Dance musings - dance geometry and fluidity in dance

At the beginning of the month, I was lucky enough to attend another fabulous pair of workshops taught by Hilde Cannoodt. Hilde is fast becoming one of my favourite teachers of tribal fusion and I'm grateful that she's willing to make the trek from Brighton to London to teach workshops regularly.

The first workshop "Dance Geometry" was a complete geekfest! It's a unique dance workshop where the teacher is talking about concepts like the golden section in the first 1o minutes, but then it's a unique teacher who has a degree in maths. Hilde's idea is to take the mathematical patterns found in nature and use them in our dance - so curves, parallel lines, interesting angles etc. We spent the rest of the workshop working on a fun choreography using these concepts. One strong message I got from the workshop was that every element of the body should be considered when trying to make a performance that is pleasing to the eye. Even something as subtle as where your gaze is can make a big difference.

The second workshop "Fluidity in Dance" began with an epic electro-swing warm-up. Once the sweat was dripping off us, it was time to get work on some concepts to get our movements more fluid. We started by practising walking in a fluid manner - an absolute fundamental of dance! It was quite amazing how slight changes in technique made layering much easier too. Next was slowing moves down - all the way to an epic 32 counts. I wasn't convinced I was still moving anything by that stage! I actually found this part of the workshop pretty difficult and I think I need to play with this a little at home. Next up was a choreography using all sorts of little tricks like using moves that overlap, layering fluid movements over sharp ones and the use of negative space. I definitely feel that even if I wasn't a more fluid dancer at the end of the workshop, then I now know what to work on to improve that aspect of my dance. Job done, really!

So, two excellent workshops on the whole. Lots of food for thought and inspiration to integrate into my practice. I really would urge anyone with an interest in tribal fusion to take a workshop with Hilde if they get the chance. For a start, she does the best warm-ups you will ever get at a dance class!

Dance musings: No longer a Gothla virgin...

This weekend was my first trip to Gothla, the UK’s largest gothic bellydance festival. The deciding factor for me was the opportunity to take some workshops with Sera Solstice, a truly excellent dancer and the founder of East Coast Tribal in New York. The workshops certainly didn’t disappoint.

Sera has divided her dance into two distinctive styles – Solar and Lunar - and she taught a workshop on each. Solar is energetic, powerful and reaches outward, whereas Lunar is more fluid and isolated, focusing on internal energies. The first workshop “Solar” was challenging to say the least – lots of strong combos involving lunges, travelling moves and strong arm movements. I think everyone must have had a fantastic workout, aided by the heat in the studio! Sera also guided us through a meditation, which I had never really connected with on her DVDs, but it made much more sense in a group. It was a nice way to share space with fellow dancers and build energy for the class ahead. One of my favourite parts of the workshop focused on travelling moves and how changes in speed can really alter the feel of really quite simple movements.

Yesterday’s “Lunar” workshop focused much more on isolations, undulations and fluid arm movements. For the most part, I found this much more manageable than the solar moves, although it was still a challenge. There was a whole section where I felt a bit lost as I couldn’t see much of what was going on at the front of the class, but I did manage to pick up some bits up from watching people in front of me. I also realised that I need to work on my sidewinder/torso figures of eights as they aren’t strong at all. They’re movements I don’t really use in ATS and I never seem to practise them. However, I love the way they look, especially with nice arm undulations.

As well as the two workshops, I also attended the Friday night showcase, which included performances by the invited teachers as well as some guest performers. The wonderful Jesse (my ATS teacher) and equally lovely Marisa (from our student troupe, Apsara) were dancing the only pure ATS piece, which I was really pleased to see. Personal highlights from the rest of the show were finally seeing the UK’s Bex Priest dance (she’s a truly excellent Gothic fusion dancer), discovering the bellydance version of Bjork (Elin Kaavin – the arctic fairy), as well as getting to see performances by Sera Solstice and Sashi (another excellent US teacher). It didn’t end there though, the last piece was a fantastic performance by Morgana and the Excalibur Dance Company, which was inspired by The Matrix. This had to be seen to be believed as words can’t do it justice! I’m praying for the video to appear on YouTube soon!

Dance musings: the year ahead

This post is a little belated given that it's two months into 2010, but nevermind! 2009 was a good year for me dance-wise. I was lucky enough to dance with some amazing teachers (Sharon Kihara, Yasmina of Cairo, Lorna Gow and Paulette Rees-Denis spring to mind), try some new stuff (veil fans and fire props - not at the same time, I hasten to add) and just generally start to build some confidence in my dancing ability.

This year, I really want to work towards performing more. Not solo stuff but small group choreographies and ATS style improv. This means making much more effort to practise. It also means getting some serious costuming together. I've decided to allow myself one bellydance treat a month (possibly more in March when I'm at Majma!) and so far, I have bought myself some lovely new zils and a red 25 yard skirt. I'm concentrating on ATS costuming at the moment, as I think a trip to Cairo is needed to get a proper egyptian costume!

On that note, I've started Egyptian classes again after a year break, which I am thoroughly enjoying. We're working on a latin-bellydance fusion choreography that's great fun. My teacher, Krystina, is such an excellent choreographer! She really knows how to add extra dimension to large group dances.

So, my dance goals for 2010 are:

• to sharpen technique and develop more muscle strength through stretching etc
• to get some lovely costuming together
• to attend as many events as I can
• to invest in a lovely balanced sword (this is the one I am most excited about!)
• to have loads of fun!
  

Dance musings: Helm workshop

On Saturday I was lucky enough to attend a workshop with the wonderful Helm. Helm are a US based group who perform middle eastern/folkloric music tailored for belly dancers (especially ATS). The workshop was split into two groups -dancers and drummers - who worked seperately for a few hours before coming together during the last hour to work together.

In the dancers group, we worked with Ling Shien to learn different zil patterns and put them together with foot patterns to dance to their song "Hosanni Oo". At first, it was really difficult to remember the zil and foot patterns together but as the workshop progressed I really began to see how everything fitted together. The zil patterns complemented the footwork which also complemented the music. By the end of it all, things had finally managed to make sense! It was a thoroughly challenging but enjoyable workshop, and Ling Shien is a wonderfully patient and supportive teacher.

After some lovely thai food with Tracy and Andrew, we headed off to the Firewater show with Helm and Dajjah. It was amazing to be able to hear Helm live, as we dance to their music all the time in class. I was blown away by how beautiful Ling Shien's voice is - so haunting! Moirai Tribal were dancing too and at one point, Tracy and I were coaxed up to dance. It was really nerve-wracking but good fun - we even managed some level three moves!

We didn't know what to expect from Dajjah but they were really good as well. It was middle eastern music but with a truly modern slant. Hannah (whose classes I go to on a Wednesday) was dancing to their set and she was amazing. She has such a fluid style and an otherworldly look when she dances. Let's hope some of that rubs off on me!

Dance Musings - Tribal Vibe, 16-18 October, Aylesbury

On Saturday I attended Tribal Vibe - my first time at a bellydance event that was devoted to ATS/ITS.

My day was kick-started with “Shimmy Queen” - a workshop with the wonderful Paulette Rees-Denis of Gypsy Caravan. I’d been to one of her workshops before in Edinburgh and she was as excellent a teacher as I remembered. We took a whistle stop tour through basic shimmies and then on to combos. It was an energetic workshop and my shimmies definitely felt the benefit.

After lunch, it was time for some “Dynamic Duos” with Philippa and Jesse of Moirai Tribal. The workshop focused on a core group of moves and using them in passes, turns and lead changes with a partner. It was great fun and taught me how to add an extra dimension to dancing in duets.

My final workshop was “Spins and Formations” with Sarah from Tribe of Kismet. We started off discussing elements that help when performing fast turns before trying to encompass them into a basic spin. Once we were well and truly dizzy, we moved on to formations and how to maintain them while changing lead. Finally, we combined practising formations and throwing in some fast spins for good measure. I did feel more confident spinning by the end of the class – I still can’t get the hang of spotting though!

I was unable to stay for the whole evening show but I did manage to see the first half. It was amazing to see all the different styles of ATS/ITS in the one place. I wasn’t convinced by the performances with large chorus lines, but I think in a larger space they would have worked better. I was, however, very impressed with Kalash who danced with such amazing energy I swear I could feel it emanating into the audience. Moirai Tribal, and their student troupe Apsara, were as fantastic as ever, although I am terribly biased!

Overall, I had an amazing day and learned so much from truly excellent teachers. I do hope Barefoot Bellydance decide to go ahead with next year’s event, as I will certainly be there!

Ten days in...

... and it's all good. I started my training as a clinical scientist two weeks ago and I am really enjoying being back at the bench. For the first time since I finished my PhD, I feel like I am going in the right direction. I know it's early days yet but I really do hope I feel the same in a years time. Admittedly, I do have a lot of work to do getting my professional qualification and I may have to do an MSc (which I'm not thrilled about), but I am convinced that after the thesis trauma anything is manageable.

Off to Tribal Vibe tomorrow for a whole day of ATS workshops followed by a show in the evening. Got to get up early to get to Aylesbury for 10am. Thankfully, I have all day Sunday to lounge around and recover!

(the photo is a beautiful Peruvian butterfly. Too fast to catch open but just as beautiful closed!)

Suddenly I have a social life ;o)

It's been such a busy week here. Even last weekend was busy! I'm looking forward to things being a bit more restful this weekend and next week.

The weekend turned out to be themed around Oscar Wilde. It was totally by luck, not intended at all. On Saturday, G and I met up with my wonderful colleagues, Anna and Philippa, and their wonderful partners to go to see "The Importance of Being Earnest" at Regent's Park Open-Air Theatre. We were so lucky with the weather. After it being rubbish all week, Saturday afternoon was lovely. The performance was great - very well acted and wonderfully funny. We had a lovely picnic afterwards, which involved loads of Bubbly, canapes, cupcakes and so many different salads that I lost count. It was wonderful day and we were all well fed and watered.

On Sunday, I inflicted Matthew Bourne's Dorian Gray on G. I say inflicted, as it's not really his kind of thing (he prefers plays to dance performances). I certainly think he was still impressed. I really do love Matthew Bourne - he has a way of making things his own without losing the message. Dorian Gray was no exception - it was funky and modern, while retaining the disturbing elements of the novel. The skull mirrorball was an excellent touch!

The rest of the week has been completely mental. G's family seem to have descended on from all over the world. On Monday, we met up with his aunt and cousin from the US for yummy tapas. Wednesday was meze with his cousin from Australia (who's currently living in Mexico). Combined with Tuesday's ATS class and yesterday's trip to the hairdresser, I feel like I have never stopped!

Tribal Fusion workshop tomorrow with the wonderful Darkstar. We're focusing on arms and upper body technique. I'm really excited about it, as my arms need a lot of work.

The rollercoaster that is 2009 continues!

2009 has been one heck of a year so far. Just when I think I'm getting the hang of things, there's another curve-ball coming right at me.

On a personal level, 2009 is shaping up to be a pretty good year. I've had my promotion at work and on top of that, I've just been accepted into the NHS Clinical Scientist training programme. It's come as a bit of a surprise as I didn't expect that they would take someone who had been out of the lab for so long. However, it seems that it may have actually helped me to show that I had really thought about what I wanted to be doing. So, in October I will beginning to train as a Clinical Scientist in Histocompatibility & Immunogenetics. I am so excited about being in the lab again and actually doing something that matters! I can't wait to get stuck into the science too.

I'm also really happy in myself and my life at the moment. I honestly think beginning ATS again was a major factor, as I now have something fresh to learn and goals to focus on. My class and teachers are wonderful and because you have to dance together, it's easier to get to know people. I'm also managing to attend a lot of workshops and try loads of new things. I'm even beginning to see the benefit of living in London (shock, horror).

In addition to this, G has just passed his "part 3" examination, meaning that he is finally an architect. I'm so proud of him. It's a fantastic achievement and he deserves it after all his hard work. It's a huge weight off both our minds that he doesn't have to go through it all again.

However, it's not all perfect. There's some family stuff going on that's worrying, mainly in terms of my Mum's health. She was diagnosed with lung cancer a little while back, and there's been a long period of "not knowing". Thankfully, she has been very lucky and the tumour has been caught at an early stage. This weekend she goes in for surgery to remove the tumour and part of her lung, so we're keeping everything crossed for a good outcome.

Dance musings: fun with fire

I had an absolutely fantastic time on Sunday at the Fire in the Belly workshops. I was a bit nervous the evening before as I wasn't sure I'd have the stamina for 5 hours of dance. However, the pace was really nice and I was pleasantly tired at the end of it, but not exhausted.

After an introductory talk on fire safety and considerations when using fire props, we started the first workshop playing with matches. I think a lot of us felt a little naughty after many years of being told not to do any such thing! It was actually a really good way to learn how even a small flame can enhance a performance. We then moved onto tapers and finally, dinner candles. It gave me loads of ideas about how fire can be used in a subtle way, without resorting to fire poi or fans quite yet!

The second workshop was more focused on ATS and dancing with small candle holders. The teacher had taken a number of ATS moves and adapted them for dancing with fire. We worked on learning the moves and practising them in duets. After that, we learned some combos and did some more improvisation. It was fantastic fun and I thoroughly enjoyed dancing with one of the ladies from my ATS class, as I think we tuned into each other quite nicely!

The final workshop was nothing to do with fire at all. Instead, it was centred on using a fan veil. As much as they look amazing, they are actually more difficult than you'd expect to work with. We explored lots of Chinese/Japanese inspired moves and worked up to a small choreography. The teacher, Mihramah, was amazing and so filled with passion and energy. Much more practise required with this though!

The Fire in the Belly show in the evening was fantastic. It was great to see our teachers in action, and I also got to see my ATS teachers and their troupe dance. There were some real novel acts including an amazing juggling/tap-dance/drumming fusion and a trapeze artist. I would find it really difficult to pick a favourite though, as they were all excellent in their own way.

I can't wait until the next event!

Dance musings: fire and fusion

I'm a busy bellydancing bee at the moment. Admittedly, I did have a lazy week last week but the next few weeks will more than make up for it.

I've got a Tribal Fusion workshop on Saturday with the wonderful Darkstar. It's going to focus on pops and locks before putting them together in a short choreography. I'm really looking forward to learning more about muscle isolations and drills to strengthen them.

At the end of May, I've signed up to do a full day of workshops as part of Fire in the Belly. I'm not 100% sure I have the stamina for it, but I could not miss the chance of learning to work with fire props. It's something I've toyed with learning for a number of years. However, the opportunity never arose to indulge my pyromaniac side. Now that it has, I could not turn it down. As well as the workshops on dancing with fire props, there is a fan veil workshop that I am doing too. Loads of new toys to work with!

As well as workshops, I have my ATS class that I am getting so much out of. I really wish I could get a little practice group together to work on leading/formations etc. I might have to speak to some of my classmates and post on some forums to find some SW London ATS addicts. I'm still working on my Egyptian/Cabaret style at home and I'm trying to focus on layering drills to tighten up my technique. I'd also like to really try doing some little choreographies but I never know where to start!

Oh, I got my first proper choli for ATS too :o)

Dance musings

I'm having a bit of a dilemma at the moment about how best to carry on with my dancing. I'm obviously going to keep going to my ATS class, but I'm not sure about going back to Egyptian/Cabaret for now. I'd like to do two ATS classes next term (basics and beyond basics), so a third class would probably be too much (both time-wise and financially). The plan I am tending towards at the moment is doing my two ATS classes and practising my Egyptian style at home with DVDs. Once I feel I don't need to attend the ATS basics class every week then I can consider starting egyptian classes again. I also think using DVDs will allow me to focus my learning on areas that I know I need to improve on. The weird thing is I feel kind of angsty at the thought of neglecting egyptian style in case I get worse at it! I suppose as long as I keep doing technique drills, I can only get better. I just have to be disciplined, which means getting over the desire to flop down on the sofa as soon as I get home from work.

Last night was the final class in my ATS basics course. I think I am getting a good handle on the basic moves but another term (or two) should help consolidate them. The highlight has been discovering that I can actually play zils while dancing! I always hated doing zils in egyptian class but as it's such an integral part of ATS I couldn't really escape them. I've found the less I think about playing them, the better I seem to get on! We also did a bit of leading and following last night, which was fun (and scary at the same time). I felt like my head was going to burst when I was leading, as I was thinking about hips, arms, hands, zils and leading all at once - eek! I really need to practise transitioning between moves at home, so I can get more of a feel to what works and what doesn't.

The clouds have passed for now...

I haven't really felt like blogging over the last few weeks. I had a bit of a low patch, so I did my usual hiding away from the world until the sun came out again. Some weeks I just let work, London and all sorts of other things get on top of me. Thankfully the beautiful blossom and blue skies of Spring have helped cheer me up over the last few days.

There have been lots of goings-ons though. The highlight being Graeme and I booking our trip for my 30th birthday. We decided on Peru in the end, and we've picked a really exciting itinerary! We're going to trek the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, which is a dream come true. I visited an exhibition when I was young called "Oro del Peru". It was at the City Arts Centre in Edinburgh and the cover of the exhibition catalogue was a photo of Machu Picchu. It really captured my imagination then and I've always wanted to go. In some ways, I find it weird to think I'll be going as it's turned into some semi-mythical location in my mind! I'm not sure I can believe that I am going, to be honest. I'd better get a grip soon as I need to get myself walking boots etc and arrange for us to get vaccinations!

I've also been doing a lot of ATS workshops as well as my weekly class. I'm totally in love with it! I adore the moves, the costumes and the connection with the group. It really is a breath of fresh air after stalling at intermediate level egyptian bellydance. That's not to say that I'm going to give up egyptian style, but I feel that ATS is feeding what I need right now. I think ATS is much more "me". The thought of being able to dance with anyone who knows the FCBD cues and moves is just so exciting. Also, the costumes are more my style - black and rich jewel colours with loads of jewellery. Perfect.

I'm probably going to write a lot more about my dancing on this blog, so consider yourself warned!

Tribal weekend

This weekend had a bit of a tribal bellydance theme as it was Tribalondon. It was my first time at the event and I am already looking forward to next year when I can do more workshops!

Friday evening's treat was a workshop with the wonderful Sharon Kihara. It was two hours of stretching, conditioning and beginning to work on core isolations, which built on the material in her DVD. She is even more gorgeous in real-life and her teaching style is fun and friendly. I loved that she uses terms like "cat-barf" and "gooey" to describe moves, as they just fit perfectly.

On Saturday, Graeme and I planned to visit the Rothko enhibition at Tate Modern. However, when we got there tickets had sold out until 5.30 in the afternoon. It wasn't a wasted day though, as we went for a wander along past the Globe and encountered some parts of southbank that we hadn't seen before. We discovered the Clink Street Prison Museum - on the site of London's oldest prison. Hence the term "in the clink"! We also found the Golden Hinde tucked away next to a Cafe Nero (how convenient). It's rather nice when interesting things happen out of disappointment!

Then, it was off for a Vietnamese meal on Kingsland Road. I observed that there are many vietnamese restaurants on the way to and from my ATS class. It turns out Kingsland Road is the best area for vietnamese food in London, so Graeme and I took advantage of being in the area to try some out. It was very good and wonderfully cheap too. We had two courses and two drinks all for under £30!

The day finished with the Tribalondon show, which was excellent. The first half was slightly hit and miss with some performances much better than others. However, I think that was a lot more to do with personal taste than lack of talent as all the dancers were fantastic. The second half was soooo good though. The tribal section of the Bellydance Superstars put on such a good show and there was a good level of variety between the different dances. I came home determined to get practising more (as usual)!

Sunday was a bit of an odd day. Graeme went off to his study group as usual, so I pootled about at home in the morning. We had booked tickets to go to the Babylon exhibition at the British Museum for later in the afternoon. Unfortunately, by the time I arrived at the Museum I had an awful migraine and my vision was coming and going. The Museum were lovely about it and changed the tickets to next weekend, so there was nothing for it except home to bed. I was fine after some nurofen and a nap thankfully. I even managed to watch "Ratatouille" in the evening, which cheered us both up!

The last few weekends have been really good actually. I think there's a lot to be said about doing loads of things and feeling like you've achieved something!

First week back at work

Not had much time to post this week, as I've been busy most evenings. I'm glad tomorrow is Friday as this week at work has just dragged. Really, really bored with the job now but plans are afoot. Hmmmm, I think it was the same story this time last year!

I started a new ATS (American Tribal Style) bellydance class on Tuesday evening, which has made me very happy. I used to do Tribal in Edinburgh but never managed to find a class near enough to home in London. Not that the new class is near to home - it's in Hackney - but it is easy to get to from work. The teacher seems very good and the class were really friendly (one of them accosted me at the bus-stop and chatted all the way to Liverpool Street). I arrived home feeling all warm inside despite the freezing temperatures outside!

Graeme's parents stayed with us last night as they need to get to Heathrow super early this morning to fly to St Petersburg. It's Graeme's Mum's 60th birthday today and this is her birthday treat. Not that she looks anything like 60 years old!

No plans for the weekend as yet. We might end up glued to the TV watching season 3 of Battlestar Galactica. We've a lot of catching up to do!

Feels a lot more like Christmas!

Look at this chap! This is the Christmas Cactus that Graeme's Mum gave us two years ago. It refused to grow/flower/anything while we were in the old flat. Since we moved here it's gone crazy. We don't water it any more than we did previously, so it must just like this flat better (which is fine, because we do too). All those beautiful flowers!

It does feel more like Christmas now. The tree is decorated and the living room looks nice and sparkly. I've got all my presents bought and tonight I'm writing my Christmas cards. I've also found the best chocolate yule log ever! I adore yule log and I spotted a ganache one in Waitrose at the weekend. So yummy. I might have to get another one this weekend - it's disappearing fast!

I also signed up to start American Tribal Style bellydance classes after Christmas. I've really missed not dancing tribal since I moved here. The class is totally the wrong side of London for me but I think it's worth it. I'm excited about starting something fresh and that's got to be a good thing. I'm really keen to get a lot better at bellydance next year, so this is a good start. I've also booked a class with Sharon Kihara (my tribal fusion hero) during Tribal London in January. I've got slight angst about dancing with her but I've heard such good reviews of her workshops. Must remember to breathe!

Advent Sunday Mark 2

Graeme and I have a little tradition of marking each Sunday in Advent with some festive tea and cake (any excuse really). After missing last Sunday due to our whistle-stop trip to Edinburgh, we made up for it this weekend!

Last night was my bellydance class student hafla, which was good fun. I only danced in my classes group dance but that was nerve-wracking enough! Our music jumped twice during our performance giving us all a shock but like true professionals we got to the end (eventually).

Today I've made a start on my Christmas cards. I'm still waiting on my card blanks but hopefully they will arrive soon. I'm off work from Tuesday as I'm having all my wisdom teeth removed, so I need something to do while I recover!

OK, time to rescue the roast from the oven!