The BellyGram Newsletter

Babi Habibi

Greetings to All in Shimmyland.

It's that time again for something new and exciting! We are continually looking for new people and ideas to write about. It could be you! Contact Us  and let us know your story, or a topic that you would like to share. We would love to hear from you. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned veteran of 'The Dance' you all have something to share with the rest of us.

Now-lets get down to the business at hand...

The Northland BellyDance Forum 2009 with Ava Fleming

What a great event! Lots of dancers, fun, shopping and training. The show Saturday night was out of the world exhilarating! If you missed it, Yup- you really missed it.

As I arrived at the Marriott, checked in and got settled and I immediately ran into some of my long lost friends. We had some time before the first class, had a quick dinner, caught up on the past year and then we where off to the races. See ladies, that is one of the wonderful things about this, you'll meet lots of wonderful gals and have good friends forever!  Great friends.

Ava Fleming started the workshop off with a Lissa Fakir choreography. It was great fun, with lots of new movements and a wonderful way to get us tuned up for the next two days of training. She's a wonderful instructor and has the personality to match. I wish everyone could have met her. Ava instructed her other classes on Saturday and Sunday demonstrated her layer cake technique, a class on extreme isolations and a Sultry Sharqi. These are the techniques that have developed her unique style of strength, isolation and the beautiful femininity she exhibits as a dancer.

Saturday began with a great yoga warm-up from Khalila AKA Catherine Liska. If you never tried yoga- do it. It is a wonderful low impact strengthening genre. While it warms up your entire body, it develops the strength we all need.

Next was Julianna from Rochester , Minnesota. She is founder of the Blue Lotus Dancers and instructs, choreographs, directs- well, what can I say, this is her life, she awesome. She taught us a veil routine that was challenging, but within just about every ones' capabilities. There is nothing like a huge room full of beautiful veils of every color imaginable floating in the air and creating that mystical sense of what we try to create as belly dancers. What a vision.

Cassandra from Cassandra Jawaahir School of Dance in Minneapolis, Minnesota held her class on Saturday with an extreme exercise in Turkish Kurshilaama Styling's. This was a class that really showed what you where made of. I've taken some of Cassandra's classes at her school. She is thorough in her teachings and techniques. She instructs all over the world. So if you get to take a class from her at the school on Hennepin, you will love her all the more for it, it is worth every drop of sweat! She is a wonderful gal and nothing slips by her. Literally.

Aliyah is from Minneapolis, Minneasota and the founder of the Sahar School of Dance. This gal started early with different forms of dance at the age of 3. She brought Shimmy-O-Rama to our large group. She is known for her dynamic strength and strong technique as a shimmy queen. She created this class to improve flexibility, strength and layering in the art of the shimmy. We can all use that.

Meleeha from Iowa brought in a class that was titled, 'Turns for the Rotationally Challenged'.  Need I say more? She taught basic turns, how to maintain balance, and the secrets to avoid getting dizzy plus much, much more. Meleeha is from Iowa City, Iowa and is director of The Kahraman Dance Studio. 

The show on Saturday night was worth the trip alone. Every instructor performed exquisitely, their troupes were awesome, swords, veils, beautiful women of every variety and talent participated. The creativity and poise from these performers was a opportunity I am sooooo glad I didn't miss.  (Of course I had to sit in the front row!  I never want to miss anything)

And then there was Ava...

Her performance is something that is indescribable for words alone. I've loved all the professional dancers I have seen, held them in awe, felt I had so much more to accomplish when I saw first hand what they brought to the stage with 'The Dance'. I've felt chills and the hair rise on my arms from the extreme thrill of seeing nothing less than the spectacular. But Ava brought me to my knees. She drew out an emotional upheaval that I had not expected. She was so perfect in her art, so entwined with the audience, beyond the beauty that we all strive for. She pulled us all into this performance. She touched us all.
 
I spoke to her after and told her that she had brought me to tears and she humbly said, "Then I've done my job".  WOW.  I sincerely hope that any of you that haven't gotten to see her perform, have that experience some day.  I found out later, after the performance, that it wasn't alone with the experience I had just had. Others proclaimed the same emotions that I felt.

Well, I hope that I brought home with me something from all these wonderful women that tried to teach me something. And it was soo good to see all my friends that I've missed for so long. You all are always in my heart. But...
Gotta go, gotta go shimmy,

Babi Habibi

Julianna, Cassandra and Aliya teach Belly Dance in Minnesota. Please visit The Guild of Oriental Dance for contact information.  While you are there, think about becoming a member of the Guild...

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Ava Flemings' Sizzlin Torso and Sizzlin Hips 2 DVD Set 
List Price=  $88.95
OSM Price=  $59.95

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Avas Sizzlin' DVD Set

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A Brief History of Oriental Dance:
From Social Dance to Performance Art-   by Salome

In Arabic, the folk dance that mothered Oriental dance came to be identified as Raks Baladi. Raks meaning dance and Baladi roughly meaning of the country. A distinction between native and foreign dance became necessary after European occupation. Before this it was simply referred to as Raks (derived from the word rejoice).

For centuries, Raks Baladi was enjoyed at festive occasions and in the home by men, women and children. In gender separate parties/living quarter's people would dance for each other for fun in their party or regular clothes. Raks Baladi continued in this vein until the influx of European tourists in the 1800's. The Europeans created a demand for public performance and this sparked a segue into performance art.

Raks Baladi (in its various forms) is indigenous to North Africa, the Middle East, and as far east as Iran. However, the public performance aspect was predominately influenced by Egypt. Some general factors why:

In the 1920's Turkey was experiencing a cultural revolution and transition in government that all but eliminated their participation in native arts. Until the 1960's Lebanon's industry flourished. But unfortunately Lebanon was swept into civil war and their attention turned to survival. Other North African and Middle Eastern countries never developed the dance as a performing art.

In the transition from social dance to staged performance Raks Baladi emerged in an altered state becoming what we identify as Raks Sharki (Oriental dance). This metamorphosis most notable occurred in the 1930's at the Casino Opera in Cairo, Egypt.

A singer, dancer, actress named Badia Masnby, of Lebanese heritage, opened a nightclub called Casino Opera. It was fashioned after European cabarets and host to Middle Eastern and European entertainments.

Raks Baladi was typically done stationary and used in small spaces, the nature of movement earthy with a predominant focus on the hips. Badia personally trained her dancers but also brought in western choreographers. The dance adapted to utilize stage space and the movements were refined using not only hip but arm and chest movements as well. Costuming also underwent a major change at this time... Read the Rest Of Salomes' Article

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Belly Dance Help for Beginners- Head Slides
In this movement, your head will slide from side-to-side, without tipping your head,  bending your neck or moving any other part of your body.

Practice this move in the mirror by framing your ears with flat palms, about 6 inches away. Attempt to alternately touch your ears to your palms; your palms remain stationary, as in the following visual: 

|   O|
|O   |
|   O|
|O   |
|   O|

Tip: It may help to move your eyes to try and "see" the palm  you are sliding toward, which should be visible in your peripheral vision. This is a move where the development of muscle memory is needed. Keep practicing-you will get it.

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More On Sadies' DVD's for 2009



For those that enjoy Sadies' Belly Dancing and enjoy workouts and practicing with her instructional DVDs, we have news for you:

April 2009-Sadies' Ultimate BellyDance DVD-
Release is Summer 2009, but so far, we are still waiting for the cover art. Price is to be around $22. We will let you know more as soon as we know, but you can
Pre-Order Sadies' Ultimate BellyDance  DVD.

Mid 2009- Pops, Locks and Shimmies 2- with Sadie and Kaya
This will be Kaya and Sadies' newest. Shall we call this the "Sequel"?

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