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.

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!

Filipino Fusing with Middle Eastern?

Before I started belly dance classes, I decided that I needed to learn a bit about my own cultural dance first.  Though I was involved with the Filipino Student Association at my undergrad, I never made it in time to join the dance troupes.  However, there was a one-semester class for Filipino Dance.

As the class fulfilled a graduation credit, two of my friends joined me in the class.  Though it was a small group, it was quite an enjoyable class.  I learned a lot about the regional differences in the dances, and how most of the traditional dances are choreographed for specific stories or purposes.

For example, as the music and dance reflects the culture, there are Christian, Muslim, and Indigenous dances.  The Christian-style dances reflect the Spanish colonization, featuring a lot of 3/4 beat music and socializing dances.  Muslim-style dances reflect the influences from Indonesia and other Southeast Asian cultures, and mainly tells stories.  The Indigenous dances are more drum and kulintang-based, and are more ritualistic.

My favorite part about the dances was the focus on the hand and arm movements.  While it was so many years ago, I remember the teacher talking about the importance of grace in the arm movements.  However, there wasn't necessarily much room for improvisation.

Nonetheless, I'm suddenly struck with the idea of fusing traditional Filipino dance movements with Middle Eastern dance. 

I feel that I have to brush up a bit on the movements in Filipino dance.  I know there is a Fhilippine Dance Company in Boston, but it doesn't seem very easy to get in touch with someone who could point me in the direction of classes.  I might try to go through Boston University's Filipino Student Association, perhaps use my powers as an alum - no matter how minuscule they might be.

In the meantime, here are some clips I found on YouTube:

Traditional Southern/Muslim Filipino Dance:



Tribal Filipino Fusion with Belly Dance Fusion:

Dancing to Live (Music)

When I first moved to Boston 5 years ago, I knew that I wanted to continue taking belly dance lessons.  Since I considered belly dance a hobby, I didn''t realize that I would feel as passionate about the art as I do now.  While I don't consider myself a professional yet, I think it's something I'm considering more and more with every new experience.

I've had the pleasure to interact and learn from fabulous dancers, and I look forward to continuing my dance and music education. Through the different teachers, I've been exposed to opportunities that I've never thought I would be a part of.

Well...let me backtrack for a second.

I've done some performing for most of my life - from piano recitals to orchestra and band concerts in high school.  Perhaps because of my being trained classically, I've always been freaked out by improvisation.  Even in jazz band, I was so unsure of my abilities that I didn't think that I could possibly pull off something as musically awesome as some of the old songs I love.

When I was in undergrad, I participated (performed and directed pieces) in the Queer Fashion Show.  I loved that whole experience!  Working with large groups of people and putting together an entertaining peice...oh, then the performance!  I loved it.  But I never performed on my own.  I felt that the people who I performed with were like my backbone, giving me strength to go on through my anxiety.

When I began to belly dance, I anticipated a lot more troupe performances.  When recitals would come around, I would get extremely nervous.  I had to psych myself up, just saying to myself that I've done this before, there's nothing to worry about.  

Four recitals later (in 2008), I gathered enough courage to perform at a casual talent show in Vermont.  It was the first time I had sought out dancing alone for a group.  I was so nervous!  I couldn't even tell you about the massive amounts of butterflies in my stomach and the bullets I was sweating afterwards.  But throughout the weekend, I received so many complements.  People I didn't even know were watching came up to me in the days following my performance, complementing me and asking me about my dance background.  It was an exciting feeling.

(Celebration of Expression, Photo taken by Cat O.)

Later that year, my fellow social workers and friends organized an event that created a safe space for women to express themselves.  One friend read erotic poetry, another friend shared her baking wisdom, and I danced.  It was my first time performing a full routine (though broken into sections) for a live audience.
 
2008 seemed to be the year I finally had enough "belly dance balls."  Prior to the last two shows I wrote about, I was given the chance to dance with the Jewels of Jamal at the Athenian Corner in Lowell, MA.  This time was different.  This time, I danced to live music.  Amira Jamal had been preparing us for this experience through all her classes, encouraging us to dance to songs we weren't familiar with.


 (Athenian Corner, Photo by Albert Ma)


All of her lessons were flooding into my head at that moment.  Don't forget to smile, make sure your hands are "alive," move around the floor.  I'm surprised I didn't fall over from all the thoughts in my head.  In the end, I survived.  I knew that dancing to live music was another goal to add to my list of accomplishments.




On October 1st, a Boston Bellydance Meet Up occurred.  One of my dance teachers and friend Najmat leads the Meet Ups, and I was eager to meet more dancers in the community.  This was the first Meet Up event in almost a year, and it was held in the Basha Cafe in Cambridge. 

Mitchell Kaltsounas and Aboud Ghazi were playing that night.  I don't know much about the musicians in the area, but if my classmates and teachers like their music I figure there's something for me to learn.  Mitchell and Aboud were awesome!  The music was fabulous, and I was surprised to recognize as many of the songs that I did.  I'd have to credit Amira Jamal for making sure that we exposed ourselves to the classical Arabic tunes.

As a Meet Up event, I had a blast.  It's unfortunate that not a lot of people, including much of whom RSVPed, attended.  But it was great to be there with dancers old and new.  We were all wondering if there would be a featured dancer, but realized that we were the only dancers there.

Now, generally speaking, others danced.  It was almost similar to being at a club, but with live music.  Someone was celebrating their 30th birthday, so there was much dancing and celebrating to be had.  But the Middle Eastern dancers were the first ones to get up there.  At first, I stayed behind the other dancers.  I danced to the music, and sang along when I knew the words.  While I started using my fellow dancers as a crutch, I grew more and more comfortable with myself.

It was a liberating experience.  I'm still a student, no doubt.  There were rhythms and movements I was still unfamiliar with, and I know I still need to grow in my stage presence.  But dancing to live music adds to this other dimension of interaction between movement and sound.  It gives me more items to add to my checklist of becoming a more professional and educated and comfortable in my own abilities.

Viva La Diva Weekend Part 2 - Show and Competition

Viva La Diva Competition and Show
On my way to the Courtyard Marriott in Woburn that morning, I didn't think I would stay the whole day. With my weekends being so busy, I haven't had a lot of time to relax and spend time with my boyfriend and friends. But after Saturday's workshop, I had made some wonderful connections, and after telling my boyfriend about all the fun I was having he encouraged me to stay and get inspired.

I'm so glad that I did! It was my first Viva La Diva show, so I had no idea that it was going to go on for more than 5 hours!! But I love watching other dancers and hearing songs that I'm not familiar with yet.

Once Za-Beth posts up information about who the winners are, I'll update this blog with more of my impressions.

I was excited to see that one of my classmates with Amira Jamal was part of the competition! I was so proud to be there to cheer on Shakima Laila. She had performed some of her competition pieces to us in class, so it was exciting to see her in full regalia! She started up the night' festivities with one of her graceful routines.

I like that the belly dance community is so tightly knit. I'm sure that not everyone gets along swimmingly, but you can count on the fact that you will always see some familiar faces at an event. I asked Dondi a little about the differences between the communities on the coasts. She said it's a lot more competitive on the Westside, maybe because there's a higher concentration of them within a given radius and it seems like they're all trying to make it big. I definitely got the feeling of being "larger than life" from my small exposure to the Los Angeles bellydance community.

After Shakima Laila, the troupes performed. They were all so different from each other, but a lot of fun to watch! At one point, I whispered to Najmat who cam for the show, "God, I love bellydance." The costumes were just amazing! It seemed like a great thing to be part of a troupe, since you can learn so much from the other people you work with.

In general, the routines were super cute! Some involved tambourines (I mean, how can you go wrong with tambourines??), veil work, switching positions with other troupe members, and just having fun dancing with each other. For me, I feel like being in a troupe is much more reminiscent of how Middle Eastern Dance historically began, mainly since the moves - choreographed or not - center around sharing a space with other women.

Three performers I was fortunate to meet this weekend were Jenny Cohen, MiaNaja al Sephira, and Almasa Durriyah. After the competition portion of the evening, these three lovelies graced the stage with their performances, as well as other amazing dancers. It's pretty neat that these three came from outside of Massachusetts (New York, Maryland, and Rhode Island, respectively) to perform at the Viva La Diva Pageant. With varying degrees of life experiences and styles, I was inspired by these three lovelies. They were all graceful and really held themselves with a confidence that I'm trying to achieve, both off and on the stage - not to mention that they're all super sweethearts!

I also met Johara, who wasn't performing that night, but she encouraged me to think about dancing at the Middle East Restaurant - which, I'll have to confess, scares the bujeezus out of me! But, I'm working on it!!!

After the performance, the awards were given out. I thought it was super sweet that Za-Beth presented an award to all the participants. She stressed how important it was to have the memories, regardless of the outcomes. I think that message can get so lost in the world of competition. It was refreshing to see and hear a professional dancer with that mindset.

Me with Shakima Laila and her 2 awards!

At one point, she even played the zills for one of the performers! She has amazing skills at the zills (that's fun to say out loud!) making it look like she's barely breaking a sweat. All you see are her hands fluttering about, and you hear the ringing.

Finally, Titanya graced the stage. She danced a Spanish Fusion piece, complete with veils and zills. It was such a treat to watch her dance! You could really see her theater background when she is performing. I don't know how to explain it, but there's a certain way that the theater folks behave and carry themselves.

To conclude the show, Dondi performed a wonderful upbeat dance. It's always a little strange, I think, to watch someone live when you're used to seeing them on a DVD. She recently had an adorable baby boy, who was present, and you could see her glowing from it. Both her and Titanya moved up and down the middle aisle, and really engaged and livened up the audience after such a long evening.

I truly felt inspired by all the beautiful women who danced their hearts out. Though I'm not one for competition, maybe by this time next year, I'll not be as nervous about performing at a venue such as this.

To be continued...
Part 3 - Zambra Mora and Conclusion

Viva La Diva Weekend Part 1- Dondi & Titanya's Five Elements and Middle Eastern Dance

It's been a really busy August.

It's been a really expensive August.

It's been a really wonderful August...so far.

In my decision to expand my raqs sharqi education, I signed up for the Viva La Diva workshops hosted by Za-Beth. I had been looking forward to this weekend for a while. Since August has been so busy - and expensive! - I've been too broke to take a month's worth of Najmat's classes (and they're not even that expensive!). All I could do was rely on my Netflix queue. But I do so much better in a classroom. I've missed a lot of the interaction with classmates.
 
This past weekend, however, was exactly what I've been craving all month.

Za-Beth was hosting Dondi and Titanya Dahlin, two fabulous dancers who I've only recently discovered but fell in love with their stylings immediately.
 
I discovered Dondi through the Bellydance Superstars, which seems to be how many students have found her. She has this amazingly infectious smile and is a mesmerizing dancer. After watching her (and the other Supah Stahs) on the DVD, I Googled and YouTubed like crazy. I loved how relaxed she seems while she's dancing, like it just took no energy at all.

Through the powers of Google, I discovered Titanya. I wasn't sure what it was, but I felt a sort of simpatico with her style. Oh wait...it's because the first thing YouTube led me to was Titanya as a mermaid. I mean, really. Is there anything else I need to say kids? Alrighty then.

Dondi and Titanya's workshops focused on The Five Elements on Saturday and Zambra Mora on Sunday. It looked like the weekend was not only going to be a busy one, but an inspiring one.

Titanya, me, and Dondi - Smiles all around!

The Five Elements and Middle Eastern Dance
Being Asian/Pacific Islander, Chinese philosophy is something I've been exposed to as a child. I've always had a respect for it, but I've only really started learning more about it in the past couple of years (thanks to the boyfriend!). I've been able to learn a lot more about qi/ch'i and how it helps to explain so many things where Western medicine fails. It seemed like an appropriate way to learn more about Middle Eastern dance.

Dondi and Titanya introduced the Five Elements to us, stating that we each carry all 5 within us but will sometimes utilize one or two elements more so than others. In their explanations, they also broke down the way Water, Wood, Fire, Earth, and Metal play into personality types. I must say, I recognized many people in their explanations.

Concerning a 5-part Middle Eastern Dance Routine, Fire would represent the entrance, Water would represent the Veil and Taxim, Earth would represent the middle and grounding piece, Wood would represent the drum solo, and Metal would represent the ending piece. The Dahlin's mother, Donna Eden is an internationally respected author and practitioner of the Five Elements and Energy Medicine. So, with their understanding of the Elements ingrained in them since childhood, they've really come to understand how to use that energy towards their goals. I could go into more detail, but I why reinvent the Element Wheel?

Check out Titanya's article about movement and the Five Elements!

I thought it was really interesting, actually. After listening to their descriptions, I can say that I am mainly an Earth-Water person. Even my astrological signs point to that (I'm an Aries-Taurus Cusp and a Water Dog)! I am eternally a mother - and even considered that to be my answer to "What do you want to be when you grow up?" I definitely like to be closer to the ground, and prefer walking in my flip flops or barefoot if I can get away with it (as I type this, I've already walked around my office barefoot several times today!). Also, I feel like water has played a huge role in my life - from being born on an island to insisting on moving to Boston because it's by an ocean. When I first moved to Boston, I was so turned around! Generally, I'm pretty good at maps, but I kept confusing myself! For some reason, I could point to where the ocean was from any point of the city, but I couldn't tell you if I was North or South or East or West! It's like my body knew where the water was...but my brain was so used to it being to the West of me!

After their explanation of the Five Elements, they started breaking down some choreography for us that utilized all 5 elements. The workshop was attended by 20-25 people, and we mainly moved in a circle for the first part. As the room was longer than it was wider, there was a little bit of trouble in getting all the moves down. There were several times when I knocked into the woman in front of me! After the lunch break, we partnered up. I think putting the group into partners was a great way to get to know more of the women in the workshop and helped us learn the moves better.

The routine was beautiful and really fun! Definitely some challenges along the way, but I think I would be able to add some of the moves to my own repertoire. Titanya has a very energetic style (Fire, indeed!), and she reminded me a lot of my younger sister in the way she spoke. Her moves were definitely more "Here I am!" and flowy. She has absolutely GORGEOUS hand moves, which she credits to Polynesian Dance (another reason she reminds me of my sister..I'll probably be asking my sister to help me with hand movements the next time I see her!). Titanya was a lot more of a visual and physical teacher.

But when we thought the challenge would be over, Dondi handed us a drum solo! Though it was a quick piece, it definitely got a lot of us energized. Dondi's style definitely leans a lot more towards putting things into a concise explanation (soooo Wood!). But she also urged us to keep moving forward in the choreography. For myself, I don't think I felt like I was behind in any way, but I do wonder about those that take more time to learn. Dondi is much more of a "practice makes perfect" type teacher.

We danced to "Fe Yom Welaila" from the album "Tabel Ya Issam" for the first piece, and one of the drum solos from "The Dancing Drum by Issam" for the Drum Solo.

I enjoyed Dondi and Titanya teaching together! After their explanation of the Five Elements, you could really see where their strengths and challenges were. They seem to balance each other very well. Dondi would help to better explain movements, while Titanya was conscious of making sure everyone could see the movements.

To be continued...
Part 2 - Show and Competition

Ramblings and Eggs

Earlier this year, I was speaking to my belly dancing teacher, Amira Jamal, about feeling insecure about my dancing. I was in a belly dancing rut. Though I was trying to listen to more belly dancing music when I could, I wasn't really connecting with it. I felt that I wasn't being creative enough with my steps when we would improvise during class. I felt like, "Well, I'm no professional, and I don't really have any goals necessarily."

We even talked about it in class with my classmates, and they made me feel so much better. They talked about their own experiences, and how they're not all going towards being professional dancers. They talked about using their own standard set of moves until inspiration hits them. And they talked about connecting and not connecting with the music, and how it's okay to not connect sometimes.

After speaking with them all, I felt I had a better grasp on what was bugging me. I was focusing too much on hammering the skills and the music into my system without any real direction.

So, I realized that I needed to expand my knowledge not by hammering, but by exploring the belly dance community. But more importantly, I needed to embrace the image of myself as a dancer and performer.

I hesitated so long because I didn't trust myself. I definitely have a habit of dabbling without getting fully immersed - and really only because I didn't think I could be that good at anything. Below are some examples.

*I've been playing the piano since I was 7 and the bass since I was 10 (that's right, the big ol' upright). And while I've played bass for a year in the University Orchestra at UC Santa Cruz and I have an electric bass and keyboard at home, I rarely practice. I'd love to find the time to practice more. I've even tried to schedule it into my life, but it's just not happening.

*I've made jewelry and sold little pieces, learned how to use a sewing machine and made a couple of purses for myself, and I've stenciled/silk screened a couple of designs onto my own clothes. While some folks turn it into a profitable passion, I just haven't been able to do it. I've even been told at crafty-type fairs that I could sell seashell necklaces similar to the ones I always wear - which I've put together. But...you have to invest something to make a profit. And I just haven't had the funds to really invest.

Now that I've been a Goddess for almost 3 years, I'm fully invested in that business and I love it! As a part-time job, I couldn't ask for more. At this point, starting a side business in seashell necklaces or even practicing my musical instruments seems like putting too many eggs in my basket.

That's another thing that's made me hesitate so much. The eggs in my basket.

With belly dance, it's definitely another very expensive investment. Just classes alone is an investment. But clearly, I can't just dance without pretty shiny things, so the cost of costumes has to be taken into account. Mentally, I know I was still super nervous about performing in public - even though I had already gone through several recitals and even organized an event to help new performers get accustomed to putting themselves in the public eye.

Interestingly, I realized that if I can go around with a luggage full of sex toys and wave them around, I could probably grow some belly dancing cojones. So, after dancing at the Athenian Corner in Lowell in May 2008, then for the Quarry Hill Talent Show in August 2008, then for the Celebration of Expression in October 2008... AND after some serious mental training, I embraced the image of myself as a dancer and performer.

I started looking at the different online belly dance communities - Yahoo! Groups, Facebook, bhuz.com, etc. I also love that my classmates always came back with new information and skills from different workshops they attended. So, I made it a point to look for workshops and events to attend, and use my wonderfully talented classmates as resources. I also knew that there were many teachers in the Boston area, so I did some research and signed up for more classes. Finally, I attacked my Netflix queue, and now have found several belly dancing DVD's that I've used for both exercise and skill acquirement (and they're consistently kicking my butt!).
So, after I found my belly dancing cojones, I am now juggling 3 eggs. Day job, Athena's, and belly dance. At this point, I'm still not seeing belly dance as another way to make profit - though that would be sweet! But, I'm just trying to grow in my skill set...strengthening my cojones...and trying to juggle these eggs without dropping them.