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Belly Dance DVDs with:
The BellyGram Newsletter
February 2009The Goal of the BellyGram to Serve as a Resource for Belly Dancers and Present Information Embellished with the Spirit of Dignity and Grace
Babi Habibi
Greetings to
All in Shimmy Land.
It's another month already and we at the Belly Dance Movement are
privileged to have a special guest this month- Belly Dancer Julianna
from Rochester,
Minnesota. Julianna is one of the most impressive dancers and
instructors in the United States. She balances family as well as an
extensive career as you will soon see.
How does she do it? Dedication, determination
and a love for 'the dance'. She is going to take us through
her journey as a Belly Dance student, instructor, entertainer and
competitor. This will be the first of many of her contributions towards
the Belly Gram. So, stay tuned and keep watching for more of her story as we go though 2009...
"My name is Julianna...
I'm a professional Belly Dancer
in Rochester, Minnesota.
"My career as a belly dancer has been quite a journey. It began in San Francisco when my sister took up belly dancing as a hobby. She took lessons and performed with a group of students and later became a part of a very respected troupe in that area. Every time I visited California I had to see more belly dancing... in fact I'd plan my visits around some sort of dance event. After a few years of living vicariously though my sister, I decided to investigate the dance scene in SE Minnesota. There wasn't anything going on in Rochester that I knew, so it was time to grab my car keys and scout the surrounding communities. Little did I know that one of the best teachers in the country had a very substantial Middle Eastern Dance school in Minneapolis- Cassandra. Lucky me!
"I started classes and
with my dance background in ballet and introduction
to the basics of belly dancing by my sister, I was
able to move through the different
levels pretty quickly.
"After 2 years of dance
class I was asked to perform professionally at the Mediterranean
Cruise Cafe in Eagan, MN. I was also approached by Margo Abdo
O'Dell, a prominent dancer in Minneapolis at the time, and asked to
perform in a theatre show she was producing and directing. At about the
same time I was asked by a local health club to teach in their
facility. (It all happened in one year, and I was astounded how
everything kind of fell into my lap-
sooner than I ever would have
expected.)
"The theatre experience with Margo was fabulous. She taught me everything I know in that department and would serve me well in the future. When I started at the Med Cruise Cafe there were 4 other dancers. (Little did I know I'd one day be scheduling and managing up 13 different dancers at this popular Middle Eastern restaurant!)
"Dancing professionally
is a blast as well as hard work. I've been on many varied
and interesting
gigs from an Egyptian Zeffa or wedding procession to a martini party
for 200 women at a mansion in the middle of Iowa- as well as an art
exhibit opening at the Minneapolis Art Institute. I think I could write an
essay on my gig experiences alone .
"I knew I'd want a troupe one day and that
came sooner than expected as well.
My students asked if we could get
organized and perform, so I came up with a
name and logo and we
started performing at community events. We got our first
professional
gig at Arab World Festival in Milwaukee, in 2005.
"Since then, along with the talents
of my troupe the Blue Lotus Middle Eastern Dancers
, I've produced several elaborate and
sometimes theatrical dinner shows.
"In 2007 we produced our first
theatre show- Dance Macabre, at the Rochester Repertory Theatre,
with favorable feedback from the local dance and theatre community.
"We will soon begin production of "Rhinestones and Stardust" which
will be held at the Rochester Civic Theatre, on June 6&7, 2009.
"The theatre work, from
concept to poster, choreography and costuming is perhaps my favorite
love that has come out of my dance career!
"In 2004 I began teaching on my own at a local
studio. Classes have grown over the years and I hold anywhere from 6 to 8
classes a week depending on what's being offered that session. The dance
students are always a delight and I always come home feeling super
fabulous after teaching.
"Recently I've also had the pleasure
to teach regionally at various workshops and conventions. It's
very exciting to meet new dancers and teach in different communities."
(Be sure to attend Julianna's Workshop at the
Northland Forum-Julianna will be teaching Veil Technique
and Choreography- Sat, February 28th, 2009)
"In 2006 I decided to tackle a dance competition. I'm
always looking for new experiences and new ways to challenge myself.
"After training in Turkish and Persian Dance, I was off to Long
Beach, California to compete in the Belly Dancer of the Universe
Competition, which is one of the bigger competitions nation-wide. I had
read and had been told by some that sometimes the contestants can get mean
and try to sabotage you, but the girls I competed with at this competition
were really nice. They were from all over the country, which is really
good.
(a later competition had mostly local dancers and they were
not friendly and did try to psyche me out)
"In the end I did win 1st Runner Up in the Universal
Category and
"Peoples Choice Award ".
"My sister always told me to find as many of the best
teachers you can and study with them so you develop your own dance style.
I've been to many workshops, which many die-hard dance students do.
However I have found a few teachers that I've ventured to follow back to
their home and study..."
...to be continued.
Gotta Go, Gotta Go Shimmy,
Babi
Habibi
Best Deal in Town!!!
Ava Flemings Sizzlin' Hips and Sizzlin' Torso
List
Price: $88.95
Sale Price: $59.95
Save: $29.00
+ FREE Shipping!
For all
of you attending the Northland
Forum this year in Minneapolis, MN: As you know, Ava will be conducting
numerous workshops-give yourself an introduction to her style and
techniques with The Sizzlin Hips and Sizzlin Torso DVDs.
NEW Products from The Belly Dance Movement
Belly Dancer Travel &
Belly Dancer Throw &
Throw Pillow
$17.99
Travel Pillow
$17.99
These designs are by jeannie,
created exclusively for "The Belly Dance Movement"
and are ordered and delivered through CafePress.
Visit Our Books and Gifts Page.
Belly Dancing Help for
Beginners- The
Hip Shimmy
Stand relaxed with your knees slightly bent.
Focus
on the flab on the back of your legs and jiggle it back and
forth.
Thats it- The
Hip Shimmy.
Tips:
1) Focus on the movement of the flab on the
back of your legs- Your hips will be doing exactly what they need to
do to make it happen.
Sadie's Complete Guide to Belly Dancing is featured on our Sadie DVD Page at The Belly Dance Movement. 130 minutes of introduction to the mechanics of the basics to help you develop the your own style and skill. This DVD is for all levels of experience.
From the Editor: Attention Belly Dancing Teachers:
It's a new
year- is it time for some new music? That's All for This Month, Ladies.
All articles and entries contained within
The BellyGram remain the property of the individual author. Opinions
expressed are the opinion of the author and not necessarily that of the
The Belly Dance Movement as a whole. That being said, any
opinions expressed by the Editor may differ from yours and we would love
to hear from you.
Speaking of Wings... Scheherazade Imports has a Web Special on
Fantasy Wings (Isis Wings)
Irridescent Sparkle Organza Tie
Dye Fantasy
Wings:
Black/Red,
Burgundy/Purple/Copper,
Fuschia/Gold/Orange,
Red/Gold/Orange,
Red/Gold/Orange/Burgundy/Green.
Irridescent
Sparkle Organza Fantasy Wings-Solids:
Apricot,
Candy
Pink,
Light Green,
Pale Blue,
Salmon,
Opal
White.
Tissue Lame Fantasy Wings available
in:
Green,
Lavendar,
Purple,
Silver
Holograph.
Catalog Price: $130.00
Web Special:
$85.00
Scheherezade Imports- Always changing and
always bringing something new to Belly Dancers.
(Be sure to check
out the Troupe and Teachers
Small Quantity Discount
Program)
Attention Belly Dancers!!
Would you like a Page here in the Belly Dance
Movement ?
Visit Belly Dancer
Profiles for More Information.
Freshen up dance class
with new Belly Dancing music
Not
up for it? We get that!
It
can be a tedious and daunting task . Maybe we can change this
for you...
Visit the iTunes Page of this site and learn about iTunes
Genius. We have put together a step-by-step
Tutorial to help you install iTunes and use GENIUS.
When you learn it-
Tell all your Belly Dancing friends! We love it so much, it should be
called the
'Belly Dance Music
Genie'!
Peace to You...