Mm Mm Monday - Kae Montgomery Drum Solo

Kae is an incredibly beautiful and poised dancer, and as a member of FCBD she often pulls my eye when she performs--it's always so hard to choose which incredible dancer to watch when watching FC, right.  Well in this piece there is no competing eye candy, it's all Kae all the time. She does a lovely taqsim piece to open and that is compelling enough, but what really got me excited to share this video is her drum solo. She adapts ATS moves, adds in some classic bellydance skills, and demonstrates her intimate knowledge of the details of her music through her exquisite movement. I love her creative choices throughout, and she makes it look effortless, as any good performer should. Enjoy!

Mm Mm Monday - Vintage FatChanceBellydance

"Vintage" is of course relative. But here's FatChance Bellydance on Halloween of 2001 at Amira in San Francisco. Loaded in February of this year, clearly the tribal community hasn't found it and hit it hard yet, as of my penning this post there is only just over 500 views. Enjoy the old school ATS flava'!

Mm Mm Monday - Devyani Puja as Dance

I remember being completely mesmerized by this piece by Devyani and FCBD, where they took the traditional puja and set it to "Maya's Theme" from Kama Sutra the movie and put it on stage.  The changes they made suit the music well, and overall you get the sense of devotion and reverence the puja embodies, while still being appropriate as a stage performance.

Mm Mm Monday - Blue Diamonds, FC Student Troupe

An inspiring piece of work by students from the FatChance studio, performed at Rakassah just last week. Enjoy and be motivated to be just as graceful, joyful, and connected!

ATS Teacher Certification Stamp

During a decompression meal after my FCBD ATS® Teacher Training intensive down in San Francisco in 2008, Sooz, Carla, Carrie, Quinn, and I were at a  restaurant where they had paper on all the tables which you could jot on with crayons, pens, and pencils.  We were making all kinds of doodles as we talked and laughed.  We each were going home from the intensive with different plans--Carrie and Sooz were planning to be FCBD Sister Studios; while Quinn, Carla, and I wished to stay independent studios and stick with the FCBD Teacher Certified Studio moniker. We were talking about how it was great that all of us were going home with an official "stamp of approval" from Carolena to go forth and teach FCBD ATS in our classes and workshops. As we talked about our plans, I made a little sketch of a stamp, which you see here.

We talked about how cool it would be if that were part of the certification "reward"--that you got a shirt or a bag or something with the official "certified" stamp on it.  I said I could whip one up when I got home to see what it might look like.

So once home, I sat down to my handy dandy Adobe Illustrator and made a sample stamp, which is what you see to the right.  I put it up on the private ATSGSTT tribe (at the time, maybe 25 members) and we talked about how cool it would be if Carolena would use it or something like it on schwag.  Through discussion in the tribe about it, we were clear that this was not an official FCBD® logo, but just something I had designed for fun. People asked if they could use it, and I said absolutely, but please with credit to the designer.  Carolena said she didn't mind us using it so long as we didn't claim it was an official logo from FC. So a few people grabbed the image and put it on their websites with credit/note/link to my page.

Well you know what happens on the internet, right? People see it, they want it, they grab it and spread it around without the original artist's credit, and without understanding that this was not an official logo.  Carolena did contact me a while back asking permission to use the logo, and I did give her permission, but she has never used it or released it in any official capacity.  In the time since, this image has spread around, and many people have even tried to chop it up or re-color it to fit their site designs. Since it is a very low-res version that was never meant for those uses, in some cases it looks pretty shabby. Still other people have taken the design as a template and made their own versions of it, not understanding the story behind the original logo...basically it is now everywhere.

So rather than watch the image further degrade with slapdash edits, I have made a new version which should be more versatile. It is the exact same original design file, but I have removed the year for flexibility of use, added the registered trademark which Carolena has asked us to use, tweaked it to look more "stamp-like", and made it a transparent png so it should layer much more gracefully over both light and dark backgrounds. 

I still respectfully ask that you use it with credit. A link back to http://www.deeprootsdance.com would be greatly appreciated. You see, I am not just a dancer, but also a web and graphic designer.  So when something as popular as this design gets spread around, it would be kind and ethical to link back to the designer who created it, yeah? Thanks so much for your consideration.

So here it is, in a transparent png format, approx 400px square, 200dpi (should print around 2 inches square). You can pull it down here and it should be a good large size which can be resized for web sites and small print projects. If you have need of it for larger print projects, I do not recommend you use this version.

Use it with pride, credit it clearly and thoughtfully, and continue to teach and dance with joy!

Mm Mm Monday - Hips & Bellies (FCBD)

One of my favorite videos of FC of all time, largely due to Wendy and Sandi's gorgeous duet to a flamenco guitar. The way they flow through the moves is incomparable. Remember that blog post about impulses from last year? This is the epitome of master level dancing, where they choose where to put the impulses to best suit their presentation.

History of FatChanceBellyDance & American Tribal Style Bellydance

I am loving that Habibi has been digitizing their articles and putting them in an online archive. THANK YOU!  Here is snippets from a gem from 1999, a history of American Tribal Style written by Kajira Djoumahna of BlackSheep Bellydance:

"I believe what people remember most from these influential beginnings is more a certain feeling derived from watching Bal Anat, as the ancient roots of past and present cultures seemed to be evoked. The colorful costumes and facial tattoos worn by many of the dancers seemed to recall a tribal culture, whether or not they were truly authentic. We must try to keep in context the fact that during this time the world, and especially San Francisco, was on the cutting edge of experimentation, undergoing a modern renaissance if you will. It was a time different from any other in our history as far as creative energy and limitless horizons. Add to that the fact that Jamila is an excellent show person, knows how to set an entertaining stage, and how to keep an audience enthralled, and it is no wonder her ideas were so successful ­— and still legendary even thirty years later."

"Carolena took ideas from Masha’s classes, Jamila’s approach and her own sense of style and began working on what would become the primary interpretation of American Tribal Style Bellydance we know today. I asked Carolena whether Masha’s style, or Carolena’s American Tribal Style, had anything to do with Jamila Salimpour’s format.

'I’ve never met Jamila, and I’ve never studied with her, but from everything that I can see from people who have studied in the Jamila school, it’s definitely the same base. I didn’t see exactly what happened, but I feel Masha was an artist who studied with Jamila, saw what Jamila was doing, and put her own signature on top of it. I saw what Masha was doing and I put my signature on top of that. I can still see the clear connections. I’ve read interviews with Jamila, and I’ve listened to how she put things together, and it all makes sense. She (Jamila) came from a circus background, and was really into presenting a show. Masha was an artist who was really into presenting a design, so I can see where I got my theory of presentation. I would definitely credit it to Jamila. Maybe someday I’ll get to meet her. I’d like to thank her in person!'"

(Shay's note: Incidentally, Carolena has still never met or had a chance to thank Jamila personally--something Jamila made a point to mention to me when I met and talked with her at her week-long intensive in 2009... I truly hope they get a chance to connect someday!)

A lot more great stuff to read at the full article here:
http://thebestofhabibi.com/vol-17-no-3-spring-1999/fatchancebellydance/

And this was built off of an article that Kajira conducted in 1996, the full interview which can be found at http://www.blacksheepbellydance.com/writings/files/carolena.html

Want to learn even more fabulous ATS history? 
Join us for I *heart* ATS Month: A Tribal Intensive, which begins next weekend!  The first workshop will include a presentation on the history of tribal bellydance (complete with a projector and everything!), followed by a comprehensive Level 1 Foundations technique workshop.

I *heart ATS is comprised of two hour workshops every Sunday evening during the month of February, focusing on ATS®-based group improvisational bellydance and its fusion offshoots. We will spend time on strength and flexibility work, individual movement technique, partner concepts, history, costuming, and more.


Full details and registration at http://www.deeprootsdance.com/p/workshops.html

Interviews with Carolena by PinkCoinBelt

In my recent wanderings around the ATS dancer blogosphere, I came across the Pink Coin Belt Chronicles, which is a blog written by Yuska, a male *gasp*ATS dancer at FCBD studios.  More than that, he just became the newest member of BlueDiamondsBellyDance earlier this month--a student troupe at FC studios.  It's a fun blog seem through the eyes of an enthusiastic student of tribal bellydance.

Among the entertaining blog posts was a 5 part series of an interview he did with Carolena earlier this year, in which he asks about dance, life, religion, and everything.  I have included some of my favorite snippets from each of the segments, with links to read the complete interview below.  Enjoy!

"Let’s begin with the hardest ones first. Could you tell us the typical process of creation of a movement? From the conceptualization until it’s out there in the ATS vocabulary.

Well, the core movements that you see in Tribal Basics volume 1 are the movements I learned from Masha Archer. Basically, for a movement to be admitted to the ATS vocabulary, everyone has to accept it first, in that it has to be doable. Because everyone has different bodies, it is important that the movement is created so that they complement to these different types of bodies. This also applies to the range of motion. Dancers must be able to do a move, otherwise it will just get sidetracked because no one’s using it because no one can do it.

Tell me, what do I have to do do to make sure I don’t get kicked out and banned from FCBD’s studio?

(Laughs). Show up on time, leave your baggage at the door, be open minded, be in a good mood, allow your mood to be transformed, follow directions and be polite to the teacher and be helpful to other students, but don’t micromanage the others.

We really frown on people teaching when a teacher is teaching, and commenting when a teacher is presenting. What is planned for the day is whatever the teacher is planned for the day.

What do you think is the worst thing an ATS teacher could do?

I’d say that it probably has to do with what they say, not necessarily what they’re doing. If he or she is overly critical of other dance styles and saying that other teachers are wrong, that’s really frowned on. Also if the teacher is overly critical of the students and doesn’t build a good rapport with the students,

A really good instructor, I think, would be magnanimous, confident, able to manage things as they come and go, creative, open minded all the while staying with the philosophy (of ATS). If a teacher has so much creativity within him or her that makes the teacher go completely off the ATS map, then ATS is not the right dance. Perhaps fusion will be more rewarding, because what makes ATS so great is the boundaries of this dance."
Read the rest of Part 2 (really is Part 1 of the interview) HERE

It continues in the next installment:

"So what keeps you relentless and perseverant? What keeps motivating you in doing ATS?

I feel like I was given this dance (by the Goddess Quan-Yin) and that it’s my job to move it forward. I just wake up every day and feel that there’s always something else to do. So there’s really no need for motivation.

However, every now and then, there is this debilitating feeling of not wanting to go, but it’s more because of what people say.

Fifteen years ago, when Fusion was the thing and everyone was learning fusion with different styles of Tribal, I was like, “What are they doing?” And people were nasty to each other and it wasn’t fun or conducive for the dance. So, I felt deflated because of that and I just thought of quitting.

...

But I guess what motivates me is the idea of happiness that ATS brings. It has brought so much joy to the lives of so many people. I feel the need to share the dance. The dance itself is fabulous. But as soon as people start to open their mouths…"

 Read the rest of Part 2 HERE

 Part 3 is HERE
And a snippet from the final part:

"What do you think is the most gratifying aspect of performing?

Being able to entertain the audience – it was only until recently, during the second Taiwan trip in 2008 that I discovered to just let everything go and have fun on the stage. I used to resent the audience and the idea of me having to entertain them. So, my conscience and I decided to have a talk. I had lots of moments when my Self and I would say, “Let’s have a talk because this thing isn’t working.”

One time, my Self told me to let everything go when I’m performing. I used to think that when people came up to me and ask where I bought my choli or what music I danced to, people weren’t paying attention to me, but to what I wear and the song I dance to. My Self said, “That’s right!” So, at that moment, I decided to just dance and I was so into it.

At the end of the performance, I was there, with people taking hundreds of photos with me. I used to dislike people taking photos of me because I felt they were stealing a bit of my soul, but I realized this made them happy. So I just stood there until everyone was gone, still smiling, asking if everyone’s sure they don’t want to have another photo with me.

And what do you think is the most gratifying aspect of teaching?

It is so good to have that lightbulb experience and lightbulb look on the faces of the students. It’s so good to know that they can connect to what you are teaching.

It doesn’t have to be in the class or about a move you’re currently teaching, but it can also be about the body image. Some people who are really conservative could put on a costume and just have that lightbulb moment when they feel that it is just natural for them to bare their stomach and dance in something that could be too revealing for most people."

Read the rest of part 4 HERE

Carolena can read minds...

...and other wonderful tidbits in Part 1 of 2 interviews with Carolena and Megha by a couple of gals in Florida, Mary and Tammy. I love especially the discussion of preparing students for performance starting at around 25 minutes.

http://www.yippodcast.com/2009/07/episode-11a-fatchance-interview-pt-1.html

Here is a transcribed snippet, from around :50, in brief, to whet your whistle:

Yip: "Through the years...how do you keep ATS fresh? I mean, do you guys add in new moves, and how do you decide if you're gong to add something in or...the creative process behind that."

Carolena: "You know, I don't even think about keeping it fresh. I just do it. And I don't consciously say, you know, 'This is getting stale. We need a new move." We just do what we do.

And it's like an energy bounce. It just keeps rolling and rolling and rolling, and I just, I follow it. I don't direct it. D'you know what I mean? It's like I really feel like it never really intended for it to happen in the first place. It just sort of showed up and like, said, 'Chase me,' and I was like 'Okay, I'll chase you.'

And it's still like that. I really feel like there is a Dance Goddess who wanted me to present this to everybody, and I was like, 'Me? I'll try.' And she's been running ahead of me all these years..."

FCBD: Who We Are

This is a 1997 video of Carolena talking about what ATS is and isn't, and specifically some of her theories about the evolution of dance, motivation of feminine display and beauty, and more. It's very brief, but enjoyable.

My favorite dance moment is right at the beginning. She is just doing a simple little hip bump, her arms posed so beautifully, and just turning slowly, to show all sides of the simple move. It is done with such grace, control, and confidence, it strikes me at my core. Inspiring. So little can have such impact, it's easy to forget you don't necessarily always need all the bells and whistles. Just your own energy and confidence, and the simplest things are powerful.

The FCBD-ATS-GSI Wrap-up

We joined our gals for dinner again that night, this time at a bistro tucked into a 102 year old farmhouse about 15 minutes away. It was lovely, with the courtyard and porch lit by oil torches, and stark white tables in a whitewashed "living room". The food was fabulous (Renee and I split a to-die-for baked goat cheese appetizer, then I moved on to She Crab Bisque and finally Atlantic Salmon), we shared a bottle of wine, lots of laughter, and dance philosophy and dreams. We were so lucky to get to meet up with such wonderful women. Mindy with her strong desire (and blossoming ability) to foster community through the dance, and using it as a tool for battered women. Laraine quietly soaking up the experiences of the other women to take back to her "just broke away from our teacher" troupe, interjecting with occasional questions and contributions. Connie with her desire to bring more codification to her troupe, and some pointed questions to Renee and I about our experiences. Margaret with her classes teaching little girls how to dance, drum, and play zills, and the neat exercises and traditions she has developed to help these girls grow up strong, confident, and nurtured by their little circle.

It's da 602, BAYBEE! ATS General Skills

I am writing from our *excellent* (**second**) hotel room in Atlanta, where Renee and I are attending the ATS General Skills Intensive certification program with Carolena. Oh yes, Sharon gets the best adventures and drags other people along, I think. Well, I take the blame because it seems like I am the constant in these things. Nevermind the horrid check-in at the airport. Nevermind the ridiculous security line (idiots running that place!), and barely making our flight in time. Nevermind that the people who volunteered to pick us up from the airport neglected to mention that they also agreed to pick up three other people...three hours after our flight arrives, so despite landing at 7:30, we have to sit in the airport waiting and get to our hotel at 11:30pm... (believe me, I am grateful for the generous gesture, but had we been informed of this, we would have rented a car, which would have also settled a few other transportation issues we are running against now)...