2008 Fresh Faces

2008 Fresh faces Bellydancers in Japan

There are many dancers in Japan that have a long history & well established roots in belly dance. Many have taught, performed at events worldwide & even opened popular studios. Since Bellydancer.jp is a new site we decided it would be good to introduce some of the faces that we started seeing more of in 2008 & we predict will make an impact on Japan’s belly dance industry in the years to come.

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Bellydance from Hobby to Pro

From Hobby to Pro

Currently with the increase of bellydancers in Tokyo we thought it would be good to give a few tips for those who want Bellydance to be more than just a hobby.

The studios can provide you with a great way to learn bellydance movements, culture, & history. We want to try to prepare you for self marketing. These are some of the things that we believe you should think about as you extend your career as a Bellydancer.

1. Dancer Name
   Your name is your brand. It’s never too early to think of what would you like to be called. Every artist wants their art to be distinguished from others. Your name should be unique. Do you want to use your real name? Are you comfortable with everyone having your full name? Do you want to use just your first name? Do you want to have your name spelled always in Omoji? Kanji? Romaji? These things are all part of your branding & marketing of yourself?
2. Profile
   A profile is just as important as a resume. It tells others what you have accomplished. Building up your profile is a first step. The events, parties, shows, contests is an advertisement to those who may not be familiar with you or even bellydance. I suggest you write 3 versions of your profile.
   A. Complete Profile: A long version that’s like a resume that lists things about yourself & also a list of events you have been in.
   B. Summery Profile: About 300 moji long. This will be the profile you may use the most. Write a great summary of yourself. This length is good to email to promoters, & use on the web for events you may be in.
   C. Short Profile: 150 character profile that would be good for flyers.

   Even if you don’t use the short profile, or complete profile immediately it is always better to have it than to suddenly be asked & keeping an event organizer waiting.
   We suggest you to keep a copy of these emailed to yourself. You can then easily email them to any event organizer. If you use a web email keep it as a draft or in a separate folder.

3. Photos
   Even though organizers & friends may know you & how beautiful you are good pictures are still needed. Initially one set of pro pictures are necessary. Don’t wait for a friend to give you their pictures of you taken from their keitai or digital camera. Just like your beautiful performance photos only enhances what your viewers are expecting to see. Compared to studio fees that are monthly photos taken once for between 15,000 to 20,000 can actually last you a year or two.
4. Web Site
   Whether this is just a Mixi page, Ameblo, Yahoo Blog, or a full custom web site it helps to have something on the internet. This way you can easily tell friends, & people wanting to see your performance, & where you are performing next. By keeping a personal blog you may also find new fans.

Vegas II Event Review - English

ベリーダンス.com (Bellydance) presents Vegas II

ベリーダンス.com (Bellydance) had it’s second official Bellydance Party. The first party held in May featured Chika Sugitano’s Bellydance Studio AALANJU.

Vegas II was again a fun & lively party in a gorgeous atmosphere. Friends enjoyed a pleasant Saturday night in Shibuya’s Trump Room.

The first stage featured three of the evening’s beautiful dancers Akane, Maasa, & yukie.
Former Ritam Studio student Akane’s performance was her usual cute & genki energetic performance. New to the pro dancer field Maasa was feminine & lovely. When you see yukie’s style you realize why she has so many students that want to learn from her.

The second stage was musical performances’ by Craig Nine & Merblue. ベリーダンス.com & Vegas producer Craig Nine performed featuring two very up & coming dancers. The first song was Down in Mexico featuring Tida. Vegas regular Tida’s creativity is making her stand out recently amongst other dancers.

The second song was “Endless Love” sung by Craig Nine & Merblue’s Chiharu & dedicated to Bellydancer Arella who was married a week before. It’s always good to make friends happy.

The third song was Craig Nine & Merblue featuring Nisaa. This was Craig’s first original tune “Tequila” written by Craig & Sakachi. Added with one of the sexiest dancers in Tokyo Nisaa & it was a perfect match.

Merble continued with a 40 set performing some of their upcoming & current CD. Merblue’s music was such a hit with the young lady guest some couldn’t resist getting up & energetically dancing along.

The third stage was bellydance performances by Tida, Asherah, & Nisaa. Tida performed an original set that included elements of yoga, pantomime, & bellydance. New comers to the Vegas event Asherah one of the prettiest dancers today gave a great performance. Nisaa who is always so graceful & elegant ended the bellydance stage.

The night was far from over. The guest celebrate Craig Nine’s 35 birthday & then there was a drawing for the two belts from Belca. We at Bellydance.com would like to thank everyone for coming. Thanks to the performers, Merblue, Tida, Nisaa, AKANE, Asherah, Maasa, yukie, Trump Room, Bellyman (for the great photos), & Belca. We’ll see you at the next event.

Here’s the event Gallery