DVD Review: Secrets of the Stage: Volume 1

Title: Secrets of the Stage: Volume 1
Running time: approximately 80 minutes
Available from: Cheeky Girls Productions, Amazon
Retail price: $24.95

Since I've been working on polishing my performance skills lately, I was excited to see a new DVD specifically about performance skills. My teacher is good about including a lot of this information in class, but it's usually in the form of one-off comments while we're drilling or working on something else, so it's nice to get it all in one place. And I also found that after watching this DVD, and really thinking about what goes on when I get up to perform - a lot of my teacher's comments and instructions made more sense.

I was originally expecting a more nuts-and-bolts kind of DVD - how to enter, how to exit, posing, etc. Instead, this is much more about the mental parts of performing. And I'll admit, a lot of this stuff I just never thought about, or kind-of ignored when my teacher or workshop teachers brought it up, because I didn't think they really applied to a student dancer like me. I was wrong, every dancer should think about this stuff.

Instead of just Michelle Joyce talking the whole time (which would be fine, she's a very knowledgeable teacher, and clearly prepared her teaching notes for the DVD extremely well) every topic is accompanied by clips of other fantastic dancers, voiceovered by the dancer discussing how that topic applied to this specific performance clip. It was so interesting to hear such talented and accomplished performers discussing what they're thinking while they're on stage. All the clips are from the By Dancers for Dancers DVD's - it was cool to me to see performance clips I was familiar with and see "behind" them, and to learn how those dancers had made those great performances.

The format is great, since I don't think it would be possible to have this class in this way in person. No workshop sponsor could afford to bring in half a dozen dancers to discuss their performances for 5 minutes each, but this video benefits from having so many contributing dancers to give so many perspectives.

The topics covered are: Calmness and Simplicity, You and Your Music, and Focus and Energy Projection

After a brief introduction, Michelle jumps in with a bang: projecting a positive vibe when things go wrong. This section is accompanied by clips of  Adrianna and Michelle. Both dancers were very insightful, and went into detail discussing what they had been working on at home to prepare themselves for the unexpected. It was a good reminder to me that the best dancers really do work very hard at home to make it look so easy on stage. Michelle then describes a couple of relaxation techniques to use backstage, that can be done quickly and in costume.

The next topic is how to simplify our performances. Over and over, I've heard or read the advice that dancers shouldn't throw every flashy thing they can think of into their dance, which is great advice, of course. But as a student dancer, I've always felt like, ok, I know what not to do, but now, well, what do I do instead? Nanna Candelaria and Sandra walk through their thoughts about slowing down and how to make a performance interesting.

Next, Michelle talks about getting to know your music. Zaheea, Adriana, and Sandra discuss their relationships with their music, both in the context of improvisation and choreography. It's really interesting to listen to the things that all three of them say, and to the things that differ from dancer to dancer. After all, musical interpretation is a very personal thing, and it's rare to get that insight into how other dancers interact with their music.

Finally, Soshanna and Zari discuss using your focus while dancing, and how to engage the audience and keep the audience's interest. Of course, I had always heard that the audience will look where I look, but I never had much imagination about where to look. They described their approaches pretty differently, so there's a lot to think about.

The instructional portion of the DVD is followed by a guided relaxation. The screen is left dark through this exercise, so I wasn't tempted to open my eyes and peak (what can I say, I'm easily distracted. I always peek) It's a good full-body relaxation, and the last bit is dance-specific. Her voice is pleasant and soothing. I would love to see Michelle record another couple of relaxation progressions like this, and release this segment along with the new ones on an audio-only CD. I would definitely buy a CD like that to use as a supplement to my at-home practice. I would love to be able to finish each practice with a dance-related relaxation exercise.

This is followed by a set of practice exercises that are designed not for you to mirror what Michelle's doing on the screen, but exercises to be incorporated into your own practice. The improvisation exercises include dancing to music used by the dancers who appear earlier on the video. I like feeling like I'm taking away from the DVD things I can use on my own, so I don't have to put in the DVD every time I want to do them.

I am so glad I bought this DVD, and I strongly recommend it to all of you. I am glad that it is the first in a series, because I can already see that this volume has just begun to scratch the surface. It's appropriate for both cabaret and tribal dancers (hell, even non-bellydancers would get some use out of it, I think) Especially since it is relatively inexpensive by bellydance DVD standards, I think this is a great investment.