| 1)
Keep smiling! |
There is practically no situation onstage that can't
be salvaged by an air of confidence and a grin. A smile will engage
your audience; they will be more inclined to watch you dance when you
look as though you are enjoying the experience yourself! The best dancer
in the room will be dull to watch if she looks miserable. Laugh at yourself
and the world laughs with you.
Errors will be forgiven and often masked completely
if you carry on smiling like a trouper. Our very own Kathi has a few
tales to tell. As our nominal left-hander she freely admits to continually
turning the opposite direction to the other shimmies (sorry sisters!)
but being a compulsive smiler when dancing, you can't tell she's wondering
where the others have gone - well, in most of the photos at least!
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| 2)
Graceful arms and silky fingers |
We reckon one of the signs of a good dancer is beautifully relaxed
fingers - hands that seem to float on air and fingers that go on forever.
Remember to relax the shoulders, let your arms float away from your
body, elbows up, keep your wrists strong and relax your fingers. A lot
of emotional content can be conveyed to your audience using beautiful
simple hand gestures. We had the marvellous Beatrice Curtis come over
and tutor us on our arm positions and so if our fingers are like a whispered
caress then it's partly down to her!
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The hardest thing is keeping the little
finger and the thumb near the others as they always wants to go awol
above or away from the rest of the fingers (oops!)
Vashti, who is well-known for her beautiful hands suggests lowering
the middle finger towards the thumb and Kathi "thinks" upward
movements with the fingernails, downward ones with the pads of the fingers |
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Both Beatrice Curtis and Razia suggest you imagine you’re swanking
around showing off your fabulous gems – this works both for hands
(rings) and necks (diamond–encrusted parrures?!), and not only
helps you produce nice shapes, but makes you walk “tall &
proud”.
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| 3)
...and in the audience tonight ... |
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Some of us find
it helps if we focus (though not exclusively, of course) on one or two people
in the audience who are obviously enjoying themselves and who are willing
to make eye contact with us – then we can settle in by “flirting”
with them and project ourselves better to the rest of the audience.
This is a good tip to help remind us to :
a) not look down unless it is part of the routine, and
b) make eye contact with the audience
Kathi will smile at anyone who looks a bit miserable because sometimes the
expression on their faces may indicate concentration or confusion as to
where they can look (can a woman watch another woman, and should a man??!)
A smile often induces a smile and relaxes the audience and the other dancers.
Winks work wonders with little boys! |
One member of our troupe imagines Johnny Depp has crossed
the Atlantic to watch her...
whilst another would have Daniel Craig enrapt ...well,
you never know! |
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| 4)
The marvels of tit tape, velcro and safety pins |
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dancer should leave home without these! |
Add tit tape to the tip on fastening
belts etc. It helps anchor anything that might ride up (or down), and
not just in the tit area. |
Velcro can also be added to fastenings to help keep things secure during
a shimmy!
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Safety pins can secure hip scarves and loose straps, keeping things
that need to be kept up and in…where they should be
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| 5)
Stage perils and the value of the dress rehearsal |
It's always a good idea to find out in advance what
the layout of your performance spot will be. Carpet, hardwood, concrete
and stage blocks are all surfaces we've appeared on. Dancing slippers
are always a good back up plan if you are unsure, trust us, spins and
turns in bare feet on carpet or concrete can lead to very sore feet!
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It is a rare and wonderful thing to find a smooth,
perfectly polished performance space, hope for this always but go prepared
for anything else!
We fill out or ask our hosts to fill out a gig sheet which gives us
a good idea of what to expect - see our booking sheet on the contact
page
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Also look out for other
potential hazards especially on a shared stage: amps, wires, mikes, spot
lights, are all hazards we've had to dance around in our time, especially
interesting with a stick or veil to twirl! If dancing outside consider
whether to use a veil at all and if so try a weighted veils (they may
look good if you're facing into the wind but silly if they hide you) |
It is always a good idea to have a dry run in your costume just in case
it doesn't behave when you perform - especially if you have a new outfit
that you are dying to show off!
If a costume is going to mask or restrict your moves it is good to find
this out before you are in public. Headdresses may be too tight, too
loose or too impractical to dance in
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Beaded accessories or clothing
are notorious for catching on sleeves or bracelets when dancing.
Veils should also be road tested if possible as they may also catch
on beads, coins or headdresses. Big rings are usually okay so long as
they are smooth
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Test out the potential by going through the
moves which are likely to bring the accessory into contact with your
clothing - this is especially the case when dancing outside where costumes
flap more.
It would be a real shame if your costume detracted from your dancing!
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| 6)
Colour |
Every girl knows black covers a multitude of sins;
but when you dance your moves need to be seen, so those of us that have
them, save the little back numbers for solo routines.
Don’t wear unrelieved black – as an element of an outfit,
or covered in sparkly bits, it’s fine, but on its own it's very
boring. Colour will grab the audience’s attention, and is more
likely to hold it
We don't wear black to any of our engagements dancing
for the elderly and if we are dancing on a stage we try to find out
what colour the backdrop and lighting will be.
Movement and colour add to the visual fiesta of dance routines, and
besides, if you are in colour you will always be seen whatever the background
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| 7)
All for one... |
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Dancing together has a real wow factor, impact is
multiplied, a visual feast for the eyes!
If you are dancing as part of a troupe, then try to make sure you look
like a group of friends who like one another a lot, not just a collection
of soloists. We work hard in our practice sessions on group dynamics
and togetherness – which for us goes deeper than just all doing
the same moves at the same time (though we try to do that too!), it’s
about really expressing our relationship to the audience.
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| 8)
Make an entrance and an exit |
You want to create a good impression the instant
you're on stage and you'll want that impression to last long after you've
left the stage. Put some effort into entrances and exits: your performance
starts the moment your audience can see you, not necessarily when the
music starts. You need to announce your arrival so your audience's attention
is engaged so don’t shuffle on to your performance place and slink
guiltily off stage.
Walk or dance on acknowledging the audience's presence, when you leave
your stage, depart basking in the warm glow of their appreciation, accepting
their applause graciously. It might be a good idea, if you’re
doing a set, to put in links between tracks so you can take up your
positions for the next dance in a co-ordinated and interesting way.
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Here's Semera
walking offstage down a flight of stairs all the while smiling and clapping
while Becky invites in the next dancers with grace and poise
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| Perform every
second that the audience can see you and stand upright if you're waiting
in a place they can see you before you start dancing
(or someone is bound to take a photo of you slouching!) |
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| 9)
Music |
We have a growing library of Shimmy Sets
all of which vary in length and content depending on who and where our
audience is. We would usually rehearse the set in performance order
and work out how we can transition smoothly from one dance to the next
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"Have music will dance" could well be our motto! It goes
without saying you'll be preparing in advance your routine and have
the music ready in the order you want to dance it, but this is especially
critical in any group performance so that all the dancers know what
they are doing and in what order
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Remember if dancing outside you want to
be able to hear your music over planes and police sirens so it might
be best to choose songs with a strong bass beat
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| 10)
After your performance |
We have learned that even after all this time some things won't go
quite as planned!
The trick is to accentuate the positive so that you remember the experience
as a good one (or a learning curve) this will give you the courage to
do it again
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It is very easy to come off stage and vent about mistakes / mishaps
that you have made. It's natural to want to express frustration at your
perceived mistakes and if you haven't been dancing together very long
you might even want to point out mistakes the group has made. Refuse
the urge and SAY NOTHING directly after the performance (and certainly
nothing within hearing of your audience or hosts). Adrenaline is a high
- enjoy it!
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The time to reflect / critique is after the high has passed when you
can be more objective. Find and use at least one pointer from every
performance to take you forward at your next outing. This will help
to build confidence and help you perform better before your adoring
audiences....and that's a promise!
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