Greek Night Pics from Aug 2008

Greek Night pics sent to me from Sa'dia.





Now playing: Fallout 3 bitcheez
mood: cheesecake

The Ladies Have It - Percussion

Susu Pampanin and Zaina Zahesha


Raquy



Mary Ellen Donald





Now playing: LoTR RotK
mood: chicken nuggets and reeses peanut butter cups

The worst pic ever

LOL, ok, maybe not the worst pic ever but it's still pretty dork-tastic (don't ask). After a year hiatus, Visioncon will be back in Jan. 09.

back row: KC and JQ
front row: Laleh and Naima

RMH and Hips Noir Review

(me and Emy, Back to the Eighties @ GX, pic by Staar)

Now playing: Plan 9 from Outer Space
mood: pumpkin cookies

So I can't really give much of a review on the workshop. I spent day one up in the sound booth fighting with the sound quality and working on 3rd quarter taxes. I spent day two in a drowsy haze of walking in circles to stay awake. I only had two 4-5hr naps between Friday and Sunday. I actually dumped my coffee into instant oatmeal, microwaved it, and had it for breakfast.

The first day was split between two of RMH's members. One taught before lunch and one after. The next day was similar, 2 teaching floorwork, 1 taught sword, and an extra class after lunch with Zivah. I did take some notes from up on my perch and cringed a little every time the class did barrel turns with their swords. But all went well with no major incidents.

At the end of the day Sunday, I showed whoever was left in the class the 9/8 foot pattern I learned from Mishaal when she came to Tulsa.

(RT tap, step back and shift weight to RT, step LT, hop-shuffle-skip thing with RT. Repeat other side.) makes sense right?

Anyway, I have been spending my time between BD videos and A&E biographies on Youtube. I am also seriously thinking about putting together some comedy choreographies like I have been talking about for years.

I haven't really caught up on sleep from the workshop. This weekend I had a 22hr Friday followed by a wedding and another 4:30am after-party on Saturday. The bags under my eyes feel like they are hanging to my knees.

~N

HOOOO! Technology

Test from cell

-I just sent this from my cell phone. Ah, the SCIENCE! It kills me!

Gingerbread Coffin

pic by Jen squared

An email I received:

"I have been reflecting on Em's dance (I'm calling it the Gingerbread Doll dance, or GDD) for two days, and I think I've finally pulled my thoughts together enough on it to articulate.

The costuming, the mask, the black light were all fantastic -- no doubt -- but what made that dance such an amazing example of "dark fusion" or, well, just of dance in general is that even if there were NO props -- no wind-up key, no scary mask -- it would have been clear from her MOVEMENTS what she was conveying. If she had come out in a black leotard and tights and done the exact same dance under hot stage lights, I would have known what she was trying to say with it.

It was her BODY that did most of the talking -- the emoting, the storytelling. And that's what we strive for as dancers. Sure, I saw other dances that told a story, but they relied too much on costuming and make-up and didn't let enough of the dancing come through to articulate everything.

Even though I know Em will say she didn't have a particular emotional message w/ this dance, I saw one, because she told her story and let the details do the work. This is what we learn to do in writing: set the scene, give copious detail, and the reader will discern the emotional intent.

I felt the way I did when I first saw B's Chair Fusion: that everything was just so intentional, so meant to be there. Even if y'all, as dancers, didn't feel that, it was there because you HAD such intent toward the piece.

OK, so you probably want to know what emotions I saw in GDD: confusion, a sense of being in flux or trapped between two worlds, a sense of being "pulled" reluctantly in a certain direction, but resisting, a sense of being a kind of automatron, or wind-up doll, of course, forced to move through life without benefit of doing so with one's OWN purpose and intense physical reaction to all of that, but again, without have your own control of that reaction. Someone else is pushing the buttons; you're following someone else's agenda.

That's what the dance showed me, and I think everyone has felt that way and needs to reflect on those kinds of things through art. We've all been automatrons; we've all been pulled somewhere without being cognizant of it."

Wow.

I mean...

WOW.

I'm not really sure how to comment. I should probably "retire" from BD now. I don't think I could top that, LOL.

Wow.


pic by Jman

pic by Jman

For your reference, Gingerbread Coffin by Rasputina

We found an old doll that was out in the grass,
She had special powers, we said a Black Mass.
We sat in a circle all holding hands. The
Doll-bed held together with old rubberbands.

She'll rise,
she'll rise,
she'll rise...

Oh, Lay her down in her gingerbread coffin.
She's so pretty all layed out in white.
Lay her down in her gingerbread coffin.
When we need her, she'll rise to the light...

We looked down at the ground and into her eyes.
Passed around an old teacup filled up with dead flies.
Surprise, surprise!
Were brought but not used, a collection of knives.
We'd remember this moment for all of our lives.

She'll rise,
she'll rise,
she'll rise....

Oh...

Oh...

Oh, Lay her down in her gingerbread coffin.
She's so pretty all layed out in white.
Lay her down in her gingerbread coffin.
When we need her, she'll rise to the light.

Lay her down in her gingerbread coffin.
It's a flickering, beautiful sight.
Lay her down in her gingerbread coffin.
When we need her, she'll rise to the light.

Now playing: Bram Stoker's DRACULA
read by Christopher Lee, Adapted by Russ Jones, Illustrated by Alden McWilliams,
Music by Dennis Rogers

Mood: tootsie rolls (my favorite Halloween treat!)

Hips Noir @ Ground Xero

More later...

Test

Making Hair Falls

With fusion dance being so big right now I thought I would share some videos on making and wearing yarn hair falls from my friend V. who is one of our resident costuming and sewing goddesses. Hair Falls are also big in the Goth and Cyber-Punk scenes made with anything from yarn to plastic tubing.

Enjoy

~N

Now playing: Munich
mood: peach cobbler and ice cream

Visioncon Call to Springfield Dancers

Visioncon is looking for local Bellydancers for next January. See the below abbreviated email from Karen Culp.

Visioncon will be Jan. 23-25, here in Springfield at the Clarion Hotel. Events go on all through the day and night, as many of you know, and right now the schedule is pretty fluid, so I'm just asking if you'd be interested in dancing at the 'con and if you'd let me know in general what you'd have to offer: a solo #, a group "set" of several dances, etc. I'm also asking you to save those dates, if you're interested in dancing.

Visioncon, as most of you know, is a science fiction, gaming, fantasy and media convention, and it's a lot of fun. For more info, you can look at visioncon.net.
Troupe leaders, if your troupe can't come, but individual dancers of yours would be interested, have 'em contact me.

This is not like an ArtsFest or something where one group is "chosen" to represent belly dance. Think of it more as a citywide belly dance "show" where anyone who is interested can participate :-).

Please let me know by end of day Saturday if you're interested. Again, you don't have to have your whole show planned for it at this point, just a simple, "yeah we're available and interested" or "no, thanks" will suffice!

If you are interested please contact Karen Culp (or me if you need Karen's info).

~N

Now playing: more Robin Hood
mood: to go back to bed

LtN pics

Me and my sister Carly, and a few more LtN pics Here

Now playing: more Robin Hood (on BBC)
mood: Protein... Screw this out of everything, all we have is ramen and potatoes in the cabinet and need to buy groceries diet.

Vijay again.

Hey, remember Vijay from a few posts ago?




He commented on my blog on an older post. I totally missed it until today.

vijay vaswani said...

Hey, its Vijay, how are you doing?
I was just randomly surfing the web, and came across my dance in your blog-thats so kool...I am glad to know that there are people out there that appreciate my passion, dancing. Also, soon I will be posting a vid of myself on another tv show, but I will be singing...
Hope all is well,
tc

September 14, 2008 12:51 AM

I'm all excited! Singing too! Yea! How awesome is that?

I have to figure out a better way keep up with my comments.

~N

Light the Night Tally

Now playing: Robin Hood BBC
mood: coffee cake

Windy, cardboard box, crummy arms, oh well.

My final total raised for Light the Night was $79, HOOOO!

Doing the last minute panic before Hips Noir this weekend. I'm so frustrated with my fusion piece I think I will just beat my choreography notebook on stage.

BTW, if any of you are coming to the Read My Hips workshop this weekend, I recommend dance shoes and a yoga mat or towel. The concrete floors at GX are not that friendly.

~N