Let us dance, Weather!

Oh December, how fickle you are!
Some days have been warm, even almost 70 degrees; but this past week we're getting Virginia's winter worst: sleet, freezing rain, and ice. I had to reschedule my Improvisation workshop to this coming weekend, and my fingers are crossed. Let us dance, weather!


I've got a new Improv Handout ready to go; I'm all about one-page handouts lately so I distilled a bunch of different tactics down to just 6 ideas... after the workshop it may turn up here in a new post.

Meanwhile I'm updating my website, streamlining and reformatting the pages; and getting that done will keep me busy during the holidays when we don't have many classes. Since I started my site in 1999 it's really grown, I think there's over 125 pages - lots of articles of course, a couple of sewing tutorials, history pages, and a handful of photo pages from "before Facebook"!
I used to make one Photo page each year and include it on my site, but that was getting out of hand. Now most of our belly dance event photos are going right online to Instagram, FB, Google+ and Twitter... I don't really like having them all spread out like that, but there it is. Belly dancers end up with so many photos! Is there a better way to organize and save them now?


 Anthea / Kawakib
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Making the cut...

My annual student recital is tomorrow and I'm looking forward to it, but sad as well because I had to cut it down to shave a little time off. I absolutely HATE sitting through long shows myself - I don't care what kind of chairs there are - but to sit in these metal folding chairs at the library for a couple of hours is pretty uncomfortable.

It turns out we'll have three guest dancers from out of town, which brings the total number of solo performers to seven, in addition to nine group numbers, plus a live drumming and dancing set! Something had to go.
So of course the numbers I cut out were mine: 1. my solo, and 2. advanced Tribal Odyssey. Waaaah! Oh well... it's for the best.
What's super fun though, is that for the first time I'll have students from two different locations dancing together. Two lovely ladies from the Locust Grove classes are performing, in the Beginner's Dance choreography, and as a Duet in Level One Tribal Odyssey, along with students from Fredericksburg Parks and Rec classes. That is wonderful!
So it'll be a memorable event, even if I don't get to perform as much as I wanted - we always have a great time seeing everyone having fun and making new friends (not to mention SHOPPING!).

Anthea / Kawakib
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Homecoming: Return to The Solo!

Last weekend I did my first paid solo gig since my hip surgery, and it felt great. I mean emotionally, but of course physically as well. Since I hadn't done a 15-minute show by myself in about three years, I asked one of my regular dancers, Pixie, to come and do a number just in case I got winded and couldn't finish. I know that's silly but I felt like I needed a cushion - again, emotionally, not physically! So Pixie opened the show with a Sword solo, and I did an Oriental piece, drum solo, and audience dance number. It was great!

The audience couldn't have been better - the Richmond, Virginia dancers are some of the best at hospitality and graciousness, bar none. This particular group, the Belly Dance School of Richmond, evolved from Sheva's School of Belly Dance, and Sheva left a strong tradition of bellydancers supporting bellydancers. They've always been the warmest, friendliest people.
A big "Thank You" to Dorma for thinking of having me!

So it was a great "Homecoming" for me, returning to The Solo. Kind of like icing on the cake... being able to dance again, period, is great - but being able to solo... that's extra fine!

- Anthea / Kawakib
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I'm back!

I'm SO looking forward to December! A couple of really fun shows are in store. THAT's what it's all about: sharing the love of this dance with our besties!

Some of my super fans in Richmond invited me down to dance at their Belly Dance School's holiday party... and it'll be my first real "solo gig" since I retired prior to my THR.
This is another milestone in my recovery; solo gigs are something I said "Goodbye" to when my hip went bad. I'll never forget that emotional ride home after what I knew had to be my last restaurant show. Dancing had become too painful, and because of that my movements just weren't good enough anymore. At least I left on my own decision rather than be "let go", but that's small comfort when you're looking at the end of what you love.

I found that though I hated leaving the dance world as a performer, I didn't miss the restaurant gig scene much at all. So much time spent in dressing rooms, kitchens, cars... HAVING to perform no matter what... well, it was great experience but I'm glad it's behind me.

Now coming back, it's one step at a time, but such an enjoyable journey. Performing is something that's fun again because it's not a demand. And it's so exciting to be working up a solo Oriental piece again! Now I'm trying to figure out how long I can effectively perform solo as my stamina isn't what it was, but maybe I'm being too cautious! We'll see...

And - funny thing: the other night while I was doing my exercises I realized that my right leg is now STRONGER than my left one, since I've been concentrating on it so much! Oops!

- Anthea / Kawakib
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shimmied in Richmond Va!

My shimmies feel A-OK! My PRISM Dancers & I did Egyptian tribal (Ghawazee and Raks al Qaria) for the Shimmy Sunday show in Richmond this past weekend. I so enjoyed it - that style is earthy, funky, flirty, fun!

Woohoo! back to Cane Dancing!

I loved the Cane Duet with Nashida in our PRISM Dancers' folkloric set at the UMW Fair yesterday. The concrete was hard on the feet but otherwise, felt great. We used a song from Hasan abou el Saoud's cd - poppy but classic at the same time -