{"id":4431,"date":"2012-09-10T17:55:24","date_gmt":"2012-09-11T00:55:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/?p=4431"},"modified":"2012-09-10T17:55:24","modified_gmt":"2012-09-11T00:55:24","slug":"jezibell-big-apple-peach-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/2012\/09\/10\/jezibell-big-apple-peach-state\/","title":{"rendered":"From the Big Apple to the Peach State"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"group<\/a><\/p>\n

by Jezibell Anat<\/a>
\n\t\tposted September 2, 2012<\/span><\/h3>\n

I moved from Manhattan to Augusta, Georgia to look after my aging mother at the end of 2007.\u00a0 Augusta is the second largest city in Georgia whose main claim to fame is the Masters’ Golf Tournament.\u00a0\u00a0 Fortunately I found belly dance here, but I had to adjust to a very different mindset and environment.\u00a0 In New York I was part of a multicultural belly dance world that included\u00a0 internationally-renowned teachers,\u00a0 restaurants with Middle Eastern bands, theatrical shows, and an amazing quality and diversity of dancers.<\/p>\n

In Augusta, options are much more limited, and\u00a0 dancers are more influenced by the Bellydance Superstars.<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 My teaching experience at Serena Studios<\/em><\/strong> opened doors for me in Manhattan, but people in this area had never heard of Serena.\u00a0 I was trained to present a five-part cabaret show with live music, but here tribal improv prevailed.<\/p>\n

In Manhattan dancers often disagreed on the definitions and boundaries of belly dance, but we had an ethnic context, with experts such as Morocco<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0 Anahid Sofian<\/a><\/strong> and Gamila el-Masri<\/a><\/strong>, to keep our dance grounded in its Middle Eastern origins.\u00a0\u00a0 Here the emphasis was on fusion and personal interpretation.<\/p>\n

I\u00a0 was appalled at first by what appeared to be a lack of performance standards in the dance, especially in allowing student groups to perform at public events.\u00a0 I was taught with drills, corrections, and an attitude of scorn for the use of \u201ccheats\u201d such as putting wax on a sword to make balancing easier. At times I probably came across as a snob.\u00a0 I was also accustomed to show slots being filled on the basis of a dancer’s performing ability, not on a\u00a0 first-come, first-serve, or a need to include everyone without regard to dance level.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/p>\n

As I got to know the local scene, I have come to realize that even though there have been rivalries, misunderstandings, and bad feelings among different groups, dance here is more about community and friendship than professional entertainment.\u00a0\u00a0 In fairness, the dancers here do not have the resources we had in NYC.\u00a0\u00a0 There are some good local teachers, but a lot of people learned from DVD\u2019s and Youtube, and the occasional workshop.<\/p>\n

I certainly wanted to continue dancing, so I took whatever opportunities I could find to perform at local festivals, haflas, and\u00a0 stage shows.\u00a0 At one of my first events, the organizer asked me to wear a dress because she thought a cabaret costume was too revealing.\u00a0 Later she saw me perform in bedlah at another event, and she said \u201cWow, that’s a real costume, not lingerie.\u00a0 You can certainly wear that!\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 This made me wonder what people had been dancing in.<\/p>\n

\"MapI had taught for many years in New York, but it was difficult to get a class going here, especially since I prefer to teach dance in terms of technique, not just for\u00a0 fitness and fun.\u00a0 Since I had been teaching for over ten years, I realized that I wanted to focus on performing, and I was also pursuing some acting projects.\u00a0\u00a0 I also had to learn to juggle my creative pursuits with taking care of an elderly parent whose health was slowly declining.<\/p>\n

Fortunately I met some other dancers who did want to take belly dance seriously and create top notch\u00a0 performances, and we formed a troupe, Eastern Star Dance Theatre<\/em><\/strong>.\u00a0 We have worked hard to build a diverse repertoire that includes both traditional cabaret and alternative fusion, incorporating props such as sword, wings, fan veils and cane.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Since I’ve been here, I’ve seen tremendous improvement and growth in the belly dance scene.\u00a0\u00a0 I have come to appreciate Youtube for allowing us to view and be inspired by belly dancers throughout the world.\u00a0 A lot of the troupe and solo dancers have been working and studying diligently to improve their skills.\u00a0 Two years ago, a\u00a0 new studio, Hip2Hip<\/span> opened that focuses on belly dance and fitness.\u00a0
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
\nAs of 2012 we now have a new networking group, CSRA Bellydance Monthly Get-Together\u00a0<\/span> founded by Evadne (Vany) Medina<\/strong>, that focuses on bringing the different groups of belly dancers together.\u00a0 We have had discussions, swap meets, mini-workshops, and haflas, and are connecting with dancers in other parts of Georgia and South Carolina, including Athens and Columbia.<\/p>\n

We are facing local challenges.\u00a0 Augusta’s most interesting area is downtown, which features art galleries, restaurants, music venues and unique stores.\u00a0\u00a0 Unfortunately, shopping malls and suburban sprawl have siphoned off the energy of this once-vibrant district. <\/p>\n

One event designed to promote downtown is First Friday<\/em>, a family-friendly celebration featuring art exhibitions, vendors, and street performances.\u00a0 About 11:30 pm on Friday, July 6,\u00a0 two hours after First Friday officially ended, a shooter opened fire in downtown Augusta, wounding six people.\u00a0 Many Augustans blamed the violence on First Friday and wanted to cancel it, but those of us who support\u00a0 our city and our arts were not going to let this happen.\u00a0 We decided to make August’s First Friday a very special event.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
\nI had performed before at First Friday with\u00a0Eastern Star, but all the other members were out of town.\u00a0 So I turned to the dancers from the CSRA Bellydance Monthly Get-Together group and asked for volunteers.\u00a0 I was a bit concerned about organizing a solid show from an open performer call, but fortunately some wonderful dancers came forth, including cabaret soloist Zondra<\/strong>, tribal soloist Taylor<\/strong>, and a lovely new troupe, Dancing with the Skirt<\/em><\/strong>. Kristin,<\/strong> who performs both traditional and tribal dance, came down from Columbia, South Carolina to support us, and a new dancer, Katie<\/strong>, brought her ribbon poi.
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\nEven though I hadn’t performed with these ladies before, I felt it was important to do some dances together.\u00a0\u00a0 I created a simple but effective choreography for the song \u201cDowntown,\u201d to express our support for our city, and some of the dancers learned it in one rehearsal.\u00a0 We opened with this number, and it drew the crowd in.\u00a0 Then we did presented our solo and troupe specialties, and closed with a group improv to live drumming.
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\nSo I am feeling a lot more positive about the progress of belly dance in this area.\u00a0 Part of if is that I have had to learn to adapt to the scene here, but I am also learning how I can contribute to its development.\u00a0\u00a0 My own style has become more fusion. I now appreciate the\u00a0 beauty, joy and creativity here, and I look forward to continued growth and inspiration.<\/p>\n

Resources:<\/h6>\n