When I first started dancing, I had only been dancing for maybe about a year and I got the chance to take a workshop in Cincinnati with a topwell known dancer; Suzanna Del Vecchio. This was a really great experience for me and I came away learning so much from her and the workshop I attended. She is such a graceful dancer and full of knowledge. I was very excited that I got to meet her in person and I had a chance to chit chat with her for a brief minute. I will never forgot the experiance and she is one that I do reccomend if you ever get a chance to go to one of her workshops; it is a must! I can remember we were moving in groups across the floor doing pelvic rolls down and I was doing them in reverse and she came up to me and said “we are not there yet” I really appreciated her telling me, but at the same time I also was somewhat embarrassed. We went through various drills and movement in the beginning and at the end she taught us choreography to Khayarouni by Woroud and can be found on the Belly Dance Superstars Cd, Volume 2. To this day, I still know a little bit of that choreography. In her workshop is where I learned the D-step. Suzanna has been dancing for over 25 years and she actually holds a retreat in Colorado that is a huge event. Suzzana teaches body alignment and technique through movement.
Here is a video of Suzzana Dehttp:Vecchio; Enjoy!
No matter what we do in life we are constantly at a learning stage and with belly dance there is no exception to this rule! It does not matter if you have been dancing for 1 month or 10 years there is always something new to learn. There are certain levels with learning and as we gain more confidence we climb up to the next level. My motto is: never stop growing and never stop learning. I have always felt this way with everything I have done and it is even more true with dancing.
This past week one of my students asked a very important question when it comes to facial expressions. Facial expressions helps bring the emotion that you are trying to conceive with the movements more alive and it is the finishing touch to your dancing. When performing or even practicing you should always be aware of the expressions you are making with your face. What is most important is to try and relax and realize it is not necessary to always smile. When dancing and performing it must be full bodied;meaning emotion comes from every aspect and adding emotion with the face is the key to communicating to the audience the story that you are telling because when we dance we are telling a story.