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!

Dreams/Radiance Student Recital

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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