While this blog is dedicated to sharing information about my visual art, I am taking this opportunity to blog about another art form I love - performing art. I began taking belly dance classes in 2005 with Sahara, and in 2007 Sahara invited me to join her dance troupe, Sahara's Dream. This journey has been absolutely fantastic, and it has helped me grow in numerous ways. While there are many similarities in the two art forms I enjoy (primarily the creative process), there is one huge difference in performing art - the present moment. While performers may spend months preparing for a performance, when on stage, the present moment is all one can give. The present moment may reflect the numerous hours of preparation, but it also reflects many other things. The intense pressure of performing can reflect your health in the moment, how well you slept the night before, costuming issues (including malfunctions), numerous aspects of the venue and / or audience, and many more things. How well you perform in that moment on stage is not necessarily how well you can perform otherwise. Contrarily, in my visual art, I have the opportunity to prepare everything before ever sharing it with anyone. Many artworks are created, but only the best are shared. I frame and hang or otherwise prepare artworks before showing or exhibiting them. This allows for much more control than performing art. As someone who identifies primarily as a visual artist, I struggle with many of the performance aspects of dance, and I think performance art is by far more difficult at the finish line than visual art. In my 5 1/2 years in Sahara's Dream, I have had the pleasure of dancing with amazing and lovely women in a variety of venues. Saqra's Showcase Festival is one of the annual events you can find Sahara's Dream performing at, and this year we take the stage this Saturday around 5:30 PM. If you are interested please come see us. {You can contact me for more details.} The following photos are samples of Sahara's Dream on stage: Both visual and performance art are absolutely beautiful parts of my life, and I do not think the value of each can be compared. Are you an artist? What aspects of your art are most valuable? Most difficult? I would love to hear your thoughts on the subject whether you create art of any type or not. Thank you for viewing! Much love to you all! ♥ Natasha Video added May 3, 2013. A video of Sahara's Dream dancing at Saqra's Showcase Festival on April 27, 2013:
2 Comments
For a while, I thought I was going to be a mime instead of a painter. I love watching live performances and I adore the simplicity of corporeal theater. As you said, there's an immediacy to it which is alluring.
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Natasha
4/25/2013 01:45:21 am
I can totally see you as a mime! ;)
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I am an artist working with light, combining contemporary & archaic processes to push the bounds of conventional photography. Archives
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