Categories
General

Improv vs Choreo

Improv Vs. Choreo – Which do you choose?

Today, I was involved in a conversation on the venerable social media giant FaceBook. The question of the day, “Are you an improv style dancer or do you prefer choreography?”

Davina performing at “Celebrating Dance” in 2016

Chreo Vs. Improv

Like most things in life, the answer is “Depends.” In the video above, it would be nearly impossible for the elegant and graceful Shoshanna to perform a set choreography.  Live music with a band requires the trust in your skills, have the speed to respond to tempo changes, idiosyncratic arrangements, and even unexpected shifts into different songs.

Choreography is great when you are working with a group of people and want to achieve a high level of synchronization. Working with recorded music helps groups stay together and on beat.

Davina posing for a pre-performance shot at SAMEDA Fair, 1992

Different Approaches for Different Situations

So my answer is a resounding both!  New dancers often focus one one modality over another.  Experienced performing dancers face a variety of different performance scenarios.  One week you might dance on a standard stage. The next performance might be in round, a typical scenario at large weddings.  But there is also an infinite variety of facility layouts in restaurant, cafe, and bar scenarios.

One of the key skills that separates the student from the teacher, the social dancer from the professional, is the knowledge base to quickly take stock of the performance situations.  Where is the audience situated?   What are the paths to enter and exit?  Given the layout, what are the places to pause for one-on-one interaction with a VIP or patron with a special event like a birthday or anniversary.

Combonography

Okay, I get it, that’s isn’t really a word. But it catches the essence of my own personal approach when I have the opportunity to dance. As an older more experienced dancer, I have favorite combos that I know are comfortable, safe, and also as distinctive and show-stopping as I achieve in this season of dance.

Davina Performs at BayCon 2006

Hybrid Dances: Choreography + Improv

As a long-time instructor I have crafted performance pieces for a  variety of dancers and groups. Over the arc of my career, I’ve come to the conclusion that to be a successful performing dancer, it’s important to have a full arsenal of approaches.  One approach is to craft dances to recorded music that include choreographed pieces, like a chorus for instance, and spaces for improv.

Including passages, verses or bridges for open improv allows for spontaneity and flexibility to interact with the audience. It also creates time for moving through spaces between tables, up and down off stages and platforms. It’s also time you can take to adjust to larger facilities, or smaller more intimate venues that might need subtle adjustments.

No matter where you have the opportunity to dance this year, I hope that these concepts give you food for thought and inspiration!

Happy costuming and dance,
Dawn Devine ~ Davina, 
Feb., 2025 

PS: Here’s a blast from the past with the 2019 lineup of my troupe Swirl, demonstrating a hybrid dance with choreographed portions with individual improv sections.

 

 

Categories
General

“Dancing Down The Midway: 1893” an Introduction

“Dancing Down the Midway: 1893”

I’m so happy to share my Winter 2025 belly dance history course, “Dancing Down the Midway: 1893.”

During this four-session belly dance slide-history course, we’ll take a deep dive into the venues on the Midway Plaisance of the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893.

We are going to begin with an overview of the fair and a history of the exhibitions that lead up to Chicago in 1893.  Then we will zoom into the Midway Plaisance and look at the surviving primary source material featuring entertainers and the stages where they performed.  

  • Part 1: Setting the Stage (Now Available!)
  • Part 2: Cultures and Exhibits on the Midway
  • Part 3: Dancers on the Midway
  • Part 4: Personalities, People, and Myth Busting
  • Part 5: Q&A wrap up (TBA Pending Questions)

These four sessions each include 50 slides featuring primary source diagrams, maps, illustrations, and photographs.  Then I’ll wrap things up and in fifth and final talk, pending questions and queiries.

The slide deck above is a quick flip of “Part 1: Setting the Stage.”  Now available on Patreon at the $15 Tier.

Check it out – and if it’s a good fit and the right price, join me for this deep dive into the archives!

Dawn Devine ~ Davina
Jan, 2025

 

 

Categories
General

Textile Calendar 2025 from Aramco

Free 2025 Calendar
“Textiles from the Islamic World”

Aramco Magazine releases a free downloadable calendar each year.  This year’s theme is “Textiles from the Islamic World,” and this calendar is simply gorgeous!

Above: Saddle cover, detail, Uzbekistan, late 19th century. Wool and silk. The Textile Museum Collection 2021.17.45, Brick Freedman Collection. “Textiles from the Islamic World,”

Each month, there’s a beautiful photo selected from the collection of  The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum. Description, history, and details about the culture, use, and materials are included in the description of each object.

Below Source: 2025 Aramco  Calendar

Textile Calendar is Downloadable and Printable

Even if you have already chosen your calendar for 2025, click through to check it out. You can treat this calendar like a digital magazine filled with loads of great information. I found the text to be that right balance between academic and accessible and easy to read.

Below: Detail of Syrian ikat entari, June. Source: 2025 Aramco  Calendar

Learn about the Hijri calendar

An unexpected bonus on both the website and the calendar is an excellent explanation of the Hijri dating system.  This includes an easy-to-use formula for translating between the Gregorian and Hijri.  Best of all, the calendar is printed with the Hijri numbers and key dates.

Above:  Detail of January showing Gregorian and Hijri dating system. Source: 2025 Aramco Calendar

I’ve been downloading and reading the Aramco calendar for years, and 2025 is one of my favorites. If you want to see more textiles from The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum visit their website: museum.gwu.edu

I hope you have a year full of the people, places, and adventures full of the things you most love.

Dawn Devine ~ Davina
January, 2025