Katia's 9th Annual Retreat 2011

Oh my goodness!  I'm so behind!!

Back in July, Katia of Boston hosted her 9th Annual Dance Retreat in Lakeville, MA.  This was my first time attending, though I had wanted to go in 2010.

It was a jam-packed weekend!  From Thursday to Sunday, we were dancing and learning and having a grand old time.  Over the course of 4 days, Katia taught 3 choreographies, and there was a show or gathering on every night.

Khaleegy Dance
Since I had a chance to learn some of Khaleegy through Meiver, I had already had a love for this style.  We got to learn a really fun choreography that had a couple of moves I was familiar with and some more that I was learning for the first time.

The interesting thing about khaleegy choreography is that you really have to pay attention to counting, especially if you can't hear the slightest changes in the music.  I found that I really had to keep counting the measures just to make sure I stayed on track.

But overall, it was a really fun choreography to do with a whole lot of us.

Moroccan Dance
Katia had taken a trip to Morocco earlier in the year, and we had the privileged of seeing some of her pictures and souvenirs as well as hearing about her experiences.  She even had a couple of folks model the variety of dress and style.

In the Moroccan Dance workshop, she explained the emphasis on hip movements and compared some of the movement vocabulary with ones we were already familiar with in raqs sharqi.  The emphasis in the music was also somewhat different from what we're used to.  It was interesting to see the different way of calling attention to the hips.

Classic Dance
The Classic Oriental Dance was one we worked on the most.  This dance involved a sheer chiffon fabric which we cut a large slit into and used as an entrance veil.  Having a sheer entrance veil was definitely something I had never thought of using before.  But it makes sense to dance during a long introduction, and to fill it with a little bit of drama and stage presence.

During this dance, I took it as an opportunity to practice working on my spotting during turns, as well as cleaning up my arms.  Katia talks a lot about character and carriage, both things that I need to work on.  The music she chose for this choreography really lent itself to creating a queenly persona, which seemed appropriate for working on carriage.

Friday Retrospective Show
This show featured some amazing performances from the Retreat participants, some of which were Katia's choreographies from past Retreats.  One in particular was dance 3 different times by 4 different dancers (one was a duet).  It was amazing to see the same song and dance performed in 3 different ways (to a 9 minute song, I believe).  It truly felt like a different dance every time.  The same 3 dances danced in different ways was a perfect example of exhibiting one's own character.

Saturday Show with Live Band
I had the pleasure of dancing during this show with some of the best musicians in New England.  Tony Chamoun, his father George Chamoun, and several other musicians came together to play some amazing music for the Retreat.  As we were preparing, I could tell that the other ladies were extremely excited to have those musicians play at the Retreat.  They talked about how nice they all were, and how they know how to play for dancers.

Compared to some other musicians and bands I've seen, I can honestly say that I agree.  From set up to the final notes of your performance, the band is not only considerate of the space of the dancer but also the dancer's needs.

I decided to go for a Classic Oriental piece with Akdib Aleik.  I was definitely extremely nervous about performing for my peers to live music.

It's always funny what runs through your head during a performance.  I was trying to remember all the things that Katia had taught us thus far, while also trying to sing the music in my head as a way to know when breaks might occur, while also trying to keep connected to the musicians.  I know I wasn't as good at everything as I could have been, but I did have a lot of fun dancing for everyone.

blurry but pretty picture taken by Nina

I felt honored to have spent the weekend with such an already tight knit group.  It was definitely a wonderful example of the kind of family feeling one can have in the dance community.  These ladies were true sisters, and they continue to welcome new members.

I am definitely planning to attend Katia's 10th and Final Dance Retreat in 2012.  In fact, I can hardly wait.

Amira Jamal's Student Recital 2011

I can't believe I didn't write about this already!  It's been quite a busy summer, indeed.

On May 7, 2011, Amira Jamal held her annual Student Recital at the Performing Arts Center of Metrowest.  Though her student recitals used to take up several hours, there were less performances this year so the entire recital was only about an hour.

From her advanced class in Boston, there were only 2 of us who were available to perform.  Amira has so many amazing students, and it's always been a blessing to be counted in that group.

Now that I recognize and know so many of the other dancers from other workshops and events, it's been great to see so many of them break out into solo performances.  Like me, I'm sure that they view Amira's student recitals as a wonderful place to try new things, even if that new thing is performing something on their own.

At this year's recital, I decided on dancing to "El Layali" by Nawal al Zoghbi, a more poppy tune.  Here's the music video for it.  So 90's!




It's a pretty fun song, and I chose to use the veil throughout the performance, making it more of an American Cabaret performance.  I thoroughly enjoyed this years recital, and I felt a lot more relaxed than I usually do about performances.  I hope that means that I'm also improving and growing in my dance.

2011 Goals - Mid-Year Review

Well, the 6th month of the year is upon us.   It's time to take a look at how I'm doing at my goals thus far.


Let's start from the beginning, shall we?


1.  Be better about practicing at home or outside of class.
Hmm...well, I've definitely done a little bit of practicing, but not nearly enough.  With taking on bootcamp on days when I also have dance class, it's definitely not easy to motivate to practice outside of those times.  However, I did win a bunch of DVD's in a raffle, so that is some extra motivation.

2.  Save enough money to attend all the workshops I want to attend this year.
Alright, well, I've definitely failed at this one, though for the most part it was out of my hands.  I did get a chance to go to Shimmies though I worked as  the stage manager for the show, and Faten Salema in April which was a great deal.  Mohammed Shahin's workshop was cancelled due to insufficient venue space.
Katia has a workshop in June, which I'm still a bit hesitant about because of my lack of funds.  But I know I will have enough for Katia's Retreat in July.  MassRaqs is in September, but I don't know if I'll be taking the workshops since I'll be working the event.   Since I do finally have some job opportunities, I'm hoping that I will have enough for Katia's workshop and Retreat.  But I also hope to continue with Najmat, and I plan on continuing with Amar Gamal.

3.  Technique:  Work on my spins and my shimmies.
Luckily, we have some spins in Amar Gamal's choreography, so I get to work on my spotting there.  It's tough to do it in my apartment with the kitties running around.  But I'm still working on it!
As far as my shimmies, I feel like they come and go.  I need to work on all my shimmies, from the earthier ones to the vibration.  I usually do a bit of shimmy practice before bootcamp as a way to warm up while no one is there yet.  I might also check out some more DVD's on shimmies, especially Amar Gamal's shimmy DVD.

4.  Props:  Work on fan veil and Isis wings.
I got me a pair of Isis wings! Yay!  But I just gotta practice with them.  Again, this is really dependent on me taking time to actually get out there and practice.

5.  Buy a new costume before the year is over, and take 2 dresses to Shadia to turn into dance costumes.
I'm hoping that the second half of the year will prove to be much more fruitful in terms of my cash, so that I can at least give 1 dress to Shadia.  But otherwise, this one is on hold until the finances are in better shape.


I've definitely slacked a bit on these goals.  But, it's good to get some perspective while checking in about these goals.  Now, it's time to refocus and get on it.

Faten Salama's Al-Massraweya Workshop

On Saturday, April 30th, I went with a friend to a workshop hosted by Za-Beth that featured Faten Salama, a wonderful Native Egyptian Master Instructor.

Faten presented her Al-Massraweya Workshop, which not only featured the basics of certain styles but also a historical background to the dances.  I felt like the workshop moved so quickly, and we really could have spent much more time on each of the topics she taught.

We started with Nubian, which is from the southern part of Egypt and Sudan.  She stressed the importance of knowing the history of the dance, especially since Egypt and Sudan were basically the same country hundreds of years ago.  This dance style was quite earthy and is similar to Khaleegy, but it seems more appropriate to perform it with a group since it is folkloric.

We then did a little bit of cane in a more Ghawazee style.  It's actually quite interesting to me that this style has come up for me quite a bit in the past couple of months.  In one of Amira Jamal's classes we focused on cane, Amina Goodyear's class focused on cane, and now Faten taught us more of the basic Awalim style of using the cane.  While most people think about doing tricks with the cane, it's really about mimicking the male posture and pride.  Whereas, with the Saidi style of using the cane is a lot more playful.

After a bit of a lunch break, we returned to learn more about Melaya Leff.  I had realized that I totally had a more appropriate veil, but I just didn't pack it!  Still, practicing some of the moves she taught us with a silk veil helped, though the feel of it would be completely different with a heavier Melaya.  It was fun trying to wrap ourselves in the Melaya and then twirling it in our hands.  Melaya is such a playful dance!  I could definitely learn more about it.

Throughout the workshop, Faten would play various styles of music including pop music and would dance to them while we followed her.  It was an absolute pleasure watching her dance, and I could feel myself feeling absolutely joyful as we danced along with her.  I realized that we probably should have stayed for the show just to watch her dance, but the night ended up going in a completely different direction.

I really feel like each section of the workshop could have lasted much longer.  It was unfortunate that the day went by as quickly as it did.  Also, the space was a bit too small for the large amount of workshop participants.  We had to be careful with our canes and our Melayas, just to make sure we didn't smack someone in the face.  Hopefully, she will come around again and will have an even bigger space.

I'm definitely inspired to learn more about the styles she introduced to us.  And clearly, I need to think about using the cane a lot more, since that's what the belly dance universe seems to be trying to tell me.

Faten Salama Workshop and Participants
 It's a bit blurry..but there were a lot of pictures being taken,
and I didn't want to force it.

Dancing With The Georges Lammam Band at Peña Pachamama

As I was planning to drop in on Amina Goodyear's Thursday night class, she invited me to a Friday night "open mic" to dance with the Georges Lammam Band at Peña Pachamama, a South American restaurant.

Georges Lammam is an extremely talented violinist and singer.  I mean, absolutely amazing.  I would definitely recommend going straight to You Tube to hear some of his music.

What's funny is that while I knew I recognized his name, I didn't realize why or from where I knew him.  But I'm so glad that I didn't realize it until later, because I'm sure that I would have been way too nervous to have actually said yes to this opportunity!

So, on Friday, April 22nd, I went to dinner at Peña Pachamama with two dear friends who had never seen me dance before.  I tried to stay calm, but I could feel the anxiety building.

There were 5 of us dancing that night, and we each had 2 songs to dance to.  I asked to dance to Aziza and Betwanes Beek.  I went second.

When Georges introduced me, he mentioned that I was a guest from Boston, and truth be told, it made me feel super special.  I'm definitely proud that I've had the training and inspiration of the dancers in Boston.

One of my friends tried to take a video, but he was promptly told that videos weren't allowed.  So, I took some screen shots from the video instead of posting the video here.  Not the best quality, but it's something.

I am really very proud of myself for going for it!  When Amira first asked me, I asked one of my fellow belly dance friends what she thought.  Of course she said, "Of course you should do it!"  So, I knew that if I asked anyone else, they would say exactly the same thing.

I kind of thought that perhaps it's a too-good-to-be-true type thing, so perhaps it just wasn't going to happen.  But it happened; my first time really participating in an open-mic event without relying on the safety of my teachers.

I'm really very proud.

Dropping In: Amina Goodyear of San Francisco

Since I was planning on being in San Francisco for 4 days, I figured that I should look for a teacher who might have a class I could take.  I found out through Shira.net about several teachers who seemed to be a good fit, but I decided that I would check out Amina's Performance class.

Amira Jamal's classes have had a focus on performance, so I knew that I could feel comfortable if we had to dance solo.

Since I was still learning my way around San Francisco via Muni, I made sure to plot out my trip to make sure I could get there early enough to introduce myself.  When the bus dropped me off, I couldn't believe how steep the hill was!  I'm not really sure why Google Maps insisted that I got off at that particular stop when there was a stop closer to the bottom of the hill and not too far from where the location was.  But the view was spectacular!

So steep! Cars have to park at a 90 degree angle!

Amina's class is in the basement studio of her house, which was really neat!  Considering how much studio rentals can cost, this was a great space to have.

There were about 5 of us in total, and it seemed like they had all been taking Amina's classes for a while.  I'm so used to the teacher leading the stretching, but Amina and her students seemed to be stretching mainly on their own depending on what their body needed at the time.

Amina then lead us through several run-throughs of several songs.  We would mimic her dancing and try to keep up.  She would redirect us when we weren't doing specific movements correctly, but for the most part we just followed along with her dancing.

I realized that this was somewhat of a middle road between my two main teachers in Boston.  Amira Jamal has us work on movements based on a warm-up drill, but we also do a lot of free dance, which has helped me hone in my improvisational technique.  Najmat goes through several short combinations which we would drill, and she would help us hone in on the specific muscle movements and steps.

Amina was right in the middle.  She was having us follow her movements, but they weren't necessarily choreographed.  It was quite a different experience, but I enjoyed the challenge.

She then showed us a video of ghawazee dancers with canes, pointing out that while they were dancing together they weren't necessarily doing the same exact movements.  A second video showed us two male dancers using larger canes in a tahtib, which is mainly danced by men and simulates martial arts.  The raqs al assaya would be the dance that is mainly done in a dance set.

We were then instructed to each dance with a cane, but not to do any of the tricks associated with it, such as spinning or twirling the cane.  After each person danced, we were giving a critique.  After all 5 of us danced, we danced a second time as a chance to improve based on the critique.

It made for a much longer lesson than I anticipated.  Nonetheless, it was quite a valuable time!

Amina pointed out that I have the tendency to not make enough eye contact with the audience - which is definitely true!  In an effort to connect with everyone, I quickly run through each person as fast as I can.  Instead, I need to learn to linger a bit longer to make the person feel like I'm dancing just for them.  My boyfriend would love for me to look at him a bit longer, so I've heard this critique before.

She also said that I have the tendency to move too quickly.  I need to feel the beat more than be 100% on the beat, if that makes any sense.  I do end up scribbling a bit, especially if I feel nervous or unsure about what's coming next in the music.  But I know I need to slow down a bit in my movements, add some more gooeyness in it (as Najmat would say).

Overall, it was a great lesson.  I enjoyed meeting all these Bay Area dancers and seeing the talent the West Coast has.  Though her style was different from what I expected, Amina has a lot of experience and expertise in the dance.  It was definitely a pleasure to take a lesson with her.

"From Tassels to Sequins" - Review for Belly Dance New England

For the complete article with images, please visit:
http://www.bellydancenewengland.com/sequins.html

*************************************

If you are completely new to the world of belly dance, then hopefully you made it to the "From Tassels to Sequins" event at Moody Street Circus in Waltham, MA, on Friday, April 1st. Showcasing dancers from all facets of belly dance, Baseema Moirae and Melina of Daughters of Rhea organized an entertaining and exciting show that could have acted as a great introduction for all that is belly dance.

If you have yet to visit the Moody Street Circus, drop what you are doing and make your way there immediately. The studio is beautifully laid out for both dance and circus classes, and it turns into a wonderful show venue for the many events that take place there. The posters of past events that cover the walls are only a sampling of the excellent events that have yet to be produced at this wonderful venue.

This event, preceding a weekend of workshops, featured Oregon-based dancer Sabine. She is known for her tribal-style moves and double-sword wielding abilities; the focus of the workshops. Considering that she and her two scimitars were the finale of the evening, the entire show was extremely strong from beginning to end. Every performer and troupe that walked onto the dance floor was high-caliber, the top performers of the New England area and then some.

Shimza, a new American Tribal Style (ATS) collaboration between Baseema and Sara Ford, opened the show by staying true to their name (Gypsy word for joy or happiness) and set the example for the joy that one should feel when dancing.

Bellybeat once again impressed the audience with their visually appealing formations. Their fusion-style choreography and movements were akin to sirens calling out to the audience to join them.

When Aurel walked onto the stage, she commanded everyone's attention as she balanced a tea tray on her head while descending to the floor. There is humor and a down-to-earth quality to her cabaret style that is refreshing, and there is no doubt that she has abs of steel under all that beading.

Ombellyco then brought us back to the ATS part of the belly dance world. It honestly blows my mind that ATS is mainly improvisational, but that all the dancers in a troupe understand the cues well enough to follow along. Ombellyco's formations not only exemplified ATS, but it also reminded me of a fractal, where each part is a copy of the whole.

Najmat is basically glamour personified. Her Egyptian-style dance is ever-captivating, and even though the wrong tracks played for the second part of her performance she never fails to impress.

We then had the pleasure of a sneak peak of Sabine's talent when her troupe, Tribalation, performed. It was clear in their dance that Sabine and Kathryn truly love the dance and have found true sisters in each other.

Denise, a member of the Boston-based Vadalna Tribal Dance Company, seemed to slither onto the dance floor. There was something about her dancing that almost made me want to rub my eyes in disbelief – her movements were so graceful yet sharp that I was almost convinced that I was watching a CGI instead of a real person.

When Kaylin stepped out in her beledy dress and whipped her veil around her effortlessly, I was absolutely mesmerized. There were so many instances during her performance when I took mental videos to bookmark for later practice.

Jaylee impressed the audience with her precise moves. She hit every break and every accent without fail. You could see the audience trying to keep up with her, but her pops and locks were much too quick for the human eye.

Sara Rodrigues Cabral graced us with the beautiful artistry of her piece entitled "Jewelry Box". There is so much imagination in her pieces, it is clear that she has been dancing and creating as long as she has been on this earth.

Before Sara could leave the stage, Melina's husband Sasha walked onto the stage. As they pretended to flirt with each other, Melina, the Mistress of Moody Street Circus herself, floated onto the stage and "caught them in the act". As she pulled out her dagger and her sword, you knew that she was not one to mess with. I personally could never tire of watching Melina balance the sword on the dagger she's holding in her mouth. Her Greco-Turkish style of belly dance is just so full of energy and surprises; you can't help but bow down to her.

The Magnolia Devi Dance Company from Maine then showcased their ATS skills. They were exciting to watch, especially when they slinked down to the floor. However, perhaps because of the seating arrangement, it was somewhat difficult to see what was happening when they were doing floor work.

Di'ahna Restry is a dancer who knows how to entertain. It was fun to watch her interact with the audience while combining a slow song with a fast song, her movements echoing the emotions and sensations of love, the subject of both songs.

Finally, Sabine's scimitars were placed on the stage. Truly, I could have watched her maneuver around and over the swords for much longer than she did. She moved effortlessly on the stage, while balancing not one sword but two. I could imagine a "Do not attempt this at home" disclaimer underneath her. She is truly a master at the Raks al Sayf, and the swords are merely an extension of her arms.

As someone who is more accustomed to the sequins aspect of belly dance, it seemed that there was a bit of a skew towards the tassels in this show. However, considering that the headliner represented ATS, and represented it gloriously, the tassel skew was appropriate and not unwelcomed. The variety in performances left me feeling inspired to try some new things in my own dance practice.

Congratulations to Melina and Baseema for a wonderful show and thanks for helping to enhance the belly dance landscape of New England!

Amar Gamal's Classes in Bridgewater

For the past several months, Amar Gamal has been in Massachusetts teaching beginner and continuing classes at the Maha Yoga Center in Bridgewater, MA.

Firstly, Bridgewater is extremely far from Boston.  With traffic, it's even further.  Luckily, I'm going down to Bridgewater with a friend, so the ride is a lot more enjoyable.

At an extremely reasonable price, it would have been crazy to say no to this opportunity to take weekly classes with a Belly Dance Super Star.  I'll be honest, I couldn't help but feel a bit star-struck.

She is an amazing dancer.  Absolutely graceful, poised, and precise.  Being in her class really makes me extremely aware of what I'm lacking or not doing right.

We're doing a series of combinations and then putting them all together.  Interestingly, I find myself able to pick up the combinations fairly easily.  However, I know I need to really clean up the moves and transitions.  I am proud of myself for keeping up with the lessons, though!

I am glad to have had such a diverse background in terms of dance teachers.  I feel like each one of them has helped to give me a strong foundation.  I'm excited to have Amar Gamal's teachings as part of my foundation as well.

Silencing the Noise

As someone who doesn't necessarily considers herself as a "professional dancer," in that I'm not really in high demand to do anything, there's still a lot of negative thoughts that still float through my head once in a while.

I know that I've come far in the past several years, showing more confidence in my performances and just generally having more fun.  But I still get really nervous right before a performance.

It's kind of funny what kinds of negative thoughts will flit through our heads in times of nervousness.  I think about whether I'm doing the dance justice, if I'm wearing the right kind of costume, if the costume will do something unexpected, if the music does something unexpected, or if I'm entertaining enough for the audience.

I have learned to push those thoughts away just as I'm about to step on the stage, but I wish I could learn to push them away during practice.

A couple of weeks ago during Amira Jamal's class, she lead a conversation about being present.  While we should be aware of what our bodies are doing (are our arms and hands full of energy? are we tucked? are we smiling?), are we able to ascend being physically present to being mentally and emotionally present?

During the undulations portion of our warm-up drills, I somehow became extremely disconnected with myself.  My undulations weren't doing what they usually would be doing, and Amira noticed it as well.

I remember thinking, "What in the world? This doesn't feel right..."  But I just kept going instead of stopping or really trying to figure out what was wrong.

Amira asked, "So, you were aware of the fact that something was wrong.  What could you have done to fix it?"

Seriously, she asked me a question that is basically defining my life right now.

I told her I couldn't answer that question, as it's literally been something that's weighing on me.  The more I thought about it, the more emotional I could feel myself getting.

Being in this state of unemployment with no direction has really been difficult for me.  At my last full time job, I was able to thrive because I was able to put a lot of my own ideas, and thus a lot of myself, into the work.  Because I was able to get out most of my ideas or even just be able to talk about them and hash them out, I think I was able to let the rest of my creativity flow through my dancing.

Does that make sense?

So, because I've been basically stagnant in my professional life, it's starting to affect my dance and my health.  It's almost like once I realized that I was blocking myself from creative expression, my body reacted to it by stuffing my sinuses and giving me a sore throat.  And honestly, I'm so angry at myself for letting it get the best of me.

Meditation and Chakras

I think what I'd like to do in the next couple of weeks is to sit quietly or with some soft music playing.  I would like to learn how to meditate and really quiet my ever-moving mind.  I will try to make sure that if any ideas do surface, that I write them down or draw them out. 

Holding on to it all hasn't been productive, and I need to try something new.

What has stood in the way of your dancing?  Is there a zone or a frame of mind that helps you to be creative?  What techniques do you use for silencing your mind? 

Shimmies V: Peace Love and Shimmies

On Saturday, March 12th, 2011, the ever-amazing duo of *Samantha* and Baseema Moirae hosted their fifth Shimmies (previously known as Shimmies For A Cure) entitled Shimmies V: Peace Love and Shimmies.

The day was jam-packed with workshops and a show featuring amazing local dancers.  This year, I had the pleasure of being the Stage Manager for the show.

It was great to see so many familiar and brand new faces from the New England belly dance community.

Workshops
Ooey Gooey with Najmat
One would think that having weekly class with Najmat is enough to build up some strength.  But in the following week, she will help you find muscles that have basically been dormant since you were born. 

This workshop was no exception.  Najmat taught us how to "milk it" and stressed the importance of "squeezing your princess" as you do so.  We worked through several movements that really focused on making sure that our ab muscles were always engaged.

As always with Najmat's classes, time flew by.  But I would be lying if I didn't say that many of us breathed a sigh of relief at the thought of being able to relax for just a short amount of time.

Ballet for Belly Dancers with Aurel
If we knew how much more of a workout we were going to get in the second workshop, we probably would have wanted a longer break!  I was personally excited to take a workshop with Aurel, a gorgeous dancer/singer/performer.

I have very minimal experience with ballet.  For middle school, I attended a performing arts magnet in Los Angeles, and we were required to take a dance class as opposed to regular gym.  So, I know about pliés, arabesques, and basics about the feet positioning.  Aurel stressed the importance of the form and the lines that ballet hammers into its dancers, especially about pointing the toes and hiding the heels.

My thighs were burning after the workshop!  It actually made me want to do a bit more practice on my own to work on the beautiful form that ballet can give to belly dance.

So You Think You Can Fuse? with Neylan
I have only watched Neylan perform, so I was interested in taking a workshop with her.  It was great that she started with talking about the importance of knowing the origins and basics of the dances that you are fusing.  It would indeed be strange to try to fuse Filipino traditional dances, let's say, with belly dance without knowing the moves and music of each.

She then taught us 2 short choreographies which we danced through several times using different types of music.  We got to play around with making the movements go faster and slower, depending on the music she played for us.

I have to admit that my mind wasn't fully at this workshop.  With the show soon after, my brain was wandering over to my stage managing duties, and I kept glancing at the time to make sure I had enough time to do all that I needed and fit in a tiny bit of shopping before I needed to refocus my energy.

Shimmies Show!
The show featured about 19 dancers from the New England area, including the 3 wonderful workshop instructors.

There were many new acts that I had never seen perform before (such as The Belly Dance Collective and OmBellyCo), and some acts who were debuting for the first time (such as Serpenour and Shimza!).  And of course, there were so many of my favorite performers gracing the stage.

For the most part, even though I was managing the staging, I got to see the majority of performances.  As stage manager, I was in charge of keeping track of the music and relaying the information to the DJ's (who were late and not very accustomed to belly dance shows), making sure the performers and their props were prepared, and keeping track of the time.

I'd have to say that the Shimmies Team did a pretty great job.  For the most part, we were running on time with room to spare!  At some point, however, we took too much time to get the raffle distribution started, so the final set of dancers had to wait a bit longer than scheduled.  At the end, we ended a half hour later than originally planned.  Really, not a bad thing at all.

Truth be told, I thought the show was amazing.  There was such a great variety of performers and styles.  It never felt like a dull moment, though of course my feelings are heightened because I was helping out.  But the audience, who filled up the house, really seemed to be enjoying themselves.

To further prove how much fun people were having, when the DJ's started playing music that was more akin to a wedding reception, so many people were on the dance floor.  From the Cha Cha Slide to I Will Survive, the night ended as though we had been partying all day.

Thanks to *Samantha* and Baseema's ingenious organizing and event planning skills, I think we really all were having the time of our lives.

"A Maiti Voice" Presented by Johara & Snake Dance Theater

I had the pleasure of attending "A Maiti Voice" presented by Johara and the Snake Dance Theater on Sunday, March 6th at the YMCA Theater in Cambridge.

The event was a benefit for Maiti Nepal, an organization that helps to prevent child trafficking and provides services for survivors.  Truly, it's an important cause even in these times.

Really, the awesome part about this show is that it was more than just a belly dance show.  For many of the belly dance events, there is usually a variety of performers and even within the same genre of dance there is variety.

This event featured not only the belly dance pieces that I'm familiar with, including tribal, fusion, and Egyptian-style, but also some traditional Nepali dancing.

The show was amazing, really.  So much variety, and the Snake Dance Theater had amazing pieces and costume changes.  I particularly enjoyed the performance to Laylet Hob with tea trays and a shamadan, as well as the 2 Nepali dance pieces.

In truth, I had never seen Nepali dancing before, but it definitely made me think a lot about the origins of the dance.

Because of my limited experience with Nepali dancing, it reminded me a lot of Indian dancing, which geographically makes a lot of sense.  The music and many of the dance moves were somewhat similar, especially in the singing along to the songs.

It made me think a lot about the origins of belly dance, traditional Filipino dances, and other indigenous dances around the world.  What path did they follow?  While it makes sense that cultural traditions such as dancing followed the path of migration, I wonder if there was more to it.  How did they then evolve?

Do any of you know of any books that talk about this?  I'm sure I could Wikipedia the information, but it seems like there's more of a history of Western dance.  A good and informative book about dances and cultural wear around the world definitely beats that.

21 Shimmies and 1001 Variations with Lelya Jouvana

As part of my 2011 dance goals, I know I need to work on my shimmy.

In Najmat's class, she makes us work on our shimmies a lot, which is both awesome and exhausting.  But I know I need to do more outside of class.

In this cold, shimmying while waiting for the T has been quite helpful in keeping me warm.  But I decided to pull out the 21 Shimmies and 1001 Variations DVD that I've had in my library to further my work.


To be perfectly honest, I've not been very good about practicing at home.  I used to do a lot more with the DVD's I have, but since the kitties prove to be an obstacle I've stopped practicing in my living room.

So, though I've had this DVD, I haven't actually gone through the entire routine.  But yesterday seemed to be a good day to do it.

I've always enjoyed the first hour of the DVD.  I think it's really neat that Leyla and her husband are working together to produce a really fun and comprehensive DVD.

After going through the whole DVD, I know I have a lot to work on.  On the list of shimmies she worked on, I need to work on the rotation shimmy, vibration shimmy, Egyptian shimmy, flutter, and African shimmy.

Not too bad, you might say.  But you weren't watching me lose control of the shimmies!

I am definitely adding this DVD to my general workout routine.

2011 Dance Goals

Happy New Year!

I figured that if I was making goal lists for my personal and professional development, I really needed to create a list for my dance development.

1.  Be better about practicing at home or outside of class.
For the most part, I practice choreography at home and once in a while I use a DVD.  But since I've been mainly focusing on weight loss, I've put the dance DVD's on hold.  Though, really, I should do my workouts and then do some work with the DVD's.  To get me more motivated, I think I will write in my datebook at the beginning of the week about some things I want to work on.

2.  Save enough money to attend all the workshops I want to attend this year.
Gosh.  There's Shimmies in March, Yousry Sharif in March, Faten Salema in April, Mohammed Shahin in May, Katia's Retreat in July, and MassRaqs and September.  So far.  And that's not even counting classes with Amira Jamal and Najmat.  Nor is it counting any other events that might come up throughout the year.  Unfortunately, this is really contingent on me getting a job.

3.  Technique:  Work on my spins and my shimmies.
I'm not really the best spinner.  I don't get too many opportunities to practice that at home, what with the kitties.  But, I know I really need to work on that.  My shimmies in general always feel messy.  I need to work on being able to have more control over my shimmy.

4.  Props:  Work on fan veil and Isis wings.
Okay, first I should probably own a pair of Isis wings.  But I would really like to work more with these props so that I can feel more comfortable using them and performing with them.  I've had this idea of using the fan veil in a fusion piece with traditional Filipino dance.  But I feel like I need to work some more on my fan veil technique before really being able to combine the two dances.

5.  Buy a new costume before the year is over, and take 2 dresses to Shadia to turn into dance costumes.
I really only have several costumes in my closet.  I would really like to continue adding to my arsenal of costumes.  It makes me feel like I'm able to do more performing if I'm able to show up in different pieces.  Don't ask me how that is in any way logical.

All in all, I feel like this is going to be an extremely exciting year in general.  I feel like all kinds of new things are going to happen and I will really grow in my skills as a performer.  So, here's to a sparkly and shimmy-fabulous 2011!