Jenna

HC: Has your new lifestyle affected your creativity?

J: I'm really not sure - I never consciously thought about my creativity too much, to be honest. I guess the moments when I feel I'm being truly creative is during improvisational dancing to live music. And, as I'm sure I'll complain about later in the interview ;), I have a lot less opportunity for live music performance out here. Although lately I've had 2 very nice experiences, thanks to a couple of women who are active in the LA community. I danced with a fantastic trio from the UCSB Arabic music ensemble while helping out at Zahra Zuhair's dance camp, and then at Cafe Beledy, a very nice live music event put on by Anaheed in the Valley.

HC: Are you teaching?

J: Yes, I've started a couple of classes in both Hollywood at the Hollywood Dance Center, and North Hollywood at the Art of the Dance Academy. I'm definitely hoping to have some student showcases in the future, since its such a fun and rewarding experience for everyone.

HC: What kind of people come to your classes?

J: You know, I was recently considering putting something up on my website, just saying thank you to all my past and present students, because, all business aside, I feel so lucky to meet and get to know so many amazing people that are all so different and unique. I get the same wonderful mix out here. The only difference, is that I haven't had any male students out here yet, like I did in NY. In general, the students here so far seem to have had a bit more choreography, perhaps because of the popularity of troupes out here. In New York, where solo dancing was more the norm in the past few years, I think there is more work on improv and personal style than on unity and precision. I think its great to have both aspects, though -- the ability to fit into a group, and the freedom to break out of the mold.

HC: What are performance opportunities in your area?

J: I was lucky enough to be seen performing at a wedding by the lovely owner of an Egyptian cafe called Dahab, and I'm delighted to be performing there twice a week. Happily, they accepted my rate, equal to what I'd get in NY. I've heard about a lot of the big places out here paying poorly, and the dancer ends up relying on tips, and therefore actively soliciting them. I haven't experienced this myself, its only hearsay. But you can imagine, having heard that, I am certainly glad to be involved with the respectful, generous family that runs Dahab. I don't think the private party rate is too different out here, I've been able to maintain my rates for those as well.

HC: Are there local online BD databases?

J: I should be asking you this question! :) There's a site called "The Pink Gypsy" that's been around for as long as I can remember with SoCal information. I've been on tribe.net for a while, and that has a pretty large Californian contingent. And although a national organization, MECDA is based here and publishes a newsletter promoting events and classes.

HC: Can you describe the evolution of your own dance style in recent years?

J : I've always had trouble defining my dance style, and problems with the concept of dance styles in general, since everyone's style is so personal and individual. I'm still working on the things I've always worked on: being inside the music, taking my time when dancing, emotional connectedness, dynamic, range.... I'm always trying to get better, and I love that I've had more time to study out here, mostly with Zahra and Fahtiem, who are so different in style but each beautiful and accomplished dancers. I've also taken some classes with Tamra Henna, whose Egyptian style I really enjoy.

HC: For students who would like to emulate your style -- can you suggest what to focus on?

J: Well, I agree with Serena on this -- she would always say that a dancer shouldn't try to be a carbon copy of anyone. That being said, emulation can be a useful tool, as long as the dancer takes what works on his/her body and to his/her taste, and leaves behind what doesn't. I believe in studying with lots of different teachers, once you have a good basic technique. I've seen lots of dancers who work hard learning different teachers' styles and movements, but without a strong foundation and even good basic posture. So I think that's the first step - if there's no bellydance teacher in your area that can competently address posture and technique issues, one may want to supplement the bellydance classes with yoga, ballet, alexander technique... Then the dancer will be better able to utilize the skills they pick up from different teachers.

HC: What do you think about the "mainstream" audiences interest in bellydance?

J: Ah... what a big question! I'm so torn about this -- when I became interested in bellydance myself, I saw Fat Chance at an outdoor fair in Berkeley. It was unified, beautiful, mysterious, powerful, and DIFFERENT from anything I had ever seen before. I liked the 'otherness' and I'm afraid that's being watered down as bellydance gets mainstreamed. I'm the kind of person who tries to stay away from 'big business' in my daily life, trying to support smaller enterprises and local food growers and that sort of thing (simultaneously admitting my clandestine love-affair with tater tots from Sonic and my weakness for the occasional Chantico); so it's hard for me to reconcile my role in this mass-marketing push.
At the same time, I do feel that if the positive aspects of learning this dance can be shared with a larger public, that is something to celebrate. I have personally seen how this dance form has helped many people in many ways, and I would like that to be available to everyone. However, as with any 'boom', you will get any number of underqualified individuals trying to cash in on the trend, which is unfortunate, and which will indubitably detract from the potentially positive experience. In my own life, I am trying to reconnect with the reasons I started dancing, and dis-connect from the business aspect of it.

HC: Do you miss anything in particular about NYC?

J: My students, professional peers and all the wonderful live music.

HC: What can we do to get you back here?

J: Not much! :) But I'll be back again this winter for some workshops and shows, and I'll keep coming back for visits, but I don't foresee a permanent move back in this lifetime...!