Can you find the bicycles?

pic: GN (2yrs ago?) dancing with Laleh

*Hint - There are 3 bicycles in this picture...nevermind the bellydancers

Money Laundering

old GN picture with much cleaner money

Now Playing: Amy Winehouse
mood: a good burp


For anyone who has ever wondered about how glamorous it must be to bellydance here is a lesson in money laundering.
See, most times at Greek Night, tips are showered over a dancer or tossed at her feet while she dances. This past Saturday was a rainy stormy day leading to a beautifully icky wet floor where all of the tips landed and then were danced upon before being retrieved at the end of the show. Such happenings lead to damp muddy monies. They were both too gross to take to the bank or to give as payment for something. So, I dumped mine into my laundry bag and washed them on the gentle cycle. Literally.


They came out slightly more bearable but they still make me feel itchy after I touch them.

Sa'dia

Now playing: see below
mood: the other half of my frappuccino (what's up with my husband horking my stuff while I'm sleeping?)



Here is video posted by Dani of Sa'dia kicking ass with a modern lyrical - bellydance inspired piece called, Struggle. I can't get it to load on my o'laptop but I had the privilege to see it live in Sedalia. Sa'dia is working on a dance major and this is the first new piece I've seen since she began classes. This is also the gal who dances with me at Greek Night. Which, by the way, is this Saturday.

It's Official!

Got the official workshop brochures from Maharet this weekend. Click on the pics for the printable full size. If you have trouble drop me a line at naimadance at gmail dot com (of course change the at to @ and dot to . ) with Naima Workshop in the subject line. I can email you the info directly.

Here is the quick and dirty:

May 17, 2008 - Buffalo, MO
Sisters of the Moon Middle Eastern Dance Academy presents
Naima

9am-3pm
O'Bannon Community Center
315 E Ramsey St
Buffalo, MO

$30 pre-register by May 10, 2008
$35 at the door.

6pm Hafla - $5 (free for dancers and workshop attendants)
$20 for DVD of show

for more info call Chris at 417-849-7661


**UPDATE find music for the workshop choreography here, Faten Salama's Best of Egyptian Dance 2005.

Pics from Jim Boz Workshop

Now playing: Type O Negative
mood: sour cream and onion Pringles (i had some but my husband ate them all after I went to bed)

For once I remembered to take my camera to a dance function. However, I forgot to take extra batteries. Here are the only pics I got before it died on me. As usual the quality sucks and the flash was weak without battery power. I need to upgrade it soon.
Enjoy!

The Beginning of a Beautiful Relationship

Now playing: as Martha Stewart on crack
mood: fish sticks and/or tacos (notice the 'and/or')

You Won!

Now playing: internet-blog-email catch up
mood: mixed vegetables - cafeteria buffet style

I opened my email yesterday to find I had come in 3rd in the latest Shimmycast drawing and won some spiffy prizes. Yay! I will post them when they arrive. I spoke with Anala, from Shimmycast, via email about submitting a review on tomorrows Jim Boz workshop. She kindly asked if I would be interested in submitting something about henna as well after seeing my post from my recent henna project. I have lots 'o writing ahead of me.

Here is a recent pic of my yellow costume project. It is slowly starting to resemble something along the lines of a costume. However, all of the pieces shown here are just sort of wrapped around and dangling off of the mannequin. I'm not sure what I am going to do with the sleeves from the original top I cut up to make the bra...whether to keep them or scrap them for more material. I think I may put it on the back burner again because I really would like to work on the argyle costume and have it done by October's Ariellah workshop.

More later,
~N

!!!
I just thought of the greatest, most awesomest, tacky, ghetto fabulous bellydance costume ever! It involves argyle. I think I'm gonna make it just so I get hate mail. It'll be awesome!

now playing: 30secondstomars
mood: something from a carnival, like a hot dog or chili cheese frito pie...can't put my finger on it...hmm

MATA HARI

Now playing: Meav- Silver Sea
mood: pancakes and orange juice

After Divine inspiration, I dug out the yellow costume that has been sitting unfinished for months and approached it with my scissors.

I think it and I are beginning to see eye to eye.

Then I saw the Mata Hari costume here.

...

She's lucky I couldn't fit into it or I would find her walking to her car late at night...

She'd never know what hit her...

~N

Playing Catch Up

Now playing: the Dresden Dolls – Yes, Virginia.
and Rasputina – Cabin Fever (<-awesome)
Mood: chicken nuggets and bbq sauce

Vacation went very fast. Nevermind that there was a holiday and my birthday in there somewhere. But first let’s back up. The GDC Grand Opening was June 30th. Their little piece of studio real estate is quite cute. I especially like the wide mirrors and nifty movable dance floor. It is the kind that snaps together with 1x1 foot square panels. It is actually very stable and smooth. Unfortunately, the turn out of dancers and supports was so big that the air conditioner could not handle the capacity. I spent most of my time outside on the sidewalk where it was cooler. I missed many of the dances because of that but I haven’t been handling the heat well this year. I’m also not sure what the main space really looks like. It was so full of people and chairs there was only a small path to walk through. And, in my usual backwards-social-skills-sort of way I flubbed up some basic small talk with people new to me.

Random person, “Hello!”
Me, “Hi”
“…” =\

Once again, I have no pictures. I am beginning to wonder why I even bought a digital camera if I never remember to use it. I also didn’t dance to the “new” song I picked out. I lost confidence at the last moment and danced to an old song. Oh well.

My vacation week continued with a very uneventful 4th of July and birthday. I usually make it a part of my evening to walk outside and see at least 1 firework go off in the sky. I slept through all of that this year. And, somewhere in there was an “official” bday dinner with the in-laws. I spent my birthday working. A small group of us did go to Red Lobster for dinner in our work clothes and asked for the children’s’ menus so we color and play the games. The Dahlal gift certificate was prolly the awesomest bday gift but also the biggest pain. I spent a good hour on the web site try to decide what I want with no luck. I did also get a Visa gift card. I could put them together and get something bigger and more expensive I suppose. Hmmm.

I managed to make it out to the White Hart Ren Faire this year. Hung at Red Moon’s gypsy tent, wandered a bit, watched them dance. Yet again, forgot the camera. Luckily, the Five Rings fencing group took lots o’ pics… I got this spifty shisha and shell purse. AND I made it with no bug bites or sunburn!

I finally broke down and called A. about Greek Night. He said that he called and told me that it was July, 28th, etc…blah blah, then said maybe he “didn’t call me.” The whole time I’m yelling at him with the power of my mind, “NO YOU DIDN’T CALL ME! GOOD JOB MAKING SURE YOU ACTUALLY BOOKED YOUR ENTERTAINMENT BEFORE YOU ADVERTISED IT IN GO AND 417 MAGAZINE! GOOD THING I READ! OTHERWISE, YOU’D BE S.O.L.”

But, I don’t think he heard me. You know, GN used to be fun and something I looked forward to. Now, well, I’m just not feeling that way anymore. It’s becoming less of a treat and more like taking out the trash. A chore. Grumble, grumble…Not to mention, there is yet again, something else going on across town the same night that I should be attending and won’t be able to make it.

~N

Almost Over

Now learning: Peachtree Accounting
mood: chocolate chip cookie dough

My vacation/birth week is over in less than 12 hours =(
I got one of these for my bday!
I have much to catch up on.

Tomorrow is his birthday.


Him used to be little.


Now him be 4 years old.


Him is sweet. =*

~N