I have my regular class on Wednesday night, and then I start learning the piece for the performance on Thursday and Friday this week...rehearsals for it with the whole group start a week from today-next Monday night.
I have just finished yet ANOTHER choli top for the tribal workshop we are having in September...so far I have made 5 cholis to vend...and I have some silk veils and bindis as well. I am hoping to get a few pairs of harems and another handful of cholis done by then...the ones I have made for it so far are sage green, blue metallic (cotton/lurex belnd), and red metallic. I have some great fabric in black, as well as turquoise and rasberry metallic. I have made them in short and 3/4 sleeve...I guess I will make the next couple with long sleeves...get the whole variety thing going-all sizes, all sleeve lengths. I hope to have some good sales that day, to make some money to make some more stuff. (laughs)
Mira-what all props do you dance with? Veils and zils are pretty standard-what is your favorite? Do you do any specialty, like cane or sword? What music have you been jamming to lately? I have been listening to a lot of Hossam Ramzy and Natacha Atlas...I just love to hear about what other dancers like to do and listen to!
Mauvais-I am sure that you will be back on the boards soon from your trip to GenCon...I wasn't able to make it due to my brother's wedding over the weekend...but I have seen many pics already and heard all about it! Hope you post soon!
Aphil

Hi again!
Sounds like you've been busy sewing! I do the same thing here in Maine, sew lots and lots of costumes. Sometimes I sell them on Ebay, too, but that's been kinda dead lately. If you go to my troupe's website and click on "our dancers" and "Mirage", I made the purple/silver costume with the shell in the middle. http://desertdancers.tripod.com

I am currently teaching a group sword routine which we'll be performing on Labor Day at our annual workshop. Amaya is coming all the way from New Mexico to teach workshops. She's a super teacher if you ever get a chance to take a seminar from her. I don't much care for veil, though I do teach it because it's always a favorite with new dancers. We zill every class, just because it's nearly a dying art and IMHO every dancer should know how to do it! I've played around with candles and cane and such, but I'm really partial to drum solos. I'm a very technical, hard line, Turkish style dancer and I just love it when I can nail every little beat with a sharp hip

Music? Hmmmm, I'm pretty picky about the music I like....it has to be crisp and have drums and not sound like that clarinety--accordiony 70's style belly dance music (like George Abdo and Others from that period) I used to adore Hossam Ramzy, too...but lately I"ve decided that he's a tad monotonous and often drums for his own pleasure, not for the dancer. I've been partial to alot of "pop" songs lately. The new cd "Belly Dance Superstars" has alot of really good rockin' songs on it. Hate the name though! I love just about anything from Omar Faruk Tekbilek. Solace is good, though they've gotten weird lately too. One "old school" musician that I do like is Emad Sayyah.....he's the one who does all the "Best of Bellydance from ______" (fill in your favorite middle eastern country) Again, not very original titles, but he's great because he plays specifically for the dancer. Which means he's easy to follow.

I thought I might give a little info on some videos you gals haven't mentioned (probably because they're not commercially available.......you can't get them at Block buster!) The best teaching videos, I think, are by Suzana DelVecchio and Jillina. They both have series of technique and performance videos on their websites. I also love Artemis Mourat, for honest to goodness "Real" Turkish Rom (Gypsy) style. Suhaila Salimpour has some great videos out, if you like the California style of cabaret (*not* tribal) Most of the easy to find stuff (neena/veena, and the like) is a nice lure into the world of bellydance, but when you're ready to really chew on some solid techniques and choreographies there are hundreds of much better videos out there.

I don't recommend ATS (American Tribal Style--like Fat Chance) videos to people unless they're part of a group that does it together. The whole point behind ATS is that it is *always* done as a group, as a "tribe" of sisters....it has certain "rules" (like every move starts on the right.) so that the tribal leader can "improvise", but really everyone knows exactly where she's going because they know the rulebook. That's why ATS groups always look sooooo tight, there's very little variation.

Geez, I guess I've rambled long enough!

Talk to you later,
Julie/Mira

Hi Mira,
The purple shell costume looked great-very "mermaid-ish!" I love it!
We are having an American Tribal style workshop in September with Jaleela Saleem, and I will be vending there. I vend cholis, harems, and other dancewear items that I make myself, and I am a vendor for A Kai silk veils as well. My instructor is a vendor for Dahlal Internationale-so between the two of us-her with all her hip scarves and finger cymbals and music-and I with a lot of apparel items-we pretty much have everyone covered. I usually make items in S-3X, but I do custom-so if a smaller or larger size is needed, I will make those as well. I designed costumes for my instructor's troupe for a show they had in May, and they turned out great. That was a week that we hade a workshop with Jajouka up in South Bend Indiana.
I make custom designs, as well as cholis-Fat Chance style and wrap style in various sleeve lengths, and I also use some patterns by B.D.Patterns and I like them lot.
I agree about the videos-I usually recommend one that is easily available for a newbie-just to see it they like it-and then I like to either talk them into taking a class and using their videos for home practice, or get them to a more advanced video if there is not a class nearby.
I totally recommend videos by Ruby Jazayre-her site is www.rubyjazayre.com. She is a super lady, and a great dancer-who also does a great drum solo! She has some really nice drill videos to really refine the moves. I don't have a lot of actual choreography videos...mostly technique/drills for cabaret and American Tribal Style. (My instructor teaches both.)
I like veil, but I LOVE playing zils...and I prefer doing a faster number with heavy drums and zil playing over a slow pice with veil. I am also really into learning to work with a sword-which I am starting this week! (I also prefer any zils by Saroyan) If I remember correctly Mauvaisroux who posts here (she is away for a couple days out of town) likes to work with veil and cane.
I also really love the dancer Laylia from Ohio-she dances with the Naughty Navals at the Ohio Renaissance Festival. Her site is www.laylia.com. What I really like about her is her presence. I have seen some really great dancers, but if they don't intereact with the audience with their expressions and smile-it just isn't as good. I have seen audiences go wild over less skilled dancers who really looked like they were just loving what they were doing, and giving a flirty glance to the audience now and then. I think presence really makes so much difference.
Laylia has that presence...let me tell you. She is flirtatious without being "too much" and she is very approachable, and has even been known to stick out her tongue and act a little goofy in a renaissance performance, and her audiences just love her. I am really hoping to go to Ohio and take a workshop with her in the near future.
I also have the Bellydance Superstars cd...Do you like the Chicky song on it by Oojami? I have the Oojami Belly Dance Breakbeats cd, and if you like that song you would probably like the whole cd. (I hate the name of the Superstars cd as well...hee hee)
Aphil

Hi Aphil! I am back from Indy-had a great time at the con- met a couple of the 501sters again I think it is great that these people put so much work and effort into their costumes!

I got meet some of the celebs over the weekend, the LARPS seemed to go well and I heard the costume ball was fun although I was too busy to get there The True Dungeon seemed to be a big hit and I hope they have it again next year.

My friend and I are hoping to bring a costume next year and I may bring one of my bellydance outfits. I have some great material set aside to sew some new costumes so that will give me a project over the winter and also inspire me to stay in shape and keep up with my classes

Welcome to everyone new who has recently posted I am looking forward to getting to know you and chatting about dance with all of you. Belly dancing is one of the most fun, invigorating and uplifting things I have ever tried and I hope all of you who are trying it out for the first time have the same good experiences that I have had.

Ok, I've looked at so many sites and video clips that my head is spinning! I have the Neena and Veena tapes. They start out so SLOW. Am I just being impatient? I'd like to learn this, but I want to learn a fast dance eventually. It seems like almost the whole first tape is turning my head back and forth. Are these the videos I should still be using, or should I be looking elsewhere? I haven't watched the end of the video series, so maybe it gets quicker.

I watched a small clip (very small!) on Ruby Jazayre's site. That looks like so much fun! I like the music, too. It was fast, drummed, and sounded traditional. What type is this?

Thanks for advice - I'm a BellyDance virgin!

Oh HONEY, Get thee a better video!!!!!! Or better yet, a class. I've been teaching for 12 years and the twins and their perma-grins just send the heeby-jeebies down my spine.

If you truly want to learn this dance, you need to get a video from a "non-commercial" source. So many of the top dancers have been seduced by the commercial fitness producers and mass produced videos meant to be sold, viewed once or twice, and then collect dust on a shelf.

There are so many really good instructional videos out there, depending on your personality. There are floaty, "goddessy" , get in touch with your inner woman-ness type videos and there are hard core, just learn the moves so we can sweat together types. There are jazz-influenced videos that are still uniquely middle eastern, there are traditionalists, pure-American......whatever.

I would suggest checking out www.shira.net
This is the best overall view of the belly dance world. She has music and video reviews, and articles about all sorts of stuff....including a page for overweight dancers. And links for dancers webpages all over the world, so you might be able to find a class or two.

If you tell me where you live, I can try to point you to some classes as well. You really can't get the proper attention or outright fun from a video!

Good Luck,
Julie/Mira
http://desertdancers.tripod.com

Yeah, I like the Neena and Veena workout tapes but I haven't used their actual dance instruction tapes.

I use the workout ones as part of my cardio routines.

I like my Dolphina Goddess basic workout tape for reinforcing and refining movements but nothing beats a real class.

Basically, most beginner tapes like Veena and Neena and Dolphina are pretty basic, and a lot of the moves go pretty slowly-this is because (I think) some of the movements are different, ones that we are not used to doing-the head slides, the lifting up and down of the chest, etc. that they want you to get a feel for the movement.
The Veena and Neena tapes are a "taste" of bellydance-if you don't like it they sit on a shelf, if you DO like it you end up buying more videos or taking a class.
When my first couple of basics classes started, we took movements pretty slowly-hip circles, ribcage isolations, neck slides and circles...because now months later you are doing these same movements while playing finger cymbals, doing fast footwork or moving your hips. There is a lot of layering, so it is best to learn a basic move well and slow for proper technique, and then add on.
I totally recommend the three video set by Ruby Jazayre. Since you are a bellydance newbie, and want to learn the basics, but learn a few faster moves-I also recommend Magical Motion by Atea. It is also very basic moves like snake arms and ribcage slides, but it does some faster hipwork, and shows you how to play a basic finger cymbal pattern.
(I also use ONLY Saroyan brand zils-the Nefertiti ones are smaller and a good size for beginners. Once you have used cheap ones and then get nice ones, there is a world of difference.)
Check out www.shira.net, not only for her video reviews, but for her instructor/class directory and see if there is one near you.
I have the Veena and Neena and Dolphina videos and I like tham both, but I do them as a WORKOUT between classes-not for technique. I have other more advanced ones plus my class for more advanced technique.
I had my regular class last night, and I had my first private lesson this morning, and another one tomorrow morning to learn the piece for the upcoming performance. Rehearsals start Monday night for that, and I need to get up to speed with everyone else. The group I am dancing with is doing a drum piece-song number one off of Hossam Ramzy's Sabla Tolo cd...can't think of the name of it right off hand. I really like the choreography to this one. Very fun.
My top came last night as well...I really like it...very sparkly.
Now I just need to get some black harem pants in satin and I will be all set.
Aphil

I agree with you Aphil. I am using mine for the summer until my class starts up again in September. And then I will use them as a between class workout

Thanks for the advice! I'm going to search these out and see if I can find something that works well for me. Thanks again.

I just came back from my private lesson, and learned the rest of the drum solo piece for the show. Now all I have to do is go to the rehearsals, and work on getting everything nailed perfectly and all of the movements/form perfected.
We had a few minutes left over, so then we played around with the sword for a little while...fun, fun, fun!
Aphil

That sounds like fun Aphil!

How do you find if there are any classes near where you live -- I am out on the eastern end of Long Island, NY "The Hamptons"

Thanks -- this sounds like it would be a great addition to my new workout routine and fun to boot.

rho

That reminds me of that old Seinfeld episode...where George gets a "house in the Hamptons."
Check out www.shira.net on her instructor directory...and you can also call local dance schools and ymca's...places like that and see if they know if any are offered around there. I would try Shira's site first!
Aphil

Thanks -- there is one about 45 minutes away from me according to that list -- I saved the info to check into it later.

I remember that Seinfeld episode --