Category Archives: Allies Blog

Are you a Dancing Queen?

Are you a dancing queen? I absolutely love to dance and move the body! How about the song Dancing Queen by ABBA? I love that song! I have always loved to dance as long as I could walk! I loved dancing to the radio and singing at the top of my lungs!

I often call my students dancing queens because they truly are! To see them let go and to express themselves without worry or care is a great thing for me to see and a amazing thing for them to feel!

I also love a good dance party with my gals! Do you remember dancing with your gals and not having a care in the world? I do and we so need this now more then ever!

If you absolutely love to dance I have a 4 week session starting this Wednesday! It is for those that love to break free, dance and empower themselves with this AMAZING DIVINE FEMINE FITNESS! Tribal Grooves! This class is so much fun! We dance, we sing, we laugh and best yet we move! Tribal Grooves was created by my Mentor Paulette Rees-Denis and I am one of her master teachers!

What is Tribal Grooves? It is designed to shake and move your body, burning calories and stress away using bellydance! This class is all about follow and lead without the technique! Better yet! It is so much fun! We can get pretty crazy! (Well, I can)

Tribal Grooves starts this Wednesday 7pm eastern 4week session December 9, 2020 via Zoom plus the recordings, be a part of our facebook group and dance your heart out for just a special price of $38.00! Get signed up now! space is limited! Lets Dance and Groove and Shake together!

Click here to register:https://najlasdance.com/product/tribal-grooves-via-zoom/

https://vimeo.com/447170430

The Power of Costuming

The power of costuming is a amazing experience! The Tribal components are rich in detail, textures, colors and layering! Being able to come up with different combinations and looks is a very powerful thing.

This past weekend, I had a photo shoot and I had forgotten how much fun it is! I had most of the day to dive deep into my chunky jewelry as I lay it all out on the bed. Carefully, choosing each piece that has come from all over my travels and holds special meaning! There is just something about it that excites me and reminds me of the power I have inside. It makes me feel good deep in my core as I pick each piece! It is a ritual on its own. It is a self care for me as well feeling good inside allowing my true Goddess to come alive and shine!

Skirts, Choli’s, Pantaloons OH MY! This is where color and layering comes in! Big fluffy 25 yard skirts, using different colors is endless! As I carefully choose each piece, I have a idea in mind of my final look. Sometimes I choose the brighter colors and other times dark and earthy! It is so fun and I love creating getting a different look each time. I stare at all the pieces I have chosen placed on my bed and I am in awe of all the beauty!

The power of transformation! Getting ready is such a powerful thing and I slowly take my time creating my look. This is the time I can spend thinking about nothing else but the final outcome. It is very healing and calming for me as I see the transformation unfold! Coming out of my cocoon and transforming into something powerful and beautiful! First is the makeup! My face is a plain canvas and I am the artist painting carefully! Once complete the hair is next as I adorn with beautiful handmade flowers made by me or my tribal sisters and each one has a special memory. I love this part adding metal trinkets as I see the Tribal Goddess start to emerge! The look is almost complete! On to the costuming! I carefully take each piece in my hands and slowly get dressed! Here is where the power of transformation starts taking place and will soon be complete! All the layering, color and rich textiles. As I finish I turn looking into the mirror of the creation I created! The creation of me! Standing in my glory and my power! It is truly such a beautiful thing that everyone must experience! As women, it is important that we feel good and stand in our own power!

How do you stand in your own power? Each day you can do this as you get ready for the day!

Photo by Night Raven Photography, Chillicothe Ohio

Shining your light

Shinning your light! Do you show your light? Your uniqueness? Your gifts? Do you hide your light? We had such a good conversation about fear of what others think of you and that at times we hold back on what we want because of that. Have you done something you are really excited about and want to shout it out to the world, but hold back because of the fear of what others may think about it or you? We all have been there and I am not excluded from this! How does this make you feel? Pretty crappy right? I stepped out of my comfort zone and fear and put out some of the things that I am truly excited about and passionate about and put it out there! Did you know I am a Kundalini Reiki Master? I read cards and I went through a AF Physic Bootcamp! I am shining my light and coming into my own and I am truly loving it and breaking the chains of fear that holds me back! What holds you back? I would love to know!!! Shine your light and let it burst through! What I realized is that it is so unfair of me to hold back my talents and gifts to others as there are so many people who need what I do! If I can help just one person to step up in my power because that is truly what it is about! Opinions of others are just that! Its your life so do what sets your soul on fire!

Join me every Friday at 10:00 am via Facebook https://www.facebook.com/allie.flynn.50 Such fun and good conversations! Grab your coffee or tea and come chat with me! This week we will talk about who or what inspires you! Click here to check out the last chat here: https://www.facebook.com/allie.flynn.50/videos/10219016662593160/?extid=u2WObPLaxWJ4WE&d=n

Today we Celebrate

Celebrating All Women today!

Today we celebrate all moms! As we are women we are moms in many forms! We are moms to our kids, pets and even close friends. As a teacher I am a dance mom. I love my students as if they are my own and I care, love and nurture them and pray for their safety.

I also have had many mother figures in my life; not just my mom who brought me into this world! I have a few Aunts that I considered a mom figure and I have a dance mama too! These additional moms give you the same support! They are loving and nurturing and are your cheerleader when you need one but they also give you a kick in the butt as well! I am so fortunate that I have had so many amazing moms in my life and I thank you and love you and I celebrate you not just today but everyday!

Celebrating Mothers day is a once a year celebration but, it got me thinking….why does it have to be only once a year? Why can we not celebrate moms in someway every day? Why can’t we pamper ourselves daily and not just once a year? Are we not that important or worth it?

Today I celebrate you as women and mothers! I celebrate you just not today but every day! Take the time to stop every day and do one thing to love yourself and pamper you! If you know me I am big on self care! It was a hard step as I feel I often need to be super woman! Have you ever felt like that? Do you think you need to do everything? We often care for so many others that we put ourselves on the back burner and then we end up being stressed and tired.

Mothers day we often buy flowers, chocolate, cards and many other things but what if just once a week you went out and did this for yourself? How would that make you feel? Would you feel guilty for buying you something or would it make you feel good and lift your spirits?

Here is a poem I wrote:

What is a mother?

She is strong, loving, nurturing, open, giving and caring. She is a force to be reckoned with. She protects and gives whole heartedly expecting nothing in return. She is often the foundation and the rock. She can be gentle, quick and strong all at one time. She makes everything she does look easy. She loves with every breath and bone of her body. She is the one who cries at night when you are hurting and she is the one that always picks you up when you have fallen. She is there with you at the finish line cheering you on. She believes in you. She is filled with such grace, dignity, love and strength. There is nothing like a the love a mother it is a love that is special and pure!

Dance Practice Outside of Class

Happy New Year and we are back in the roaring 20’s! Imagine that! So you have just started belly dancing and you are loving it and you go to as many classes as you possible can, which is great! I am asking you today how is your dance practice outside of class? Do you practice at all? If no, why not? Is it due to motivation, lack of space or not sure about the movements or what to even work on? These are all very common! I will start by addressing these to help you out! If you do not have a dance routine outside of class; you need to! Why? Belly Dance is an art that requires muscle memory! The only way we can get that muscle memory is by drilling the same movement over and over again! Yes, there is no magic wand or key here! Even myself after dancing 20 years I still practice and drill the basics!

No motivation? Get inspired! This is easy! What inspires you to dance? Music, a new hip scarf, putting flowers in your hair? If it is music search for new music and make a playlist for you to dance too! If it is a new hip scarf buy one and keep it just for at home practices to make it special! Put flowers in your hair even for your dance practice at home! These are just little easy things that will motivate you!

Lack of space? Everyone has space in their house! This space can be a corner of a room or even a room to yourself! What space are you most comfortable in? When I first started I used my kitchen a lot! I would stand in front of the microwave because I could see my movements! I did not dance past the microwave so the space I used was relativity small! Don’t think your space has to be huge! Eventually, I moved my dance space and acquired a small corner of our dining room! I even put up some of those square sticky mirrors and took pieces of fabric and draped it around the mirrors and it was perfect and still not very big! Maybe you have a guest room that you can use? Use your imagination! Do not think you need a huge space! Decorate that space with something that makes you feel good! Just even flowers and lighting a candle will help!

Not sure about movement or what to work on? This is so very common and your not alone in this! Starting out; write down all the movements you do know and your comfortable with! These are called your safe moves! Everyone has them. Once you get them written down divide them by fast moves & slow moves. Divide them out once more; upper body & lower body! This gives you 5 days of practice!

Day 1: Safety moves Put music on and drill all the moves out! Do not worry about technique here. Focus on staying with the music and the beat! This helps with transitioning from one move to the next and eventually you will become fluid and seamless!

Day 2: Fast moves; put on a fun & upbeat song and dance! Keep yourself grounded! To much bounce? Bend your knees! It is all about control here!

Day 3: Slow moves; this is were we can get gooey and juicy! Put on a slow piece of music that you absolutely love! The slower the better! Dance all those slow moves focusing again on staying with the beat! Do not move fast! Relax and enjoy the music! Let the music flow in your body and out through the movement! If you need to grab a glass of wine to help you relax!

Day 4: Upper Body: Here is where we work on proper execution and technique! Focus on your posture and executing the movement properly and all the way through! Do not cut the movement or take shortcuts! If the movements have hand and arm positions work on that first without the movement, then the movement and then both together.

Day 5: lower body: here is where we work on proper execution and technique! Focus on your posture and executing the movement properly and all the way through! Do not cut the movement or take shortcuts! If the movements have hand and arm positions and steps or turns work on that first without the movement, then the movement and then both together.

There is your 5 day plan! See how easy it is! I would love to know what your doing and I would love to see pictures of your dance space, practice or both! The most important thing is to have fun and explore!

Remember we all have bad days! Do not beat yourself up but celebrate your journey! Last year, my dance practiced suffered tremendously for the first time in years! Its okay as there is always tomorrow!