I have been thinking a lot lately about the phenomenon in the bellydance world of favoring volume over quality. Teachers are pushing students through levels (Six weeks in the beginner level? Welcome to intermediate!) or constantly introducing new concepts in … Read More
Shea Brock is a hooper extraordinaire, and wrote a great blog post about “The Five P’s of Hooping”. Everything about it could be easily translated into bellydance. (Note: I take exception to the “Pass It On”, only inasmuch as I … Read More
Released I release you from perfection. I give you permission to screw up. A lot. I invite you take risks that don’t always pan out. I encourage you to laugh at your mistakes, but take them seriously enough to correct … Read More
Recently in class a student asked me how long it took me to feel proficient at tribal group improvisation. I told her it would be wildly different from person-to-person, depending on previous dance/movement experience, mind-body connection, home practice, etc. But … Read More
LifeHacker is a great blog with much wisdom tucked within. I loved this one and thought you might, too. http://lifehacker.com/5890679/forget-self+improvement “You can spend your life fretting about how healthy, interesting, or successful you are. In fact, a whole industry depends … Read More
I remember what it was like to be a new dancer learning tribal bellydance. It was such a switch for me from other dance and movement styles I had studied. In the other forms I either performed solo, or if … Read More
Sam Brenneman posted this in her notes on Facebook not too long back, and I just love how thoughtful it is about the process of leaving a class, teacher, and/or troupe. It ties nicely in with another recent post of … Read More
If you have been reading my blog for even a short time, you have likely come across the popular “Four Steps to Becoming a Great Dancer” article I posted in late 2011. That article stands as the first and most … Read More
This blog post was shared by my fabulous student Arya Pretlow earlier this week. It really moved me and reminded me of thoughts I have had (and maybe you have had, regardless of your size or shape) when I take … Read More
One of my lovely longtime dance sisters and students, Kathy, sent me this in an e-mail recently, rightfully guessing I would enjoy its contents. In the bellydance world, being still truly a non-mainstream art (BDSS does not automatically bring all … Read More