Ok… so THAT’s over…
Cats: bellydance, commentary|It’s taken me a while to get some rest and collect my thoughts about the events of this last weekend.
Thanks to everyone who sent along kind wishes to Lisa and me. The support of dear friends and mere acquaintances alike are truly appreciated. That’s what I love about the people in our dance community.
I’ll get right down to the nitty gritty to start with, and then spew all my opinionation and personal feelings. We did compete as a duet on Saturday at the Bellydancer of the Year competition. Did we win? No. Did we place? No. Are we disappointed. Of course. Who wouldn’t be?
I don’t care who you are… and no matter the motivations for entering a contest like this… when you put that much time, effort, and dedication into something, it’s disappointing when you don’t see a return on your investment.
That being said…
There were only 4 entries (including us) in the duet/trio category. And they were ALL good.
It’s a bit disconcerting when you walk into the dressing room and find that last year’s Bellydancer of the Year and director of last year’s Troupe of the Year happens to be competing with a partner as a duet.
Ooooookay… so pressure’s off THERE. We know, instantly, that it is HIGHLY unlikely we will take the title. (Unless they both fall flat on the stage for some unfathomable reason. What are the odds? And who would wish that on them? They’re good. Everybody knows it. Besides, they’re are DAMNED cute, and not just to look at. Sweet and wonderful, up close and personal.)
Ok… so then we look around and see the other two duets. (Oddly, there were ONLY duets this year, no trios. For the several years past that I’ve attended, there have always been trios. Guess it was just a trend this year.) Both of the other duets are… well… gorgeous young women with million dollar costumes. The young ladies that took the first runner up spot (the only other trophy/placing, because the category was so small) happened to be absolutely lovely twins.
How do you compete with that?
I will say we gave it our best, and from viewing the video, I’m not at all displeased with or ashamed of our performance. We had a solid choreography. We were well-connected mentally. Our timing and interpretation were exactly as we intended them to be. There was only one visible spot where our arms weren’t in exactly the same position. Our zills were great; as they ALWAYS are. It’s one of our strong points. We were NOT bad. We were good.
We only had a chance to see the other duet that didn’t place, and we know THEY were good, too.
There is no shame in not taking the prize when in the company of that caliber of competitors.
Thing is… it’s all subjective. There is a panel of judges, and each judge has things that he/she likes. Two of the judges very clearly did NOT like us. At least, not that much. Their scores were SIGNIFICANTLY lower, down the line, than any of the others. Do I know who they are? No. Does it matter? Not in the least. What they saw (and heard) was just not something to their liking. The rest seemed to like us just fine.
The only negative (and really, not all that negative) comments on the score sheet were from these two judges. They did not like our musical arrangement. To them, it was distracting. They didn’t like the changes, and it seems they didn’t like the way one section led into the next. Nothing to be done about that. We actually planned the music and those changes, very carefully. We purposefully didn’t dwell too long on one segment or style… because when we watch dancers, we find it boring when they go on and on in one vein for a long time. Such is life. Not everyone likes the same thing.
There have been speculations that maybe they had some preconceived notions of us due to the nature of the photo we sent in. (See my Tribe profile photo.) It definitely is NOT your ‘run-of-the-mill’ bellydancer photo. Not slick, not packaged, not princess-y. It’s actually a snapshot, taken outside a bar at our performance prior to the Solace show in Fresno. Definitely done tongue-in-cheek, and certainly meant in that spirit. So… maybe people see it… and just don’t get it. But that’s ok, too. One thing we are NOT is self-important. As for me… I am personally incapable of taking any sort of ‘serious’ photo that says… “Ah, yes… look at me… the professional bellydancer. So elegant and refined…” Just not my personality. I can’t do it.
Maybe that’s a bad thing, as far as self-promotion. Oh well.
So will we ever know why they didn’t like us enough? Probably not. Maybe we don’t have the look. Maybe being 10 – 20 years older and 10-20 pounds (or more) larger than the other competitors was a disadvantage. Maybe our choice of music just wasn’t traditional enough. Maybe our costuming wasn’t slick enough.
Doesn’t matter. We are who we are. We poured ourselves into our presentation, and it reflected our tastes and our dancing. We worked hard, and we made it there. We gave it a shot, and I like to think we gave the audience a good, enjoyable show. They were certainly noisy enough.
Like Forrest Gump…. that’s all I have to say about that.
As for the rest of the pageant… it’s always a great show. Being behind the scenes for a change really hit home just how much work these people do to get this show up and running. They are dedicated, professional, and really… quite wonderful. They demonstrate concern not only for the production and the interests of the show, but for all the dancers and the experience they have. After… what is it… 30-some years … they definitely have a system that works, but they aren’t averse to updating and improving upon it. My hat’s off to everyone involved.
Now… on to my impressions of the soloist category. From the preliminaries through the finals, it was several hours of VERY enjoyable dancing. Those women, every single one, gave outstanding perfromances. A favorite of mine that did not make it to the finals was… I think… Henni ( not sure if I spelled that right). She happened to be the first person to dance, and that is a VERY unenviable position to have. But I still remember her, even after seeing the stellar performances of the finals. Come back, Henni, whoever you are… do it again! Don’t give up, because I think you’re cool.
Ok, so my picks, going into the finals, were Ahava, Nadira, Sandra, Chris! … everyone else was… in my opinion, at about the same level, as far as my enjoyment in watching them. (As I said, it was an awesome show.)
I have to say my hands-down favorite of the weekend was Ahava. I thought she was phenomenal on Saturday… but then I saw her performance on Sunday. This is not an exaggeration… I wept while she was dancing. She was absolutely one of the most beautiful things I have EVER seen. Her interpreation was, for me, perfect. Her timing was flawless, and I just… well, I felt something really wonderful coming off that stage. She had a presence that absolutely filled that auditorium. Goosepimples. Some people said she didn’t smile enough… but you know, she didn’t need to. No need for that sometimes-pasted-on smile. She was regal, and she was gorgeous. If it had been my choice, she would have walked away as the uncontested winner. I hope I get to see her dance again some time.
My other favorites were Nadira and Sandra. Sandra is a technical wonder, and Nadira is just downright gorgeous in movement and in form. Nadira blew my socks off on Saturday, but was not QUITE as wonderful on Sunday. (Still wonderful, though.) Sandra performed consistently… she’s fantastic… and, well, her look, and choice of costuming, appeals to me.
Regardless… all the competitors were a class act. It was a TRULY great show, as an audience member. I don’t know how the judges do it.
A quick note, as well, about this year’s Grand Dancer, Thia. I am so impressed with this woman. Observing her prior to performance, I found her to be a poised, beautiful, gracious, classy lady… and when I finally got to see her encore performance on Sunday, she blew me away. (Despite technical difficulties with her music… WHICH, I might add, she handled with aplomb and professionalism. WHAT a woman!) Yet another example that a mature woman cannot be counted out, when it comes to this dance. Not when you have as much talent as that woman has in her little toe. It gives me hope. I wouldn’t mind at ALL being like her when I grow up as a dancer.
One last thought before I put the weekend behind me and forge ahead through my own personal trials to come this summer.
I have to applaud all the competitors that shared the dressing room the day I was in there. One may think that getting a group of talented, driven and competitive women together would be a recipe for disaster. That was absolutely not the case in my experience. Everyone was gracious, kind, and friendly, even. While I did see some lost in concentration and focus, no one was cranky, no one tried to undermine the spirits of anyone else. I saw many smiles, good-natured laughter, and genuine care.
Again… that is the BEST of our dance community, and every one of those people should be held up as an example of how to behave in the company of fellow dancers.
So. Congratulations to the award winners. Thanks to the pageant organizers.
And many, many thanks to my dance partner. We worked hard together. We worked very WELL together. I am forever grateful for the experience, for the things I have learned from her, for the confidence in me that she has shown. I am honored to have been her partner. I am honored to be her friend.
Now…. onward.
