Over the last few months I knew that I had wanted to make some changes to my curriculum, but I did not know what direction I wanted to take or what changes.  After many weeks of thinking and brain storming it hit me as I was preparing to introduce a Belly Dance Class at our local YMCA.  I needed something that would catch people’s attention and at the same time described what my classes would be about.  As it began to piece together I sat at my kitchen table and realized that most of what we do is hip work; layered on by other movement such as traveling, accents and so forth.  So I thought to myself ok Hips, but Hips what??  I continued to brain storm and asked myself what do I want my students to achieve out of my curriculum and I came up with being able to effortlessly move from one movement to the next the hips being the core and icing the cake with other movements.  That is when I came up with Luscious Hips and started to develop the curriculum.  I ended up with 8 weeks of solid curriculum, tested it out myself and then took it to my students and tried it out.

The goal is still to drill a movement, but also learn to travel with that movement and to put movements together much quicker but drilling so it becomes natural in the body.  For instance,  the first week we started out with the Egyptian drilled it then added hips up in place first drilling then putting it together by moving with it and going from basic Egyptian to Egyptian with hips up.  Each week we add movement and always review the weeks before.  What happens is that it becomes progressive so if a student misses a class they may miss out.  This curriculum also helps with transitioning and putting moves together which seems to be very common in most students.  There will be at least 3 different levels or more and once a student is finished then they will be tested on their knowledge before they can move to the next level.  This is not a learn belly dance quick approach I wanted to make that clear.

My current students seem to enjoy the new curriculum and the class is going over very well at the YMCA, we are getting geared up for week 3 and they are all doing well and learning!

The Picture above was taken by NightWing Photo!  We had about 500 shots in 3 hours it was a wonderful, but exhausting!

Here is a list of all of the benefits that we get from this dance:
1. Improved posture and muscle tone
2. Strengthens your bones
3. Weight Loss
4. Helps prepare for child birth
5. relieves STRESS
6. Strengthens your core, back, legs & arms
7. Improves mood
8. Helps digestion
9. Helps with self image
10. Increases circulation
11. Improves sleep patterns
12. Helps with depression
13. Increases your flexibility
14. Easy on body (low impact)
15. Helps in relieving PMS

With all of the benefits it is no wonder more women are trying it! If you would like to try it check out my schedule or contact me for more information @ 740-466-7590 or najlasdance.com@gmail.com

Athena Niles Birthday

Over Christmas vacation my husband recieved a doumbek so that he can learn to play the drum and go with me on gigs.  The doumbek is a goblet shaped drum and is known by many names; depending on the region. In Egypt it can be know as the:  Darabukka, Derabucca, and Darbouka. In Lebanon and Syria it is called the Derbekki, Drbekki, and Drbakka.  In Morocco and Algeria it is called the Derboka. The doumbek orginates in North Africa.
There are basic hits or strokes when it comes to playing the doumbek.  The first is the Doum which is done by hitting the center of the drum that creates a deep sound.  The Tek is done by hitting the edge of the drum and makes a higher pitch sound that is sharp.  The third is the Ka and this is done with the opposite hand and is similar to the Tek but can be done on the rim or on the head of the drum.  The body of the drum can be made up of ceranmic or metals such as copper or aluminum.  There are generally two types of drums which are the Egyptian and Turkish.  The Turkish drum has bolts on the outside edge of the drum head and are made up of metal.  The Egyptian drum has a smooth edge which is what my husband has.

As a dancer it is important to know about the different rhythms.  When you listen to music or dancing you should be able to pick out the basic rhythm.  Knowing and being able to hear them will help you grow and make you a better dancer because you will know what is coming up next in the music because there is a pattern in each and most times it is played at least 2 times before it changes.  I have also been learning to play the drum and in the little bit of time I have noticed that it has made a big difference in my dancing, plus it is lots of fun!  Over the next few months I will be talking about the different rhythms.

When you are in part of a troupe, naturally some things happen there is one person who stands out as the leader and the others along with the leader work together to make things happen; sharing ideas, what is working or what is not working. This group was a collaborate effort and each one of us came up with different ideas and because we each also dance a different style we walked away from our first choreography and first performance that was very unique and very individual, which you would not normally expect with a group choreography. We created a ballet/belly dance performance. Since we were performing at a fusion show we could not do cabaret or egyptian style dancing so we intertwined ballet with belly dance and our costumes consisted of leotards and a skirt wrap donned with pink tights.  When we put on our leotards and pink tights with matching skirts each one of us commented on how we actually felt like ballarina’s.  We all felt very girly and laughed and giggled as we were fooling around doing leaps and peorette’s.  I am looking forward to dancing with these girls again in the near future!

Monday will be our first choreography class that I have created.  The reason for this is because I wanted to offer my students, not only an extra class but a class geared to choreography so we do not have to split our class time between drilling, choreography and movement.  This will also help me in keeping up with choreography and actually finishing one!  This will give you the opportunity to raise your level of confidence, having fun and getting a chance to perform if you choose to do so.   This class is open to everyone I do suggest though that you must come within the first three weeks if it is any later please talk to me personally to get you caught up ( this will be done by private lessons).  Otherwise you will have to wait until the next choreography.

Wednesday we will have our first Intermediate class at the new studio!!  I cannot tell you how exicted I am for my intermediate students for this new move!!  I know you will love our new home and I am so looking forward to it!

Class times will be

Monday 8-9:15

Wednesday 8-9:15

Saturday 10-11:15 am

All classes will be held at Dance Magic Studio starting September 1, 2012.

Here is the breakdown of the times and days of the new classes at Dance Magic:

Monday:  Choreography Class 8pm-9:15 pm

Wed:  Intermediate Class 8-9:15 pm

Saturday:  Beginner Class 10:00 am-11:15 am

Sundays: Private sessions

As you can see I have added a new class, the choreography class!!  This class is open to anyone whether you are a beginner or more advanced!!  This class will be all about choreography!!  To start, we will all learn a choreography together breaking it down with each individual step and drilling it until we are completely done and have mastered the choreography.  This way we can keep our class time with working on technique, movement and transitions and the choreography class we will not only focus on learning choreography, but learning how to build on own, dancing with props and alot of other cool stuff in the future!!

All of my students will have the benefit of being able to attend more then one class a week!  All students can attend all 3 classes if they would like regardless of their level!!  This is an added benefit to you!!

Here are the rates:

$10.00 a class for drop in

$38.00 for a 4 week session of one class

$18.00 for 2 classes a week

$25.00 for all 3 classes a week

$100.00 for all 3 classes 4 week session

Private classes are 75 to 90 minutes and are $30.00

The second thing I am excited about is that I am hosting my first big event and it being in my new home is a plus!!  I am hosting a workshop and hafla with Abernathy on October 6, 2012.  The cost of the workshop is 45.00  and the hafla will be 5.00 both can be paid at the door!  The workshop will run from 2-5 as Abernathy takes us through her movement theory and then the hafla will run from 7-9.  Any student who would like to perform please let me know so I can hold a spot for you!!  I have invited other dancers throughout Ohio and I will also have 2 vendors!!!  So make sure you bring extra money to shop!!  This will be a great time and opportunity that you will not want to miss!!

I did not realize how extensive this list could be and how long it would take me!!  Recently, I had one of my student ask for a recommendation of what CD she should by and after working on the list for several weeks…it has been a daunting task to say the least.  I have shortened the previous list to just a few that I think you as my students should have.  As we go I will add more to your list, but this is just a start.  Some of the cds will be strictly for listening, music you should know, drilling and choreography.  I will give you the links directly through Amazon in which you can make a purchase and I will make a very small commission.  If you do not want to link directly to my amazon page then all you have to do is a search for that CD to make the purchase.  I realize that this list is not extensive, but this is a really good place to start in order to build your song and CD list.  I will update this list periodically for you so stay tuned!

The first CD that I suggest is The Top Ten Songs Every Belly Dancer Should Know.  I have this CD and I have used a few songs for performance such as Azizza & Shik Shak Shock.  I have also played this Cd in class.

This next CD is one that I have and I use alot in class for Drills and our Warmup.  You will recognize many of the songs such as Battle, The Lantern and Tabla Toy.

The Belly Dance Superstar CD’s are a great choice and I have most of these.  The songs are very upbeat and they have a mixure of various artists.  Most students usually love the cds because of the variety.  One of my favorites currently is  Belly Dance Superstars IV.

The Masters of Belly Dance is another cd I have and what I like about this is that it offers alot of good classical music.  This is a cd that all students should have as to it has alot of music you should know such as Aziza, Enta Omri and Tamar Henna just to name a few. This is one that I do play in class so some of the pieces will be familar to you.

The next Cd is one of the newer ones that I have purchased it reminds me of the Belly Dance Superstar cd’s in which it has alot of upbeat and pop music.  I have only played a few songs in class but it is quickly becoming one of my favorites.

This next CD is all about drumming by Susa Pampanin.  I do not have this yet, but it is on my list to get!!  She is a wonderful drummer and this cd has alot of different rhythms that you can use to drill and practice with.

Today, I am writing, letting you all know what has been going on in my world lately.  This blog is going to be more informative and collective and not just based on one thing.  I hope you enjoy it and still find it informative!

In June, Alyssa graduated from high school, after a very emotional and tough year, with her father passing away.  It was truly amazing to find her strength and determination and succeeding at such a hard time for most teenage girls!  I am so proud of her!!  Right away she spent a week in Orlando Florida, with one of her best friends and came home for only a day and a half and then was back off on a mission trip to Montana for 2 weeks!!  She actually gets back today and tells me she has so many pictures and stories to tell me so I am looking forward to her being back home.  It has been nice even though, I have missed her, it has given Jeremy some time together.

In the dance world, I have had a lot of things going on and it has been very exciting for myself.  It started with the Shimmy Mob in May and met some wonderful dancers from Columbus and established new friendships!  A few of the girls from Columbus, came down to Chillicothe and we did some impromptu dancing at the Feast of the Flowering Moon and had a wonderful time!!    June has been the most exciting for myself though.  It started by dancing at Athena Nile’s Birthday Party, you can watch my performance on my video page.  The audience was absolutely wonderful and it was a blast!!  Pictures will be coming soon!

Athena and I along with another dancer from Columbus, Erica have come together to collaborate and our working on a choreography piece for a show in August!!  I am really excited about this and I am so happy to be part of this group!!  I have been traveling to Columbus, each week to rehearse with both girls and all I can say is it is going to be fantastic!!!

Classes for the summer have been consolidated so currently there will be classes on Wednesday at Carver Community Center from 7-8 pm in Chillicothe and Saturdays from 10-11 am in Greenfield at the First Presbyterian Church.  I am hoping to pick up the Tuesday class again sometime in August where I will start a brand new beginner class!!

I hope everyone is enjoying their Summer!!  Have a wonderful Fourth of July and stay safe!!

Hugs!!

Najla

We are first going to take a look at the definitions of a professional and amatuer so we can distinguish between the two.  Lets start with the definition of professional.  Professional-livelyhood or monetary gain.  Skilled, expertise, knowledgable, conforms to standards of profession, recieving pay.  It is one who is competentant and who gives instruction to others or is hired by others.  They have distinctive qualifications and is someone who is trained, experianced, a master, competent.  They teach those who want to learn and they draw an income and pay taxes.  A professional dancer has the proper training, works hard and is very dedicated and is one who seeks out legitimate training  by other dancers who are qualified and they will have either a coach or mentor.  They are one who must train constantly and the not only teach, perform but educate others and are self diciplined and their life is all about dance, in which they are constatnly working on performance and rehearsing while practicing for hours and preparing.  It requires a certain amount of talent and love for the art in order to make it a career, mastering the skills, marketing, accounting and public relations.  It takes continuas education and not only managing yourself but others.  They are true represetnitives of the art and spend time respecting, networking and working toward increasing the awarness withing the dancers own community.

An amatuer is someone who engages in an activity for pleasure there is little to none financial or professional benefit.  It is done as either a past time or hobby and the amatuer is not experianced or seasoned.  They can be be or still do not have all the skills that is needed to become professional and they do not have enough training and or study and performance.  They do not have the knowledge yet that is needed to be at the professional level. They are those that have not mastered all the elements of  the dance Most students and most dancers fall under this catagory. They have no desire to gain monetary value and do not have the desire or dedication to reach the professional level.

What does my average day look as a professional belly dancer like most of us we do have other jobs very few professional belly dancers are able to live on what they make by just dancing.  I wake up at about 6:30 every morning to get ready for my other job where I spend about 6 hours at 4 days a week.  The first thing I do in the morning is usually check my dance email and reply back to anyone that has emailed me, get ready for work and head out the door by 8:45 am.  Throughout the day I will recieve texts or phone calls about from either students I already have, prospective students, clients and so on.  I am continually touching base with each returning calls or text messages.  I go home at lunch and again check my dance email and reply to those that have emailed me. As  I go back to work and while working I will come up with choreography, moves, class curriculum is always on my mind so I jot down notes throughout the day on ideas and plans I have.  I leave for the day at 4:00 which is when I take care of family stuff but in the mix I am again emailing or on the phone talking belly dance.  Every day there is class text to do, cds to burn, packets to make, coming up with choreography, learning choreography and so on.  When I have a class I spend most of my time after I get off work preparing and driving to the class and not getting home until 8:30.  Once home then this is the time I have to work on my own choroegraphies, getting ready for performance, and or training.  Wait, there is still more….my website has to be constantly updated, writing blogs, videos and so forth. Monthly newsletters done, editing videos. Writing articles to be published and seeing what is going on in the dance community that myself and or my students can take part in and  talking with other dancers (networking).  Marketing myself is an ongoing effort in order to try and get gigs and performances and I am always looking for places for not only myself to dance but my students as well.  Then there is the financial side keeping my costs and what comes in is an ongoing thing. This usually puts me up to 11:00 pm and we have not even talked about up keep on costumes and or making, preparing for student recitals and more!!  No wonder there are some days when I feel I can’t move!!!  I will tell you though that I would not have it any other way!!  Being a professional belly dancer takes commitment and time, but for me it is truly worth it when I see a student grow or I put a smile on someones face by dancing!!

Since the start of February  my students and I have been working very hard on learning new choreography.  Specifically, we have been working on the choreograpy for our upcoming performance that will happen May 12, 2012 in Columbus, The Shimmy Mob.  The choreograpy has been very challenging and we have made some adjustments. but it is going very well and I am so proud of all my girls and their hard work and determination!!  Last year we had started to work on choreography to Gana and due to situations we were not able to finish it, but we will do so this year!!  I have put the final choreography notes on th choreography page and soon you will be able to watch a video performance of the choreography!!  My Intermediate group had been working on choreography to Dance of Eternity and we will be reviewing that as well as teaching it to the new students who have joined us!!!  Later down the road we will also be working on a cane choreography that I came across it is a cute choreography and I have made some changes to it.  This will allow all my students to get a feel for what it is like dancing with a prop and the students will get a feel for the saidi rhythm.  Having a few pieces of music that are choreographed will help out when we are invited somewhere to perform and will give us a few pieces to play with!!!  Learning choreography will help you see how you transition from one move to the next, but remember it will not help you impromptu dance which is my goal for all students to be able to hear music and dance to it without thinking about moves or counting.  It is about letting yourself go, being free with the music and interpreting it in your own way.  We will eventually get back to drilling.  I am asking all my students to take the time to work on your drills at home, when we are not in class.  Here is an exampe of how you can set it up and work on certain parts each day:

Sunday off

Monday Chest: drops and lifts. chest circles and chest slides

Tuesday Hips; Sharp:  Pistons both ups and downs, Hip thrusts

Wed Hips; Soft:  figure 8′s, small hip cirlces, mayas, ribbons

Thursday Glute drills

Friday Arms: moving through first, second and third position, snake arms, shoulder rolls, shoulder thrusts, wrist circles

Saturday Pelvic and Abs:  pelvic lifts, pelvic drops, pelvic roll, contract mid section of belly in and release.

Having a day for a different part of the body will allow you to focus more and will round out your dancing so that you are not working on the same movements or body parts each day!!  It will make you more aware of your movement and what needs worked on and drilling will make