the "Fifi" is back!

The return of those moves... 

Our "all veil dance" show this past weekend went pretty well, with loads of merchandise at the bellydance Flea Market and a good turnout from local folks and far-away friends!
This show marked my return to "real dancing" - not just class material or my Layali pop number; but a real Sharki solo. Not that I have this number completely down yet - it was a lot of improv for sure.
But the reason I'm excited about it is because this dance DOES include the two moves I haven't been able to do for years: the Side-Step with Shimmy, and of course, the very delicious "Fifi move"! The former does need more refining as my outer leg muscles are still weak; but I felt it was okay enough to do in performance.
These two moves were ones I couldn't "fake" when first my right then my left hip went out of order; they're too intense and intricate. There were lots of moves I could "sort of" do while my hips were deteriorating, but not these two. So I'm pretty excited about it!
I have to laugh about this one, the "Side-Step with Shimmy" because I think I overdid it, just because I could! It still looks a little awkward to me. I'm working on it!

And I'm so happy to have this one back, the lovely and delicious "Fifi move".

Please share with anyone who's wondering about dancing after hip surgery!
Anthea Kawakib
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into the HIP SWING of things!

So now I'm over a year with the newest hip! It's doing well - though this leg is a bit shorter now; it's noticable to me but doesn't seem to cause any problems so far.
After the rehab stage, and getting my feet wet in public performances with my group, I've continued getting back into shape on my own by teaching dance classes, and doing odd jobs (mostly outside) in the realm of "farm maintenance" for a nearby horse riding facility. This is really my favorite work, though I can't do more than a couple of hours at a time.

horse shows are fun too! 

Stamina disappears when your hip hurts too much to do anything, and I had years of limping and suffering. So now those years of muscle atrophy are being remedied with exercising, dancing, and riding lessons. Mounting continues to be the hardest thing to do with the new hip so I'm motivated to get my leg strong enough to mount with ease. What's my plan? Well, I have a dance for that! Inshallah, we'll be working on that number soon in class.
Of course, my PRISM Dancers' scheduled shows give me an extra reason to rehearse and keep my skills improving. The side-step with shimmy continues to be a challenge so of course I included it in a couple of new numbers for good measure!
Next week I'm returning to the downtown Fredericksburg stage with a new solo! How freaking exciting is that! It's almost too exciting at this point - but somehow I'll get through it and be happy while I'm doing it too.
This particular show, "Reflections On The Veil" is going to be outstanding - all veil numbers - even just entering with veil a la Egyptian style counts! Definitely a show to remember; plus a flea market to start the evening, so that's extra fun. We are SO looking forward to it! I hope to see many local F'burgians in the crowd.
Cheers!
Anthea Kawakib

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I critique myself!

I had SUCH an exciting time dancing in Ravia's show this past Saturday; my solo went well and so did the two group numbers I did with my PRISM Dancers. One of my dancers, Siyala, even videotaped my solo. I wasn't really sure how it would go, so I'm really thankful she did this for me. But of course I HAVE to critique it because that's what I do! I'm a good dance and performance coach - I see pretty near everything about a dancer's movements. So let me take some of my own medicine then, shall we?

In the video I'm facing away half the time because of the audience layout - but then that gives me a good view of what's happening from the back, so win-win!

Overall I think it's good, with a lot of nice touches here and there: my use of momentum, graceful arms, warm expression, audience rapport; plus a fairly good use of the space (an awkward long rectangle with people unevenly arranged on three sides). As I watch my performance I can I see how very excited and happy I am (I know I was enjoying it VERY much!).
On the other hand, I also see that quite often I'm not finishing moves; the hip work as well as some of the foot work is unevenly articulated or executed (it appears I'm still unconsiously "saving" my left hip a little); I'm rushing the movement timing a little (similar to not finishing, but different); and the timing of my hip shimmies is not quite even. And of course all those things bother me! LOL - This is what it's like to have a "coach's eye"!!

But okay, for my first solo back, it'll do. My leg's pretty strong now but I know I do tend to be awkward on that side sometimes, and as I saw in the video, I'm still not using both sides exactly the same. Did I mention this leg is now shorter than the other? Oh well - that's a small tradeoff considering that I can walk and dance again!!

Anthea Kawakib

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back to dancing!

Next up: more dancing!

This Saturday is the show I've been looking forward to for some time, Ravia's "Afternoon with Friends" in Richmond. I'll be dancing in a short set with my PRISM Dancers, and FINALLY, a solo! After the weather cancellation last month I've had extra time to practice, so I do feel more confident.
We're planning a beautiful group veil dance, then finishing with Tribal Odyssey - I keep changing my mind on the music for that but I'm sure I'll settle down by class time this week! My dancers are so good at following the music and the beat it really isn't a big deal to switch around for TOBD, especially if we're playing finger cymbals (which we will be), it really hooks them right into the music.

Recent Appearances

This past week we've danced in demos (short educational demonstrations), first a couple of school shows, then the unique day-long event of networking and workshops that started 33 years ago in Fredericksburg, the Women's Forum.

Fairuza, Anthea, Galiyah; inset: with Siyala 

It's a busy Spring of dancing, and I love it! 

Anthea Kawakib

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