I want to take a moment to apologize for not posting in my blog for awhile.  This last month  I have been hit hard with circumstances out of my control, which brings me to this point; Belly Dancing and Healing really do go hand in hand.  It started with sleepless nights taking care of my husband who became ill and eventually was admitted into the hospital.  He is now out and doing well.  At the same time my kids dad passed away very unexpectedly and here I was having to hold them together and helping in making the arrangements.  While all this was going on I was also preparing to perform up in Columbus, Ohio:  Shimmy on the Black Market.  Trying to finish my choreography and getting some dance time and practice in seemed so far down the path and unrealistic, at this point.   I even toyed with the idea of calling and canceling my spot to perform, but I tend to be stubborn and thought, no I have to do this for myself.

During this time I had a phone conversation with my dear friend and mentor Leyla Najma, she told me that we tend to be healers and after our conversation I thought about this very long and hard and came to the conclusion she is so right on!   I tend to be driven toward those who need me the most and Belly Dancing has really helped me in order to help others.  When we dance something spiritual happens inside of us and it opens up new doors that before may have seemed impossible to open.  It helps us deal with emotion and fear or whatever turmoil is going on inside or around us.

The night my husband was admitted into the hospital was the same night I talked to Leyla who helped in healing me, just talking to her is what started the process of healing. After our phone conversation, I was planning on calling it a night, but instead I turned on some music and slowly started dancing.  At first, I felt numb and raw, but this only lasted a few moments.  I felt as if I was in a cocoon, but soon I was opening up and coming completely alive! I could feel the energy going through my body and for the first time in weeks I felt at peace and very intune with the movement and the music.  The drum solo for my performance in which I was having difficulty finishing I completed and felt very good about it.  That night I just danced for almost 2 hours with not a care in the world!

The night of my performance I had alot of mixed emotions and what had happend in the past previous weeks was still with me.  But, being part of something wonderful and being able to share experiances with the other dancers and watching their performances helped in so many ways.  We are all part of a wonderful community and when it is all said and done, we are there for each other in healing and support and that is the one reason why I love this dance so much!!  Bless each and everyone one of you!!

Najla

Just How Long Does it Take…..

Often, I get students who ask, “So, how long does it take to learn?”  This is not a short answer; I could say years, but that does not really mean anything to the student or does it really answer the question.  We must remember that belly dancing is an art form and it takes constant practice not only with moves and technique, but along with that comes the history, musical interpretation, and understanding  and knowing the different beats, understanding and knowing your own body, being able to choreograph both in the box and out of the box and so much more.

So why is it when we take the art form of Belly Dance and try to speed the learning process up, or expect to go from a beginner student
one day to the professional level the next?  We do not do this with any other art form particularly in the dance
arena.  We know, in order to reach the professional level in Ballet, for instance, we must work very hard and for many
years to only maybe achieving it.  It could be the fact, that Belly Dance is more main-stream, we see it in videos on YouTube and even in aerobic classes, where it is called Belly Dance even though it is not. Is it, due to the fact that we are so used to getting everything right
then and now because of our fast paced life style, we do not want to wait?  We see Shakira Belly Dancing in her videos,but what most do not know is that she spent many years on training in the dance form.  Does it come from teachers, who teach the students, promising them and giving them false hope?  There are a lot of great teachers out there, but, students need to be careful, think about it this way; if it sounds too good to be true; then it probably is. Belly Dancing in a box can create all kinds of havoc for not just all
the other students out there, but to the teachers as well, who are working hard on creating the best curriculum for their students.

Believe it or not, there are teachers out there who promise students that they can become a professional belly dancer in 30 days or
less.  I cannot even grasp this concept,coming from the perspective of not only a student, but a teacher as well…even
if the program has 3 hours of instruction, 7 days a week for 4 weeks that is only 84 hours of dance instruction! Adding to that hours in teaching history, music theory and so forth 7 hours a day, 7 days a week for 4 weeks, comes to 196 hours, both totaling 280
hours.

On an average most dancers become professional after 10 years of experience.  So let’s say you have a dancer who practices two hours a day at 6 days a week equals to 12 hours a week.  There are 52 weeks in a year, which comes out to 624 x 10= 6240 hours of just practice alone.  A dancer will spend on an average about 8 hours a week on music theory, history and so forth which equals to about 416 x 10 = 4160 hours.  The two together equals out to 8320 hours.  A dancer will also spend time on choreography and preparing for performance and shows which is above and beyond the two hours of practice, 6 days a week. Let’s say a dancer spends 5 hours a week on choreography and performance.  This equals out to 260 x 10= 2600 hours.  This brings the total up to 10920 hours at the minimum or on average.
That is a difference of 10640 hours! Plus, the experience the dancer has gained and what they have learned going through the process.

I remember as a beginner student, I was so anxious to learn so much and I wanted to know and learn it all quickly, but I realized very
early in the stage, that it was impossible to do and for me, it was going to be through a lot of hard work, time and dedication to reach the point I am at today.  Just remember, to always stay true to yourself and stay focused on the end result and enjoy your journey!

As I was coming back home from vacation I was trying to figure out what I was going to write in my next blog since it has been about 2 weeks since my last one.  So I decided that this would be a catch up blog so to speak.  We had an amazing time at the beach and the weather was gorgeous!  It was a much needed break for both my husband and I spending quality time together without the mix of work, dance and other things that come up in our daily lives.  It is important for myself to take a break from dancing every once in a great while.  I have been teaching since 2008 this was literally the first break I have had.  It helps me to re-focus and to get back whatever energy has been lost.  We need to realize that sometimes it is nice to sit back and relax and do absolutly nothing at all and I did plenty of that on vacation! It is good to be home and I have missed all of you and I am looking forward to getting back into the swing of classes this week.  The picture above was taken by my husband on the beach.

Classes will resume as normal this week and we are back on schedule continue working on moves an choreographies.

Class Times  &  Days

Tuesday:  Carver Community Center 7-8 beginner class

Wed:  Carver Community Center 7-8 Intermediate/Performance Group

Saturday: First Presbyterian Church;Greenfield 11:00-12:00 beginner

Egyptian Style

Egyptian Style Dance also known as Raks Sharki has the same common moves but is much more subtle then in Cabaret Style dance.  Within the Egyptian Dance style the focus is not only on the moves but focuses on artistic expression, interpretation of the music and the dancer will bring the audience in with her so there is a more personal connection between the dancer and the audience.  The use of props is not used as widely as in
the Cabaret style and you will seldom see a dancer with a veil or playing the finger cymbals.  The moments that the dancer will use these if any at all will be very brief, unlike the cabaret dancer who will use the props for an entire length of a song or routine.  The Egyptian style dancer will never do any floor work of any type since it is still considered illegal in Egypt
today.  The one prop that many Egyptian Dancers will use though will be the cane when performing saidi or use of the
candelabra.  They are found dancing in night clubs and restaurants and never staged like the Cabaret Style.  It is more intimate. The music is usually played by an orchestra and is always live.  An Egyptian dancer will never dance with recorded music at any time which consists of Arabic music.  Sometimes the dancer will dance to more modern Egyptian music and it will consist of Western influence in which you will find keyboards and other electronic instruments that are added.  The performance of the dancer will usually last at least 30 minutes long or longer compared to the Cabaret Style and with Egyptian dance the dancer always is a solo performance and is never done with a group. The costume of the Egyptian dancer is slightly different than that of the Cabaret Costume and the one exception is the Egyptian dancer is not allowed to have the abdomen exposed when dancing.  Bare flesh cannot be exposed and it is still illegal today in Egypt for dancers to expose their stomachs.  The costume will either be a dress with or without cutouts on the side or will consist of a bra and skirt with the belt being a part of the skirt or attached and is not separate.  They dancer can also wear a flesh colored body stocking or one that is the same color of her costume.  The costumes are very elegant and elaborate in which fabric that is very rich is used with the combination of not only beads, jewels and fringe is used.  The
costume is also enhanced by headpieces, necklaces and earrings that include arm and even ankle bracelets.  The look of the Egyptian style costume is very glamorous but brings out the feminine side.  It is also noted that Egyptian dancers will also dance in heels and very seldom in bare feet.

Picture done by WG Images