PHOTO CREDIT: Above photo by John Rickman Photography, San Jose, California.

Selfies, living room dance videos, quick dance clips in public places, and extremely dramatic moments on stage all have one thing in common: it is important for the light to come from the right place.

Bathroom mirror selfies... car selfies... they are ubiquitous. But, why?

Basically, it's because the light is correct, and a mirror is available to tell you so. If you knew absolutely nothing about lighting you would still see yourself and say "Wow! I look good!"

Personal dance videos (the kind you make on your deck or in your living room) don't get the same kind of automatic monitoring that selfies get, so you need to actually remember some basic rules.

The most important rule is to never have the light source behind the person. Don't dance in front of a lamp or a window, or with the sun behind you.

Do try to find a spot with something less lit behind you for contrast when outdoors. For example, the side of a house that is under the eaves in shadow, or a patch of trees that create their own darkness.

Basically: the best conditions are to have the subject front lit, background less lit.

PHOTO CREDIT: Photo by Michael Baxter, Santa Clara, California.

• Go to the Light! Using stage lighting in your performance. by Saqra.

Saqra (Seattle, Washington, USA) is a powerful dance artist and a master instructor. Her fluidity, grace, and technical skill is highlighted by her friendly demeanor and clear joy of the dance. She did not inherit the diva gene.

Saqra won titles in Belly Dance USA (Oregon), Belly Dancer of the Year (California), Belly Dancer of the Universe (California), Wiggles of the West (Nevada), and many other competitions. She was voted "Best Kept Secret of 2005" and "Instructor of the Year 2008" by readers of Zaghareet Magazine.

Saqra's journey in this dance form began in 1977 and has led her to study with many of the best dancers in the world, including in America, Canada, Turkey and Egypt. Saqra continues to travel and study both in the USA and abroad and prides herself on proper research for anything she teaches. Folklore, fakelore, and stage creativity: all three are valuable, and Saqra clearly presents for each what they actually are. Saqra is constantly expanding her expertise in the traditional ethnic forms of the dance, the modern stage variants, and the continuing evolving fusion techniques, all these areas combined keep her material fresh and current.

Saqra is widely known as an event promoter, musician, music and instructional video producer, and a registered hypnotherapist in the state of Washington. That is enough stuff to start explaining what she has been doing in belly dance since 1977. Visit her at www.saqra.net

PHOTO CREDIT: Photo by Michael Baxter, Santa Clara, California. In the photo, Saqra is holding her Teacher of the Year 2008 Award from Zaghareet Magazine.