Taking ATS at LAST!!

I am really excited to be taking lessons with Nandana http://www.nandanabellydance.com/ .  I have wanted to take lessons with her for a while, but can't because I can not drive to Durham on Sundays.   I love Tribal style & ATS is my very favorite of all tribal styles.   

I asked her about private lessons after returning from Tribalcon (& 2 workshops with Megah from Devyani) in Feb & it grew into a group of 6 of us from Sara's class taking a group private lesson once a month.  We had our second class on May 23 & it was AWESOME!!!  It is especially great because all of us are at about the same level, so we are really moving in the class.  We also have a group to dance with!

In just 2 2-hour classes, I have learned several new moves & patterns that are SOOO fun!   We did fading and the circle transition - I love both transitions.  Fading is a bit confusing but worth the effort to learn.  I wish I had a group here to practice with! (soooon.... :-)  The circle is really neat too - the dancer interaction is much more intense & fun, because of the eye contact.   We learned a variation - the grapevine spin - which looks AMAZING and is fun to do too.  Of course, there's that pesky getting-dizzy thing but I am working through that :-)

I have been taking lessons with Sara Beaman http://www.sarabeaman.com/ - who I LOVE!!! - on Saturdays too for maybe a year & a half.  Sara teaches 3 classes now (so on Nandana class days, it's a really long day :-)  I am the TA in her Core class and then I take both the Flow & Mega Challenge classes.  I have learned a huge amount of info on technique & conditioning, plus several cool choreos, lots about musicality, tribal fusion improv, & all kinds of other stuff.  Her classes are always fun & challenging. 

I have been taking regular classes with Daliana http://www.dalianadance.com/ for about 2 years, except in the summer when she takes a break.  I HATE that!!  :-(  I was taking only the Creative Expressions class on Thursdays, but since I am only 15 minutes from her Monday Advanced class, I started going to that one too.  I love both of the classes & Daliana as well.  She is fun to be around and has more energy & stamina than anyone I know.  Really.    REALLY!  She has given me good advice & feedback when I asked for it too, which I like a lot.  I really wish she was doing classes this summer.  I forgot to mention - her other regular students are really nice which makes the classes lots of fun.

Last but not least, I take continuing classes with Carmen at Studio 318.  I have been taking classes with her for several years.  As far as technique, there is not much more she can teach me but she is still teaching me a lot.  She is an excellent performer and knows how to dance to a crowd - something I'm working on.  She has come up with several clever exercises for our class to teach us performance skills.  We also work to hone our swords, veils, & zils.  And we have fun. 

I'm not even going to start on workshops, but I will say I have taken lots & lots of them.  LOTS and lots.  I am known as the Workshop Queen in my troupe, Torque  :-D  Some were not too difficult, some were so far above my level I barely understood what they were talking about, but they have all been lots of fun and worth attending.   I can't think of one that I wish I had not gone to.  The next biggie for me is going to be Triboriginal in Oct.  I went once before & it was fabulous, amazing, incredible,.... I loved it!   I can hardly wait to go again. JILL PARKER will be at this one!  Yow!