Dancera is Friend to Children

[shanmonster]

So I danced at the Farmers' Market yesterday, and it went well. snowy_kathryn and f00dave accompanied me, and when I got there, I was surprised at just how packed the place was. About 150 people, mostly elementary and junior high kids, filled the place. I waded my way to the bathroom so I could ready myself. I was wearing my red, liquid metal circle skirt, a gauzy black underskirt, my beaded red top, and my big blue velvet hipscarf. Kathryn's black fishnet gauntlets hid my kung fu bruises. I went light on the makeup, since the lighting is dreadful, and I knew that anything I'd wear would still leave me a ghastly fishbelly white. Simple black liquid eyeliner, mascara, red lips and nails, and a liberal dusting of pink blush on cheeks, nose, forehead, and chin were all I bothered with.

I gave my music to the organizer, explained what I wanted to do, and was promptly ignored. Well, it wasn't that bad. What I'd intended on doing was having the music started, then dance my way to the stage. But they decided they really wanted me up there first for an introduction. When I took the stage, the place was filled with pandemonium. There were whoops and cheers and screams. It was the first time I'd ever received such applause before dancing. So I took a bow, and then the music started.

At the last minute, I'd chosen a section of Rachid Taha's version of Habina and a drum solo. I taksimed my way through the first section, and when the music switched into high gear, I grabbed the circular veil I'd been wearing as an overskirt and went crazy with it, spinning it overhead, then onehanded, then switching from one hand to another. When I got tired of all the twirling, I tossed the veil overhead and settled into some combinations. I noticed from the corner of my eye that the emcee had moved the veil back out of the way. I appreciated that, because the floor was very slippery, and had I misstepped and stomped on the veil, I'd have been practicing my breakfalls, and that would have been an interesting thing to work into a standard dance performance. Heh....

When the first song ended, the audience whooped it up again, and then my drum solo began. I hadn't danced to these particular songs in over a year, but they've been drummed into my head (heh). When the drum solo ended, I took the microphone and told the audience I wanted them to come up and dance with me.

Not many people took me up on my offer. I was unsurprised to see a group of junior high boys take the stage. At that age, kids are so gregarious. The boys are demonstrative and showoffs, and the girls more timid and giggly. I could tell the girls wanted to come and dance, too, but that's not the way they work. They need to have someone make the first move before they are "allowed" to do so, too. So I danced with the boys for a while before running off and grabbing a few happy kids in the audience by the wrists and sending them up on stage to dance, too. One of the kids was pretty and had long blond hair. As I dragged this child to the stage, it looked at me plaintively and said, "But I'm a boy!"

I'd had no idea, but I said, "Boys dance, too!"

So the next thing you know, there's a whole bunch of us on stage dancing up a storm. The girls mostly flocked together, shoulders pinched together in the front, heads down, and giggled, but I managed to get one girl with beautiful braided hair extensions doing some hair flips. I also had a backbend competition with one of the boys (I won!). I'd copy their moves, and they copied mine. When the song ended, we took our bows, and the audience whooped and hollered.

Afterwards, while making my appearance through the audience, I met up with Colleen from kung fu. She's a teacher, and wanted to introduce me to some of her students. The kids were excited to find out I'd shown her a few dance moves, and that the two of us sparred with one another. Colleen looked at my gauntletted arms and said, "I sure know why you're wearing those!"

Email me if you'd like to see a short AVI clip.

Comments

[daughty.livejournal.com]

Nice report! I really enjoy reading well-written reports about performances - I have never performed, though.

Good idea about getting the kids to dance. I sure wouldn't have known how to deal with such a young audience but then again I am usually awkward around children and teens.

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I worked as an activities counsellor for several years at a park, and also at a comic shop for another couple of years. I'm pretty used to kids.

[abraxasrutrem.livejournal.com]

You are SO brave...

I work with a magician who does Renaissance Faires along the west coast of the USofA.

Teenage boys are some of the WORST kids to bring on stage.
Now I understand that the type of performer/performance and the venue have alot to do with it (at many faires, we magicians are treated like babysitters. We see the same kids 3-5 times a day (depending on how many performances we're scheduled to do, of course) but we never seem to see their parents) and magic holds a fascination to the teenage mind that seems to overcome common sense and public decency. I swear the next kid who tries to put their hands in my pockets (I have NO pockets! I wear tights w/a codpiece! http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v653/adamdorle/temp/richardechatting2.jpg ) is the next 'victim' for our Headchopper.

Congrats on a good performance btw.

...you are SO brave...lol

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

I think the worst people to bring on stage are drunks. Yikes.

These kids were good. I had no problems with them, but I wasn't doing anything which might make them think they'd have to give me a body search. Heh....

[zombienought.livejournal.com]

What, at the same time??

[zombienought.livejournal.com]

I really like watching people watch belly
dancers. Usually the men have these really
intense gazes, often full of lust, usually
focussed on the rolling stomachs, and the
kids and women typically have innocent,
happy smiles, and watch the faces, skirts,
and arm movements.

[la-rola.livejournal.com]

WOW! THAT'S SO AWESOME!!!