Thursday, October 13, 2005

Kasik Oyunu

I'm supposed to choreograph the Turkish spoon dance for the dinner & dance exactly a month later.

Felt a migraine creep up. I've never seen the spoon dance in her entire life, not even when I was in Istanbul. I only knew Turkish belly dancing and the whirling dervishes. But the Turkish embassy’s website assured her that the Kasik Oyunu exists. Okay. So how? E-learning. Don't you just love the internet? Should be able to pull this off.

Needed an engaging song that would hold the audience’s attention, not too Turkish, with an easy rhythm for the beginner-dancers to follow. It must be less than five minutes. Ofra Haza was recommended as the choice of singer. Blindly picked a song that is 3:37min long, sounded lively with an easy beat- Im Nin Alu. Choreographed random dance steps. Let's hope this works.

But it's not going to be easy to hold the spoon this way. Sure kena cramps in the fingers.

There's no way that beginner-dancers can hold the spoons firmly, clap them together, memorize the dance steps, move their hands, body and feet altogther, and smile. Not in 4 weeks. Not in a million years. We'll have to use a cheat-sheet to hold these spoons. In a rather unglamorous but practical way. 

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

what 'cheat'? the word is improvise!!!

Anonymous said...

easier to teach if dancers are dancers. but if not...then stick to a basic 4/4,2/4 rhythm.you can't go wrong.

Anonymous said...

wow. this is going to make my fingers go numb,dancer or not. better stick to just plain,normal clapping of spoons.

Anonymous said...

ugh. hate choreographing. hate dancing. i've got 2 left feet.

Anonymous said...

wah lau!! i never even knew this dance existed!

Anonymous said...

looks more like finger-torture dance.

Anonymous said...

can hold each spoon in one hand or not??

Anonymous said...

i definitely asking them to hold 1 spoon in 1 hand. not even going to attempt what's in the pic. sure drop spoon one. ugh.

Anonymous said...

i tell you, the spoon sure drop one. unless everyone has big, non-sweaty palms.

Anonymous said...

must be turkish dance?? then do belly dancing lah! easier to bluff!

Dawn said...

You sure they're paying you enough to do this?

Anonymous said...

choreography aint part of your job scope darling. i'm sure this is otherwise known as ECA. chalk up brownie points.

Anonymous said...

that means no exciting bellydancing costumes??!!

fuchsiacow said...

i can't wait to see it.

Anonymous said...

*STRESSED*

Anonymous said...

i was sooo curious that i went looking for the song you mentioned. waaah. quite mesmerizing. i've sifting through a whole lot more songs by Ofra Haza.