Building the Foundation as a Fusion Dancer

Avienn Rose is a local dancer known for her sassy charm and engaging stage presence. She is a committed dance student of Sahina and Elisheva, and travels far and wide to study with Fusion stars such as Mira Betz, Kami Liddle, and Ashley Lopez. She is known for her precise movement, loveable faces, and innovative choreography.

Don't mind me. I'll just be here for 5 hours.

I spend a lot of time on youtube watching bellydance videos.

A lot. (See: figure right)

​And I know I’m not alone.

I can feel you nodding along in solidarity from here.  (Thanks!)

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I am a dedicated student of my lovely teacher, Sahina. She was my first teacher, and as such holds a special place in my heart. It was in her class that I was introduced to and steadily fell head over heels in love with the beautiful music, movement, and community of bellydance.
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Sahina is primarily a Turkish and Vintage Oriental dancer, and brings her knowledge of the dance, history, and culture into every lesson. She is known for her graceful movements, perfectly pairing with her style of dance: light, raised, floating, elegant.

These are things I am naturally not. They are not words that anyone would use to describe me.

Thanks to the bellywife for catching a special moment. It is truly amazing to see a photo of yourself that shows how others see you, even if you don't see yourself that way.

​​Sassy. Yes.

Elegant. Not so much.

​But that’s okay -- we all grow and expand our skillset as we learn and explore new ways of movement..

And in the meantime, I hold onto those small moments when I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror with beautiful sweeping arm movements when I am in the zone with the music and movement and think to myself:

​Damn. Where did that graceful minx come from?

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​When we get swept up in our love-obsession with bellydance, we find ourselves spending countless hours getting lost in what we endearingly call “the rabbit hole” or “the bellydance vortex”. We find dancers from all over the country, the world -- from different eras, styles, and cultures. 

(Below you will find a scientific photograph of your brain while you are in the rabbit hole.)

And we watch.
 
Sometimes (okay... often) on repeat. 
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And we learn. 
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And we share our newly acquired treasures with our dance-sisters, friends, supportive/begrudging partners, and the world (thank you social media!).

This is your brain on bellydance. But there are probably more sparkles.

And that is how I found the world of fusion bellydance, and the amazing talents of Kami Liddle, Rachel Brice, Ashley Lopez, Heather Powers, Serena Spears, Mira Betz, Zoe Jakes, Deb Rubin, April Rose…. if you pulled up my youtube history the list would be endless (and you’re welcome for how long you now will spend in the rabbit hole because of these links... #sorrynotsorry).  I have traveled far and wide to be able to learn from these amazing dancers, find my voice as a fusion artist, and connect with my body and movements in new and exciting ways. ​

Sometimes I fan-girl a bit. That's cool, right?

I have fallen deeply in love with an expansive definition of bellydance that incorporates your own voice and meaning and spirit. Fusion dancers get to push boundaries, integrate various styles, and try (and sometimes fail- which can in itself be just as important) to create something new in our dance world.

I love the world of fusion.

But I will never stop learning and loving traditional dance.

And I think that you shouldn’t either.

The history, the culture, the stylistic differences between geographic areas over centuries. This is what I have learned to celebrate, respect, and honor with my dance. The foundational movements, knowledge of culturally appropriate (or not) aspects, and the rich community of people.

This is what I build upon to establish my own stylistic voice.  Because by maintaining a strong foundation of traditional bellydance, you will have the knowledge, skills, and vocabulary that will ground your dance as you push the limits. And that is why I ensure that I never stray too far from the traditional world. I take workshops, stay connected to my traditional teachers, and remain informed of the histories and cultures of different styles. Because it’s important to me that I keep in touch with the foundation of belly dance, both my own and of those who came before me.

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