Venus Uprising Bellydance New York City

DANCING AT THE KOOZA AFTER-PARTY WITH ANIL: BY AYSHE

I wanted to wait for the photos before blogging about this..... Well they only just came, but were definitely worth the wait.  Geri, the photographer for the event, really caught the ambience I thought- pure exotic elegance (www.geripix.com).  Working for a large organization like Cirque du Soleil can be maddening with its complexity, but they really treat their artists with love and respect-- it's almost a shock, as in NYC one is often on the defensive, waiting for the next underhanded hit.  We worked hard, but were well-paid. Indian costuming was important as the event had to have a lush Indian feel to match the feel of Kooza.  Anil has so many costumes in his collection and the event organizer was in awe-- (seebelow)  

made me email photos to the board of directors in Montreal so they could oogle......

THE COSTUMES: Here are some of what we wore: my costume in gold/orange, flowers, garlands  and gold ornaments for the gods.  In India, a classical dancer can take 4 hours to get into costume and character.  In our case, 2 hours was the limit.  We were 3 American and 3 Indian dancers.  The two Americans, besides myself, had no Indian dance training at all, but Anil was great at giving them movements they could easily imitate-- that, plus an extra bit of makeup, some braided hairpieces (see photo above),  3 saris, and, presto, we fit in seemlessly (lol). 

THE BEST PART: THE MUSIC--- The event director found and amazing trio which played on top of the Cirque dj's mix.  The sound system was perfect and the mix was so spectacular, my anxiety just disappeared and I went out and danced with abandon--- What an unexpected thrill!!!  

There were other performers as well: a fire dancer, and my yoga teacher and his partner performing a yoga duet.  There was a gorgeous Brazilian bodybuilder, who Anil dressed up in the gold pieces to depict Shiva.  He spent the evening serving tea and basically presenting is be-jeweled physique.  An old guru read palms and a bunch of lovely ladies did henna and Indian makeup for the guests.  We were introduced to the board of directors and the owner who had come from Montreal for the premier.  All the performers attended, as well, and we got to entertain them for a change.  One upset, at the last minute the organizers decided my incense pot might cause allergic responses and the flower petals for the ceremonial offerings might be a safety hazard, so we had to stick the flowers in the pot instead of using the incense (it's always something)-- but the upside was that they gave us endless supplies of Red Bull on ice in our dressing room, so I forgot the let down of having to balance flowers on my head.  Below are photos to hopefully lend some of the excitement of the evening to the readers.  MAYBE SOME OF YOU WILL EVEN BE INSPIRED TO TAKE OUR WORKSHOP ON JUNE 13!!!

 

Spirit of the Tribes 9-- incredible spirit and inspiration:: Ayshe

Well, I just never expected to have such an amazing experience as what I encountered on my recent trip to The Spirit of the Tribes in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.  I have been out to Rakkassah East and Spring Fest over the years, as well as dance camps, NYC workshops & Haflas, and the unbelievable New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (which also includes a lot of dance), but this was something else, and totally unexpected. The performers were so different and inspiring, and incorporated so many different styles of dance and elements in so many unique ways-- it was awesome!!!! and awe-inspiring!!!  Plus the weather and the people were so gracious,..... and the Saturday after-party down by the riverfront was so perfect with live drummers and firedancers on the outside cafe, and world music with the dj inside. 

Maja is a true spirit of the ethnic dance and her troupe blended the Indo- Sharqui together with such exquisite costuming, color, and staging.  The Friday and Saturday night shows featured true ethnic dancers and those that danced with that "ethnic" flavor plus so much more!  There was tribal mixed with hip-hop, modern dance, burlesque, gothic, fantasy, fusion, Indian ethnic, North African ethnic, african ethnic, Persian/Azeri/Afghan ethnic, and Latin/Flamenco fire.  What an amazing melting pot of excellence in dance this "bellydance" has become.  Like our country, our dance is evolving into something new, fresh, and absolutely magnificent!!! 

From our area, Sera solstice added her own unique blend of modern, gothic, tribal, martial arts, robotic, hip-hop bellydance-- just amazing!!!  Elena made a riveting, breath-taking appearance to music by Phillip Glass, which had a Spanish feel to it.  She glided out on the stage with a flowing silk veil in brilliant chinese red, with one end fading to black. Her dance layered moves with highs and lows, and seg-wayed into a fan dance.  The auditorium was so still you could hear a pin drop.  Also, there was the electric salsa dance of Griselle Ponce and her group from NJ.--- what a wild freeing dance they did....  Oh, and me-- the fantasy/ fusion/ wings representative.  I did my Firebird dance with all red costume and wings, which appears on our new Fantasy bellydance dvd.

I wish I had time to go through all the different groups I saw and describe their unique visions, but no words could describe the beauty and delight of their performances.  I will post photos here as they come in and suggest you all visit Maja's website to see what went on:  www.majanile.com..... and of course, if you ever can get there, I highly recommend a journey to the Next Spirit of the Tribes!!!

Many, Many, Many thanks to Maja who created this event and makes it all possible year after year-- you are an amazing blessing to our community and to women everywhere! 
    

COSTUMING AWARD :: sarah

I heard about costume-con on tribe.net from Maral who created a Mata Hari costume. Since I also had created a Mata Hari costume I was keeping an eye out for her posts. When she talked about Costume-Con I decided I wanted to check it out this year.

Costume-con is an annual conference about costumes. It features classes, exhibits, a fashion show, several masquerades, and other competitions. The convention is dedicated to the art and craft of costumes and costuming of all types. It has its roots in science fiction and fantasy conventions and historic re-enactment type events. That said all forms of costumes are welcome, and encouraged, including, (but not limited to), anime, fursuit, steampunk, original design, interpretational, recreation, and so on. Costume-Con is also a "traveling" national-level convention, and is in a different city and run by a different committee each year. This year visit us in Timonium, Maryland! May 1-4, 2009.

Friday night there was social time. It was wonderful to talk with sewing crazy like-minded people. Everyone was really friendly and welcoming. There was a large number of Victorian costuming with amazing craftsmanship.

All weekend long there were tons of photographers and everyone happy to pose for any camera or anyone interested in what they had created.

 

More about Mata Hari Costume: http://shakemyday.com/site/2007/07/mata-hari-unveiled/

There were casual fun awards given out Friday night. While standing around being social someone got on the mic and announced awards. While wearing my Mata Hari costume I won the “Spectacular Award”. I shall be putting the award on my mantel! Such fun!

I submitted my Salome costume to the Historical costuming contest. The Costume-con 27 Historical Masquerade Contest recognizes creativity, scholarship, stage presentation and workmanship skills in the context of historical clothing. It celebrates the history of costume, including all cultures, periods, and types of dress. Historical costume is costume based on clothing that was worn or could have been worn somewhere in the world. I was honored with the award for “Workmanship: Excellence in Beading”.

more about Salome costume: http://shakemyday.com/site/2008/06/salome-costume/

The lectures were very informative on a wide variety of topics. People were so open to sharing information and skills. I came home full of ideas and lots of leads to find more information.

Costume con website:  costume-con.com

RAKS RABIA :: tanna

While I perform in many "alternative" bellydance events, my roots and training are very traditional.  So, it was with delight that I participated in "Raks Rabia - A Spring Dance Celebration" produced by Gamila El Masri .  Gamila is one of NYC's finest dancers and teachers, and many currently working professional dancers have profited greatly by the instruction they received in her classroom (including myself!)

With the exception of the special guest artist, the very talented Zoe Anwar from Spain, all the performers had trained extensively with Gamila.  Gamila's forte is Egyptian style, both classical and folkloric, and the majority of the performances were in that mode.  Gamila herself danced two numbers - fluid Oriental and sassy Saidi, both of which got rave reviews from the audience.   The other performers were Anastasia, Cristina, Jamilah, Naima, Panayiota, Sheri and Sirrah Nur.

The audience itself was not without a certain intimidation factor.  Seated at two tables on the upper level were a number of the NYC bellydance scene's other master dancer/teachers - including Layla, Zenaide, Altagracia and Ranya Renee.   Pressure!

In addition to my performance I was assigned the duties of hostess/announcer for the evening.  Since running around all night with a drink in my hand and chatting with everyone I know is my normal operating procedure, this role was not exactly a stretch for me.  Especially since we ran the whole show off an Ipod, so I only needed to make a brief intro and exit.  Plus, at Gamila's specific request, it gave me an opportunity to wear my super-sexy pirate boots all night!  (I have created a new look which I am naming "fluffy goth".  It consists of pink and black, accented with marabou and a little lace, and finished with a miniskirt and pirate boots. You heard it here first.)

The night was a lot of fun, and all the performances were really lovely.  As an added bonus, my friend Brian Lin was on hand to share his photographic skills.  These shots are courtesy of Brian.  The only downside of the event is that I was reminded of how much I love dancing to live Arabic music, and how little opportunity there is for such dancing anymore.  Below is my final pose.  I don't remember what I was thinking, but it is pretty funny all the same.

THE VENUS Rx :: sherene

Venus Gets Ugly
The Venus Rx
40 Bad Hair Days?

Why does everyone get all crotchety whenever the word “retrograde” is muttered? Even if there is little to zilch interest in the astrological arts, it’s as if we’re all programmed to recoil in horror at the mere mention of the term “retrograde” (especially of the Mercury variety). Since Venus retrogrades only once every 18 months instead of several times a year like Mercury—and more importantly because she rules precious commodities like love, money and beauty—things get ugly.

Just because she’s taking a little retreat, do we really have to start dressing in drab colors, breaking hearts, eating millet, swearing off dating, mating and relating for forty days, and stashing cash under the mattress refusing to buy ourselves anything except bread? What kind of goddess, even in repose, would ever wish such a thing on her mortal worshipers? 

Doesn't it feel like some cosmic Nazi force suddenly raided our psyches ripping out all the sweetness and light leaving a slew of bottomless Mars-worthy temper tantrums to contend with for forty long days and lonely nights? Or like someone stole all the candy and flowers and we’re now being force-fed rice cakes and made to wade in the dead prickly weeds of our past? As Lynda HIll so aptly observed, this is a forty day test of wandering in the desert like Jesus--no wonder I feel parched. Somebody bring me some water!

With everyone fiercely clutching their wallets in reaction to the current economic collapse, you’d think Venus was out of phase for months already. (Luxury items—faggedaboutit!) Nahhhh… that we can link to the fallout of Pluto in Sag, or better yet---The Bush era!  But in our quest to preserve the beauty and bounty that Venus brings (ok, so she’s in her detriment in Aries, but so the fu*k what), let’s re-commit to living life like we’re on fire, or at least dancing in the flames. Venus in Aries is all about the hot-potato approach—catch but then let go before you get burned. Clinging is where we get burned. 2012 is only a stone’s throw away—isn’t it time we embraced the concept of self-interest as having a healthy place in relationships? Aries is about preserving our individualistic instincts.  It’s so June Cleaver and Marion Cunningham to cow-tow in southern bell like deference to the proverbial hubby, humbly serving up a pot-roast while totally keeping the needs, gripes and passions tightly suppressed until we implode with migraines or run off with the milk man. If nothing else the current Venus in Aries demands we fiercely love ourselves, our lives with an all-consuming fire that rages on even in the face of discord. If we insist that everything be continuous sweetness and light, we might as well pack up and move to Candyland until we give ourselves Diabetes.

EVER FALLEN IN LOVE WITH SOMEONE YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE FALLEN IN LOVE WITH?

And yes you can expect heaps of break-ups just as you can expect many to rush head first into red flag-heavy love relationships that will most likely crash and burn when Venus gets her groove back, and can discern the real from the fake. And yes you can expect to cover old ground as old lovers come crawling out of the woodwork.

when out to brunch with your sweetie or even your BFF (if the Venus Rx hasn’t split you guys up yet), cease all tweets, emails, google searches, word warping, shazaming, status updates and texts for the duration of your precious time together. I have seen more fights break out over what should have been a romantic meal because someone couldn’t curb their addiction to their crackberry or I-crack. I’m not pointing fingers, because I’ve been screamed at several times myself to put down the crack.

Like all retrograde periods, the invitation is to go within, slow the insanity down, and go deeper in the service of re-inventing, re-working, re-leasing, re-visioning. In the case of Venus, let this inner re-flection re-volve around beauty, love, relationships, values, and of course—moola!

Where did life go?...
and why did it run away??...
and how come everything has to change?
~Anonymous

Par for the Course during Venus Rx in Aries:

• Temper tantrums galore.
• Courage.
• Creativity.
• Lack of patience.
• Break-ups.
• Assertiveness.
• Retreats.
• Imposed Solitude.
• Bad Hair.
• Bad Men.
• Bitchy Women..
• Ugly Men.
• Aggression.
• Feeling Fat.
• Allergies to working.
• A surge in red wine sales.
• Chocolate shortages.
• Bad idea diets.
• Crankiness.
• Shotgun weddings.
• Interruption in flow.
• Fast fads.
• Bossiness.
• Egotism.
• Rage-aholism.
• Fist fights.
• Bad Fashion.
• Skin Eruptions.
• Fevers.Fizzling out.
• Identity Crisis.
• Bad impulse buys.
• A predominance of “me-me-me!!” attitudes.
• Machismo even in women.
• Fighting over petty issues.
• Narcissism at its finest.

BIG PARTY REPORT!!!! :: neon

Blanca's birthday party was big, lush and overflowing with the beautiful people of NYC's bellydance and world music demimonde. Even though Blanca commanded the spotlight as the birthday girl, I seized some attention by hosting her party at my place. OMG, it was so incredibly cool to see all our fancy and gorgeous bellydance friends circulate around a table laden with wines and hors-d-oeuvres on a late Tuesday night - all of them in one place.
Actually, it was not one place, but two places: My place consists of two lofts in a Garment District department store converted into a residential building. We've been talking about breaking down the wall between the two lofts for over a year, but on one side the wall is mirrored, and it's my rehearsal studio, so....we keep postponing the merger of the two apartments until I can live without the mirrors for some days or weeks, and it never happens.
So, space #1, candle-lit and unfurnished featured Blanca greeting our friends, pouring them wine under branches of cherry blossoms and relieving them of the birthday gifts they brought for her. Meanwhile, in the dark red-and-black kitchen of space #2 a clique of absintheurs presided over by Jeniviva indulged in absinthe rites and rituals, and watched "Honey & Spice," a new World Dance New York burlesque instructional DVD by Jo Weldon.
The photo report follows. You can see more photos here!

Elsa Leandros, Sherene, Cindy Dunaway, Blanca. Blanca is wearing a crown Cindy created for her.

Amy Staub, Neon, Pete List, Hanna Nour

Tanna Valentine, Blanca

Absinthe

Blanca makes a speech before destroying the birthday cake!

Jeniviva & Neon in the absinthe den

Ranya decorates her famous Groundhog Day cookies; Richard, Dennis Danaway, Frank

Richard, Blanca, Elisheva, Dennis Dunaway, Anasma

Sarah Skinner and Darshan

Tanna Valentine & Andy Troy

Amy Staub, Mariyah, Darshan, Hanna Nour, Sarah Skinner

Caught gossipping!!!! Anasma, Blanca, Richard

Frank & Anasma

Fayzah & Richard

Not fair!!!! Someone is having fun at my expense! They extracted my octopus cans from the refrigerator to count them! What's wrong with eating octopus for breakfast, lunch and dinner?!! And btw I am TIRED of all these jokes about my growing tentacles! Gimme a break already.

Brenna, Neon

THINNING THE (COSTUME) HERD :: tanna

Beautiful costuming was absolutely the element that initially attracted me to bellydance, and costuming is still my favorite part of the process.  I love designing unique, new costumes for every single possible event.  My costumes, especially those that I made myself, are very special to me, and it is incredibly hard to make the decision to let them go. 

Unfortunately though, while my love of costuming is endless, my available storage space for said costumes is regrettably finite.  Costumes and costume items now live in all three of my closets, under and around my queen-size bed, in a huge cedar chest, and in several drawers.    Really, it is just too much, yet, costume-addict that I am, I still crave more!

So, last year, with grim resolution, I determined that I had to sort through my costume wardrobe and pull out the items that I really could live without.  It was easiest to start with the miscellaneous items - skirts, veils, pants, etc. that were not part of specific costumes.  Some of my outfits from prior DVDs (Floorwork and Total Body) were culled, as was a lovely "Persian Princess" costume that had been fashioned for a long-ago duet.  It was painstaking and painful, but I ended up with a shopping bag full of items which I took to Spring Caravan & Rakkasah to sell.  Lady Luck smiled on me, and I sold everything except one bright pink ombre skirt set, (if I accepted credit cards I could have sold that too!)  It made me happy to see my beauties going to new owners that would enjoy them and get use out of them.

Now I am turning my attention to my prizes - my bra and belt sets that represent hours and hours - no - actually YEARS of labor.  I think that is part of the problem - knowing how much hand labor went into these totally unique costumes makes it so difficult to put a realistic price on them.  Unfortunately though, the market for second-hand costumes is the tiniest fraction of what it once was.  When I started in this field, most dancers made their own costumes, or paid a costumer to make them.  The vast array of costumes now available on the Internet was not even a figment of anyone's imagination.  I still remember the active professional dancers coming to our locker room before class and selling their wares - fraying skirts, veils with cigarette burns in them, well-worn costumes that need tons of TLC, etc., yet the students scurried to buy whatever was suitable.  It was like a bellydance Santa Claus was visiting!

Today, dancers can purchase all types and styles of costumes, and for a wide range of prices.  On the whole, I would say the professional standards of costuming have gone up, even though the individuality of costuming has declined somewhat. 

My paisley costume (featured here) was originally one of three, which I made for a trio under the direction of Samara at least ten years ago.  Over the years I greatly augmented my own set with additional beadwork, enhancing the paisley pattern in the base metallic brocade and adding multi-layer fringe.  The initial design came from a costume worn by one of my favorite dancers - Samia Gamal.   It is an elegant, classic costume which I've worn for private gigs, club gigs, live music shows, and most recently in the Bellydance Show Basics DVD.  Still, I'm ready now to let it travel to a new home, and indeed a new potential owner is already at my door.   If I can let go of this one, perhaps the next one will be easier.

(b&w photo by Kristin Reimer, color photo by Ania Bibulowicz)

INDIA PART 1 - DANCING WITH MALA :: blanca

When I was seven my parents decided that the entire family would begin to practice yoga every day. With her healing hands, her strong and slender body and her magical stories of India, our teacher Shanti initiated me into the journey of the body that eventually turned into my whole life. I am a dancer now and as I write this I feel humbled with gratitude for her and my parents. I had been craving India ever since the days I listened to Shanti's stories. I knew that one day I would finally get there but never acted on it until last October when I felt a sudden urge to buy a plane ticket and worry about the rest later.

Well... it wasn't so sudden... I had been entertaining the idea of meeting in person my dear friend Mala. Mala and I had been email friends for a couple of years, matched through our love of bellydance. As Neon remarks, it's fascinating how two people who live at opposite sides of the world can be kindred spirits. It felt as if I had known Mala my whole life. She made me laugh so much. At  every moment, from the day I decided to go, she showered me with advice, contacts, a wonderful travel agent, gifts and more gifts... she shared her dear friends with me... and --best of all-- she danced for me. Mala is proof that dance instruction through DVDs WORKS. I was nothing short of amazed. She performed entire choreographies for me, including my very own "Venus" choreography. WOW!!! Her hipwork is really good. She is an extremely intelligent person who constantly self corrects. I can't wait for my next trip to India and witness her evolution... I had the privilege of staying at Mala's beautiful home in Delhi. She's a lucky girl with her own dance studio, packed with hundreds of dance DVDs, full-length mirrors and a huge basket full of hipscarves.

Mala and I share a love of Indian food. Her friends Prasanto and Moushumi took us to Oh Calcutta!, a Bengali restaurant (Prasanto is Bengali). The best food and the best company...

This item here was the most amazingly delicious thing I ever drank. Don't ask me what the name is but it was made of roasted mango and chili pepper.

Bellydancers love their bracelets.

I love Indian sweets! My favorite is Rasmalai but also Gulab Jamun and Kulfi.

Our last meal was at an elegant hotel in Delhi. The entire menu was Continental... for the tourists I suppose.

The elegant Mala matching her surroundings quite harmoniously.

You can read Mala's blog entries: My first live class Dancing with Blanca

ANGEL FANVEILS ON YOUTUBE :: tanna

So, having had a miserable work day (exacerbated by our monthly regional meeting) last Thursday, I came home and decided to try my luck one more time at getting a clip loaded onto YouTube.  My previous efforts had met with failure, and since I have a low frustration threshold, these efforts left me in a very bad mood.  However, since I was already in a vile mood, I felt I had nothing to lose.

Lo! and Behold!   The whole process was as smooth as silk.   Well, pretty much so.  It's embarrassing how alien much of this commonplace technology still is to me, but I am sincerely trying to expand my knowledge in this arena.  My first-ever clip loaded onto YouTube is my "Angel" fanveil number from our very first Fantasy Bellydance concert. 

Now I just hope that the link will work.

(photo by Kevin Fox)

MAKE-BELIEVE BRIDE :: tanna

With absolute honesty I can state that the goal of getting married has NEVER appeared on one of my infamous "to-do" lists.   My opinion on the state of matrimony is exactly that of the late diva Mae West - it's a great institution, but I'm not ready for an institution yet.

Most members of my big Roman Catholic family are happily married and it is a fine lifestyle choice if you desire it.  What I have a strong objection to is the ghastly commercial profiteering of the self-serving and blood-sucking wedding industry.  One of the goals that IS on my "to-do" list is a book project currently titled "The Anti-Wedding Book".   (Some friends have suggested the title is too negative, so it is under review).

Yet, by a strange quirk of fate, one of my very best friends is the superlative wedding photographer Lina Jang .  And when she suggested a weekend "girls only"  trip to a posh Miami resort hotel (I'd never been to Florida), and the chance to don "full bridal jacket" for a photo shoot,  I was totally on board.  We (Lina, myself, and gorgeous horror movie actress Tina Krause ) arrived in a 2 a.m. South Beach downpour, but the weather soon cleared for the rest of the weekend.     The trip was quite hectic as we managed to take advantage of the great amenities at the resort, party and dance on Ocean Avenue (mojitos!!), eat excellent Cuban food, and do a whole lot of styling and shooting (bridal and lingerie).

What a blast!    I got to play with hair and makeup, put on the lace veil and the white gown, and take some gorgeous pictures!    Really, I think we could be on to something here.  If we could devise a commercial venture in which women got to experience the FUN of bride-dom (girls night out, pampering, beautifying, dressing up and taking pictures) WITHOUT the stress and expense of actually planning and paying for a wedding, happiness would go up, and divorce rates would go down!

THE NEON REPORT :: neon

Since our grand "Tarot - Fantasy Bellydance" Venus Uprising show the first days of November, two months have rushed by leaving me dazzled and swirling in circles and spirals from the intensity of work and the never-ending kaleidoscopic festive mess of our New York City bellydance world. When asked "what's new?" I am slow to answer because everything is new, and yet everything is the same.  Since I spend a lot of time around cameras -  photo and video - here is a *brief* report in pictures!  These are just highlights that happen to be documented.

For the "Tarot - Fantasy Bellydance" conceptualized and hosted by Venus Uprising, I choreographed two pieces: "The Lovers"  (or "Venus and Tannhauser") duet, performed with Angel Burgos, and "The Magician" duet with Blanca.

Neon & Angel Burgos

Blanca & Neon

Right after this amazing show, inspired by the privilege of having shared the stage with the brightest stars of our New York City bellydance heaven (and guests from Miami, BellyCraft!), I crashed on my new fitness video program, "Love Potion." My friend Mala, a dancer and journalist in Delhi, interviewed me about "Love Potion" and our recently released bellydance fitness workout, "Luscious," for her blog.  If you have a moment to stop by and read it, here is the link! and here is me practicing the Love Potion choreography at home.  Those spectacular silver candelabra are props from Sarah Skinner's "7 Veils" instructional DVD  -- which is about to hit the shelves of Barnes & Noble for Valentine's Day!

The rehearsals for "Love Potion" with Blanca and Sarah will start this month. 

 

Meanwhile, the "Bellydance Rhythms Workout" DVD - result of my collaboration with Raquy (who designed the drum solo sound track  of "Rhythms") was released by World Dance New York in late November.  Here we are doing the video - Raquy, Liron Peled and me!

And if you are curious about the trials and tribulations suffered by an actual human being who gave this "Bellydance Rhythms Workout" a try, go back to Mala's blog and read! These are posts from Mala's dance diary: I am thrilled to see that 'Rhythms" has given her so much grief that at least 6 installments of her diary are dedicated to her struggle to survive the DVD's  intermediate flow!

Holidays! I am not really into holidays, so if I celebrate them, it's always by accident, but if this happens I put all my enthusiasm into celebrating, because hey... life is short (even though it is overwhelmingly long!) This year I had a most wonderful Christmas dinner with Jena, a friend of ours, and Scott, my boyfriend. Jena was leaving to spend Christmas with her boyfriend's family in California, when she suddently discovered that she was misticketed and had to stay in NYC for Christmas.  This mishap resulted in a magical night at the historic Keen's Chophouse around the corner from us, with a bunch of other New Yorkers who chose to pay their way through Christmas rather than rely on their own culinary talents.  Here is our picture: You can tell that Scott just loooooves posing with good-looking girls. Oh...male vanity.

More holidays: the fabulous New Year's Eve with Blanca, surrounded by the glitz and glow of NYC's nightlife replete with all the beautiful people, crazy artists, nude body-painted models and bejeweled drag queens you could ever wish or dread to encounter!  Lots of pictures were raken, here are just a couple: me and Blanca.

Scott

iPhone! Blanca, busy with global stroke-of-midnight essential telecommunications. 

Actually, my work is more of a party than any party could ever be, so, before, after and throughout the holidays I was partying at work, as the publisher of the sexy World Dance New York. Look!

This is Jo Weldon, the star of our upcoming burlesque instructional DVDs and the fierce founder and Headmistress of the New York School of Burlesque. Gorgeous, witty, glamorous Jo is everything you ever imagined burlesque to be.  Here I am adjusting the microphone on Jo's cheek during the videoshoot at the Merce Cunningham studios in Greenwich Village. (Note my red hat: It's impossible to compete in glamor with a burlesque diva, but the hat helped me to be at least moderately visible next to her! And yes, that's my everyday winter hat).

And here is the stage of the mysterious Slipper Room, where Jo and friends present regular burlesque shows, and where Jo teaches burlesque classes during the daytime.  I've recently gone to one of the Slipper Room burlesque shows and enjoyed it tremendously.  The only thing you need to know before you go is that the format is a bit difficult to handle unless you treat the event as an evening out with your friends. The 3 acts of cool and funny burlesque performances are separated from each other by 40-60 min "intermissions" with some go-go dancing, designed for keeping the party and the alcohol flowing.  So, bring a crowd of friends with the intention of spending the whole night at the show, and you will love it.

More fun at work!!!! Magnificent Autumn Ward has created a unique and delicious instructional program (beginner intermediate bellydance instruction) "Beautiful Technique from Step One: The Beginner's Guide to Flawless Artistry"- it will be released on DVD by World Dance New York at the end of January.  See the trailer for this DVD here!  I am honored to be working with Autumn as her publisher. It is incredible pleasure. With Autumn the work process itself is so flawless as to qualify to be a manual of clean and impeccable technique for ANYTHING you ever want to accomplish and achieve!  Perfection of process and result are a part of Autumn's genetic makeup.  Here she is in a meditative state with her makeup artist Andy Jones before our videoshoot.

And these are a couple screen images from Autumn's video:

And even more fun at work: Ranya's "Bellydance - Egyptian Style" DVD series! "The Baladi" 2-DVD Set. It's VAST!....It's GIGANTIC and enormously rich.  It is almost done, but not quite - but almost....a few more days and we'll be there!

Here we are, Ranya and me, proofing the video at my desk (a plate of pastries provided by Scott to keep us going).

That's about it - there is so much more I can't share because just thinking of the volume of stuff happening exhausts me.  So I am closing the report with this view of Fifth Ave. from our windows, with the lovely dyed calla lillies obtained at the corner deli.

HOLIDAY REFLECTIONS :: tanna

Despite job stress, inclement weather and poorly-timed illness, it's really been a rather lovely holiday season.   It started with an excellent Thanksgiving in NJ, featuring a beautiful table, gourmet food, and the joyous tidings that our newest family member will arrive in the early summer.  My own annual Christmas tree-trimming party, which I seriously considered canceling, ended up being a very entertaining evening with a diverse group of interesting individuals.  The conversational buzz was strong throughout the entire night, and I got some really nice emails afterwards.   I guess I'll have to keep having that party now!  Christmas day was another great family celebration, this time here in NYC, and bringing news of an upcoming family wedding in June.  And today my dear friend Lina took me out to an amazing dinner, and then surprised me with tickets to the Radio City Holiday Spectacular.   About a year ago I had mentioned to her that I had never seen the Rockettes, and she remembered.  It was such a fun show, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!   Interestingly enough, throughout this festive time, and despite the poor economy, I've actually had an unusual number of dance gigs.

This final week of the year, between Christmas and New Year's, is a time when I like to reflect on the events and accomplishments of the past year, and contemplate the possibilities inherent in the coming year.  I don't necessarily make "resolutions", but I do like to analyze the previous year's activities, and try to determine improvements for the fresh new year.

My family is my number one priority in life, followed by my friends at number two.  Number three is my job, and it is almost in a tie with number four, which is working out/physical fitness.  Number five, I guess, is bellydance, and it is here that I'm feeling the impetus to instigate some change.  I love bellydance on many levels, and this last year has brought some wonderful new experiences and triumphs.   Winning the 2008 BDUC Veil Champion title, performing live with Goth band Vasaria, the release of my newest DVD "Bellydance Show Basics", and some awesome photoshoots with Lina Jang just to name a few.   Along with those great experiences however,  I also started doing a lot of hard thinking about the current role of bellydance in my life, and, more importantly, the role I want bellydance to have in my future.  Between work, family, friends and the gym, my "free" time is extremely limited, and right now bellydance is claiming most of it.

The seeds of my bellydance career were sowed long ago, and I've been fortunate enough to have them  bloom like a beautiful garden.  But the sad fact remains that many flowers do not bloom forever.  While I'm still young and healthy and strong, I'm feeling a definite urge to plant some new seeds, and see what kind of garden blooms in ten or fifteen or even twenty years from now.   This is not a cause for alarm - I still have some special bellydance plants to cultivate and projects to complete.   And my greatest bellydance love remains performing to live music, so those opportunities I will not forego.  But for 2009, I definitely want to add some new specimens to my garden, even though I might not enjoy their blossoms until a date in the distant future.

 

HOW I FIRST CREATED AND USED WINGS: BY AYSHE

  Recently I was contacted by a dance historian, who is working on an article about bellydance and who asked me for some information about the history of wings in bellydance.  I was the original creator of wings for use in bellydance shows and wrote her back explaining my creative process.  I thought sharing my process might be of some interest to others, so I have included it below......

Question: Was there anything else, aside from the obvious pharaonic connections and them being used in the Vegas and carnival acts, that inspired you to have the wings created?
What were your first wings like – what sort of fabric were they made of? Were they pleated?
 
Answer: I first saw wings while working in a show that was new-age in nature.  One of the dancers had bought 2 sets of wings from a disbanded dance troupe in upstate New York.  They were used for pharaonic dance (ancient Egyptian dance).  Since that was a style I learned before I began to bellydance, I was very taken by them.  It took me 2 years to figure out how to make them and to find out that the pleats were made in a factory.  My first set was the 18k deep gold lame.  Yes, they were pleated.  Once I found a pleating factory, I hired a pattern-maker to make a pattern which would set the pleats.  I bought the material, sewed it up, and then brought them to the factory where they steam-set the pleats with the pattern.  Some time after the first pattern was made, that factory closed down and I lost that pattern.  I went to a couple of other places and finally settled where I am now.  The basic difference with my present company's pattern is the pleats are smaller and the potential length is more-- I can now make them up to about 64 inches (originally the limit was 54"), and have even worked on special sets for the stilt dancers in BDSS.
 
Question:  Did you modify the design as you began to work more with them (I know that you have developed swallow tail and other 'cuts' of wings but I was wondering about whether the original basic concept has changed much)?  When did you start dancing with double wings and how did that come about?

Answer:  How I came to start using wings in my bellydance performance was a matter of survival; particularly in places where I worked on a regular basis and constantly needed to reinvent myself.  A one point I had about 20 different costumes that I would rotate.  I began to add different skirts to make them look different and add novelty. Also, I used many different props to keep my regular audience interested and wanting more.  One evening I was on my way to a wedding which was particularly confronting as I always found it hard to fill a large dance floor in any catering hall, particularly since bellydance is such an intimate dance form.  I was thinking about what I could do to make a spectacular entrance that would be memorable.  I looked over and saw the wings hanging on the back of my closet door and it all suddenly came together.  When I entered the dance floor that evening a wild applause broke out from the crowd.  From then on I continued to make more wings of different colors and materials to continue to enhance my show and my costuming.  Over the years I tried all different winged "goddess" and "creature" effects; including layers, masks, face veils, head-dresses, incense pots......    In the mid-nineties, when I became part of the Shoshana Dance Theater, I started to make wings for all the members.  Then whenever we did group shows we always had an edge, as we could do group wing dances which was unmatched in the community.
 
EVOLUTION OF STYLE, COLORS & MATERIALS:
Initially, a few dancers caught on and began to use wings also.  They always wore the same 14k gold color, which made me decide to try different colors and materials and to also layer them.  Since no costumers made assorted colors of wings, I was the only one out there with such a variety.    Also, around this time iridescent organza first appeared on the market.  Initially it sold for $12/yd (very expensive as you need about 7 yds per set).  I first used it for veils and skirts--- audience members said I looked like I was dancing in cellophane.  It suddenly struck me that they could work as wings.  Once I made my first set, I was totally in love with the look and feel of the organza.  Also, once I saw the two types of materials side by side, I started layering them and began to experiment with different ways to have them attached, so I could vary the ways I wore them.  I made one set that attached on my upper arms with arm bands.  This proved to be anti-climactic, compared to the ones that hung from the neck and were so much larger and spectacular.  I decided, if I could make the neck bands detachable, I could easily add and combine all my sets to constantly come up with new variations.  Also, if the neck band was detachable, I could use the wings without being attached.... like a large circle veil with sticks inserted.  Eventually, I ended up with a velcrox base for the neck piece, with the wings attaching from velcrox attachments.  I experimented with different sizes for the attachments, in order to come up with a length that proved secure, so as to avoid having them come apart in the middle of a performance.  Initially, I made the neck  bands out of elastic for the comfort, but this was impractical since the elastic would disintegrate from the constant perspiration.  Also, the weight of hanging multiple wings made them sag.  Finally I decided on using velcrox backed on a satin ribbon with an adjustable velcrox fastener.  This proved to be much more durable, sturdy enough, and yet still soft and comfortable.
 
EVOLUTION OF SHAPE:
A first, I used only the large round circle shape.  When some dancers started using small wings for small spaces I thought they looked silly, like a large friars frock collar.  I thought if I could cut them short at the arms and then let them cascade down the back long, this would look far more elegant.  When I cut my first set and got them back from the pleaters, I was surprised that they hung differently then I had envisioned.  Their outline curved in and out..... and thus was born the swallowtail cut.  From this came the indented swallowtail cut with long sticks. 
 
When I was creating the character of the Sorceress (from Gothic Bellydance-Revelations DVD),  I needed to start with the dark shawl of and old witch that would open up and transform into a bid.  Thus I created the layered circle and swallowtail look.  On the outside I wore black iridescent organza wings.  I came out with them draped over may shoulder like a cloak and a black veil over my head (very guedra looking).  I fastened the wings at my wrists with clear elastic so that my hands were free, but I could easily grasp the sticks when I took on the bird form. At the point the old sorceress casts her spell and turns into a great giant bird, I through off the black veil on my head (revealing my headpiece),  grabbed the sticks, stood up and for the first time opened the wings full span-- on the inside was a fuchsia swallowtail form revealing the shape of the bird.
 
NEWEST LOOK:
Most recently I am in love with what I call "sparkle net".  The look I call "fairy wings".  This new material is a net that is durable, but looks extremely delicate and diaphanous.  It is encrusted with sparkles and comes in many shades.  For my Firebird Dance (from the upcoming "Fantasy Bellydance" Dvd), I used this sparkle net in red, not just for my wings but for my entire firebird costume, mixing it with red feathers. 

DECOTACH FASHION SHOW REVIEW :: tanna

For those of you that were eagerly awaiting photos of the costumes showcased at the Decotach Fashion Show, I'm happy to announce that a photo review has now been posted on the Gilded Serpent, an online bellydance magazine.  This was my first ever time writing for the Gilded Serpent, and I must say it was a really great experience.   Lynette Harris, the editor and publisher,  was wonderfully supportive and helpful, and did a beautiful job of laying out the article. 

You won't see any picture of me in the article  (I was the announcer) so I am including one here of myself and our great DJ Justin.   My dress however was not a Decotach creation.   I got it at...SEARS!  Ha!

THE MAGIC OF PARVATI AND SHIVA: BY AYSHE

        For our latest Tarot show I was assigned the eternal love story of Parvati and Shiva from Hindu mythology... a daunting task as no potential Shiva appeared.... none the less, onward I went.  In searching for archetypal themes and images I found these amazing paintings online which became the source of my inspiration in creating the world of Parvati amidst the peaks of the Himalayas.  I wanted to share some of these magical images with all of you....... Below is a photo of the Himalayas that I used as a palette for the colors I used in the tule mountain I "constructed".  Then there are the paintings, first of the birth of Parvati.  Another shows Parvati in a gold and coral dress (I loved this and it used to inspire my costume, along with the gold laden and flower adornments of other photos).  There is one lovely vision of Parvati serving Shiva, making him a wreath of flowers to capture his heart, and finally     

 

Parvati meditating on her eternal love for Shiva.  Minus all the jungle creatures, here is what I arrived at in the end: 

 

 

A VERY PROUD TEACHER-- AYSHE'S FIRST STUDENT SHOW

September and October were very bus  y months in every area of my dance interests.  End of Sept. was my Mega Choreographic Workshop, followed by a weekend of selling at Rakkahsah, then my Student show and finally the VU Tarot show.  Wow, what excitement!  Anyway, my first student ever to present a piece of choreography that I created was Calixta (aka Misha) from Long Island.  She recreated my Firebird Dance from my workshop in the spring and added her own special touches.  I was so excited and awed by her.  she made her style more gothic/tribal-- tying up her hair with bunches of red feathers (instead of flowers), cutting a red silk "bat veil" to overlay her gold wings, and then at one point, from out of thin air, she pulled red veil-fans which were so affective with all the red of her costuming.  Wow, I love my students to be    

creative.  Here are a few photos she mailed to me to share with all of you! 

No sooner was Rakkasah over, and 4 days later we had our student show at Lafayette Grill-- the best place in New York to see belly dance in a dinner club/ nite club setting (www.lafgrill.com).  The owners Dino and Billy are very BDer friendly and really helped us with lighting and setting up the stage so we could get everyone and their wings to fit the dance floor. 

My four regular students got to perform 2 group numbers which we had worked on in class.  Both were dances made for wings, but to present   variety, I transformed one into a fan number, where we used large ostrich-feather fans in a Spanish style.  All four girls rehearsed every day for 2 weeks to perfect these dances and were 'real troupers'! 

On top of this each one got to do a solo of their own choosing, be it from a workshop or something they created. Jennifer Bowen did a unique candle/wing dance accompanied with the classical guitar performance of John La Barbera.  Patricia Delgadochoreographed her own solo to pop bellydance music from Hakim.  Kai Wen did a lyrical dance, choreographed by Yousry Sharif, and Sirrah Nur ra 

performed the pharaonic/wings choreography from my 9/28 workshiop.

Two participants from my workshops performed 2 of my choreographies which included: Lyla

performing the drum solo from the 9/28 workshop and Tessarita, performing the dance of the Firebird.  Other students-- Enzina and Elena did their own choreographies and special guests, Nana and Miyoko from Japan, performed Bellydance and Japanese fan dance. 

In all I was very excited and appreciative of all the hard work my students did to pull off the event.  Happily, I received some photos from the show  that I have included here......Enjoy! 

TAROT - FANTASY BELLYDANCE SHOW :: neon

The Venus Uprising "Tarot - Fantasy Bellydance" show played to a full house on both show nights. We also ended up running our dress rehearsal as a show. The event was a massive success thanks to the spectacularly talented artists who created 18 numbers exploring the archetypes of the Tarot deck. We are also very grateful to our stage manager, Karen McLeod, and to friends and volunteers who invested hours and hours of hard work to make this show happen. The lighting designed by Nick Hung contributed tremendously to the magic of the show.

The concert was filmed and we hope to release it on DVD in the spring, on our  World Dance New York label.

Our cast:

The Fool - Blanca
The Lovers (story: Venus & Tannhauser) - Neon and Angel
The Lovers (parody) - Yoshina and Todd Colburn
The Hermit - Tanna Valentine
The High Priestess - Sarah Johansson Locke & Alchemy Dance Theater
The Emperor - Toshi Hamada and Blanca
The Wheel of Fortune (story: Cleopatra) - Sarah Skinner, Kazja and the Sisters of Salome

The Empress (story: Parvati) - Ayshe

The Magician - Neon and Blanca

Adjustment / Justice (sword dance) - Irina Akulenko
Lust - Sarah Skinner and the Sisters of Salome
Temperance - Andrea Anwar
The Hanged Man - Alicia and Heather of BellyCraft, Miami (Gothic)
The Devil - Anasma
Judgment - Autumn Ward 
Death - Fayzah and Aurea Dancers (Sangeeta Vallabhan & Zahra Hashemian)
The Star - Elisheva & Kittarina

The images from the show will give you a glimpse of its powerful flow and the incredible diversity of dance styles and concepts. You can see a set with captions at our Venus Uprising site, and the full set of images on Flickr. You can also take a look at the photos from our tech rehearsals.

Ayshe as Parvati, The Emperess

Sarah Skinner, Kazja and The Sisters of Salome - Cleopatra

Sarah Locke and Alchemy Dance Theater - The High Priestess

Neon and Blanca - The Magician

Sarah Skinner & The Sisters of Salome - "Lust"

Autumn Ward - Judgement

Neon and Angel - The Lovers

Blanca - The Fool

Tanna Valentine - The Hermit

Tanna Valentine - The Hermit

curtain call

Rakkasah East 2008 :: tanna

It's already a week past, but last Friday found me sitting in my usual chair at Lina Jang's photography booth for the annual Rakkasah East festival.  And, as usual, it was great to catch with my friends and colleagues who make the pilgrimage to this mecca of bellydance shopping.

One particularly special visit was with Alyra who brought her very new sword maiden/daughter for inspection.  Note to vendors at female-oriented events:  If you want every woman in eyeball range to make a beeline for your booth just display an adorably dressed eight-week old baby.  I was privileged to actually hold said child for 10 minutes without tears (mine or hers).  My success can be attributed to applying my sister's patented "hood ornament hold" in which the baby faces outward and thus seems more entertained and less likely to fuss.  That is the sum total of my small baby knowledge, but it is a powerful tool.  

For some reason I found myself not as engaged with this Rakkasah as compared to prior years.  I attributed my malaise to job stress and lack of sleep, but other friends also shared my reaction.   My restlessness led me to get out my camera and work on my project of getting pictures of myself with friends and teachers.  While she does not fall into either category, I also importuned the fabulous Fahtiem of California to take a picture with me.    The first time I saw her dance was many years ago at one of the late Ibrahim Farrah's  galas and she made a huge impression on me.  Fahtiem is one of my all-time favorite dancers.  She is the total package - strong stage presence and fluid musicality, super technical skills, distinctive costuming and smart musical choices.  I eagerly await her performance every year, and she was very sweet and gracious while I pestered her.

Another dancer captured by my camera was the perpetually gorgeous Amira Mor .  If she ever writes a book revealing her beauty secrets I will be the first person on line to buy it.

On the whole, I had a pleasant weekend.  Lots of french fries and chocolate cake were consumed.  Two more pairs of fanveils found their way into my collection (yes, I am an addict and Faye is my dealer) along with a couple of canes and some local music (Zikrayat and Pete List/Rob Mastrianni).  On Friday evening Lina, Blanca and myself enjoyed a relaxing glass of wine before taking to the floor at Carmine Guida's famous afterparty. 

But the most welcome sight of all at the end of the day?  

That's right - a big soft fluffy bed!

JENIVIVA'S OPIUM PARTY :: neon

Jeniviva's Gothic bellydance Opium party has moved from the Horus Lounge to Katra, 217 Bowery. A bunch of us converged there on Sunday. Dance performances featured Jeniviva, Teuta Ilyriana and other beautiful dancers (bellydance and burlesque). Katra lounge is gorgeousl, pomegranate martinis were inspiring, and the music was great (Dj's Aengel and Templar.) The spirit of lavish and unapologetic sensual decadence characteristic of Jeniviva's events was as intense as ever. The party started around 10 p.m., the dance performances occurred around midnight, we stayed till 3 a.m.

Thank you, Jeni - it was a treat!
Here are a few pieces of social photography from the event.

Jeniviva, Ranya Renee, Neon, Blanca

Neon, Teuta Ilyriana

Ranya, Neon

outside Katra lounge

AYSHE'S MEGA CHOREOGRAPHIC WORKSHOP :: ayshe

Wow!!!  I'm so amazed, I completed/created all these dances, prepared my teaching guidelines  and executed them to the students without any major mishaps.  Had a wonderful turnout; an exhuberant group that was always ready for more!!-- we wore each other out..... but I think I imparted much valuable information to all-- certainly, there was something for everyone; fast, slow, rhythm, taksim, floorwork, hipwork, wings, sword.... Now, we have the student show (October 23rd) where they get to practice what they learned.