| More missing mojo |
[May. 13th, 2008|12:54 pm] |
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There's a mojo leak somewhere. Several flisties have been suffering from loss of it, one way or another. I'm feeling a depletement of the mojo myself now... |
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| Dance is lovely |
[May. 8th, 2008|11:07 pm] |
I had a really stinking day at work. It's that office. I need to stop working there- it's doing my head in.
Anyway, two hours of dancing got the happy hormones flowing again. |
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| JimBoz workshops |
[May. 2nd, 2008|10:53 am] |
The cheque's just gone off to Sunshine for the two JimBoz workshops- Combinations followed by Performance Technique.
Looking forward to that, bigtime. |
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| Class tonight |
[May. 2nd, 2008|12:46 am] |
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Two hours of dancing = lots of lovely endorphins slooshing around my body = excellent way to combat Work-induced grumpiness (if you're not on the rant filter, you won't have had the full benefit of the grumpiness! And just thank your lucky stars for that). |
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| Back to Saltaire in the Autumn |
[May. 1st, 2008|12:35 am] |
I've sent my cheque off. As planned I've booked for one Raqia (Saturday, Oriental) & two Khaleds (Fifi technique- Saturday & Advanced Assaya on the Sunday).
I know I ought to take advantage of Raqia more, but I'm a bit Raqia'd out, and I don't just want to learn yet another choreography that I will never use and in any case is all about the lyrics not the technique. (Jaded? Moi?)
I know I can rely on Khaled to be teaching solid technique that will be useful and interesting to me, and both the topics are well within my enjoyment range. |
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| Back in the swing of it |
[Apr. 29th, 2008|10:23 pm] |
I started the Farnham classes tonight. Three hours of dancing (well, actually it was more like 2, because of all the faffing about with newbies and catching up). Yay!
There are a ton of new students in the Beginners class. There's one girl who is ostensibly a second term student, but since she missed at least 80% of last term, I'm counting her as a newbie too, whether she would agree with me or not.
So... The Beginners will be learning Maigurakshi and the Intermediates will learn El Doo. Guildford students will learn Ziggarats of Cinnamon. All fine and diddly-dandy. I may want to adapt Ziggs a bit, just for fun. I think that sorts out my programme for the Seale & Sands Show. So that's all fine.
Sorted. |
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| I found the CD title |
[Apr. 27th, 2008|10:56 pm] |
I've just looked it up and I can get it from Trehantiri...
But...
There are 4 volumes for the same title. And no pictures of the CD insert for any of them. And no track listing
I'd have to buy all four, wouldn't I?
Bum... |
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| Choreography |
[Apr. 27th, 2008|11:18 am] |
I decided to choreograph El Do El Shareed, for the Farnham Intermediates class. I want them to have a stick choreo, and I don't want it to be folklore. But I also don't want it to be a Baladi piece (such as I would do as an improvised number). I know the piece I would really like to work on, but I don't have it on CD (and I can't for the life of me remember the name of the CD it was on- I'm at my Dad's this weekend, but I should be able to check it when I get home. Once I know what CD I'm looking for, I stand a chance of finding it!). |
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| Starting the research |
[Apr. 18th, 2008|12:19 pm] |
I've found a website: Venues in Farnham
Now all I have to do is plough through it... |
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| Starting to hyperventilate with excitement! |
[Apr. 17th, 2008|10:00 am] |
I just had a call from Fed-Ex. My parcel from Hanan is being delivered tomorrow.
OK it should have been delivered today, but they put my home postcode instead of my work postcode, so the poor delivery man got confused (understandably) and phoned me to ask where he was supposed to deliver it. Since I'm not at home, he's redirecting it to my work address, and I should have it tomorrow.
Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*tries to find a paper bag to breathe into*
More Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
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| Student Performance Opportunities |
[Apr. 16th, 2008|10:16 pm] |
I've emailed the organiser of the Seale & Sands Summer Show, to say yes me & my students would be delighted to take part. I haven't told them (the students) yet, obviously, as the Farnham classes don't start back till the end of April. But I feel I will be able to win them round to this. I might even get the Guildford lot to do it, it's not too far for them either- it's on the right side of Farnham. It will be a fun event.
So that's at the start of July.
And I hate to admit it to myself, but I'm going to have to think very seriously about putting on a Hafla for my students. I'd want it to be in support of Just Because. ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) artemisia_danst and evil_spice have foolishly volunteered to support me (and by that, I'm expecting them to turn up & dance!) and I seem to recall ellariaal offering support some time ago, when I first opined on this idea (ditto, but I'm not entirely unreasonable- if you have just had a baby you can be excused).
So I need to think about venues and dates/timing... Oh dear, what am I letting myself in for? |
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| Looking ahead to the next JoY |
[Apr. 16th, 2008|02:18 pm] |
I'm looking at the schedule & thinking I want to do Raqia's workshops (but not choreo, really, I just want technique) and Khaled's. The timing for the ones I would like is a bit tricky:
Sat 11.45 Raqia - Classic Oriental
Sat 4.15 Khaled - Fifi Style
Sun 1.15 Khaled - Advanced Assaya
Sun 2.30 Raqia - Technique
Cons: the last Raqia workshop goes on till 4.30, which means a late start to driving home; and only 15 minutes between workshops on the Sunday afternoon.
Pros: Plenty of sleeping in late/shopping time in the mornings.
I might skip the Sunday Raqia session. I'd prefer it if I could do it. But I should try to be realistic. |
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| Here's the new scarf |
[Apr. 15th, 2008|11:30 pm] |
It's heavy and it jingles, so as far as meeting my usual scarf criteria is is Teh Fail. I usually like them lightweight and silent.
But it's soooooooo pretty!
What you can't really tell from the picture is that the sequins on the second row down are butterfly shaped. And on the third row down the beads are star shaped. It's just too cute for words.
And the sequins at the far ends are HUGE- great big giant ones the size of an old pre-decimal penny! |
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| Bad naughty Béa |
[Apr. 14th, 2008|09:07 am] |
For a weekend where I wasn't going to spend any money, I sure spent a lot of money.
Score:
- 1 hip scarf- quite pricey but very unique and pretty and girly. I will look like I have a sweetie necklace around my bum! Will try & post pic of the cutesy goodness tonight.
- necklace & earrings set, blue flowers. I couldn't not. Also artemisia_danst is the worst kind of enabler!
- CD from Khaled's workshop- kinda out of a sense of obligation, but I'm sure there will be plenty of useful stuff on it.
- pink lily flower-hair-clip which should go with Crazy Pink.
- silver mesh practice pants (these are seriously fab!)
- Black zippy with rhinestones on the zip track & pully bit. It's quite discreet though, it's practically office wear!
Narrow escapes:
- diva_c's pink naked dress was sadly a little too small for the girls and my big fat back.
- the fabulous burgundy feather Eman. Not that narrow an escape perhaps. But if I'd been persuaded to model it for Farida's fashion show, I swear they'd have had to prise it off my cold dead body.
Loved all the workshops I took. I was taking with Khaled for the first time and he's LOVELY. A very giving teacher, patient and very attentive to everyone in the class. Also I've got the Aida Love back! Watching her second performance in the show, with her hair back in a bun and a very plain black galabiya, I was thinking to myself, she could be me (if only I could dance like that!). Physically, up close, we're very different, but at a distance, with your eyes a bit squinty, she & I look quite similar. I have decided that this is inspiring. I will learn that luscious ease, if it kills me.
Big thanks to artemisia_danst, evil_spice, diva_c and mellilah_dance for being such good company.
And I think I have to go back again next time. |
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| Not-Ready |
[Apr. 10th, 2008|10:36 am] |
Remember how Not-Ready I was for Cairo? Well I'm now Not-Ready for JoY.
I'm not too worried about the packing, I'm worried about getting the spare room ready for artemisia_danst to doss down in, on Sunday night.
I shall be doing workshops with Aida Noor & Khaled. Huzzah! |
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| Elegantly Dressed Wednesday- a bit of a cop-out |
[Apr. 9th, 2008|10:48 am] |
I posted this pic as part of the Cairo Diaries.
This is Dina in a very elegant number, taken when I was right up close and not-at-all personal. It's skin-tone mesh covered with black lace. It really was very stunning in person- beautiful and barely-there.
(Sorry the pic is a bit rubbish, but my camera phone doesn't take well to theatrical lighting.)
Yasmina was saying that because Dina insists on having an *exclusive* designer to make her costumes, i.e. one who won't design for *any* other dancer, she's stopped using the established costume designers, and instead works with Fashion designers. I.e. designers who are not going to go into the bellydance costume designing business at all. Which is an interesting way of gaining exclusivity.
I'm making the EDW contribution official now. I know I took a couple of weeks off, but that was Holiday. From here on in, I will be posting regularly...
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| Natacha |
[Apr. 7th, 2008|12:45 pm] |
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The Natacha Atlas concert is on Thursday. I'm looking forward to it. I'd been meaning to pop round to the Westy to pick up a ticket, but got an email from a friend last week, saying she'd got herself double booked and had two tickets going begging, so I staked a claim on one of them and she passed it to me on Saturday. (I will need to catch up with her afterwards to swap stories and pay her). |
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| Sadie Haflah |
[Apr. 6th, 2008|12:03 am] |
Just a quickie to say Yay, it was excellent, but I'm a bit tired and I have to get up early *again* tomorrow morning, so I shall retire to my boudoire on that happy note. Will try to post full deets when my brain is functioning.
Thanks Afra |
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| Cairo Diary Day 9 - Bye bye Cairo |
[Apr. 2nd, 2008|09:13 pm] |
This morning at breakfast, the tv was showing an old b/w movie, and all of a sudden I realised that the slavegirl dancing in somebody’s dream sequence was Nagua Fouad- the gap-toothed smile, the bum sticking out, the feet. There was no-one else it could be! One of the cafeteria ladies went on to change channels later, and left it on a clip of Naima Akif, the one where there’s the trick photography and she’s dancing in an assuit dress on one side of the screen, and dressed up as a man on the other… So it was dance morning. And then there was a brief clip of Abdel Halim.
One last burst of shopping- cakes for the office, and one last pair of shoes. These ones are sensible work-type shoes, because they're in brown and it's hard to get nice brown shoes in England at the moment.
Going home now...
Things I didn’t buy:
- man’s galabiya
- cover up of any description
- khaligi dress (they were E£250 at Mahmoud’s, which is a bit pricey, though not outrageous really, but I didn’t want one enough)
- borro
- jewellery (apart from the enormous earrings)
- any presents for anyone else
- a handbag (definitely on my list for next time I’m here)
Things I did buy:
- 4 pairs of shoes
- 3 costumes
- 9 hipscarves, of which I can sell 4 or 5 quite happily. I definitely want to keep the white, hunter green, red ones. The rest I don’t mind selling, or keeping if they don’t sell.
- 3 pairs khul-khal
- 2 pairs of earrings
- a hat
- a skirt
- cakes for the offices
So far so good... Got to Vienna in good time & I’m now seated on the plane to London, and we’re all boarded in good time for takeoff. |
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