Interesting Conversation...
2008-01-01 18:07:00
I had an interesting conversation with a teacher in a different movement discipline. He said that teachers who give students a ton of material, or a bunch of technically difficult material, do so because they aren't comfortable with their own level of skill. He went on to say that there are a multitude of nuances in a single movement that can be explored in an entire class. If a teacher can do that, the teacher shows a depth of knowledge that will benefit the student far more than learning a lot of things poorly. I tend to agree with him, but I think in a world of 8 week wonders and pow-pow-pow dancers, it's difficult to sell that to an American belly dance student. This dance form just formed so differently than ballet or jazz, for example. It's more about getting out there and having fun
Read more: Conversation
Is BDT a cult?
2007-12-28 07:05:00
I get the most interesting emails. The latest one is asking me if The Belly Dance Trainer Certification Program is a cult. Good question, but I had to laugh.It's definitely NOT a cult. I don't expect people to copy me, clone me (although I do use words to that effect on my website- maybe it's time to change that), or bow down to the almight laws of Taaj. I don't want followers, worshippers, or clones.The best way to make the most out of BDT is to empty your cup. A university professor went to visit a famous Zen master. While the master quietly served tea, the professor talked about Zen. The master poured the visitor's cup to the brim, and then kept pouring. The professor watched the overflowing cup until he could no longer restrain himself. "It's overfull! No more will go i
It's GONE!
2008-03-17 12:58:00
Well, it's gone. I chopped it all off. My hair is now just below my shoulders.The donation guideline says that you have to giev 10-12 inches, but do you know how much hair that is once it's in a braid? It's probably twice that. I expected to still have hair halfway down my back, but it's much shorter. And it's also really jacked up. Have you ever cut braid? It's really hard. So now I look like I was attacked by a mad baby with scissors. But that's okay. I am getting it cut for real on Wednesday.Everyone is asking me if my head feels lighter. It actually doesn't, but it did the first time I cut it all off. Strange.
ATTN all Asian Belly Dancers
2008-03-19 11:53:00
There is a new tribe for Asian
belly dancers and the people who love them here: all started with a post about culture. The question was how does your culture affect your dance. I responded and got a lot of stuff back from other Asian dancers. So this is a new place for us to gather. Come on by!
Read more: Dancers
I'm Beautiful, You're Beautiful
2008-03-22 07:46:00
I used to think that belly dance was a great way to build self-esteem, but I've seen so much ugliness come out of belly dance that I began to wonder if that was true. Yes, people who were so inside their shell came out. They displayed more of their bodies. They danced in front of people, but I think on the inside, they were just as scared. They hid this fear by not allowing others to share "their" lime light. They made ugly comments to people to make them feel badly about themselves. They wouldn't associate with other people who look good, and thus could make them look bad in comparison. Is that self-esteem? No.But I have seen belly dance build real self-esteem. It came from building skill where there was none. From dancing in front of other people where you couldn't do that before. From l
Read more: Beautiful
Happy Easter
2008-03-22 07:41:00
Twice yesterday someone almost wished me a Happy
Easter
and stopped herself. Go on. Please do wish me a Happy Easter
. Wish me Happy Hannukah, Happy Eid, Happy Beltane, Happy Friday. I am not going to be offended by any wishes for happiness. I don't understand why this stinking political correctness has gotten so out of control. You can't wish someone a Happy Easter without fear that they will be offended? Isn't that ludicrous? Okay, so maybe I don't celebrate Easter, but is that any reason to get offended? Wow. Incredible. So one of the ladies ended up stopping herself from saying, Happy Easter and said, "Happy weekend" instead. lol
Loveliest of Trees...
2008-03-24 14:45:00
As I was driving in to work this morning gazing at the trees in bloom, I recalled A.E Houseman's poem"Loveliest of Trees
" Loveliest of trees, the cherry now Is hung with bloom along the bough, And stands about the woodland ride Wearing white for Eastertide. Now, of my threescore years and tenTwenty will not come again, And take from seventy springs a score, It only leaves me fifty more. And since to look at things in bloom Fifty springs are little roomAbout the woodlands I will go To see the cherry hung with snow.I probably don't have fifty more years to "look at things in bloom," but it sure is a nice sight seeing the coming of spring, the bunches of daffodils bobbing their heads in the breeze, sniffing the air perfumed with hyacinth and seeing the cute little girls in their
A Teacher With Nothing to Teach
2008-03-31 14:32:00
I remember when I first started teaching, I thought nothing of going to a workshop and bringing the choreography back to my troupe. I just thought it was a cool piece, it was something that I didn't have to spend time creating myself, and it would be good to perform. As I grew in the dance, I started thinking about things like copyright issues, originality, and the possible diminishment of the choreographer's income and stopped doing it. Besides, my ability to teach also grew and I didn't need other people's work as a crutch anymore.So imagine my surprise when I found out today that a "teacher" (let's call her B) I know teaches none of her own work! She's had a lot of students through the years, so many people know that her beginner's dance was lifted from a book. I mean, there aren't that
Read more: Teacher
, Nothing
I'm Tired
2008-04-08 13:59:00
I am TIRED! I have dropped off the face of the earth because I don't have the energy to do anything or see anyone. I am working a ton of extra hours, which is nice because I had been feeling "stuck." I don't feel stuck anymore. I am inspired and have tons of new ideas, but no energy to do anything with them at the end of the day. It will be over in 4 more weeks though. Maybe I will get some sleep then!
I Smell Egypt!
2008-04-14 08:50:00
Yesterday I was driving down the road, minding my own business, when suddenly I smelled Egypt
! I knew it had to be an olfactory hallucination because there was nothing around to create such a smell. Lilacs, dogwoods, and grass don't smell that way.All of a sudden, I was like a heroin addict who gets a whiff of rubber and starts vividly remembering his last fix. Or a food addict who walks into a carnival who tries to resist the smell of frying elephant ears mingled with carnival sausage. It just makes you jones for the thing you love, you know?Actually, I catch the scent of Egypt about a couple times a year. Sometimes it's a real scent that just reminds me of being there- like being in a hookah bar can take me to the sidewalks of Cairo where old gallabeya dressed men are passing the afterno
Read more: Smell
I've Had It (Venting again)
2008-04-17 19:45:00
I have had it. I have been self-employed for most of my adult life and I like it that way. I like being able to take off when I feel like it, come in late, and reap the benefits of my own hard work. I like not having to answer to someone who is less intelligent, organized, or just has no people skills. And I don't mind taking responsibility if everything goes wrong. I thrive on that and see it as a challenge.I have been working for someone else recently though because it was necessary to accomplish a few goals. It's been good. I learned a lot, but now it's time to go. I absolutely cannot deal with other people's drama! I don't have time to figure out personalities and tiptoe around stupid stuff. I don't like guessing whether I was just complimented or insulted. Life is too short for BS.
Read more: Venting
Is Orzo a Specialty Item?
2008-04-18 20:32:00
Okay, where is the orzo? I can't find it anywhere in the store. Is this now a speciality item? One that I have to get at a speciality store? I have never heard of such a thing. It's just pearl pasta for Pete's sake. (sigh) Living in the country definitely has its limitations.
Read more: Specialty
Fusion- Again
2008-04-19 13:17:00
So, I was watching a fusion piece on video today, (sigh) I gotta say, I really don't like it. I like tribal fusion because it always was recognized and intended to be something different from authentic belly dance, but I really have to say that I don't like the other stuff. I recognize and appreciate the innovation and creativity that goes into creating new stuff, but I think that it's so far from the original concept that it should be called something else. And maybe differentiate the costuming a little bit more. I think that's part of why I don't think of tribal as "offensive". )I don't really mean "offensive" but I can't think of a better word.) Tribal is its own thing. I think the fusion belly dance can be it's own thing too. Just differentiate the costuming and give it another name an
Read more: Again
Am I Unreasonable?
2008-04-20 08:49:00
Okay, so I am quitting my job and I told someone about it who responded, "Aren't you just a little unrealistic? There are stupid people at every job. You just have to learn to deal with it." I thought, "That sounds reasonable. Let me think about that. Maybe it's me."So, I thought about it and looked over my past work experiences for evidence to support or refute this. I worked in food service for a long time as my dad and best friend's mom had restaurants. They don't count as "employers" because the personal relationships skewed things. But my first job after that was at a Fortune 500 company. They had a management training program, which I participated in. My boss exempified the values taught in that program, which were: respect your employees, acknowledge, encourage and reward good work,
Back From Civilization
2008-04-28 05:51:00
Well, I am back from spending 5 days in civilization (the city). I have to tell you that it was nice to be somewhere where people know how to merge into coming traffic so you don't have to either move over, slam on the brakes as they creep in front of you, or speed up to avoid hitting them. I also enjoyed having many options for shopping and food within a few minutes in every direction. I am not sure why every store had clothes that were either black or brown or some combination of colors that included one of those, but at least I could go to twenty stores in a couple of hours to see that trend. I also was enlivened by the cultural diversity. One day while having lunch, within my earshot was a young woman and someone who looked like her grandmother. They looked like they were shopping at u
Read more: Civilization
Strange Situation
2008-05-04 19:48:00
So this weekend was a "girls' weekend." Some friends from out of town and I hung out all weekend, watched DVDs, talked dance stuff, went to a wine festival, and of course they wanted to see a belly dancer. There is only one place near by with dancing, so I took them there. This was also my first time there, so none of us knew what to expect. The restaurant was beautifully decorated. The food was delicious. The dancing was also nice, but we weren't sure if it was okay to clap. I mean, of course it's okay to clap AFTER the song is over, but nobody was clapping with the beat during the song, so we didn't know if that would draw unwanted attention to our table or if it would encourage the rest of the patrons to clap. Not wanting to risk looking foolish, we decided not to clap (not enough wine
Read more: Strange
Play Critique
2008-05-06 06:14:00
So my sister and I went to this play reading yesterday. We were some of the people who read, but the purpose of the event was for the writer to get feedback. (There is a name for this, but I am not in the play world, so I don't know it!)Anyhoo, it was a really interesting and valuable experience because the writer got tons of really insightful comments. I think if you did enough of those, you'd get a lot of good feedback even if it wasn't specifically directed to YOUR play. It just makes me remember what an important learning tool that is for dancers. When I start teaching again, I will be sure to offer that opportunity again for my students. (Coming soon to a studio near you!)
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Attitude of Abundance
2008-05-09 14:58:00
I am feeling like I am brushing up against people who want to use me for what I have to offer, but withhold what they have. Or maybe they want to block me from having what they have. The thing is, I don't want what someone else has, so how am I am threat? Not to mention that the universe is abundant, so you can't really stop someone from achieving, accumulating, becoming, or being anyway. So I just don't get it. Nobody is a threat to anyone else. We all have beauty, talent, contacts, energy, etc in abundance. We all have just what we need. We just have to get out of our own way and accept the abundance. Oh gosh. Am I turning into an airy fairy person? ME??? Ack!
Read more: Abundance
Attitude of Abundance
2008-05-09 14:58:00
I am feeling like I am brushing up against people who want to use me for what I have to offer, but withhold what they have. Or maybe they want to block me from having what they have. The thing is, I don't want what someone else has, so how am I am threat? Not to mention that the universe is abundant, so you can't really stop someone from achieving, accumulating, becoming, or being anyway. So I just don't get it. Nobody is a threat to anyone else. We all have beauty, talent, contacts, energy, etc in abundance. We all have just what we need. We just have to get out of our own way and accept the abundance. Oh gosh. Am I turning into an airy fairy person? ME??? Ack!
Read more: Abundance
I Love Buskers
2008-05-10 06:57:00
The buskers were out in full force last night. Two of them were really good. There was this one guy playing this bagpipe looking thing. I have heard the type of music that he was playing, but had never seen that type of instrument. It was really cool to watch. The other good group was doing blue grass. They didn't have a lick of stage presence, but their music was good.The thing that disturbed me about this is that there was a crowd around the second group. People were dancing and obviously enjoying the music, but they weren't tipping. COME ON PEOPLE! Support what you love or it will go away. People don't have the time or inclination to put energy in a direction that isn't rewareded. Give a guy a break and throw a dollar in the hat. Gas and milk are over $3 a gallon. It won't kill ya to th
Doing the Move du Jour
2008-05-19 06:19:00
Okay, so I went to this show where I anticipated seeing a lot of talented dancers because that has been the pattern in the past. So the first nice dancer came out and she did some pretty cool moves. Yeah, that was great. And then the next one came out and did the same cool moves. Then the next one. And the next one.Wow. I was underwhelmed by the time I had seen it 25 times in the same show. Yes, i
"I Don't Know What I am Doing Wrong"
2008-05-20 08:22:00
Every year there are people who compete who are disappointed by their standing. Here's my unsolicited advice for those people:1) Keep your mouth shut until you see the scores and judge's comments and have had a minute to distance yourself from the event. It looks very unsportsmanlike to bad mouth the contest, the judges, and/or your fellow contestants. I realize it's an emotional process and hopef
Read more: Wrong
Gossip or Girl Talk?
2008-05-20 07:55:00
I am the first one to engage in girl talk, but I am also the first one to walk away from gossip. I hate it. So what's the difference?Girl talk is when you are talking with friends and the content stays there. The purpose of girl talk can be sharing, venting, or clarifying.Gossip
is talking about someone else's business. The intent is usually malicious. It's usually half truths or lies because that
Read more: Girl Talk
Come On, People!
2008-05-20 07:37:00
So I am on my way to work this morning and there is a stalled car in the middle of the street. It was obviously turning left when the car died, so traffic in both directions has to move around it. There is a lady on the side of the road on the cell phone who obviously belongs to the car. Pedestrians and cars are totally ignoring her.When I saw this, I was furious. I mean, come on, people. Get out
It's a Small World After All
2008-05-19 20:07:00
Belly dance is a really small world, you know? Belly dancers travel. They are on the 'net. They email. They know people who know people. So before you go running your mouth about something or someone, you might think about who else might hear about it. Because it's a small world after all.
Read more: Small
, World
, Small World
I Don't Want Your Money
2008-05-19 19:59:00
Why is it that the people who demand the most and the best are also the ones who think they should have it for a quarter? My attitude is, "Hey man, here is the price. This is my product. If you want it, you can have it at this price. If you don't, you can take your business elsewhere." It's that simple. I don't get when people try to say that they can get X for less or tell you all the things that
Read more: Money
Just Say "Thank-You"
2008-05-21 05:46:00
So what do you say when the universe is pooping on you? You say, "thank-you". Why? Because it's giving you an opportunity to see your patterns, fix something, gain strength or learn something. Let's take a look at this.Let's say that you want to be a belly dance teacher, but as soon as you decide that, you get road blocks. What's going on? Does that mean that it's not meant to be? I don't think so
Read more: Thank
I Wasn't Talking About You
2008-06-02 14:22:00
I think it's funny how many people will hear something or read a blog and think that you are talking about them. LOL I can't believe how many people have attributed my comments to them. Sometimes I don't even know what they are talking about or how my words might tie in. I guess it's fine if it helps someone inadvertently. It's just funny.
Read more: Talking
I Can't Do It
2008-06-08 08:36:00
My sister keeps urging me to try this Master Cleanse "Diet". She raves about how it's the greatest thing for cleaning out your system. She said that it does result in weight loss, but as soon as the diet is over, you gain it all back, so the reason for doing it would be the cleansing effect. Now, I am all for detoxing and cleansing. I do an anti-parasitic at least once a year, if not twice. I do d
Long Time No See!
2008-07-14 06:12:00
I've been out of commission for a while! I got a computer virus about 2-3 weeks ago. I was too busy to give too much attention to that, so it's taken me a while to resolve that. Just let me say that if you don't have spyware protection, get it! I know of 2 other people who got the same virus who ended up completely dumping their computers to get rid of it. I had too much info on my computer that w
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