Earth Dance in Columbia

This year, I was invited to participate in Earth Dance in Columbia, MO. It is: "Global dance for peace taking place simultaneously in over 100 cities around the world."

Due to the raining weather...the alternative to the rain was inside the church. So before I could get to the stage, it started raining! The show must go on and it was moved to the church just up the street. I forgot the name of the church. Not so good on memory banks.

It was a well organized program. The most enjoyable aspect of the program was the unity of the prayer. It was done all over the world at the same time, moving.
Earth Dance is a annual event.

The drummers are from Mid Missouri Collective, yay, women drummers rak! Okay, guys too!

www.earthdance.org Website has lots more information

Costume Sewing

Today I made a pattern for a Turkish vest like top. My plans are to wear the top with a cabaret costume. If not wearing arm bands/guantlets then I have to have some type of top or arm covering. I don't like the bare arm look! My arms are in pretty good shape. The more costume pieces the classier the costume it to me. Reminder this is my opinion. So off to Spandex Wareshouse I went, one of my favorite online fabric sources; for all types of stretch fabrics. The selection is superior, I have found excellent bargains. My selection was one yard of yellow spandex that was emblished with gold sequins. The fabric caught my eye because of the cascading sequins that hang off of the fabric. This will allow for lots shimmer on stage. No need to decorate the jacket/vest with all of the on fabric sequins. It also come in a shade of silver. Best to plan carefully it's $28 per yard. Out of my yard of fabric I got the vest, headband & hipbelt. Most of the fabrics are 60" wide, so your fabric can go a long way. I could not bring myself to get rid of the scraps, so they are filling in at the blank spots on my belt. There are a pile of sequins left over, I'm sure they will be put to good use.

Moroccan & African Castanets

Moroccan Castanets are the double sets with the bag. Play these by holding the middle section and zill away.

The African Iron Castanets (Frikywa). Play these by placing the ring on your thumb and place your middle finger through the hole and play.

These instruments can be found on ebay or by searching by name on the web.

Zills, Sagat

I can play the zills, but there is room for improvement to say the least. I attended a mini workshop today at the Lotus Arts Studio. Somra taught the class a true MASTER of the zills. She is phenomenal. If I could only play them like my sister in the dance! We review all of the rhythms with such enthusiasm. My fingers re-learned old favorites and explored moving the fingers in a break thumb speed; which did not work well for me. (improvement needed!) I'm going back to the zill drills, everyone at home will hate me for sure. Socks or mufflers will be in order to accomplish this feat.

Along with the zill instruction, we had the opportunity to practice a few of the vintage dance movements. Wow, so much to learn!

Now eager to purchase a pair of the Moroccan Castanets and African Iron Castanets (Frikywa)...I will need to make a pack with myself. Play the originals better, then move on to something more challenging. I no doubt have a lot of work to do ;)

**take a look at Lotus Arts Studio offering various mini workshops with local instructors!

Event Calendar

Do you ever wonder why events always seem to fall on the same date? This just drives me crazy. I wish everyone would look at the calendar before scheduling events. Now I have to make a big decision. Enie, menie, minie, moe

Tidbits.......

It's been awhile since posting. Here's what I've been tackling lately:

My last session ended on a good note, lots of new students. I'm looking forward to the new session next week. Working musical selections for class CD. The rotation of music keeps class interesting and gives the students an opportunity to hear various musical styles.

Cropped & posted new Raks Sharki pictures!! There were several new attendees last month. My goal is to grow the event. I'd like to see more of the belly dance community participate.
It's all about enjoying the sisterhood of dance.
Who will be in the lineup this month. I've decided to have another birthday celebration on this day, one can never have too many birthday parties. (Cake!)

Received my new costume in the mail! I will need to adjust and complete the accessories for the new look.

I did purchase another costume, it's more of the winter type of thing. It need a few minor adjustments. Off to the sewing room.

Sunday, I will attend a mini workshop! Will report more later.

Put forth your best shimmy.

Michael Jackson

I loved seeing him perform. He will be missed. RIP

BellyDanceUnited

On the 6th of June I travelled to Columbia MO. The weather was nice, I left in enough time not to be rushed. Upon my arrival to the Kayotea I was pleasantly surprised. This being my first visit, and not knowing what to expect. The parking was not too bad, there was metered parking on both sides of the street. Yeah, it was after 5pm the meter was not needing to be feed. Kayotea is a quaint place, large dance area. The walls are painted red, my favorite color, so I was at ease. Table seating and it is enough to handle a crowd. But beware and don't sit on the antique chairs!(Signs Posted) The tearoom has a delectable menu for dining and of course lots of beverage choices.

I enjoyed my time in Columbia. After I zipped back down the highway to home sweet home.

BellyDanceUnited

St Louis Bellydancers

Take a last look at the St. Louis Belly dancer's website! I received an email today stating that the web mistress is moving out of town and the website will be removed. It was a way for everyone to keep track of everyone and current happenings in the area. In order not to let it go to rest, I'm going to make sure all of the links, instructors and performers who currently have a website in the St. Louis area and residing close will be listed on the Raks Sharki website!

I will send out emails soon! If you are a dancer in the St. Louis area, Mid-West, or close proximity contact me. I want to keep things listed. People need to know who, what and we still shimmy in this area!

Yalla for the Audience

The end of the month concludes belly dance events. 3 this month!


I did a volunteer performance at the St. Louis Charter School with Raw Earth, dancing for children is so much fun.

Yesterday was Raks Sharki in STL. Again I enjoyed myself. We had the pleasure of an audience member/male who enjoyed the music as much or more than we did. Now how much fun was that! It has always been a pleasure to share the dance with those who feel the music as much as belly dancers. Yalla

Belly Dance Meetup in Dallas, TX

I have heard Dallas, has a very large bellydance community! I know Vashti is here as well a Maggie(formerly lived in STL!) There will an event tomorrow evening at the Carrollton Arts Center. I'm not sure if my schedule will permit, in town for other reasons. I'd love to attend. Vashti has a class on Saturday, 11am until 1pm :(
I don't think I can attend in the morning, we already have other plans.
Nothing is set in stone for tomorrow evening, I'll suggest a girls night out ;)
Yay, Shimmy time!

Amel Tafsout

My description might not be good enough but I will give it a try. Amel is excellent, and dancing with feeling. The only way to get it is to experience her in person. The rich colorful costumes are breath taking, the colors just flow. I have posted a few pictures of her from the show and workshop put on by Diana's Danse Orientale at the Ethical Society. She is as beautiful in person as she is on stage, it was a pleasure to meet and dance with her informally. This is something I will always remember.

Other performers who participate in this event were from various dance studios around the metropolitan St. Louis area.

Help from my FRIENDS

Support staff are valuable. They are an asset to the troupe. It takes lots of marketing, picture taking, updating & gatering information, phone calls, editing and more. I could go on and on but you get the idea. Having extra eyes, ears and hands help. I get by with a little help from my friends.

Interesting Read

From time to time I do find excellent articles on line, relating to belly dance and other useful topics. If you are interested in public performances on a professional basis or just work with a group, read this article. Belly dance is a beautiful art. Mastering the art takes time and practice, enjoy!

This article is in the online ezine Gilded Serpent. Support the Gilded Serpent, informative and educational articles from belly dancers around the world.

Read the Article: Know Venue!

The Recycle Bin!!!!

I thankful for not emptying my recycle bin! I could have lost some pictures that were important. So from now on I will take more care to be EVER SO SURE to check myself. Dance photos of course. This could have caused me to use my sword;) on myself.

Eastern Illinois University

This past Saturday, May 2nd, we had a road trip to Charleston, Illinois. We performed at Celebration: A Festival of the Arts. This year was the 1st Annual Event. It was a pleasure to attend. From the Funnel Cakes to the variety of booths with food and craft choices. I dined on a Gyro sandwich after dancing, yummy! And got a chance to hold the snake, too bad I had on so much tribal jewelry I could not place it around my neck in costume. I will make a mental note for next time.

Charleston, is just about 2 hours and 20 minutes travel time. One rest stop and we were there. Playing your favorite belly tunes does help to pass the time away.

We took the usual picture break and got the turbans on break neck speed. The rain was not our friend, so we avoided dancing in the mud. A slab of concrete will do us just fine.

Our most supportive supporters were with us. It's not too bad going on a road trip with the troupe, I actually enjoyed the company, and laughs.

Extending Opportunity: Raks Sharki

Once a month, I host the Raks Sharki in St. Louis. It is a free hafla, the event is extended to all belly dancers that are in the St. Louis and beyond. Basically, anyone who is interested in attend to gain more experience in public performances. Usually there is a minimal charge at haflas. This was a venue for my students as well as others to get a chance to wear costume and just dance in an relaxed atmosphere. Besides, I was looking for more opportunities to dance myself.

From time to time we have other local dancers who join us in some fun. Drummers, on occasion show up to drum out their beat. Basically, music and a merry time for all.

My goal is to link the belly dance community throughout the St. Louis area, giving others a chance to socialize with others who share like interest. Kind of like a "belly dancers night out" type of thing. So far things are going well, in the future, I'd love to see more dancers participate. This is my belly-stimulus package to the area. Hope to see you at the end of the month!

If interested join this Yahoo Group!

Our flyer and NEW log was developed by: SSR!

Earth Day 2009

Earth Day 2009....change in the parking lot for performers this year! Walking down hill on a windy day is fine, walking up a hill back to the parking lot not so much fun. I have allergies, so a little suffering was involved. I missed the usage of the pavilion! This year the crowd seemed larger to me or was it due to everyone sitting on the bales of hay?

We choose the color scheme of blue, or purple. Seems to be fitting for a gypsy dancer. Troupe Nayliyat performed on the grassy stage, challenging to a dancer's feet. Twigs, dips and so on. If you dance you will relate. This was another opportunity for us to demonstrate our love for the dance. This year we had a few novice students to join in on the festivities, with butterflies and all. They did a good job. A first public performance brings on a case of the jitters! After all is done; a sea of calm returns. I remember my first public performance. My goal is to make everyone a comfortable as possible. It's not always possible, but I do try help extreme cases of stage fright.

Our support staff recorded the event and the troupe photographer had a chance to capture our best smiles. I'm pleased with the video (will post) and photos!

Hopefully, everyone attending the Earth Day event got the message of Earth Day and saving the planet for generations to come. Let's go and think green, while wearing other colors.

National Dance Week

National Dance Week is the beginning of our performance season. This year it was beautiful windy weather. Our dresses were in my opinion a great selection. Performing at an outside event "folkloric" dresses are pleasing. The dresses were made by several members of the group. Having troupe members with sewing skills are invaluable to say the least. All things went well. Very unfortunate this year there was no video recording done. Personally, I was looking forward to receiving the usual "free" DVD. We can always dress up again to do a demo.

The event featured various belly and non belly dance groups in the St. Louis area and beyond. This always gives us a chance to see old friends.

Getting the group together for pictures, what a blast. Smile!

Shimmy into Spring

Spring brings on new life, flowers and a cleansing of the Earth. This is a time for us to consider our belly dance life and adventures. As the weather turns, turn to your inner dance diva. Make the decision to step out of your comfort zone, explore another style of dance. Having butterflies can be good. Push yourself to higher heights, drill harder. Challenge yourself. Shimmy, Shimmy and more shimmies.

I have a few challenges on my plate for the upcoming season...I'm anxiously waiting to get to dancing!

In June, I have committed to two (2) Saturday's in June with BDU. Costume change for sure, music to pick and choreography to work on. Another challenge, this makes me happy. Let the shimmies begin!