Catching Up

Although I've been quiet on the blog front lately, a lot has been occurring in my little corner of bellydanceland. I've taken a couple of workshops I've been remiss in writing about, added a number of new instructional DVDs to my growing collection, and I'm now taking two classes per week, each with a different teacher in a different style.

Back in November I took workshops with DC area dancers Asharah and Belladonna. Based on the extensive warm-ups and drills on Asharah's DVD, I was really expecting to be utterly decimated by her workshop, but it was surprisingly one of the less strenuous workshops I've taken so far. I'd like to pretend that's because I might be in better shape than I was for previous workshops (ha!) but I think it's more likely that Asharah was able to gauge the overall level of the participants and was merciful :) The particular workshop I took with her revolved around the sort of almost mechanized, hip-hop influenced movements (e.g. ticking, strobing, etc.) which are part of her signature style. Much of the main material was similar to what is taught on the DVD. It was very internal and involved a lot of fine muscular control. We did a great deal of working with the glutes and used variations of Suhaila's drills to help sharpen hipwork and make it look more staccato. For some reason that is unclear to me I've never had a problem isolating those muscles (quite the contrary actually), but I'm not used to contracting them in such a deliberate way while standing and simultaneously executing hip movements. Asharah was a very enthusiastic, almost bubbly, teacher and I liked that she frequently walked around to give attention to specific individuals during the workshop. I got to purchase a lovely headdress from her which she actually wore in the first Gothic Bellydance DVD which made my inner fangirl squee with joy.

Belladonna taught us one of her signature combinations, in this case a flirty, burlesque-influenced number. She primarily teaches a version of improvisational bellydance using longer combinations which may last for 16+ counts (an approach similar to Unmata's) in addition to the standard 8-count moves typically used in the ATS vocabulary. This one in particular cued from Arabic. It took nearly the entire workshop to cover the whole combination and the material was presented very quickly. I wish I could remember more of it, but my learning style and short term memory issues makes these types of workshops very difficult for me.

A week or two ago I got to take a short workshop with Jasmine, a dancer of Middle Eastern descent who performs in Las Vegas. She taught us a simplified version of debke and the beginnings of a cane choreography. I really appreciated learning about her firsthand experiences at family gatherings where debke is actually performed. The cane portion was honestly out of my range as I have zero experience dancing any sort of raks assaya while the other people in the workshop seemed to have prior knowledge. Of course it would have helped if I had a suitable cane. The only one I could locate on such short notice was an actual walking cane which was far too heavy and cumbersome to be of actual use.

I really want to touch upon the new weekly classes I'm taking, but I think I'll save that for the next entry.

Some Upcoming Events

The following event is actually tomorrow and Sunday (sorry for the late notice!):

Northeast Belly Dance Competition: Gala Show
Date & Time: Saturday August 29, 2009, starting at 8:00pm
Location: Best Western Lehigh Valley Hotel & Conference Center
Grand Ballroom
300 Gateway Dr
Bethlehem, PA 18017
Price: $15.00 (I'm checking to see if tickets can still be purchased at the door. They don't seem to be sold out, but I'm unable to select the tickets to still purchase them online at this point.)
For more information, visit their website: Northeast Belly Dance Competition

There are thirteen performers lined up for this event including the girls of Hipnosis Tribal, Neon and Tanna Valentine of World Dance New York, Lotus Niraja, and Embers & Emeralds. There will also be some vendors present both before and after the show as well as during intermission.

I also wanted to highlight a series of workshops in November featuring Washington DC area dancers Asharah and Belladonna (I believe Mavi was originally slated to participate too but that doesn't seem to be the case any longer):

Workshops with Asharah & Belladonna
Date & Time: Saturday November 14 and Sunday November 15, 2009, workshops begin at noon
Location: to be announced
Price: Single Class: $40.00, Full Day (Saturday or Sunday): $70.00, Entire Weekend: $120
For more detailed information on the workshops and registration, please visit the Events Calender.

I'm really looking foreword to these workshops. I've met Belladonna before and she seemed like a very warm, outgoing person and a great dancer, not to mention her amazing sword-wielding skills. I've been wanting to take classes from Asharah too as I've been admiring her dancing and writing for some time, although I will admit that I do find the prospect of meeting her more than a little intimidating.

Spring 2009 Bellyjam & Zafira Workshops

It's been a few weeks since I attended Hipnosis' Spring 2009 Bellyjam and the Zafira workshops, and I need to get some thoughts down before I lose all recollection of them completely. Both the hafla and the workshops were held at the Elkins Estate, a sprawling property dotted with grandiose mansions in Elkins Park, PA. Entering through a tall wrought-iron gate and down an impressive driveway accented with statuary, you knew that this event was going to be special. The property was formerly owned and maintained by a convent of nuns, and the Bellyjam was held in a large room they had converted into a chapel complete with confessional booths at the rear. The stage was set on a slightly elevated portion of the room and was swathed in a lovely array of draped fabric, floor pillows, and lanterns.

The show opened with a performance by the band One combining doumbek, guitar and Indian tabla, and then the ladies of Hipnosis took the stage for two improvisational pieces. Following them were a series of soloists from the area. The ones I remember enjoying the most was a medley by a Cabaret-style dancer from New Jersey who took turns dancing with veil and zills, a tribal fusion solo to Amon Tobin's Easy Muffin by Laura Boyd, and an energetic Indian dance. Olivia and Maria from Zafira Dance Company performed twice, once immediately before the intermission and once at the very end of the show. After the intermission the student troupes performed and Vikki's Tribal Fusion class danced to the piece on which they had been working. As usual it was a great time. There were some vendors in the large foyer area and I purchased a hoop from one of them. I'm not doing very well with it, but the amount of time I can keep it turning (which isn't very long at all) is fun.

The Zafira workshops the following day (I was only able to attend the Sunday classes) were held in the same grand space as the Bellyjam. The first workshop focused on various types of shimmies (primarily 2/4, 3/4, and even 4/4 shimmies) and was taught by Maria Hamer. I wasn't sure I was going to survive Maria's pilates/yoga-inspired warm-up. It's not that she was a stern taskmaster (far from it actually! she was encouraging and comical throughout the entire process) but my abs and thighs were simply not prepared for that kind of work, and evidently there were many others in the workshop who weren't prepared for it either. After a break for lunch Olivia Kissel took over for a workshop focused on fluid movements and turns. I sensed a significant ballet influence in her teaching. Olivia also did a warm-up but it was of a completely different nature than Maria's: it consisted of a meditation technique called "bee's breath" which I thought was very unique and effective.

Unlike some other workshops I've attended, I really felt that Maria and Olivia were honestly welcoming of everyone who attended, despite the varying levels of skill and experience. They were also willing to be more spontaneous with the teaching material and respond to the desires and needs of the students rather than to stick staunchly to one specific plan. I would definitely say that although I was certainly in over my head with these workshops, I was left with a great deal to contemplate and I had a great time. I would not hesitate to take another set of workshops with them if given the opportunity.

Report from the Double Trouble Workshop

Life has been keeping me so busy that I haven't had the opportunity to post about the Double Trouble Workshop hosted by the ladies of Dancers' Oasis on August 24th. It was exactly what a workshop should be in my opinion: a few hours packed with a whole lot of fun and knowledge.

The first segment was dedicated to double veils. Going into the workshop I wasn't sure exactly how this topic would be explored since I've seen different types of double veil performances, all I really knew was that it was involving two semi-circular veils.

I have a rather ambivalent attitude towards the use of veils in bellydance. On one hand I think they are fun to twirl around for my own personal amusement, but on the other hand I'm typically not fond of veil performances. I'm drawn to bellydance by the technique: fluid undulations, sharp and percussive pops and locks, precise muscular control and isolations, and reverberating shimmies. Honestly in most veil performances the focus ends up being on the veil itself and less on the movements of the dancer, although ideally they should be equal partners in the dance. Sometimes I think veils and other props are used to try to distract from or even hide poor technique. Veils can be very pretty, but for the most part I don't find veil dances to be engaging on a personal level.

The two sorts of double veil pieces I've encountered have either been languid, slow dances where the two veils were used almost like Isis wings: each veil comprising a "wing" by being tucked into the belt while the other end was held with the fingers as in single veil work, and a decidedly more energetic dance à la Petite Jamilla of BDSS fame. Her double veil performance on the Live in Paris at the Folies Bergere DVD was the first one to really catch my eye and show me that veilwork can be fast-paced and exciting. Thankfully the workshop focused on the second sort of double veil dancing. Unfortunately, my spinning tolerance is extremely low and I have practically no experience spotting. Suffiya mentioned that it took her three years of practice to be able to spin for three minutes straight, and I think it may take me even longer. Surprisingly (at least for me), I did fairly well with the techniques which were taught. The class was co-taught by Suffiya and one of her troupe-mates (I cannot remember her name offhand and I feel badly about it, I'll have to check my notes again!) who is acclimating to spinning for longer periods of time, and they were really great.

I went into the double veil workshop a bit uneasy, but left with a higher regard for these flowing sweeps of fabric. I even purchased a set of matching silk veils in gorgeous peacock colors. Too bad my small apartment doesn't afford me with enough room to really spin to their full potential.

There was a break after the double veil workshop for a yummy Middle Eastern lunch, and then the double fan-veil workshop began. Suffiya was the first dancer I had seen to perform with fan-veils so it seemed appropriate that my first instruction in their use was taught by her.

I purchased two fan-veils prior to the workshop but unfortunately they ended up being both right-handed* so I could not use them. Luckily Suffiya had matching sets to borrow. My borrowed set proved to be a bit unwieldy and did not like to open and close cleanly, but despite that I was introduced to a lot of great techniques. I really appreciated the information provided on troubleshooting and what to do when the fan-veils get stuck or are otherwise misbehaving. There doesn't seem to be enough instructional material or advice available on what-to-do-when-something-goes-wrong on most DVDs, books, etc. I've been exposed to.

I really wanted to take classes with Suffiya prior to the workshop, but now even more so. Her enthusiasm is really contagious and I miss Cabaret style classes. I just need to find the right niche in my schedule which always seems to be in flux.

* I figured out a way to easily convert a right-handed fan-veil into a left-handed one, so not having a matching set no longer an issue now. I hope to post a little tutorial on how to do it for those with a similar dilemma!

Upcoming Double Trouble Workshop

For anyone in the Quakertown or Upper Bucks County area, Suffiya of Dancers' Oasis is hosting a 4 hour workshop called Double Trouble this Sunday the 24th. Below is some basic information:

Date: August 24th 2008
Time: 10:00am - 4:00pm
Location: Slim & Tone/Simply Fit 641 S. West End Blvd. (Route 309) Quakertown PA 18951
Price: $50.00 pre-registration before August 20th
Description: 4 hrs of class + Free Yoga class + Free Light refreshments. Double Veils 10-12pm | Double Fans 1-3pm, start and end the day with Yoga. Limited to 15 participants. Fans & Veils available for purchase along with other boutique items.
Contact: Suffiyah at dancersoasis@hotmail.com

I was advised by Suffiya that the Double Veil workshop would focus on dancing with two semi-circular veils, but that the same techniques could be used with a single veil and that a rectangular veil could substitute for a semi-circular one if need be. The Double Fan workshop will be utilizing fan/veils but normal fans would suffice.

I'm not sure how many spaces remain, but apparently she ran an ad for it in this week's newspaper so I imagine there must still be some space available. I'm attending of course :) Luckily this workshop is actually on one of my days off.