Reflections on Breitenbush 2003

An old post about my experiences at Breitenbush in 2003. To follow soon, reflections on this year, if and/or how my view has changed...

"I love attending this retreat every year. It is a touchstone I have for myself, where I can spend a few days in the company of my sisters in dance and really delve into this passion of mine. The activities at Breitenbush can be broken down into three categories, as I see it--discussion/introspection, dancing/drilling, and relaxation. The relaxation, to me, is just icing on a very thick and delicious cake. Soaking in the tubs is socialization time, time to soothe aching muscles, to breath the air deeply into myself, to fill myself with nothing but peace and laughter. The dancing is a chance to absorb new skills. Dancing there is a challenge to my body and my mind as I learn to execute new moves and incorporate familiar moves in a new way into my dance. Since the Gypsy Caravan style is my main study and focus in both my performance and my teaching, this is a chance to develop my core vocabulary in a supportive space with others who share my deep appreciation for this format. Lastly, the discussion/introspection time is an opportunity to examine where I am at this point in my dance life, and consider how it fits into the larger community. It's a chance to look ahead and set goals and to look back and appreciate how far I have come. It is the time when we all get to share our accomplishments and our frustrations, and find connectedness in the common truths we find among us. When I come away from Breitenbush, not only do I have new inspiration, but more than that I find a centering of myself in my dance. I find validation in my own growth and challenges, and come home with a newfound motivation to create. When I return home, I am newly grounded in my community. "

The quality of a teacher...

Posted by Ali of n.o.madic tribal, taken from a yoga blog kept by a Jivamukta:
http://athayoganusasanam.blogspot.com/

Thanks for sharing this wonderful sentiment, Ali!

"Teachers are extensions of their masters. Average teachers are merely mimicking their masters. The great teachers have found the master within from which they project.

Teachers are not measured by what they know. They are measured by what they can instill. 

True teachers are supposed to enable their students to become self sufficient, strong and independent people who choose to be with them. Quality teachers remove codependency and or attachment from the relationship. The ultimate goal of teachers is to make students into masters. By doing the latter the student is free. Students who experience this should never forget where the direction came from.

The quality of the teacher is defined through the student’s practice. As the student grows so does the teacher. Thus the student’s progression is the teacher’s top concern."

And now for something completely different

I interrupt your regularly scheduled bellydance musings to bring you

UPSIDE DOWN DOGS!!

Digging your own roots...

RE: historical dance, ethnic dance, authentic dance, etc

I definitely feel tied to the idea that what I am doing has roots in something larger and older than myself. There is some romanticism in it, sure, but for me, it is not about legitimizing what I do with that connection, but instead honoring a legacy of art and community, and at the same time making it relevant to my own art and community today. I am not interested in re-creating something from the past in my dance (as a former SCA member and costumer, I do like studying the details and recreating historical costume and such as a hobby, just not in my dance)

I definitely feel a lack of historical context in my own ethnicity, and there is something grounding in feeling like I have taken something passed down from history and molding it into something current and relevant for myself and my audiences. That's my two cents.

Retro: July 2003

I have been weeding my old journal, tagging old posts for future reference (didn't really use tags regularly until this past year), and generally reading up on old memories. I came across this one, when I had been teaching about 2 years, and it made me smile. If you teach, you know what moments like this feel like:

"Last night I think I got the biggest compliment I have ever received as a teacher.
My Thursday night classes have been picking up again, and while the class itself still feels warm and friendly, I have had to wonder if everyone is having fun. There are a lot of concentrated looks, and my students are more quiet in that class than any class I have ever taught--not much feedback. I ask questions and they just look at me. So I have been a little off-balance all session trying to figure out if I am giving them what they need, since they aren't telling me. If it weren't for a few outwardly enthusiastic students, I would wonder if anyone was having fun.