More fun dance move names!

I've been choreographing a lot lately for projects I'm working on with other dancers (shout outs to Adriana and April!) and also for my students. That means I've had to come up with more dance movement names. It's fun to do! Here is what I have now:

Hit the walls
Choo choo
Cha cha cha
Rock the circles
Wait for it
Wonder Woman
The Cheerleader
Hula
Merengue step
Disco left and right
Washing machine
Paint the town
Inside out turn
Raise the roof
Robot hips

hee hee that's all for now! Come check these moves out on April 17 at Bedazzled at Bollywood Cafe in San Francisco, Art in Motion at 491 Post St. on May 7th!

Glowing from a great night last night!

Last night's Raq the House was magical for me! From the performers, to the audience, to the staff at Tannourine, everyone was wonderful. I'm so appreciative to be able to work with performers who are talented and gracious! Every single one was delightful--no divas! I also think the variety of performances was perfect: Persian dancing, belly dancing (of course), and hula hooping made it a very memorable night.

For those who couldn't make it, this is what you missed!

In chronological order: Erica started the night for us and I'm so pleased that she helped kick off the theme of Norooz with a Persian bandari song. Sharon Papo brought some fusion flavor to the show with her sexy and modern costume paired with her skilled isolations. I've been trying to get my friend Sharon to perform there for months and it was wonderful to have her take part in the show! Kristin of the Heartbreak Hoopers brought the house down with her fantastic hooping! I was stoked that she used one of my favorite songs, Supermassive Blackhole by Muse. It was Kristin's second time hooping at Raq the House and I hope she can be a part of it again! I just never get sick of watching the colorful and shiny hoop twirling and watching her work it with such skill. Then Hannah Romanowsky performed a classical Persian dance which was so graceful and beautiful. She really is a world-class dancer and it is such a treat to have a performer of her caliber perform at Raq the House! Then the energetic and beautiful Karolina came out and dazzled us with a little double veil and an awesome sword dance. She was gorgeous! Little ol' me followed Karolina with the debut of my fan veil dance in a brand new costume I got from Rakkasah. And I was mesmerizing (hehehe). I only had one tiny mishap with the fan but I think I recovered it well! ;) Arielle of Heartbreak Hoopers, and my friend from Lululemon, amazed the audience with her hoop skills. That sister is badass with the hoop! No wonder she also goes by the name "Hooperella." The headliner, Hannah, finished the night with beautiful contemporary Persian dance. Everyone was mesmerized by her grace and fluidity and that is only the tip of her repertoire! I hope she can come back too!

It was a full line-up of talented and beautiful ladies bringing their A-game to Tannourine, and we even ended by 9:00. It's the perfect thing for a Sunday night! And all it costs is dinner! I swear Raq the House is the best entertainment in the Bay Area. The best performances and food for a super reasonable price.

Next month: Ivonne will co-hostess with me so there is sure to be some tantalizing salsa and Latin dance! Mark your calendars for April 18!
peace.....
Dre

Here's why I love Belly Dance!

Belly dancing is like playing with legos. Even if you have just one kind of piece, say just yellow pieces, you can build something magnificent! It's all about your imagination and how you put it together. Case in point: http://www.boredpanda.com/20-incredible-lego-artworks-by-nathan-sawaya/

Same with bellydance. When I have some free time before a dance class, I like to just throw on some music and improvise and see what comes out. My favorite thing to do is to take one move, for instance a figure 8 or a basic hip drop, deconstruct it and reconstruct it in as many ways as I can think of, then put it all together with music. I build a whole choreography with just one dance move. I've done entire drum solos with just one hip!

With just a few steps you can create a powerful and captivating dance. Once I challenged myself to dance a taqsim with only 2 dance moves-- figure 8's and umi's. I did them high, low, fast slow, different directions, with different arms, combining them in all kinds of ways. After that set, someone told me it was my best ever!

Dancers, learn from this: sometimes less is more. Challenge yourself to savor a move, add some flavor to it instead of busting out your whole repertoire in one song.

Visualizing the dance

I've been meaning to write about Malia's workshops. I had the opportunity to attend her workshop in San Francisco and in Honolulu. I just love her spirit, her dedication, and her talent! Her drills really challenged me and inspired me to do more drills as well to keep myself in tip-top condition! But what I really enjoyed were the way she broke down the movements. I've said before that there is no standardization for naming dance moves in belly dance so we teachers end up making up a lot of names on our own. Malia's dance move names not only gave me a good picture of what to do, but also made me laugh! Here are some of the highlights:

Patrick Swayze in Dirty Dancing (my favorite)
Carrying cocktails above your head in a crowded bar
Closing the drawers in your kitchen with your hips
Stiletto foot
The Saw
The pigeon

Being fit

This fall I am going to be teaching classes at the Academy of Art in San Francisco! They are undertaking an admirable effort to incorporate well-being into their arts curriculum. The recreation director, Sarah, has the task of motivating the arts students to pursuing a well-balanced and healthy lifestyle in addition to excelling in their fields. They want their students to graduate not only with skills and talent in art, but also to be able to take care of themselves and work on a team. As a dance instructor, it is my job to motivate the students in this and demonstrate that I can be a dance artist and be fit. I applaud the Academy of Art for making this a part of their education!

I was asked some questions about my view of my dance and fitness. Below are my musings:

Name three qualities of a healthy, balanced person. works hard, plays hard, rests hard

How do these qualities relate to being an artist? To grow in your art requires discipline. You have put time into your art, but need to also rest and find joy in other things. Those other things could be unexpected sources of inspiration!

What's the coolest thing you've seen one of your students do in your class? Independently add her own move or style to the music! This shows me that she's owning it and enjoying it.

What do you say to someone who doesn't have time to workout? Multitask! Walk to the grocery store, take the stairs, go out dancing with friends, clean the apartment! All of these things burn calories and keep your body ticking. You can always squeeze in 10 minutes of stretching, or 5 minutes of jump rope, lunges, and burpees. Invite a friend to join you. You'll be surprised how many of your friends will say "I've been wanting to do that too." They'll be thankful to you for making the suggestion.
Why do you love your sport/activity? I love love love Arabic music. It takes me away on a magic carpet which loops and glides and soars! I love discovering new ways to convey the music with my movements. Of course I also love the sparkly outfits and dramatic make-up. Getting ready for a show is a transformative process for me.

What has your sport/activity taught you? It has taught me what "fit" means to me and my body. It's different for everybody. For some people that is muscular, for some it is slim, for some it is voluptuous. As long as you don't have to punish or abuse your body to maintain your shape, you are fit. It has also taught me how to let loose and enjoy the moment. The most important thing in belly dance is to enjoy yourself. You can say that is the most important thing in life too!

And how have you applied that lesson to other parts of your life? Being fit and enjoying life are both holistic approaches to living. I can eat french fries, drink margaritas, and stay up all night once in a while without guilt because they don't contradict my view of being fit and enjoying life. I may balance these activities with taking care of business and taking care of myself through exercise and healthy eating.

Economic stimulus

I just got this funny email from a good friend of mine about the upcoming stimulus checks many of us will receive from the government. It made me LOL! It's one of those rare political jokes that I think would appeal to both conservatives and liberals alike. I'm including it below along with a quick little addendum by yours truly. Enjoy!

Some time this year, we taxpayers will receive an Economic Stimulus payment. This is a very exciting new program. I will explain it using the Q and A format:

Q. What is an Economic Stimulus payment?

A. It is money that the federal government will send to taxpayers.

Q. Where will the government get this money?

A. From taxpayers.

Q. So the government is giving me back my own money?

A. Only a smidgen.

Q. What is the purpose of this payment?

A. The plan is that you will use the money to purchase a high-definition TV set, thus stimulating the economy.

Q. But isn't that stimulating the economy of China ?

A. Shut up.

Below is some helpful advice on how to best help the US economy by spending your stimulus check wisely:
• If you spend the stimulus money at Wal-Mart, the money will go to China .
• If you spend it on gasoline, your money will go to the Arabs.
• If you purchase a computer, it will go to India .
• If you purchase fruit and vegetables, it will go to Mexico , Honduras and Guatemala ..
• If you buy a car, it will go to Japan .
• If you purchase useless stuff, it will go to Taiwan .
• If you pay your credit cards off, or buy stock, it will go to management bonuses and they will hide it offshore.

Instead, keep the money in America by:
1. spending it at yard sales, or
2. going to ball games, or
3. spending it on prostitutes, or
4. beer or
5. tattoos.
6. Or taking belly dancing classes with Andrea! ;)

(These are the only American businesses still operating in the US .)

Dynamic Dancing

On Saturday April 18th I taught a great workshop at Elana's Solstice studio in Santa Rosa. The topic of the workshop was Dynamic Dancing and I think it is a workshop that all belly dance performers could benefit from! I taught different ways for a dancer to change her mood and movements in order to convey more of a spectrum of emotions. The most memorable performances are those where the dancer is dynamic, or conveys more of an emotional spectrum. If you put more of yourself out there, the audience can feel it and connect with you! Too often, unfortunately, a performer will convey just one emotion or one side of her. I started the class by asking the students how they would describe the female experience. They came up with a great list!

• sensuous
• flirty
• mysterious
• elegant
• powerful
• nurturing
• soft
• creative
• strong
• playful
  
• sad
• longing
• passionate
• joyful
• energetic
• drama
• comical
• sexy
• romantic
  

And that's just scratching the surface! Now, I'm not saying that a dancer has to be all of the above for each performance. You have to know your music and know your audience. For instance, you probably aren't going to pull out the "sexy" you at a kid's birthday party or the "sad" you at a wedding! But, if you have a spectrum of music then definitely convey a spectrum of emotions. Be playful, flirty, elegant, sexy, and romantic at the wedding performance. Be comical, energetic, longing, and creative at the restaurant show. Be powerful, flirty, sexy, and joyful during your drum solo. If you are a powerful dancer, then show the audience your soft and tender side as well. If you are a coquettish dancer, the show the audience your powerful side as well. If you are a playful dancer, show the audience your dramatic side as well. You get the picture.

Bellydance at its best encapsulates the full female experience! Tap into your spectrum of experience and emotions and put it out there to move your audience. They will be awed by what they see!