scenester x2

The last 2 evenings, i've had the opportunity to participate in very different social scenes. at the moment i'm feeling a bit burnt out on being among groups of people that i don't really know, and just want to curl up with a buddy and a blanket for some good snuggle talk!

but its certainly been interesting, and I’m grateful for the weird-ass and fascinating opportunities life keeps throwing my way. Sunday night i caught the end of an evening highlighting the "superstar" belly dancers of new york city. the show was at Makor, a branch of the 92nd street JCC; i think of it as the kosher meat market for upper west side 20 and 30 somethings. I arrived late (after my self-required daily busqing stint). the room was packed and dimly lit, the crowd whistling and cheering on the dancers. i caught the last 4 or 5 acts and it was interesting to see their different styles; some were traditional, some very modern. they had a variety of interesting props as well as a male belly dancer. belly dance is such an interesting art form; it can be intensely sensual, or very personal and intimate. when watching belly dancers, i often feel unsure what the proper reaction/response is. somehow it feels wrong or disrespectful to just all feel hot and bothered..........

here's a snippet from Wikipedia about belly dancing, or raqs sharqi in arabic:

Raqs Sharqi dancers internalize and express the emotions evoked by the music. Appropriately, the music is integral to the dance. The most admired Raqs Sharqi dancers are those who can best project their emotions through dance, even if their dance is made up of simplistic movements. The dancer’s goal is to visually communicate to the audience the emotion and rhythm of the music. This especially apparent during the drum solo portion of a performance.

i find this very inspiring for my own music playing, and resonant with my dance experiences as well. The last dancer was the one who embodied this the most--she was so deeply immersed in her body and her sensuality, and it showed clearly in her face. that's what i aim for when performing music--to be deeply and fully in the music, having an intensely personal experience. I think that this then allows the "audience" to share in some small piece of myself, making the performance a deeply spiritual act.

after the show was over, i tagged along with the belly dancers and musicians for dinner at a shmansy greek restaurant nearby. it was weird and fun and kind of exhausting to be immersed this totally unique social scene—belly dancers are a lively, vivacious bunch, and there's surprisingly little overlap with the klezmer scene.

last night i had a very different, equally weird experience of cultural immersion. busking at the 110th st subway station, i was spotted by a fellow jew who was on his way to a benefit celebrating several leading lights of Yiddish theatre. he invited me to come, and following my philosophy of accepting all invitations, i hopped onto the downtown train once i'd finished playing. the theatre was on christopher st., nestled amidst a plethora of gay porn shops. The show was an absolute mob scene of mostly elderly folks, kibbutzing in yiddish. I had a bit of culture shock, after a night out with the belly dancers, and the program was conducted entirely in yiddish! I was able to understand little bits here and there, the musical portion was wonderful, and it was interesting be immersed in this unique culture. Yiddish is such a rich and interesting language, with idioms like “a geshvir iz a guteh zach bei yenem untern orem” (a boil is fine as long as it’s under someone else’s arm) and “a kloleh iz nit kain telegrameh: zi kumt nit on azoi gich” (a curse is not a telegram: it doesn’t arrive so fast). if you're interested in yiddish, or even just creative insults, i highly recommend Michael Wex's website, www.the-yiddish-world-of-michael-wex.com.

and remember, “oifen balken ken kain korn nit geroten!” (you can’t grow corn on the ceiling!)