help alleviate suffering.