Just try it.

If you have been taking dance from me even a few weeks, you already know this: I love digging in to the minutiae of movement. I could talk all night about precise foot placement, body line, muscular impetus, how it should look, how it might feel, where your energy is flowing, what the audience sees, your stage alignment, your gaze, your hands, your hands in relation to your torso...the list goes on and on.  And if you ask for more detail, sometimes I can't help myself, and I explain it away...

But the truth is, sometimes you just have to try it. And fail. And try it again. And struggle. And curse. And try again.

Doing vs. Teaching

I am a pretty competent cook. When people eat my cooking, I get lots of compliments, and I know my way around my kitchen. But if someone asked me to teach a six week course on cooking, I am not sure I would do such a great job. I think the best I could offer would be to teach a different recipe every week. I would definitely teach the ones I know best, not necessarily the ones someone should learn as a foundation for strong cooking skills. I wouldn't be able to talk very competently about what went into making the recipe, be able to clearly explain why the flavors balance the way they do, or confidently suggest what substitutions one might be able to make to tweak the flavors or caloric contents...

Orientalist Art - bellydance costume inspiration

A lot of inspiration can be gleaned from looking at Orientalist paintings. While we know that these images were to a large degree a Western fantasy version of the culture, they can provide a lot of ideas about how to combine color and texture for powerful effects. Look at the color combinations, look at their jewelry--in short, look to the details!

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