I know where I'm going, and I know where I've been

So first of all, Sarah's article here says everything better than I can say it.

http://bellydancingdiva.com/2010/04/competition-or-collaboration-part-2/

I am the grandchild of devoted communists (back when it didn't suck so badly). Somehow, I think that influenced my attitude to this whole thing.

We all need to make money. We all need to figure out how to survive. Some of us will take to teaching and performing to make some or all of our living.

In the end, we may not love someone's attitude. We may not love their costuming or music choices. We may not love their technique. But you know what? They have just as much a right to be here as the next dancer. This community needs to be a place where we can express ourselves openly.

The teacher or dancer who lives or works down the street will not have the exact same thing to offer as you do, even if they teach the exact same style. They may have a different perspective, a different interpretation, a different way of drilling moves or a different dance "dialect." They will for sure have walked a different life path.

Admittedly, I'm young, I'm idealistic, and I'm no businessperson. I'm sure there are plenty of you well-seasoned dancers rolling your eyes at all this. But you know what? Let me have my moment of idealism. I know that not everything pays off well or consistently in this scene, in both emotional fulfillment and actual money. I can accept that and am not willing to let it break me down.

Follow your path. Go where *you* need to go. Do it with grace. Don't dance to the exact same music the dancer down the street uses. Don't steal their moves or ideas if you can help it, although yes, nothing is truly original. Show the world who *you* are and what you have to say as best as you can. Teach your students and fellow dancers ethics and professionalism. Draw a line in the sand showing what you are and aren't willing to accept. I have had to learn some very harsh lessons with that. I'm glad to have learned them sooner rather than later.

As a dancer, I refuse to do an advertising pitch for myself that fixates on what I may have that other dancers don't have. You know why? Because conversely, they will always have something to offer that I don't. I need to live with that and accept it. Do I need to be best friends with someone whose attitudes I don't agree with? No.


I may be a very young woman and a baby dancer and teacher, but this isn't my first lifetime. Like Ani DiFranco says, "I know where I'm going, and I know where I've been."