On
line video is truly going to ( and actually is) revolutionizing the way that
Belly Dance (and in fact all) instruction is going to be delivered and consumed.
This is the issue for the April 2009 issue of the Chronicles Magazine....Read
the article.
Time is the
Only Critic Without Ambition
I am fortunate and honored to
have been featured in the January 2009 edition
of "The Chronicles" Are we dancers, or are we
entertainers? This question has plagued me for
years and I'd like to share my thoughts on the
subject with you.
More.....
Belly Dance and The Feminine
I mage
History shows
us through paintings that the veil came to symbolize the untouchable and
tantalizing appeal of women in the Middle East. To show just a little part of
the body was alluring enough to cause men to pine for women’s affection.
If we look at 19th Century paintings of various scenes of women
dancing, the look of the belly dancer is quite refined. .More
Today I was looking in the mirror and looking
back at me was a disgruntled me. I was looking at my image and what I didn’t
like. All I saw was what I wanted to change...More
Today I talked to a
wonderful dancer in Texas and we discussed a topic that comes up quite often
amongst belly dancers. It kind of sneaks up and shows itself in conversation
because for most dancers it is a very important part of their persona; style.....More
Many years ago when I was
just starting out in belly dance, I can remember certain dancers telling me to
get out of belly dance because I wasn't any good. You have to wonder why dancers
who themselves have goals and aspirations would want to diminish mine. But the
reality of our dance world can be shocking to a novice and a cautious endeavor
to a veteran.
More
Our dance is changing and there's nothing we can
do about it. Whether it changes the way you like it or not we have to go with
the flow and change with it. Sometimes when I see the changes I want to scream
and yell, "What was wrong with the old ways"? But there are new dancers who
bring with them a new sense of style and a new modern vision of how they want
belly dance to be. ...More
Many years ago I went to a workshop with one of
my teachers and was told I danced just like her. Well, you would have thought
that I won the lottery because I was so thrilled that someone thought I danced
like one of my teachers. As a beginner student my identity was influenced
and molded by the styles and methods of a multitude teachers.
....More
Restaurant dancing is such an art not just
because we dance in close proximity to customers but because we have to
understand people psychology. There have been evenings when I performed that I
was on cloud nine. And there were evenings where I wondered what rock people
crawled out from under...More
One morning I got up from bed sleepily went over
to my computer to check my emails and there it was an email saying I have a
“comment” on one of my videos on You tube. My heart palpitated, my hands
got clammy and my eyes went cross-eyed for a minute. You guessed it; I
jumped back into bed under the covers!..More
There
are moments when I watch my student’s
dance that I get goose bumps and chills
up my spine. And I’m in amazement of
their creative “natural state of being".
As a teacher the ability to ‘teach’
another dancer is a position
that I don’t take lightly. It is an
honor....More
Can you remember the first time you ever saw
belly dancing? Oh, I can and with my six year old eyes and mind I knew that this
dance would definitely change my life forever. It took me awhile but by my early
twenties I was starting on my path towards becoming a belly dancer...More
What kinds of photographs draw you into a
website or photo gallery?As a website owner I have come to realize that change and updating are
essential to good traffic. So photographs are a major investment for me
because there are so many things I can do with them. But how many dancers
understand this investment and address the issue of spending money on
photographs as necessary?
...More
Traveling and
belly dancing seem to go hand in hand. Can you
imagine the gypsies when they traveled, dancing
and playing music for the local villages as they
passed by? I think all belly dancers have that
bit of gypsy in them. If we could, we would all
have our little gypsy wagons. I had mine years
ago. I was able to hook it up to my truck or
hook it up to my horses.
...More
When
we dance at any given time, do we feel the
divine? Is it a feeling of complete submission
or is it a feeling of out of control dominance?
There were a few moments in my lifetime when I
danced that I felt something incredible
happened....More
Tonight I was
reading up on the one of the many belly dance
yahoo groups and came across a very interesting
topic. The topic was“ when is it ok for a belly
dancer to use the word Superstar to advertise
their shows.” A group of dancers used this title
in one of their flyers and a couple dancers
nailed their butts for using this term.
..More
Throughout
the years of teaching I have found that
philosophy is the glue that holds our Four
Cornerstones of belly
dancing together. In class I teach my
students that they must be aware of how to
center themselves for their journey in our
dance. I have found that when we forget who
we are, the world around us affects our
creativity and begins to pull us either in
different directions or in a direction we
didn’t intend to go....More
As a teacher for
over 15 years, it occurred to me one day that
most dancers don’t know the difference in what
it takes to perform in different venues. This is
only because it takes practice and the chance to
perform at as many venues as possible...More
When I was six
years old, I saw
belly dancers on
TV and knew that
some day I would
be twirling and
dancing just
like them.
At that age I
didn’t know how
or why but my
soul knew my
life was forever
changed that
day...More
What can I say? If it could happen, it did
happen to me!
Just about every dancer out there has a blooper
story to tell. Bloopers are almost like a right
of passage and there are a lot of us out there
that are seasoned!More
Much thought has
gone into this article regarding belly dance
burn out. For most dancers who are just starting
out working in restaurants and nightclubs, it is
hard to fathom ever getting to a point where you
find yourself sitting on the side of the bed
trying to talk yourself into getting ready for
another show, but in reality it happens and the
amazing thing about it is that it isn’t like a
virus that just hits you and you can get over
it...More
