Rakkasah – Belly Dance Venue
My first belly dance performance was at Rakkasah East, an indoor Middle Eastern venue that’s hosted every year in New Jersey. There’s also a Rakkasah West that’s hosted in California. Dancers can sign up for either a troupe or solo performance. It’s one of the many ways belly dancers can showcase their dancing. I was part of the Sharqidance troupe.
The Music
My teacher decided we were to dance to Shik Shak Shok, a very popular Egyptian song by Hassan Abulso’oud. It’s a great song for almost any scenario: birthdays, weddings, nightclubs. I personally don’t like the song because I feel its overrated. I’ve heard it a few times before I even started belly dancing.
My dance experience
Stage Fright!
My experience performing belly dance on stage for the first time might be a bit different compared to other dancers. I’ve done Bollywood dancing on stage and at weddings for over 15 years. But some things never change. I always get nervous right before a performance. I cannot eat anything before performing because my stomach is on a roller coaster. I’ve always been a nervous dancer, even when Bollywood dancing. However, once I’m on stage and the song starts I’m in the zone. My body starts to move on its own. It’s all muscle memory at this point. I used to dance with my cousins and/or family friends who have taken some form of Indian dance classes so, by default, they were better than me.
Dealing with Self-Judgment
I always felt I wasn’t good enough. I was even nervous about my belly showing in front of everyone because I’ve never done that before. (I was a one-piece bikini kind of girl lol). I used to wear glasses so when I performed, I would take them off. This actually made it easier for me to dance because everyone in the audience looked blurry. Mistakes can happen no matter how hard we practice before performing. During my Bollywood dancing days, I would always be criticized for making mistakes. It’s actually what made me dislike Bollywood dancing. My belly dance teacher, Yame, was very forgiving when it came to this. Shit happens. It’s not the end of the world. The most we can do when performing is to not make it seem obvious that a mistake was made and keep moving. I learned not to be hard on myself.
What was your first performance experience like? How did you overcome your fears?
