Starting classes on Tribal Improv in GSO!! , MySpace, September 15, 2008

Starting classes on Tribal Improv in GSO!!
Category: Life

Yay! I am finally going to teach tribal improv in Greensboro! I am looking forward to having people to dance tribal improv with regularly. It is the most fun dance there is :-) Here is my class info (more classes to be added soon):

Location: Eclectic by Nature 2
406 State St
Greensboro NC

Dates: Oct 8, Oct 22, Nov 12, Dec 10 (Wednesdays all)
Time: 6:30 to 7:45
Cost: $10/class

I am so thankful to Tavane, proprietress of EBN, for letting me use her space! The place has great, positive vibes and will be a good place to dance & have fun. My daughter made a fabulous flyer for me, which I will begin to post everywhere tomorrow. I had copies made today.

Hurray!! I can hardly wait!!

Sara’s Classes on Hiatus, MySpace, Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Well, Sara's classes are on hold until November. She's getting married in Oct & has a bunch to do. I will miss Sara, her classes, & everybody that takes lessons there! Woe is me! I will of course be practicing like mad so I can participate in any student haflas that might surface :-) I miss class already & I haven't even missed one Sat yet. Wah. OK, enough of that.

Our last session was excellent! Flow class was on skirts (I now have a 25 yd skirt - AWEsome!) which was good because we did spins & cool combos that can be done with or without skirts. Core was covering basics again but always included something I didn't know or reinforcing something I had forgotten. Our very last core class was lightly attended so she left it open for questions. We took up the whole hour & 20 minutes getting tips on shoulder/chest openers, good hip stretches, plus tips on all kinds of other stuff. I was writing like crazy in my dance notebook! We ended up with about 10 minutes of improv - always fun.

I actually need a new dance notebook. I have filled another one! Luckily I have transferred all of my notes to the computer. Those paper things get really ratty after hauling them around in a dance bag for months.

That's all for now. Looking forward to doing the ncbellydance.org workshop & performing TWICE in the show (once in Sara's studentg group, once with Torque), then heading to Asheville Sunday for.........RACHEL BRICE workshop, followed by MARDI LOVE! LALALALALALALALALALALALA!!!!!

Diane’s classes starting back up! , MySpace, Friday, August 22, 2008

Diane's classes have finally started back up! (Daliana of Bellysima) The showing was light last night, probably because people didn't know it was starting. That's OK because small class means excellent personal attention :-)

Diane is a master at the perfomance demeanor and is teaching it in this class. She knows how to draw the audience's eyes to what she wants them to see (like hip moves), how to look at the audience, how to hold your body in the best positions (so it looks best to the audience). Last night we did a small choreo that involved some very basic moves but looked impressive with the right "face" and eye movement.

I really, really missed her classes & I'm so happy they have started back!

Tribal Improv Class Offering! , Myspace, Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I hope to be offering a Tribal Improv class in GSO NC within the next few months. My main goal is to find people in the area to dance tribal improv with, even if I have to teach them myself :-) I have been taking classes with Sara Beaman (Blue Moon Belly Dance and The Devoted) in Durham since Oct 2007 and I'm dying to get some people together in the GSO area to dance with. This is a dance form that requires a group!

Here is some basic info on Tribal Improv:

Tribal improvisational belly dance is characterized by the use of physical and verbal cues to shift formations and dance combinations. It allows dancers to "choreograph on the spot" using pre-arranged moves and their cues in order to dance as a group in an improvisational lead-and-follow manner. Basics of tribal improv includes group formations and interaction, leader changes, and cues and transitions.

See the video posted on my profile page of Fat Chance Belly Dance , a well known tribal improv group. Carolina Nericcio, founder of FCBD, founded this dance style and developed American Tribal Style (ATS), from which all tribal improv is derived. Also see Awalim and FCBD videos posted in my blog for more examples of this awesomely fun dance form!

Atlanta Business Trip - Day 4 08.06.05, TRIBE, Thu, June 5, 2008 - 8:06 PM

Well, the last GA class was excellent! Liora is very personable & both classes - beginner & intermediate -were a lot of fun. There were mainly older ladies (like myself :-) in the classes so I felt right at home! I think it's bacause the neighborhood is more suburbia & the class is at a rec center.

www.liorabellydance.com/

I got there LATE because of that pesky work stuff which ran way overtime. Had to rush to the hotel, change clothes, & run. The traffic was bad, but could have been a lot worse. It was moving, if you know what I mean! That's life in the big city! Took me right back to my days in LA, but I digress....

The beginner class was pretty laid back - it was either the 1st or 2nd in the series. Liora gave some very good analogies for the moves, which helped the ladies figure out what they needed to do. For example, "Mall Walk" was a slow shimmy, a medium one was "I got a coupon & there's a sale", & the fast one was just all the way. It was most amusing. She went over everything carefully, gave a lot of practice time - but not too much - and went to assist ladies that were having difficulty. It was just right for the students in the class. When she went over shoulder shimmies, she noted the eventual goal & said to focus on the goal, which I liked. She gave intermediate steps here too. She told the class how she worked on & improved her shimmies, hip & shoulders. It was very good advice, very clear & easy to understand.

The intermediate class was also very good. The continuing students were laughing & having fun and felt very comfortable with Liora. It was fun just to be in a group like that. She continued in the same way with this class, giving some excellent exercises to improve belly control. I learned a new move: the Teacup (aka the Horseshoe). It is a pivot R with hip drop, swing around back & pivot L with hip drop. Looks really cool! She is teaching a choreo to Derivation from Beats Antique Tribal Derivations. The class asked to see the whole thing & I have to say I am really bummed out that I can not learn it!!!! It is an awesomwe choreo - very slinky.

Some things I especially liked about both class were that everyone was so at ease, that Liora include what she teaches in the warm-ups from the previous weeks, & that her instructions are clear & precise. She also gave safety tips, as Sara Beaman & Blue Moon do.

I was amazed that Liora remembered me from the Mardi Love workshop last year! She stayed after the class & chatted with me for about 10 minutes. She is just as nice as I remembered. I confess that I looked her & Fatina up first when I realized that this could be a belly dance week for me. I really like both of them & have good memories of them from the Mardi workshop. Alas, Fatina was much too far away for me to go to her class.

I am very, very pleased with my classes this week. It has been great fun & a fabulous learning experience for me. Even my scary city experience does not seem so grim in retrospect :-)

Atlanta Business Trip - Day 3 08.06.03 , TRIBE, Wed, June 4, 2008 - 6:45 PM

Tonight I have to do a bit of work, so I only went to the early beginner class of Aziza Nawal. Aziza is a cabaret dancer, so once again there were a number of footwork-type moves that I was toally unfamiliar with. I was OK with the warm up & drilling, but when it got to the choreo, I had trouble keeping up. There are also a lot of arm movements in cabaret that I am not used to. I guess it is layering in general that I need to practice.

azizaraks.net/

The class was good. The studio was smallish but nice. The people in the class did not seem very happy overall, though I saw no reason for it. There were some obviously having fun. Same as every night, I learned new ways to look at the same moves - snake arms again! This time shoulder roils forward, elbow up, shoulder roll back, elbows down. It is so strange to think of how many ways you can look at a seemingly simple move. It was different from what I've done practiced because my shoulders became sore pretty fast!

The choreo was fun & though I tried to get it written down I just couldn't. I was impressed that Aziza came up afterwards & offered to email me the choreo notes & the name of the music. Cool!!!! I will use it to practice the fancy footwork I have such trouble with. She gave me her card so I could email her.

I was amazed to run into a lady that I remembered from the class last night, who was attending the advanced class right after mine. She was very friendly. I asked her if she's taking Liora's class tomorrow but she isn't. Too bad - it would be nice to see a familiar face. The advanced class students seemed much more into it. There was a definite difference between the students in the classes, attitude-wise. I wonder if the beginning people were shy around strangers...

Well, must do a bit of work now. I have 1 more class to look forward to in Atlanta!

Atlanta Business Trip - Day 2 08.06.03, TRIBE, Tue, June 3, 2008 - 9:09 PM

So much for the diet. I was so tired from the day sitting in class & then 2.5 hours of dancing, I stopped at the first taco bell I saw & ate 2 tacos & a burrito :-) Blast!

The Awalim classes were FAB! I learned a lot of new stuff!!!! The students all seemed in good spirits & the ladies in the troupe were amusing to listen too. Only one dark spot marred the evening, but more on that later...

www.awalim.com/

First - Tribal Basics: Learened a new drill for working the lower abs - pull in the belly button & push out the lower back, almost like a standing lower abs crunch. Used both alone & as back part of hip square! Also, new perspective on snake arms - on the down! upper arm, lower arm, wrist, hand. Looks very cool andis approached totally different from what I've ever tried before. We did paddle turn practice: set=F-B-F-B-F-B-all-the-way around, reversing direction after each set. First slow, then fast; reversing direction kept me from getting dizzy! There was LOTS of undulation practice, up-to-down, down-to-up, then lower undulations only - over, then under. Practiced each back-to-back & in every combination. THEN we praticed walking with undulations, which I do not recall ever doing before. It was a really good class! Ziah is an excellent teacher. There was another lady in front to make it easier to see & at the end of the class we were asked to mix it up. Ziah walked around & offered advice. I liked that too, though I got no advice...

Anyway, on the Drills & Zils! Wow, that was a workout. My zilling really needs some work. We did a warmup & drills much like the one in class 1, except faster & zilling the whole time. I was sweating like crazy & lost control of my hands several times. Ziah had us layering hips with snake arms plus zils, & other stuff that was a major challenge to me. Wow.

We also did some significant traveling practice with zils & without. Everyone got into a line & we did a big figure 8 across the studio. The traveling involved layering of some type, like zilling while doing an Egytptian walk with chest drops. And that was the easy one :-) I thnk we did 3 or 4 different traveling layered 8's, then put the zils away & got into some even more interesting footwork + moves. The last one, which was quite challenging, was the arabic 2 plus hip twist, traveling to the side. Ack. Ack, ack!

Class finished out with some really cool combos & moves that Ziah was teaching for the choreo they are working on. Did not get the name of the song or the artist :-( She was using stuff I've never seen, and really interesting combos of stuff I know. I just love seeing different people's choreographies! Everything is so unexpected! I got most of it written down, so I can mess around with the new moves & maybe incorporate them into something later. woo hoo!

I also really enjoyed the cool-down. It involved a lot of stretching & yoga moves.

The dark spot on an otherwise very happy evening was at the very end. I was worried about walking to my car in the dark, because I had to park on a quiet street next to some bushes & an empty lot. I asked a few of the ladies at the end if they could either walk me to my car (for a ride back to theirs) or give me a ride to me car - no one wanted to do it! I got some significant waffle-speak, and obvious don't-want-to-do-it feelings. I made it clear that I was in town on business, I was afraid to walk to my car alone at night. Finally, a really nice lady said she'd be happy to take me. I was just so amazed that it was even an issue! The whole thing was most distressing!

I do recommend this class to anyone in the area. If I lived here, I'd be going every week. Definitely park close to the studio & on well lighted streets, even if you have to drive around & around, late for class - you may be walking back in the dark alone!

I am SOOO glad I have been able to check out these classes. I was unhappy about the trip, then I realized it could be something totally cool instead of a week of sitting in a hotel by myself!

Haala - I did not see Majida Anwar, so couldn't say Hi for you :-)

Atlanta Business Trip - Day 1 08.06.02, TRIBE, Mon, June 2, 2008 - 8:03 PM

First, my real dance name is Azadi. Picked it a while ago, found in a book about a girl growing up under the Taliban rule. Azadi means Freedom in Kurdish (I think it's Kurdish).

On to the trip. It took about 5.5 hours to get here, which was making pretty good time. I found my hotel & checked in, then found the place where my business class is. The class location was not easy to find. Then, off to Borders to buy a map of Atlanta & to WalMart to get water, fruit, & nuts. I am starting the blood type diet. Nothing else has worked, so what the heck.

I had planned to have my Mon classes with Company Mezza to start with Beginner at 630 & move on to Advanced at 730. Unfortunately, I did not exchange emails with the beginner teacher & the class had been canceled :-( I did get to attend the Advanced class though!

companymezza.com/

The teacher was Diane Adams. I really enjoyed the class, even though much of it was beyond me. She has been working with a group of dancers on choreos & they knew it, I didn't. I had to laugh several times, because I sucked so bad! She just got back from a workshop/gathering in Canada & had some new stuff too, so I was able to jot down some notes & get a few things down.

She taught a few interesting combos that had some salsa/cuban flavor. They were pretty cool. Everything was was faster than I am used to moving too. After class I told her this - she said she is focusing on faster stuff with her advanced students, so it wasn't just me! Also, this was total cabaret/Egyptian (I think) which I really have never done before. There was a pile of footwork - a PILE - which I have historically not been too good at.

She did some good warmups & stretches that I had not done before, utilizing weight shifting. One warmup was to put all weight on 1 leg & do single hip circles, keeping the hips parallel to the floor. She also did combos of chest circles & drops that I really had to focus on to keep up with. It was a really good thing to have things totally mixed up like that!

Diane also taught some dance moves I have not done. There was one where you are doing a hip drop but instead of a straight drop you make it 3 tiny drops, so small it almost looks like a shimmy drop. The abs have to be tight & the glutes are used to make the tiny drops distinct. I was not able to achive it, but I am going to work on it.

I must note that the ladies in the class were really cool too. They were all having a good time & doing the best they could (which was pretty frickin' good). If anyone is in the area they will be doing a show Oct 5 in this area - can't recall where but I am sure it will be posted.

This was an excellent start to my week of belly dance class mania! I sure hope that my business class doesn't tire me out too much - I have big plans for the week!

Tomorrow - heading to Decatur to take Tribal Basics with Awalim! Lalalalalalalala!! Oh, & Drills & Zils if I can make it that long :-)))

In The Zone..., TRIBE, Wed, January 16, 2008 - 6:24 PM

I have thought over why I screw up every time & have figured out that I start thinking about what is going on instead of just dancing. I need to get into The Zone, where I am just feeling the dance & the music, not analyzing my performance, the crowd, or wondering whether the cats have water.

I am practicing getting into The Zone now and noticing it in others - I see it in Lori, Xavier, others that dance well. Xavier has even commented on it before, how he doesn't even know what else is going on sometimes. Of course I was not ready to hear & apply to my own practice when he said it.

So, how to get into The Zone? I have read about it now, or re-read & finally understood stuff that went over my head before ;-) I am pondering on developing a small pre-performance ritual (like closing my eyes, taking a few breaths & getting centered), or possibly blessing an amulet or a particular piece of jewelry & always wearing it when I perform. This would be a way to help me focus & remember. Hmmm. There is a performance coming up in a few days, so I'll try it out.

I am sitting in a hotel room in SC, where I traveled for work again this week. I have practiced dancing tonight, esp the choreo for the performance. I notice when my mind wanders, I screw up. Sometimes I get too focused on what I am doing, like a pestle or something & can't recall what comes next. That is weird - I am analyzing what I am doing so hard I lose everything else. It is another way for the mind to wander off.

Diane (Daliana) knew I was a "Numbers Girl" almost right away. I was surprised, but I guess it is obvious to a learned observer when someone is over analyzing stuff. I have good technique - requires analysis - but not so good dancing - requires release. Can't.... let.... go!!!

One thing I am trying which seems to help is to try to be aware of every part of my body in space. Sounds like a weird thing, but it does help. If I am aware of my hands, for instance, I know when they are floppy & when they have energy. The trick is to be aware!

Best go to bed now, since I have to do some analysis for real tomorrow. I didn't do anything tonight except sleep, read, & practice the dance. And check on tribe & blog a bit, of course. I should have been analyzing the sniffer traces we took today & testing out the new commands I learned. I also really need to write a troubleshooting procedure. Argh.

Holiday Hafla!, TRIBE, Mon, December 17, 2007 - 6:02 PM

We (Torque) performed in Diane's holiday hafla last week, Lori did a solo & so did Xavier. They both did excellent! My friends & family that came commented on both of them! Bellysima's sword number was also heavily commented on as very enjoyable. I think overall the whole show was very good. Carmen's group Bellunjam was there too - excellent choreo! Several did their first ever performance too. Also the Belly Dance Store from Charlotte vended, which is always welcome :-)

I am - as always - happy that I was able to get up & perform in public. It is pretty stressful since my dance career is so new. I don't get light headed any more, but my mouth gets so dry I can't swallow. Gum saves my life.

I always enjoy the experience of being there with my troupe too. We watch the show together as much as we can, help each other get ready, and cheer / zagareet the other dancers on. My husband takes pictures or films for us - he is a swell guy!

Once again, however, I made at least 1 major screw up on stage in each dance we did. After the second one I freaked out & totally hosed a solo bow that I have practiced many, many times. I was able to recover, as Lori said, but it still happened.

The bad thing is that I can do the 2 dances we normally perform in my sleep. So WHY do I always screw up at least 1 time - I forget where we are & start doing the wrong move. I will be meditating on this over the holiday hiatus.

I also don't remember to hold my upper body up, so when I see the unforgiving film & video, I look like I am stooped over or squashed down or something. I try to walk around holding myself up all the time but it just hasn't taken yet. It gets frustrating sometimes. I was really glad when Diane & Carmen reminded me to hold myself up when we did our final bows! I added the picture of this, where I am not looking TOO bad :-) Both of my teachers and me on stage together! Too cool! (Carmen left, Diane middle)

I sometimes wish so much that I had a ballet or dance background, but that gets me nowhere fast ;-) I guess I'll just keep pounding along & do the best I can. Over the break, I am going to try dancing to the music instead of drilling all the time. No, REALLY!!!

Names & other stuff, TRIBE, Wed, November 14, 2007 - 6:24 PM

OK, back to "Lynn". I just do not feel like a Nuala. I found out I have been pronouncing it wrong anyway - noo-la is right, I thought it was noo-ahla. I may just have to keep my name as it is. How boring I am!! :-) I was thinking Neeve, after my darling kitty - who I love dearly - because I love the name as well as the cat. But is it me? The search continues...

Tribal update: I love it! I wish I had someone besides my reflection to practice with. I keep getting confused with my poor cues. Ha ha. No really, I am planning to do a cue then I forget until the 8 count or even the 2 count of the next measure. The arms are not easy either. I am focusing on the steps, the count, I look in the mirror & I have chicken arms again. I know it will come with practice, but it is coming soooooooooo slow!! BMDC Darfur benefit is on Dec 1 - I'm going to the workshop & helping with the show. Can't wait!

I'm a BD teacher! - The ladies in our workout group at work wanted me to do a bellydance class when our regular teacher was out this Monday. Freak out! I contacted Diane, who can leave you feeling like you ran 10 miles with her bd workouts, for some advice. She sent me a class agenda & made a workout cd for me! Wow! She is so cool. I modified it a bit so I could fit it to the time we had - 45 minutes - and ran through it last Sunday. I was sweating & it was something I felt they'd like. I borrowed some extra coin scarves from LORI & gave it a go. They all had a really good time & loved the scarves - who doesn't? Then Scarlett, who normally teaches the strength training class, came back & wanted me to do it again today. She liked BD so much that she signed up for lessons on Saturdays (not with me - I sent them all the studio URLs for all teachers in the area). So, I am going to be teaching BD every Wed at work! Who would have thought! Dang! I need to improve my method. I've been in lots of classes but never to teach. How exciting & totally unexpected.

SEWING - I started sewing again. I had not touched my machines or sewing/crafty stuff in at least a month, except to mend things I was going to wear. I have so much backed up sewing I can't believe it :-) I won't be bored iny time soon, that's for sure. I am so busting with ideas for things I don't know where to start - I guess with the stuff that people are waiting for first!

Torque - we are almost done with our first original choreography. It is so exciting to have created something as a group. I just love the choreo too - we each did 6 counts of 8 & then worked on a few transition measures together. Carmen critiqued it for us & gave some really good feedback. We are bandying about costume ideas now & tweaking the dance. We'll perform it for the first time at the Zoe show in Greensboro.

Circus arts - going well. I am changing from poi classes to hoop once a month. I'll ask Patika to show me a new poi move every now & again to add to my practice. I found a place at work that has a high ceiling so I can practice on Fridays during lunch. I haven't worked up the nerve to sneak in the hoop yet... I also got out my balls to practice up on the juggling. I have let that slide for quite a while now.

I would be so very, very depressed right now if it weren't for dance, poi, hoop... and the friends I have made while doing it all. I gotta say, the Pema Chodron stuff I got from Rachel B's Amazon list has really been a major help during my stressful times too. I'll always be grateful to Rachel for that, thought she'll never know it. Maybe she can feel the good energy I am sending her in the way of thankfulness - who knows!

That's it for now.

A Step Forward, TRIBE, Sat, October 20, 2007 - 6:33 PM

We danced at the Grand Opening of 10000 Villages - www.tenthousandvillages.com/ - a non-profit organization that sells crafts made by "native artisans" who are paid a fair wage for their work. It was a lot of fun, but a long day. The whole group was there & we were able to dance together for the first time in quite a while. We helped the store out a lot by dancing in front & attracting customers to the store, so we were happy & so were they! :-)

My step forward was that I did a solo, which was mainly improv! AND I was comfortable doing it. Woo hoo! I have to say that taking Sara Beaman's classes www.sarabeaman.com/ helped me do it. I really love the ATS style of dance (her classes are NOT certified ATS - FYI) and though I have had the FCBD teaching DVD series it was not enough for me to learn it & feel comfortable. I needed a live teacher. I watched the FCBD Combos DVD several times & used some of those, but mainly I used the Arabic, Egyptian, & some maya/taxim moves taught by Sara. This is the only style that makes me feel really comfortable & able to do improv alone!

That's it, I just had to log that I finally did a solo & it wasn't horrible! The last one I did was about a year ago & it was horrible - crickets loud in the silence after I finished :-( I am so happy! I just feel like I took a major step forward today! Now, I have to stop looking down when I dance...

What to do? TRIBE Sat, September 22, 2007 - 2:01 PM

What to do??

I have been dancing for 2 years now. The first year I took all classes from the same teacher, Faun Finley at Studio 318, & took only 1 workshop (on makeup) at the studio where I take lessons. I was in a performance group out of the studio and danced in public for the first time ever.

The second year, I changed to a different teacher , Carmen Cavanaugh at Studio 318, and took lots of workshops. .This has given me a broader perspective on dance & taught me easier ways to think of how movements are made. I've learned many new movements and have improved quite a bit! A group of us started our own dancing troupe, so we danced for the studio & for ourselves.

So far during this 1st month of my third year, I started taking classes with a new teacher, Daliana, as well as continuing with my 2nd year teacher Carmen. I had assumed I would continue with Workshop Mania but now I am not sure that this is the best way to go. I saw that Sara Beaman of Blue Moon is going to teach Sat ATS-like classes & I REALLY want to take them. If I do, I will have to stop taking workshops for a while because of lack of both time & $$$.

Would it help me more as a dancer to take lesson with 3 different teachers a week or to take frequent workshops? I just don't know.

I know I want to learn ATS and be able to dance improv in groups, like FCBD. I love that style of dance and it just seems like it would be a lot of fun. I also know that none of my dancing friends want to do that, nor does anyone I know in the immediate area. It will me over an hour & 20 minutes to get to the Sat classes, so I'll have travel costs plus about 4 hours every Sat gone. I will have no one to dance with, even if I learn to do it. But I want to learn! Argh!! I love Sara & the rest of Blue Moon, because they are really good teachers and really nice people. I have been a regular workshop participant since I took the first one.

I love Daliana's classes, even though I've only taken 4. I did a drop in a while ago, then a workshop, & now 2 regular classes. She has tons of classical ballet experience & it shows. She has real poise & such an amazing way about her that I want to learn what she has to teach. I have already learned a lot about moving (in my head - my body hasn't caught on yet :-) in just a few classes. I have to drive about 30 - 40 minutes to get to her classes, so I've got time & cost way over the lessons - still worth it.

I am continuing with Carmen because she really keeps adding new stuff all the time. This year I have learned zils and started with swords. I believe we'll be moving into floor work too, so I have started taking a lunch-time strength training class at work. I can almost get down & back up without help :-) Also, I really love Carmen as a person. She is an excellent teacher AND a good friend. Another thing she has just started doing is having each of us lead the class in something we are good at. It is only for 10 minutes or so, and is good experience.

I continue my home practice, on choreographies, layering, drilling, etc. That will go on whatever else I do :-)

Anyway, Sara's classes start on Oct 6, so I must decide soon. Hmmm. Time to think it over.

Triboriginal 2007 - WOW!!, TRIBE Tue, September 18, 2007 - 3:49 PM

www.barakamundi.com/triboriginal/

Comment: this was only the 2nd annual Tribo, but it was so well run I thought it had been going on for years.

Day 1:
This was SOOOO much fun! It started out hairy because Humberto was moving through & it was raining like mad. Luckily, it moved on through by night & cleared up for the rest of the weekend. Lachelle & I got there in time to take Kami Liddle's Bhangra class, which was really hard. It's not that the moves were difficult, but the movement was constant for 2 hours. I am sweating just thinking about it. Next I attended the Business for Artists class with Michael. It was very interesting class - glad I took it. It gave me a lot to think about. I also was able to get the handout from the previous business class, Internet Promoting with Style & Ethics with Asim. It was very informative - I was glad to get it sonce I wanted to go to the class but couldn't.

The Fri show was mainly Raquy & the Cavemen - AWESOME! AMAZING! What else can I say? Zafira & Awalim danced in the show - both performances were great entertainment. Awalim did the most beautiful veil number. I have never seen anyone spin so many times. It was just beautiful... Zafira was really great too. They did the smoothest moves - looked so cool. Not surprisingly, they taught the Smoot Moves class on Sunday :-) There were also some sea chanties, some humorous interludes, and more excellent dancers. The first day was pretty good for such a rainy, yucky day. We went to bed after the show, being really tired & all. The sleeping bag was very cozy & I slept like a log. Poor Lachelle was sick with a bad cold, so I don't think she slept too good.

I should also mention that the food was a wondserful surprise. It was WAY better than I expected!

Day 2:
Up early & off to the chow hall, where I was stunned to find NO COFFEE except what could be purchased for $3 to $5. AND the cups wetre small. This is really the only complaint I had & I'll definitely be letting Onca know. I look at coffee as a staple, no coffee is like no salt! Anyway, Lachelle & I went into town & got a really good cup at The Dripolator :-)

We hit the vendor tent when we got back, since nothing in the first round of classes stuck our interest. Excellent vending too, I must say! I saw the most beautiful belt ever at one booth, hung a round for a bit waiting for the proprietor, then wandered off planning to return for it. 15 minutes later I turned around & saw Kami Liddle walk by with it on!!! She said she just bought it, I could have cried. I whined some & she told me the vendor was making another. Zing! Back to the booth, where I chatted with the vendor - Tricia tribes.tribe.net/triciastreasures - tried on the new belt, pins & all - & bought it before she finished it. I felt so lucky to be able to buy it from her. What a great costume artist! I also nabbed a fan for the fan class & a Baraka Mundi tank :-) Plus browsed through some fab stuff for the rest of the hour.

Next was swords with Zafira www.zafiradance.com/ - the best class of the whole weekend & no mistake! We just started swords in my regular classes & have spent most of our time learning to balance, with some floor work recently. This class was all about how to handle & move the sword in space. There was also a short choreo with the moves we learned AND they gave handouts! I love handouts! I would have been happy to stay in this class for another 2 hours. The ladies that taught the class, Olivia & Maria, had such good chemistry it made me feel good just to be near them! It carried into their performance too. That alone was a good lesson for me.

After lunch, off to Layering Tribal Fusion with Kami. This was an excellent class too - lots of tips on how to practice layering & different layering drills. I was glad that she also put a great focus on posture. She was wearing "my" belt, which I just kept looking at & admiring. What a cool find!

Last class of the day was Fan Fusion with Onca - it was really fun. I am sure that we will be adding some fans into some of our choreos. One of the best things about this class was Onca. She made the class fun & interesting. I didn't get a picture of her & me for my "teacher & me" collection because there a big rush to get busy on the Sat show when the class ended. Stuff got added on Sat because of ther rain Fri.

The Sat show was another awesome one. I was able to get front row seats for all 3 of us since I got to the theater really early. I left my dance notebook there after the fan class & rushed back to get it after I got dresses. I helped put out chairs since I was so early & as a bonus - front row seats! LALALALALA There was a lot of variety in dance styles & music in the show, making it even better. I really enjoyed it! There is going to be a DVD of it, which I am dying to get. I hope the DVD is as good as the Southern Fusion DVD of the Mardi show (last April?). The fire show started right after the performaces, then there was late night pizza in the chow hall, plus some drumming & dancing.

It was freezing, but I didn't care. I was so exhilarated by the great classes & excellent performances that I hardly felt the cold. My sleeping bag was real cozy & I slept like a log - again! I was sad the Lachelle had to go home (SICK) & that she missed the show.

Day 3 & Last:
Got up kind of early, packed. Johnna & I ate breakfast, then headed into town for some coffee - yum! Did I mention that Chef Oso makes the best scones in the world? Well, he does! I picked up my new belt after breakfast - SO FABULOUS!!!! Tricia wasn't there so I couldn't thank her - had to come back! I also picked up a Tribeoriginal shirt. I forgot to get one Sat!! Duh! They were right next to the Baraka Mundi shirts, but I was too dang focused on 1 thing as usual.

I had a major dilemma for the first class - beginning doumbek with River or Smooth Moves with Zafira.... I ended up in Smooth Moves, since my focus right now is dance. I'll take the drum clases next year :-) Smooth Moves was a very good class, but the area was too small I am sorry to say. I still learned a lot & Zafira gave us handouts again. Yea! There was more layering, which was easier after the layering intensive from yesterday. I guess that it sinks from your mind into your body or something. OK, I'm not saying it was EASY but it seemed not as hard as yesterday.

Lunch was again fabulous - I got a tofu burrito, which was really tasty. They had some excellent salsa. The desserts were ... yummm. OK, back to the vendors. I wanted to thank Tricia for finishing the belt & for making such a beautiful thing. I also wanted to see Papa ???, who I heard had some amazing jewelry. Kami had bought a really cool headpiece, the likes of which I have never seen. I hadn't seen that table because they were covered every time I went in. So, I finally got to see his stuff. Wow. I have never seen a collection of tribal jewelry. There were tables & stacks of it, beautiful shapes, so many different types of bracelets, rings, neck pieces, head gear, and stuff I had no idea what it could be for :-) Unfortunately I was out of $$$. :-( Still, it was fun looking through the piles of cool stuff. Tricia was still not there...

Off to Dancing in 6/8 with Kamille of Rockabelly rockabelly.tribe.net/, last class of the day - ANOTHER excellent class! I learned how to count the music, which is a good thing to know. We did foot work, walking moves, zils, arms, and seems like other stuff too :-) I got yet another perspective on dancing! After the class, Kamille talked to some of us about how to work on floor flat back lay-backs. I have already started practicing the stretches & after-work she recommended. She really did the most amazing floor work in the Sat night show.

Back to the vendor tent! I had written a thank you note for Tricia, since I was pretty sure I would not be able to thank her in person but there she was - I gave her my note & then thanked her in person too. Then, out to the car & off home!

It was a truly great weekend. I am ready for next year!

To do different next year:

Take less food (I ate nothing that I brought)
Take less water (I only drank half a case, took 2 cases)
Don't take sheets, only the bag & a pillow
Don't take clothes line, just wooden drying rack
Take a mini coffee maker for the cabin
Keep my clothes in the bag with me if it's cold
Leave earlier on Friday!.

Souhail Show at Tuscana Cuisine, July 7, 2007 Sun, July 8, 2007 - 10:06 AM

This was the coolest event I have performed in! I had my doubts about the dance area but I am happy to say they were totally unfounded. It was arranged & presented by 1001dance.com, headed up by Sylvana. They did an excellent job - the performances were paced really well & there was a good mix of styles. The sound system was in good working order, the area was clean, there was lots of space in the dressing room... I could go on but I won't :-)

I hated to miss the workshops, but I just did not feel I had improved enough from the last one to show my face. I told Souhail at the previous workshop (a few months ago) that next time I saw him I would be much better. I am sure he wouldn't recall that but I sure do! I have been working on dancing to drumming, but I am having difficulty with it. I also got a doumbek for my birthday which I am working on, but I did not think I should go to the drumming workshop either, since I can hardly do a basic beat & my left hand is essentially useless. I am going to take lessons from Omid

I was able to dance with both Carmen's student group, Karmic Repercussions, and my own troupe, Torque. Both performances went went well. The only bad thing that happened is that Lori couldn't make it. She is such a great dancer & love to perform more than anyone I know (except maybe Xavier!). Jonna & Faun performed a really nifty choreography that they had only been working on for 2 weeks - very impressive. I loved the choreo. It was a very enjoyable performance.

We (Torque) had some problems dancing in an area we had never been in or seen before, mainly because of spacing & orientation issues and entry/exit plans. This was only our 3rd performance, so I believe as we get more experience we will be able to handle things like this better.

I did get a good tip from another dancer: if anyone says that our dance was good or that they enjoyed it, just accept the compliment & do not say that we sucked or that we messed up or whatever. I will follow that advice from now on because she is right. I'll just note the things I think I messed up on & we can discuss them at our next group meeting or class.

My husband took pictures & got some video of us. Most of the pictures did not come out, I am sad to say. The video came out OK. I am going to get it on my PC so I can make a DVD for us to pass around. He got all 3 Studio 318 pieces and the cane dance - I am so embarrassed that I can not recall the performers name - and I got some footage of Sylvana & the band. I was hoping for footage of the other performers, but oh well.

I saw in the video where I still need major work - posture & arms - still. Come on Rachel video! Where the heck is that thing??? I just got my sword, which I am certain will help with posture. I also know I need to work on my attitude. I started freaking out around noon & was just klutzy and forgetful after that. It will take some serious meditation & visualization work for that. I should have taken my Bach flower emergency remedy but I forgot about it! I ALSO need to lose about 20 lbs. Perhaps a photo posted where i can see it every day will be a good incentive :-) I believe I am going to try that. OK, and isolations - I thought I was doing pretty good with that but I am still needing significant work. SO much to do & none of it happens fast enough for me. Argh!

Anyway - the night was grand. I made some new friends, had fun with old friends, and had a great time - could anything be better than that? Whee!


1 comment from Indira:

Sun, July 8, 2007 - 12:57 PM

I agree.

I had a great time last night. I have to admit I was really nervous performing with Souhail after taking his workshop (which pretty much puts you back to square one with your dancing). But once I got out there I was fine. The crowd had a great energy which makes you dance even better. It is so nice to be involved in a community that supports one another and has such a good time expressing themselves. I can't wait for the next one!

BTW, I loved your hair falls. I can't wait to get back into our tribal piece later this summer so I can start adding all the fun stuff on my head.

Solstice 2007 - Tribe, Sat, June 23, 2007 - 2:58 PM

It was great fun, but not as much as last year's for me. Last year there was a drum circle & the dancers just got out & danced. It was so much fun!

This year there was a band, Global Repercussions & a sound system in the fountain area. There were scheduled performances. It was neat seeing the performances and performing, but it was not nearly as fun as having the drum circle. Ah well, so it goes. I am not sure whether it was better or worse for the audience.

The fire dancers have always been scheduled & have been so cool to watch every year. I enjoyed watching them again this year. I was glad Patika made it back in time to perform.

We all wore our new rip skirts, made by Lori. She came up with the idea after the Zoe perfomance last Dec. They are SO cool! Carmen dressed as a fairy, so did not wear hers.

Off to a family function. Ugh. I am missing a really neat Solstice celebration with my women's group for this. Rrrr.

Opening Entry - The Joys of Bellydance

I have several blogs or blog-like things going on, but I believe this will be The One :-) I've been dancing for about 3 years now & have never loved an activity like I love bellydance!

What do I love about it?

Learning to know & control my body
Learning to love my body & more important, to not be ashamed of it!
Dancing!
Learning about different types of dance
Trying out different styles
Making choreography
Working with other dancers to come up with choreography
Taking classes from different teachers
Taking workshops with as many different people as I can!
Going to shows & watching other dancers
Dancing in shows!
Being part of a dance troupe - Torque
Working with all the people in my troupe
Meeting & hanging out with my troupe
Hanging out with other students in my classes
Meeting my favorite dancers & seeing them dance LIVE!
Taking pictures of events & looking at them later
Costumes!
Making costumes
Shopping for costumes & jewelry
Admiring other dancer's costumes
Wearing costumes!
Talking to other dancers about costumes
Going to costume workshops
Seeing how much jewelry I can put on at one time :-)
Seeing cool tattoos on dancers
Henna!
Makeup!!
Putting on performance makeup
Visiting the MAC counter :-)
Looking at other dancer's performance makeup
Talking to other dancers about performance makeup
Getting together & puttin on makeup before a show
Drinking a bit of wine before a show
Driving together to a show or workshop

OK, that's all I can think of right now. Bellydance has become my life - I love it!

Next time - I am going to pull all my BD blogs together into this one...