A dancer recently sent an email enquiry asking for information about what a good ‘dance resume’ should look like, and since they were short of cash, what advice would I give for them if their friend should shoot the video.

It goes without saying that we all do our best at what we’ve trained ourselves to do. And video of almost any kind would be better than no video… well, I hold my breath as I write this because some video footage is very bad and can leave a very poor impression of what the dancer can actually do.

When you think of it, why would you hire an amateur to create a professional ‘look’ and ‘feel’ of your dance?  In todays market place, especially when you consider that many professional dance organisations are now requesting that a DVD is also included with the application.  These are used to make decisions as to whether you will or will not appear in their show.

Here’s another question:  ’since dance is ‘motion’ why would you make a decision based on still photos, no matter how stunning they are, after all, the photos are representing the artistry of the photographer.  Your costumes, so gorgeous and maybe alternative and innovative, represent the creativity of  the costume designer, or the part of you that put the look together; isn’t YOUR DANCE your art form.

The way I look at this is very simple.  Since I create these Dance Resumes and Performance Videos / DVD you could say this is purely a self interested commentary. But this is being written as a response to the dancer who asked the question and they are in Italy; I’m in America… and only get to Europe once or twice a year these days; so someone else will hopefully be hired to shoot this video footage.

If I could just put you in the position of those who have to make choices and decisions on the entry material that they receive…. hands down a well produced DVD / Video that showcases what you do best; dance, almost always gets the gig.

When you hire and work with a professional cinematographer who actually knows how shoot dance footage, (and make no mistake about it, shooting footage of the performing arts is a very specific art form) you raise your chances of not only getting the money you spent on creating your promotional package but you better your chances of earning your living doing what you want to do; dance. Pretend that you own a club and you want to hire a dancer; you have put out a notification that you are running a showcase evening for dancers and this is to be held monthly.

What do you think happens?  Well, go talk to a club owner and they will tell you that they are flooded with all sorts of phone calls, emails which may include links to websites… and some hard copy CD’s and DVD’s.  Now think about it:  you want to hire a dancer; what factors are you going to choose to make that decision?  A still photograph, a static website, or some actual footage of the performer?  Yes, it helps if they have a website because that tells you that they are serious about their career.  Even better if that website has a mini reel of a good performance.

If a dance performer hires a professional photographer…and their costumes are showcase quality…this is also a plus, but tell me, why do dancers / performers, over and over again, spend all of that money on promotional material and then hand a domestic video camera to a well meaning friend and say “take some footage of me, I want to put this into my publicity package”!!?!?!  Happens all the time.

So that’s a simple answer to a simple question.  If you want to look as professional as hopefully you are, hire professionals to package your presentation package.  It really makes the difference.  Take a look on the World Fusion Dance website www.worldfusiondance.com  and see if you can tell the difference between amateur and professional footage.  It’s not just the shooting, it’s also the setting, the lighting, and the final editing and packaging.  Now that I’ve blown my own horn..and the horn of any professional videographer near you, I’ll put it back into it’s case and return to my editing.

Soon you will be able to see what I consider a stellar dance company called :  The Silk Road Dance Company; they are in Washington DC and I was there during their performance in November ( election week- how exciting was that ? !)  anyway the performance was called:  ‘Legends of the Silk Road” ;  I’ll wait and see what your opinion is, but when I saw those Persian Dances… the stunning costuming, and the exquisitely sensitive choreography, I thought that it should be ranked up there with some of the very well known and loved classical dance performances like the ‘Nutcracker’ for example.  The Artisitc Director of ‘Silk Road Dance Company’ is Laurel Victoria Gray.  She is also a world class scholar on the subject of the dances from the Silk Road. Until I can get my footage up, go and treat yourself by viewing their dance footage at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; it’s all online.

Hooray!! Delilah is going forward with her Visionary Dance Hawaiian Retreat! Amazing when you consider the terrible weather we’ve been having in the Pacific North West. Anyone attending this retreat will not only get warm they will return home a better dancer.  Delilah is a real pro as a performer and dance instructor.

I had the opportunity to video record her when she performed at Columbia City Theater. This event was to launch the latest CD produced by House of Tarab. This is a CD you will want to add to your collection; really, some of the tracks are already being used by 3 dance companies in their DVD creations) anyway, I have the whole event recorded.  I wish all beginer and intermediate belly dancers would sit and watch the entire,unedited reels; no matter how clever the choreography is, or how many ‘Turkish Drops’ a younger dancer can perform… the skill that Delilah has in the real art of entertainment is worth being mentored by. She had them screaming with delight by just moving her head. I am not kidding.  You can really tell the difference when you see unedited footage; it’s soul satisfying to not only watch a stellar dancer, but also be entertained by someone who can discern what an audience wants and then give it to them!

Thank you Delilah; you make my job a joy.

From Hello world!, 2009/01/03 at 3:47 PM

she who dances with camera
http://www.factandfable.com | petrushka@factandfable.com | 67.185.17.81

I was in Washington DC during the election week which was exciting enough, but add to that visit the pleasure I had in Video Recording the ‘Silk Road Dance Company’ and you really top off a special event, not only for the audience, but for me the Cinematographer! ‘The Silk Road Dance Company’ delivers one of the most beautiful performances ever!

First, picture the costumes designed by Laurel Victoria Gray, who incidentally has won many awards for her design work not to mention that she also creates these costumes… then think of ‘living silk’ under stage lights… add to that the most narrative sensitive choreography…then the subject… which also served as the title for the production: ‘Legends of the Silk Road”; then you will have had some taste of what me and my camera saw and recorded… the audience showered the dancers with flowers, but no bouquet was larger than the one handed to the Artistic Director: Laurel Victoria Gray; well, maybe one… the one that bloomed in my heart when I watched her through my camera lens. I feign no flattery here; these Persian Dances… put to the talents and skills of this Artistic Director leave you breathless. At moments, the audience was so quiet, I thought someone should dial 911.

From Hello world!, 2009/01/03 at 4:00 PM

Fact & Fable cinematographer Petrushka is on the road again.  This month she will be shooting video footage for various Video Production projects.  She will be at the following locations:

• Visionary Dance Studios
• On location at the Seattle Center
• Skin Deep Dance Studios
• The Seattle Space Needle
• The Seattle Aquarium
• and filming aboard the Argosy Cruises in Seattle Harbor-Puget Sound.

In November she will shooting Video Dance Art at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC.

In Spokane, she will be developing and shooting Video Infomercials for Out Source Marketing of Seattle.

One of Fact & Fable’s VideoCinematographers is temporarily resident in Seattle fulfilling a much-awaited engagement.  She is shooting footage of at least ten world-class dancers.  This footage will eventually appear as dance-instructional DVDs, a doccumentary for the Seattle Arts channel, Internet Infomercials, and, among other things, footage for Internet Television around the subject of dance.  These are a few of the venues Petrushka, a.k.a. ‘peashooter’ will be filming at:  Spice Box Theater, The Pyramid Lounge, Visionary Dance Studios, and Med-Fest.

And instructional DVD about belly dancing with fire has been released by Leslie Rosen of Raq Serpentine Troupe; Leslie Rosen co-hosts a dance performance evening on the first Monday of every month at the Pyramid Lounge in Seattle, Washington.  Leslie Rosen will also be attending the annual Burning Man Event in Nevada.

Belly Dance lessons are in high demand - At least according to TIME.

In a recent article to be released in the August issue, Time Magazine reports that enrollment in Belly Dance classes is at all all time high, and sales of Belly Dance-related books and tapes are on the rise.

Time  correspondent COELI CARR writes:

Fahtiem is a master belly-dance instructor with no wiggle room in her schedule. She gives private lessons at her Los Angeles studio seven days a week, teaches at two colleges and is employed by three cities to offer group classes at their recreation centers. “I have enough work to keep me busy almost all day, seven days a week,” she says.

Carr goes on to explain that it’s not just about the culture or the sensuous movements - many people belly dance to get a good workout.  It seems Belly Dance is quite an athletic activity.  Writes Carr:

there are a host of new belly-dance videos with titles like Cardio Shimmy and Pure Sweat to show how it’s done. “What we’re doing is creating physical movement that has nothing to do with having an emotional connection with the culture,” explains Berkeley, Calif., instructor Suhaila Salimpour, whose Fitness Fusion series of videos was released early this year.

You can read this article in its entirety on Time’s website:

Belly-Dance Boom on Time.com

For more exciting developments in the world of Dance and Fusion, stay tuned to WorldFusionDance.com

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