Week 7 of the 90 Day Belly Dance Challenge
This week has been a bit choreography focused but it needed to be done as I have performances and courses coming up soon. This means it gives me more time to practise.
Day 43 - Another Ashford lesson in which we went over part 4 (the slow section) so others could catch up and then we went back over parts 1-3. This dance is looking good and coming along at a good pace Total Time - 1 Hour
Day 44 - I finished the last part of the ‘Dum Tak Tak Sound’ choreography and then went through and changed lots to include moves I personally wanted to use and to simplify it by slowing down moves or giving more time.
I also practised the drum section of ‘Lonely Star by the Sea’ choreography and managed to remember nearly all of it so next time (maybe tomorrow) I will continue to learn the end. Total Time - 1 Hour & 10 mins
Day 45 - I began with the warm up from Ranya Renee’s ‘Modern Oriental’ DVD as it is quite long and also focuses on technique as well which is a plus.
I then went over the Lonely Star by the Sea’ choreography up to where I last learnt. I then continued to learn the rest and I am very pleased to say it is finished. Parts of the last section sometimes get a bit confused but I have time to practise and I hope to practise it at least once a day.
I ended with a cool down from ‘Jillina’s Drum Solo Choreography’ DVD as I was a bit tired to do a long cool down and this one is short but has good stretches Total Time - 1 Hour
Day 46 - I am still enjoying the Warm Up from Ranya Renee’s ‘Modern Oriental’ DVD although I could do with finding some new warm up moves.
Tonight the restaurant was a bit quieter but still a good number of customers to dance for including a birthday party. Sadly the birthday party was a bit rude and I felt they didn’t really want me there and were making fun of me. This type of behavior used to bother me but I now feel more secure in my dancing and myself to not let it get to me.
Once I got home I did a cool down of all the stretches I have picked up from the various DVD’s and workshops. 1 Hour
Day 47 - Today I was booked to perform a 15 min performance for a retirement/birthday party as a surprise.
I began with a warm up after putting on my makeup. It was difficult as I was in a relatively small bathroom but I made do and used many of the moves from Ranya Renee’s warm up as well as some other favourites.
I then went out to perform in the back garden which was filled with many English/Chinese guests. Dancing on grass was difficult but since I was improvising ¾ of the setlist it wasn’t so bad. I performed 4 songs including an entrance, Baladi, Arabic pop song and a drum solo (and a short finale for my bow).
As it was a long garden I made sure I went up and down so that all the tables could watch as well as turning and dancing for the people behind me. This is another reason why improvising is a good idea at these events. I got the birthday guy up to dance which went down well with the audience and the guy. It was so much fun and everyone had only nice things to say which was lovely. Total Time - 30 mins
Day 48 - As I was planning on doing some of Ruby’s Flawless Floor work’ DVD I decided to begin with her 10min Warm Up. I still think this is a great warm up due to it making me feel warm and ready afterwards. I think this combined with the Warm Up from Ranya Renee’s ‘Modern Oriental’ DVD could make a fantastic warm up.
I did also bit of the Technique chapter from Ruby’s DVD as I wanted to strengthen my lower half but due to doing a lot of walking yesterday. I think I also felt like I couldn’t really do all the things she instructed as my legs are not strong enough. Next time I try this DVD I think I will just do the strengthening chapter each time until I feel ready. I got tired and decided to move on.
I practised both ‘Lonely Star by the Sea’ and ‘Dum Tak Tak Sound’ and both are getting there but there are still little sections I am forgetting so I will keep on working on both.
I ended with my own cool down Total Time - 40 mins
Day 49 - As we were practising the faster section of the choreography I am currently teaching my Folkestone lesson some of them seemed a bit worried about not being able to learn it in enough time. I believe that they just need to work on the sections they can’t remember and just need to go over it until they are confident they know what is coming next. I also think I need to make sure I got over the section of the routine before teaching it so I can get the counting right rather than trying to remember in the moment.
In the troupe session we did a warm up using some of the moves I have been using in my own warm ups at home. We then went into choreographing the beginning part of the sea veil dance which is coming along at a reasonable pace. I think they are so many ideas rather than not enough and we just need to choose the moves that work best with the music. For the sections I am not dancing in I am trying to give ideas to the other dancers but letting them decide since they are the ones who need to feel it with the music. Total Time - 2 Hours
So as I said at the beginning it was choreography focused and I am hoping next week to work on strengthening my body so I can then perform my dances with more ease.