Dreams/Radiance Student Recital

On Sunday, December 12th, Najmat's Tuesday night students performed at Melina's Moody Street Circus as part of the Dreams/Radiance Student Recital.  Students of Melina, Yael, Hanan, and Najmat - all teachers in the Boston area - performed and the teachers had their solos as well.

With 15 different performances, the show itself went by fairly quickly.  It was great to be part of a relaxed recital, and also to be part of a group that was more advanced.

I definitely saw myself in the "younger" dancers, and I marveled at how far I've come.  Though I know I have a lot more technique and style to hone in, it felt good to be at a place where I felt more comfortable than nervous.

Especially considering that we had only finished learning the choreography the Tuesday prior and Najmat had changed the very end of the piece that very day!

I love Najmat's style and I love watching her dance and I love taking her class.

But choreography is not her strong suite.  So, there were definitely moments when the group was struggling a little bit,.  But it felt nice to know that while she wanted us to look good, she wasn't too worried about how we would do on the night of the performance.

We danced to Saad's "El Enab," which is a fun sha'abi (Egyptian pop) song.  By the time the show came around, we were thoroughly tired of the song, and (I kid you not) it was actually making my Zune crash every time I would try to replay it!

But, I know that I will definitely have some fond memories now attached to this song.  With that, I leave you with the music video featuring the ever-beguiling Dina.

Hired for a Birthday Party

On December 4th, after being part of Raks Nativity, I drove down to Jamaica Plain because I was hired by a friend to dance for her birthday party.

I was honored to be asked to be part of her birthday party in this way, and I was excited to have an opportunity to dance more that evening.

This is my first ever dance gig that I was hired for, and I was excited that they even considered me.

I had prepared about a 15 minute long performance, and wanted to make sure that I got the birthday girl up there as well.  Considering that I hadn't had a lot of time to prepare for the gig since they had just asked me the previous Wednesday, I chose songs that I was already quite familiar with.

My playlist featured:  "Samra Ya Samra" by The Morgador Band, "Khawet Serena (Serena's Step)" by Hossam Ramzy, and "Enzal ya Gameel" by Walid Toufic.

There's always this little voice inside that causes me to get a bit nervous.  It usually says, "What if you mess up? What if you don't keep their interest long enough? What if what if what if...?"

I do have to remind myself that I was the belly dancer hired or chosen or whatever to be dancing there.  There's really quite a possibility that no one else knows how to do what I do, and not just concerning the dance style but also knowing the music and knowing how to improvise and work a room.

The guests stood in a circle around me, and I danced around in the middle of that circle.  There were definitely some things I became keenly aware of during my performance. 

I was suddenly very aware of the men in the room.  It felt very different from any recital, where there are also men.  But, it definitely felt that I was being watched almost a little too closely for my own comfort.  I made it a point to mainly make eye contact with the women in the room.

After my performance, I ran back into the bathroom, and changed back into street clothes.  When I returned, a lot of the guests were complementing me on my dancing.  It was nice to hear so many positive things.

At one point, one of the guests who was leaving asked me if I was Middle Eastern.  I must say that that is the first time I've ever been asked that!  The woman, who was Palestinian, said that I looked a lot like her cousin, but that she thought I might have been mixed with another Asian background.  But she said that I danced really wonderfully.

I have to admit that having someone Middle Eastern complement my dancing is a true highlight.

I'm really proud of myself for having just completed an amazing night with tons of highlights.  It felt great to be acknowledged as good enough to deserve a fee.  Truly, this experience will be a reminder to help me build my confidence as a dancer.

Raks Nativity 2010

On December 4th, a groups of belly dancers and their friends descended upon the town of Chelmsford, MA, to present the first production of Raks Nativity, the Christmas Story told through Middle Eastern Dance.

I was very excited to be chosen to play the Virgin Mary, which is really quite an honor coming from a Catholic family.

Publicity
On the night of the dress rehearsal on December 3rd, I received a copy of the Chelmsford Independent with the article on Raks Nativity right on the front cover.

There's me!

I'll be honest.  It was quite daunting to see that picture of me.  I really wasn't sure if I would be able to do the character justice, as I'm not really much of an actress.  But, I just kept telling myself to breathe.  All my peers were extremely supportive, and really helped to build me up.

What's a show without obstacles?
A week before the show, we learned that Amira Jamal would not be able to play the role of Anne, Mary's mother.  Her and I had practiced our part together several times already, but she was having a lot of trouble with her legs and knees, and I wouldn't have wanted her to hurt herself any further.

Truth be told, I was really saddened by the news.  I consider Amira my "belly dance mom," so it felt right that she would play my mom in the show.

However, when I learned that Najmat would be the official understudy, I was extremely excited!  Considering that we had joked back and forth about how she should be playing the Virgin Mary, it was all too appropriate for her to play my mom.

Debut
When December 4th arrived, I could hardly believe it.  I joked during the tech rehearsal that it would be over in 2 minutes, and we'd be wondering how we got there.

As show time closed in, I started to feel extremely nervous.  All my doubts suddenly flashed through my mind.  Behind the wings, I became intensely aware of my heartbeat.  Najmat assured me that I would do great, and I thought back to all the student recitals and performances I've been part of.  I even thought about how I had another dance gig I was hired for later that night.

I know this may sound silly, but the mere fact that I knew that acting (and serious, not being silly acting) was involved made it feel more important for me to do well.  I just didn't want to let anyone down.

Then the music started.  I took a deep breath, took one more look at my cast mates in the wings, and erased all those doubts from my mind.

As the first act came to a close, I felt myself breathe out as though I had been holding my breath the whole time.  It was great!  It felt great!  The audience seemed to enjoy themselves, and I hadn't fallen off the stage.

After some reapplication of makeup and readjusting of the costume, it was time to prepare for the second act.  I got to catch up with a couple of belly dance friends in the audience, but mainly tried to stay out of sight.

At some point, we were waiting in the wings during the second act, and I looked at the same people I was with during the tech rehearsal and said, "See! In like 2 minutes it's seriously over! How did we get here?!"

In preparing for the final scene, I sat in my chair and tried to channel a new mother's spirit.  I looked at the fake baby doll in my arms (though it was so real looking, it was kind of freaky!), and thought about what it must feel like to have just given birth and holding your new baby.  Then I thought how every mother must feel that their child is just as special as the newborn baby Jesus might have been.

On a side note, I know that I am definitely not prepared for motherhood, and this is why:  During rehearsal, I would constantly forget about the baby doll!  It was left on a table, or downstairs in the dressing room, or somewhere else.  But man, I am not prepared for babies!

The curtains opened and the final scene began.  This was perhaps one of the easiest parts for me, since I literally just had to sit there and look extremely happy.  But, in all honesty, I was extremely happy. 

The person playing Joseph (who I had only met the night before) and I were second to last to take our bows, and the drummers, Johara's Snake Dance Company, followed after us.

We did it!  We pulled off an amazing show, and each one of us were eager to talk to our friends in the audience to hear their feedback.

Reflections
Looking back at the event, I am still feeling this wonderful glow about me.  It's strange, really, playing such an important religious character but not being at all religious.  I can't help but feel a bit more spiritual and even more into the Christmas spirit after the show.

It was so lovely to see so many friends in the audience.  I remember at one point, noticing the light reflect off my boyfriend's glasses in the audience as I danced.  I get a bit nervous knowing he's there, mainly because his opinion is really important to me.  And at the same time, it's extremely comforting to know he's there because his opinion is really important to me.

They all said that I did a great job and how I was really expressive.  I had been much more concerned about looking pregnant, more than anything else, so I'm glad that I was able to accomplish both.

I now know that I do have the capacity to act as well as dance, and maybe even both at the same time.

As the pictures were published on Facebook, I felt like I was reliving the show all over again.  I honestly could have done it again, even 2 nights in a row.  Considering that it was about an hour of action and that it was a full house, we probably could have packed in another show.

All in all, I am so proud to have been part of this production.  I am proud of Nepenthe for being so creative with this vision, and I thank her for allowing me to be a small part of it.  Whatever she ends up doing next year, and if she does this again, I am so down!

For pictures, please check on my Photo and Video blog: Cecilia of the Sea

Chillaxing with Belly Friends

This evening, I went to Khayyam in Brookline to watch one of my favorite people in the whole entire world dance.

At some point after her performance, some girls in the crowd (who brought wine) wanted for us to get up and dance with them.  It was fun and all, but there was definitely a moment where I thought, "I've already had so much fun tonight, and not a single one of us in the group had anything alcoholic."

I feel like there's something to be said about that.

There's a potential for a reality t.v. show that would probably get horrible ratings for being so reasonable.

What do you get when you put together a bunch of confident, straightforward yet friendly belly dancers in a room together?  A lot of good times with a shimmy on top.

This Goddess Gets Virginal

In the past couple of months, I've had the pleasure of working with many of my belly dance classmates towards a fabulous show called Raks Nativity.

Raks Nativity, conceptualized by Nepenthe, is basically the Nativity Story told to Middle Eastern music.  From the Facebook page, it's "a new take on the Christmas Pageant. While the plot remains the same, this pageant depicts each scene with dances from the Middle East and fusion “bellydance”, including Saidi, Baladi, and Wings of Isis."

Well, ladies and gentlemen, I am blessed and honored to be playing the Virgin Mary.

Back in September, I attended the auditions thinking that I would try out for one of the more minor roles.  But then I was told to act/dance through Mary's introduction scene, and they said that they imagine her to be kind of like a Disney Princess.  Pppsshhhhaaawww!  Well, snap.  I can do Disney Princess.

So, here I am, preparing to play the Virgin Mary.  Believe me, the irony is not lost on anyone in the cast.  But, luckily, we all have a healthy sense of humor and know that we need to keep some things discreet.

But it just gets better.

Back in October, I was doing a party.  I pulled out my vagina puppet, which I use for the anatomy portion of my demo.  One of the guests suddenly exclaimed, "Is that the baby Jesus?!?"

I cracked up!  Before explaining why I almost died laughing, I said, "You have no idea how funny that is to me!"

I told some of the organizers and staff, and promised that I would bring the puppet to one of the practices.

Unfortunate (or fortunately), I happened to bring it when there were official photos being taken.

Photo by Dreamer's Realm Photography
Can you guess what was sitting in as the Baby Jesus?

I'm honestly really excited about being part of this show.  It's just going to be a lot of fun, and really a great way to bring different people of different denominations, beliefs, and experiences together.

Then I learned that the Chelmsford Independent, their local newspaper, printed an article about the event using the promotional image.  Except, they cropped the middle image.  Here's the screen shot of the website.

holy...moly...

Okay, so this is where I'm starting to freak out a bit.  Truth be told, I knew what a responsibility it is to play the Virgin Mary.  I did grow up with a Catholic family.

But it wasn't until I saw that website that I realized what a responsibility it is to play the Virgin Mary.  Sure, the Nativity Story is mainly about Jesus' birth.  But, really, that's just the climax (that's right, I went there).

The story is really about Mary's experience.  From the Annunciation to the Presentation, Mary is the actual driver of the story.

I know that I'll do the story and Mary proud, but I'd have to say that I'm a lot more nervous after seeing the press this event has received.  There's a part of me that knows about all the other better dancers out there, all the other better actors out there.  There's the little voice of doubt that has suddenly appeared.

But, for this first Raks Nativity production, I know that this is my Mary.  And I'm going to be the best Virgin Mary that this Goddess can be.

Goddess Thankful

In this Goddess' life, there's so much to be thankful for.

Today, we are all reminded to count the blessings, no matter how small.  For sometimes, it is the small blessings that truly make a difference.

I am thankful for the boyfriend (who's forehead kisses always make me feel better).
I am thankful for the kitties (who keep me on my toes, wake me in the morning, and allow me to love them).
I am thankful for my friends (near and far, who remind me every day even if we don't speak that day about where I've come from and where I'm going).
I am thankful for our tiny, filled-with-crap, 1-fuse-box, stompy-neighbors apartment (complete with comfy bed and "princess" chair).
I am thankful for my feet (which have helped me express myself through dance, taken me to distant lands, and sometimes remind me to take care of myself).
I am thankful for my voice (which reflects my moods, energy levels, and love of cheesy music).
I am thankful for my family (which continues to grow and evolve, reminding me that I will one day be responsible for my own).

I am thankful for my business (which has allowed me spread the message of better and healthy sex).
I am thankful for the opportunities Athena's has offered us (which really provide constant rays of sunshine and hope every day..even on the hardest of days).
I am thankful for my Athena's families (which provide me with unending support and laughter).
I am thankful for being a Goddess (which is truly an enchanted life indeed).

Belly Basics from a Baby Belly

On Friday, October 15th, I was invited to do an Athena's Party at Girl Power Fitness in Hyde Park, MA.  The Hostess and owner of Girl Power Fitness is a friend of one of my close friends who teaches Zumba, and soon got word that I am also a belly dancer.  Since the night was also going to feature a strip tease lesson, she asked if I would be able to teach a short belly dance lesson.

Truth be told, I don't think I'm necessarily qualified for the job.  Though I've been studying for about 8 years, I've only taken my commitment further in the past 3 years.  I don't necessarily plan on becoming as professional as some of my friends who are dancing at restaurants, but I absolutely love this dance.

Luckily, I had seen a fellow dancer, Ma'isah, the night before and told her about my upcoming lesson.  At that point, I had no idea what my lesson plan was, and I was too nervous to really think about it.  I am extremely lucky that she had a clearer head than I did, and she helped me break it down and feel more prepared.

I knew I had to start with the basic history and background of belly dance, starting with the term raqs sharqi.  I explained to the room full of women that the dance was more about dancing for other women and less about dancing for a man.  I stressed the importance of why it should be more about enjoying the dance, rather than just performing.

I knew I had to go quickly through various moves, but that I wanted to touch on a lot of the basics.  After my brief history lesson, I talked about the importance of posture and demonstrated the "right" and "wrong" ways to stand.

In My Goddess and Belly Dance wear

I started with hip and rib circles, moving slowly then a bit quicker.  I made sure to give the room ample time to practice, while also being aware of the time.  I touched on horizontal figure 8's and vertical figure 8's.

Then I moved on to undulations, starting with the hip then the ribcage.  In the theme of undulations, I moved on to snake arms and noted how difficult it was for many in the room to grasp.  I tried various ways of explaining it, though I knew that the time allotted would not be enough for everyone to really hone it in.

Then we moved onto the faster movements, namely shoulder and hip accents and shimmies.  The shoulder accents gave way to shoulder shimmies, and the ladies really seemed to enjoy that.  I then moved to hip hits going up and hip hits going down, focusing on one side at a time.  I also introduced them to the Egyptian Hip Hit and the Drop Release movements.

I had index cards with notes, just like when I had my very first party as a Goddess :)

Finally, we moved on to the shimmies.  I started with the basic knee shimmy, then the hip shimmy, and finally the 3/4 shimmy.  After going through the basic moves, I put on Betwanes Beek and I led them through the various movements I taught them throughout the song.

Afterward, I thought of all the various things I didn't get to tell them.  I touched on layering, but I didn't really show them an example of it.  I talked a bit about placing your arms in a way that frames your body, but I forgot to end the final song with a pose.  I got so nervous, that I didn't even suggest that I could dance a bit for them while we were waiting for the next portion of the evening.  I didn't get to talk about level changes, smiling and facial expressions, or using the movements to move across the room.  I know it's silly, considering that I really only had enough time to go through the basics.  But I just like being thorough.

Nonetheless, the women seemed thoroughly excited and happy with my quickie lesson.  They said that they were surprised at how hard some of the movements were and how much they were sweating during the lesson.

I had created a list of teachers in the area to hand out to the girls, encouraging them to seek out lessons with some of the top performers and teachers in the area.  It felt encouraging to hear that some of them enjoyed my lesson and would have also enjoyed continuing lessons with me.

Again, while I don't think I'm necessarily qualified to teach beyond a beginner level, experiencing being a teacher was incredibly insightful.  If anything, it helps me to be a better student.

MassRaqs 2010 - Part 2

I decided to cut the post, since it was getting a bit too long.  Now, where was I?  Oh yes, the final day of MassRaqs 2010.

Sunday Workshops

Sunday, September 26th

Sunday was going to be a jam-packed day with 4 workshops and a Gala show in the evening.  This day felt a lot more relaxed, interestingly.  Perhaps because we already knew what to expect for the workshops.  Also, knowing that Springstep's staff would be in charge of setting up chairs really took a lot of stress away.

Shadia - Double Cane Technique
I have very limited experience with the cane, though I have to say that doing the saiidi choreography with Meiver for Barka helped to make me feel more confident about using this prop.  But 2 canes?  Well, that's a completely new adventure.  Truth be told, this workshop was a huge wake-up call for me.  Shadia stressed practicing at least 5 minutes a day with a cane, and in both hands, would really help everyone's technique.

My favorite part of this experience was learning some new tricks with the cane.  There was one trick where we twirled the cane and caught it on the other end (hard to explain, but really cool to watch!).  I found it hilarious that everyone (including me!) was dropping our canes during the practice.  We all had a lot to learn, but we are eager to do so.

My least favorite part of this experience was that I completely forgot that I hid my canes during the Gala and I forgot them at the venue!  Luckily, dowels don't const that much, so I can easily replace them.

Shadia - Bedouin Styling
Shadia, a master in folkloric style, introduced many of us to the Levantine and Bedouin style which is a lot less hips and more hands and arms and shoulders.  We went through a combination of steps and movements that are characteristic of these folkloric styles.

Then she paired us by height and we did some debke line dancing.  This was so much fun!  First of all, it was hilarious to see how fast the tall group moved across the room, and how much slower it took for the shorter groups.  But the beat of the music and the fact that it's a group line dance just makes it feel like a party.

Boẑenka for Cassandra - Oriental Technique Tune-Up
Boẑenka took us through some modern oriental technique work, leading us across the floor with different combinations and different facial expressions.  In a way, this felt like an extension or a second part of her Arms and Hands workshop from Saturday.

It was fun to cross the room with so many of my friends, and it was nice to watch the other dancers in the room strut their stuff.  It felt like we were all really cheering each other on, and just plain enjoying ourselves.

Boẑenka - Drum Solo
Perhaps one of the most exciting parts about this workshop, aside from learning some technique from one of the most renowned dancers, was that we had a live drummer to dance with.  One of the local drummers who was performing with the band at the Gala helped us learn a little bit about how to connect with the drummer.  Boẑenka stressed that while it often feels that the dancer has to chase after whatever the drummer is doing, the dancer can do a couple of things to signify that she will be changing her movements.

She had us individually approach the drummer and signify when we would be finishing a phrasing.  It was fun to watch each person dance and learn what moves help to signal to the drummer.  Then, several of the attendees picked up some drums and each of us participated in a drum circle.  We each danced to a full drumming group, and it was fun to show what we had learned.

In total, I have to admit that Saturday's workshops felt more like a lot of hard work, whereas Sunday felt a lot more relaxed and fun.  This isn't to say that either day wasn't filled with both hard work and fun, but there was definitely more of one aspect present on one day versus the other.

Sunday Gala
Goodness.  I feel absolutely blessed to have started and ended the weekend watching such a huge variety of amazing dancers.  The performers were a mix of people I have watched several times and people I had only heard of.  The Gala really felt like a perfect bookend to an already inspiring weekend.

Let me start by talking about a little bit of trouble we ran into before the doors were even officially open.  One woman was extremely angry that we were unable to take credit or debit cards for admission.  She said that we should have advertised it, which is true, but there was no need to be extremely angry at us for not having the capability of card swiping.  That is definitely something to remember for next year's and any upcoming events.

The first set of the evening was the folkloric portion.  There was some cane action from Chantel as well as some debke line dancing from Shadia's Mirza Troupe, both of which made me sway along with the music.  Then Boẑenka performed a maleya leff, which is flirty and uses an embellished veil.  She looked like she was having such a fun time with the dance.

The second set of the evening was mainly raqs shaqi dances.  Watching Meiver and Najmat dance is always such an amazing experience.  Meiver with her amazing combinations and Najmat with her delicious gooeyness are enough to bring in a whole new group of belly dance enthusiasts.  Though Nina had performed at Baraka, I didn't get a chance to watch her move, so I was excited to get the chance during the Gala.  Local favorites Pheadra and Hanan also graced the stage, playing zills and twirling double canes, respectively.  I tried to pay attention to their technique, especially since we had worked on those two this weekend.

Then, of course, the Gala closed with another performance by Boẑenka.  She is just amazing!  If you ever get a chance to learn from her or to watch her move in person, it is something you really want to strive for.  But, let me not forget to mention her AMAZING costume!

Boẑenka's gorgeous costume

I'm pretty sure even the band members were mesmerized by her movements.  Her costume only helped to accentuate how amazing she is.  It's always very interesting to watch dancers of such popularity live in action.  She really exudes confidence and a love for the dance - something we are all striving to naturally exude.

In Conclusion
MassRaqs was really a complete success.  Sure, there were some unhappy folks about Cassandra's absence, and I'm sure that not everyone was completely happy about the weekend.  Sure, there could have been a lot more tightness in the event implementation and organization and time management.  These are all things that we will be aware of in terms of future event planning.  Some things worked, and some things didn't.

With the New England belly dance community recently having experienced some negativity in the form of undercutting and gossip, this weekend (which also featured a tribal event organized in Boston) was really needed.  Starting the weekend with an open dialog about what makes Boston and New England such a stronghold for the belly dance community, filling in workshops that could only enhance everyone's dance, and ending with beautiful dancers just felt cohesive and inspiring.

Considering that I woke up this morning feeling like I just wanted to keep dancing and then reading about other people's feelings about the weekend on Facebook, it just means that MassRaqs 2011 (Save the Date: October 21st-23rd) is just going to be better in every way.

MassRaqs 2010 - Part 1

What an amazing weekend!  I wanted to write about my MassRaqs experience as a participant and as an assistant in the process.  I was more than happy to share my skills to help this event, and I feel like I've learned a lot about the process as well.

First of all, MassRaqs was created as a way to bring the New England belly dance community together for a weekend of discussion, learning, and performing.  In that respect, I believe that the event was a complete respect.  But, being the first year the event took place, there is definitely much for all of us to learn from.

Panel Presentation and Performances
Friday, September 24th
The first event of the weekend took place in Green Street Studios in Central Square.  It's amazing how one of the studios is able to change from a regular looking studio into a beautiful performance and show space.  One of the drawbacks, however, is the poor air circulation - when it's hot, it's hot!

As an event assistant, I knew that we had a limited amount of time to organize the space before the event could begin.  There were definitely enough hands, and we even got some help from one of the audience members.  Unfortunately, we did get started a bit later than scheduled, and we definitely ended a lot later than scheduled.

Perhaps it would have been useful to delegate exactly what needed to be done to the specific people who were going to be there to help.  That way, everyone could focus on their specific task and help anyone who might need extra help when they're done.

My approach to event organization is definitely one of multi-tasking.  Even if you were the one delegating tasks, you need to be moving around and helping with things as well.  "Floating" doesn't mean just standing around while everyone is moving.

As a participant of the event, I though the discussion and video sampler of Amy Smith and DeAnna Putnam's "Aziza!" was wonderful.  There were conversations about the changes in the New England belly dance scene throughout the years, thoughts on preserving the past as well as the present, and hopes for the future of the community.

I have to admit, I was enthralled by the conversation.  I felt proud to be part of the New England belly dance community, considering that the American belly dance scene really started in Boston.

After the panel, difference dancers from all over New England (from Connecticut to Maine, Rhode Island to Vermont, and everything in between) performed their different styles of raqs sharqi.  It was a pleasure to watch the dancers, many of whom are my friends.  I have to admit that my face hurts from the joy of watching them.

After the event was over, there was, of course, the break down part of the event.  Again, while it seemed to take less time to take everything down and put everything back, it still would be useful to have delegated tasks.  Also, the event should have been planned down to the second.  Dancers arrive at a specific time, panel ends lasts a specific amount of time, etc.  Overall, though, the first event of the weekend was a success.

Saturday Workshops
Saturday, September 25th
Saturday featured 3 workshops from 3 different teachers.  Unfortunately, Cassandra had an injury and was unable to come to Boston for the weekend.  I know that many participants were eager to learn from her, and many were disappointed that she wasn't able to teach her workshops.  However, I do think that Meiver did what she could at such short notice, and considering that Boẑenka was the replacement teacher, I think that we were lucky to still have the workshops available to us.

Obviously, it would only benefit us to be exposed to a variety of teachers.  Though, on the other hand, I think it would have also been awesome to extend Boẑenka's already assigned workshops.  I mean, who couldn't use more work on their Hands and Arms?

As a event assistant, I was mainly charged with preparing registration sign-in forms and making sure the vendors had all they needed.  I definitely went into event mode the second I stepped off the bus.  The vendors were one of the first to arrive, and I helped to get them set up on their tables.  I also helped to set up the registration table, prepared with signage and tons of pens.

Throughout the day, I stayed relatively vigilant about who was coming in through the doors and elevators, even though I tried to focus on participating in the workshops.

Meiver - Exciting Combinations for Modern Oriental Style
Having studied and learned some Modern Oriental style with Meiver for the Baraka event, I was proud to know that I was probably a little more advanced than some of the others who were new to Meiver's style.  Considering that I found the Modern Oriental to be the most challenging, I knew it would only benefit me more to take this workshop.

Part of the combination was similar to the choreography we learned for Baraka, but the changed in the choreography were just as challenging as learning it the entire choreography the first time.  Honestly, I think Meiver's choreography and combinations are beautiful and exciting.  It takes some serious skill to produce choreography in the graceful way that she does.

Boẑenka - Arms and Hands: Technique for Fluid Arm Movement and Emotive Gesturing
I think that part of what made me fall in love with belly dance was the snake arms.  I know, however, that it's something I need a lot of work on.  Boẑenka worked us all very hard!  There was definitely a lot of movement repetition and keeping our arms up.  I was scared I was going to be extremely sore the next day, but I wasn't.

You definitely need some serious arm and shoulder strength to help you get to the point of having gorgeous arms and hands.  But Boẑenka's stretching suggestions were also extremely helpful.  I know that I don't really think about stretching my hands and wrists very often, but now I will be more conscious of doing so.  Watching her move her arms and hands really made me feel inspired to keep working on my own technique.

Boẑenka for Cassandra - Beledi Stylings
I heart the beledi.  It's so earthy and fun.  Boẑenka reminded us, however, that while it is an earthy dance style, it is still a very proud dance style.  Earthy does not mean that technique gets lost, but that it is a different feeling added onto the technique.  She taught us a bit of combinations and then took us through some zill/zagat work.

It was interesting to see how she taught the finger cymbals.  Most of my instructors have focused on alternating the hands, so that both hands are used.  But Boẑenka stressed that the right hand (or your dominant hand) kept the beat while the left hand inserted little accents.  I have to admit that it was difficult to change to that way of playing after having played a different way for so long.  But it was an interesting way to think about the zills.

By this final workshop of the day, my feet were achy and I was tired from getting very little sleep the night before.  I was excited to go home and rest for the final day of MassRaqs.

Coming Up Next:  Sunday Workshops, Gala, and Final Thoughts

Belly Dance Community

This is a hot topic right now among the belly dance community of New England, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was a hot topic in other areas as well.
What is Community?

Giving Zumba a Try

Recently, a friend of mine has lost a lot of weight and looks amazing after getting heavily involved in Zumba.  I was thoroughly impressed by her efforts, and I had heard a lot about the classes.

Basically, Zumba is a high-energy dance-based class.  Though most of the elements are from Latin dances like salsa, cumbia, and merengue, there is also hip-hop, samba, and a little "belly dance" (I'll get to this in a second).

I had a Groupon coupon for the Oak Square YMCA in Brighton, and there were several Zumba classes to choose from.  So, I tried one out, and I must admit that I had a lot of fun.

It really is just like dancing around.  While some of the transitions need your concentration and it probably helps if you have rhythm (or if you don't care whether or not you have rhythm), it's really what you make of it, and it can be really quite fun.  I find myself smiling through most of it.

You can definitely work up quite a sweat from all the dancing around, and I can see how someone can lose quite a bit of weight if they dedicate several workouts a week to this cardio class.

Now, while there isn't a lot of Middle Eastern-style dancing in the classes, there are definitely incorporations of it.  I feel bad whenever this part of the class comes up, mainly because I get a bit critical about the moves.

I, of all people, understand and value the fusion of belly dance with other styles of dance.  I'm not forgetting that I still want to somehow fuse traditional Filipino dance with belly dance.  But I think that the fusion is more impressive when parts of the different dances are still visible, recognizable, and respecting of the different styles.  That's just my personal style and take on the whole thing.

So, when the Zumba instructor says that we're incorporating belly dance into the moves and it reminds me more of bangara or doesn't feel like belly dance, I find myself really struggling with understanding what is happening and really struggling with the specific moves themselves.

On some level, I feel proud to be able to distinguish different versions of the dance.  But on another level, I feel like a jerk because I know I'm being too critical of an already-fusion style of working out.

I should just not care, and go with the flow.  I should just not think about it too much.

But then I become really aware that a lot of the other folks in the class are not necessarily as educated about belly dance.  The little bit of exposure they have in Zumba class isn't enough for them to really understand what raqs sharqi really is.  With all the misconceptions there are about Middle Eastern dance, I personally feel wary whenever something is called "belly dance" and it doesn't feel "right" to me.

This isn't to say that Zumba instructors are in the wrong.  I do think that more education needs to be done about Middle Eastern music and dance before people just go around identifying snake arms or hip hits as the "belly dance."  Perhaps there is just a line between fusion and...not fusion?  Here is an example on youtube of a Zumba/belly dance routine.

I don't know if I'm explaining it well enough.  I don't want to come off as really snobby about it.  Hopefully the fact that I keep going to Zumba classes will mean something.

I do think it's important to be aware of your biases before you go into a Zumba class or any other dance class, for that matter.  Otherwise, just have fun with it!

BARAKA: A Benefit for MataHari

Remember back at the end of May when I spoke about Meiver's Intensive Repertoire Class?  Well, there was a total of 3.5 months of intense work, learning, dancing, and feet aches.  It all culminated on Wednesday, August 18th, at the Multicultural Arts Center.

The ceiling of the MCAC

The stage, Pre-Show

Meiver has been working her tail off, with the help of some of her students, to organize an extremely successful event to benefit MataHari: Eye of the Day, a great social justice organization that works towards immigrant, refugee, and workers rights.

In my previous post about the choreographies, I talked about all the things I was learning and all the things that I could do better.  In this post, I want to talk more about the choreographies and about the experience of being in the show.

Being A-Part
To be honest, in the beginning, I didn't really know how major the show was going to be.  But as the months passed and more was revealed, I got more and more excited.  To be even more honest, a lot of my fellow dancers were extremely anxious about the show, but I felt more excited to be part of the show.

With at least 10 different people with at least 10 different schedules to coordinate, it was difficult to try to keep steady progress on learning all the choreographies.  Also, it being summer, there was a lot of summer traveling (as was the case with me).

As August 18th drew closer, there were many things we all needed to work on in terms of the choreography and details.  But I truly believed that we would rock the show.  I believed that my classmates would do their best.  I believe that all of Meiver's and our hard work would pay off.

I know that I haven't been part of a show of this level since my undergrad days and the Queer Fashion Show.  There was perhaps less makeup back then, but there was definitely more glitter now.  But the stress seemed to be about the same.

Glitter provided by Sassy Sparkles.

Speaking purely from my own personal experiences, I know how difficult it can be to coordinate so many people, regardless of availability, regardless or experience, regardless of commitment.  From the talents shows with 3rd through 8th graders to coordinating a single dance with 20 members, there's a lot of work that needs to be done.  I couldn't help but feel empathetic to Meiver's workload.  But still, I had confidence about the show.

On some level, I felt bad that I wasn't able to connect with some of my fellow dancers on how stressed they were feeling about the dances.  I was more concerned about the costuming, as I had already spent so much money that I didn't have, and there were some unforeseen last minute changes.  But overall, I was feeling really positive about the show itself and our abilities to produce a great one.

Modern Oriental
As the opening number to the entire show, it was fabulous.  Personally, the technique was perhaps the most challenging to me.  Aside from remembering my posture, I had to remember how to hold my hands a different way then I'm used to, point my toes to hide my heel, and remember the various transitions.  It was a challenging piece.  But even though I wasn't in the audience, I'm sure it was such a glorious way to open the show.

"Sahra" by Bassil Moubayyed

This dance is a perfect example of how an ensemble of dancers should look on the stage.  Though some of the aspects of the dance are influenced by the ballet, I felt like this choreography was something you would see the Bellydance Superstars performing.

There were times when I would practice the choreography in my head and I would get distracted by wondering how one even designs something like that dance.  Making sure the right groups of people or even one person would end up in the correct spot, going from point A to point B, who turns in which direction.  The dance-math is making my head hurt!  But kudos to Meiver for such a gem of a piece.

My Solo
Holy quick costume change, Batman!  Thank you to Ma'isah, Aleksie, and my other classmates for helping me with my super fast costume change!  My solo was the 3rd act of the evening, and I had to get my outfit and my zills ready.

I was sweating so much from the first piece and from changing, that I carried a little napkin with me backstage and behind the wings, and left it in a corner where I would be able to grab it later.  But I continued to sweat throughout my entire performance!  Later, the boyfriend told me that he couldn't tell that I was sweating, which was a relief.

I look so at ease for sweating so much!

Actually, the boyfriend told me that I looked so comfortable and confident during this performance, and later Meiver tells me that her roommates and boyfriend said I make it look so pleasant.  I honestly feel speechless about those compliments.

I know that I was happy to see some of my fellow Amira Jamal classmates and my boyfriend in the audience. In a way, I was dancing for them, in true balady fashion (this was the "Balady ala Accordion" that I danced to during Amira Jamal's student recital in May).  Perhaps this was why I felt so confident even through my sweating.

Fan Veil
Well, I'll be honest here.  I felt like I was a sausage being squeezed into its casing, but it was just that I was so hot and sticky and trying to fit into a body suit that my butt was too big for.  Don't get me wrong.  I think in the end we all looked pretty darn awesome!  But I did have my doubts, and I was just nervous that I would make this piece not look good.  But hot damn, did we look awesome.

Hot Fan Veil Action

I absolutely loved this piece.  The music, the fan veils, the choreography.  I don't know if anyone was tripping out in the audience from the beauty of the veils, but I know I was having my own personal hallucinogenic trip being part of it.  I can't wait to see it on video.

I realized, however, that the choreography and the technique went hand in hand.  If you were unfamiliar with the fan veils, the choreography would not be as strong.  It was somewhat impinging on us as the dancers to really get comfortable with fan veils.

As I have already loved the veil, loving the fan veils was just too easy.  Whenever the kitties were asleep, I would sneak in a practice session with my fan veils.  Learning the technique felt more like play than anything else.  I'm eager to find some fan veil tutorial DVD's to further my education.

Khaleegy
The most difficult thing about this piece was trying to slip bracelets on my wrists.  I have huge hands, so I don't ever wear bracelets since it hurts to put them on and take them off.  There were many hilarious jokes about using lube to make it easier on me when I was getting ready.  I just braved getting my hands scraped by the bracelets, and in the end it was fine.

I was really nervous about all the spinning.  I didn't know how my body would react.  Originally, this was going to be the final piece, but the acts were moved around a bit, and this was our second to last dance.  I was hoping that if something were to go wrong, I would at least not need to dance again.

I thoroughly enjoyed this dance.  I felt like my timing had been off during all of the practices, but during the show I knew what I was doing.  This was another song I would play over and over on my Zune while riding the T.  My neck wasn't sore the next day, nor was I ridiculously dizzy after all the hair spinning.

Photo by Jonathan Williams

In that picture above, that's the moment we've just concluded all the hair spinning, dropping down to the floor, and picking our hair back up.  I was definitely sending messages to my brain and my inner ears to chill.  Again, this is another video I can't wait to watch.

Saiidi
This dance, perhaps the most polished one, was the finale of the show.  We had our nicely spray-painted canes, our bedlahs, and our smiles.  No one dropped a cane, no one hurt someone else with a cane, no one got left behind.

This was the choreography that I felt very confident about, though my can twirling needed some practice in the beginning.  Whenever I would walk to practice with my cane, I would twirl down the street, of course making sure that no bystanders would be affected.

Working together in our pod

For me, ending with the saiidi made me feel like we owned that stage.  We had been working so hard in the past several months that we deserved to wave our big sticks in victory.  Of course, this isn't to say that the other performers hadn't worked as hard.  But some of us had 4 or 5 costume changes!

We had an amazing show, and each and every one of us danced our hearts out.  Backstage, amidst all the chaos, there was a lot of conversation and a lot of laughter.  On stage, we tried our best to bring Meiver's vision to an audience in awe.

I'm a true believe that you make your situations what you want them to be.  This particular situation was just exhilaratingly inspiring, and I'm proud to have been part of it.

Video: "Yearning" with Fan Veil

On August 6th, I participated once again in the Quarry Hill Talent Show that is the precursor to the All Night Costume Dance Party.  This event, in it's 27th or 28th year, originally started as a birthday celebration, but grew to be a reunion of the kids who grew up there as well as an all-around summer celebration.

I took the opportunity to perform there 2 years ago as a way to get used to dancing in a public arena, especially where the audience was made mainly of other dancers.  It's been a great experience for me, as I am free to explore new things without too much pressure.  It's a Talent Show, and one that is mainly for fun!

This was my first time using fan veils in a performance.  Since I've been participating in an intense repertory class with Meiver, I've come to really love the fan veils.  I need to practice with them a bit more and learn some more techniques, but it's just so much fun to play with.

Originally, I was planning to dance to "Miserlou," a song popularized by Dick Dale in his surf guitar style, though its roots come from deeper in history.  But, I just was having a hard time working through the song with the fan veils.  I felt that they needed more drama associated with them.  I decided on "Yearning," by Raul Ferrando, another popular song among dancers.  The drama and the beauty that I associate with the fan veils really come through in that song.

So, here is a video of my performance taken by one of my friends.  Enjoy!

Visiting the Homelands

In July, a friend of mine and I went to Greece to celebrate being single at 28 years old.

In honor of the company namesake, I made it a point to wear my Goddess tank with pride.

Athena's Goddess

I couldn't even imagine how the Parthenon was constructed.  I'm sure there's a Discovery Channel special dedicated to how it was done.  But standing in the greatness that was the marble slabs, even amidst the reconstruction work, felt awe-inspiring.

Considering that Athena was the Goddess of Wisdom, I felt so proud to be part of a company that focuses on spreading knowledge about yourself, your body, and what works in relationships.

Greece was awesome! If you would like to read all about it, visit my personal blog.

Video: Amira Jamal's Student Recital

It took a while for me to finally get my things together and grab my copy of this DVD.  It then inspired me to dig up my past recital DVD's just to see how much has changed in the past several years.

My goodness.  I don't know if I could really show you those videos of me.  Perhaps if you would like a personal viewing, then...maybe...

But I'm really quite proud of this year's performance.

Thank you so much to Nadira Jamal (www.taktaba.com) for the videography!!

Meiver's Intense Intensive Repertoire Classes

For the past month, I have participated in an intense set of classes that have pushed my skill level and my bank account.  But it's been completely worth it.

Meiver, one of the top teachers/performers sent out the word in late April about a set of intensive repertoire classes in which we would learn 4 different choreographies, with the possibility of performing them in different events.  I knew I needed to participate.  While I'm feeling quite overwhelmed by my schedule, I wanted to push myself to try new styles and teachers.

The 4 choreographies we were learning were Saiidi, Khaleegy, Modern Oriental, and Fan Veil.  I want to talk about my personal challenges and strengths in these choreographies, and hope that I will improve by the time we will be performing.

Saiidi
Challenges:  With the Saiidi, I have to really practice my can twirling skills.  Though I've learned a little bit about how to use the cane, I haven't tried to do an entire dance with it.  In the tiny space we were practicing in, it was somewhat difficult to feel confident about twirling, and there were definitely a few bumps that happened along the way.  I've also needed to work on perfecting the details in the dance.

Strenghts:  I feel fairly confident about this choreography.  I've manged to pick up the steps relatively quickly.  I even bought my first ever Saidi dress!

Saidi habibi

Khaleegy
Challenges:  The Khaleegy is probably going to be a bit challenging for me overall.  Though I was able to purchase a thobe, it's not one of the best qualities and I'm finding myself tripping a bit on the beads.  But the most challenging part is the spinning.  Oh my goodness...the spinning.  I know that I need to practice my spotting, and then I really need to understand the mechanics of head spinning.

Strengths:  I really want to do well at this dance, or at least survive the spinning, mainly because then I know that I've reached a higher level. Also, the dance is so fun!  Regardless of the spinning, the dance with the thobes is beautiful!  It's really fun just to watch the costume move.

Modern Oriental
Challenges:  I need to work on the transitions between sections. I know that I've focused so much on the choreography and less on the little details, like pointing my toes or how my hands are.  I'm also working on getting a costume for this dance as well.

Strengths:  The high-paced Modern Oriental is another beautiful dance.  With so many of us in the room at times, I still feel that I'm able to appreciate the look of it while we're practicing.  Again, this is another dance where I feel like I've been able to grasp the choreography.

Fan Veil
Challenges:  In general, we need to really work on the actual choreography.  I definitely need to practice using them, as it's a completely new tool for me.  Specifically, I need to work on my left arm.

Strengths:  It's so PRETTY!  I mean, I can't get over how amazingly gorgeous the fan veils themselves are.  But then you make them move along with the dancers, and it just blows my mind!  It took me a while to get a hold of my own personal fan veils from Fairy Cove Silks, as there was some problem getting a hold of my information.  But, I love them!

Prettyyyy!

Though the month has gone by, we haven't finished learning all of the choreography, since we're all comprised of different levels and need to work a bit on the finer details.  Luckily, we all want to work on perfecting the dances as this is such a great opportunity.  Groups of us are working together, with lots of help from one of the students, and are hopeful that we will be ready to learn more when practice sessions with Meiver resume.

The whole month, I've felt like I'm learning so much about myself as a dancer.  I know I have so much more to learn, but I'm feeling very proud of myself for stretching out of my comfort zone and getting more involved in the dance.  I will hopefully be doing more with this group and performing at larger shows as a troupe.

Amira Jamal's Student Recital 2010

On Sunday, May 2nd, Amira Jamal hosted her annual Student Recital at the Pacific Arts Center of Metro West, in Framingham, MA.

I love her student recitals for many reasons, including the opportunity to see my amazing classmates dance and to see some of the newcomers perform.  This might sound horrible, but (and I mean it in a really positive way)it's nice to watch the newbies because it reminds me of where I came from.  A closet full of belly dance clothes later, I can proudly say that I'm no longer a newbie.

Mainly, I love the student recitals because it's been great practice for me.  I've always been exceedingly nervous about performing in public, especially around other, more professional dancers.  But this year, I felt different.

In a way, the recital snuck up on me.  I had been extremely busy, and with a new kitty, it has been difficult to do much dancing around the apartment.  Next thing I know, it's April and the recital is a month away.

When I'm working on choreographing a piece, I usually just play the song over and over on my mp3 player.  Strangely, I find it really productive to choreograph while riding the T.  This time around, I really tried to focus more on where the music was taking my movements and build upon that, instead of trying to incorporate every little step that I knew into a dance.

But the real difference was that this year, I danced to an actual Arabic piece.

In the 5 years that I've been taking classes with Amira Jamal, I've danced to Tori Amos' "Sweet the Sting," Queen's "Crazy Little Thing Called Love," Bjork's "Bachelorette," The Beatles' "Something," and Pink Martini's "Never on Sunday."

I've always loved the idea of fusing different concepts together to create something beautiful, which is mainly why I've focused on dancing to different types of music than traditional Middle Eastern music.

The great thing about Amira's classes, however, is the fact that we're exposed to so much Middle Eastern music, from classical Arabic to more pop tunes.  She encourages us to keep broadening our understanding of the dance by understanding the music.

So, this year, I danced to "Balady ala Accordion" by Hassan Abou el Seoud (This song can be found on Shik Shak Shok and 10 Songs Every Bellydancer Should Know).

Oh, ya.  Another difference was that my costume wasn't completely green.  It was mainly purple, and only had the tiniest hint of green.

Most of the pictures were taken by my boyfriend, so they're a little blurry.
This was my entrance.

Shocker!  I know!

Oh ya, baby...those are zills!

I couldn't really tell you why I finally decided to dance to an Arabic song for the recital.  I have talked in a previous post about doing a Filipino/Middle Eastern fusion dance, but I haven't learned enough about traditional Filipino dance to put something together in time for the recital.

I had already danced to "Balady ala Accordion" at an event I organized, and I really love the song itself.  Also, in the past, I had been dancing to somewhat slower songs.  I figured it was time to up the tempo, and go for playing my zills.

Confident and smiling!

Overall, though I know I needed to improve my zill playing, I actually felt extremely confident about my dance.  Since we got the chance to perform for each other in class earlier that week, I had received really great feedback from my classmates - dancers I really respect.

I am really proud of myself for a 6th recital under my belt, and for feeling not as nervous as I stepped out onto the stage area.  It was also quite nice to get complements from some of the audience members, of whom were mainly family members of the performers.

It was also great to have my boyfriend there supporting me.  Though he isn't so good at taking pictures, it's always nice to be reminded that I have someone in my personal life that enjoys and supports this hobby.

Morocco Workshop - Presented by Za-Beth

So much is happening in the world of belly dance!  It's great when I'm able to fit things into my schedule and expand my repertoire.

The day after my birthday, after about 4.5 hours of sleep after a night of karaoke, I drove up to Woburn to attend a workshop by Morocco, a raqs sharqi legend.  Dancing for more than 50 years, Morocco is not only a master of the dance, but also a historian and researcher of the dance.  Though she's based in New York (and you can hear it in her accent), she's internationally known and sought after for her knowledge and work.

On April 24th, Za-Beth hosted another weekends worth of workshops and shows.  Though I wasn't able to attend the entire weekend, I was more than delighted to partake in my first workshop with Morocco.

Right off the bat, I thought she was hilarious!!!  Definitely strongly opinionated, but really had me chuckling in the back with her double entendres and .  She also offered quite a big of insight, including not calling figure 8's "figure 8's" in Arabic countries, since their number 8 is like an upside down V.  Also, she's very against calling the dance "belly dance," especially since it uses so many more body parts.  She prefers the term "Oriental Dance" since that is the direct translation of "raqs sharqi."

She taught us 2 dances that day.  The first dance was to "A la Kefek," a song about a guy seeing a girl and saying, "Have it any way you like it."  This dance was very high energy, but also very fun.

I liked that it was relatively simple, meaning that it didn't need to have so many innovative moves to be entertaining and interesting.  She also had a lot of symmetry, and spoke of using the arms to frame and direct the audiences eyes to what they "should be looking at."

Morocco in red, teaching us some moves.

The second half of the day's dance was to Georges Lammam's "Ahlam," which usually has a taxim introduction, but Morocco cut it to use only the part when the drums come on.  Some of us in the class recognized the song since Amira Jamal will use it during her class.  The song is beautiful!  I could feel the music and knew that it showed in my expression.

She spoke during this instruction about being careful not to use our chests in the camel movement.  Camels are basically lower body undulations, and being that Oriental dance is characterized by the body isolations, it is important not to ruin the integrity of the camel by involving the upper half.

The Master and her Students

I must say that it was an honor to be taught by such an important figure in American belly dance history.  It was even more of an honor to know that she, turning 70 that weekend, also had a dirty sense of humor!

Morocco and me!

Overall, it was a great birthday weekend!  Truly a treat for me to have this opportunity to learn some more skills from such a wonderful woman.

Nadira Jamal Improvisation Workshops

The really awesome thing about the belly dance community is how connected it is.  I have the pleasure of meeting so many wonderful dancers and teachers, and learning tons from them!

As I've been taking classes with Amira Jamal since I moved to Boston, I've been able to learn from many dancers who I consider masters.  Recently, one of Amira's students who's moved on to teaching her own classes and producing instructional DVD's, came back to class to share some of her knowledge.

Nadira Jamal gave two workshops during our scheduled classes on Monday, one on March 22nd and the second on April 5th.  She, with her wicked smaht engineering brain, has taken the frightening idea of improvisation and breaks it down into workable bits.

Her video series, Improvisation Tooklit, is a great guide for anyone who feels nervous about getting on the dance floor without a set and choreographed routine.  Though there currently two DVD's, she's working on completing the set of 5 to make master improvisers in all of us dancers.

The workshops she brought to us were a shortened version of the two DVD's.  I must admit that I was a bit nervous!  Though we've done quite a bit of improvisation in Amira Jama's classes (just putting on music and moving on the dance floor), I was worried that I might not be able to hold on to what she taught us.

But she started right away with building up our confidence and dance self-esteem.  She reminded us that we should not only have fun and enjoy the dance, but that we also have the ability to remember specific moves if we are having fun.  And, even if we can only remember 3 or 4 moves, there are so many bits one can add to the dance (like level changes, moving around the floor, angles, arm movements, timing, etc.), that even the same movements can have a different effect.

I was excited to be part of these workshops.  Though I'm not a professional like many of my classmates or like Nadira, I can at least fake it til I make it.

I now feel much more comfortable with improvisation, though I'm sure I'll always be a little bit nervous about performing.  Also, I feel like this comfortability with improvisation would greatly aid in choreographing, as one can take the moves from improvising and reuse them.

Diana Tarkhan Workshop - Hosted by Najmat

On Saturday, April 3rd, Najmat hosted Diana Tarkhan at the Green Street Studios in Central Square, Cambridge, Mass.

Diana Tarkhan is one of the premiere Egyptian-style dancers, teachers, and choreographers.  She came all the way from Cairo, Egypt, to teach a class of 27 eager and excited New England dancers.

Truth be told, I had minimal exposure to her.  I had seen a video here and there on You Tube, but I didn't know much else.  After seeing that Najmat was offering a workshop from her, I knew that I needed to sign up.  The way I see it, you want to get as much exposure and experiences from different teachers if you want to continue evolving your technique as a dancer.  And if you can learn from Masters, even better!

Saturday was a gorgeous day!  It was the warmest it had been in a long time here in Boston.  So, all the dancers present were pretty much predisposed to enjoy themselves.  But being taught by the delightful Diana Tarkhan just heightened the feeling.

Room full o'bellies

Diana led us through some techniques that were characteristic of Egyptian-style "Oriental" dance.  She focused on the "in's" and "out's" of the hip, which came more from knee movements than from the hip.  We moved around a lot, practicing the "in's" and "out's" with different variations.

In's and outs!

She also led us through some variations on entrance movements, and taught us a combination of moves.  Overall, it was pretty exhausting (not to mention that I went to pilates in the morning!)!  It was nice and warm in the room, and all us ladies were sweating quite a bit.  But Diana's energy and smiley disposition kept us all excited and motivated.

Personally, I felt super energized to be around so many wonderful dancers and teachers.  Though I've been taking classes for so many years, I know I have so much more to learn from the professionals around me.  I always feel very encouraged and new after I'm around the raqs sharqi community.

Diana Tarkhan and me!
Photo courtesy of Najmat

Beautiful (and tired) dancers!
Photo courtesy of Najmat