Play My Motivation
Last week, I played a new CD in class and once again,
several students were interested and gathered around me.
“What were you playing? I want one.”
One student said she was feeling a little uninspired and
hearing this new music got her excited.
I started thinking how often I’ve gotten excited when I
hear a new piece of music.
I’m sure I’m preaching to the choir when I say that
music triggers a major part of the motivation to move
around in space.
We’ve also been in situations as professional dancers
where we’ve performed in certain venues with live music
and we’re greatly challenged to find motivation when the
music was uninspiring.
What a great opportunity, although it doesn’t feel
like it at the time, to really find out how many sources of
motivation we have. If we rely solely for the music to do all
the work, we leave a major untapped resource that is within
ourselves. It might not be fun or easy at first, but that which
does not kill us makes us stronger.
If the music is uninspiring, I have found it easy to be
in my head and disconnect myself from the music, which
obviously changes the feeling of my performance and leaves
me unsatisfied emotionally and spiritually.
So in all situations, the part we have control of is our
personal focus and we can direct it wherever we want. We
can stop being the victim, take back control of the show and
find something inside that connects us to the music within.
We all have a song in our heart.
We have so many resources to draw from, for instance:
Our life experiences, our collective skills, different parts of
our personalities, our imagination, our fantasies and artistic/
creative part of us, to name a few.
You only have a second for this whole process to take
place. So, find a breath in the music and take a breath as
well, make your decision to have an amazing show!
FAHTIEM
Fahtiem is an award-winning choreographer, master instructor, and
international performer, highly renowned in the dance world for her
musical style and elegance. Her philosophy – “There are no magic steps
that will make you a great dancer; there is only the magic you put in each
and every step” – is pervasive in her teaching style.
July 2017
The Belly Dance Chronicles
49