Diary of a Born Dancer!

It's so funny that artists always want to do something complex all the time, and then when we are presented with something simple, it so hard! In one of my African dance classes, we had the challenge of doing a simple combination....with no rhythm! Now we know that in African dance, the rhythm is the foundation. So what if there is no rhythm? You then have to set your own. And everybody's was different. So of course the whole group didn't start and stop at the same time! I think it taught us, or at least it reinforced for me that you never really dance by yourself. You are in patrnership with the musicians that play the rhythms. Poly, African, and Mid-Eastern all have that in common.

I went to the Bellydance Superstars show, and it was well worth it! I am a new fan of Bozenka. I knew that she was Shakira's bellydance choreographer, and I had seen a few snippets of her on video, but man, seeing her live confirmed that she is nothing but a superstar. Her carriage, isolations, sense of rhythm is fantastic! I am also geeky about Rachel Brice. First off, she wore this scent that you could smell everytime she came on stage. I think dancers onstage sometimes leave this aspect out of our performance because we think that we are so far away that folks will only see us dance and hear the music. I loved her dance style. She fuses yoga and tribal bellydance together and creates fascinating results. I would live to see what her full company does!

Speaking of companies, our first company practice was great! I'm really looking forward to working with these ladies and creating some awesome works of art. Look out for us in the very near future.

After having a chance to see Dalia Carella this past weekend, I realize that she is doing what I'm preparing to do: fuse three dance styles to create a new one. Her dunyavi style is very fascinating to watch, but what she also does is take the kathak, flamenco, and Romani gypsy dance styles that she has intensely studied and performs each one separately as well. I remember telling a friend of mine that when you do fusion, you should be able to perform each of the styles purely if necessary, and that is exactly what she did. She was very inspiring, because just watching her was proof that it actually works!

I will have my first company practice Friday! Whee!