"Belly Dance Reflections -Articles By Leyla"

Practice Makes Perfect

The hardest part about belly dancing is knowing where to start on a daily regimen for training and practice. There are different areas to focus on and most women don't know that each area should be worked on equally.

Originally published in the July 2010 edition of "The Chronicles" magazine

Learning to Howl Like a Wolf

Nearby Albuquerque is a  Wolf Sanctuary, called Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary which provides Wolf Rescue and Sanctuary to captive bred wolves taken as pets and since I am always on the lookout for new photo shoot venues, and decided to contact Leyton Cougar the managing director who was more then happy sponsor a photo shoot day at the sanctuary. This article is about the day at the Wolf Sanctuary shooting photos with the wolves.

On Line Video Fact and Fiction

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 Image

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 19^th Century paintings of various scenes of women dancing, the look of the belly dancer is quite refined. . More

The Teacher Student Dance

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

Weighing in on my Belly Dance Image

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

I Have (Belly Dance) Style...I Think?...

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

The (Belly Dance) Certification Question

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

The New Renaissance in Belly Dance

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

Keeping Your Self Identity in Belly Dance

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 at its Best and Worst

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

YouTubing Myself Under The Covers

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

(Belly Dance) Stage Fright

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

The Importance of Photography In Belly Dance

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

A Belly Dance Road Trip

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

Belly Dance and the Goddess

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

When Can A Belly Dancer Use The Term Superstar

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

Teaching Philosophy (The Chronicles March 2007)

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

Restaurant Stage and Night Club Performing

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

Belly Dance Your Way To Happiness

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  

Belly Dance Bloopers

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

Belly Dance Burnout

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