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!

Rags to Riches

So like I said before, I have a lil troupe and we're called the RaqStars. "Raqs" means dance in Arabic and I don't mind explaining that to people who don't know. I just like the sound of it: RAQSTARS! The name conjures confidence, glamor, high energy, fun--just like us. I'm fortunate to have such fun, sweet, and dedicated ladies in my troupe. We work the name and own it. I just love saying at our rehearsals, "OK RaqStars let's get ready!" or "Calling all RaqStars to the dance floor!" It tickles me.

And now the good news: The RaqStars and I have the privilege of performing in Dance Mission Theater's Choreographer's Showcase on March 13 and 14! I'm putting together a piece that will showcase classic Egyptian music and dance as well as modern and punchy music and moves--all in only 10 minutes! I was going to call the piece "Classic Meets Modern" but recent unexpected events have necessitated a change...

Which leads me to the not so good news: The lovely people at Dance Mission Theater mistakenly listed my troupe as Andrea's Ragstars. Yes, Rag stars. Grrrr. Sometimes I think I'm too clever for my own good. Here I was thinking "I'll get to tell people about the play on words in Arabic and English." Now I'll have to add to that "It should be Raq but there's a typo." Real. Clever. Not. The most hilarious part is that hundreds of postcards with this typo will be distributed. (In case you couldn't tell, that was sarcasm.)

After moments of fury and my dad talking me down, I've decided to own the typo and have fun with it. So now our piece is called "Rags to Rockstars;" as in the post card says Rags but at the show we will present you with the Raqstars. No we are not going to dance with rags or do anything that has to do with rags or riches. It's just my way of trying to correct a typo and turn it into a funny story. I'm creating a memory here, for good or bad, because life's too short to be angry over something like this. Thanks to my dad for teaching me this.

So come watch us on March 13th and 14th as we transform ourselves from rags to RAQSTARS! Peace!

Still glowing

So far I've produced 3 RAQ THE HOUSE events and they just keep getting better and better! The last one on January 25th was a ginormous success. And on top of that the performers and audience were so gracious and wonderful. I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to perform with them! And my troupe members are the bomb, too. They are the most dedicated, inspired, and sweet ladies around.