Monday, June 15, 2009

This week... Michelle Manx!

Hello kittens, Vermuth again! WOW, what a week as usual... all sorts going on! The New Orleans Burlesque Festival list comes out this week... cross your fingers! I also got the WONDERFUL chance to meet the lovely Michelle Manx during my last foray into Austin, AND I got to see her perform! If you have never heard of or seen pinup bellydance, you HAVE to see her! Such an elegant way to mesh two classic ideas into a unique style that is mesmerizing to watch! I had but a few brief moments to ask a few questions before she had to float away from the event -
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Click the above images to enlarge!

1.) When did you get into bellydance, and who or what brought you to it?

My mother attended a bellydance class at the local community school back in the 70's. I remember how she would practice dancing at home as she would play her Middle Eastern music and I knew that I wanted to learn someday. It wasn't until early 2002 when I decided to check out a class at a woman's fitness center. The timing seemed perfect to pursue a new hobby since I had already established myself in a committed relationship and a stable professional job. Since then, it has become an obsession.

2.) What would you say is the most enjoyable part of your dancing?(ie picking music, preparing, costumes, teaching etc.)

I don't think that there is much of the whole process that I don't love. However, I have really enjoyed creating my own stylization of the dance. My day job as an environmental scientist doesn't really allow for much creativity, so my deep involvement in bellydance has really kept my life interesting for the past seven-and-a-half years.

3.) Tell me about a mentor/teacher/role model you have, and why.

There are so many people that have helped shaped me into who I am today as an artist, dancer, and performer, so it would take up so much of your space to hear about each one, but I wanted to name a few individuals to express my deep gratitude. There are some that I know well and some that I will never have the honor of meeting, but they have been influential or supportive to me in my bellydance career:
My supportive husband Lance Farley, Kajira Djoumahna and Chuck Lehnhard, Stacey Lizette, Lucila Velez, Z-Helene Christopher, Tashar, Jamila Salimpour, Suhaila Salimpour, Bettie Page, Rita Hayworth, Marilyn Monroe, Jill Parker, Rachel Brice, and every student which has attended my classes/workshops. There are many others and I could go on for days naming names.

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4.) Any advice you'd give to any pinup starlets or beginning bellydancers you feel was beneficial to you?

Well, first of all, bellydance is extremely difficult. At first, you are accessing and isolating muscle groups in ways that are unfamiliar to most people, so please be kind to yourself and know that it takes time and dedication to learn this amazing form of dance. One of the most important things to me is to express gratitude to those that have helped you with the dance, whether it might be to your teachers, audience, or workshop producers.

5.) How did you start incorporating the art of pin-up into the art of bellydance?

The concept of Pin-up Bellydance was born at the tattoo convention which has been a yearly gig for me whenever I don't have bellydance event to attend. I started adding elements from my regular wardrobe (influenced by vintage fashions of the 1940's and 50's) into my costuming, since I felt it would work well the tattoo crowd. At the same time, I had been taking a Bharata Natyam (Classical Indian Dance) class to learn more about the poses and facial expressions, which are prevalent in Tribal Bellydance. I started to experiment by replacing the Indian poses in Tribal Fusion Bellydance with the facial expressions and poses of the classic pin-up girl, as well as incorporating old jazz and rockabilly music into my performances. At this point, I wasn't trying to create my own stylization of bellydance. I didn't have a name for my stylization until I received and joyfully accepted an invitation to teach at Tribal Fest 8 (2008) in Sebastopol, California. I decided to teach Pin-up Bellydance and to my surprise, the class sold out within a month. Since then, I have had the honor of being invited back twice to this amazing festival, as well as other festivals and events in this genre of bellydance. I've really enjoyed performing for burlesque audiences, as well. The two forms of entertainment work so well together, in my humble opinion.

You can catch Michelle at the next Glam'Amour Bewitching Burlesque Revue, August 16th, 2009 at the Plaza Arts Center in Carrolton, Texas! For more info, please email bewitchingburlesque@gmail.com!

Til next time!

V

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