DRUM SOLO :: blanca and carmine

Back in the days when I started I was fascinated by live Drum Solos. To me, they are the ultimate bellydance improvisation. I loved the moment when the dancer turned from a floating cloud into a sharp, articulate instrument... and a fun one at that! Even then I could sense that there was a method, an underlying structure that put together dancer and drummer and something told me that the day I was able to give a good Drum Solo I could consider my dance skills to be up on the next level.

Last year Carmine and I started talking about Drum Solos. Over lattes, we had many conversations about improvisation, performance and how Drum Solos are put together. We shared our own experiences from the viewpoint of a musician and a dancer, talked about how we found Drum Solos very challenging when we first started and noticed how often we've encountered students who are afraid of them.

Since we share a taste for analytical thinking and a passion for teaching, our conversations centered around ways to provide students with tools that would accelerate their training. We talked about ways to give in one workshop all the insights and techniques that we've come up with through our years performing. We taught our ideas in several cities in Mexico (we've been asked to go back and teach more) and have been preparing our first NYC workshop.

Carmine believes that listening is an essential skill. For him it's not enough to tell the dancer to listen; he teaches what to listen for: cues, changes, hints... and of course, the rhythms.

"We hear that Drum Solo is about dancer and drummer communicating —says Carmine— but what does that mean? The dancer should be listening to the drummer and the drummer should be watching the dancer, giving each other feedback, so they do what works for the Drum Solo, and provide a good show."

In the same vein, I encourage my students to communicate with the audience. What we feel when we are dancing not always translates the way we think it does, so I pinpoint common weaknesses and teach them how to turn potentially awkward moments into highlights.

Carmine and I think it's very important for a belly dancer to be really familiar with the rhythms. He explains that even if the other elements are too complicated, even if the drummer is playing phrases the dancer can't relate to, there's always the rhythm to fall back on. I think that for us dancers having a real understanding and appreciation of Middle Eastern rhythms is like finally being able to hear the music after having danced wearing earplugs the whole time. Also, understanding rhythm is essential if you want to create your own choreographies and if you want to feel joy and have fun when you improvise.

Another one of the tools we'll be teaching is a series of connected phrases that the dancer can draw from as she improvises. As they become ingrained in the dancer's body, she no longer has to think about them when she is performing. By connecting the movement phrases with the rhythms, they become memorable and the dancer gets a clearer understanding of them.

In Carmine's words: "Often after I play for dancers, people from the audience will say: 'You and your wife were great!'
They see us so connected they assume we must live together and practice all the time. The trick is to make it look like we practiced even if we didn't. I really want to teach drummers and dancers how to do this".

So far we have taught our workshops in New York City, Rhode Island and several cities in Mexico. Next are New York (again!), Connecticut and Rakkasah East. We are very excited to share many "Ah ha!" moments and surprises with you soon...

Our upcoming workshops:
NEW YORK CITY
CONNECTICUT