Here is video II from Orlando Belly Dance artist Jennifer of Bellydance By Jennifer Inc. from the...
Part II: How to Make More Money as a Belly Dancer
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Bellydance Blog>Blog Posts (2012)
Happy Holidays from this Orlando Belly Dancer
What a year it has been for this Orlando Belly Dancer! When I look back on 2012 I get a bit...
Orlando Belly Dancer Jennifer: Recovering From a Not-so-Perfect Performance
“Hi Jen, do you ever not like a performance you've danced before? How do you recover from it...
How to Make More Money as a Belly Dancer Part I
There is an abundant amount of money to be made as a belly dancer, all you need is the courage, a...
How to Make More Money as a Belly Dancer
There is an abundant amount of money to be made as a belly dancer, all you need is the courage, a...
Hiring a Belly Dancer for Your Orlando Wedding Reception Entertainment?
Every wonder about hiring an elegant, fun, and dynamic belly dancer for your Orlando Wedding...
Costuming Checklist for Belly Dancers
As a Professional Belly Dancer and designer in Orlando with Bellydance By Jennifer Inc., the...
Bellydance By Jennifer Inc: How to Edit Your Belly Dance Music
Ok everyone I wrote this blog because there are still a large volume of dancers who do not know...
I Have a Dream…
As the elections have come to a close and America has chosen to once again vote for Obama, what a...
Inappropriate Cyber Etiquette with Belly Dancers
I don’t know about you, but Bellydance By Jennifer Inc. has had ENOUGH with inappropriate comments via cyber space. The internet is a wonderful thing; one can market and promote their abilities via forums, social networking sites, blogs, and video to name a few.
There is a very dark side though, the side that does not appear publicly for others to see by way of inappropriate pm’s (Bhuz), DM’s (Twitter), inbox (Facebook), email, text, and Youtube Messages.
While the vast majority of private messages I have received have been overwhelmingly positive (and at times made me tear up with happiness), there is a small percentage that have been made by men and cyber stalkers who send sexualized, offensive and inappropriate comments. Just one of these is enough to throw one over the edge, and as a belly dancer it seems that my profession attracts these perverts.
No matter how classy and sweet one portrays themselves online, being a woman and a belly dancer seems to call the attention of some men who feel that it is ok to tell us how sexy they think we are, or that we should show more skin, or come away and dance for them…ugh!
If you cannot say it in real life to my face or publicly on the internet then do not say it! It is disgusting etiquette to throw these comments out to someone. Your sexualized, inappropriate comments strike me and many others who deal with these people offensive.
This is an art form. If you cannot say it to another serious profession then what makes you think you can say it to us? Personally I do not like any man other than my boyfriend telling me that I am sexy or anything else above that. Have respect!
That is enough for toniight. Have you ever been cyber stalked? Gotten a text from someone you did not know wanting you to dance or meet them somewhere? Unwanted private messages to where you had to block the person because it made you uncomfortable? Many of us have. So what should we as a community do to prevent this and educate?
Please leave your comments below and let Bellydance By Jennifer Inc. know your story.
Belly Dance Roll Down- Jennifer Style!
After numerous messages and discussions here is a nice blog post with video to go over this challenging approach to a belly roll down… Bellydance By Jennifer Inc. style! It is not something that once can learn in a day it takes a lot of time and patience and no matter what size you are, with determination, the muscle control necessary can be developed.
The first section of the video goes over drill #1 which covers isolating the top half from the lower half of the abdomen.
Drill #2 follows showing a 6 step approach to the roll down with the tightening of the ab muscles one section at a time from upper abs to lower abs, and finally a pelvic squeeze.
Drill #3 goes over my stylistic choice of pushing out the ab muscles from top to bottom
and finally the ab muscle are reeled in from top to bottom in a much more gooey and relaxed fashion.
This roll down is about dynamic muscle movements, discipline, and concave and round shapes that are made utilizing nothing more than the abdomen. Enjoy and send me all your questions in comments in the comment box below. Muah!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2UyUlKKyoY
The Skinny on Competitions
A heck of a month…
I feel so guilty for not writing sooner but this month as many of you have seen has been quite busy. Between school, my internship, training for competitions, private parties, shows, traveling and tons more in my personal life, this has been one challenging yet rewarding month.
I write today to talk about this whole competition things and answer many of my friends and colleagues questions on what competitions entail, why I decided to do them and the good and bad. So here it goes…
Let us begin by saying that competitions are not for the weak of heart. It takes time, e
Training, heart and soul, and mucho mula$$ to succeed and do well.
The biggest tips for future competitors (coming from someone who learned the hard way the first couple of times):
1. Choose a competition in your dance style. If your American Cab, go to an Am Cab competition not to an Egyptian one for example so that the judges fit this genre.
2. Find out who your judges will be. Chances are that if you are Am Cab mix style like me, having Dina, Randa Kamel, and etc… As judges might not be the best idea so KNOW who will be your panel because they will be very subjective according to their ideal.
3. Be expressive, emotional, and comfortable
4. Wear bright colors, adornments, appropriate underwear, and wear a darn nice costume. nothing cheap.
5. Expect these competitions to last a loooong time
6. Do it for the right reasons.
7. Acknowledge the band!
8. Make sure to read the criteria and stay in the time limit and prop requirements.
9. A little less is more. You do not have to bust out all your tricks…emotion will play a big role and executing the movements you do well is better than many that are not as strong.
10. Choose music that truly moves you (or as close to it if music requirements are more stringent).
11. Most importantly be ready to bend a little to the style the competition asks for but always remain you!
Cons of Competing
– it takes lots of money (studio, costuming, jewelry, competitor fee and workshops, etc…)
-sometimes you are forced to dance to only oriental classics which has always frustrating for someone like me (there I said it) but part of the challenge is overcoming those obstacles.
-if you dont make it, it can bum you out for a few days lol
In general I absolutely love the experience of competing. The critiques received from renown judges has made me a better dancer year after year and has given me thicker skin.
Winning and placing has opened up so many doors and allowed me to meet such passionate and simply wonderful people and has put my name out there to a much wider audience which is the best advertising.
I highly recommend this to any serious dancer, it really will make you examine your dance deeply and become comfortable with your strengths and weaknesses which is critical to getting better.
Well, bye for now, and if I missed anything please write a comment below with your thoughts!