Saturday, July 10, 2010
If I only had a brain!
So, yesterday, I decided to start posting teaching-style blogs... and I decided to use the one blog that is titled Celeste's Musings as it's a great name for it... while I had realized that I had a crapload of blog entries on it, I had somewhat neglected to realize that they didn't really belong together. So I moved everything here. I think that it is preferable to keep the ramblings in one style of blog and the more well-spoken ones in a different one.
More thoughts on the Tribal Fest performance - Thursday, May 20, 2010
This isn’t a pity party blog. lol Rather, it’s meant to be a debrief to myself of what happened during the Tribal Fest performance. I used to do that quite a bit on Tribe but decided to keep it to a smaller group. For all those reading, do feel free to comment. I just won’t spread it out to everybody and their dogs. ;)
After I was done performing, I was left with a very odd feeling regarding the overall performance: I wasn’t disappointed… but I wasn’t happy… and it wasn’t a neutral feeling. I think that what left a sour taste in my mouth was that I fully realized that I hadn’t been as much in the moment as I could have been. I was really disappointed by that.
I knew, though, that I had somewhat doomed myself. When I was getting ready, I was getting extremely nervous. There was a vibe in the room that totally affected me. And it was nerves, not panic… I now know the difference. ;) I stupidly started thinking that maybe I would be the first bad number at Tribal Fest. Really? Like that was going to happen??? But that was akin to the irrational thoughts that you normally get all the time like ‘Will I fall on my ass on stage?’
I was also battling body image issues. I’ve gained back a lot of weight and had every intention to attempt to slim down before TF but that went out the window quickly. Then, sure, I had every intention to dance for the body that I have (as Tempest puts it in her workshops) but the whole ‘OMG! Everyone is tall and slim in CA!’ got to me. :(
And then there was the pause that I didn’t expect. That also threw me off my game… though I have to say that I don’t know if it helped or hindered. In the grand scheme of things, it probably didn’t do a big difference. The music started a bit earlier than I thought it would and that messed me up a little too. Again, nothing that I wouldn’t have been able to recover from.
As I was dancing, I realized that I wasn’t as much in the moment as I should have or rather could have been. And that I was forgetting my concept. I was facing the back wall and thought ‘Okay. Remember. You are a post-apocalyptic priestess. You are calling down the Gods.’ That was a somewhat determined set of moves for the piece, only the exact placement was movable. When I was practicing that part, I was envisioning like a cave entrance and some flowy arm movements and all that. I did envision the cave entrance for a few seconds… and then I realized that I was looking at *the* back drop that we all know to be the TF back drop. So that pulled me away from the concept a little. And then I turned around and there were people (duh!) but they were *the* TF audience… or rather that I was on *the* TF stage. And the moment was lost. Damn!
Then I reverted to some good old entertainer techniques and looked at Amirah and Jatare on my right (and this nice lady who had complimented me on my hair and my goggles and was grooving to my music) and Jeff and Tempest on the left. Though when I saw Jeff holding the camera, it unnerved me a little but I noticed that Tempest had her chin up as if she was trying to see me from above something (though she was perched high on a chair) and I realized that she was telling me to bring my chin up. lol
I did a lot of mulling over the performance… and have reached some conclusions.
First off, it’s clear that I underestimated the scariness of performing on *that* stage. Thankfully, though, I had advance warning through Ariellah, Belladonna, and Mavi that the stage is much narrower than you think so I had re-arranged some things in my head. Also thankfully, I hadn’t set my expectations too high for the performance. I was hoping to just do good and, overall, I did reach the requirements for a good performance. What upset me a little is that I could have easily done better. But at least now and I know and can do better next year.
I really should have crushed down to pieces that nagging voice that was telling me that I would be the first bad act by a fat performer. That’s where the pause helped b/c I had the chance to quickly chat with Jeff and he gave me ‘the’ look of ‘you’re being silly, hon’.
I briefly wondered if being more prepared would have helped. I mean, should I have had a more choreographed piece? I actually think that the loose plan with specific accents and improve ideas was actually a blessing: it was easy for me to adjust things around (especially given the stage) and stay a little more connected, albeit not as connected as I would have liked.
Tempest commented that I needed to keep my chin up more and my gaze higher. She’s right, obviously. What I realized while mulling this advice is that I am more used to performing at eye level than on a raised stage. So I will have to learn how to deal with that. I know that part of the reason why my chin (and gaze) went down was b/c I was trying to make good eye contact with the audience. I’ll have to adjust my way of doing that contact. And I saw on the footage that my gaze would go down to the floor regularly… that’s a flaw of mine and a leftover of my shyness and lack of confidence. Shyness is going away so I need to work on the confidence side of things and that should solve a lot of that issue.
I had a disheartened moment at one point when I realized that performing, for me, is really not natural. A lot of folks have more self confidence and have a stronger presence on stage than I do… and I wish that I could do better… though I have to admit that I’m really improving on that aspect. But, yeah, it’s just not natural for me… which made me think for a bit that I’m doomed… until I remembered that being a leader wasn’t natural for me either and now it’s hard for me not to be one… and I didn’t have charisma and now I do. So, yeah, it’s a matter of continuing to push and work at it and it will come in time. I did have a moment when I wanted to give up trying but that didn’t last long. ;)
After more mulling over and watching the actual footage a few times, I realized that, actually, the dancing was good. I mean, the technique was there, my movements were crisp and I didn’t overdo them (which I tend to do but, thanks to recording some practices, I’ve learned to tone it down), my musicality was good… but I still feel like something is missing. And now I’ve put my finger on it. The dance from a technical aspect was fine. And I’m sure that a lot of people would be happy with results like that. What was missing was the artistry. And the reason why I feel like I didn’t hit it out in the park was that it was within my reach to add that artistry back in but I didn’t manage to hold on to it. And I think that this whole artistry thing is what is going to take my dance to the next level… which is beyond just dancing nicely. ;)
Also, I realized that my statement about not being enough ‘in the moment’ is not actually accurate. I’ve had performances where my mind was anywhere but with what I was doing. I have come to believe that this was actually a ploy so to distract me from my nerves… or something like that. But I remember thinking distinctly of stuff like I mentioned above regarding remembering the concept. And when that went out the door, I reverted to some entertainer/restaurant dancing techniques… in a very conscious manner… And when I walked from where Amirah and Jatare were (so my far right) to where Jeff and Tempest were using a 3/4 shimmy walk… and I was walking and walking and realized how freakin’ long that walk was and thought ‘glance at the audience to break the head sideways’ (and I did)… And when I had my back to the audience, at one point, I thought to do some shoulder rolls to come back to front, partly to show off that nice tattooed feather moving… So I actually WAS in the moment. But I was WAY too much on the left side of the brain! When I have a good balance (as I did for the No Name Show), I’m actually in control, using my musicality and moves well but flowing in synch with the music… and adding some nuances of emotions. It’s hard to describe what that right brain does… for obvious reasons. :p
The more I think at the performance and see the footage (and start to receive compliments that seem sincere), the more I think that it was a very good performance. Maybe even ‘solid’. I definitely learned a lot from it so that’s always good. But I also did some things very well and I’m very proud of that. Another important aspect is that, in the past, I’d be not fully happy with a performance and wouldn’t know how to fix it or what was missing… but this time, I specifically know. I gotta say that it’s much less frustrating to know that… though it’s frustrating in a different way. :p
After I was done performing, I was left with a very odd feeling regarding the overall performance: I wasn’t disappointed… but I wasn’t happy… and it wasn’t a neutral feeling. I think that what left a sour taste in my mouth was that I fully realized that I hadn’t been as much in the moment as I could have been. I was really disappointed by that.
I knew, though, that I had somewhat doomed myself. When I was getting ready, I was getting extremely nervous. There was a vibe in the room that totally affected me. And it was nerves, not panic… I now know the difference. ;) I stupidly started thinking that maybe I would be the first bad number at Tribal Fest. Really? Like that was going to happen??? But that was akin to the irrational thoughts that you normally get all the time like ‘Will I fall on my ass on stage?’
I was also battling body image issues. I’ve gained back a lot of weight and had every intention to attempt to slim down before TF but that went out the window quickly. Then, sure, I had every intention to dance for the body that I have (as Tempest puts it in her workshops) but the whole ‘OMG! Everyone is tall and slim in CA!’ got to me. :(
And then there was the pause that I didn’t expect. That also threw me off my game… though I have to say that I don’t know if it helped or hindered. In the grand scheme of things, it probably didn’t do a big difference. The music started a bit earlier than I thought it would and that messed me up a little too. Again, nothing that I wouldn’t have been able to recover from.
As I was dancing, I realized that I wasn’t as much in the moment as I should have or rather could have been. And that I was forgetting my concept. I was facing the back wall and thought ‘Okay. Remember. You are a post-apocalyptic priestess. You are calling down the Gods.’ That was a somewhat determined set of moves for the piece, only the exact placement was movable. When I was practicing that part, I was envisioning like a cave entrance and some flowy arm movements and all that. I did envision the cave entrance for a few seconds… and then I realized that I was looking at *the* back drop that we all know to be the TF back drop. So that pulled me away from the concept a little. And then I turned around and there were people (duh!) but they were *the* TF audience… or rather that I was on *the* TF stage. And the moment was lost. Damn!
Then I reverted to some good old entertainer techniques and looked at Amirah and Jatare on my right (and this nice lady who had complimented me on my hair and my goggles and was grooving to my music) and Jeff and Tempest on the left. Though when I saw Jeff holding the camera, it unnerved me a little but I noticed that Tempest had her chin up as if she was trying to see me from above something (though she was perched high on a chair) and I realized that she was telling me to bring my chin up. lol
I did a lot of mulling over the performance… and have reached some conclusions.
First off, it’s clear that I underestimated the scariness of performing on *that* stage. Thankfully, though, I had advance warning through Ariellah, Belladonna, and Mavi that the stage is much narrower than you think so I had re-arranged some things in my head. Also thankfully, I hadn’t set my expectations too high for the performance. I was hoping to just do good and, overall, I did reach the requirements for a good performance. What upset me a little is that I could have easily done better. But at least now and I know and can do better next year.
I really should have crushed down to pieces that nagging voice that was telling me that I would be the first bad act by a fat performer. That’s where the pause helped b/c I had the chance to quickly chat with Jeff and he gave me ‘the’ look of ‘you’re being silly, hon’.
I briefly wondered if being more prepared would have helped. I mean, should I have had a more choreographed piece? I actually think that the loose plan with specific accents and improve ideas was actually a blessing: it was easy for me to adjust things around (especially given the stage) and stay a little more connected, albeit not as connected as I would have liked.
Tempest commented that I needed to keep my chin up more and my gaze higher. She’s right, obviously. What I realized while mulling this advice is that I am more used to performing at eye level than on a raised stage. So I will have to learn how to deal with that. I know that part of the reason why my chin (and gaze) went down was b/c I was trying to make good eye contact with the audience. I’ll have to adjust my way of doing that contact. And I saw on the footage that my gaze would go down to the floor regularly… that’s a flaw of mine and a leftover of my shyness and lack of confidence. Shyness is going away so I need to work on the confidence side of things and that should solve a lot of that issue.
I had a disheartened moment at one point when I realized that performing, for me, is really not natural. A lot of folks have more self confidence and have a stronger presence on stage than I do… and I wish that I could do better… though I have to admit that I’m really improving on that aspect. But, yeah, it’s just not natural for me… which made me think for a bit that I’m doomed… until I remembered that being a leader wasn’t natural for me either and now it’s hard for me not to be one… and I didn’t have charisma and now I do. So, yeah, it’s a matter of continuing to push and work at it and it will come in time. I did have a moment when I wanted to give up trying but that didn’t last long. ;)
After more mulling over and watching the actual footage a few times, I realized that, actually, the dancing was good. I mean, the technique was there, my movements were crisp and I didn’t overdo them (which I tend to do but, thanks to recording some practices, I’ve learned to tone it down), my musicality was good… but I still feel like something is missing. And now I’ve put my finger on it. The dance from a technical aspect was fine. And I’m sure that a lot of people would be happy with results like that. What was missing was the artistry. And the reason why I feel like I didn’t hit it out in the park was that it was within my reach to add that artistry back in but I didn’t manage to hold on to it. And I think that this whole artistry thing is what is going to take my dance to the next level… which is beyond just dancing nicely. ;)
Also, I realized that my statement about not being enough ‘in the moment’ is not actually accurate. I’ve had performances where my mind was anywhere but with what I was doing. I have come to believe that this was actually a ploy so to distract me from my nerves… or something like that. But I remember thinking distinctly of stuff like I mentioned above regarding remembering the concept. And when that went out the door, I reverted to some entertainer/restaurant dancing techniques… in a very conscious manner… And when I walked from where Amirah and Jatare were (so my far right) to where Jeff and Tempest were using a 3/4 shimmy walk… and I was walking and walking and realized how freakin’ long that walk was and thought ‘glance at the audience to break the head sideways’ (and I did)… And when I had my back to the audience, at one point, I thought to do some shoulder rolls to come back to front, partly to show off that nice tattooed feather moving… So I actually WAS in the moment. But I was WAY too much on the left side of the brain! When I have a good balance (as I did for the No Name Show), I’m actually in control, using my musicality and moves well but flowing in synch with the music… and adding some nuances of emotions. It’s hard to describe what that right brain does… for obvious reasons. :p
The more I think at the performance and see the footage (and start to receive compliments that seem sincere), the more I think that it was a very good performance. Maybe even ‘solid’. I definitely learned a lot from it so that’s always good. But I also did some things very well and I’m very proud of that. Another important aspect is that, in the past, I’d be not fully happy with a performance and wouldn’t know how to fix it or what was missing… but this time, I specifically know. I gotta say that it’s much less frustrating to know that… though it’s frustrating in a different way. :p
What I learned along the way... Saturday, April 17, 2010
I started writing this in the previous post and then realized that it was essentially digressing from the original intent of the post. So it deserves its own entry. ;)
Part of my process for developing a piece is that, once I've decided on music for a performance, I listen to the music back to back [so on repeat] for at least one hour each day for a while. Sometimes the music will pop in my head and I'll see moves or even feel my body moving on its own. I call that 'dancing to residual music'. It's whatever you remember from that part of music and is making you move. Through listening to the music so much, I start hearing additional beats, sounds, accents that are not the first ones that I picked on. Oftentimes, it will modify my understanding of the music. I also will (if I can) take a little break from listening to it so much (like a week or two) and then restart... giving myself that break helps break the pattern and preconceived notions about the music and make me dig even deeper in the music.
I discovered how highly useful it was to record a few sessions of me doing improv when I was working on Becoming Insane. I quickly saw some moves that were cool and I wanted to keep... and others that made me cringe... and some that were okay but needed a little oomphing up.
It was also extremely interesting to see how, while I was technically in synch with the music (I mean, I WAS following the beat), it turns out that, when I saw it on the videocamera, it was too fast. That was a revelation. That's probably what I do on a regular basis that makes everyone (including me) think that I should go slower.
The specific example was that, in the beginning of Becoming Insane, I start with hand floreos with the right arm moving up, intended to be flamenco-inspired; the first time, I did them every 2 beats, which, again, was technically correct. But when I saw that segment, it was waaaaaaaaay too fast and didn't have the drama that flamenco hands have... so I slowed the hand floreos down to every 4 beats. HUGE difference.
The elements that generally made me cringe were the fast ones. It was evident that, when it goes fast, I actually not only put speed in the movement but more power (i.e., put more force in it)... which is not necessarily a good idea. So I played with that, actually: sometimes increasing the speed of a movement but keeping the move 'soft' or adding more oomph/strength in the move but keeping the speed as is. It makes for a huge difference.
Given that I'm not exactly petite, if I put too much strength into a move, it unfortunately deforms it through too much rippling. So I have to be cautious about that at all times.
So I'll be interested in seeing how the improv to the new piece I'm working on will match (or not) what I have in my head. Definitely, I'm learning a lot through recording improv.
I just bought some mirrors b/c we needed some for the Tempest workshop so I will finally also have mirrors big enough to watch myself while I practice.
I have no idea why it took me so long to take the plunge and purchase silly mirrors and a video camera when they are such great tools to learn from... part of it may have been that I was scared of what I would see. ;) But I think that it will help me reach the higher level that I've been coveting for a while. ;)
Part of my process for developing a piece is that, once I've decided on music for a performance, I listen to the music back to back [so on repeat] for at least one hour each day for a while. Sometimes the music will pop in my head and I'll see moves or even feel my body moving on its own. I call that 'dancing to residual music'. It's whatever you remember from that part of music and is making you move. Through listening to the music so much, I start hearing additional beats, sounds, accents that are not the first ones that I picked on. Oftentimes, it will modify my understanding of the music. I also will (if I can) take a little break from listening to it so much (like a week or two) and then restart... giving myself that break helps break the pattern and preconceived notions about the music and make me dig even deeper in the music.
I discovered how highly useful it was to record a few sessions of me doing improv when I was working on Becoming Insane. I quickly saw some moves that were cool and I wanted to keep... and others that made me cringe... and some that were okay but needed a little oomphing up.
It was also extremely interesting to see how, while I was technically in synch with the music (I mean, I WAS following the beat), it turns out that, when I saw it on the videocamera, it was too fast. That was a revelation. That's probably what I do on a regular basis that makes everyone (including me) think that I should go slower.
The specific example was that, in the beginning of Becoming Insane, I start with hand floreos with the right arm moving up, intended to be flamenco-inspired; the first time, I did them every 2 beats, which, again, was technically correct. But when I saw that segment, it was waaaaaaaaay too fast and didn't have the drama that flamenco hands have... so I slowed the hand floreos down to every 4 beats. HUGE difference.
The elements that generally made me cringe were the fast ones. It was evident that, when it goes fast, I actually not only put speed in the movement but more power (i.e., put more force in it)... which is not necessarily a good idea. So I played with that, actually: sometimes increasing the speed of a movement but keeping the move 'soft' or adding more oomph/strength in the move but keeping the speed as is. It makes for a huge difference.
Given that I'm not exactly petite, if I put too much strength into a move, it unfortunately deforms it through too much rippling. So I have to be cautious about that at all times.
So I'll be interested in seeing how the improv to the new piece I'm working on will match (or not) what I have in my head. Definitely, I'm learning a lot through recording improv.
I just bought some mirrors b/c we needed some for the Tempest workshop so I will finally also have mirrors big enough to watch myself while I practice.
I have no idea why it took me so long to take the plunge and purchase silly mirrors and a video camera when they are such great tools to learn from... part of it may have been that I was scared of what I would see. ;) But I think that it will help me reach the higher level that I've been coveting for a while. ;)
Creativity uninterrupted - Saturday, April 17, 2010
I've been working on my piece for Tribal Fest roughly since some time in January. Mostly, I've been working on the concept/message for it. I find that the music is a little daunting because there are many things going on and I had to organize how I wanted to address the music.
There were 2 exercises that I did at 3rd Coast Tribal, one with Rose Harden and one with Ariellah, that were around finding a theme/thread for a piece. One exercise was to write down one color, one emotion, and one memory from the past that the piece makes you think of. The other exercise is simply to write down at least 5 words that the piece makes you think of. These exercises have helped me tremendously for the piece. There were so many directions that I could have taken the piece that I was a little confused for a while... and then when I wrote the words, it was very clear where I wanted to go. Then when I did a translation of what the title of the music was (it's in German), it took the concept further.
And then I even came up with a conceptual name for the piece. I really like it. And I've let it guide me through the development process of the costuming and aesthetics. I did have a moment when I wanted to put on brakes b/c it was steering me towards an all brown costume and a part of me was screaming that I needed to put some black in there somewhere... but that just ain't where it's supposed to go... Jeff gave me some reassurances and, heck, if Jeff thinks that it's fine not to have black (he cringes whenever I wear 'too many colors', which, for him, means that I'm wearing more than one color with my black), then it certainly was fine.
From that point on, I totally let creativity take over. It's been an interesting journey/experiment so far. Now I'll be starting on the actual composition of the piece. I've done some improv to it and have listened to it enough that there are many spots where I know what I want to do or have a few ideas at least. I may even write a little story about the piece... 'cause, again, creativity is driving me this way. It will be a multimedia artistic experiment for me... ;)
There were 2 exercises that I did at 3rd Coast Tribal, one with Rose Harden and one with Ariellah, that were around finding a theme/thread for a piece. One exercise was to write down one color, one emotion, and one memory from the past that the piece makes you think of. The other exercise is simply to write down at least 5 words that the piece makes you think of. These exercises have helped me tremendously for the piece. There were so many directions that I could have taken the piece that I was a little confused for a while... and then when I wrote the words, it was very clear where I wanted to go. Then when I did a translation of what the title of the music was (it's in German), it took the concept further.
And then I even came up with a conceptual name for the piece. I really like it. And I've let it guide me through the development process of the costuming and aesthetics. I did have a moment when I wanted to put on brakes b/c it was steering me towards an all brown costume and a part of me was screaming that I needed to put some black in there somewhere... but that just ain't where it's supposed to go... Jeff gave me some reassurances and, heck, if Jeff thinks that it's fine not to have black (he cringes whenever I wear 'too many colors', which, for him, means that I'm wearing more than one color with my black), then it certainly was fine.
From that point on, I totally let creativity take over. It's been an interesting journey/experiment so far. Now I'll be starting on the actual composition of the piece. I've done some improv to it and have listened to it enough that there are many spots where I know what I want to do or have a few ideas at least. I may even write a little story about the piece... 'cause, again, creativity is driving me this way. It will be a multimedia artistic experiment for me... ;)
3rd Coast Tribal 2010 - Tuesday, January 12, 2010
I will be writing an official review for a magazine so I won't cover all aspects of 3rd Coast Tribal but I can talk about details that my friends would be interested in but that a magazine reader would. ;) And the language will be more convivial here, of course! :p
We got to TX on Wednesday night. We were actually afraid of not being able to fly out as planned given the snow but our travels ended up not having any issues, except for a delay at the Kansas City airport. We made it to the hotel and crashed.
I had one workshop on Thursday, which was Ariellah's The Artists Workshop - A primer for the well-rounded dancer. It was cool. We talked about artistry and emotions and learned a few combos and then needed to emote. Interesting stuff.
I did a bunch of shopping on Thursday, buying what I knew I wanted to buy before it would disappear. :p I'll make a collated list of the shopping stuff further in the blog. lol
Thursday night, Kat and I ended up having dinner at the Tex Mex (more Tex than Mex) that was next to our hotel with Ariellah, Obsidia and Steph, Tara and Carol, and I forget the name of the other lady (sorry). Great times! Great times!
Friday, I took the workshop with Rose Harden on creating character costumes. What was especially interesting about this workshop was seeing Rose's costume pieces up close and then I got to see them on stage later that night. It thoroughly helped me get the difference in look. There was one skirt in particular that I actually thought that it was a totally different skirt. Some strips of fabric looked, well, just like strips of fabric on a skirt, but they ended up looking like trims on stage. Her belts are extremely ornate. Anyway, I was in heaven to be able to fondle the pieces. Gave me lots of ideas. As if I needed more! lol One advice that she had was to keep clippings of things that we love. Doesn't have to be belly dance related at all. She showed us how some of those clippings were the inspiration for a certain costume. Super cool!
Friday afternoon, I had my private with Ariellah. We didn't dance much but that's fine b/c that wasn't what I needed. She gave me feedback on 2 videos. Funny thing is that I submitted just 'Snake' to her (the performance captured at Middle Eastern Mayhem) but she saw 'Zeina' in the bar on the right and looked at it too. So she gave me feedback on both. lol I was bummed that she only got to see those two as I've done much better work since then but, hey, the feedback that she told me still applies. ;) Anyway, I got lots of valuable info.
Kat and I had dinner at the restaurant next to our hotel yet again to make sure that we would be at the venue in time for the show.
The Friday night show was off the hook! Very high level of talent! Wow!
As part of the show, Onça from Merzmer Society did a piece without any music. It made some people uncomfortable, as it was bound to happen. The piece moved Kat and I tremendously. If you want to know what fine art belly dance is, that was it. She came in, all dressed in white, with a white scarf over her hair. She was walking with heavy steps. Then she picked up a rose from the stage and looked at it, smelled it, caressed her face with it. At one point she made us clap our hands for her and she did some belly dance movements. At one point, the clapping had ended and she was on the left of the stage and pulling some red strips of fabric from her bosom. She was seriously ill, coughing, great sadness. I think that she destroyed the rose after that, picking at the petals. But it's a little fuzzy now in my memory. And then she walked away.
Saturday morning, Kat and I took the workshop on pirate belly dance by Samantha Riggs titled Why is the Rum Always Gone? It was hilarious. We got to do non-proper, oh so improper, stuff. The combos were a great start for me. Some elements repeated in each of the combos and I understand that it greatly helped teaching the combos for Sam but I'm probably going to keep only like 1 or 2 of the combos... more importantly, it gave me the flavor for what it can be and gave me tons of ideas. :D
Kat and I had lunch at Esperanza, which was further away from the venue. The smell outside was exquisite and it's a bakery so we decided to try it. Well, the food was as exquisite as the smell. That place was more Mex than Tex. :p They made their own tortilla fresh there. Wow!
Saturday afternoon, I had a 30-minute massage. That was so wonderful!
Kat and I took Onça's Narrative Belly Dance class. OMG! That was so amazing! I gotta say that Kat and I think that Onça may be one of belly dance's best kept secret. She teaches so well! She made us do some silly exercises and a lot of not so silly ones. She made us work with some theather exercises that thoroughly helped. She also gave us some character archetypes to work on and gave us info on what types of things will help convey the character better both in terms of movement and attitude on stage. One thing that I really appreciated is that she kept reminding us through the exercises (particularly the archetypes) that we were belly dancers so that we needed to belly dance. I've taken other workshops on the topic and, generally, they say not to worry if it's belly dance and there are times when they said not to do belly dance at all. While it's a useful way of practicing and not get bugged down with the complexity of belly dance with the complexity of emoting, it's important to acknowledge our dance form at least at one point. ;) August graciously played music for us while we were dancing. I think that he had a blast watching us.
The Saturday night show was very good too! I think that the Friday show may have been a tad better but it's totally subjective. I may have been tired by that time too. lol Seriously, lots of talents in both shows.
On Sunday, I took the Ariellah workshop titled Drawing Down the Moon, which is about what makes us do what we do, how to understand how we function, where our emotions stem from, things like that. Very insightful. Probably the more insightful part was that I had been trying to pinpoint for a while what I really wanted to do with my art to give me focus and I got that answer in this workshop. There were yet more exercises to make us convey messages. Anyway, it's a good workshop.
I also had a private on hair styling with Rose Harden. That was money well spent! Now I need to go buy some stuff for my hair, though! lol
Overall, this weekend totally gave me what I came to get: workshops geared towards the artistry of belly dance (b/c that's where I'm at), great performances in the shows, meeting great people, and just plain having a good time.
Now, there were themes for the weekend:
- First off: 'squirrel.' That came from a movie where the dog is easily distracted by squirrels. Anyway, Kat and I kept saying that at each other. lol
- Secondly, 'Hello my baby! Hello my honey! Hello my ragtime gal!' I sometimes get stuck on one song and will sing it over and over again. Kat was subjected to this torture. Sorry, dear!
- Third, 'Opening your heart.' Both Ariellah and Onça said that in regards to being able to emote better on stage.
- Fourth, 'the idea stash.' Rose and Ariellah were talking about that: clipping magazine pics, noting down an idea of music, whatever, and putting that in a stash for future use when you need inspiration.
I thought that there was one more theme but I forget. Oh well.
One other thing that was great was meeting a ton of people. Some whom I had not seen in a long time (Tara, Nari, Trudi, Michelle), others that I had only known online (Obsidia, Kathleen Crowley, Rose Harden) and others that I had never met before! The list would be too long to write but it was great to hang with all of you! And, yes, Tempest, I'm still your people! :p I'll probably always be anyway. ;)
Oh and the last fabulous thing was the shopping. * swoon!* The vendors were Geisha Moth and Tempest (Owl Key Me [love the name and the play on words]), Ocean and his wife's fabulous idea of a top and skirt, Jeremiah and Rachel Soto, Salome's Suitcase, Five and Diamond, Akasha Wear, and Diva something (sorry I forgot the name). So, what did I purchase, eh? Well...
- A kick ass skirt by Christina (Black Lotus Clothing). It has some black beading and red roses. It's amazing!
- A burgundy leather belt with brass metal grommets and rings and stuff. It was 50% off from Five and Diamond. I've been wanting a belt in that style for like 2 years now. While I originally wanted black, the burgundy belt will be perfect to go over the top of the 'roses skirt.' :D
- Higher gauge earrings from Tawapa. I had been debating whether to stretch my ears further or not but they decided for me: they stretched already on their own and my current jewelry was too loose... so it was time.
- Barrettes from Rachel Soto/Blue Damsel. They're in an unusual color for me. I kept being drawn in by the red flower barrettes but wanted to get away from my usual color. Kat and Rachel helped me pick. So it's cream with a hint of red but, mostly, there's a blue button at the center that makes my eye color pop. :D
- Arm warmers by Christina/Black Lotus Clothing. I saw them and was attracted to the colors, although they're different for me... tried them on and fell in love with the comfort... and then I was smitten and needed to purchase them after Kat begged me to purchase them b/c I had been talking about them for a few hours (I'm only slightly exaggerating here).
- From Geisha Moth, I purchased a tube skirt with a lovely fleur de lys on the back and another design in the front (super duper cute) and a pair of cake capris that are grey strips of fabric over black. Hard to describe the capris...
As if that wasn't enough, I ended up winning in Geisha Moth's contest... TWICE!!!! The best part was that, the 2nd time, I won 100$ in merchandise!!!! Woohoo! So I ended up winning black and white snake armz with the first win and a black tube skirt with some ruffles (super duper cute), a black with white stripes tube skirt that matches one of my incognito tops, and a shruggie like this http://www.facebook.com/album.php?page=5&aid=115295&id=101129349421#/photo.php?pid=3158752&id=101129349421&fbid=190576659421
I would like to thank Tempest for being my stylist this weekend and helping me pick out stuff that fits me well. :D She has the eye and will tell you if it doesn't fit you well or if you don't look good in it. ;) I appreciate the honesty! She especially helped me pick out what to get with my fabulous 100$ win! Yeah!
We got to TX on Wednesday night. We were actually afraid of not being able to fly out as planned given the snow but our travels ended up not having any issues, except for a delay at the Kansas City airport. We made it to the hotel and crashed.
I had one workshop on Thursday, which was Ariellah's The Artists Workshop - A primer for the well-rounded dancer. It was cool. We talked about artistry and emotions and learned a few combos and then needed to emote. Interesting stuff.
I did a bunch of shopping on Thursday, buying what I knew I wanted to buy before it would disappear. :p I'll make a collated list of the shopping stuff further in the blog. lol
Thursday night, Kat and I ended up having dinner at the Tex Mex (more Tex than Mex) that was next to our hotel with Ariellah, Obsidia and Steph, Tara and Carol, and I forget the name of the other lady (sorry). Great times! Great times!
Friday, I took the workshop with Rose Harden on creating character costumes. What was especially interesting about this workshop was seeing Rose's costume pieces up close and then I got to see them on stage later that night. It thoroughly helped me get the difference in look. There was one skirt in particular that I actually thought that it was a totally different skirt. Some strips of fabric looked, well, just like strips of fabric on a skirt, but they ended up looking like trims on stage. Her belts are extremely ornate. Anyway, I was in heaven to be able to fondle the pieces. Gave me lots of ideas. As if I needed more! lol One advice that she had was to keep clippings of things that we love. Doesn't have to be belly dance related at all. She showed us how some of those clippings were the inspiration for a certain costume. Super cool!
Friday afternoon, I had my private with Ariellah. We didn't dance much but that's fine b/c that wasn't what I needed. She gave me feedback on 2 videos. Funny thing is that I submitted just 'Snake' to her (the performance captured at Middle Eastern Mayhem) but she saw 'Zeina' in the bar on the right and looked at it too. So she gave me feedback on both. lol I was bummed that she only got to see those two as I've done much better work since then but, hey, the feedback that she told me still applies. ;) Anyway, I got lots of valuable info.
Kat and I had dinner at the restaurant next to our hotel yet again to make sure that we would be at the venue in time for the show.
The Friday night show was off the hook! Very high level of talent! Wow!
As part of the show, Onça from Merzmer Society did a piece without any music. It made some people uncomfortable, as it was bound to happen. The piece moved Kat and I tremendously. If you want to know what fine art belly dance is, that was it. She came in, all dressed in white, with a white scarf over her hair. She was walking with heavy steps. Then she picked up a rose from the stage and looked at it, smelled it, caressed her face with it. At one point she made us clap our hands for her and she did some belly dance movements. At one point, the clapping had ended and she was on the left of the stage and pulling some red strips of fabric from her bosom. She was seriously ill, coughing, great sadness. I think that she destroyed the rose after that, picking at the petals. But it's a little fuzzy now in my memory. And then she walked away.
Saturday morning, Kat and I took the workshop on pirate belly dance by Samantha Riggs titled Why is the Rum Always Gone? It was hilarious. We got to do non-proper, oh so improper, stuff. The combos were a great start for me. Some elements repeated in each of the combos and I understand that it greatly helped teaching the combos for Sam but I'm probably going to keep only like 1 or 2 of the combos... more importantly, it gave me the flavor for what it can be and gave me tons of ideas. :D
Kat and I had lunch at Esperanza, which was further away from the venue. The smell outside was exquisite and it's a bakery so we decided to try it. Well, the food was as exquisite as the smell. That place was more Mex than Tex. :p They made their own tortilla fresh there. Wow!
Saturday afternoon, I had a 30-minute massage. That was so wonderful!
Kat and I took Onça's Narrative Belly Dance class. OMG! That was so amazing! I gotta say that Kat and I think that Onça may be one of belly dance's best kept secret. She teaches so well! She made us do some silly exercises and a lot of not so silly ones. She made us work with some theather exercises that thoroughly helped. She also gave us some character archetypes to work on and gave us info on what types of things will help convey the character better both in terms of movement and attitude on stage. One thing that I really appreciated is that she kept reminding us through the exercises (particularly the archetypes) that we were belly dancers so that we needed to belly dance. I've taken other workshops on the topic and, generally, they say not to worry if it's belly dance and there are times when they said not to do belly dance at all. While it's a useful way of practicing and not get bugged down with the complexity of belly dance with the complexity of emoting, it's important to acknowledge our dance form at least at one point. ;) August graciously played music for us while we were dancing. I think that he had a blast watching us.
The Saturday night show was very good too! I think that the Friday show may have been a tad better but it's totally subjective. I may have been tired by that time too. lol Seriously, lots of talents in both shows.
On Sunday, I took the Ariellah workshop titled Drawing Down the Moon, which is about what makes us do what we do, how to understand how we function, where our emotions stem from, things like that. Very insightful. Probably the more insightful part was that I had been trying to pinpoint for a while what I really wanted to do with my art to give me focus and I got that answer in this workshop. There were yet more exercises to make us convey messages. Anyway, it's a good workshop.
I also had a private on hair styling with Rose Harden. That was money well spent! Now I need to go buy some stuff for my hair, though! lol
Overall, this weekend totally gave me what I came to get: workshops geared towards the artistry of belly dance (b/c that's where I'm at), great performances in the shows, meeting great people, and just plain having a good time.
Now, there were themes for the weekend:
- First off: 'squirrel.' That came from a movie where the dog is easily distracted by squirrels. Anyway, Kat and I kept saying that at each other. lol
- Secondly, 'Hello my baby! Hello my honey! Hello my ragtime gal!' I sometimes get stuck on one song and will sing it over and over again. Kat was subjected to this torture. Sorry, dear!
- Third, 'Opening your heart.' Both Ariellah and Onça said that in regards to being able to emote better on stage.
- Fourth, 'the idea stash.' Rose and Ariellah were talking about that: clipping magazine pics, noting down an idea of music, whatever, and putting that in a stash for future use when you need inspiration.
I thought that there was one more theme but I forget. Oh well.
One other thing that was great was meeting a ton of people. Some whom I had not seen in a long time (Tara, Nari, Trudi, Michelle), others that I had only known online (Obsidia, Kathleen Crowley, Rose Harden) and others that I had never met before! The list would be too long to write but it was great to hang with all of you! And, yes, Tempest, I'm still your people! :p I'll probably always be anyway. ;)
Oh and the last fabulous thing was the shopping. * swoon!* The vendors were Geisha Moth and Tempest (Owl Key Me [love the name and the play on words]), Ocean and his wife's fabulous idea of a top and skirt, Jeremiah and Rachel Soto, Salome's Suitcase, Five and Diamond, Akasha Wear, and Diva something (sorry I forgot the name). So, what did I purchase, eh? Well...
- A kick ass skirt by Christina (Black Lotus Clothing). It has some black beading and red roses. It's amazing!
- A burgundy leather belt with brass metal grommets and rings and stuff. It was 50% off from Five and Diamond. I've been wanting a belt in that style for like 2 years now. While I originally wanted black, the burgundy belt will be perfect to go over the top of the 'roses skirt.' :D
- Higher gauge earrings from Tawapa. I had been debating whether to stretch my ears further or not but they decided for me: they stretched already on their own and my current jewelry was too loose... so it was time.
- Barrettes from Rachel Soto/Blue Damsel. They're in an unusual color for me. I kept being drawn in by the red flower barrettes but wanted to get away from my usual color. Kat and Rachel helped me pick. So it's cream with a hint of red but, mostly, there's a blue button at the center that makes my eye color pop. :D
- Arm warmers by Christina/Black Lotus Clothing. I saw them and was attracted to the colors, although they're different for me... tried them on and fell in love with the comfort... and then I was smitten and needed to purchase them after Kat begged me to purchase them b/c I had been talking about them for a few hours (I'm only slightly exaggerating here).
- From Geisha Moth, I purchased a tube skirt with a lovely fleur de lys on the back and another design in the front (super duper cute) and a pair of cake capris that are grey strips of fabric over black. Hard to describe the capris...
As if that wasn't enough, I ended up winning in Geisha Moth's contest... TWICE!!!! The best part was that, the 2nd time, I won 100$ in merchandise!!!! Woohoo! So I ended up winning black and white snake armz with the first win and a black tube skirt with some ruffles (super duper cute), a black with white stripes tube skirt that matches one of my incognito tops, and a shruggie like this http://www.facebook.com/album.php?page=5&aid=115295&id=101129349421#/photo.php?pid=3158752&id=101129349421&fbid=190576659421
I would like to thank Tempest for being my stylist this weekend and helping me pick out stuff that fits me well. :D She has the eye and will tell you if it doesn't fit you well or if you don't look good in it. ;) I appreciate the honesty! She especially helped me pick out what to get with my fabulous 100$ win! Yeah!
My next level - Thursday, December 10, 2009
Well, I don’t quite know where to start on this blog… Should I start chronologically of the series of events or of how my thoughts came to me. I think that I’ll go with the latter.
Last night, I was reading my book on making choreographies. And that’s when the whole thing hit me.
I’ve been reluctant to read those types of books before. I don’t know. It didn’t feel right. More like I wasn’t sure that I was ‘worthy’ of them. Super silly, I know! But still… Actually, more accurately, it’s more like I wasn’t artist enough to be worthy of reading these books. That’s a silly thought that has been plaguing me for way too long. I see people around me who are so much more artistic than me and the comparison made me feel extremely inferior. I’ve been around too many naturally gifted people…
In an interesting twist on an old saying, I realized today that I’ve been following one of my favorite advice without realizing it (up until now, obviously): “Fake it ‘til you feel it!”
Last year, when I decided to go ahead and take the Golden Opportunity, part of the description by Ariellah was talking about taking your dance to the next level. That’s exactly what I wanted to do at the time… and I still think that it’s what I want now… I think that, at this point, ‘the next level’ is a moving target that is increasingly higher… and that’s fine… that’s what it’s supposed to be. But I digress… the point that I’m trying to make is that, at the time, ‘the next level’ was a very nebulous concept… it was definitely something that I was yearning for, craving for (and still do, btw… I’m not exactly at the level that I want to be… will I ever be? Digression again!) but I didn’t have the faintest idea of what it would be.
Pretty much, all of this year, I’ve been moving along on this ‘next level’… many workshops were striving for that… other workshops with Ariellah... the intensive with Mira Betz… the weekend with Rachel Brice…
Technically, I’m much better than I was last year (and I wasn’t bad to begin with). My body is stronger despite a little set back when I re-injured my ankle (it’s doing mighty fine now, thankfully). My choreographies and performances are improving quite a bit. There is still a struggle around showing emotions on stage but it’s always improving so I’m hoping that time will do its magic (along with some self-help , of course) and it will solve itself on its own.
I also started teaching a performance practicum class to some of my students. When Kat approached me with the idea, I thought that it was ludicrous. I didn’t think that I had earned enough stripes nor that I was high level enough to teach anyone about performing, especially since I’m still struggling myself. But she was the voice of reason and made me realize that I do have a lot of experience and information to share and that, while it’s not perfect and I’m still a work in progress (and will always be, of course), I do have plenty to offer. And, yes, mostly what I teach is stuff that I wish someone would have told me… but some of that needs to be experienced.
All that hesitancy aside, I learned so much about my own vision of things and my own thought process by having to explain it to someone else, that it was a great learning experience for me too! It thoroughly highlighted where I’m at and, since I know where I started from, how much I’ve improved.
Yet a piece was missing…
And reading that simple little paragraph in that choreography book and looking back at my whole attitude on everything recently has made me realized that I’m finally feeling it… What is ‘it’? I’m finally taking myself seriously as a professional dance artist whose focus is on belly dance. I prefer to voice it that way and it’s a whole topic for another blog as to why that way and not just ‘professional belly dancer.’ (And note to self: I fully understand that my vision on this may change in the future. Ha!)
Interestingly, others have taken me more seriously than I had… it’s VERY typical of me. It would be a long story as to how it always happens but let’s just leave it at that. Everyone but me has taken myself seriously… my tribe sisters first… my students… Jeff always has… heck, even Tempest and Ariellah have taken me more seriously than I have!
I’ve faked it… and faked it… I’ve done the exercise like Stuart Smalley of telling myself repeatedly personal affirmation. Trying not to giggle was a struggle at first.
What has helped the most, I think, is Ariellah’s advice to just dance. She was damn right, of course. But, seriously, I’m obviously an overthinker and someone who internalizes things. She told me to stop worrying about that and just dance. So whenever I feel an artistic angst come on (as in “I’m not artist enough”), I dance. Whenever I question something, I dance. If I’m at work and can’t dance in my cube, I’ll put on some music and lose myself in it. And I don’t judge the dancing. It’s just dancing for the sake of dancing. It’s impressively helpful. Interesting stuff has come out. I remembered some good old stuff that I used to do in modern dancing. There’s a lyrical quality that is coming out that wasn’t there before. I’ve noticed lately that my posture is getting extremely good and that my upper body and lower body are VERY separated (that's also thanks to pilates).
Instead of words for certain moves, it’s sounds or just movements that pop in my head. My yoga mentor would say that it’s a refinement of ‘thoughts.’ And it is.
I’ve also realized a few minutes ago what Jennifer Rose (who has always had so many helpful tips) was meaning when she said that it was like I just needed to push through a certain door, plateau, barrier, call it whatever, and I would realize what I wanted to… and I think that it’s it: I just needed to believe that I AM an artist and that I’m real serious about it.
I’ve always been serious about my dance… but not so much about being an artist... that was a foolish notion. And therein lies my next level. And I’m not faking anymore… I’m feelin’ it!
Posted by Celeste at 5:21 PM 1 comments:
Raqdoll said...
Celeste - you're totally good enough, smart enough and doggonit, people DO like you :-)
Last night, I was reading my book on making choreographies. And that’s when the whole thing hit me.
I’ve been reluctant to read those types of books before. I don’t know. It didn’t feel right. More like I wasn’t sure that I was ‘worthy’ of them. Super silly, I know! But still… Actually, more accurately, it’s more like I wasn’t artist enough to be worthy of reading these books. That’s a silly thought that has been plaguing me for way too long. I see people around me who are so much more artistic than me and the comparison made me feel extremely inferior. I’ve been around too many naturally gifted people…
In an interesting twist on an old saying, I realized today that I’ve been following one of my favorite advice without realizing it (up until now, obviously): “Fake it ‘til you feel it!”
Last year, when I decided to go ahead and take the Golden Opportunity, part of the description by Ariellah was talking about taking your dance to the next level. That’s exactly what I wanted to do at the time… and I still think that it’s what I want now… I think that, at this point, ‘the next level’ is a moving target that is increasingly higher… and that’s fine… that’s what it’s supposed to be. But I digress… the point that I’m trying to make is that, at the time, ‘the next level’ was a very nebulous concept… it was definitely something that I was yearning for, craving for (and still do, btw… I’m not exactly at the level that I want to be… will I ever be? Digression again!) but I didn’t have the faintest idea of what it would be.
Pretty much, all of this year, I’ve been moving along on this ‘next level’… many workshops were striving for that… other workshops with Ariellah... the intensive with Mira Betz… the weekend with Rachel Brice…
Technically, I’m much better than I was last year (and I wasn’t bad to begin with). My body is stronger despite a little set back when I re-injured my ankle (it’s doing mighty fine now, thankfully). My choreographies and performances are improving quite a bit. There is still a struggle around showing emotions on stage but it’s always improving so I’m hoping that time will do its magic (along with some self-help , of course) and it will solve itself on its own.
I also started teaching a performance practicum class to some of my students. When Kat approached me with the idea, I thought that it was ludicrous. I didn’t think that I had earned enough stripes nor that I was high level enough to teach anyone about performing, especially since I’m still struggling myself. But she was the voice of reason and made me realize that I do have a lot of experience and information to share and that, while it’s not perfect and I’m still a work in progress (and will always be, of course), I do have plenty to offer. And, yes, mostly what I teach is stuff that I wish someone would have told me… but some of that needs to be experienced.
All that hesitancy aside, I learned so much about my own vision of things and my own thought process by having to explain it to someone else, that it was a great learning experience for me too! It thoroughly highlighted where I’m at and, since I know where I started from, how much I’ve improved.
Yet a piece was missing…
And reading that simple little paragraph in that choreography book and looking back at my whole attitude on everything recently has made me realized that I’m finally feeling it… What is ‘it’? I’m finally taking myself seriously as a professional dance artist whose focus is on belly dance. I prefer to voice it that way and it’s a whole topic for another blog as to why that way and not just ‘professional belly dancer.’ (And note to self: I fully understand that my vision on this may change in the future. Ha!)
Interestingly, others have taken me more seriously than I had… it’s VERY typical of me. It would be a long story as to how it always happens but let’s just leave it at that. Everyone but me has taken myself seriously… my tribe sisters first… my students… Jeff always has… heck, even Tempest and Ariellah have taken me more seriously than I have!
I’ve faked it… and faked it… I’ve done the exercise like Stuart Smalley of telling myself repeatedly personal affirmation. Trying not to giggle was a struggle at first.
What has helped the most, I think, is Ariellah’s advice to just dance. She was damn right, of course. But, seriously, I’m obviously an overthinker and someone who internalizes things. She told me to stop worrying about that and just dance. So whenever I feel an artistic angst come on (as in “I’m not artist enough”), I dance. Whenever I question something, I dance. If I’m at work and can’t dance in my cube, I’ll put on some music and lose myself in it. And I don’t judge the dancing. It’s just dancing for the sake of dancing. It’s impressively helpful. Interesting stuff has come out. I remembered some good old stuff that I used to do in modern dancing. There’s a lyrical quality that is coming out that wasn’t there before. I’ve noticed lately that my posture is getting extremely good and that my upper body and lower body are VERY separated (that's also thanks to pilates).
Instead of words for certain moves, it’s sounds or just movements that pop in my head. My yoga mentor would say that it’s a refinement of ‘thoughts.’ And it is.
I’ve also realized a few minutes ago what Jennifer Rose (who has always had so many helpful tips) was meaning when she said that it was like I just needed to push through a certain door, plateau, barrier, call it whatever, and I would realize what I wanted to… and I think that it’s it: I just needed to believe that I AM an artist and that I’m real serious about it.
I’ve always been serious about my dance… but not so much about being an artist... that was a foolish notion. And therein lies my next level. And I’m not faking anymore… I’m feelin’ it!
Posted by Celeste at 5:21 PM 1 comments:
Raqdoll said...
Celeste - you're totally good enough, smart enough and doggonit, people DO like you :-)
Year-end belly dance recap - Friday, November 20, 2009
Well, today is my PM at work so, as I do every year, I'll also do a PM of my belly dance stuff... let's hope that I don't forget anything...
Workshops
- Ariellah in St. Louis
- Deb Rubin in Chicago
- Jennifer Rose in Columbus
- Tempest in Bloomington IN for Durga Tour
- Asharah in Bloomington IN for Durga Tour
- Zahara at Gothalyptic
- Taletha at Gothalyptic
- Ariellah at Gothalyptic (including a private lesson)
- Mira Betz intensive in Lexington
- Sadie in Chicago
- Faten Munger at Belly Boo Bash
- Leila Gamal at Belly Boo Bash
- Rachel Brice in Lexington
- Mardi Love in Louisville
- Deb Rubin in Indy (brought by us)
That's an interesting list! lol
Performances
- Bleeding Hearts Ball in St. Louis (Ariellah workshop)
- Sahira show hosted by Carenza
- Bottoms UP Burlesque Spring show (belly dancing burlesque style)
- Gothalyptic
- Middle Eastern Mayhem
- Hafla Luna
- Belly Boo Bash
- Ooky Spooky Halloween show
- Haflaween
- Unos Bailes Por Dia de Los Muertos (Rachel Brice show in Lexington)
- Va Va Voyeur (burlesque)
From the class side of things, I've added the 'Performance Practicum' classes on Wednesdays. I think that my students do enjoy that.
I've also been dancing at Greek Islands at least once a month... except for September when I had to bow out due to a H1N1 scare.
Oh and I shouldn't forget that I had a my very own personal photoshoot with Indy. I loooooove those pics! I will commission him some new ones soon as I have a some costume ideas that I want to have captured. ;) I have also a ton of great performance pics by other talented photographers as well! :D
Not a bad year, eh?
I already have 3rd Coast Tribal lined up... and maybe Tribal Fest (still a bit on the fence about it; mostly because of not having an infinite amount of money).
Normally, I take a few paragraphs to ponder on the past year and what's yet to come. I don't quite feel like pondering today. ;)
Workshops
- Ariellah in St. Louis
- Deb Rubin in Chicago
- Jennifer Rose in Columbus
- Tempest in Bloomington IN for Durga Tour
- Asharah in Bloomington IN for Durga Tour
- Zahara at Gothalyptic
- Taletha at Gothalyptic
- Ariellah at Gothalyptic (including a private lesson)
- Mira Betz intensive in Lexington
- Sadie in Chicago
- Faten Munger at Belly Boo Bash
- Leila Gamal at Belly Boo Bash
- Rachel Brice in Lexington
- Mardi Love in Louisville
- Deb Rubin in Indy (brought by us)
That's an interesting list! lol
Performances
- Bleeding Hearts Ball in St. Louis (Ariellah workshop)
- Sahira show hosted by Carenza
- Bottoms UP Burlesque Spring show (belly dancing burlesque style)
- Gothalyptic
- Middle Eastern Mayhem
- Hafla Luna
- Belly Boo Bash
- Ooky Spooky Halloween show
- Haflaween
- Unos Bailes Por Dia de Los Muertos (Rachel Brice show in Lexington)
- Va Va Voyeur (burlesque)
From the class side of things, I've added the 'Performance Practicum' classes on Wednesdays. I think that my students do enjoy that.
I've also been dancing at Greek Islands at least once a month... except for September when I had to bow out due to a H1N1 scare.
Oh and I shouldn't forget that I had a my very own personal photoshoot with Indy. I loooooove those pics! I will commission him some new ones soon as I have a some costume ideas that I want to have captured. ;) I have also a ton of great performance pics by other talented photographers as well! :D
Not a bad year, eh?
I already have 3rd Coast Tribal lined up... and maybe Tribal Fest (still a bit on the fence about it; mostly because of not having an infinite amount of money).
Normally, I take a few paragraphs to ponder on the past year and what's yet to come. I don't quite feel like pondering today. ;)
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