What Am I?

[shanmonster]

Inspired partially by this post, but mostly by my increased wonderings over the past several years, what sort of dance do I do?

First of all, here's my background: A whole lot of American nightclub style of dance, plenty of Chinese martial arts, a fair bit of Egyptian raqs sharqi, a smidgen of Ghawazee, a dash of Turkish "belly dance," and a haberdasherie of American Tribal Style (ATS), flamenco, Ashtanga yoga, west African, jazz-lyrical, hip-hop, tribal fusion, fire dance, and Martha Graham-style modern. I use poi, swords, canes, candles, veils, spoons, zills, and staves (but not all at the same time). I want to study Butoh, Krav Maga, and contact dance, too.

I don't like to call what I do belly dance. Although my movements originate primarily through the core, I use far more than my belly, and there's all sorts of inapplicable baggage associated with the term.

I don't like to call it Middle Eastern dance. I'm not Middle Eastern, and although the bulk of my dance vocabulary comes from this style of dance, a lot of elements don't fit.

I've been called a tribal fusion dancer, but that doesn't work, either, since my tribal dance physical education is minimal (three workshops do not an ATS dancer make). And frankly, I think the tribal fusion moniker is often put on otherwise uncategorizable belly dancers .

So what on earth do I market myself as?

Comments

no idea.

[starmae.livejournal.com]

Eclectic. Aerobic. Multi-inspired. Sexy. UnSexy. Dangerous. Responsible. Quasi-fused. Night-raqs-yoga-belly. Accessory punch.

Re: no idea.

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

Accessory punch! That's it!

[admnaismith.livejournal.com]

What else? As The ShanMonster: Tampering in Terpsichore's domain since [insert date of choice here].

[threemilechild.livejournal.com]

You do the monster mash.

[suzycat.livejournal.com]

Ethnic fusion?

[androgenie.livejournal.com]

World fusion?

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

That's the best I can come up with, too. It sounds very vague, though, doesn't it?

[androgenie.livejournal.com]

Very vague, but possibly the most descriptive....maybe you could come up with something more creative (I'm thinking some sort of play with the word raqs/raks so it will identify the M.E. portion of your dance style)

[real-bethy.livejournal.com]

Awesome Super Dancer?

Mecha-ShanMonster?

2 Cook 4 Skool?

[pamcash.livejournal.com]

I don't think you could neccessarily call yourself an American Tribal Style dancer, but I don't believe in purism in belly dance. For sure what we do now looks NOTHING like what the dance looked like 2,000 years ago. It's adapted and changed over time. I say make up a name for it and there you go, it's your style.

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm definitely not an ATS dancer. I'm a soloist.

But I can't think of a good name to call what I do. Hmm...

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

That sounds like a religion!