Well all that time spent agonising over music was wasted.My Cd would not play at the restaurant-nor would any CD that had been copied or edited there was some music a previous dancer had left and that would not play either-i've never had this problem before.I always take plenty of CDs but not always the originals. So I had one Cd in the car of Egyptian music which had one suitable thing on and the rest of the time I danced to their Tarkan CD.
A lot of my more recent Turkish music is downloaded (legally) from Emusic so that would not have played either. Burnt CDs must have played at some time because its what all the other dancers have used.
I know it could not be helped but I'm disappointed I like to do a show not just dance about a bit-especially as it was a place I'd not been before and I'm dancing for an agency.So feeling down and a bit sad that it wasn't as I would have liked-great atmosphere at the restaurant though-nice place.I'd like to do it again with proper music.
On a post performance downer here.I'm well past the stage in my career where I am pleased that I'd coped with it after all a proffessional dancer better had be able to dance for 20mins to any music, but I just think how much better it would have been with my own music-sigh!!
Spose I'm lucky this has never happened before.

Tags: restaurant
Current Mood: disappointed

 Dancing in a new (to me) restaurant tonight.I've changed my entrance music as if i hear Tales of the Sahara again-I will tantrum.Also giving Set El hosen a rest-though i don't know.The only trouble with the one I've picked (Rakset Ranin by Setrak vol 17)is its only just over 3.30mins and its a 20minute set-its good for swishing about and staking your territory though-then I'm doing my jolly meet and greet sagat number and then I descend into Turkish pop with a Turkish debke thrown in.All very jolly, happy, party BUT supposing I've got a coach trip in from Sad and Mardy land who don't want to be jolly and happy-it does happen.But then they'd hate it anyway so why worry about them.
I'm having a "please like me" wimpy performers moment-think I'll do an alternative CD just in case. I'm always a lot more relaxed when I've been before and can figure out the audience type better.

Tags: restaurant
Current Mood: hopeful

Danced at new restaurant last night and Iwent down a storm.The audience was great, I felt great and (dare I say it) I DANCED GREAT!!!!!! YAY ME! YAY ME! Er on a bit of a post performance high here.
I am so great !!Who hooo!!!!

I will not change this post when I've calmed down tomorrow Sod modesty!!!

Tags: restaurant
Current Mood: ecstatic

Well thanks goodness for the old belt and braces approach that I did the Turkish music-Only people in restaurant were huge Turkish family -who loved my Turkish music and showed me properly the Turkish Debke thingy i've wanted to learn for years except that nobody who ever showed me before could do it properly-yaaay!! Can  do it now.Had a really good night.Always good when people whose culture this dance is from think you are ok so had a nice time. I love to watch the girls ( and blokes too but less relevant to me) doing the social dance thing-one of the things I love about going to Egypt-you do learn such a lot. It was nice to be accepted because Turkish and Middle Eastern audiences can be tough-Like a restaurant owner one said to me-  "English people bellydancing, NO!!" -shudder. I did point out I was English but he said "No I must be Turkish"-very kind of him as really I know so little about Turkish Bellydance-I did play the spoons though-except I think they were more impressed with the old zills. I was a bit worried that my Turkish music would be way out of date as its the stuff I was dancing to yonks ago but the whole family recognised it and danced along-bit ashamed to say I put Simirak (Kiss Kiss) on there in case but they didn't hold it against me. So next task find some up to date Turkish music.
Good experience-could have gone either way-so quite proud of self.

Tags: restaurant
Current Mood: happy

 All supposing I'm not burried under 6 foot of snow I'm dancing at a new restaurant tonight-slightly aprehensive it being new and all that.Its Turkish-so have got together 2 sets of different music. One if the audiences look mainly British (lot of Egyptian music in it) and one if they look or if the restaurant wants mainly Turkish. I'm wearing my lucky red Turkish costume which I love-it makes me look like a belly dancer-lots of fringing-very old fashioned by cairo standards but very pleasing to the General Public. have worn this costume to death its looking a bit tatty now-could do with another same style.

Tags: restaurant
Current Mood: hopeful