14 Aug 2012

Reklamiranje tuđim slikama

Svako ko se malo osvrnuo oko sebe primetio je da nije neobično da na sajtovima, posterima, facebook stranicama ili vizit karticama škola orijentalnog plesa osvanu slike poznatih plesačica. Bilo da su u pitanju reklame za škole ili ‘profesionalne’ solo plesačice, moje skromno mišljenje je da je sramotno kititi se tuđim perjem. Međutim, stvarnost je da se tuđe slike (i to ne samo poznatih plesačica) masovno koriste za potrebe sopstvene reklame. Neki od izgovora kojim se koriste su:

  • kad bih ja imala profesionalnog fotografa i mogla bih da se hvalim svojim slikama
  • ljudi se primaju na lepe kostime, a moji nisu tako raskošni
  • nisam fotogenična
  • želim da moje reklame izgledaju što profesionalnije
  • ove slike najbolje predstavljaju ono što ja nudim itd.

U startu je jasno da su ove tvrdnje zavaravanje i sebe i drugih. Činjenica je da se ljudi razočaraju i kad kupuju sendvič od kog na reklami kreće voda na usta, a kad ga otpakujete izgleda kao zgažena veverica. Zamislite tek tu nepravdu kada mislite da unajmljujete za nastup Sadie (najčešće zloupotrebljavana slika), a dobijete nešto potpuno drugačije. Ne kažem da je Sadie idealni model plesačice, daleko od toga, ali stvari treba predstaviti onakvim kakve jesu. Bez obzira da li na letku ili drugom materijalu neko prisvaja dotičnu sliku kao svoju, sama činjenica da tu stoji, privlači ljude sa određenim očekivanjima lažnom reklamom. (Sada neću ulaziti u legalnu stranu priče, već u samu moralnu dilemu, koja je po mom mišljenju i mnogo važnija od legalne.)

Profesionalne fotografije mogu biti skupe, ali ako neko sebe smatra profesionalcem i planira da zarađuje ili živi od svog posla ipak bi trebalo da ima sopstvene fotografije. A ako nema svoje može se koristiti crtežima i siluetama. Ja lično mnogo više želim da kad neko čuje ime Iris i ima u glavi moje lice nego lice neke poznate plesačice. Verovatno je lakše privući pažnju slikom poznate ličnosti, ali to nije način da se izgradi brend od svog imena.Koliko sam primetila najčešće su ‘sezonske škole’ (one koje se pojave na par meseci, a zatim nestanu) one koje se koriste tuđim slikama. Brz i lak način da se privuku učenice, zaradi malo para za more i doviđenja. Ovo nije pravilo, ali iz mog iskustva rekla bih da je u velikom broju slučajeva tako. Što je i logično s neke strane. Ako neko nema ambiciju da se duže bavi ovim poslom, nema razloga ni da ulaže u promociju sopstvenog imena i lika.

Ukoliko za, recimo, reklamu za časove koristite sliku plesačice koja se koristi određenim rekvizitom kojim vi ne baratate ili izvodi bekbend (savijanje u nazad) koji vi ne umete, vi svesno lažete svou ciljnu publiku. Istina je da svi moramo krenuti od nule, i da se vremenom razvijamo ukoliko radimo na sebi. Poštenije je nuditi skromno znanje, i uz veliki trud i rad ga nadograđivati zajedno sa svojim polaznicama, nego nuditi brda i doline, a ne ispuniti ni pola. Ja lično mogu da priznam da sam mnogo toga naučila tek kad sam počela da držim časove i dalje nastavljam da učim i to me veoma raduje. Moje devojke me motivišu i daju mi snagu da za njih budem sve bolja. I sama bih uvek radije učila od nekog ko se konstantno razvija.

Ista stvar je i za nastupe. Na vizit karti je slika Rande, Sandre, Saide ili Rachel Brice? Da li zaista osećate damožete da ponudite toliko? Čak i da nije pretenciozno, ipak je bezveze. Prva stvar koja se nauči u orijentalnom plesu jeste da svako telo i svaka ličnost ima neki svoj šmek i svoj stil koji se odražava na ples. Čak i skidanje i kopiranje tuđih koreografija ne može biti 100% isto, a smatram da nije ni poželjno. Ključna stvar je naći svoj fazon i razvijati ga. I tada neće biti potrebe za grebanjem o tuđ.

Stavite sebe u tu situaciju. Da li biste voleli da neko drugi koristi vaše slike za svoju reklamu? Na određenim facebook stranicama nekih škola sam nalazila ne samo slike poznatih plesačica u posterima škole, već i nekih meni poznatih, kao što su moja prva instruktorka, pa čak i slike moje učenice ili mene. Bilo mi je teško tada, a i sada, da razumem zašto bi neko reklamirao drugu osobu umesto sebe, ali kroz pisanje ovog teksta misli su mi se razbistrile. Kada pišete o recimo stilovima, kostimima ili drugim oblastima plesa koji se ne tiču konkretno vas i vaše reklame, to je druga stvar. Tada je po mom mišljenju u redu staviti slike drugih ljudi, s tim što je lepo pribaviti njihovo dopuštenje ukoliko je to moguće.

Moje skromno mišljenje je da ukoliko vidite fotografiju plesačice koju prepoznajete gde ona ne bi trebalo da stoji obavezno upozorite onog ko ju je postavio, a ukoliko to ne pomogne, javite i osobi sa fotografije. I uvek se setite – kako bi vama bilo da se neko krije iza vaše slike?

13 Aug 2012

Važno je razumeti tekst pesme!

421924_283413308398529_224380941_nVažno je, a i divno, da razumemo reči pesme uz koju plešemo. Važno je zato što verovatno ne želite da se nađete u situaciji da veselo skakućete uz pesmu o politici. A divno je, jer bolje možete da se uživite u pesmu, a pre svega da je doživite i onda te emocije prenesete kroz ples. Ovo naravno ne igra veliku ulogu kada plešete za svoju dušu ili za publiku koja ne razume tekst pesme, ali ukoliko se u publici nađe neki Arapin ili snimak završi na youtube-u može vam se desiti da dobijete komentar koji vam neće biti drag.

Veliki problem sa arapskim jezikom je što osim velikog broja dijalekata ima potpuno drugačiji duh i kontrukciju rečenica od onog na šta smo naviklil, pa ga je vrlo nezahvalno prevoditi. Neki bi rekli i nemoguće. Ne bih išla toliko daleko, jer mislim da neku osnovnu ideju možemo da izvučemo, ali precizan prevod definitivno ne. Sada postoji puno sajtova na kojima poznavaoci arapskog velikodušno prevode pesme (uglavnom na engleski). Ovo je super stvar s jedne strane, a s druge ume da bude vrlo iritantno kada otkrijete da se na tim sajtovima uglavnom vrte iste pesme i to ona najpoznatije. Ako malo mrdnete od poznatih stvari dobra je šansa da prevod nećete naći. Zato nije loše znati neke reči koje se pojavljuju u pesmama. Zapravo arapske pesme se najčešće vrte oko istih priča o ljubavi i najveća je mudrost je otkriti da li je on nju ostavio ili ona njega, da li je on bio previše dobar ili možda loš, da li više ne želi da ga vidi, ili ga čežljivo čeka i mašta o njegovim očima itd.

Zato sam sakupila neke od reči koje se najčešće mogu čuti. Ovo je korisno imati na umu čak iako znate prevod pesme, kako biste u pravom trenutku mogli znati konkretnu emociju koju pevač(ica) pokušava da prenese. Česte me učenice pitaju šta znači ova ili ona reč za koju su primetile da se stalno javlja, pa je ovo prvenstveno namenjeno njima, ali i svima onima koji vole arapsku muziku i žele da je osete malo bolje :)

 

Arapske reči koje se najčešće pojavljuju u pesmama

habibi

moja ljubav, najdraži/najdraža

ruhi

moja duša

hajeti

moj život

elbi

moje srce

hobak

tvoja ljubav

omri

moj život

ojunak

tvoje oči

hava

ljubav

vahaštini

nedostaješ mi

helva

lepa

eih?

šta?

halini

pusti me

kida

ovako

bahebak

volim te

donja

svet, svi

zaman

vreme

aini

oko moje

sava

zajedno

kif

kako

leil(a)

noć

nar

vatra

 

PS. Nakon objavljivanja ovog teksta, javila mi se jedna čitateljka (Tasovac Tijana), koja studira arapski. Zahvaljujem joj se na konstruktivnom komentaru i ubacujem njenu primedbu:

Ja studiram arapski jezik tri godine, pa sam htela da dodam da sto se tice reci koje si stavila-one su uglavnom kao i pesme na raznim dijalektima,tako da jedna rec u jednoj pesmi na nekom dijalektu moze znaciti jedno a na drugom dijalektu u drugoj pesmi sasvim drugo..tako na primer rec ''ruh'' znaci dusa,ali u irackom dijalektu kad se spomene u pesmi ima isto znacenje kao ''yalla'',pa tako u sirijskom dijalektu ta ista rec ''ruh'' znaci ''idi'' i cesto je ima u pesmama,a ta rec se potupuno isto izgovara...

Poenta je da sa arapskim jezikom nikad niste načisto, pa nije loše proveriti poreklo pesme. Mada većima pesama koje mi plesačice čujemo najvećim delom potiču iz Egipta i Libana. Još jednom hvala Tijani na korisnoj informaciji :)

9 Aug 2012

Interview with an oriental diva: Omaris

"Omaris is a professional dancer and instructor known for her passionate and intense performances. To watch her dance is not just a passive event; Omaris makes one feel. A true artist, Omaris is able to evoke from her audience the emotion she wants it to experience: passion, longing, pain, and joy. One is often left sitting in their seat, stunned by her captivating performance.

This is no easy feat. Omaris possesses a strong technical foundation to back up her artistry. Her classes are popular in that she fuses technique with insights on showmanship that are priceless for any dancer. An often overlooked component of Omaris’ dance is her musicality. Her specialty is expressing the melodic lines in pieces seamlessly –and her drum solo’s aren’t too shabby either.  So, let’s get to know our sultry Dominican Rose and Queen of Smiles, Omaris".

By Stacy Reyer

423097_10151423280065271_1196419631_n

Ever since I’ve discovered Omaris’ videos online, which was over a year ago, I’ve become determined to meet her some day, so that I can watch her dance and learn from her. Her technique and energy immediately bought my respect and heart forever. I decided to contact her and tell her how her magical dance effected me. We began exchanging emails and I discovered that she was not only one of the best dancers I have ever seen, but also a wonderful and warm person. This is when I said to myself – you are bringing this girl to Serbia as soon as the opportunity arises. People need to know about her. Ever since, I’ve been following her work closely and believe me people, some day which is not that far away, she’ll probably be sold out 3 years in advance, because the world won’t be able to get enough of her.

Originally from the Dominican Republic, Omaris is a professional Middle Eastern dancer with more than a decade of experience and is highly recognized along the eastern coast of the United States (USA).  Due to her charisma, elegance, passion and her hypnotizing style, she has been frequently invited to share the stage with Jillina, Virginia, Rachel Brice, Jihan Jamal, Amir Thaleb, Aziza, Sadie, Asmahan, and the Belly Dancer Superstars, among others. Her style is a fusion of the intrinsic movements and passion of the Classic Belly Dance style and the power and dynamic of the Modern one.

Omaris is  “Omaris, The Dominican Rose," so named by the American crowd, and is highly acknowledged for her teaching methods.  Greatly admired by her students and peers, she captivates her audience with her natural and elegant movements and the passion with which she dances. Omaris is a natural born dancer who always dances from the heart. Many say, Omaris is Art in Motion.

Find out more at omarisdancer.com

Finally, I am introducing this dancing queen with an interview. She was kind enough to answer all of my questions, which are (I shamefully admit my selfishness) all of the things I personally wanted to know. I hope you will have fun reading, and please take a few minutes to watch Omaris dance, you won’t believe how rewarding it is.

189034_10150128878647681_4505060_n

Iris: You have a very personal style of dancing. How was it born?

Omaris: I think it was born based on improvisation. I do not like choreographies. I prefer to give a structure to my dancing in some part of the music, how I will enter on stage, exit, which traveling steps I will use, what is the mood of the particular song for example. I also love acting, so I “create” a history or a tale to most of every song I dance.

Iris: How did you start dancing and teaching professionally, how did you know you were good enough? It's always been a riddle for me, because I never feel I'm good enough.

Omaris: I started teaching when I became the assistant of my first dance instructor. I was a very dedicated student, so I started covering her some classes. I have always thought that I have to learn more. I always consider myself a student who has more knowledge and maybe more experience than my own students. So my learning experience never ends. I think I was good enough as an instructor because first I love teaching and second I was able to explain the movement, the feeling and ideas to make a student to understand and also to execute the step. I was able to share my knowledge with security and also being honest when I do not know the answer.

Iris: I agree, I also like to think of myself as an eternal student. This is one of the most important things I learned from my first teacher. Anyway, which dancers do you admire?

Omaris: I have admired many dancers. I think in general, the ones I do not consider fake and authentic.

29875_419288221788_7839324_n

Iris: Has belly dance changed you in any way?

Omaris: Yes! In so many ways!! Physical… I think my body has been transformed. I feel my body looks more feminine. Also, it has helped with my posture. When I was a child I had a lot of problems with my posture. Belly Dance helped me a lot! Spiritual… Belly Dance makes my life happier with music. I feel more secure as a woman, more confident. I have so many friends who share the same passion like me.

Iris: I feel the same way about everything. And sharing this feeling with the other women is such a rewarding experience! What are your long term visions, wishes and plans in dancing?

Omaris: I would love to teach and dance around the world. I would love to share my passion, my talent to people that believes in me.

Iris: Well, you know you have a fan in me and I hope to bring you to Serbia so that both your and my dream can come true :) I know you come from Dominican Republic. What is belly dance scene like there and do you feel your roots influenced your style?

Omaris: The Belly Dance Community in my country is growing fast. Dominican Bellydancers have a particular style like any other country. However, I learned this art in Puerto Rico. I think just being Latin in general and being surrounded by a big family who also love to dance a lot and do it very well, helped me to learn this dance faster. Of course, Belly Dance is more than to move your hips. But, I have to admit that my background in Latin music help me with some steps.

59876_447227493696_2832535_n

Iris: I like that the influence is there but so subtle, unlike with some dancers who emphasize it so much that at some point you forget it’s oriental dance. When I first watched your videos I thought you were 20 years old tops. Then later on I discovered you had kids and was even more amazed by your looks and energy. It's always troubled me personally, so I must ask you - is it difficult to have a family and be a dancing star like you are? Where do you get your energy from to survive both worlds?

Omaris: Yes, I am a mother of two. Yes, it is hard! I cannot deny it. Sometimes I feel very tired, sometimes I have to choose between stay at home and watch TV with the kids or going to a private party and have so money. I think the secret has been to have a supportive husband, finding balance between work and family and listen to your body. When I feel tired or just not feeling want to dance, I just take a day off or the days I need! I think that has been my secret: I listen my body no matter what! Also every week I make sure I have my family time.

Iris: I should try doing that, too! What has been your greatest dance challenge so far?

Omaris: When I competed in a professional competition in 2009. It was my first and maybe it won’t be my last.

Iris: Do you dance anything else besides oriental?

Omaris: Merengue, Bachata and Salsa ;) Just Latin music. I will start taking Jazz lessons soon.

300368_10150408139756789_1423007568_n

Iris: Do you have any hobbies?

Omaris: I love MOVIES! I am a movie collector. I also love to read, when I have time….(no much time lately).

Iris: It seems you've been a skyrocket rising star lately, but you're still so sweet and down to earth. How do you manage to keep the balance?

Omaris: You are so sweet! Well… I think, I always think that I am a student or a person that needs to learn more. I never think that I know everything or I am the best. I also think that if you have fame and - or fortune is when you need to be more humble. I am by nature very sensitive, humble and romantic. I think that also helps.

Iris: What single piece of advice would you give to your students?

Omaris: Be a goddess on stage! If you feel like a queen when you are dancing, the people will believe you are…

Iris: That is an amazing piece of advice. So obvious, yet so powerful. Thank you for your time and I wish you all the best luck in making your dreams come true!

545005_10151054270466789_184118586_n

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...