Personal Musings Of A Kent Bellydancer

Joanne writes about her experiences, feelings and inspiration on her journey as a professional Bellydancer for Metamorphosis Belly Dance (www.metabellydance.co.uk) in Kent,UK

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A Proud Bellydance Mama

Last Saturday myself along with the Eastern Delights troupe performed at ‘Eastern Oasis’, a belly dance showcase in Broadstairs. This event included dancers from Thanet, Maidstone, East Kent one ATS group that had come from Essex. There was such a variety of styles and dancers of all levels which was interesting to watch.

In fact watching a show that my troupe and I were also performing in was a new experience for me. Usually I am performing in one act as a soloist and then the other with the Eastern Delights, giving me no time to watch any of the other performances (except maybe some near the end). I was able to do this since I decided to take a step back to choreograph and direct rather than perform. This choreography is one of my favourites, a theatrical Mermaid veil dance and since watching the rehearsals I have come to love it even more.

For starters the music ‘Yearning’ by Raul Ferrando is such a wonderful piece that it already assisted in making the dance beautiful.  Include the storyline of a girl asleep by the shore who is approached by two powerful mermaids and her torment between going back to everyday life or escaping into the sea to rule and it becomes even more of a spectacle. Lastly the costumes/ silk veils add the final touch to this amazing performance which received a lot of appreciation.

This dance was choreographed as a three person dance and when my good friend Lia became a member of the troupe I gave up my part so I could focus on how it looked and if the story was coming through.

So on the night (still in my own clothes amazingly) I wished my lovely ladies the best and sat in the audience waiting for their performance. This is the first time I have ever felt butterflies while not being backstage waiting to go on. Of course this dance was still my baby and I knew that there were certain parts that dancers were worried about which of course naturally made me empathize for them.  I knew that whatever happened they would handle it gracefully.

They performed the dance wonderfully and even though there were some mistakes they performed like professionals even though they are a semi professional troupe in a comfortable environment. I had goose bumps by the end and it all just came together at which I jumped and cheered for joy.

There was also another dance that I was very excited to watch. Rosie, one of my students and a troupe member choreographed and performed her first solo. After watching her rehearsal video I was very excited for everyone else to discover what a great dancer and performer she is.

As the event had a James Bond twist Rosie performed to ‘Die Another Day’ in a theatrical Tribal Fusion style. Everyone wowed at her great acting skills and her wonderful isolations (her body shape is perfect for belly dance).

Once she finished I hurried backstage to give her a big ‘I’m so proud of you hug’ since she really did make me proud. She also received many compliments from fellow dancers who couldn’t believe it was her first time. I was a very proud Belly Dance mother and it made me sit back and feel proud of myself that she had the skills and confidence to just go for it.

Lastly I did actually perform a dance myself but I think I was more interested in Rosie and the Troupe rather than myself. I first picked out the music which was the 007 theme by Fanfare Ciocarlia since it is a great upbeat track. I was deciding whether to go with Tribal Fusion or Gypsy Style dance and ended up picking the latter since I felt the music was quite bouncy.

The dance began as an improvised piece but ended up choreographed as I had certain skirt moves that I wanted to include and I found the more I practised the more I found myself doing the same moves each time anyway.

I guess I felt that maybe the dance could have gone better, especially after my dancers doing so well but sometimes it can be difficult to do both but I still gave a lot of energy. If I was to do it again (although I probably won’t since I picked this track due to the James Bond theme) I would probably have picked a brighter costume since I probably faded into the black background more than I would have liked.

On the whole the night was so special and it makes me so grateful that I have such wonderful dancers and people who want to put the effort into creating beautiful art as much as I do.

You can what us perform again this month at the Sevenveils Autumn Performance Platform on 24th Oct.

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My Personal Dance Journey Continues

I know it’s been a while since I wrote a blog post but I have been considering giving it up. But I am happy to say that this post means I have decided to stick with it. Yay!

So in my last post I talked about how I want to work on my own dance skills and develop my technique. I will admit that I didn’t finish the ‘On The Go’ program on Datura Online because I got bored of doing work outs. I know that working out will help me but I wanted to dance, after all that is why I Belly Dance rather than going to the gym.

On the plus side I did take the JWAAD Personal Development Assessment which was not only helpful but a lot of fun. It was great to go over one move with music and be able to play with all the variations and then move on to another move.

What did I learn? Well it seems that I have a lot of tension in my shoulders and neck which is affecting my moves. I do often find my shoulders are stiff and get neck ache so it makes sense that it would affect my dance. Movements should look easy and effortless so I was taught new ways to do certain moves to take the movement into the upper back. I also discovered that I have gaps in my technique as I am self taught so although I knew many advanced turns there were a few basic ones that I didn’t know.

So where do I go from here?

This is where things got difficult since I ended up having many ideas and found that the more I talked to people about it the more my own mind got changed.

It started off that I wanted to attend a class in London so I looked up and found the Bellydance Body Mind studio and was ready to sign up for their next course.

I then discovered an Intensive course lasting 10 weeks at JWAAD which would work on technique and a choreography as well as incorporating Pilates workout. My only concern was that I could only make the advanced course and after taking my assessment and still waiting for the results I wasn’t quite sure what level I was. Will I be able to keep up? Will it be too hard? These were questions that kept going round in my head.

Because of these worries I contacted my assessor who assured me that I would be able to keep up but the course wouldn’t fill in the gaps I have because I would need to start at a beginner level. Although this was the case I was ready to at least give the course a go just to experience it.

Then lastly my assessor told me about an upcoming course she is running that would help me fill in the gaps and advance my dance. This course is closer than London and because of it only running 5 weeks it is also cheaper.

So I was now stuck between going to London or training closer to home.

After speaking to a family member who convinced me that training in London probably won’t help my business and getting more customers than training local I decided to do just that.

So I am now planning on attending the local course with people I know which should make me feel a bit more confident in taking this step. I can’t help feeling a little disappointed as I liked the idea of doing something big like training in London and performing in a show, although I know that I need to start small and maybe when I have more money and confidence I can do this in the future.

I also have lots of ideas for improving my business but that is for another post.

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Developing my Dancing with an Action Plan

Now that my own event is over, my current and next course is all planned out and I don't need to create any class choreographies I have decided to work on bettering myself though a few action plans.

My first plan is to get back into dancing on a daily basis. I did this while participating in the 90 Days Challenge last year but once it was finished I slipped back into my lazy routine of sitting around when I had days off. While doing the challenge I found that my strength and endurance levels did get better and I want to feel this again.

For the last week and the next 3 weeks I will be using a program from the Belly Dance website Datura Online

This website is like my dream site since all the videos are categorized into topics, length, teachers, style, level and even has workshops, classes and programs.

To start off I am doing the 'On The Go' program since it is only four weeks and has 3 sessions a week which fit into my current routine.

I have to say I am finding it a challenge since some of the strengthening exercises are pretty difficult. The only downfall with this site is that it has a lot of Tribal and Tribal Fusion style but I have noticed an increasing number of Egyptian style dancers such as Sedona Soulfire, Henna and recently Sadie.

Once I have finished this program I might try another one or maybe just decide on my own what I want to work on.

My next step is made up of two things.

Firstly I want to choreograph a dance for myself since I am always dancing someone else's dance when performing a choreographed solo. I have a few songs in mind from Oriental to Turkish and Egyptian Pop.

Secondly I want to choreograph with no time limit or for a certain level. I am forever creating dances for my students but have to change certain moves due to difficulty. If creating a dance for myself I can do what I want and it also allows more of my creativity to come though.

My last step is to take the JWAAD Personal Development Programme. This Technique review will allow me to identify my strengths and weaknesses so I know where I am and what I needs working on to become a better dancer. I will be assessed by a JWAAD assessor at a certain level and how i am able to perform 23 specific Belly Dance moves.

This will be a difficult thing since I always want to be perfect. I know that of course I won't be but that is why I am hoping to take the test, so I can feel more confident in my dancing in the long run.

I keep playing on the idea of entering a competition just as something to work towards and to take another new step into the world of Belly Dance. I am not sure my confidence is there quite yet but I hope if I do all of the above that maybe it will be in a year or two.

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Turkish Bellydance Performance and The Mirror Inspiration

Last Saturday myself along with two of my lovely Eastern Delights ladies travelled to Gillingham for the Sevenveils Summer Performance Platform event.

My troupe were unable to perform so I decided to perform a Turkish style solo from Ruby Beh’s popular DVD ‘Totally Turkish’. This is the second time that I have performed it for an audience and I just needed to revisit the DVD and get into the swing of it again.

I had a lot of fun performing this dance since it is very energetic and judging from the audience’s reaction this just naturally came though. I especially found myself interacting with the audience a lot more than I usually do when doing stage shows. I think the next time I do a solo for this specific show I might try doing some improvisation to an Oriental style song instead.

I only got to see a few other dancers perform by the time I had been on and got changed to sneak into the audience but it is always interesting to see others dance and I always enjoy watching the lovely Safka perform since she is so elegant and full of emotion.

A few days later the video of my Turkish performance came out and I have certainly noticed a few things that I need to be worked on. I seem to be slightly out of time which is unusual for me since I am usually well connected to the music. It is a very fast choreography and with the added adrenaline  I think I ended up dancing a bit faster that I need to in places.

Although I am never a fan of watching myself dance it really does help to improve. I thought my dance was terrible at first and cringed so badly but after a few more views I noticed what needed to be improved and could then start to appreciate what went well.

The Mirror

What I loved most about the night is that we were treated to a full bellydance theatrical show by the Johara Dance Company called ‘The Mirror’.

I absolutely loved this show with the wonderful dancers, clever use of props and a dark and at times creepy story.

It really made me sit back and think since I used to perform theatrical shows as part of my performing arts college and university degree and although I love Bellydance I can’t help missing the theatrical side. This show has inspired me to work on a troupe dance that I have had on the shelf now that I have more exciting ideas thanks to ‘The Mirror’.

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Fusion Fantasy - My Best Show Yet

Wow what a great night I had on the Fusion Fantasy show on Saturday..I am still buzzing at how well it all came together.

From the beginning I wanted this show to be my biggest and best yet. In previous years it has been more like a small belly dance party which was fun but I wanted to put on an actual show. This is why I went searching for a venue with stage lights and performance space rather than just a room. You can read all about my search on a previous blog post.

When the performers dance forms started coming in I got even more excited. Not only were we celebrating Belly Dance but also lots of other forms as well. So many dancers got in touch and had great fusion ideas that I couldn’t wait to put it all together.

I was even more excited at the fact that this would be the first show my parents would be coming to see. I wanted to show them what I do and how I have been able to put the whole event together. They saw my dancing at the beginning of my belly dance career but my technique and artistry has developed since then.

So I got all of my students working hard, put together a very exciting set list and organised what we would wear. Music was sorted, the dances were ready and the show began.

The fact that this time I had a lighting/sound technician made my life a lot easier for both myself and my partner (who usually has to do the music but was on video cam duty this night instead). It felt a lot nicer walking onto and off stage in the dark with the lights coming up when on stage. It kind of takes you to dream land where you can fade everyday life into the background for a few hours and enjoy dancing and music.

All of the dancers did such a fantastic job and the fact that a few of my students got up and perform (some only started dancing 10 weeks ago) made me very proud. One of my students when coming back stage after performing our class routine said to me “Even though I was nervous I actually had fun” which is such a great thing to hear.

All of our guest dancers took the time to come along and put on some wonderful and interesting dances and I am so grateful that they wanted to come to a show put on by little me.

My parents loved the show and were amazed at what I had put together. My Dad told me afterwards that although he was there to support me he had thought he would be bored. In fact he loved it and found it really interesting so I am glad i was able to change the mind of Belly dancing towards both my parents.

In my finale speech I was very surprised when my troupe member and friend Rosie came onto the stage and began say how much all my students are thankful for all the hard work I do. When students from both my Folkestone and Ashford classes came onto the stage with a big bouquet of flowers and a brand new suitcase (since my old one had just recently lost a wheel). I couldn’t help but shed a few tears since it makes me so happy that people love what I do and I am able to bring joy into others lives and my own.

Of course after all of my shows there are things I would do differently next time. I would probably get an assistant, just someone who can help with help with answering dancers questions, sort things out on the night and give me some time to focus on getting myself ready without people coming up to me all the time.

I may look into another venue since it would be better at a venue that has some sort of curtains on stage for a nicer backdrop. If I don’t find one though then I can always use this one since I know it works.

It is always surprising how fast a show goes after all the months of preparation. Sometimes it can feel a bit sad when it’s over but then I get over that and think about ideas for the future and I soon perk up.

Folkestone Students - Bollywood Fusion

Ann Hall

Eastern Delights Troupe

Joanne - Drum Solo

Ashford Students - Flamenco Fusion

Lia Devincenzi - Tribal Fusion

Medina Troupe - Charleston Fusion

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Preparing for Fusion Fantasy

I thought I would write an blog post update about how things have been going since it’s been a while since my last post.

I guess planning and organising my next event ‘Fusion Fantasy’ has been taking up a lot of my time these days. Since we have a nicer venue I wanted to do lots of promotion and plan everything ahead of time so it can all go smooth on the night (at least as much as possible).  

All the student dances have been taught and we are currently in the process of rehearsing for the show. I have been so happy with the amount of dancers wanting to perform that it is going to be a fantastic night with so much variety in fusion styles. I am so excited to be able to watch and perform as well as sharing the joy of Belly Dance with non dancers and beginner students who are still learning about this ancient dance. Of course not everything has gone as I had planned. Last month we lost one of our new troupe members due to personal reasons so now there are only 4 of us now. Our current dance and costumes were made for a troupe of 5 so myself and the other ladies have been restructuring the choreography. I have a perfectionist attitude and making something that was wonderful into something that is good is difficult even if it is still good. I also had to give up my leopard print bra and trousers for the dance so I fit in with the rest. On the plus side I can still wear my leopard print costume for one of my own dances since I am in the process of turning my leggings into a skirt.

I am trying to make this show look big with a great poster, personal dancer posters (as shown on the above post), promotional video as well as on line adverts and promoting at other venues. I might make a loss this time since the venue has cost me a lot of money but if it means the photos, videos and reviews of the show are a way to get more people to the classes and future shows then really I am not loosing in the long run. So I am currently setting up the set list for the night which isn’t just about putting it in any old order but more about making sure people have time to get changed if performing in a troupe and solo, having different styles apart from each other as well as separating the slow songs from the upbeat ones and having a dancer in the first half and second half if they are performing twice. I think the set list is looking good with over 20 acts and I just know in my heart that this is going to be the best show yet.

Tickets are still available for Fusion Fantasy on 16th May 2015 from 7-9pm. Get them before May 1st for the Early Bird discount. Book your tickets at www.metabellydance.co.uk/showcase.html and join the Facebook event

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Wild Ideas for new Troupe Costumes

From reading my blog post last month you will know that I recently added two new members to the Eastern Delights belly dance troupe. That meant it was time to start a brand new choreography and with that new costumes.

Once the choreography was done I need to come up with costumes that reflected the dance which will be performed to Shakira's 'La Tortura'. I wanted something that a) Had a wild and strong female vibe and b) Wasn't going to take me forever to sew since I now had 5 costumes to do rather than three.

So I began drawing up a design and this is what I came up with

Troupe Costumes

As I wasn't sure how many of them would want to wear full leopard print trousers and tops I decided to keep it to just a mini skirt. It would stand out and show that wild image I am going for but it wouldn't be overkill. Originally I planned to make the skirts but I was lucky enough to find some in H&M.

As for the tops I also planned to make them but I thought of using the tie up tops instead so that they can adjust them plus it would also mean I wouldn't have to sew as much. I found these ones on eBay and because they have silver on then they will match the belt.

The belts are the only part on the troupe costumes that I will be making and since the two new members offered to sew some things for me it has really allowed me more time to work on constructing my own costume bra.

Each belt has 4 medallions on with a big silver rhinestone in the centre with shells and small rhinestones around them. The shells should match the cream in the leopard print and I am still deciding whether to put an edging to the medallions.

As for the belt itself I am just going to have a strip of black fabric with a clip and some beaded trimming to keep it simple

After putting all the items of the troupe costume together here is what it looks like

It does look a bit strange considering it is lying on the floor rather than on a person and the actual belt is just a bit of fabric since I haven't actually made it yet.

If you are thinking leopard print is a bit out of place I am hoping it won't once viewed with my costume.

My Costume

As I was going the opposite to the troupe costume I had to get a leopard print top/bra. All the ones I looked at didn't really work for me so I decided to make my own (especially now I didn't have to sew the medallions).

I also bought a pair of leopard print leggings that would match the print on the troupes skirt. I don't think I have ever worn leopard print in my life so this was about to be a new experience for me. Since I wanted my top to match my leggings I decided to just buy another pair and then used the material to cover the bra.

Once I attached the side straps and one long piece for the neck to the centre this is what I got

I will be attaching clear straps over the shoulders since I don't feel supported enough by the neck strap on its own.

I was also lucky to find a black mini skirt in H&M as well so no sewing there either. At the end when I put it all together this was the result

These costumes and the choreography will be performed at the next Metamorphosis Belly Dance 'Fusion Fantasy' Showcase on May 16th at The Black Hole Auditorium, Canterbury from 7-9pm.

Visit www.metabellydance.co.uk/showcase.html for more information and to book your tickets

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The conflict between Dreaming and Reality (Finding yet another new showcase venue)

Since the last showcase in August 2014 I have been searching for a new venue. I thought I had found the perfect place at the Dance Easy Club (see my blog post about this venue) but after actually performing in the venue I realised a few things:

The celling fans were pretty low making it difficult to perform veil work without fear of getting it caught.

All the showcase videos I watch on YouTube look professional due to lighting and a theatre like space.

Having a long room made it difficult for any video camera work

I really miss being in a theatre environment since my Performing Arts education

So I went on a new venue hunt and had my hopes built up and then let down, again and again making me worry about where I was going to hold the next showcase.

Then I found the Black Hole Auditorium at the Canterbury Academy. When I first found this venue my next thought was how much. Although the room sounded cheap I soon found out that it all adds up after 2 hours of room booking, hiring their technician for the 2 hours and an extra 30 mins for setting up, the Academies insurance as mine didn't cover everything and this is all without VAT on top.

On the plus side I was getting a great space in Canterbury making it centre for Folkestone and Ashford students to get to (as well as myself since I live in Canterbury and will be transporting lots of costumes and equipment). I got a professional space, sound and lighting, tiered seating so I believed that the money spent would result in an actual show rather than a party environment making more people want to partake in our next showcase.

Yesterday I visited the venue in person to see for myself what it would be like which did burst a few of my bubbles.

The room is split meaning if I want to use room as a whole I have to pay double the room hire price and that's also doubled by using it for 2 hours. Now I know I said I didn't mind spending a bit of money but I have to be realistic and I know that really I don't need that much space so this means losing the tiered seating.

I was also surprised to learn that I will also have to hire a classroom out for 2 hours behind the auditorium as a dressing room. I had kind of expected that people who would hire a theatre would need to get changed but apparently this was not included.

Lastly there is only one entrance/exit so dancers won't be able to come on stage from both sides.

So apart from that here is what were are gaining at this new venue:

Professional space to perform in

Professional lighting and sound as well as a technician to do all of it for me

Independent entrance and reception area (so no need to walk through the school)

Free Parking

Large room for getting dressed which is right by the auditorium door

The option of using the tiered seating and whole room in the future if I ever need to expand

The staging seen on the photo won't be used allowing us more space on the floor.

So although I am going a little over my budget I hope that this show will encourage current students to perform and feel like they have achieved something at the end of it. I also hope it will encourage new students to join our courses in hopes of performing at the next showcase. If this happens then paying for the venue won't be a problem in the future.

To get a 360° view of the Black Hole Auditorium click here and scroll along the bottom and click 'Black Hole'

Find out about 'Fusion Fantasy ,our next showcase, and to book your tickets visit http://www.metabellydance.co.uk/showcase.html

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From 3 to 5 - Welcoming our new Eastern Delights troupe members

So last year I held auditions to add members to our Eastern Delights troupe since I felt that some of my students were ready to take the next step to experience troupe life.

Helen, Rosie and myself have been performing as a troupe for 19 months and have had a lot of fun in the process. So I was also ready to expand the troupe and welcome in new members who I thought would add something new to the group.

So I am pleased to announce that our new members are Lia Devincenzi and Nikki Sendell.

Here is a little information about them and their dance experience

Lia

Lia performed for customers at Azouma restaurant on a weekly basis before leaving to live in Spain and allowing me to continue in her place. She also attended lessons in Spain as well as performing in their showcase. Lia has always been more of a tribal fusion dancer which will add another exciting element to our troupe but she is also keen to learn Oriental and Folk styles.

Nikki

Nikki began belly dancing after a trip to Egypt on a Nile Cruise. As a lover of the music and dance she wanted to learn more. Nikki attended my Folkestone classes when they first started and has been a keen member performing in our showcases as well as the Multi-Cultural festival. As a mature student she finds belly dancing a great way to exercise and make friends.

I have found that now we have more members it is not only more fun but has encouraged me to structure my troupe rehearsals since more are attending. I have started doing a warm up, technique, cardio, strengthening and a cool down for each session to  prepare their bodies and minds for the choreography.

We are currently working on an exciting choreography that we hope to perform at the next Metamorphosis showcase although we have upcoming bookings before then. 

I really see great things for this troupe and I can't wait for the first time we experience performing together. Keep an eye out for the events we are involved with at www.metabellydance.co.uk/events.html 

To find out more information about the troupe and how to book us please visit www.metabellydance.co.uk/troupe.html

The Eastern Delights Troupe Rehearsal - Jan 2015

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Relecting Back on 2014 and Looking Ahead to 2015

I know so I am a little late with this post since I have been busy organising my lesson and troupe plans.

So at the beginning of 2014 I began writing this blog and if I'm honest I am surprised that I am still keeping up with it. It has been a great way to document my belly dancing life even if sometimes it was hard to write.

So what has happened this year? Sometimes it can be hard to remember as so much goes on but here is an update:

Took part and completed the 90 Day Dance Challenge

Developed my skills in hooping

Had a private on-line lesson with Žana

Performed with the Eastern Delights at UKC Belly Dance showcase, Summer and Autumn Performance Platforms and Multi-Cultural festival.

Organised the 'Bellydance Dreams' showcase

Attended workshops by Ozgen and Elis Pinheiro

Performed at Istanbul restaurant in Canterbury for NYE

My plans for 2015?

Start weekly lessons in Canterbury

Choreographing and working with my troupe of 5 members

Begin 7 week courses in Ashford

Prepare for next showcase (and find yet another venue)

Look on improving my own dance skills through private classes/personal development programme

Some of these may happen and some may not but if I can at least achieve some of these goals then I know that my dance career has taken a further step up.

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From Egyptian to Turkish Style for New Years Eve

For New Years Eve I will be performing at the Istanbul restaurant based in Canterbury.

I have always pretty much been and Egyptian style dancer but because this is a Turkish restaurant owned by Turkish people I want to be as authentic as I possibly can.

I have performed a few Turkish style choreographies that I was taught but I haven't really done Turkish improvisation. I will need to do this since it is a restaurant and will have little space.

I researched what a Turkish set list might look like and I found this little gem on the Facebook page ‘Belly dance TIPS for performing, Insights & History’

“A typical Turkish show begins with a fast entrance piece. The dancer enters with the music or very shortly afterwards. Traditionally she plays finger cymbals most of the time. She or he does a veil number to a slow or medium tempo song. The dancers are known for their acrobatic way of dancing & floor work. Then a drum solo, Taqsim & a slow Romany 9/8 rhythm song. A fast Karsilama may be used in the finale.”

So I am going to try and follow this format but when I came to looking at my Turkish music I came to discover that what I have is very little.

When I listened to lots tracks to find something I liked I found it difficult. A lot of the Turkish music sounds quite cheesy although it was a lot of fun listening to Turkish style music and finding out a bit more about this style.

For inspiration I looked at Ruby Beh and what songs she had performed to since I love her organic style dances.

From her videos I was able to find some great tracks such as ‘Sedur’ by Asena and ‘Khiyanat Mariha’ by Samir Joubran. As for Turkish pop I was okay since I have a lot of that but I am still trying to decide whether I should dance to a Romany piece. Ruby Beh’s ‘Totally Turkish’ DVD has a great section on the Roma style but it depends whether I feel confident enough. I am also going to try out the Turkish combinations from Aradia’s ‘Combinations for Egyptian, Lebanese and Turkish Oriental Dance’ DVD.

This month I shall be overloading my ears with Turkish music so I am fully into the style by New Year’s.

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Presenting the Eastern Delights Troupe Costume

I have been working hard for the last few months on the Eastern Delights costume. Since we were doing a sea themed choreography I really wanted something that could be used for other performances but would also look like it would be fitting for this dance.

The above photo was taken when I had just about finished my own costume apart from some extra little details. I am now so happy that I have now finally finished the costume for the three of us.

I chose this design as it was simple to make and elegant. I was inspired by both of these costumes

And here are the results:

The bras were made from just a normal shop bra which was stiff and then I covered them with the fabric. My bra (the one at the front) had the straps removed and I made it with a little gap in the middle for a decorative feel.

The other ladies bra straps were replaced with blue ribbon since it was easier than trying to get them to fit. The ribbon actually looks lovely since it crosses at the back, loops through the rings and then you can tie it into a bow.

The belts were made with interfacing and then covered in fabric with a hook at the end to join it up.

I have to admit that I will be happy if I never had to sew another diamond shape piece. For the 3 costumes I made 28 of these (since my bra has one at the back where it attaches as well) and for each of the diamond pieces I had to sew sequins around the edge, add 5 fringe beads to the bottom, sew a gem into the middle and then beading around the edge of the gem.

I bought the skirts off ebay (since I haven't learnt how to make my own skirts quite yet) and the crochet hip scarves but everything else was hand made by myself.

Before I started this business I couldn't sew a button back on a shirt but now I get so much pleasure from making my own costumes. It was also nice to make something for others too. I am still learning and each costume gets better and better.

Although  that being said I don't think I will be doing this again as it took so much of my time. I am also holding auditions next week to make the troupe bigger so I don't think I could make a costume for everyone. Of course I will do the odd bit of tweaking on costumes and make small things but a whole costume was just too much for me on top of all my other jobs.

I already have the next troupe costumes in mind and I keep telling myself that I will not make them myself even if I can't find exactly what I want. I can't wait for the finally costumes as in my head they look great.

[metabellydance]

The Emotional Rollercoaster Ride of a Dancer

It has taken me a while to get around to writing about my experience at the Sevenveils Autumn Performance Platform. Why? Well as a perfectionist my solo performance didn’t go as well as I had hoped and I needed time to get over that fact and learn from it.

It is always so easy to write about how great things went but it is a lot harder to write when things didn’t go quite so well, especially when you also have a mental health illness to battle with as well.

So why didn’t my performance go well? My costume neck strap came undone (I still had over the shoulder straps so it wasn’t that major of a problem) but they kept getting in my way and distracting me from my dancing. My costume is also too heavy for me and trying to do level changes was a challenge. My dancing however went well apart from the mishaps but my illness only lets me see the negative part even when people were complimenting me on a great performance.

There was one thing that could have prevented all of this (and if you are a dancer you will already probably be shaking your head) and that is to practise in your costume before going on stage. I forever tell my students this so why am I not listening to my own advice? I think the show just crept up on me and I had been feeling very up and down so I never got the chance. I seem to learn something each time I do these shows and I hope one day I can perform at the Sevenveils Performance Platform and not have some sort of costume trouble.

After finding the courage to watch my performance back I was surprised to see it wasn’t as bad as I had imagined. I often blow things out of proportion. I also got some wonderful photos from www.krysphotos.co.uk which has some great shots of me dancing.e

(Video by shimmeringbreeze)

Once I had performed solo it was nice to be able to dance with the Eastern Delights troupe. They always love coming along to these shows and seeing all the different dancers and styles. I think it really inspires them to keep dancing and coming up with new ideas. Our performance was a fun Gypsy skirt dance which I had choreographed a few years ago for a workshop. It can be great to go over these old dances and make them new again.

(Video by shimmeringbreeze)

The theme was ‘Something Spooky’ but I didn’t really have time to come up with another new dance so we decided to be different since most of the acts would be dark and scary. For the next show I will be able to plan a bit better so we can be a part of the theme.

I think every dancer has her or his ups and downs and this just happened to be a bit of a dip but now my head is clearer I can learn from my mistakes and become a better dancer for it.

[metabellydance]

Finding Inspiration at Elis Pinheiro's Workshops

Last Saturday I was excited to be attending two workshops by the lovely Brazilian dancer, Elis Pinheiro (www.elispinheirobellydance.com). I have to admit I didn’t know much about her when I first found out about the workshops but after some research and watching her videos on YouTube I liked what I saw and knew I had to attend.

What interested me most about her while researching was her teaching style. There was a lot of praise for the way she teaches and as a teacher myself I am always looking for new ways to explain techniques and help my students.

I attended her ‘Baladi Hips’ and ‘Silk Veil’ workshops in Medway and I was particularly looking forward to the silk veil one as I love dancing with a veil (plus I am currently preparing for my next veil course). As for the ‘Baladi Hips’ workshop I have to admit I wasn’t sure what to expect. Was it going to be combinations for Baladi the rhythm (also known as the small masmoudi or masmoudi saghir)? Or was it going to be Baladi the style? Turns out it was the latter and I was glad. I am currently trying to learn all there is about this style so this was right up my street.

I will say that Elis’ teaching style is as fantastic as they say and I learnt a whole lot from her. She is the first teacher I have taken a workshop from who has asked questions to get the students thinking about what they are about to learn. For example she asked us what words could describe the Baladi which allowed us to use our own heads instead of being told.

I also noticed that both her workshops were more about quality rather than quantity. Instead of just throwing lots of moves and tricks at us to learn she picked about 6 or 7 different moves and worked on making them look good with clean technique and variations. I found that I came away from the workshops with some great tips that I will remember for a long time rather than trying to wrack my brain trying to think of everything we did.

I have spoken a lot about the workshops from a teacher’s perspective but how about from a dancer’s one? As a dancer I also loved them. Although many of the moves I knew very well I liked the variations such as the fast heel bounce, how to achieve a heavy feel to movements and keeping the connection between the arms, shoulders and ribcage when dancing with veil, to name a few.

Not only is Elis a wonderful dancer and teacher but she is also a lot of fun which was the cherry on an already wonderful cake. I will always remember her demonstrating how not to do the omi “nightclub style” which is something I see often and summed it up perfectly in such a funny way.

If she is ever around this area for more workshops I will certainly be there ready for more.

[metabellydance]

Canterbury Belly Dance Lessons to Start In January

So last week I finally announced in my monthly e-newsletter and the Metamorphosis Belly Dance Facebook Page that I was finally bringing regular lessons to Canterbury.

So why has it taken me so long to start a class in Canterbury?

There were a number of reasons including the fact that there is competition with other classes where as Folkestone and Ashford had none. I guess if I am honest I was not as confident in myself as a dancer and instructor to go up against competition. Now the years have gone by and I have taught many different classes and performed at many different events I feel I am ready to give it my best shot since I believe in myself. I teach my classes how I wanted to be taught when I was learning; structured and full of techniques rather than just trying to copy my teacher and follow along.

It was also about finding the right night,place and time since these are all important to achieve a successful class. Last year I tried to start up a class at St. Stephens Community Centre but I was unable to have the venue in the evening. Because of this I tried to start up a Belly Fitness class at 1pm on a Friday. Sadly the numbers were low so I had to cancel them. I knew that if I kept searching I would find the perfect place, and I finally did.

I am so excited to be teaching at Canterbury College since it is buzzing with students, is near the heart of Canterbury (I pretty much live across the road so an extra plus for me) and is a reasonable price.

I will be teaching my classes in the Performing Arts Mirrored Dance Studio pictured below.

Classes will be starting in January 2015 (giving me time to promote) and I will be running taster lessons throughout January. The first taster class you attend will be free so you can try it out without loosing anything Then in February I shall start our first 7 week course.

I am really hoping that this class becomes a success as I have always wanted to teach my own classes in Canterbury and this is my chance.

Classes will be every Wednesday from 8:15pm - 9:15pm and the first taster session shall be on the 7th January 2015. Other taster sessions in January shall cost just £6. For more information please visit www.metabellydance.co.uk/bellydancelessons.html