I recently held what I like to call a “Quickshoot” for the dancers of Aalim Belly Dance Academy in Oklahoma City. The stars of the event included the performance group “Aalim Najim” (who will be performing at a national competition in Las Vegas soon), for a group/performance photo. These “Quickshoots” (as their name implies), are quick 15-minute sessions that keep the pace moving so that the more experienced dancers/models can get in and out, and the newcomers don’t get bogged down by the worries and stress of a longer session. Most of the newer girls come in very nervous but excited, so we spend a little time putting them right into a familiar routine and get them comfortable with my suggestions and direction, but thankfully most of them have already had some level of experience in posing themselves for an “audience”, which makes my job pretty easy. For those times when things aren’t so easy, my assistant is an experienced belly dancer, so she’s very handy when I can’t remember a pose name, or to help make small adjustments to get a pose just right in the “proper dance form” sense. Having someone who’s experienced with your subject matter can be invaluable in an assistant!
 

MahalahTsevi