lotsa dancing going on

Dancing gives you wings!

Dancing, teaching, farm work, and horseriding have been my workouts lately, they're all strenuous but fun, and they're helping me get strong again.
Of course, immediately AFTER these exertions I'm pretty tired, and the next day my muscles might be sore, but the payoff of feeling stronger is worth it.

I'm still working on my Oriental solos, and dancing a lot with my group. Last month just after my annual camping trip (Pennsic) my dancers and I performed in Richmond, Virginia at Tribal Cafe where I was able to do my Layali pop solo again. Here's a short clip, courtesy of Siyala:

I love this number, it's not only strenuous but repeats a lot so it's really a good workout! Tribal Cafe features a mini-class too, so before performing I was able to share some of these combinations and travel steps with the dancers in the audience. It was a really great time and produced very well by the Madame Onca and the Bandit Queens. 

A couple of weeks later we were in Richmond again for a monthly Hafla called Tummy Tuesday, where I performed my "Al Saiidi" Cane Dance - for the first time since 2007. The last time I performed it my right hip was so bad I could barely use it, which is obvious in the YouTube video. That's why it thrills me so much to be able to perform it again. And talk about a workout! That folkloric stuff will really get your heart pumping. 

This event is heavily attended by the greater RVA bellydance community, not just new but old-school dancers, many of whom I've known for my entire career. Seeing them again and being able to dance for them was such a blessing, I was on Cloud Nine! 

Here's to more of the same as we go into fall: dancing, friends, and community. 

Yours in dance, 

Anthea Kawakib
--- end of post ---
----------------------

Cabin Fever Bellydance

Ah, winter in Virginia.
The Richmond event I was invited to dance in today was cancelled due to weather. It would've been my first "real" solo with my new hip! For the last couple of weeks I've been working on my 3-minute Arabic pop number; and just the day before yesterday I was thrilled to be doing my dress rehearsal, and posting about it on instagram. In these two weeks I'd gone from barely wobbling my way through the first 90 seconds, to being able to run through the whole number several times. That's real progress! 

But it's a mess outside - no one should be out driving in a "wintry mix" of snow, sleet, and freezing rain! So I kept myself busy making another quick technique tip, this one on Better Hands and Arms in Bellydance, to add to my Playlist of "Best Bellydance Tips". 

Diagonal Arms

I really love this particular topic too, because there's SO MUCH going on in the shoulders and arms - the emotion of the dancer flows through them; they provide the frame to ALL the body moves; they help direct the audience's attention; and beautiful hands provide the finishing touch! 
So because I was stuck in the house today, here's my latest endeavor in the world of bellydance:

Anthea Kawakib

- End of Post -
~~~~~~~~~~~

"upspeak" be damned! my latest video promo

Lately I saw someone posting about how too many women do "upspeak" which evidently is ending your sentences as questions? And how we're not supposed to do that? Because it means we don't think we're important or something?

Forget for a moment regional differences, as a teacher (and sometime public speaker) I've learned that my sentences cannot ALL be didactic declaritive statements or I'll not only sound like a pompous ass, but bore my students (or any other audience) to death as well. Framing statements in a quasi-question-ish way (haha! break THAT one down!) invites listeners to engage and keeps their interest. In my opinion, of course; I'm not a scientist and haven't done any clinical studies.
But I can look things up on the internet like everyone else? And evidently, the debate over "High Rising Terminals"  - which I thought at first was some kind of architectural term - conveys anything but "insecurities" about what someone is saying. See what the Free Online Dictionary says:

"...more recent evidence (McLemore, 1991; Cheng et al., 2005; Warren, 2005) shows that assertive speakers, leaders of the peer group are more likely to use HRT in their declaratives than the junior members of the particular peer group."

Well, la-di-da!

So there's my apologia for my "manner of speaking", and with that I give you this, my latest spoken Intro for one of my dance offerings:



--------
 I invite your comments?!

Anthea / Kawakib
- End of Post -
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~