“There is no standardization, or little standardization, for better or for worse, in Gorean slave dance. Not only can the dances differ from city to city, from town to town, and even from tavern to tavern, but they are likely to differ, too, from girl to girl. This is because each girl, in her own way, brings the nature of her own body, her own dispositions, her own sensuality and needs, her own personality, to the dance. For the woman, slave dance is a uniquely personal and creative art form. Too, of course, it provides her with a wondrous modality for deeply intimate self expression.”
Guardsman of Gor, page 260
The Beginning: Setting the stage, the mood
PRE-DANCE POST: When you begin a dance, your first post needs to set the stage for your audience. Do not simply begin dancing. Your should describe the setting of your dance. Are you in sand, atop some furs, on red tiles, a dirt floor, cold stone floor? Are you dancing by candlelight, torchlight, outdoors in the sun? Remember keep the dance suited to the environment you are in, do not dance in the sun inside, or instance, in an alcove. In competitions or exhibitions, you will use this to enter the sand and give indication to the “musicians” to begin to play. Then the person with the in-world stream will begin your music, but remember keep it in character.
In your post you may want to describe yourself to your audience. All during the dance from the beginning to the final post you should describe your physical attributes and emphasize your best features. Remember Goreans found every part of a woman to be beautiful. Do not just describe your breasts and ass. Mention your hair, your legs, your hands, and your ears. Describe any clothing or items that you are wearing. Are you naked? In silks? A kirtle? Do you have any shiny bangles, belly chain, bracelets and such? Are you wearing slave bells or holding zills?
Paint a vivid picture of what your audience will first see when you appear before them. The beginning is the place to set the stage and will ensure the audience is not wondering where the silk came from or the bells they suddenly hear.
Do not forget the initial picture you gave your audience. Incorporate that into your dance. Will your silks or kirtle remain on you throughout the dance? Use the jewelry you are wearing to catch the light and sparkle at certain moments. If you have many bangles on,maybe the sound of their clinging will ring out. Slave bells will be making noise and you should describe those sounds using them to stress certain movements. Do not forget the little details.
Your posts leading to the crescendo will tell the story of your dance or drive your emotions of convey where “the train” is headed towards the hill or crescendo or climax.
The Crescendo: Events leading to the climax This is what I like to call the train climbing the hill.
This is the progression of events that lead up to the climax.
The Climax or Pinnacle: The train at the top of the hill!
The point of the dance where the most emotion and action takes place. Where feelings are exposed and vulnerable.
The climax is usually just a few posts from the end or is sometimes the end of a a dance. It is the moment where a girl realizes she is slave or submits, or exposes the point of the dance. You should put a lot of effort into this section of the dance as it is the heart or centerpiece of your performance.
A wonderful way to accent the climax of a dance is involving music, even if an online a dancer and her audience do not share a background of real music for the dance. A dancer’s audience cannot hear the savage and sensuous rhythms of Gorean music. No flutes, no kalikas, no tabors. Instead you must describe to them the type of music that would be present. You must tell them the instruments that are playing, the tempo and the style of the melodies. The music may only be heard in your mind but you can react to the boom of the Tabor, or the shrill of the flute and incorporate that into your movements that can add to the build of to the climax.
A change in the music is a good way to inform the audience that the dance is entering a new phase. The music is an important aspect of your dance. It helped create your atmosphere and set the mood or tone for a portion of your dance.
This is THE POINT of your dance where you reveal the reason for this dance or its intention. What is it you want to get across through this dance?
The Cool Down: Coming down the hill in the train
This is a very brief area of posts, if needed it leads up to the end of the dance whether you are moving to a certain place..rationalizing things in your mind as you dance…settling down..whatever it takes to fluidly end your dance. There are times when a dance is abruptly ended not long after the climax and that’s perfectly fine too. It’s your dance!
The End: Ending the Dance
At the conclusion of your dance, you might describe the position you are in, your body–is it damp from the exertion? The dance has exposed all you feel inside, it should have brought forth your desires or slave belly as it is commonly called. Be sure to convey the one thing that stands out to everyone and anyone performing watching or interacting with you and that is that you are kajira, you are proud but not prideful, you are beautiful in all things, exquisitely.
It is most common that at the end of a dance a post is made that simply states.
~la kajira~
That gives a very clear indication to everyone that there are no more forthcoming posts.