Each month, we feature a Bright Star Student and their teacher, who share with us their own special experiences with dance.
Teacher Spotlight: Joie Grandbois – Theatrical Belly Dance
Q. What’s your movement background?
I have always had a love of movement and as many young girls did I studied tap, jazz and ballet until I early teens. While I loved each of these forms of dance and continued to study various types dance as an adult it was not until I was in my early thirties that I discovered belly dance.
I often say I came to the world of belly dance through the side door of raqs gothique, or gothic belly dance. I had seen belly dance performances many times before and enjoyed them, but it was not until I saw a performance by the woman who would become my first teacher, Aepril Schaile, that I truly fell in love with it. It was the theatricality and dramatic style of the performance that spoke to me and my inner storyteller.
I immersed myself in raqs gothique for several years and began also to study other styles of the dance including cabaret, Turkish and fusion through classes and countless numbers of workshops. Today I blend these styles with a variety of theatrical improvisational techniques and the skills I have learned as a street performer to create theatrical belly dance performance.
Q. How does dance complement your life?
A: I call myself many things – writer, musician, artist, dancer…but the one word than encompasses all of these is storyteller. Whatever medium I am using I seek to bring to life the character that I feel is present in a particular creative work. Some of these characters express themselves in words, others in rhythm, some in paint but there are many who have a voice that can only be expressed through movement. Whether the character’s story is my own, inspired by a piece of music or an interpretation of a long told myth, dance is the channel through which they are brought to life.
Dance is also a very personal form of expression for me. We’ve all had those moments when, in a time of pain, we play a sad song knowing that it will make us cry; we want to let it all out but we seem unable to do it on our own. There have been times in my life that dance has been that sad song and it was the only way that I could express a great grief, or joy, or sadness. Whether in the privacy of my own living room or sharing a performance on the stage, dance enables me to be present, raw, vulnerable, and strong all at once.
Q. What’s your favorite kind of student?
A: Theatrical dance is about stage performance but it is just as much, if not more so, about connecting with your own dance voice. Finding and connecting with that voice requires a willingness to take risks, to explore, and to make mistakes. It also requires a safe space in which to do this exploration.
And so while I could say that my favorite kind of student is one who is willing take risks, explore and make mistakes, I think it is much more important that I create a space in which in which my students feel safe in embarking on this exploration.
Joie Grandbois teaches Theatrical Belly Dance at Bright Star World Dance on Thursdays at 7:30 PM. Her classes will resume in February 2016, when she returns from a Semester at Sea!
She is also the director of vaudeville group Dark Follies, which just won the Phoenix Best Of Portland awards!
Student Spotlight: Michelle L. – Theatrical Belly Dance & ATS
Q. What do you study at Bright Star?
A. I have been studying ATS steady for approximately three years with various ATS trained teachers. ATS provides structure, endurance and sense of belonging in my dance. Most recently I have joined Theatrical Belly Dance with Joie Grandbois to learn the dramatics of the dance. Joie is very talented at foreseeing the needs and the cultivation of her students. Joie also provides an opportunity along with Steven Carpenter, to learn and apply the rhythms of Middle Eastern music to your dance, which is a huge benefit to understanding the mechanics of belly dance.
Q. What drew you to Bright Star?
Familiar faces and the desire to be a part of and support my local belly dance community. My need and love of dance is my soul motivator!!
Q. How did dance come into your life?
My love of dance was inherited from my dear mother. Due to a tight budget growing up, I was never formally trained in dance. I learned the art of free style dancing from watching Soul Train and American Band Stand.
Q. From your experience, what would you want a new dance student to know?
Never give up trying to find your place in dance. I have struggled a lot finding myself and the style of dance that fits my needs and personality. At one time or another, I have studied with most teachers in the Portland dance community. I have learned something from each of them that I carry with me today. Each teacher has helped to develop my own eclectic style of dance that fits my skills, ability and personality. And for that, I thank each of you!
Learn more about our classes and special events for adult dancers of all levels at http://brightstarworlddance.com/ !
Bright Star World Dance 