Jennifer Pelland - So I need a dancing name

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So I need a dancing name

Jul. 17th, 2008 at 11:22 PM

With my first public solo performance coming up, I'm starting to think more seriously about the issue of taking a dancing name. And I don't think I want to take an Arabic name. A lot of the tribal folks that I've seen either use their own names (Rachel Brice), use unusual Middle Eastern names (Asharah), or take non-Arabic names (Phoenix, Aepril). I'd been thinking of using a Latin name, an Amazon name or perhaps an Irish name, but so far, nothing's really jumped out at me.

Names that seem okay, but not thrilling, are Una (Latin and Irish), Temira (Hebrew, means "tall"), Alcippe (Amazon), Verity (Latinish), and...I need to do more research.

I tried to find writerly names that would also make good dance names, but have so far failed. I also went through the constellations to see if I could come up with a science-fictiony name, but nothing jumped out at me.

I could just be lazy and use my old Arabic SCA name: "Layla." Meh.

Tags:

bellydance

Comments

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moondancerdrake wrote:

Jul. 18th, 2008 03:56 am (UTC)

I always liked the name Calliope or Circe

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jenwrites wrote:

Jul. 18th, 2008 11:24 am (UTC)

One of my friends already uses the name Calliope, so I'd feel funny using it. And while I like Circe, it's too easy for people to mispronounce (which would also be a problem with Alcippe, now that I think about it).

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noire wrote:

Jul. 18th, 2008 03:59 am (UTC)

How about something literary, either a character or a writer?

Not being a tribal dancer, my dance name is Arabic. I chose Rabiah for a great 8th Century Sufi poet.

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jenwrites wrote:

Jul. 18th, 2008 11:26 am (UTC)

That's kind of why I liked Verity. Verity Lambert was the first producer of Doctor Who, and that was back in 1963, when women didn't generally hold jobs that high up in the television food chain.

I do like your name! Before I went tribal, I thought about calling myself Qalam, which means "the pen."

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mishaslair wrote:

Jul. 18th, 2008 04:25 am (UTC)

I kind of like Temira.

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jenwrites wrote:

Jul. 18th, 2008 11:28 am (UTC)

Yeah, it is kinda growing on me, but it hasn't leaped up and screamed, "I must be your name!!!"

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deepforestowl wrote:

Jul. 18th, 2008 05:27 am (UTC)

Veritas Noctum!

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jenwrites wrote:

Jul. 18th, 2008 11:28 am (UTC)

Heh! I was actually thinking more along the lines of Verity Lambert, the first producer of Doctor Who.

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deepforestowl wrote:

Jul. 18th, 2008 02:59 pm (UTC)

LOL of course, silly me!

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voidmonster wrote:

Jul. 18th, 2008 05:43 am (UTC)

Some names I've collected while doing research:

Saule -- Latvian sun goddess, fertility goddess and patron of unfortunate people (orphans).

Latis -- An obscure Celtic god/ddess attributed to a wide variety of things, including water and beer.

Vilkacis -- a kind of Latvian werewolf (Latvian mythology is full of great names that don't get used a lot).

Ixchel -- (Pronounced 'eesh-chel') Mayan fertility goddess who wears snakes and bones on her skirt.

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jenwrites wrote:

Jul. 18th, 2008 11:30 am (UTC)

Those are all neat, but none are grabbing me as names I would want to apply to myself. Plus, I'd like something that's easy to pronounce if you see it written down (which rules out Alcippe right there).

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voidmonster wrote:

Jul. 18th, 2008 06:28 pm (UTC)

Yeah. The 'a name for me' part makes it a real challenge.

Have you mined Pantheon.org ? There's also http://www.godchecker.com/

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jenwrites wrote:

Jul. 19th, 2008 11:22 pm (UTC)

It's been a while since I visited, so I think I'll head over there now. Thanks for the suggestion! And there's also my Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets, which isn't the most historically accurate book in the world, but it's good for names.

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apryl_knight wrote:

Jul. 18th, 2008 06:14 am (UTC)

I went looking for a translation of my real name (April) into some other language. There were lots of good ones (in Chinese, it sounds something like "Sih-you-eh"), and I ended up going with Arabic. Actually, this Syrian gal from whom I used to take dance lessons told me that "an Arabic mother would NEVER name her child [April]. It just isn't done!" Apparently, "April" directly translated into Arabic is "Nissan", so no go there, obviously. *lol* I went with "Nassma", which means something about "a warm breeze which is found in Syria (and other Arabic countries) in the Spring." "Zahra" was a close second choice - it means "rose".

I agree with

voldmonster - I think choosing a goddess name is a good idea. There are *so* many out there, there's got to be something good.

Edited at 2008-07-18 06:15 am (UTC)

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jenwrites wrote:

Jul. 18th, 2008 11:32 am (UTC)

I may also look for names of other mythological creatures, like Gorgons and the like.

The annoying thing is that I have two good choices if I want to stick with Arabic: Qalam ("the pen") or Layla (my old SCA name). Plus, being a pasty white gal, I feel funny taking an Arabic name. Yeah, I know, countless other pasty white bellydancers before me have, and yet it still feels wrong to me.

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voidmonster wrote:

Jul. 18th, 2008 06:29 pm (UTC)

The Persians were (are) (comparatively) pasty, with black hair!

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apryl_knight wrote:

Jul. 19th, 2008 04:35 pm (UTC)

I hear you about feeling odd about taking an Arabic name. To be honest, I was kinda hoping for something Irish, as that's my heritage. I just wasn't able to find anything that I liked and thought would be pronounceable. Nassma is relatively easy.

All the best names are too hard to pronounce. *grin*

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drjamez wrote:

Jul. 18th, 2008 06:31 am (UTC)

Verity is slightly sci-fi-ish, considering that Verity Lambert was the first producer for Doctor Who in an age that didn't see very many women hold such a post (indeed, she was the only female drama producer for the Beeb at the time), but one would need to be exceptionally geeky to get the reference.

Um... hey, why am I pointing at myself in the mirror? ;-)

- James -

P.S. You probably know it, but for others who might not: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verity_Lambert. I vote for Verity, if there's a vote being taken.

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jenwrites wrote:

Jul. 18th, 2008 11:37 am (UTC)

Oh yes, that's one of the reasons why I've always loved the name Verity. But very few people will get it besides hard-core Doctor Who nerds like us. And that might actually make it a winner. Hrm....

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bluetyson wrote:

Jul. 18th, 2008 08:24 am (UTC)

You could always borrow from Leigh Brackett, if you want to go sf:

Jekkara
Astellar
Bisha
Shandakor
Ciara
Varra

etc.

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jenwrites wrote:

Jul. 18th, 2008 11:39 am (UTC)

If I took a character name, I'd probably want to steal from a book that I'd read and loved. Which would probably mean I'd be dancing as Zaphod Beeblebrox ;)

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bluetyson wrote:

Jul. 18th, 2008 12:34 pm (UTC)

Slartibartfast we don't want to see dancing, either!

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jenwrites wrote:

Jul. 19th, 2008 11:21 pm (UTC)

Or Eccentrica Gallumbits. Because really, the resonance created by three breasts would just throw a monkey wrench into a torso shimmy.

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dsrtao wrote:

Jul. 18th, 2008 10:23 am (UTC)

Nine out of ten Americans can't tell the difference between Arabic and Klingon.

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cvirtue wrote:

Jul. 18th, 2008 10:54 am (UTC)

Ooh, good point! I was going to suggest anagrams of her real name.

And there was a character in a XXXenophile comic whose name I loved, but I can't remember it! Waaah! She was a sex-based religion priestess...

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cvirtue wrote:

Jul. 18th, 2008 11:16 am (UTC)

And the subconscious throws up a card: Jocasta.

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jenwrites wrote:

Jul. 18th, 2008 11:42 am (UTC)

Nice name, but I'm not a Phil Folio fan, and would hate for people to come up to me and start talking about something I'd never read, thinking that I'm a fan. But I think I may start digging through my favorite books to see if I can find a character name that works better onstage than Zaphod Beeblebrox.

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cvirtue wrote:

Jul. 18th, 2008 12:04 pm (UTC)

Reasonable. Favorite books sounds like a good strategy, plus you get to read the books again!

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bluetyson wrote:

Jul. 18th, 2008 12:35 pm (UTC)

Robot girl from The Avengers? :)

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jenwrites wrote:

Jul. 18th, 2008 11:40 am (UTC)

Nine out of ten of my friends can ;) Did I ever tell you that one of my oldest friends was one of the voice recognition parameters for a Klingon language CD? And that she scored higher than Marc Okrand, who invented the language?

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asim wrote:

Jul. 18th, 2008 11:30 am (UTC)

I think my first question would be, why take a name?

(If I had it all to do again, I'd likely not.)

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jenwrites wrote:

Jul. 18th, 2008 11:49 am (UTC)

Because of the Jennifer Problem. I am from the generation of the Jennifer Explosion.

1968 - Donovan releases that cloying piece of crap known as "Jennifer Juniper." All across the United States, women think, "Jennifer, what an unusual name."

1969 - I am born to one of those mothers, who gives me that "unusual name."

1974 - I begin school and discover that I am one of millions of children my age named Jennifer.

2008 - My current tribal class has three Jennifers in it.

If I had a more unusual name, I'd probably just dance under it, but "Jennifer" is a really unhelpful name. Mind you, I'll likely stick with it in the short term, because I am nowhere near good enough that I want people to be able to find me again!

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stealthmuffin wrote:

Jul. 18th, 2008 11:54 am (UTC)

Cessair - daughter of Noah, leader of the first invasion of Ireland. It's an Irish name with ass-kicking connotations, but it's not one that everyone knows.

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jenwrites wrote:

Jul. 19th, 2008 11:23 pm (UTC)

Hmm...not sure it feels right for me. But thanks for the suggestion! I shall keep it in the stack.

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radegund_lj wrote:

Jul. 18th, 2008 03:58 pm (UTC)

Yaddle!

:D

(Yes, I'm being completely unhelpful.)

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jenwrites wrote:

Jul. 19th, 2008 11:24 pm (UTC)

Yes, yes you are!

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