The value of Twitter for the Middle Eastern dancer and teachers

Lately, there has been discussion of what good is Twitter for. A lot of people seem to think it’s for the extremely narcissistic. Why else does someone need to know what you’re doing at any given moment? While I’m sure that is true for some,I think Twitter is can be an extremely valuable and useful for tool.

For dancers, I think it is an excellent way to communicate with others. I find out a lot of information I wouldn’t normally be privy to, like what it’s like to be a professional dancer. It is a small glimpse and is very interesting. As a dance student, I’m more inclined to take classes or workshops from a dancer I see frequently being talked about in a positive manner on Twitter. There is also the human element that is appealing, that you can grow to like the person.

At my office, we’ve been talking about Twitter. No one is particularly pro-Twitter; many are neutral at best. When I was in grad school, two profs created Twitter pages. The one was particular useful, because we could tell where he was since he did his research off-site. That was useful for when we needed help. The other prof’s page was funny and gave him quite a colorful personality. I’ve heard of schools using it to make announcements to the school. I’m thinking about starting a Twitter page for my students so that they know when things are due. They seem adverse to logging into email and using the college class management system, but maybe they’d use Twitter.

While I don’t believe that Twitter is the ultimate piece of technology, I think it can be quite useful. Don’t discount it until you try it.

 

 

Don’t fall for scams!!

A few days ago, I applied for a tutoring job on Craig’s List. I received a reply back. The person had a daughter coming to the US and wanted a physics tutor for the three months she’s here. He would send a check to me and I was to take my share of the money and then send the rest to the nanny.

Berkeley Parents Network outlines very clearly why this is bad. The short of it is that the check you receive is counterfeit. It will initially go through but eventually will be revealed as a counterfeit. The holder of the bank account (you) is responsible for any check that you deposit, even if you were innocent in the fact that the check is a fraud. So not only do you lose the money that you spent but also you lose that money you sent to the scammer.

Be cautious of this scam, regardless of what you do. I’ve seen it for dance, physics, etc.

 

Now what do I think about contests?

I thought I’d throw my 2 cents out there, since everyone else is commenting on this article. The gist of it is whether contests and certifications have validity.

I’m not a competitive dancer, nor do I plan on being one. I’ve never been interested in competitions in general. That just isn’t who I am. Life is plenty competitive enough for me. I have entered a few competitions (arguably, my scholarship was a competition) and been successful, but on a whole, I’m not interested.

With that said, I don’t have an inherent issue with competitions for dance. Some of my dance friends like that the competitions force them to focus on their dance in a different way and that they may get feedback. I don’t know anyone who competes for the glory.  I imagine there may be some people, but what I’ve learned from my dance friends is that it’s more of a personal competition, like running a marathon. Sure, someone wins, but they are always happy that they participated. I don’t know how much of a “measure” it is for a dancer. If the contest is well-reputed and has good judges consistently, I would be more interested in the dancer as a dancer. However, the proof is in the pudding. I wouldn’t go ga-ga over a dancer who wins a contest, simply because she wins a contest.

As far as certification, I think they’re good for when people want to be certified in someone’s style. If the certification requires rigorous training and will fail people who aren’t up to snuff, I think there is a lot of validity in it. I’m not interested in being certified in someone’s style, but certification for a dance teacher isn’t a bad thing. Having switched teachers multiple times, if I had a particular style that I love, certification would be really useful to locate another teacher in that same style. Again, the proof would be actually witnessing the teacher, but the certification would help eliminate going to teachers who aren’t in a style I like.

At the end of the day, I’m rather ambivalent on the topic of the validity of certifications and contests. I think they have a lot of personal growth to offer to people. I’ve interacted with some people online who love the Suhaila Salimpour techniqe and go all out to become certified in it. From what I understand, it’s very much about personal growth, not expecting that the certification automatically makes them a good dancer. Being a goal-oriented person, I can understand that, even if I don’t have the desire to compete or certify in a style.

 

Review: Secrets of the Stage: Vol 3

Although it would’ve made more sense to start with Secrets of the Stage: Vol 1, I found  Secrets of the Stage Volume 3: A Performance Course for Belly Dancers by Michelle Joyce on the Bhuz Swap. The deal was good and it helped a lady out.

The Secrets of the Stage series is produced by Michelle Joyce, a dancer in the Bay-area. She has a very good company, dedicated to making quality DVDs for primarily Middle Eastern Dance. They’re a steal at about $20/DVD. She produced last week’s video, Fabulous 4 Yard Veils.

Secrets of the Stage is different from other DVDs or even classes, because the DVD is dedicated to performance, not dance technique. If you are a student of Middle Eastern dance and want to go professional, classes may not offer all the behind the scenes information it takes to be a professional dancer. Michelle uses real working dancers to help present topics that working dancers should know about. Most of the DVD is like watching a movie with the commentary turn on; there’s video in the background but a voiceover, discussing a topic. The topics for Vol 3 are “Dancing to Live Music,” “Inspiration and Creativity”, “Your Professional Image”, and an extra section on some Arabic that’s useful to know. Rather than discuss the DVD in bulk, I thought I’d go section by section.

• Dancing to Live Music. Like many dancers, I haven’t had the opportunity to work with live musicians. The dancers and the musician in this section gave hints and overall, encouragement, in dancing to live music. They all made very good points about how handle the situation so that everyone (musician, dancer, and audience) is happy. The only thing that would’ve made this section better is if the comments were more about what was going on on screen, rather than simply general comments about working with live music.
• Inspiration and Creativity. I liked this section a lot, since this is one of the many places I get stuck. I thought the tips were excellent, some new, some not new. Again, I would’ve really liked more comments on the actual performances of the dancers, rather than just general tips. I was hoping this would be more “Behind the Dance” type thing, where each dancer would explain her specific motivations and inspirations. I think my favorite part was when someone (I forget who) said that it’s important to create, even if it isn’t perfect. Being the kind of person who wants something perfect, I appreciate reminders that I should create, rather than wait and worry to make something perfect.
• Your Professional Image. This section contained info on makeup and photo shoots. The dancers narrated how she applies her stage makeup. The makeup section I thought I would be more helpful if they were more broad tips, like the difference between stage makeup and more up close work, like restaurants or how lights can affect how your makeup looks. The photo shoot advice was helpful for someone like me, who has never had a photo shoot. Michael Baxter (a photographer) provided information how to get the most out of your photo shoot, from setting the background to creating good poses. My only other comment on this section is I wish there had been more about creating a professional image. I thought the start was strong, but I would have liked to have seen some information on other professional aspects, like websites, business cards, ads, etc. Perhaps another DVD?
• Survival Arabic. Leyla Lanty is too cute! The survival Arabic is just a small taste of Arabic, to help dancers know a few words. I like languages and I like knowing what the lyrics are, so I wish that this section had been longer. Evidently, Leyla Lany teaches a longer survival Arabic workshop for dancers, so if you’re like me, strapped for cash and time, that may be a good supplement to this section. I found the section a little helpful; I know a few Arabic words, from teachers giving me a little crash course in words that frequently appear in lyrics. I didn’t know, however, the word structures or about the lyrics in general. Leyla Lanty seems to know a lot about it.

This DVD offers quite a bit. If you have no one around to help you with your budding professional career as a dancer, there is a great deal of information that is important and helpful. If you are more like me and have spent ample time on the Internet and learning these things via class and workshops, I don’t think it is as necessary but still has information to offer. I found the DVD very enjoyable to watch and liked hearing different dancers’ takes on their topics.

 

Review: Ethnic Dance Academy Handbook

DaVid of Scandinavia suggested his book to me on Bhuz, when I wanted to come up with a means of cateogrizin my own moves. I like DaVid’s dancing, and he knows a lot of stuff. Besides, an ebook is only $15. Not too pricey. I did consider buying the print version, but at $40+shipping, I decided that the ebook was a better deal for me.

I started out with what’s called the EDA Handbook For Middle Eastern Dance. The EDA is the Ethnic Dance Academy, also known as DaVid’s dance school in San Diego. The book is full of goodies. It takes you through many aspects of Egyptian oriental, discussing history, technique, performance stuff (improv, how to choreograph), and professional career (teaching and/or dancing). It’s breadth is the best aspect of this book. It takes you through everything. Obviously, in 90some pages, the book isn’t an in-depth look at Egyptian Oriental, but the taste it gives is helpful. For newer dancers, I can see this book helping them understand what all is involved. The dance isn’t simply about wearing a costume and looking cute. I love how DaVid goes over the fact it’s important to practice, even the basics.

For dancers who are more well-seasoned, this book goes over nuances that can take you to the proverbial next level. DaVid writes very frankly about what it means to be a professional dancer and instructor. If you lack guidance in these areas, I’m sure the book would be helpful to read. Unless you spend a lot of time on message boards, I’m not sure where you would get this information, besides trial and error.

The only aspects of the book I would say were lacking are the technique explanations and this chart in the back. The technique explanations I found a little confusing. Perhaps it’s because I’m not familiar with DaVid’s teaching or that I don’t learn movement merely through reading. DaVid does provide some diagrams of the moves, but I’m not sure if I’d know what he was talking about if I didn’t know the move to begin with. I wouldn’t use this book to learn technique. I doubt DaVid intends for this book to be a means of learning technique.

The chart in the back was a very smart idea; it shows how everyone is interconnected. However, I found that confusing to read.

Despite those two issues, the wealth of information I got out of this book was worth it. I’m sure a print copy would be nice, but I’m squeezing pennies right now. David writes in an easy-going style. I hope he pens more books. I definitely recommend checking this one out to get an overall view of being a Middle Eastern dancer.

 

Last Day

This is the last day of the academic year. Although I have the end of summer to get really sentimental, this is the last day the hallways will feel like school. Summer is much emptier here, with less students and faculty spotty on the days they are in.

With the unsure future, I feel like it’s a bittersweet ending.  I’m glad to be done in most respects. However, there is a lot of uncertainty in the future, which makes the end hard. I’ve been applying for jobs and doing the job search thing, but the 9.4% unemployment rate is scary. Science isn’t being bailed out, and neither is academia.

In any case, I think my last day here will be cut short. My flu is a teensy bit etter, and it’s beautiful weather outside.

 

The job search

Since I’m not banking on grad school in the fall at this point, I need to have employment. I’m lucky in that I have no school debt, but I still need a roof over my head, food in my kitties’ bellies (and mine!), etc.

I’ve been looking around, and the prospects aren’t so hot. If you knew me around 2006, the job market wasn’t great back then. Being somewhat practical, I would apply for administrative assistant jobs. I have many stories where I would go to an interview for administrative assistant jobs, and I’d be mercilessly grilled about whether I wanted the job. What I think happened was that they were afraid I’d quit when I would get a physics job, and I believe that they thought it would happen sooner than later. They also insisted that I’d be bored.

I spent the 2006-2007 year in non-physics jobs, not for a lack of trying. When making ends meet, any legal job is good enough. Interest takes a back burner, and I learned that any job can be somewhat interesting.

The job market is much uglier for physics than I’ve seen in the past. I’m not surprised. Academia is suffering financially, and most, if not all, of the national labs have experienced cuts.

If you’re in biology, they still have (at least compared to physics) ample jobs. I’ve found only a small handful of jobs in physics lately that I’m qualified for. A very small handful, like 3. I think having an MS in physics is going to be more detrimental to me getting an administrative job; the hiring folks will most likely believe even more strongly that I’m going to quit within a month. I can’t bluff my way out of an MS, since it is true and apparent that the path I desire is physics or science. However, I’m extremely doubtful that I can get a science job at this point. There aren’t that many available for physics, and they are mostly for PhDs or people with teaching certificates.

I’m not pretending that I don’t want a physics job, because I do. I enjoy physics, and if I get a research job, it’ll look good for when I do want to try to get into a PhD program again, not to mention networking opportunities. I guess wish me luck in the quest for a job?

 

An interesting thought

One of the undergrads in my lab and I were talking yesterday about succeeding in life. B had a cool thought that’s applicable to anything (I may have written this).

He pointed out that once you survive a certain level of physics, you already proved that you know something, as did the rest of your class. The biggest determining factor in how well you do is how much time you’re willing to put into something to truly understand it.

I feel that way about a lot of things, but I never thought about it so much that at a certain level, we’re more or less equal, just some people want to know or understand x better. I typically thought that the talent may vary but the determination really allows you to sink or swim. I think, considering B is incredibly smart, that it’s rather humble of him to think that everyone is on his intelligence level and the difference is their determination.

When I think about what I’m trying to succeed at (physics, dance, life), that kind of attitude may have been what I was looking for a while. I think it’s better than how I understood the whole “working hard is the key to success” idea. I’ve proven myself this far, now all I have to do is keep believing I can do it and then actually working my tail off for those goals.

 

Bringing someone over to the other side?

Even though I only TA, I do try to help the students I have the best I can; I think I generally enjoy helping people and try to as many ways as I can (fun fact: I wanted to be a school psychologist from age 8 to 16). The school I attend is largely commuter. I myself do miss the community sometimes that undergraduate school had, so I try to take an active interest in my students. I may not know their names entirely (I suck at remembering names), but I usually know their majors, stuff they like to do, their personalities, etc.

Last quarter, one of my students mentioned that he didn’t know what he wanted to do with himself but was considering physics. Even though he is a biology major, I suggested he look into doing research in the physics department. I honestly only started seeing a future for myself in physics when I started doing research. If anything, I figured it would be good resume fodder to work in a lab. In particular, I suggested my lab, because we just lost a student (he switched labs).

My advisor is game, which is awesome. Generally, the people who do research in the labs are physics devotees. However, at the first year physics level, I didn’t see much of a difference on whole between the pre-med intro physics and the physics major intro physics students. By that, I mean their skill levels seem pretty equal; the only difference may be that the majors are more comfortable with calculus.

In any case, perhaps I’ve converted someone ?

 

Tattooed non-tribal

I finally got around to completing my big tattoo. It wraps from the right side of my body, around the waist, and up under the left breast. It was a painful tattoo today, to say the least. The ribs are not a happy area to get tattooed!

My tattoo artist, Dawn Grace, works at the Tattoo Factory. She came recommended to me by Sonya, my dance teacher who is an ex-piercer and tattoo artist. Dawn is also a Middle Eastern dance student, which is cool. What’s neat is she, like Sonya and I, are tattooed non-tribal dancers. I do, of course, do tribal, but I also enjoy a lot of non-tribal dancers (I go back and forth on it). If you are not familiar with tribal, tattoos are quite the norm. With Oriental or non-tribal, you are less likely to see it. One of the reasons is because of Muslim faith not allowing tattoos; from what I understand, the Qur’an forbids it.

If I ever go professional, I imagine I will not be the most competitive for some jobs in dance, simply because of my tattoos. However, I enjoy seeing tattooed non-tribal dancers; it’s a neat juxtaposition of what’s perceived to be very feminine with what’s perceived to be more edgy and rough. Even though tattoos have become more mainstream, I think the juxtaposition stands when you see someone heavily tattooed all glammed up in satin and sparkles. To me, it means they’re not afraid to show both sides of themselves or they don’t choose to box themselves into stereotypes.

There is something very beautiful about someone who is able to be themselves, even if it is a slightly odd combination. Besides, life is too short not to be yourself and it’s too much work to be someone else.