Belly Dance Geek Blog
Geek Out with Zari
“What to do when clients ask you to dance for an hour” Episode 4 of the Belly Dance Geek Clubhouse: My guest is Zari of San Francisco. Clients don’t always know what they want. Party clients often ask for an hour-long show. But that’s way too long! You’d get exhausted, and the guests would get antsy. As the dancer, your job ISN’T to give the client what they ask for. It’s to give them what they really want: a show that makes their party exciting and special. But that...
read moreNew Year’s Resolutions Poll
I don’t do resolutions anymore. I used to, but they never stuck, and they made me feel icky. Eventually, I realized that making resolutions did one of two (bad) things for me: 1) Enshrine a “should” Some resolutions were things that I felt I “should” be doing, instead of my own authentic desires. 2) Turned a “want” into a “should” Some resolutions were things that I really did want, but turning them into resolutions changed their role in my life. Instead of working towards...
read more2012 Year in Review
Dude! My first blog post of 2013 is also my 100th post! 2012 was a huge year for me. I made tremendous progress, learned a ton, faced some big challenges, got help from some wonderful people, and had a really good time doing it. If I told you everything, this post would be way too long. I get pretty long-winded anyway, but with so much to say, it would just be ridiculous! So I’m to limit myself to the top 5 things in each category. Here goes: Five things I’m proud of: 1) I made a lot of...
read moreMust-Know Music Tweet Tips
Last month, I did my second twitter series of daily tips for belly dancers. December’s theme was “must know music”. Now that the series is over, I thought I’d share the full series in one place. The tips: 1) Aziza by Mohamed Abdel Wahab – Classic intro for Arabic & Turkish 2) Al Ya Ein Moulayiten – Lebanese debke, aka Şaşkın in Turkish 3) Soode Soode – “Lies! Lies!” Armenian song, now a #bellydance classic 4) Hizzy Ya Nawaem – “shake your...
read moreImagery in Belly Dance
Surprise! I made a holiday gift for you. I’ve been experimenting with different ways to use video, and I wanted to step outside the usual “talk, point, and dance” model. So I set myself a challenge: Could I teach a performance concept – and get the viewer actually using it – without doing any on-screen demonstrations? Well, it worked! My experiment turned out so well that I decided it was too good not to share. So I’m giving it to you for free as a holiday gift. ...
read moreGeek Out with Amy Smith
“Boston’s Belly Dance Legacy” Episode 3 of the Belly Dance Geek Clubhouse: My guest is Amy Smith. Did you know that the first Middle Eastern nightclub to feature live entertainment in the US was probably Boston’s Club Zahra? The American Cabaret style didn’t have any single source. But as the home to large Middle Eastern diaspora communities, Boston was one of its earliest hotbeds. Learn about the melting pot of cultures, influences, and people that sparked the evolution of belly dance in the US. ...
read more7 Ways to Avoid Arm Tiredness
Do your arms get tired when you dance? Strong, lifted, interesting arms can make the difference between okay dancing and fabulous dancing. But the arms are usually the first body part to get tired. So here are seven tips to help you prevent your arms from tiring out. A big part of performing is budgeting your energy. No matter how hard you train, you will always need to decide where to spend your energy, and where to save it. Click to Tweet: “A big part of performing is budgeting your energy” So...
read moreTeacher poll
The results are in: Your Turn This poll is closed, but the discussion doesn’t have to end! Why did you have that number of teachers? If you’ve never had a teacher, what have you done to learn? How many teachers do you think a student should have? At what phase of their dance journey? Share your thoughts in the comments.
read morePersonal Style Snafus Giveaway
In honor of Aziyade’s moving review, I’m giving away a free copy of Personal Style Snafus. I’ll select the winner from the members of my mailing list at noon eastern time on December 21st. If you’re already on my list, you’re already entered! If not, you can join the list to enter now. Just use the form on the right side of the screen. -> Your information will never be shared, and you can remove yourself at any time. (Although you do have to be on the list at noon EST on 12/21/2012 to be...
read moreStage Presence Tweet Tips
Last month, I did a series of daily “tweet tips” on stage presence for belly dancers. I got some great feedback on it, so I thought I’d share the full series in one place. The tips: 1) Use “up and over” eye contact to reach the whole room. (Learn more) 2) Imagine your chest is full of energy, flowing through your arms, and out your fingertips. 3) Breathe with the music (h/t to @AliaThabit) 4) Breathe with your movements: inhale when lifting/expanding, exhale when...
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