Inner Child, Meet Outer Adult. Now Dance!

As children, it is so natural for us to run and jump and climb and tumble and spin.  We are always in motion, from the time we are born squirming and wiggling, to when we first crawl (and boy do we get fast at that!), to when we walk and then run. Then there's no stopping us!  What we didn't understand when we're little, we now know--movement is a way we explore ourselves and our world. We are testing out boundaries, experiencing new sensation, developing new proficiencies, learning where our balance is, where our strengths are, exploring lightness and motion and feeling, connecting with others...movement is all these things when we are growing up.

For me, dance as an adult is still all these things. I get to do it all on a more conscious level, but just as I was as a child, I am still learning about myself and the world around me through experimenting with new movement.  I challenge my limits, learn new skills, gain strength, connect with others, try and fail and try again, I laugh and cry, and ultimately find my balance.  Through dance I get to return to my childish ways, but through a new medium which honors who I am as a grown up at the same time.

For me, bellydance in particular nurtures the child and the woman, both, in me.

As a teacher I see it unfold--I get to tell adults "Just try it! Play! Mess up, it's okay!"  How often are we told this in our adult life? 

In every facet of our adult lives, the sentiment is constantly reinforced that being an adult is all about meeting expectations, avoiding mistakes, doing everything "right" or face shame or consequences. In dance class, this is one time we can struggle with new ideas again and again, and we are not only encouraged and supported in it, we have fun with it!!  We are told we have our own path to walk, and ultimately we don't have to conform to someone else's pace or vision. And simultaneously we are learning so much about our body mechanics, and our relationship to others both spatially and emotionally.  We learn about accountability and commitment, and experience the divine exhaustion of good physical work.  We get to be a kid again, and yet learn so much about ourselves as a mature adult. Worth every penny, worth every minute...

From a series of quotes where people are talking about their experiences working with Walt Disney:

“The thing that was extraordinary about all the people (who worked with Walt Disney) was that they embraced failure. Within those walls there was constantly the reminder that it’s OK to fail, that it was OK to be human, that it was OK to experiment, because that’s how you blossom as a student.” — Andrea Favilli, Imagineer and sculptor (2001)

Mm Mm Monday - Datura at Tribal Fest

I knew from the moment this piece started, with the costuming, fingers cymbals, and music (not to mention the lineup of dancers I admire) that this was going to be an Mm Mm Monday that had to go up immediately. Datura is made up of the teachers and dancers at Rachel Brice's Datura studio in Portland, OR. Mixing elements of old school tribal, ATS, and what I would consider RB/Indigo style choreography, they bring back to the stage the magic that is tribal bellydance for me. Enjoy!

Fabulous Friday - Seattle Spring

I love my city.

Mm Mm Monday - Sabine + Sword = Mm!

Sabine is known for her double sword. Her coming on stage and not doing her double sword would surely cause a riot. It's like not playing Freebird. Come on.  Here is an example of her luscious sword work:

The Science Behind Learning Shimmies

Mahin has an excellent article on the physical processes which are engaged when we first learn to shimmy, which of course applies to learning any new moves.

"The Engine That Stalls

Remember back to your early days, instructors! New students, yes, we’ve all been where you are. You get your shimmy going and a few seconds later your knees mysteriously stop by no will of your conscious brain, You pause, then you start it back up again like an old car that stalled at a stop light. What is happening and how do you “fix” it?"

See the full article here: http://mahinbellydance.wordpress.com/2012/04/24/the-science-behind-learning-shimmies/

Mm Mm Monday - Devi and Acushla Duet

Posture, body line, technique! Everything we aspire to, demonstrated in a duet.

Northwest Folklife is coming up!

Okay, this is so incredibly cool, I had to share. The Northwest Folklife Festival is one of the BEST festivals Seattle has each year. Having performed there many times in the last decade myself, as well as an attendee countless times throughout my life, it is something I always look forward to. The schedule is always so overwhelming--in mostly a good way--with so many fantastic events to see and participate in. I used pore over the schedule and release a hand-typed e-mail/newsletter list of bellydance and world dance events I would recommend to my friends and students each year. It was a labor of love, since I knew how hard it could be to parse the complex schedule each year to find the stuff you really wanted to get to see.

Well, they now have this awesome personalized calendar application on the website. You can search for events by type - dance performance, music performance, workshop, panel, etc. It gives you a list by day of the events, with mouseover or clickthrough for further details. Then if you create an account (very quick and easy) you can click the star next to the event name and add it to your personal calendar for future reference, to link to your friends, or to embed on a website. SO GREAT!

So here is my personal list of events I would recommend you might want to see or participate in. Some I admittedly know nothing about other than the description (never seen the Bellingham Circus group for instance, but sure sounds fun!), but I wanted to put stuff on there I would go see myself. Hop over and take a look and maybe create a schedule for yourself. Below is my list of bellydance, flamenco, Bollywood, and other world dance and performance arts events I decided to add to my roster!

Mm Mm Monday - Heavy Hips, a blast from my past

Back in the day, young dancers didn't have as many resources for learning and inspiration in tribal bellydance. There were only a few videos out, and they were from two very specific groups/styles. You didn't much get to see what else was happening in the world of group improvisation--very few had websites, and even fewer had actual video footage you would watch online.

Well this video was one of the early ones. Heavy Hips was under the direction of Palika Benton; they had a beautiful website (with some awesome articles and wares for sale, too!), and some video footage of their work, which was definitely in the vein of tribal group improv but had its own flavor which seemed steeped in the Jamila tradition of dance (so think Bal Anat).  This was a video I watched a lot, and I had printed out photos of their troupe for my inspiration wall, so they were an long-distance influence on who I imagined I wanted to be as a dancer. I hope you enjoy this video from 1994!

Fabulous Friday - La Vie Parisienne

Watching and Learning in the Dance Studio

The "Taking Correction" portion of this anonymous handout has been making the rounds on Facebook. I wanted to share it in its entirety, because the entire thing is just so awesome. Enjoy!

WATCHING & LEARNING IN THE DANCE STUDIO

Watching your fellow dancers

Technique, timing, corrections, there is so much going through your mind; it's so much to take in!

Stop and look at the OTHER dancers in your class. Taking note of what is happening around you can actually help you learn and improve yourself.