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.

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

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.

Point of Views on Middle Eastern Dance - "Civilization" Video Game

This lazy Saturday morning, my boyfriend is trying out some new games he's acquired.  I wake up to see him playing Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution.

Taking over the world...one culture at a time...

Having very limited knowledge of video games, though I will admit that I dabble once in a while, I was at first shocked to see the representations of different cultures.  But as I was still rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, my boyfriend told me that he was currently playing as Saladin, "a Kurdish Muslim warrior and self-proclaimed Sultan of Arabia."

If you take a look at the website, there's 16 different cultures you can represent, from Aztec Nation to Zulu Nation.  Each leader is accompanied by historical background, all factual.

So, from what I've gathered, you can use different tactics to win game - technology, culture, economic, and warfare.  But I'm assuming it would be beneficial to use all the tactics in one way or another.  But, as my boyfriend had already built up some culture points, there was a hall in the capital that featured acrobats, dancing bears, and belly dancers.

I managed to grab some video of the dancing, and thought it would be neat to share.

Not bad, really.  I see a couple of figure 8's, undulations, Egyptian hip hits.  I tried to find some information on the music, but I couldn't really find much of anything.  If anyone recognizes it, please let me know in the comments!

In general, it does seem like the game tries really hard to be true to history, so I didn't find myself too offended after watching more of the game play.  I did appreciate the presence of Middle Eastern dancers, and the fact that they weren't completely "Hollywood-ized."

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:

Viva La Diva Weekend Part 3 - Zambra Mora and Conclusion

Zambra Mora
Sunday's workshop had a smaller group in it, but I think that was for the best! With all the skirt-whooshing, we probably would have hurt ourselves and each other if the workshop was packed.

Though I've included a link about Zambra Mora, I was hesitant about posting more about it. The link I provided, however, repeats what we learned this past weekend about the style. Dondi and Titanya stressed that there's nothing conclusive about what they or anyone else has learned about the style. They know that it preceded Flamenco, and that it most likely was not an actual dance. But even in their travels to Andalusia and Southern Spain, they found minimal information. I found it fascinating that Zambra Mora was once outlawed and is such an underground style, almost to the point of denying all the cross-over and intermingling that is generally important in the birth of creativity.

Zambra Mora, which translates to "Moorish party," seems to be both fiery and earthy, often danced barefoot and proclaiming emotions. There's a focus on duende, or feeling a passion in the body and soul, and those emotions are expressed in the powerful movements and the noises that is often made during the movement. One interesting tidbit we learned was that "Olé" is derived from the Arabic "wa'Allah" ("by Allah" or "by God"). It might seem silly, but that information blew my mind!!! Though the more I think about it, the less I'm surprised, especially coming from a culture that has 300 years of Spanish rule behind it. I think it's just one of those things you don't really think about until someone points it out.

Another way to think about Zambra Mora is "Spanish Fusion." A lot of the power and movement in Flamenco comes from this style, and the moves and choreography we learned echoed it. At first, we learned a variety of ways to twirl our skirts around. Moving in a circle around the room was somewhat exhilarating. You could almost feel the energy swirling around with us. Then Titanya showed us some beautiful hand movements. That was definitely a highlight for me! I know I need to work some more on my hands, and like I've said before her hands are a great example to follow.

The choreography was definitely a little more difficult on this day. Much of the routine was with a partner, at times moving opposite them. There was also a lot of turning from one side to another quickly. A lot of time was spent on moves that involved turning around our partners, and then speeding it up. We luckily kept each other balanced, though. I also had to keep from tripping on my skirt! They have so much fabric on them, I had to roll up the top a little.

We danced to "Qadukka-I-Mayyas" by Jesse Cook

Like I mentioned before, making noises is part of the dance. Zaghareets, yips, and clapping all get incorporated into the moves - but when you feel it naturally, not actually choreographed into a routine. I like all the yipping and shouting that's part of the dance. I think that we were all concentrating so much on getting the moves down that we did a lot less exclaiming, though. It makes me think a bit about technique vs. feeling. The essence of both Middle Eastern Dance and Zambra Mora seems to be in the emotions and feeling the music enough to express it in our bodies. I think it's a powerful message - one I plan to carry with me in my future lessons.

Another lesson we learned was the difference in clapping styles between the Arabic and the Spanish. In Arabic, the clapping style is called a qaf, and it's with fingers open and somewhat separated. Qaf wounds more high pitched. In Spanish, the clapping style is called a palma, which is with cupped hands. Palma sounds deeper and more muffled. It was fun to compare the two.

Aside from their teaching styles and friendly nature, I thoroughly enjoyed their history lessons!!! They spoke a lot about their own histories as well as the origins of some of the movements. Through their personal stories, they taught us a lot about what works for different people's bodies and main Element, as well as what is appropriate in the various dance settings (from country to country or from club to wedding). For example, if you're dancing in an Arabic country, DO NOT accept a drink from a server (probably bought by one of the guests), because it means you'll be sleeping with one of the guests! Also, if tips are thrown in your direction, you have to avoid stepping on the bills - it's considered disrespectful because the Sheiks pictures are on the bills! Basically, Dondi and Titanya are a wealth of knowledge! There's so much more that they shared with us, that it's hard to remember everything as I write about it. If you get an opportunity to learn from them, it's worth it!

We barely got a taste on Saturday of what each of the Five Elements were about. None of us can say that we've become experts on it. If I ever get the chance (and the funds! Read more on that below), I would love to take the 5-day workshop with Dondi and Titanya! I think the workshops would really help a person gain some insight about themselves, their surroundings, and the people around them. Plus, they are both just fabulous people! I'm going to credit their warm and welcoming nature to them having grown up in the South Pacific (yay!). But, it was great to meet two fabulous and well known dancers, and to learn that they are so grounded and humbled. Perhaps when I travel to the West Coast again, I will ask them about any happenings in the community. I think many people always say that they welcome emails and keeping in touch. But when they said it this weekend, it's the first time I felt it was nothing less than sincere.

The Reason Why I'm Broke (but Happy) Now
The danger of attending a weekend-long workshop is that there will always be shopping. Oh, glorious, exhilarating shopping. This weekend, Viva La Diva and the vendors basically took over an entire section of the Courtyard Marriott. An entire hallway was full of sparklies and flouncies and swooshies. I spent WAY too much money.

Though I now need to really sell some things just to not be broke (wait....did you click on that link? Go ahead...do it....I'll wait..............ok...be sure to email me, okay? :D), I walked away with two new veils, a cover up/shawl, two silver rings, and a gypsy skirt pictured below. Ay...my bank account will be hurting...but I had such a fabulous weekend! I feel like a different dancer, more educated and armed with my arsenal of costumage.

I feel so blessed to have been a part of that whole weekend, and I look forward to next year's workshop!

Gorgeous skirts and veils and women!!!

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