The view through Huraiva's veil

Mayas with a roll up

2012-01-27T08:20:00.001-06:00

For today’s challenge we are going to reverse last week’s layers and combine down to up undulations with up to down figure 8s (also called Mayas). First make sure you are familiar with both movements, if you are its time to mix things up.

Start by doing a Maya on the right hip, after you center, roll up to a chest lift, then do the left half of the Maya and roll up again. Keep repeating the move, alternating between the right hip and the left hip for your Maya.

Try adding a shoulder shimmy the whole thing, then a hip lift shimmy to the whole thing. If both shimmies work for you, you can switch it up by doing the shoulder shimmy on the down to up undulation and the hip lift shimmy on the Maya halves.

Drilling the ¾ shimmy

2012-01-27T08:13:00.000-06:00

No matter which version of the ¾ shimmy you are working on learning, this is a drill that should help. If you take classes from me we do a version of this drill every week of intermediate.

Since the hardest part of doing a ¾ shimmy is speeding it up to tempo, the easiest way to work on that is to use a song that slowly gets faster. I have two that I use in class, the first is Fellahin / Karachi / Ayoubby David Macejka. At about 33 seconds in to the song it gets very slow and speeds up for the rest of the song. Step on every beat and make sure you get all three articulations of your shimmy in during 3/4s of the beat with a pause on the last quarter beat. The other song I like to use is Zar Dance (Ayyub 2/4) by Solace. This song starts slow, speeds up then slows back down to speed up again twice. This allows you to regain your ¾ timing if you have lost it while speeding up the movement. At the end of Zar Dance the music is faster than it is at the end of the first song mentioned. Ideally you would work with both of them.

If you prefer a simple beat to follow you can download a click track series like Simple Click Tracks Vol. 1, 50-150 Bpm Subdivided (mp3 Metronome) instead. A click track series has 10 minutes of essentially a metronome sound at various beats per minute. Start with the slowest one and when you are starting to feel comfortable with it, advance to the next track (preferably with a remote so you don’t stop your motion). If you like the click track idea but don’t want to mess with having to manually advance the speed, you can use a program like audacity (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/) to splice the various click tracks together making sure you use full measures for each speed so you do the same number of steps on each foot.

Hurdle stretch

2012-01-25T09:47:00.002-06:00

This is one of my absolute favorite stretches. I could hang out in it for a really long time. If you are in my workout class, intermediate class or advanced class you have probably done this one with me. This stretch concentrates on the hamstring, but will also stretch your low back (which is the part I like).

Sit with your legs out making a V. Bring one foot in to your groin so you have one leg strait and one leg bent. First rotate your upper body and stretch over the extended leg with the same side arm. You can grab your knee, calf, ankle or foot, bring the opposite hand to the knee and hold. When you feel like you are ready to move on, sit back up and then lean forward with a straight back, hinging at the hips between the strait leg and the bent leg. Place each hand on the same side leg. Come up and rotate over the bent knee and stretch forward keeping your sit bones one the floor. Repeat the whole series on the other side.

Adding Zils to Monday's Combo

2012-01-25T09:31:00.004-06:00

I wrote this and then forgot to post it yesterday.... ooops :)

For today’s zil pattern we will add zils to yesterday’s combo. The combo was:

8 counts grapevine to right ending in hip drop
8 counts (4 circles) unweighted bicycle hip on right hip starting down and going back first
8 counts grapevine to left ending in hip drop
8 counts (4 circles) unweighted bicycle hip on left hip starting down and going back first

The zils will be 3s ending in a single on the grapevine and 7s on the bicycle hip circles, so you will get:

e&a1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a5e&a6e&a7e&a8e&a
RLR RLR RLR RLR RLR RLR RLR   R

e&a1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a5e&a6e&a7e&a8e&a
   RLRLRLR RLRLRLR RLRLRLR RLRLRLR

e&a1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a5e&a6e&a7e&a8e&a
RLR RLR RLR RLR RLR RLR RLR   R

e&a1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a5e&a6e&a7e&a8e&a
   RLRLRLR RLRLRLR RLRLRLR RLRLRLR

Altogether you will have:
8 counts grapevine to right ending in hip drop (3,3,3,3,3,3,3,1)
8 counts (4 circles) unweighted bicycle hip on right hip starting down and going back first (7,7,7,7)
8 counts grapevine to left ending in hip drop (3,3,3,3,3,3,3,1)
8 counts (4 circles) unweighted bicycle hip on left hip starting down and going back first (7,7,7,7)

Combination with Grapevine and Bicycle hips

2012-01-23T09:50:00.000-06:00

Today’s combo will use grapevines and unweighted bicycle hips.

8 counts grapevine to right ending in hip drop
8 counts (4 circles) unweighted bicycle hip on right hip starting down and going back first
8 counts grapevine to left ending in hip drop
8 counts (4 circles) unweighted bicycle hip on left hip starting down and going back first

Of course you can reverse the bicycle hips and the combo becomes:

8 counts grapevine to right ending in hip drop
8 counts (4 circles) unweighted bicycle hip on right hip starting down and going forward first
8 counts grapevine to left ending in hip drop
8 counts (4 circles) unweighted bicycle hip on left hip starting down and going forward first

You can do both directions to Haboussou by Hakim or if you prefer a different song for each direction of bicycle hip, you can try the second direction to Inta Omri (DJ Mix) by Elie Attieh.

What to Keep in Your Dance Bag

2012-01-22T16:08:00.002-06:00

Beginners should have a fairly light load. They just need their notebook, a pen or pencil and hip scarf as the bare essentials. To that I recommend adding a bottle of water, a small (hand) towel and some form of high energy snack in case you need to recharge.

Intermediate students should have all of the above and add a rectangular veil, small half circular veil and finger cymbals. Obviously if we aren’t working on the session for a particular veil you could leave it at home. But generally speaking veils don’t weigh much and I usually find it easier to have them with me and know where they are than to have to hunt one down when I need it. If we are doing the skirt or cane session then you would add that prop to your bag, but I wouldn’t carry either of them every week.

Advanced ladies should have everything the beginner and intermediate students have along with a large half circular veil. Other props you might have in your bag are tambourine, skirt, cane, feather fans, fanveils and sword, but you don’t necessarily need to carry all of them all the time.

For attending a workshop, I never attend with less than my notebook, a pen or pencil, non-coin hip scarf, a rectangular veil, small and large half circular veil, finger cymbals, a bottle of water, a small (hand) towel and some form of high energy snack.

Review of Jareeda

2012-01-21T11:59:00.002-06:00

There are many belly dance trade magazines out there, Jareeda is the very first one I subscribed to. Jareeda just celebrated its 30^th year in print, so it has been around a while. I stopped subscribing as they were having some publication problems a couple years ago, but re-subscribed in December when they were having a special rate. My first issue arrived early this month and I’m almost through reading it. The articles are written by belly dancers around the world and they cover a lot of topics. Some of the issues are based around a theme, this one is on troupes. I am pleased to say that the articles are longer than I remember and the magazine is back to almost 50 pages like it was when I first subscribed. (At the time I stopped subscribing it was down to around 30.)

Jareeda is printed on light weight magazine stock and while the cover is color as well a few pages front and back, most of it is in black and white. There are a number of ads sprinkled throughout the magazine, all for belly dance related products. The magazine also includes a teacher directory, though it is by no means all inclusive. In addition to the articles submitted by dancers, there are several regular contributors that write on various topics, including food and troupes. I do think it is a good magazine and I’m glad it has returned to what it was when I first started subscribing. If you are interested in subscribing you can do so at the following link. http://www.jareeda.com/

More mixed up 8s

2012-01-20T14:14:00.000-06:00

For today’s challenge we are going to combine up to down undulations with down to up figure 8s (also called upward 8s). First make sure you are familiar with both movements, if you are its time to mix things up.

Start by doing an up to down undulation, when you reach the bottom do the right half of an upward 8. Do another up to down undulation followed by the left half of the upward 8. Keep repeating the move alternating between the right and left halves of the upward 8.

Try adding a shoulder shimmy the whole thing, then a hip lift shimmy to the whole thing. If both shimmies work for you, you can switch it up by doing the shoulder shimmy on the up to down undulation and the hip lift shimmy on the upward 8 halves.

Hip Twist Shimmy with Weight Change

2012-01-19T13:47:00.000-06:00

Before you start on this shimmy drill make sure you can perform a hip twist shimmy without moving your knees. One way to work on that is to work on your hip twist shimmy while kneeling on the ground. Remember the hip twist shimmy is driven by the internal oblique muscles not the legs. Once you can do the hip twist shimmy while kneeling, try it while standing with your thighs and knees together and your feet as close as you can comfortably stand. If you can still do the shimmy without moving your legs you can try the shimmy in the wider stance of normal dance posture (feet hips width apart).

From here, this exercise is the same as the hip lift shimmy drill from two weeks ago and the Egyptian shimmy drill from last week. While standing in dance posture, start your hip twist shimmy. Next shift all your weight to one foot, extending the other foot into a shallow lunge position. Keep the shimmy even on both sides even though the weight is all on one side. Stay in the lunge for 8 or 16 counts. Shift back to center for 8 (or 16) counts, then lunge the other way and keep the shimmy even for an additional 8 (or 16) counts. Keep practicing throughout the song. I recommend trying this to Istanboogie

Cobra Pose

2012-01-18T15:55:00.000-06:00

If you liked sphinx pose from last week, cobra pose will take it just a little bit deeper.

Lie on your stomach with your feet together straight out behind you, put your hands directly beneath your shoulders with your elbows next to your body and push down straightening your arms and lifting up your head and chest off the floor. (You may not straighten your arms all the way, only go as far as is comfortable.) Engage your low abs and press your legs and the tops of your feet into the ground gently. Hold and then release by slowly lowering yourself back to the ground.

Let's play 7s

2012-01-17T14:24:00.000-06:00

Here are two ways to play the zil pattern 7s. The first is the method I teach in intermediate:

7s
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RLRLRLR RLRLRLR RLRLRLR RLRLRLR

The second pattern is known as left handed sevens and though it still uses four strikes with the right hand and three with the left, the pattern of the strikes is different which gives it a slightly different sound.

Left handed 7s
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LRRLRRL LRRLRRL LRRLRRL LRRLRRL

As always on finger cymbal patterns, if you are reading this via email, you will need to visit the blog by clicking the title link in order to see the patterns properly lined up with the counts.

Grapevine Drop Kick Combo

2012-01-16T09:04:00.000-06:00

I like to combine grapevines with single hip work, so that is what we are going to be doing for today’s combo. You can substitute 8 hip drops for the 4 drop kicks if you are unfamiliar with the drop kick.

8 counts grapevine R ending in a touch with the right foot presenting the right hip
8 counts (4 sets) drop kick on the R hip
8 counts grapevine L ending in a touch with the left foot presenting the left hip
8 counts (4 sets) drop kick on the L hip

Make sure you are using appropriate arm frames, for example second on the grape vine and S arms on the drop kick. Try this combo to Dudu by Tarkan.

When something needs drilled

2012-01-15T16:11:00.000-06:00

When you first learn a new dance move or combination, the best way to get that move into your muscle memory and add it to your repertoire is consistently drilling it. On the other hand, if you keep working on the move or combination past the point of frustration it is likely to become something you hate and you might even develop a mental block against it, making it even more difficult for you to master the movement later on.

My solution to this is to set a time limit for drilling new moves. I like five minutes, but if you reach your frustration point faster than that you can go with two or three minutes. If you have more patience then me, you can go longer than five minutes, just don’t go past the ten minute mark as you will start to develop muscle fatigue and could cause a repetitive stress injury. Once you have decided how long you will drill your new movement pick a song that is the right tempo and either the right length or choose one that is longer than you intend to practice and set a timer for your self-imposed time limit. Drill your move until your time is up, then move on to something else. Ideally, you would drill your new move for your designated time once a day.

Tribal Renaissance Review

2012-01-14T21:09:00.000-06:00

Tribal Renaissance includes 12 performances most of them by well known dancers (there were four I didn’t recognize). Most of the songs used are by an artist known as Mosavo. Considering that only four of the songs are by other artists, I feel the DVD should have been limited to songs by Mosavo as a common theme and included other performances and then used the four that don’t use Mosavo songs for a different DVD. In general the cinematography and lighting are good on this DVD though there are sections that seem dark where it is hard to see the dancer and other places where you wonder why the camera man felt it necessary to focus on a body part that didn’t seem to be where the action was. In general I enjoyed all the performances. Below are my thoughts about the individual dancers and their numbers.

Zoe Jakes – Welcome Ceremony by Mosavo from Sensual Goddess- This is one of only a very few tribal fusion performances I have seen where the dancer uses finger cymbals. ATS dancers do it all the time, ITS and cabaret dancers do it some of the time, but tribal fusion dancers seem to not use cymbals much so it was a very nice surprise to have a tribal fusion piece with cymbals.

Susan Frankovich – Across the Bosphorus by Mosavo from Serpent’s Garden – this was an interesting, mostly slow piece that included some of the hand gestures often associated with Turkish Rom dancing.

Frederique – Drum Seduction by Mosava from Serpent’s Garden – While the costume chosen was interesting, it didn’t seem to match the music. The music had a very traditional drum solo sound and the costume looked like it came out of the 1920s gangster movie. I also found many of the dance movements to be so small and subtle as to be almost invisible to the audience. It is possible that is Frederique’s dance style as while I’m familiar with her name I have not seen other performances by her.

Princess Farhana – Lonely Star by the Sea by Mosavo from Serpent’s Garden – I do not normally think of Princess Farhana as a tribal fusion dancer, I usually associate her with cabaret so it was interesting to see her listed. She performed a sword dance to a song I usually consider a veil number and made it work. I will say the most tribal fusion thing about her performance was her costume. Change the costume and put the choreography in a cabaret show and it would fit right in.

Ava Fleming – Uncovered Ecstasy by Mosavo from Sensual Goddess – Ava Fleming is another dancer I usually associate with the cabaret world of belly dance but here she does a lovely tribal fusion number. Her costuming is what I would consider tribaret, mixing sea shells and old coins with glass beads and paillettes. She uses her amazing torso manipulation skills to give the audience what I consider the classic tribal fusion style of dancing, lots of pops and locks using interesting body lines and half the time you are asking –how the heck did she do that?

Mira Betz – Rumi's Passion by Mosavo from Serpent’s Garden – If you have never seen spinning (dervish) done, I would get this DVD just for this performance alone. I would usually consider this style of number a folkloric piece and not a tribal fusion number. Mira Betz’s spinning is beautiful and amazing to watch.

The Nekyia – Pure Catnip by Drumspyder – The only troupe on this DVD performed in costumes that seemed more appropriate to a burlesque show than a belly dance show. However, most of the dance moves were more tribal fusion than burlesque (I remember two exceptions). This number was interesting in that in addition to the prerecorded music, they also had a live drummer adding tabla sounds to their dance track. An interesting number, but one that taken out of context could be used as fuel by those who claim belly dance is not that different from stripping.

Elizabeth Strong – Istanbul Cingene by Ibrahim Kazo from Istanbul Night – I have seen Elizabeth Strong on other DVDs and usually am less than impressed. I’m pleased to say I really enjoyed her piece this time round. She uses Turkish Rom dance steps and gestures to create a lovely number that was fun to watch.

Sashi – Black Bedouin by Knossos from Dark Light in the Wake of Silence – This number was what I would consider classic tribal fusion. From the music which fused techno beat with classical instruments to the costume which had the “tribal fusion look”. The dancing was also what I would consider classic tribal fusion, a mix of ATS style steps with classic cabaret. This is how I remember tribal fusion before it got mixed with hip hop and break dancing and developed all the sharp, small pops and locks.

Jill Parker – Lamma Bada (Syrian Muwashanat) by Mosavo from Desert Passage – Though the music is something I could see being danced either cabaret or tribal fusion (or ATS slow for that matter) this is another number that I would consider to be classic tribal fusion. The costume is more minimalist than in the number by Sashi and has the more modern look of tribal fusion, but the movements are classic tribal fusion.

Kami Liddle – Drum Roots (Table Rhythm Variation) by Mosavo from Desert Passage – this was a lovely tribal fusion drum solo preceded by a short mizmar taxseem. Very fun to watch

Monica “Dangerpants” Fernandez – Sekmetron by Maduro from Shimmer Sustain – This piece was what I would consider modern tribal fusion from the music to the costume to the dance style.

Mix Up Your 8s

2012-01-13T10:12:00.000-06:00

Today we are going to mix up our 8s to get an 8 that has one loop twisted a quarter turn. Let’s start with a Maya (up to down figure 8) on the right hip and a front to back horizontal 8 (no ice cream) on the left hip. Once you have your body convinced it can do 8s on different plans on different hips, change your stance so you have all the weight on our left foot and the right foot is on the ball, keep doing the two half 8s in the two different planes. Next, switch so the weight is on your right foot and the left foot is on the ball and keep doing your two half 8s. Finally add a shimmy and do all three stances (weight evenly distributed, weight on the left, weight on the right).

Don’t forget to try the whole exercise with the half Maya on the left and the half horizontal 8 on the right too.

Egyptian Shimmy with Weight Change

2012-01-12T13:51:00.000-06:00

This week’s shimmy drill is the same exercise as last week’s except this time we are going to use the Egyptian (straight leg) shimmy. For the Egyptian shimmy version of this exercise, the shimmy will NOT be even when you switch to all the weight on one leg. The Egyptian shimmy is driven by the motion of the knees. So when you take the weight off one leg, that leg is no longer helping to create the shimmy making it larger on one side. Practice the weight shifting to one side, center, other side by using the same 8 or 16 count series as mentioned last week for the hip lift shimmy. If you need to review the last weeks post, here is a link that will take you directly to it http://huraivaalimah.blogspot.com/2012/01/hip-lift-shimmy-with-weight-change.html Have fun with your shimmy drill!

Sphinx Pose

2012-01-11T14:16:00.002-06:00

This is a nice one to hang out in for a while. You may even remember coloring all day in this pose when you were little!

Lie on your stomach, lift up your head and chest and bring your elbows to directly beneath your shoulders with your forearms resting on the ground straight forward from your elbows. Engage your low abs and press your legs and the tops of your feet into the ground gently. What a nice gentle back bend.

More zil patterns using 5s

2012-01-10T20:48:00.002-06:00

Here are two more patterns that combine 5s with other zil patterns to create a new, longer pattern:

355 uses 3s and the running 5s discussed two weeks ago

355

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RLR RLRLR RLRLR RLR RLRLR RLRLR

This last pattern creates a new series of zil strikes that is four counts long.

3513

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RLR RLRLR R RLR RLR RLRLR R RLR

A square workout combo

2012-01-09T15:55:00.000-06:00

Today’s combo is one I have planned for class tonight. We are going to make a box using hip bumps for the side to side motion and either single hip lift walk or ¾ shimmy for the front and back motion. You can do the combo either with 8 counts to a side or 4 counts to a side. (You could also do it 2 counts to a side if you really want to keep the brain jumping).

1st version:
8 (or 4) counts hip bumps to the right
8 (or 4) counts hip lift walk forward
8 (or 4) counts hip bumps to the left
8 (or 4) counts hip lift walk backward

2nd version:
8 (or 4) counts hip bumps to the right
8 (or 4) counts ¾ shimmy on the up forward
8 (or 4) counts hip bumps to the left
8 (or 4) counts ¾ shimmy on the up backward

3rd version:
8 (or 4) counts hip bumps to the right
8 (or 4) counts ¾ shimmy on the down forward
8 (or 4) counts hip bumps to the left
8 (or 4) counts ¾ shimmy on the down backward

Beginners, focus on the first version, Intermediate students, work on the second, Advanced students on the 3rd. Give it a try to Chicky (Re-mix) by Oojami.

What to practice

2012-01-08T16:51:00.000-06:00

When you are first starting out it is easy to figure out what to practice each week as you don’t have a lot to choose from. But, as you progress in the dance, you keep adding to your dance vocabulary and deciding what to focus on each time you set aside time to practice gets more difficult. This is where your dance notebook (see post from January 1) will come in handy, as it will remind you what all you have learned and help you create a practice schedule.

The first step for everyone is to set up a practice schedule. I recommend looking at your weekly calendar and figuring out when you can devote time to practice. It might be a half hour before work every day; it might be a three hour block on Saturday mornings. Figure out what works for your schedule and commit to dancing during that time, just like you commit to coming to class every week. And just like class, you may miss it upon occasion when something comes up, but you want to commit to practicing during that time as often as possible.

As a beginner in your second or third session, I suggest spending most of your practice time on what is being covered in the current session, but also devoting a portion of your practice time to the moves specific to the other session(s). For example if this session is on vertical circles, but you have already learned horizontal circle include 5 minutes of review of the horizontal circles in your warm up.

When you get to intermediate and advanced, you should warm up using the beginner level core movements (hip and ribcage slides and circles (all three types), pelvic tucks/drops, hip lifts/drops, hip twists, tummy pushes, chest arch/contract and chest lift/drop), then progress to a group improvisation review running through all the beginner moves and adding any intermediate and advanced level stall moves or combos that you have learned. Next work on practicing the movements specific to session you are currently taking.

The next part is a bit trickier. You need to figure out how often you need to review material so you don’t forget it, or at least so that you can figure out what it is from your notes. For some people that is going to be once every two weeks, others once every two months and I’m sure there are those who can go half a year and still be able to remember what was covered. Also, as you get more familiar with a given group of movements you can go longer between review sessions and still be able to remember what you are doing.

Once you have figured out how often you need to review material in order to not forget how something is done you can create a schedule for yourself. You can think of this as lesson plans for yourself. As an example, if you are an advanced student (or an intermediate student who has been through a couple of sessions) and if your frequency is once a month and you are practicing for three hours on Saturday mornings, you might designate the first Saturday of each month to review skirt, the second to review half circle veil, the third rectangular veil and the fourth cane. You can do the same thing with the dance steps covered in the sessions. Use your notebook where you’ve written down what you have learned to figure out all the moves you need to make time to review. You won’t have to review everything from the sessions before as some things are used so often you are probably seeing them every week in class, but it certainly never hurts to take a movement back to its most basic form and concentrate on how it is correctly executed.

If you are a current student and create a dance practice schedule and would like me to review it, just let me know. I would be happy to help you balance your practice time so that you are getting the most out of it.

The Exotic Art of Bellydance Review

2012-01-07T10:08:00.000-06:00

The The Exotic Art of Bellydance includes cabaret style performances from 12 different soloists and groups. In general the camera angles are good as is the lighting. There are some interesting video effects (using double images) that I would have preferred they left off, but overall the camera movements and effects compliment the dance numbers.

This DVD also includes information on each of the featured dancers as well as an “About Bellydance” section which contains a brief history of the dance form. One of the main takeaways from all of the performances is that the overall impression the audience has of your dance performance is not solely based on your technical proficiency, but your costume, facial expression, the complexity of movements and your musical interpretation are all equally important.

Below I’ve given a brief statement of how I felt about each number. I’ve listed the information from the start of each number which includes the name of the artist, the style represented and the song title and musician. If you are interested in the music, it is available on the CD and download of The Exotic Art of Bellydance

Kaeshi, Modern Fusion, Oreintalis by Body shock – I feel one of the most important aspects of your dance performance is your entrance, this is the audiences first chance to see you and make a first impression of your piece. Unfortunately I did not care for the entrance used on this piece, which I’m sure influenced how I felt about the rest of the number. For the most part, this is an interesting choreography with unusual veil work. However I felt the dancing without the veil was much better than that done with the veil.

Aziza, Classical Egyptian, Yasamina by the Al-Ahram Orchestra – I found this number to be extremely enjoyable. You can tell the dancer is having fun while she is dancing, which always makes the performance more interesting to the audience. Overall the dancing was wonderful. There was a head movement on a couple hip circles that looked weird, but I’m thinking it was probably because of the camera angles and if it had been visible from straight on, it wouldn’t have looked as weird. In summary, a very nice number, performed by a wonderful dancer.

Amar Gamal, Modern Balady, Dina Tata by The Al-Ahram Orchestra – I really liked this number and have absolutely nothing negative to say about it! Wonderful dancing that blended isolations and complicated layers into a beautiful choreography. Fun to watch with plenty of dynamic changes to keep the audience engaged.

Shimmy Sisters, Modern Fusion Duet, Moon Over Ala Nar by Naked Rhythm – this is a fun, upbeat choreography to a fun song. Lots of sharp accents combine with shimmies and complicated floor patterns. The two dancers alternate between doing the same thing, mirroring each other and doing completely different things. All in all a very engaging performance. My only complaint has to do with the editing. The editor has chosen to change camera angles at every beat in several sections making it hard to tell what the dancers are actually doing.

Tamra-Henna, Saidi Cane, Hoss-Hoss by The Al-Ahram Orchestra – This is a fun cane number that includes twirling and balancing the cane. Many folkloric steps performed to a song heavy on the mizmar.

Nallini, Modern Egyptian, Nawaemm by The Gizira Band – This number includes lovely veil work, gorgeous dancing and interesting floor work. I did feel that the number was too long, there were several spots where I felt that the number was over only to have the music start up again and keep going. All in all a beautiful performance.

Ava Fleming, Modern Egyptian, Set Al Hosen by Petrol Bomb Samosa – I enjoyed this number, it contains lots of complicated layers and amazing articulations that keep the audience engaged throughout the piece.

Louchia, Classical Egyptian, Sahara City by Aboud Abdel Al – The start of this song is dominated by the violin and exploited by the dancer to create a complicated mix of shimmies and slow, smooth movements. A fast ensemble portion is followed by a ney taxsim and then a slower ensemble portion to the song. The dance is listed as Classical Egyptian, but I’m fairly certain classical Egyptian dance does not include floor work and this number does (it is possible I am misinformed). Overall a lovely number in which the dancer does a beautiful job of interpreting the music.

Sandra, Classical Egyptian, Aswan Dances by M. Abdelfattah – This was a nice number with the dancer using a veil intro and then going into more of a classical dance piece. However, there was nothing to really make this number stand out from the others and I found myself more interested in her costume than watching her dance.

Rania, Classical Egyptian, Ya Bahaia by Cairo Caravan – While enjoyable enough to watch, this number was less intricate and technically difficult than the others that have been showcased on this DVD. It was also the first costume I just flat did not like. Finally, the dancer does not look like she is having fun while she is dancing. I’m not saying every dancer should grin like a loon throughout a routine, but she should at least have a pleasant facial expression. Unfortunately I felt like the dancer was unengaged and dancing by rote rather than exulting in the music.

Willow, Classical Egyptian, We Marret El Ayam by Dr. Samy Farag – First of all – beautiful patchwork costume! Lovely dancing which it is apparent the dancer is enjoying. The piece is short but engaging. Starting with the lovely, slow arm introduction and moving into a fast paced dynamic performance.

Nathalie, Classical Egyptian, Layali Al Sharq by Al-Ahram Orchestra – This is a lovely song which the dancer does a beautiful job of dancing to. However, I feel she made a very poor costume selection! I spent the majority of the first part of her dance trying to decide if her costume is really as see through as it looks (I decided it is) and if she was wearing any underwear (I think she has on a thong in the same color as her costume). This is not what you want your audience concentrating on!

A different sort of challenge

2012-01-07T07:42:00.000-06:00

Usually the challenges I post are brain teasers and body benders, but this week we are going to go with a repetition challenge. The best way to master a new move is consistency and and frequency in your practice sessions. Please pick which every 3/4 shimmy you are currently working to master (up, down,out, hagala, shoulder, twist or any other one you are working on). Once you have selected the shimmy, dedicate 5 minutes every day to practicing it. You can use Zar Dance (Ayyub 2/4) once through or Fellahin / Karachi / Ayoub a couple of times through starting at about 30 seconds. I use both of these songs to drill 3/4 shimmies in class so you may recognize them.

Now here is the challenge, practice your 3/4 shimmy 5 minutes a day, every day, for a month. To have quantifiable results, you can write down how the shimmy is going for you now and then compare that to where you are at in a month. Or video tape yourself now and then again in a month and watch the two back to back. If you complete the challenge I'm sure you will see improvement and can then decide if you should go another month with the same shimmy or move on to the next 3/4 shimmy in your list.

Hip lift shimmy with weight change

2012-01-05T11:11:00.000-06:00

For this week’s shimmy drill we are going to continue working with the hip lift (bent knee) shimmy. Starting with a hip lift shimmy, first note that you can switch which muscles are driving this shimmy without changing its appearance. For this exercise we need to move the shimmy out of the knees and into either the lower obliques or glutes. You can work on that by practicing the shimmy while kneeling. Kneel on the floor and engage your abs and quads as you lean back slightly. Then work on creating the shimmy with your obliques (my preference) or glutes. You can build up speed the same way you learned to speed up the standing version of the shimmy. Once you can do this you are ready to move back into a standing position.

While standing in dance posture, start your hip lift shimmy. Next shift all your weight to one foot, extending the other foot into a lunge position. Keep the shimmy even on both sides even though the weight is all on one side. Stay in the lunge for 16 counts. Shift back to center for 16 counts, then lunge the other way and keep the shimmy even for an additional 16 counts. Keep practicing throughout the song. I recommend trying this to Sandstorm (Sinbad). Once you can successfully keep your shimmy even in spite of the weight changes, you can speed up the weight shift, first to every 8 counts, then every 4, every 2 and finally every count, which allows you to layer a hip lift shimmy onto your traveling moves.

Downward Dog

2012-01-04T16:27:00.000-06:00

This is a nice stretch for the shoulders and I also think it feels great for the low back. Start on your hands and knees with your hands directly under your shoulders, fingers spread and your knees directly beneath your hips. Cur your toes under and then push your hips into the air. Shift your weight back towards your feet until it is even distributed between your hands and feet. Your body should look like an inverted “V”. You can try to lower both heels to the floor or try to lower them one at a time while bending the opposite knee. If this pose bothers your wrists, they make special blocks that have handles in them that can take the pressure off the wrists. Two examples would be Gripitz Yoga and Exercise Blocks and Gaiam All Grip Yoga Brick.

Zils - 5s in combination with other patterns - part 1

2012-01-03T09:55:00.000-06:00

For this week’s finger cymbal drills we are going to build on the 5s we were working with last week (you can review it here if you need a refresher).

We are going to start with 335, which I usually cover in my intermediate classes. This pattern works well when paired with rocking step cha cha. It is also the pattern we use for Up Up Down Down in group improvisation. 335 uses 3s and syncopated 5s and is played as follows:

335
e&a1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a5e&a6e&a7e&a8e&a
RLR RLR RLR R L RLR RLR RLR R L

The second pattern we are going to work with this week is 225. This pattern combines what I call doubles (also known as slow singles) and skipping 5s. This pattern would work well combined with a movement that has four accents and then a smooth movement, for example a four drop typewriter followed by a scoop (bottom half of a bicycle hip) to take the hip back to the front. It is played as follows:

225
e&a1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a5e&a6e&a7e&a8e&a
R L R L RLRLR R L R L RLRLR

Have fun practicing these two patterns that use 5s and we will discuss a couple more next week.

A toning drill

2012-01-02T08:50:00.000-06:00

Today’s combo is more of a toning exercise than a cardio workout. Start with a slow song. I like Sleeping Sober by Solace from Moon Moth Mixes CD (on sale for $5 for download!), it is 60 beats per minute and the whole song (all five tracks together) is just under 15 minutes. We are going to combine horizontal hip circles and horizontal rib cage circles for our practice today.

Start by doing a horizontal hip circle that is four counts front and four counts back clockwise, then do a clockwise horizontal rib cage circle that is four counts front and four counts back. Repeat both circles at 8 counts per circle in the counter clockwise direction. Do this a couple of times to get used to switching between the hips and ribs and switching between clockwise and counterclockwise circles. Once you have the hang of it move on to step 2.

Next, do a 16 count (8 counts front, 8 counts back) clockwise, horizontal hip circle and a 16 count, clockwise, horizontal rib cage circle followed by both circles in the counter clockwise direction. Alternate between the clockwise and counter clockwise direction for several repetitions. Once you get used to this, slow it down again and go for 32 count circles.

How slow can you go and maintain a smooth circle? This is like dancing in slow motion but should make you really concentrate on what muscles you are using throughout the movements.

Practice Tip for the new year

2012-01-01T20:21:00.002-06:00

Happy New Year!

This week’s practice tip is to start (and maintain) a dance notebook. When you start beginner (and when you move up to intermediate) I send you a copy of the student manual for that level which contains a list of everything that is covered in all the sessions of the level you are starting. I recommend you print out the manual and put it in a 3-ring binder, this is the start of your dance notebook. You should bring your dance notebook with you to class every week. Write down notes under the moves covered that will help you remember how the move is performed and anything else you might have learned about the movement. You can either dance with the notebook at your feet or have it to the side of the room. If you don’t want to take notes during class, then you should take a few minutes at the end of class before you leave the room to write down your notes. This will allow you to practice what was covered each week before the next class and can be very beneficial as each week’s material usually builds on what was covered in prior weeks.

In advanced class, there is not a class manual, however I will often email or handout an information sheet on the topic for the session which usually includes a list of moves that will be covered. This should be added to your dance notebook and again brought each week.

When you attend dance workshops, it is often easier to travel with a spiral notebook rather than your 3-ring binder. Take notes during the workshop or whenever there is a water break. Take 5-10 minutes at the end of the workshop to look over your notes and add anything you missed. Also make sure to keep any handouts provided by the workshop instructor. I type up my workshop notes when I get home as my writing during a workshop often leaves a lot to be desired and sometimes includes random drawings which mean something in the moment but I won’t understand in six months. I also scan the handouts I receive and store everything in a folder called “Continuing Education” on my computer. This is my version of a dance notebook, but I still have a 3-ring binder with all my notes from my beginner and intermediate classes.

A quick review

2012-01-01T20:18:00.000-06:00

So yesterday was busy and I never got around to posting the review. One of the first types of CDs I recommend beginners consider getting is a rhythms CD. A good one to start with is Rhythm of the Dance by Solace. As a bonus it is currently on sale for $5 on Amazon. This CD has a nice collection of rhythms to start familiarizing yourself with.

Let's Muddle through this Friday Challenge :)

2011-12-30T10:35:00.000-06:00

For this week’s challenge let’s work on the muddle. If this has a widely recognized name, I have not run across it, but my advanced students decided we should call it a muddle.

Let’s start with a basic interior circle pepper grinder. The interior hip circle is also known as the omi and involves hip lift, pelvic tuck, hip lift, pelvic release. The interior rib cage circle is sometimes called a torso rotation. I don’t generally teach it by itself in my classes as we usually use the flat/horizontal rib cage circle. The interior rib cage circle is like an omi with the rib cage, you contact the muscles in a circle around the base of the rib cage causing the rib cage to tilt to the side, forward, to the other side and back. The basic interior circle pepper grinder will use one interior hip circle followed by an interior rib cage circle.

Next, we are going to do a corkscrew aka the squishy. Do the omi and the interior rib cage circle at the same time with both circles traveling in the same direction and in the same position around the body at the same time, so both left, both front, both right both back. This will cause you to “squish” as you go around, hence the nick name “squishy”.

The third step for this challenge is a full interior circle pepper grinder. Here we are going to do the omi and interior rib cage circle at the same time, in the same direction, but at opposite points around the body, so when the hip is lifted on the left, the rib cage is tilted down on the right, during the pelvic tuck, the ribcage is tilted back, hip lift on the right with rib cage tilted down on the left and finally pelvis released to the back with the rib cage tilted forward. (You can try this with a regular horizontal rib cage circle first and then add the tilt once you have that figured out.)

The final version of this is the muddle. Here we are going to take the omi one direction and the rib cage the other direction. So for example, both are to the front (pelvic tuck, rib cage tilted forward), they then go to opposite sides (hips right, rib cage left) both to the back (pelvic release, rib cage tilted to the back) and then opposite sides (hips left, rib cage right). Again, try it with a horizontal rib cage circle first if the tilt on the rib cage is giving you trouble. Then go back and add the tilt once you can do it with a flat circle.

If you really want to take your mind for a loop, alternate between the squishy and the muddle by changing the direction of your rib cage rotation every time it reaches a certain point (ie the back).

I recommend starting with segmented versions of all of the above and work towards smoothing them out, start slow and gradually speedup as you gain proficiency. Also be sure to try all of the levels in both clockwise and counterclockwise directions

Hip Lift-Egyptian-Vibration Round Robin Shimmy Drill

2011-12-29T13:59:00.000-06:00

Today’s shimmy drill is one I use occasionally in my intermediate class. We are going to work with the hip lift (bent knee) shimmy, Egyptian (straight leg) shimmy and the vibration.

The difference between the hip lift and Egyptian shimmies can be found in their secondary names. The hip lift shimmy is performed with the knees maintaining a bent position. This keeps the shimmy in the hips and belly. The Egyptian shimmy is performed with the knees in a straight (but not locked) position which causes the shimmy to travel up the body. The Egyptian shimmy also has more of a side-to-side direction to the vibrations while the vibrations in the hip lift shimmy move up and in towards the center of the body.

For beginners, this exercise is virtually the same as the one from last week. Work up to the shimmy like we do in class, starting with slow hip lifts, alternating every two counts, then going faster to alternating every count, up to alternating twice per beat of music then all the way to a shimmy. Check and make sure you are keeping your knees bent and maintaining a hip lift shimmy. Watch the vibrations to see how they are traveling, notice if it feels like your whole body is shaking or just your hips and belly. Finally, as another test to make sure you are doing this shimmy correctly, if you try to bend forward at the hips, you should not be able to keep the shimmy going. Try to keep the shimmy going for as long as you can, if it peters out start back with the slow hip lifts and speed it back up. Keep this up for the whole song.

Intermediate and advanced students start with the hip lift shimmy for 8 counts, switch the Egyptian shimmy for 8 counts and then move on to the vibration for 8 counts, keep the round robin going throughout the song. You could also do the rotation using 16 or 32 counts for each type of shimmy.

A stretch you can learn from your cat

2011-12-28T14:49:00.002-06:00

Today’s stretch is one I enjoy. We will start with basic cat/cow. Begin on your hands and knees. If you want to take this into your feet, you can curl your toes under; otherwise, you can have your toes pointing back away from your knees. Start with your back flat, then arch your back (into cat pose – looks like an angry cat), tucking your head down and tucking your tail bone. Next allow your belly to drop creating a sway back (cow pose), pulling your tail bone up and looking straight ahead. Be sure to maintain strength in your belly as you move into cow pose and not just let your tummy hang.

You can modify this by moving the torso in a circle, first one way then the other passing through the cat and cow positions but also passing through positions which are arched to the sides. Another way you can modify these two poses is by, starting in cat pose, shift your weight back, stretching through the shoulders, then bending the elbows as you move back forward and into cow. Straighten your elbows as you move back into cat. To me this feels a lot like you are doing a huge undulation.

Three ways to play 5s

2011-12-27T14:09:00.000-06:00

I noticed last week that in the email version of the blog, the formatting that keeps the counts and the zil strikes lined up was lost. To see the lined up version of the below zil patterns from the emailed version of the blog, please click on the blog title in the email which will take you to the actual blog post.

Let’s take a look at 5s. In intermediate I teach what I call 5s, but should probably be more appropriately called syncopated 5s. Needless to say, this is not the only way to play 5s! Today we will look at some of the other options out there. If you are an intermediate student and still don’t have the 5s I teach in intermediate figured out, just concentrate on that version so as not to confuse yourself. If you can play syncopated 5s without problems, here are a couple other options for you to play around with.

Syncopated 5s
e&a1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a5e&a6e&a7e&a8e&a
RLR L R RLR L R RLR L R RLR L R

Skipping 5s are similar to the way we play 7s, but since there are two few zil strikes, there is a longer pause between repetitions of the pattern.

Skipping 5s
e&a1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a5e&a6e&a7e&a8e&a
RLRLR RLRLR RLRLR RLRLR

Running 5s are also similar to how we play 7s. They are also basically the same as the skipping 5s are played except instead of maintaining a three quarter beat pause between repetitions, only a one quarter beat pause is used which means you will want to play running 5s for multiples of eight counts so that you transition to a new rhythm at a logical point.

Running 5s
e&a1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a5e&a6e&a7e&a8e&a
RLRLR RLRLR RLRLR RLRLR RLRLR

Next week we will look at some of the ways we can combine 5s with other zil patterns.

New 'workout' combo

2011-12-26T14:14:00.000-06:00

This is another combination that gets used from time to time in my workout class. Again we will use the circle and a half but instead of traveling side to side, we are going to use it to turn a quarter turn so you end up facing the diagonal. This is another 16 count combination.

1-4 circle and a half to the R ending with an unweighted hip lift on the L, arms in 2nd

5-8 four drop typewriter with the L hip (so hip drops forward, middle-front, middle-back, back turning you to face front) arms in S with R arm up and L arm down framing hip.

9-12 circle and a half to the L ending with an unweighted hip lift on the R, arms in 2nd

13-16 four drop typewriter with the R hip (so hip drops forward, middle-front, middle-back, back turning you to face front) arms in S with R arm up and L arm down framing hip.

Try this combo out to Time Is Now by Oojami

Practice Tip

2011-12-25T15:25:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas! I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday.

Here is your practice tip for the week. Sneak practice time in while you are doing other things! Glute squeezes while you drive, tummy pushes (or belly rolls) when you are on the phone, standing in dance posture while you shower, isolation drills while you do your hair and makeup and chest isolations while you sit at your desk are all ways you can get some practice time in while you are doing something you do every day. All of these will add up to you practicing the basics and not having to make additional time in your day. If you make some of these a part of your every day routine you will see improvement.

A Time of Peace

2011-12-24T08:13:00.000-06:00

It’s Christmas Eve, so I thought some Christmas music seemed appropriate. A Time of Peace is a CD by the Brothers of the Baladi it contains 15 Christmas songs played on Middle Eastern instruments and with Middle Eastern rhythms. The really cool part is you can recognize the songs being played, but they have a definite Middle Eastern sound to them. If I ever have an opportunity (and time) to perform around the winter holidays I may just reach for this CD to dance to, my personal favorite of the 15 tracks is Little Drummer Boy. You can purchase a copy from Amazon at Time of Peace

Friday Challenge!

2011-12-23T08:05:00.000-06:00

Friday challenge! I used to post these every week, but got out the habit, so here we go trying to get back into it. Please note the challenges are supposed to be hard for the advanced level dancers so if you are a beginner, please don’t be discouraged if it seems impossible!

Do you remember this challenge?

Level one, start by doing a segmented horizontal/large/exterior hip circle: left, front, right, back. Next do clockwise omi/interior hip circle in each of those positions, so one omi to the left, one omi to the front, one omi to the right one omi to the back.

Level two, smooth out your clockwise exterior hip circle so it takes a total of 16 counts, 8 to the front and 8 to the back. At the same time do four 4-count omis (the omis will be in the same positions, left, front, right, back, as before – 2 cts forward, 2 cts backward).

Level three, speed up your exterior hip circle to 8 counts and your omis to 2 counts.

Level four, speed it up again, 4 count exterior hip circle (2 to the front, 2 to the back) and single count omis.

It was the very first challenge I ever posted, lets add half levels in by adding the hip lift shimmy, so 1.5 is doing level one with a hip lift shimmy layered on top of the omis layered on top of the horizontal circle. The same is true for level 2.5, 3.5 and 4.5 smoothing it out and speeding it up and keeping those hip lift shimmies going! Don’t forget to try the whole exercise (all eight levels) to the other direction!

Shimmy Drill!

2011-12-22T10:15:00.001-06:00

Shimmies! If you’ve taken classes with me you know I love to shimmy. Today let’s start with a hip lift (aka bent knee) shimmy.

If you are a beginner, work up to the shimmy like we do in class, starting with slow hip lifts, alternating every two counts, then going faster to alternating every count, up to alternating twice per beat of music then all the way to a shimmy. Try to keep the shimmy going for as long as you can, if it peters out start back with the slow hip lifts and speed it back up. Keep this up for the whole song. I recommend Chicky by Oojami.

If you are an intermediate student, do the beginner drill to get your shimmy going, then layer the hip lift shimmy onto a horizontal circle. Start with a slow circle (four counts front, four counts back), then a medium speed circle (two counts front, two counts back) and then a fast circle (one count front, one count back). Make sure to do all speeds both directions, clockwise and counter clockwise. You can try this one to Istanboogie by Oojami.

For the advanced ladies, let’s take those circles for a walk. Get your shimmy going, add in the circles and try walking forward and backward with them while maintaining your shimmy. Then try walking side to side using circle and a half. Make sure your shimmy is staying even while you are traveling and not becoming larger on the side that has the weight and smaller on the unweighted side. Take your walk with Urban Dervish also by Oojami.

The song titles above are links and will take you to Amazon where you can purchase downloads of the tracks if you don't already own them. Have fun with your shimmies and let me know how it goes!

A stretch for the hands and wrists

2011-12-21T09:25:00.000-06:00

Happy Hanukkah and Winter Solstice!

Today’s yoga stretch is one for the hands. If you are playing zils a lot, using fans or even just typing all day, taking a minute to stretch out your hands is a good thing. Using the strength of the opposite number helps keep the stretch from being too deep.

For the inside of your wrist, hold your right arm straight out in front of you with the palm facing up. Place the fingers of your left hand on the fingers of your right hand and pull slowly downward bending your hand back at the wrist until you feel a stretch, hold and repeat on the other side.

To stretch the back of your wrist hold your right arm straight out in front of you with the palm facing down. Place the fingers of your left hand on the fingers of your right hand and pull slowly downward bending your hand forward at the wrist until you feel a stretch, hold and repeat on the other side.

To stretch the palm of your hand and the inside of your fingers, hold your right hand palm up in front of you with the fingers loosely spread. Use the index finger of your left hand to press down on the index finger of your right hand, then the middle finger of your left hand to press down on the middle finger of your right hand, continue through all the fingers and the thumb then repeat on the opposite side.

Finish up the stretches by shaking out your hands.

Finger cymbals added to the combo from yesterday

2011-12-20T10:12:00.000-06:00

For our finger cymbal drill, lets add zils to the combo from yesterday. So if you will recall the combo was:

1-4 circle and a half traveling right ending in an unweighted hip drop on the left
5-8 two basic Egyptians traveling forward, first on the left, second on the right
9-12 circle and a half traveling left ending in an unweighted hip drop on the right
13-16 two basic Egyptians traveling backward, first on the right, second on the left

The zills will be 7, 3, 1, 5, 5 and will be played:

e&a1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a5e&a6e&a7e&a8e&a
RLRLRLR RLR R RLR L R RLR L R

Repeat for the other side
So the whole combination with zils (in parenthesis) becomes:

1-4 circle (7) and a half (3) traveling right ending in an unweighted hip drop on the left (1)
5-8 two basic Egyptians traveling forward, first on the left (5), second on the right (5)
9-12 circle (7) and a half (3) traveling left ending in an unweighted hip drop on the right (1)
13-16 two basic Egyptians traveling backward, first on the right (5), second on the left (5)

Holiday Break Blog Schedule and first combo

2011-12-19T09:45:00.000-06:00

This is the first week of the holiday break, and to keep everyone thinking about belly dance while on break, I'll be doing daily blog posts. The planned schedule (though I reserve the right to make changes) is:

Monday workout – combo w/music suggestion
Tuesday – finger cymbal drill
Wednesday – yoga pose
Thursday – shimmy drill
Friday – Challenge
Saturday – product review
Sunday – belly dance/practice tip

Today’s combo combines traveling hip circles and Basic Egyptian to form a square. I’ve used this one in my workout class on Monday nights, and it seems to be one everyone enjoys. The whole combination is 16 counts.

1-4 circle and a half traveling right ending in an unweighted hip drop on the left
5-8 two basic Egyptians traveling forward, first on the left, second on the right
9-12 circle and a half traveling left ending in an unweighted hip drop on the right
13-16 two basic Egyptians traveling backward, first on the right, second on the left

Try it to Desert Rose (Melodic Club Mix Radio Edit)

Fall Catalog is out

2011-08-11T09:33:00.000-05:00

The fall catalog is out and here is the class schedule for the first session of classes.

Belly Dance (Cardio) Workout - classes start Sept 12th and are Mondays at 6pm at Crestview, the code to enroll is 9-10-013-33, the cost is $56 for a Topeka resident, $70 if you live outside the city limits, $10 drop in fee. The session is seven weeks long and the classes are an hour long. Over the summer we offered a 20% discount on this class if you were also enrolled in a technique class, I think we will do so again in the fall. You would need to enroll at the community center and show your receipt if your technique class is at Central Park.

Beginning Belly Dance - classes start Sept 13th, are are Tuesdays at 5:45 at Crestview, the code to enroll is 9-14-012-33, the cost is $56 for a Topeka resident, $70 if you live outside the city limits. The session is seven weeks long and the class is an hour long.

Intermediate Belly Dance - classes start Sept 13th, are are Tuesdays at 7:00 at Crestview, the code to enroll is 9-14-014-33, the cost is $70 for a Topeka resident, $87.50 if you live outside the city limits. The session is seven weeks long and the classes are an hour and a half each. The coming session will work with half circular veils, you can find instructions on how to make one on my website http://bellydancetopeka.com/MakingHalfCircleVeil.htm. You will also need finger cymbals every week, I recommend purchasing Saroyan cymbal's from http://dwp.bigplanet.com/saroyan/.

Advanced Belly Dance - classes start Sept 8th, are are Thursdays at 5:45 at Central Park, the code to enroll is 9-14-016-32, the cost is $70 for a Topeka resident, $87.50 if you live outside the city limits. The session is seven weeks long and the classes are an hour and a half each. We will be working on group improv with finger cymbals.

Belly Dance Performance Preparation is the class for Hathor's Hips troupe members and requires enrollment in Advanced Belly Dance. The classes start September 8th and are Thursdays at 7:20 at Central Park, the code to enroll is 9-14-018-32 and the cost is $28 for Topeka residents and $35 if you live outside the city limits.

Please comment below, contact me on facebook or email me at huraiva@huraivaalimah.com if you have any questions. I will update the website with the class schedule when my laptop comes back from being serviced and will send out a reminder to all current and former students about a week before the sessions start.

Beginner Summer Session week 1

2011-06-08T09:41:00.000-05:00

Last night in beginner we covered:

Glute Squeezes

Dance Posture

Tummy pushes

Basic foot positions - ballet vs jazz 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th

Basic Arm positions: 1st, 2nd, 3rd (aka L arms) 4th (aka flamenco arms) 5th, Pretty Hands, Tribal Torture, Low Second, T-rex, Temple Arms, L arms, Arabesque, S arms, Pharonic Arms (low, mid and high), Hip frame (aka low V), Aladin Arms, Egyptian Headache, Genie Arms, Side sweep Arabesque to L arms

Hip slides

Rib cage slides

Summer Sessions!

2011-06-07T09:39:00.000-05:00

The summer session of classes starts this week! We had the first workout class last night and the beginner and intermediate classes start tonight. As promised I'm posting the play list from the workout class. All the songs were by Oojami

For glute squeezes we used Like That
For plies and releves Hip Shaker
For abs we used Shake that Belly
For shoulders we used Zor
For our walking hips up and down we used Time is Now
For hip bumps we used Chicky
The last two combos we did were to Istanboogie
Our interval training was a mix of a different version of Chicky and Neyzen
For cool down we used Ararim, Zaman and Then I Cry

Most of the songs are from the Boom Shinga Ling album

I'm a bit behind on updating, but here we go :) the last three weeks of Beginner

2011-01-25T12:45:00.000-06:00

Ok, the first three weeks of the session have flown by! Here is what we have covered in class so far:

Glute Squeezes

Dance Posture
Tummy pushes
Basic Arm positions: Pretty Hands, Tribal Torture, Belly dancer Second position, Low Second, T-rex, Fifth Position, Temple Arms, L arms, Arabesque, S arms, Pharonic Arms, Hip frame, Aladin Arms, Egyptian Headache, Genie Arms, Side sweep Arabesque to L arms

Inward Arm circles Together & Alternating
Outward Arm circles Together & Alternating
Arm circles one in one out
Shoulder thrust
Shoulder shimmy

Hip Slides
Pelvic Tuck/drop

Hip Lifts (soft and accented)/shimmy
Omi

Ribcage Slides
Ribcage Lift/Drop

Vertical Rib cage circle

Styles of Bellydance
• Cabaret – veil, floor work, sword balancing, finger cymbals aka zills or sagat
• American Tribal – may include some aspects of cabaret (sword, zills and floor work)
• Hula/Polynesian Dance, including Poi
• Gypsy – lots of skirt work, tells story of everyday life
• East Indian – traditional dances of India
• Folk dances (cane etc) – traditional dances of Northern Africa and Mediterranean Europe
• Egyptian Oriental – the dance as it is presented in Egyptian night clubs, more subtle than the Cabaret style of the US, usually lacking veil or floor work.

maqsuum 4/4 rhythm

1-+-2-+-3-+-4-+-
D-T-__T-D-__T-__
D-T-kkT-D-kkT-kk

For an example of the rhythm you can dowload this song Maqsoum or this one Maqsoum by Guy Schalom.

The last two weeks have been busy!

2010-12-06T18:40:00.000-06:00

The last two weeks have been busy, so I'm a bit behind on posting what we covered, here is beginner and intermediate in review for November 23 and 30.

Beginner: We covered 2 point turns, pivot turns, step turns, paddle turns, 3 point turns, 4 point turns, basic Egyptian both cabaret and group improvisational style, basic Egyptian 2 point turn, hip circle pivot turns, marching shimmy, scooching shimmy and the John Wayne combo.

Intermediate: we covered additional ways to play Kash on the finger cymbles, belly rolls, tummy flutters, candle arms and continued to learn the choreography to Hoplanda

Beginner and Intermediate classes this week + Cartouche open house

2010-11-17T13:21:00.000-06:00

In beginner class this week we reviewed hip and rib cage slides and circles, weighted hip lifts and the hip lift shimmy, weighted hip twists and the hip twist shimmy, shoulder thrusts and the shoulder shimmy. We then worked on snake arm derivative arm movements (medusa arms, Persian arms, fish tail, katia arms and low snake arms). We then worked on unweighted hip lifts, unweighted hip drops and unweighted hip twists. We finished the class working on single hip lift walk, single hip down walk, double hip lift walk and traveling with hip bumps.

In intermediate class we learned another way to play kashlima on the finger cymbals, the pelvic shimmy and the rotational shimmy. We then learned some “Turkish Hand Jive” and started learning the choreography to Hoplanda. The song can be found on the CD Bellydance With Ozel: How to Make Husband a Sultan

The information on the Cartouche open house I mentioned in class is as follows:

Cartouche takes pleasure in inviting you to our Open House
Saturday, November 20th, 2010
From Noon until 5:00 P.M.
at our Belly Dance Garage just North of 1344 Massachusetts St. (14th & Mass.) Lawrence, Kansas 66044

There is a phone number in case you get lost, if you think you might attend, please email me and I’ll send you the phone number, I don’t want to post it to the blog.

Last night in class

2010-11-10T08:35:00.000-06:00

In beginner, we discused middle eastern music and the rhythm fallahi we reviewed hip and rib cages slides and circles. Learned about crescents and stepping side to side with hip circles and crescents. We also learned weighted hip twists which are horizontal and parallel to the ground. We then worked on weighted hip lifts speeding them up to a shimmy.

The fallahi rhythm is written:
1-+-2-+-

Dk-kD-k-
DtktDktk

and a track you can purchase to listen to the rhythm can be found here Fallahi

In intermediate we discussed how to recognize kashlima, I played it a bit on the drum and we learned the two easiest ways to play kashlima on finger cymbals. We reviewed the 3/4 shimmy on the up and on the down. We then discussed how to hold your skirt, various position it can be held and how to get it there, skirt figure 8s and layering skirt moves on to grapevine, rocking step hop and kashlima walk.

Kashlima rhythm is written:
1-+-2-+-3-+-4-+-5-

D-__T-__D-__T-T-t-
D-kkT-kkD-kkT-T-t-
D-tkT-tkD-tkTkT-t-

and a track you can purchase to listen to the rhythm can be found here Kashlima (9/8)

I was asked about drumming books, the one I have and really like is Dumbek Fever: Dumbek Instructional Kit unfortunately it is currently out of print and not availble for a reasonable price. I do recommend Doumbek Technique and Rhythms for Arabic Percussion, Bellydance, and Drum Circles as a practice DVD and there is good information on rhythms on the booklet included with the CD Zill Speak - How to Play Finger Cymbals from A(lmee) to Z(ills) The booklet has a TON of excellent information and I recommend spending the money on the CD just for the booklet!

2010-11-09T09:19:00.000-06:00

In beginner we learned about the history of belly dance, reviewed hip and rib cage slides and learned hip and rib cage horizontal circles

In Intermediate we reviewed ¾ shimmies on the up and down, learned the folkloric shoulder shimmy, zill played 3-1 and when you would use it. We also worked on adding heel drops and bounces on hip circles, the rocking step hop, the foot in the mud step, the double pelvic tuck and drop walks and hip downs.

In Advanced we learned various points to balance a sword or cane and worked on descending and ascending for floorwork gracefully in a skirt.

I was asked about tummy covers/body stockings, http://www.dahlal.com/ carries them for around $30. Search midriff body stocking. Nashid, one of the Manhattan dancers says she has a few that she is looking to sell. She would want $15-20 for them. If you would like to purchase one of hers, let me know.

What was covered the first week of the new session

2010-10-29T09:48:00.000-05:00

First, I have updated the music recommendations page on my website to include links to individual songs we use in class. If there is a specific song you are looking for that isn't listed, let me know and I'll add it. Here is the link to the page http://bellydancetopeka.com/MusicRecomendations.htm

Ok, now to recap this weeks classes.

Beginner - we learned dance posture, a bunch of arm positions and how to do hip and rib cage slides

Intermediate - we learned about the karsilama rhythm, how to count, how to clap it and three steps to do with it, the karsilama walk, the arabesque walk and the fall step. We also broke down the lower body accent drill and 3/4 on the down shimmy and learned how to play 3s on our zills.

Advanced - we learned various methods for descending to the floor and getting back up gracefully.

Last Fall Session Starts This Week!

2010-10-25T09:30:00.000-05:00

Good morning!

First, the student show this past weekend was awesome! If you wanted a DVD and didn’t get one ordered, bring your check book and let me know in class this week. I’ll have order forms with me.

Now, on to the future :) We have a new session of classes starting this week.

Beginner, Tuesdays at 5:45, will be covering horizontal circles. No props are required though some kind of hip adornment is recommended.

Intermediate, Tuesdays at 7:00, will be covering kashlima rhythm and 25 yard skirt. If you have a yoga mat, I recommend bringing it, if you don’t have one the community center has some we can borrow. You will need finger cymbals (zills) starting the first week of class. I recommend Saroyan zills. If you do not have them ordered yet, I have checked and Super Sonic Music in downtown Topeka does carry Saroyan finger cymbals. They are located on 6th street between Kansas and Quincy. You will need a 25 yard skirt by the 3rd week of class. If you do not wish to purchase a skirt, you can use a 3 yard rectangular veil as a substitute. It won’t be exactly the same, but you will get the feel for using a skirt. If you do not have a skirt and want to order one, moondancebellydance.com carries them or you can search on ebay.

Advanced, Thursdays at 5:45, will be covering balancing and floor work. The first week we will be working on just floor work, so you don’t need to bring any props – just your yoga mat and your zills, I will let you know each week in class what you will need for the following week. When we get to balancing, items to consider are: cane, sword, tray or basket. Since not everyone will have all the items we will most likely play musical props and pass them around so everyone can try each item.

Performance Preparation, Thursdays at 7:20, we are going to start with reviewing all the choreographies that everyone knows so that we can video them from behind and get them up on youtube for everyone to practice when we want to use them. Videos to practice with are posted as unlisted videos and I only send the links to those who have learned the choreography, so don’t worry about having an imperfect video out for everyone to see. We will start with Zeina, so please bring your 2.5 yard, half circular liquid lame veil. We will also work on adding zills to group improvisation.

Hope I'll see you this week!

Ok, well here goes for a two week update!

2010-10-01T14:51:00.000-05:00

My internet was down for almost a week, so I never got to post what we had covered last week and now I need to do this week as well.

In Beginner, in the last two weeks we have learned:

Unweighted hip twist
Unweighted hip lift – aka Choochoo in group improv – cue is arm position – L arms to front
Unweighted hip drop
Hip Bump
Double lift hip walk
¾ shimmy (ghawazee in group improv)
Basic Egyptian – group improv and cabaret versions
Hip Bumps moving to side
Chassez/step ball change
Unweighted bicycle hip circles

We have also practicing the lead and follow of group improv using choochoo, basic Egyptian and ghawazee all of which can turn in a personal circle and travel forward and backward.

As requested the pattern for the ¾ shimmy on the up is:
Hip lift with the step on 1
Hip drop on 2
Hip lift on 3
Hold on 4

All of which happens during a single beat of music.

Also, as requested, the song we will be using for Shimmy Spectacular on October 23rd is Masmoudi Kebir 3 Dums by Guy Schalom from the Album Tabla Tastic!

And the final request, Masmoudi is written like this, with the D representing Dums, the T representing Teks and the K representing kas

1-+-2-+-3-+-4-+-5-+-6-+-7-+-8-+-
D---D---____T---D---____T---T---
D---D---tktkT-tkD-tktkt-TktkT-tk
D---D---D---T---D---____T---T---

In Intermediate, in the last two weeks we have learned:
Tummy flutter
Hip Drop pivot turn
Drop kick pivot turn
Hip lift pivot turn
Hip twist pivot turn
Belly rolls
Ghoush w/ ¾ shimmy
Man’s step
Siadi Hop
Horsie step 1 (pawing the ground)
Horsie step 2 (knees bending heel striking the ground)
Group Improv combo Basic E hip twists
Group improv combo Abeda Deveka
Egyptian Shimmy
How to hold the cane
Forward swing dominant hand
Backward swing dominant hand
Forward swing non-dominant hand
Backward swing non-dominant hand
Twirling cane over head dominant hand
Twirling cane overhead non-dominant hand
Twirling cane figure 8 dominant hand
Twirling cane figure 8 non-dominant hand

And we have also started learning the cane choreography

In Advanced we have been concentrating on the Drum Solo choreography with conditioning exercises and a few new shimmies thrown in for spice.

Last week's classes

2010-09-21T15:05:00.002-05:00

Beginner Class:

We reviewed all moves covered last week and learned hip lifts, hip lift shimmy, rib cage lift drop, sagital rib cage circle and sagital pelvic circle. We also learned finger ripples, hand ripples, incense rising, Suhaila arms and Delilah cobra arms.

Intermediate Class:
After warming up and learning the upper body portion of the accent drill, we worked on the 3-1 zil pattern and reviewed ¾ shimmies on the up and down. We then worked on horizontal hip and rib cage figure 8s. We added an accented hip lift to our ghoush and learned the folkloric walk/run. We also reviewed all beginner level group improv moves.

Advanced Class:
We did single, ¾ and segmented glute squeezes and the following abdominal exercises:

• Scissor Kick – lie on back; legs kick up and down getting smaller – low abs
• Side Crunch – lie on side arm under head, brace w/other arm and lift legs – obliques
• 1 arm thrust – stack feet (top foot same side as arm behind head), arm straight up – upper abs
• Lie on back draw belly button down, exhale and contract and hold for 5 – transverse abdominus
• Kneeling arm and leg lift – on hands and knees- lift and hold opposite arms and legs – low back

We reviewed Hoplanda in preparation for ADAF as well as group improv to Walk Like an Egyptian. We then started learning the drum solo for the Shimmy Spectacular.

Time to start up the blog again :)

2010-09-14T16:20:00.000-05:00

Classes started up again last week, so its time to start posting what we covered so you can either check and see what you missed or remind yourself of what was covered so you can practice at home.

Beginner - We discussed the class format, what to wear and other basic housekeeping items. We then learned to do single glute squeezes, proper dance posture, belly pushes, many belly dance arm positions, pelvic tuck and drop and rib cage lift and drop.

Intermediate - We discussed if anyone was interested in performing at the fall show (the answer was no) and then warmed up using beginner level moves. We did single glute squeezes and 3/4 time glute squeezes. We learned the lower body accent drill and broke down the 3/4 shimmy on the down. We learned how to play finger cymbals and drilled 3s. We then learned twisted rib cage and hip slides, horizontal diaganol rib cage movements, the gush, hip sway and Egyptian hip circles.

Advanced - After discussion of upcoming performances and costuming we did our conditioning exercises which consisted of:

Seated:

• Arms out to side, palms up, fingers ripple in then back out, leading w/pinky
• Shoulder rolls backwards together
• Shoulder rolls backwards alternating
• Shoulder rolls forward together
• Shoulder rolls forward alternating
• Shoulder Thrusts
• Hands to side, palms down rotate elbow back and forward
• Triceps stretch
• Gluts – single, ¾ and segmented
• Pigeon Pose

Kneeling:
• Thigh stretch (quads) with knees part
• Thigh Stretch with back bend
• Thigh stretch w/knees together

On the Floor:
• Reverse crunches – legs go out and in – low abs
• Oblique Crunch – lie on back legs to one side, other hand behind head, bring elbow towards opposite hip – obliques
• Crunch – upper abs
• Lie on back draw belly button down, exhale and contract and hold for 5 – transverse abdominus
• Prone arm and leg lift - Lie on stomach and lift arm and opposite leg, keep head down – low back
• Cat/cow
• Cobra push ups
• Childs pose
• Down dog
• Plank
• Plank w/shimmy (hip lift and hip twist)

Standing:
• Dancers Pose (standing quad stretch) – modification – w/band
• 5 Up to down belly rolls
• 5 Down to up belly rolls

We then reviewed all beginner and intermediate level shimmies and broke down the hegalla

Busy Fall Coming Up

2010-08-10T11:05:00.001-05:00

A new session of classes starts right after Labor Day!

The classes:

· In beginner class will be working on sagital circles. You don’t have to bring anything extra, just come ready to learn and have fun.

· The upcoming session of intermediate belly dance will cover the saidi rhythm, cane (raks al assaya) and horizontal figure 8s. We will learn a cane number that the class can perform at the fall show in Manhattan. If you have a yoga mat, go ahead and bring it with you, we will use them during the warm up. If you don’t have one, the community center has some mats we can use, but they are not “sticky mats”. You will need finger cymbals and a dance cane.

· In the advanced class we are going to be working on conditioning, shimmies and arm movements. If you have any shimmies/shimmy layers you would like to work on let me know and I’ll include them in the lesson plans. We will learn a new drum solo with plans to perform it at the fall show in October. Please bring a yoga mat and resistance bands if you have them. A yoga mat should run less than $15 and the resistance bands about $10 at Walmart. I know Central Park has resistance bands that we can probably borrow, but I have not seen yoga mats there.

· While class session prices are staying the same, it sounds like drop in fees are going up. I don’t have all the details yet, but if they do what I heard they were talking about, the drop in rate for beginner (1 hour) will be $12 and the drop in rate for intermediate (1.5 hours) will be $15 starting this fall (advanced has never had a drop in rate). The sessions will still be $56 for 7 weeks beginner and $70 for 7 weeks intermediate or advanced, if you are live outside the city limits those prices are slightly higher.

Ordering stuff:

· I recommend ordering finger cymbals from Saroyan Mastercrafts http://dwp.bigplanet.com/saroyan/. Anyone who needs to (wants to) order finger cymbals let me know by August 13^th and I’ll get you all in touch with each other. If everyone who needs a set orders together, you can all save on shipping.

· The dance canes are expensive if you only order one because of the shipping involved, so I usually organize a group order at the start of each new session of cane. I have a few left over from the last cane order, but I’m not certain I have enough for everyone. They are relatively inexpensive (usually between $5 and $7 each) when you order them in bulk this way, so I generally recommend ordering two, that way if one breaks you have a backup, and if you ever decide to do double cane, you have two that match. Please email me by August 13^th and let me know if you need a cane. Once I know how many canes are needed I can determine if I have enough or if we need to place a group order.

· We will be placing a costuming order from LRose Designs the first week of September. We want to have the order turned in by September 10^th so we can be sure and have anything ordered for the October show in time for the performance. Our orders are usually large enough we can take a 10-15% discount on the prices at the website. Have fun looking at all the options at http://www.lrosedesigns.com/ and let me know if you would like to order anything by September 9th.

Fall Performance Opportunities:

· The first fall performance opportunity is Saturday, September 25^th at 11 AM. We have been asked to perform at the Aaron Douglas Art Fair. Anyone Intermediate level and up is welcome to perform the numbers they know. Costuming will be decided upon once we know who is planning to perform and which numbers we will be using. A good bet is gypsy skirts and coin belts, the top is what we need to get figured out. One of the numbers will be group improv.

· The second fall performance opportunity is Saturday October 23^rd at 7pm in Manhattan. This is our annual fall recital. All students in all levels are welcome to perform. Beginner level students who choose to perform will do a short group improvisation number with me leading. The costume will be black pants, a midriff top and a coin belt. Intermediate level students will do the cane number we will be learning. The costume for this number will be harem pants, coin belt and a knot top (Simplicity pattern 3832 includes both a knot top and harem pants if you want to make your own, though I use pattern 5359 for my harem pants or you may choose to order them from LRose Designs). Advanced students will perform a drum solo, we will discuss costuming options the first night of class.

Fall Workshops:

· Gaitri of Manhattan will be offering two costuming workshops before she leaves the area! She is teaching her Bead Your Bedlah 2 – the Bra class on August 14^th in Manhattan. You do not need to have taken part 1 to take part 2! You can register at http://beadthatbra-efbevent.eventbrite.com

· Gaitri will also be offering the Bead Your Bedlah 1 – the Belt class on August 28^th in Topeka. You do not need to take these classes in order. Registration information is available at my website http://bellydancetopeka.com/BeadBedlahPart1.htm

· Troupe Duende is holding their annual Belly Dancers’ Ball on September 18^th and 19^th in Kansas City you can get more information or register at http://bellydancersball2010.eventbrite.com/ .

· We will be have a day of makeup and hair workshops in October. You can find out more and register online by visiting my website http://bellydancetopeka.com/MakeupHair.htm. This is a great series of workshops and has been greatly expanded since the last time we hosted these workshops in Topeka. You do not need to be currently enrolled in classes in Topeka in order to attend the workshops.

Private lessons are available! They run $30 per hour for one student or $40 per hour for 2-4 students. I am usually available Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings, though other weekend times are a possibility. From August 13^th to Labor Day I am also available on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Private lessons are generally held at your home or other location that you find where we have space to dance and a power source for the music. Travel outside of the Topeka city limits is charged at the IRS rate for mileage. Payment in full must be received at least one week before the class or upon booking if there is less than one week between scheduling the lesson and class date. There are no refunds of private lesson fees. Private lessons may be rescheduled once if notice of the need to reschedule is received by me at least 24 hours in advance of the lesson.

Who should take private lessons? Private and semi-private lessons are best for students who already have some belly dance background. They are great for students who have taken one or more sessions of beginning belly dance and would like some extra help, students who are thinking of moving up a level and want to review items they don't remember, students who have taken some time off and want to brush up on their technique before returning to class and anyone wanting to learn more about a special topic. Other good reasons to schedule a private lesson are if you need to take a session of beginner or intermediate off and don’t want to get behind (a session of beginner can be covered in 3-4 continuous hours of private lesson a session of intermediate would take 4-6 hours depending on if you wanted to learn the associated choreography) or if you want to learn or need extra help with one of the choreographies taught in intermediate (1-2 hours); if you want to work on the group improvisation stall moves, combos and cues used in Topeka; or if you just can’t make the regularly scheduled classes but want to learn more about belly dance.

Finally, if it has been a while since you last visited my website, http://bellydancetopeka.com/, you should swing by. There are a couple of new pages including a music recommendation page and an articles page (let me know if there is a topic that you would like to know more about and I will either write an article or ask someone who is knowledgeable to do so). I’ve also totally reorganized the DVD recommendations page so things are easier to find. I’m still making improvements, so if you have a suggestion, let me know.

What was covered the first week of August :)

2010-08-10T11:03:00.002-05:00

Beginner:

We reviewed hip slides, rib slides, pelvic tuck/drop, rib cage lift/drop, hip lifts, hip lift shimmy, shoulder shimmies, omi and vertical rib cage circles and then we learned ¾ shimmy on the up, chassez (aka step ball change) and rocking step.

Intermediate:

We warmed up with 3s then worked on singles with our zils. Next we reviewed ¾ on the up and ¾ shimmy on the down. We then worked on Sharita, sharita w/3pt turn, Sharita while spinning, Scoop and pivot, sheherazade and Angel (butterfly) wings with the veil.

Advanced:

After warming up we worked on timing the right and left hand open fan waves and flutters so they match. We then worked on open fan vertical and horizontal figure 8s following the together, chasing, mirrored, alternating rules.

Troupe notes were posted to our yahoo group.

What was covered the last week of July

2010-08-03T15:36:00.002-05:00

Under the theory better late than never, here is what we covered in class last week:

Beginner:

We reviewed hip slides, rib slides, pelvic tuck/drop, rib cage lift/drop, hip lifts, hip lift shimmy, omi and vertical rib cage circles and then we learned inward arm circles, outward arm circles (both directions one at a time, together and alternating), shoulder thrusts and shoulder shimmies.

Intermediate:

We warmed up with 3s then worked on singles with our zils. Next we reviewed ¾ on the up and ¾ shimmy on the down. We then learned traveling hip rolls, reviewed Mayas and upward hip 8s and worked both directions with level changes up and down. We then got out our veils and worked with the matador, half matador, figure 8 and combining matadors with turns.

Advanced:

After warming up we worked on timing the right and left hand open fan waves and flutters so they match. We then worked on open fan vertical and horizontal sweeps and vertical and horizontal circles following the together, chasing, mirrored, alternating rules. We then worked on our choreography Dream. We finished up the class with a review of GIC with zils and Disco GIC Fusion.

Troupe notes will be posted to our yahoo group.

Last weeks classes

2010-07-26T09:10:00.000-05:00

I've been without internet at home since Thursday night (fingers crossed it will be fixed by the time I get home tonight) so the update is running a bit behind, however, here is what was covered in class last week.

Beginner

We discussed some of the many different styles of belly dance found around the world today. We then went over Middle Eastern rhythms in general and the maqsoum rhythm in particular. After warming up with glute squeezes, plies releves and tummy pushes we reviewed hip and rib cage slides and then learned pelvic tuck and drop, rib cage lift and drop, hip lifts, omi (vertical hip circles) and vertical rib cage circles.

Intermediate

We discussed belly dance ethics – belly dance as a valid art form and then reviewed the beginner level rhythms (falahi, maqsoum and masmoudi). We then did our glute squeezes single time and ¾ time and did our arm and leg warm up series. We then did beginner level moves with 3s and the accent drill with 3s. Next we practiced ¾ shimmy on the up and on the down. We then learned vertical rib cage figure 8s in both directions, boxy and smooth and vertical hip figure 8s in both directions.

Advanced

After glute squeezes, arm exercises and warm up we worked on equality of motion between the left and right hand when working with flutter fans and fan veils. We discussed why it is important and ways to strengthen the non-dominant hand so that its movements will be equally powerful to the movements by the dominant hand. We then worked on Dream and finished learning the choreography, though the timing on the end still needs some tweaking.

Troupe notes will be posted to the HH yahoo group.

The week in review

2010-07-16T11:45:00.002-05:00

New sessions started for beginner and intermediate levels this week.

In beginner we discussed what to wear to class and the class format. We then worked on glute squeezes and warmed up our shoulders with shoulder rolls before proceeding to releves and plies sequence. We then did tummy pushes. Next we learned proper dance posture, pretty hands and various arm positions. We finished the class by learning hip and rib cage slides.

In Intermediate we warmed up with glute squeeze singles and ¾ time followed by pigeon stretch, we then did shoulder rolls and two other arm exercises, followed by wall pushups and eagle and cow face poses. We warmed up and did our accent drill with 3s on the zils then worked on the rhythm 3-1. We then did our ¾ shimmy on the up and ¾ shimmy on the down practice drills. We worked on diagonal rib cage lifts and drops, accented belly pushes and double hip drops and double hip lifts (Ms and Ws). We then reviewed all beginner level tribal moves.

Advanced was a continuation of the same session as we have a 10 week session this summer. We warmed up then did single fan veil improv in the right hand, then in the left hand. We then talked about the concepts of together, chasing and mirrored when it comes to double fan veil. We then worked on the closed fan veil technique we had covered in single fan veil as double closed fan veil using the concepts of together, chasing and mirroring. We covered proper back bend technique and worked on learning the choreography Dream.

Jillina’s Shape Up N Hip Out

2010-07-01T09:29:00.000-05:00

This week I’ve been using Jillina’s Shape Up n’ Hip Out DVD on my lunch hour. In the introduction she states it is geared towards the beginner student or professionals wanting to drill, however, I would NOT recommend this DVD for a beginner. There is very little in the way of posture instruction and while she does break down a couple of moves (snake arms for one) she does not break down the more difficult moves (in particular the hegalla, which is one I know even my Advanced students have never learned).

The workout is broken into a warm up, three progressively more intense workouts and a cool down. Each of the three workouts can be done with instruction or music only. In the warm up section, Jillina states that one of the ladies will be doing modified versions of the moves if you need an easier/less intense option. However, I did not notice her doing modified versions in the actual workouts or the cool down, only in the warm up, so I can’t even suggest a beginner use the DVD and follow Heather instead of Jillina. If someone was looking for a 30 minute workout, doing the warm up, one of the workouts and the cool down would get you there. Or you could do the whole thing for an hour long workout.

The Slow and Smooth workout could almost be used as a warm up in and of itself. Nothing is overly sharp and most of the moves are moves I use in my classes as a warm up after we have done our strengthening exercises. Rhythm Hips takes things up a notch and Turbo Hips will definitely get your heart rate up as it’s full of shimmies. Turbo Hips is where I ran across two moves I do not include in my beginner or intermediate curriculum, the Saidi hip drop and the hegalla. In all three workouts, Jillina starts with a small combination of moves and then keeps adding small combinations (two or three moves) until you have a full series. She also starts by doing each small combination at half speed before taking it up to tempo.

Bonus sections on this DVD include outtakes and five performances, two by Jillina and then one by each of the four ladies who are showcased in the workout section. The performances are all very nice and use a variety of props (cane, isis wings, double veil and sword). The outtake section is very brief and more like a montage of behind the scenes in less than two minutes than anything else.

I’m definitely enjoying this DVD as a workout. It gets the heart rate up and keeps you moving. I also really like the fact you can adjust it based on how long you have and how intense you want the workout to be.

Beginner and Intermediate class this week

2010-07-01T08:57:00.002-05:00

In beginner we reviewed the moves covered thus far and then worked on traveling and turning with the unweighted hip lift, we also learned the double hip lift walk and broke down the mechanics of the ¾ shimmy. We then did some group improv using the choochoo (unweighted hip lift) and the ghawazee (3/4 shimmy/double hip lift walk).

In Intermediate we warmed up with 3s then worked on a couple of variations for playing chiftitelli. We then reviewed our ¾ on the up and the down shimmies. We did a session of improv arms and worked on half circular veil technique (loop-d-loop, on handed matador, one handed horizontal figure 8, one handed vertical figure 8). We learned the Arabic 4 point turn, Arabic with a twist, Arabic with a twist and dip (a Troupe Duende combo) and the Groovy Christina (a Diva Soma combo). We then did a traveling circle so everyone could practice cuing a few moves.

Took the week off last week

2010-06-29T10:40:00.000-05:00

I was on “vacation” last week (though if you are retiling your bathroom I’m not sure it should count as vacation) so I didn’t do my regular AM and noon time workouts. I did however attend my Monday and Saturday yoga classes and teach.

So last week in Beginning Belly Dance, we covered weighted hip twists, hip twist (washing machine) shimmy, weighted hip lifts, hip lift shimmy, unweighted hip lifts (aka choochoo in group improv) and unweighted hip drops. We also did single hip lift and single hip drop walks.

In Intermediate we learned one way to play chiftitelli rhythm on our finger cymbals, reviewed our ¾ up and down shimmies, learned the vibration shimmy. We also reviewed all beginner level arm moves and learned the arm figure 8. We then started working with our veils learning the matador, half matador and the figure 8.

As requested, here is the list of the arm exercises we have been doing in Advanced. In addition to the below, we have also been doing our regular leg exercises and glutes – singles, ¾ and segmented.

Standing:

· Wall pushups

· Wall pushups hands turned in

· Wall pushups feet further back

· Hands at sides, bring up to shoulder height, rotate hands, take up to 5^th, then back down (I’ve told you about this one, but since it requires weights we haven’t been doing it in class)

Seated:

· Arms out to side, palms up, fingers ripple in then back out, leading w/pinky

· Shoulder rolls backwards together – 2 ct, 1ct

· Shoulder rolls backwards alternating – 2 ct, 1ct

· Shoulder rolls forward together – 2 ct, 1ct

· Shoulder rolls forward alternating – 2 ct, 1ct

· Shoulder arcs – hands out to side – up front up back, 1 side at a time – 2 ct, 1 ct

· Rope pulls to the side

· Hands straight forward, pull back, elbows going behind back

· Rope pulls down

· Hands pull down from 5^th position to shoulder height

· Hands to side, palms down rotate elbow back and forward

· Arms to side, palms facing back in blade, down and up

· “Make a muscle”

· Cow face pose (Triceps stretch)

· Eagle pose

On the Floor:

· Backward crunches

· Lie on stomach and lift arm and opposite leg, keep head down

· Cat/cow

· Rotate cat/cow

· Pigeon pose (after glute exercises)

Wednesday's Program

2010-06-17T15:52:00.000-05:00

Started the morning with my AM Yoga routine. For lunch, I did the 30 minute workout from Bellydance Fitness for Beginners: Hip Hop Hip Drop. It is mostly based on what I consider beginner level moves. Unweighted hip lifts, unweighted hip drops, horizontal hip circles, chest drops, hip bumps and basic Egyptian. Combinations four and five start getting into intermediate level territory, but they are easy enough I think beginners, especially if they have a session or two under their hip scarves, could figure them out. Combination four uses a move I hadn’t seen before, that I would describe as a reverse gush, it seemed a bit awkward. Combination five is drop-kicks. There is no mention of proper posture, so make sure you are checking your own. Some of the moves could hurt your back if your pelvis comes un-tucked. This DVD does not teach proper technique. In some instances it describes the easiest way to create the move, but not necessarily the one I think makes the most sense or would recommend using. All in all it was a descent workout, but not overly challenging. The DVD has two bonus features, two costumed performances and a 10 minute arms, chest and back workout.

That was it for the day, didn't even work on bellydance related projects in the evening.

Tuesdays practice and what was covered in class

2010-06-16T10:30:00.000-05:00

Started the morning with AM Yoga, my left arm was still bothering me for the poses like cobra and downward dog, so I decided not to do yoga at lunch time again. Instead I worked with Bellydance Fitness for Weight Loss: Bellydance Boogie. This 30-minute workout uses up-to-down undulations, vertical and horizontal figure 8s. I would recommend this for my students who have started intermediate and up. My biggest complaint with this workout is the snake arms. The vast majority of them look sloppy. This is because they are performed too large and/or too fast. My recommendation is to do the snake arms at half the speed they are presented, or to do them as arm ripples at the tempo presented. This will keep the movements controlled and graceful. This workout wasn’t as intense as the one in cardio shimmy, but it defiantly keeps you moving. I was pleased there wasn’t as much hopping; it focuses on the smooth bellydance moves. There is little to no instruction on proper dance posture on this DVD so if you decide to use this one, make sure you check your own posture periodically. This DVD also includes two costumed performances and a 10-minute dancer’s legs workout as bonus features.

After work, it was off to teach for 2.5 hours. In Beginner we discussed the history of bellydance and Middle Eastern music, specifically, the Fallahi rhythm. We then reviewed plies, releves, glute squeezes, tummy pushes, hip slides and rib cage sides. We also learned rib cage forward and back, keeping the shoulders still, rib cage circles, hip circles, snake arms, medusa arms, Persian arms, low snake arms, katia arms, fish tail and tribal snake arms.

In Intermediate we discussed bellydance ethics: respecting others, reviewed the three beginner level rhythms and learned about the chiftitelli rhythm. We warmed up with 3s then learned to play 7s on our zils, practicing it with our smooth bellydance moves (slides, circles and undulations). We reviewed our up-to-down and down-to-up undulations, added stepping flat-ball-ball-ball to up-to-down undulations (aka Arabic 2) and turning in personal circle. We reviewed ¾ on the up and ¾ on the down and learned the heel drop shimmy. We worked on traveling with the single and double camel walks. We also learned the u-turn undulation. In group improv, we learned the Happy Birthday Grapevine combination by Unamata and then reviewed all GIC stall moves and combos using a traveling circle.

Monday's report

2010-06-15T13:51:00.000-05:00

Started the day with my AM Yoga. I have a couple of other AM themed yoga programs, and I really will try a different one some time soon, but I enjoy the familiarity of doing this same program every day. Also, I need something to slowly wake me up, which this one does, some of the others I have are a bit more vigorous.

At lunch time, I decided not to do yoga and to only do bellydance as I had issues during my AM practice with downward dog in particular because my left arm and shoulder are sore from being knocked over by one of my cats on Sunday and the 15 minute results DVD is heavy on arm supported poses. So I did Bellydance Fitness for Weight Loss: Cardio Shimmy. The 30 minute workout uses Egyptian shimmy, shoulder shimmy, choochoo shimmy. Most of the moves are taught in my beginner level classes, the exceptions being the Egyptian shimmy and the gush (King Tut walk). Also, Rania does not name her hip shimmy, so beginner level students might not realize it is different from the hip lift shimmy taught in class. Beginner level students could use this video if they substituted the hip lift shimmy for the Egyptian shimmy. This video has a lot of hopping in it, something I don't care for, but is certainly effective in getting the heart rate up and makes a good workout. More advanced dancers could change it up by changing the type of shimmy they use each time they use the video, for example, replace the hip shimmy with a twist shimmy, replace the shoulder shimmy with the 3/4 shoulder shimmy. The bonus features are a 10 minute “waist cincher” workout (rib and hip slides, horizontal and vertical hip figure 8, up to down undulations and vertical rib cage circles) which I did not add in to my lunch time practice and two costumed performances which I watched while eating my lunch.

I was supposed to go to yoga class Monday evening, but because of my arm and shoulder decided to stay home and rest the muscles and joint. After all, over doing it will only make it worse and take that much longer to heal.

Over the weekend

2010-06-14T13:22:00.000-05:00

Ok, for purposes of this post, Friday is part of the weekend. Friday I did my AM Yoga first thing in the morning and the lower body workout off of 15 minute results and the yoga fusion workout off Bellydance Body at noon. The yoga fusion workout includes layering up to down undulations with both vertical and horizontal figure 8s. It also has up to down, down to up and u-turn undulations while standing in tree pose. I went to my nieces first dance recital (she is 5) Friday evening and then stabilized the other side of my feather fans while Bri and I watched Lethal Weapon 2.

Saturday I went to my yoga fusion class. Turns out Cyra and I are the only ones enrolled and Cyra wasn’t there, so it was a private lesson. The class focused mostly on yoga with a bit of tai chi and Pilates thrown in. I was hoping for a more even mixture, we will see what the future classes hold.

Sunday I spent the day cleaning so unless you consider cleaning exercise (which I suppose it could be) I didn’t do any workouts.

Thursday's Workouts

2010-06-11T16:03:00.000-05:00

AM Yoga to start the day, followed by 15 minute results – upper body and the jazz workout on Bellydancer Body at lunch time and then Advanced and troupe for 2.5 hours yesterday evening. I think the Jazz workout is my favorite on the Suhaila DVD (at least of the 3 I’ve done). It starts with weighted hip twists, then basic Egyptian, Basic E 4pt turn, Basic E 2pt turn. Next up is ¾ twist, then adding it to basic E, so you get a ¾ basic E. This was done moving forward, backward and while turning at various speeds. This workout felt more like dancing than drills. Both the Buns and Pilates workouts felt like drills.

My Workout Report and Stabilizing a Feather Fan

2010-06-10T09:06:00.000-05:00

Yesterday wasn’t that great for working out. I did my AM Yoga with Rodney Yee first thing in the morning, but then my dad wanted to take me to lunch, so I missed my lunch time workout session. I also have Wednesday nights as a “free night” partially so I can work on other belly dance projects, sewing, choreographing, website updates and so forth. So I stopped at hobby lobby and picked up the materials I would need to stabilize my feather fans and then started on that project while Bri and I watched Lethal Weapon last night. The technique I used to stabilize the fans is outlined below.

To stabilize a feather fan:

You need to pick up adhesive backed felt, felt glue, E6000 (hobby lobby wanted $14 for this, looks like amazon has it for $5), loose feathers or 2 feather boas that match the color of your fans and cheap water color paint brushes from the craft store.

Open the first fan as wide as it will go – use a pen or pencil and a piece of paper to make a pattern of the area of the fan staves not covered by feathers. Remember to make a notch in the bottom for the space where the staves all come together.

Trace your pattern four times onto the felt and cut them out. I could only get 3 pieces per 8.5 x 11 piece of felt. When I spoke to Gaitri, she said she got all four on her piece. I don’t know if she found larger felt or if her pattern was smaller or if she is just better at making it all fit.

With the fan spread to its fullest potential, put E6000 on one side of the bare fan staves (you can use water to smooth the bottom part of the feathers already on the fan back away from where you are working). Once you have the E6000 on the fan staves (it does not need to cover them) peel the backing off one felt piece and apply it to the area.

Next, use a paint brush to paint a thin layer of felt glue all over the felt and apply your feathers. I used a boa because I couldn’t find loose feathers that matched my fan. I followed the arc with the first pass of the boa, curved up followed it again and finished with a final pass straight across the bottom of the fan (small arch over the place where the staves join together).

Set it aside and let the first fan dry over night. Repeat with the second fan. After both fans have set over night, you can repeat the whole thing on the other side and both sides will be stabilized and covered with pretty feathers.

I'll talk about decorating the fans in another post. I also plan to upload the above instructions (with pictures I took while doing it) to the website at some point.

What was covered in class last night AND what else I did in my exercise program

2010-06-09T10:51:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I wrote things in the reverse order of the title, but you can skip to what was done in class last night if you want, just skip the first paragraph, or if all you care about is the work, skip the last two paragraphs. :)

I started the morning with A.M. and P.M. Yoga with Rodney Yee again – I’m probably going to use this one all week as my morning starting point. I have a couple other AM yoga DVDs that I’m previewing to see if I want to mix it up next week. Then at lunch I did the lower body segment off of Rodney Yee/Mariel Hemingway: 15-Minute Results Yoga. Again it was very vigorous. They really work at getting your heart rate up and getting you moving. I like Rodney Yee, but I’m finding Mariel Hemmingway to be a bit distracting with her comments. I’d probably prefer this if it was just Mr. Yee, but it is workable. After I finished the yoga section of my lunch time workout I did the Pilates section of Bellydance Body for Beginners with Suhaila. This one includes pelvic locks, glute squeezes and interior hip squares (segmented omis) all while stepping, again more intermediate level than beginner level. I then taught for two and a half hours in the evening.

In Beginner class we covered: what to wear to class and the format of the class. We then learned proper dance posture and warmed up our ankles and legs with pliés and relevés. We then sat down and found our glutes and worked on isolating the individual sides. Next we worked on tummy pushes. We then learned hip slides and ribcage slides. We finished the evening by going over many of the arm positions used in belly dance.

In Intermediate we warmed up with 3s on the zils then learned how to play 5s and what kinds of movements to pair 5s with. We then practiced our ¾ shimmy on the up and broke down the ¾ shimmy on the down. Next, up-to-down and down-to-up undulations were covered, both while standing still and while rocking from foot to foot. We also discussed the mechanics of belly rolls. We then did a review of all group improvisational moves that are covered in beginner and learned the cues for Arabic, reverse Arabic, reverse Ghawazee, drop kick and Turkish 4 point turn

Report on yesterday’s exercise program.

2010-06-08T10:54:00.000-05:00

Session 1: I got up at 5 and did 20 minutes of yoga with Rodney Yee (A.M. and P.M. Yoga – AM track with Rodney Yee). This was my very first yoga purchase way back when. I really like the way the AM session wakes you up. I originally purchased this on VHS and have since replaced it with DVD (though I think I still have the VHS version around somewhere). The AM Yoga practice starts with breathing and what Mr. Yee refers to as conscious relaxation. Then there is 15 minutes of moving yoga poses and finally 2 minutes of meditation. This routine really helps me wake up in the morning. I’d almost say it’s better than coffee, but I really don’t want to give up my coffee!

Session 2: Over my lunch break I did the upper body routine off of Rodney Yee/Mariel Hemingway: 15-Minute Results Yoga. The upper body workout is like yoga aerobics! It includes things I never really considered yoga before but it gets the heart rate up and I actually broke a sweat. None of the poses are too challenging for a beginning yoga practitioner. However, I had to look up on Youtube the difference between upward dog and cobra (its subtle). After I finished my yoga session, I switched gears and did the 10 minute Buns workout off of Bellydance Body for Beginners with Suhaila. (By the way, this DVD is advertised as for beginners but I would only recommend it for Intermediate and up). The buns workout starts with glute squeezes then uses glute squeezes to travel with hips on the up, hips on the down and ¾ hips up and ¾ hips on the down.

Session 3: After I got home from work and had a snack, I did about a half hour of shimmy drills with Celeste using her DVD produced by IAMED: Turbo Shimmy with Celeste: Instruction Belly Dance Series. I did not do the entire DVD (I just didn’t have time) but I did the strengthening exercises she starts off with and her technique break down of three shimmies (Egyptian aka straight leg shimmy, ChooChoo aka marching shimmy and American (bent knee) aka hip lift shimmy). I also did the first shimmy drill, which is about 10 minutes of Egyptian Shimmy. Since I don’t particularly care for the Egyptian shimmy, I was tempted to do the drill with hip lift shimmy, but since my Egyptian shimmy is weaker than my hip lift shimmy (see the part about not liking it as well) I decided to go ahead and drill the Egyptian. The drill consisted of slow, medium and fast speeds, doing each speed with both legs and then with all the weight on one leg then all the weight on the other leg. I had no trouble at the slow and medium speeds (both legs and single leg varieties) but noticed my Egyptian shimmy started to sputter and loose rhythm on the fast speed – now I know I need to drill this more.

Session 4: After I finished my shimmy drills it was time to head to my yoga class at Crestview. If you live in Topeka, I suggest you find time to try and take a yoga class with Mimi. She has several available through Crestview. This was an hour of what I consider endurance yoga – get into a pose and hold it! It was very relaxing and a wonderful way to end the day.

Last night in Beginner & Intermediate

2010-02-24T15:50:00.001-06:00

Last night in beginner we went through proper dance posture, hand position (pretty hands) and a bunch of different arm positions. We also learned how to do hip and rib cage slides.

In intermediate we reviewed all beginner level group improv stall moves and combos. We also practiced the 3/4 shimmy on the up and learned the 3/4 shimmy on the down. We learned the different sounds our zils can make and how to play threes or triplets on them. Additionally we worked with twisted rib cage slides and hip slides in preparation of learning the horizontal figure 8s next week.

Once again, there is a new session starting :)

2010-02-23T07:52:00.002-06:00

We have a new session of beginner and intermediate classes starting tonight. Hope to see you there!

New session starts tonight, and what to wear to class

2010-01-05T15:57:00.000-06:00

We have a new session of classes starting tonight. In case you are wondering what is appropriate for class, here are some recommendations:

Feet:

I recommend dancing bare foot. If you prefer to wear shoes I recommend ballet slippers, jazz shoes, modern dance sandals or jazz sneakers. If you prefer high heels, ballroom dance shoes work well. You can find many styles of dance shoes at Foot Lights in Fairlawn Plaza or you can order them online at discountdancesupply.com.

I do NOT recommend tennis shoes as they are difficult to spin in and do not allow for much flexibility of the foot. However, if that is what you are most comfortable wearing, you may wear them to class.

Flip-flops, sandals or any other type of shoe which is not well secured to the foot and just socks or hose (with no shoes) are all not allowed for safety reasons.

Pants:

I recommend workout shorts or yoga pants. You can also purchase pants made specifically for belly dancing which is what I usually wear. You can purchase dance pants from lrosedesigns.com, desertdancer.com and melodiadesigns.com.

I do NOT recommend jeans as they do not allow for freedom of movement or skirts which can either hamper movement or make it difficult for me to see what your legs and feet are doing and therefore difficult to offer correction.

Top:

I recommend a tight fitting or midriff top. A sports bra is generally the cheapest option. I usually wear shirts specifically designed for belly dancing. Again, you can purchase tops from lrosedesigns.com or melodiadesigins.com.

I do NOT recommend overlarge t-shirts, bulky sweaters or bulky sweatshirts. All of these prevent me from seeing what you are doing and therefore make it difficult for me to offer correction.

Around your hips:

I recommend something tied around your hips, a scarf or sash will give you some movement on the hip it is tied over, a fringed shawl will exaggerate your movements and make them easier for you to see, a coined hip belt will give you auditory feedback as well as visual. I usually wear one (or two) fringed shawls and a coined hip belt.

Winter Break Reviews - Tribal LA

2009-12-28T19:40:00.000-06:00

Well, much to my surprise, the Tribal LA DVD replacement for the one Bri gave me for Christmas showed up today in the mail. So I watched it while cooking dinner (a single number is between 3 and 5 minutes, perfect for timing things).

All in all this is a better DVD than the Tribal Fusions 2 DVD, though it still has its issues. A lot of the numbers have a sense of sameness about them, which could be just a part and parcel of Tribal Fusion. Everyone seems to focus on sharp locks, small movements and lots of abdominal articulations. Once again I really want to know what the camera men are thinking (or maybe it’s the editors) there is a lot of focusing in on hands when there is obviously other stuff going on that would be more interesting than a pretty hand position (not even a hand motion, just a position!)

Many of the numbers appear to be the same (or at least extremely similar) to those found on the Tribal Fusions 2 DVD, however this is the better of the two as far as performances, audience engagement, and camera work go. If you want to order your own copy, click here Tribal LA: Live In Los Angeles Bellydance Superstars for a blow by blow of the various performances, keep reading

Urban Tribal – I’ve now seen several of their numbers, and it just isn’t doing it for me – they seem to be a fusion of belly dance and modern dance and use very austere costumes.

Sharon Kihara – I enjoyed her number but after seeing several of them now, I’m starting to feel like they are all the same

Zoe Jakes and Elizabeth Strong Duette – this is the same choreography as is on the Tribal Fusions 2 DVD – at least the photography is better here.

Moira Chappelle – everything I’ve seen her do has been different, so I have no complaints of monotony with this dancer. This number started with a classical song and then morphed into an upbeat poppy version of the song.

Kami Liddle – Overall I enjoyed this number, it seems similar to one of the numbers on the Tribal Fusions 2 DVD, but I couldn’t swear that it was the exact same number. Also, I can’t hold some similarities against her since I’m sure I use some of the same sequences in my own dancing. If you find a sequence you like, you use it.

Fat Chance Belly Dance did a very nice group improvisation number with lots of formation changes and leadership changes. A good example of what ATS is all about

Samantha’s performance was interesting with lots of locks, pops and tic tocks as well as interesting and complicated layers.

Elizabeth Strong’s Sword solo was very nice and easily held the audience’s attention. This may be my favorite performance on the entire DVD.

Zoe Jakes solo was nice to watch, I enjoy her larger movements which are easier to see but no less dramatic than the microscopic moves some dancers use.

Tribal Super Stars was a nice group number with five dancers, I definitely recognized Elizabeth Strong, Samantha, Sharon Kihara, Moira Chappelle, but wasn’t sure who the last dancer was (didn’t get a good enough look, could have been Kami Liddle or Zoe Jakes). I’m not certain but this number seemed very similar to one done by the tribal ladies of the Belly Dance Super Stars on Babelesque, though this involved 5 dancers, and I think Babelesque only uses 4.

Elizabeth Strong’s second solo was nice, but not as good as the sword solo, much more typical of tribal fusion numbers.

Urban Tribals second number was interesting, but if it hadn’t been a part of a belly dance show I never would have pegged it as belly dance. This one included almost no belly dance moves and I would classify it as a modern dance number.

Kami Liddle’s second solo was somewhat similar to the first, full of pops and locks.

Sonia and Colleens Duet may be the same as the one on Tribal Fusions 2 – but again, a better version of it with better videography.

Samantha’s second solo was smoother than the first, but not particularly unique.

Zoe Jakes second number was once again full of the larger moves she uses, making it a very nice break from the other performances. Her facial expressions are enough to make you laugh though, especially since she looks almost afraid while spinning.

Sharon Kihara’s second solo is either the exact same choreography as she uses on Tribal Fusions 2, or so similar as to make no difference.

Fat chance’s second number wasn’t as interesting as their first. This one featured mini solos by each of their dancers, including a long one by Caroleno consisting almost entirely of belly rolls and tummy flutters, almost none of which were visible from any distance or with the camera man focused on her hands.

I am starting to wonder if tribal fusion is all the same. I have not studies the discipline, but all the performances I have seen lately seem to focus on the same small, tight, mechanical movements. I really thought there was more to it than fusing breakdance with bellydance. I'll keep watching tribal fusion pieces as some of the dancers do seem to be able to think outside the box. Here is hoping for more variety in the future!

Winter Break Reviews - Jareeda

2009-12-28T08:46:00.000-06:00

Jareeda is a magazine about belly dance that is published every two months. The magazine runs $31 for a years subscription and you can subscribe at http://jareeda.com/index.htm This is the first belly dance related magazine that I started receiving and I have enjoyed every issue I've read.

Jareeda is published on 8 point glossy paper (this is typical magazine paper if you aren't familiar with paper varieties) and includes color photos interspersed throughout the publication. The magazine is published by Mezdulene out of Oregon and is typically around 30 pages long.

Jareeda includes a calendar of events, a teacher directory as well as articles. There are several regular columns including Halima's Hints which usually includes advice of some sort (costuming or behavior or some other topic), Karavan Klips which reviews various shows and workshops and Troupe Talk which deals with issues and challenges troupes might run into among other things. They welcome contributions of both articles and photographs from their readership.

My only real complaint with Jareeda is they aren't very regular about getting the magazine out. At this point in time (almost the end of December) the last issue I received was the July/August issue, so I'm missing September/October and November/December (which is my favorite issue of the year - contains a bunch of reviews). I've written them and am hoping I will be receiving my issues soon.

Winter Break Reviews - World of Bellydance

2009-12-27T19:18:00.002-06:00

The second performance DVD Bri got me was World of Bellydance. This DVD contains 12 performances by various belly dancers from around the world. Though I had not heard of all of them before hand I was quite pleased with the performances presented. The DVD is obviously the filming of a live show featuring cabaret soloists. There is not a single group number of tribal/tribal fusion piece in the collection.

The dancers are all skilled, the costumes beautiful and the most of the music was songs I've considered choreographing myself. The camera angles are almost always focused on the right areas of the dancers, most shots show at least hips through face and many of them are full body.

There is a nice variety of performances including, a couple of single veil routines, a double veil number, a sword dance a two drum solos. I enjoyed the quality, quantity and variety of the performances enough I've looked into what else has come out of the same studio and added a few more performance DVDs to my wishlist, maybe I'll get a couple of them for my birthday next month.

If you are interested in reading more about this DVD or picking up your own copy, you can find it on Amazon here The World of Bellydance

Winter Break Reviews - Tribal Fusions 2

2009-12-25T19:58:00.002-06:00

For Christmas Bri gave me several performance DVDs. Since all I had in my library were instructional DVDs, they were quite welcome. One of the DVDs he gave me was Tribal LA, but when I opened the case, the disk was for Tribal Fusions 2. Though disapointed it wasn't the one I wanted, I decided to watch it before we contacted Amazon to get the correct video.

Tribal Fusions 2 is a collection of Tribal performances performed by several different Tribal belly dance performers. The DVD includes two performances by nine different soloists and groups, including Fat Chance Belly Dance, Urban Tribal, Kami Liddle, Zoe Jakes and Sharon Kihara. There were also several performers I had not heard of before.

The performances were all recorded in a studio and not before a live audience. The cameraman used a mixture of full body shots, upper body shots and tight focus on individual areas (abdomen, hips, face or hands). Personally, as a dancer, I prefer wide shots that allow me to see the entire performer or group of performers.

Most of the performances used typical tribal fusion music, costuming and stylization, without much variation between the performances. There were a few performances that were unique, including one vaudvillesque number and one that seemed to be inspired by Turkish Gypsy style.

One performance that I really enjoyed was a duette between Sonia of the Bellydance Superstars and Colleen. It showcased the differences in stylization between tribal fusion style belly dance and cabaret style belly dance.

All in All I wasn't overly impressed. We are returning the Tribal LA case with the Tribal Fusions 2 DVD in it and have requested Amazon send the Tribal LA DVD. I most likely will not be purchasing or requesting Tribal Fusions 2 unless I manage to collect all other performance DVDs out there and just want it to "complete my collection."

If you are interested in getting your own copy you can find it on Amazon here Bellydance Superstars-Tribal Fusions V02 if you have your own copy, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the performances. Since I'm predominately a Cabaret dancer, its possible my views are colored by just not being intune with the Tribal Fusion scene.

Winter Break Reviews - A Time of Peace

2009-12-25T07:26:00.002-06:00

I meant to post this yesterday, but one thing led to another (along with a big snow storm) and it just didn't happen.

A Time of Peace is a CD by the Brothers of the Baladi it contains 15 Christmas songs played on middle eastern instruments and with middle eastern rhythms. The really cool part is you can recognize the songs being played, but they have a definite middle easter sound to them. If I ever have an opportunity (and time) to perform around the winter holidays I may just reach for this CD to dance to, my personal favorite of the 15 tracks is Little Drummer Boy. You can purchase a download of this CD from iTunes or you can purchase the CD from Amazon at A Time of Peace

Winter Break Reviews - Pants for the Dance

2009-12-23T11:18:00.002-06:00

We are on winter break, and though I wasn't very good about updating my blog regularly, I'm going to try and get back in the habit with the new session starting in January. So to help me get back into the habit of updating my blog regularly, I thought I'd post some mini reviews of books, DVDs, dance websites and music leading up the the new year.

First up is the book "Pants for the Dance" by Dawn Devine Brown. When I read the brief synopsis before ordering this book, I somehow got the impression that it would include various styles of pants worn in belly dance (and would hopefully include flair pants in amongst them). In actuality this is a very well written book on harem pants and many different alterations you can make to them to give them a different look. From adding cuffs at the ankles (or up the shins) to adding a yolk at the top and various levels for the gusset to hit.

The book includes directions for making your own patterns for the various options and sewing instructions for once you have your cloth cut out. Harem pants aren't my favorite look, so I was a bit disappointed that there aren't any other real styles of pants included (I'd love to make me some fluffy rufflys!) but all in all I would say this is an excellent book on making more than just your basic harem pant and I will most likely make use of it to try one or more of the styles out in the future.

Topeka Fall Classes, Performances and Open Studio

2009-08-20T16:08:00.000-05:00

Just a quick reminder, the new session of belly dance classes in Topeka starts the first week of September!

Beginner classes are Tuesdays at Crestview 5:45-6:45. The session will start September 1 and run for seven weeks. You can call Topeka Parks and Rec at 785-368-2448 to pre-register. The last few beginner level classes have been very full, so I recommend enrolling early. The class code for beginner this session is 3-14-009-33. We will be covering vertical circles this session.

Intermediate classes are Tuesdays at Crestview 7-8:30. The session will start September 1 and run for seven weeks. You can call Topeka Parks and Rec at 785-368-2448 to pre-register. The class code for intermediate this session is 3-14-011-33. Kashlima rhythm and skirt work. You will need finger cymbals the first day of class and either a 25 yard skirt or a 3 yard rectangular veil by the second week of class.

Advanced classes are Wednesdays at Central Park 5:45-7:15. The session will start September 2. (The catalog says Sept 9, but I’ve spoken with the community center and we are actually starting September 2). You can call Topeka Parks and Rec at 785-368-2448 to pre-register. The class code for advanced this session is 3-14-013-32. You will need finger cymbals and a yoga mat every week.

Performance Troupe classes are Wednesdays at Central Park 7:30-8:30. The session will start September 2. (The catalog says Sept 9, but I’ve spoken with the community center and we are actually starting September 2). You can call Topeka Parks and Rec at 785-368-2448 to pre-register. The class code for advanced this session is 3-14-015-32. You must be enrolled in Advanced to enroll in this class!

We have three performance opportunities this fall! The first one is the Aaron Douglas Art Fair on September 26th. Our performance slot is at 12:30-12:50. The second is the Manhattan Shimmy Spectacular on October 17th. It will most likely be in the evening. The third is the Central Park Chili Cook-off on October 24th. I'm going to guess we will perform sometime around the noon hour, but I'm not really sure. Anyone enrolled in classes this fall may perform at any of the above performance opportunities. If you can’t or don’t want to perform, be sure and come out and support the ladies who are dancing!

Finally, open studio is moving to the third Friday of the month starting in September. It will be held at Crestview Community Center from 5:30-7 and will be multi-level. We will use the September one to continue preparing for the Aaron Douglas Art Fair. The October one will be dress rehearsal for the performance in Manhattan on October 17th as well as practice for the Chili Cook-off.

I hope to see you soon!

Belly Dance Topeka Fall Performance Opportunities

2009-08-11T08:00:00.002-05:00

Its been a while since I updated my blog, but I'm going to try and get back on track :)

We have three performance opportunities this fall.

The first one is the Aaron Douglas Art Fair on September 26th. We will most likely be performing around the noon hour.

The second is the Manhattan Shimmy Spectacular on October 17th. It will most likely be in the evening.

The third is the Central Park Chili Cookoff on October 24th. I'm going to guess we will perform sometime around the noon hour, but I'm not really sure.

Anyone enrolled in classes this fall may perform at any of the above performance opportunities. I am planning to use open studio this friday (5:30-7 at Crestview) to start putting together performance sets for the Aaron Douglas Art Fair and the Central Park Chili Cookoff so if you think you will be performing at one or both of them please join us.

If you can't make it to open studio but would like to perform, please email me by 4:30 Friday with which choreographies you know (if any) and if Thursday evening and/or Saturday morning would work for your schedule for extra practices. I would like to schedule at least two for the month of September to polish for the Art Fair performance.

If you can't enroll in classes this fall, or just don't feel like performing, please join us at the performances to support the ladies who are performing.

Challenge numbers 8, 9 and 10

2009-05-14T09:05:00.000-05:00

Start traveling to the side with a hip circle with the front part of your circle going in the same direction as you are traveling. Do 8 full circles to the right, end with a pelvic tuck an then do 8 full circles to the left. Have your arms in L arms with the arm down in the direction of travel. Add, wrist rotations for a set of 8 in each direction, then change it to floreos for a set of 8 in each direction, then alternate, odd numbered circles with wrist rotation, even with floreos. Next, add a hip lift shimmy (NOT ¾) to your circles and repeat the series (no hand movement, wrist rotation, floreo, alternating). Then switch to the Egyptian shimmy and repeat the series again.

Next, travel with your hip circles where the front part of your circle is going the OPPOSITE direction from your direction of travel, you will change directions with a backward hip push on the side you were traveling towards. Do the entire exercise above using the backward hip circle.

Finally, start a clockwise hip circle and keep the circle going clockwise while you travel 8 circles to the right and then 8 circles to the left, you change directions by doing a full circle in place and starting up at the right position to go the other way. Do the entire exercise above using only clockwise hip circles. Then reverse and do the entire exercise using only counterclockwise hip circle.

These challenges, though not identical, are based on an exercise Princess Farhana used at her recent workshop in Buffalo, Mo.

The last three weeks!

2009-05-14T08:46:00.000-05:00

I’m a bit behind on updating my blog, it’s been a busy couple of weeks!

Beginner:
In week 3 of class (April 28) we learned arm circles, shoulder thrust, shoulder shimmy, how to accent pelvic tucks and drops and how to make a pyramid with our hips. We then covered accented rib cage movements and rib cage pyramids.

In week 4 (May 5)we worked on several traveling moves including: chassez or step ball change, cross step, rocking step, rocking step chacha, grapevine, half grapevine, single and double hip lift walks. We then learned that the double hip lift walk when done full speed is the ¾ shimmy and is called the ghawazee in Tribal style, and that the rocking step is called the Turkish in Tribal. We then learned the cues for both the ghawazee and the Turkish and practiced a bit.

In week 5 (May 12), only one student attended so we worked on what she needed help with. I will divide week 6 material between week 5 and week 7 lesson plans so that nothing will be left out.

Intermediate:
During week 3, we learned how to play 5s on the zils and then worked on the 3-1 and the 3, 3, 5 zil patterns. We did a ¾ shimmy on the down review and worked on the shimmy vibration. After a review of beginner level arm movements, we learned how to do arm figure 8s and then did about 4 minutes of improv arms. We learned two new tribal combos, Arabic with a twist and Arabic twist and dip (a Troupe Duende combo). We did a brief traveling circle to let everyone practice cuing Then moved on to learning about our half circle veils. We worked on how to hold the veil, matadors, whirlpool (aka half matador) and figure 8.

In week 4, we learned slow singles on our zils, reviewed the ¾ shimmy on the down and learned the ¾ twist shimmy. We covered two new tribal combos, the Arabic 4 point turn and the choochoo 4 point turn and then practiced with the traveling circle. We learned the loop-d-loop and then three one handed half circular veil moves, horizontal figure 8, vertical figure 8 and spinning with the veil in one hand, reversing direction and spinning again. We then started learning the choreography to Zeina.

In week 5, we learned how to play chiftitelli on the zils, reviewed the ¾ shimmy on the down and then discussed traveling with both the hip lift shimmy and the Egyptian shimmy. The different look they each give to the traveling move and the difference in how the moves are generated. We learned two new tribal combos, Basic Egyptian full turn and basic Egyptian twists (both created by Troupe Duende). We then did a tribal review using pod and chorus and the formation of a clique by the pod. With our veils, we learned how to switch hands for one handed veil moves, how to create vertical and horizontal (one handed matador) circles. We then continued work on learning Zeina.

Week 7 challenge

2009-04-28T15:02:00.001-05:00

Similar to the week 6 challenge.

Start with a cw rib cage circle, then add a cw omi, reverse the omi when you get to the back but keep the rib cage circle going cw. So for each rib cage circle you will have an omi, but the direction of the omi will alternate between cw and ccw. The rib cage circle will always be cw.

Next , try it again, only use a ccw rib cage circle.

What was covered in beginner and intermediate

2009-04-22T13:06:00.001-05:00

Last night in beginner we discussed the various styles of belly dance is it is practiced around the world today. We also talked about the Middle Eastern rhythm maksoum and how to recognize it. We then reviewed the moves covered last week and learned pelvic tucks and drops, weighted hip lifts, the hip lift shimmy, rib cage lifts and drops, omis (interior hip circles) and vertical rib cage circles.

In intermediate we reviewed the three beginner level rhythms (falahi, maksoum and masmoudi) and discussed chiftitelli. We then discussed the timing when playing threes with finger cymbals. After our warm up we reviewed our lower body accent drill and learned the upper body accent drill. We then reviewed the ¾ shimmy on both the up and the down and learned the heel drop shimmy, accented belly pops, camel walk (both single and double) u-turn undulation, side hip figure 8 (both directions), traveling and turning with up to down undulations (stepping flat, ball, ball, ball) and barrel turns. We learned the right side of the Happy Birthday Grapevine (tribal combo by Unamata).

Week 6 Challenge

2009-04-21T13:44:00.001-05:00

This is one I got from Amara :)

Start with an cw omi, then add a cw rib cage circle, reverse the rib cage circle when you get to the back but keep the omi going cw. So for each omi you will have a rib cage circle, but the direction of the rib cage circle will alternate between cw and ccw. The omi will always be cw.

Next , try it again, only use a ccw omi.

Eek! I forgot!

2009-04-21T13:26:00.000-05:00

Better late than never, right?

Ok, last week was the first week of a new session. In beginner we covered proper dance posture, our warm up exercises, basic arm positions, hip slides and rib cage slides.

In intermediate we discussed how to make a half circle veil and that one was needed by the third week of class. We then learned the first half of our accent drill, discussed zils and learned to play slow 3s on them, learned the ¾ shimmy on the down, up to down undulations, down to up undulations, the tribal cues for reverse ghawazee, Arabic and reverse Arabic. We then did a review of all beginner level tribal moves.

In advanced we learned four new tribal combos: Look at Me, Circles, A Snake in the Grapes and Bus Stop. We then reviewed all beginner, intermediate and advanced tribal combos cued from Turkish. We then reviewed what the home work schedule is for the coming session.

This week’s challenge!

2009-04-10T13:04:00.001-05:00

Start with our accent drill:

Lower Body Accent Drill
4 unweighted hip lifts R
4 unweighted hip drops
2 drop-kicks
4 weighted hip drops
4 weighted hip lifts
4 hip bumps
4 weighted twists forward
4 weighted twists backward
4 unweighted twists forward
4 unweighted twists backward
Step back RL, then forward RL
Rpt. on L

Upper Body Accent Drill
4 shoulder thrusts forward R
4 shoulder thrusts backward R
4 shoulder lifts R
4 shoulder drops R
Rpt. L
4 rib lifts
4 rib drops
Rib lift, rib drop, pelvic tuck, pelvic drop
4 pelvic tucks
4 pelvic drops
Pelvic tuck, pelvic drop, rib lift, rib drop

Next add finger cymbals. Start with 3s, then 5s, then 7s then something a little less regular, beledi, saidi or chiftitelli (or if you are feeling really brave, go for Kashlima, just remember to change the pattern of your moves as well).

Once you are doing the drill with your zils, add a shimmy. First try the whole thing with a hip lift shimmy, then the whole thing with a shoulder shimmy. Oh and keep the zils going, just because you added the shimmy doesn’t mean you get to stop playing your zils.

The week in review

2009-04-10T12:57:00.000-05:00

It was the last week of the current session this week, so don’t forget to enroll for the new session that starts next week!

In Beginner we worked on traveling moves: reviewed ¾ shimmy, learned double basic Egyptian, the tush push and grapevine. We also reviewed how to turn the Basic Egyptian, ghawazee and choochoo for tribal improv. We then did some improve dancing using all the moves and cues we had learned throughout the session.

In Intermediate we learned yet another way to play Kashlima on the zils (fast singles), reviewed our ¾ shimmy on the down, learned the cairo shimmy, the modified version of the Turkish crazy turn and Ababda Devika. We also finished learning the choreography to Hoplanda.

In Advanced/Troupe we worked on several new advanced tribal combos I had come up with during the last two weeks (Karate Kid, Shimmy if you Got it, The age of the Mayans, Stayin’ Alive and Flash Dance) we also learned the combo Steppin’ Out by Nadima, and the cues for the three combos we learned from Cathia at the workshop on Saturday.