So we had a little hiccup with registration. This is the first year that the Desert Dance Festival was taking registrations online and some of their instructions are not quite clear. But it is forgivable since they were expecting a lot of confusion over the forms and they were willing to work with everyone to make sure all information was correct and every performers name was on their ticket for this event. So now we are set up without a doubt for the festival in September. We will know by the end of July our time of performance. This works out wonderfully for anyone who is wanting to schedule a day or two free to come see some great dancing. For those who may, or will, be missing out....those in charge of the festival are allowing the performers to send in an order for the DVD of the festival performances. So I will be doing that in case anyone would like to see some of what they had missed. Unfortunately, this applies to those who live locally until I find a way to capture video. I currently do not have the equipment/hardware for this just yet. But I hope to soon so I may start sharing some performance via YouTube or another media sharing site. I will have to wait and see though before I do this.
In other news, I had my last dance class yesterday. So now it's time for a month off from classes. In the meantime, I will be continuing to work on my choreography for my solo piece I would like to attempt at the Student Party in September. I am about half way done with it. So far it is looking good, I just need to finish it up and tweak it a little so that it will flow nicely. Once I get the routine down, then I will be adding the balance of the tray. I should mention that this tray is not light. It has a decent weight to it and it is ideal for for balancing...especially when it comes time to start adding more on top of it instead of empty space. That's right. I said add more. Balancing a tray consists of your base tray that can have layered tiers for goblets, saucers, cups, glasses, candles, tea pots, etc., to make the dance more intriguing.....and difficult. But I will not venture into that level of difficulty until I get the basics down first.
I also had a short little meeting with Jen and T.C. before heading home last night. We have agreed to begin practice next week on Tuesdays and Fridays while using the weekends when possible to work on other items regarding our routine. My dance instructor was made aware that I would be joining Jen and T.C. for the Desert Festival. I was waiting for some type of warning regarding my involvement and how it may be too soon to get into festivals, but nothing came. So I will take that as a green light for me to take on the next level and be part of the festival.
I am very happy to get a burned CD last night of several pictures that were taken for the various performances we have done this year. Pictures were from the Rogue Show, Mardi Gras, Vintage Days and the Cat House fundraiser. I know it doesn't contain all the pictures that were taken, but I am happy with having a CD full of what could be put on it. As soon as I am able to, I will be posting a few here. For anyone who may be reading this and is a friend of mine on Facebook, I have already posted pictures from Mardi Gras and the Cat House events. I will be attempting to post some later today once I am free from work, although I may wait until sometime this weekend since I have a few other things that demand my attention this week. Either way, my next post will contain a few pictures from each event, so stay on the look out for that one.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Registration Completed!
Just got an email this morning regarding the Desert Dance Festival in Santa Clara, CA. That's right, I said Santa Clara, I had made a mistake in location in the previous entry. This year marks it's 25th anniversary! One of the girls got our registration completed this morning and sent an email to be sure all the appropriate information was given
This event has a lot of fun stuff going on:
Saturday
09/25/10
10:00 am to 10:30 pm ~ Shopping
11:00 am ~ Dancing
9:00 pm to 10:30 pm ~ Extravaganza Show - “REFLECTIONS" - Saturday Only
Sunday
09/26/10
10:00 am to 8:30 pm ~ Shopping
11:00 am ~ Dancing
3:00 pm ~ Special Community Achievement Awards with Cake and Champagne
For those who may be interested in checking out the events, I have posted the website below for your viewing. There will be workshops, shopping and several performances going on throughout the day ranging from the traditional Arabic and Egyptian belly dancing to fusion dance that incorporates modern ideas to traditional dancing. Our group, JenCee, will be performing on Saturday, September 25th. As soon as I have a time of when we will be performing, I will be sure to post it.
Desert Dance Festival: http://www.desertdancefestival.com/Festival.html
Our group will be performing a fusion of the traditional Tunisian jug dance to modern music. For those who have not seen what a Tunisian jug dance is, I found a group performance of one to traditional music:
This Tuesday I will be meeting up with Jen and T.C. to discuss meeting times since we will be meeting twice a week to get prepared for this performance. There is a lot of planning and practice to do, especially in creating our costumes. I am excited though despite the work I will be involved with. From now until August I will be dancing twice a week, instead of once a week, and from August to September I will be dancing 3 times a week! Yeah, exercise time for me during the hottest months here lol. Going to take advantage of it though since this is a learning experience for me that I am excited about.
Picture of the talented ladies T.C. (left) and Jen (right) that I will have the pleasure of dancing with in a trio =D
With that, I am off to continue working on my costume that I will be wearing for another performance in October, the Hanford Renaissance Fair in Hanford, CA. As this event draws near, I will start posting times and dates for those who wish to attend. So off to "work" I go.
This event has a lot of fun stuff going on:
Saturday
09/25/10
10:00 am to 10:30 pm ~ Shopping
11:00 am ~ Dancing
9:00 pm to 10:30 pm ~ Extravaganza Show - “REFLECTIONS" - Saturday Only
Sunday
09/26/10
10:00 am to 8:30 pm ~ Shopping
11:00 am ~ Dancing
3:00 pm ~ Special Community Achievement Awards with Cake and Champagne
For those who may be interested in checking out the events, I have posted the website below for your viewing. There will be workshops, shopping and several performances going on throughout the day ranging from the traditional Arabic and Egyptian belly dancing to fusion dance that incorporates modern ideas to traditional dancing. Our group, JenCee, will be performing on Saturday, September 25th. As soon as I have a time of when we will be performing, I will be sure to post it.
Desert Dance Festival: http://www.desertdancefestival.com/Festival.html
Our group will be performing a fusion of the traditional Tunisian jug dance to modern music. For those who have not seen what a Tunisian jug dance is, I found a group performance of one to traditional music:
This Tuesday I will be meeting up with Jen and T.C. to discuss meeting times since we will be meeting twice a week to get prepared for this performance. There is a lot of planning and practice to do, especially in creating our costumes. I am excited though despite the work I will be involved with. From now until August I will be dancing twice a week, instead of once a week, and from August to September I will be dancing 3 times a week! Yeah, exercise time for me during the hottest months here lol. Going to take advantage of it though since this is a learning experience for me that I am excited about.
Picture of the talented ladies T.C. (left) and Jen (right) that I will have the pleasure of dancing with in a trio =D
With that, I am off to continue working on my costume that I will be wearing for another performance in October, the Hanford Renaissance Fair in Hanford, CA. As this event draws near, I will start posting times and dates for those who wish to attend. So off to "work" I go.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
All Shades of Excited
So I was contacted by one of the girls who is in one of the advanced classes, and I have had the pleasure of performing within a group, a short time ago. She and another girl in her class are signing up for a performance in San Jose for the latter part of September, and they are hoping that I would be interested in joining them to make their dance a trio. I am honored and flattered that they would consider using me. August will be marking my one year anniversary of dancing and to show off how much I have grown, I will jumping to a level that takes years to do.
Now don't get me wrong, I know I will still be inadequate with somethings and it can't be helped. It will take a lot of hard work and dedication to do what I am about to do. In no way does this mean I will be advancing in the classes I am doing now since this is considered an extra curricular activity. But as far as skill and expanding my list of dance moves, this is a perfect opportunity that I definitely don't want to pass up. Both girls are willing to break down the moves and work with me since this is all completely new in my world. These girls have some experience with balancing, such as swords and trays, but in this dance we are balancing jugs. Yep, new for everyone since each of us have never really tried any one aspect of a Tunisian dance. So there will be a lot of jug balancing and twisting that I have never done, one girl has a little experience and the other hasn't done this type of dancing, but does have the experience with balancing. So it's an odd combination of lacking skills from all of us.
Either way, it will be fun to try and learn. We plan to meet twice a week starting sometime after next week. Each time we meet, we will be working on matching costumes, choreography, balancing, dance techniques, and planning the trip to San Jose, California. It's not far, only about 3 hours or so from our location.
So as my current class comes to a close next week and we have the month of July off, I look forward to a new challenge during that time and working on my solo piece for a student party for the earlier part of September. My solo piece is coming along slowly. I am almost at the half way mark of the choreography. Once I get that all written down, it will be time to start dancing through the steps to be sure it will flow and make any changes/fine tuning required.
I am also slowly making some way in my costuming that I will be wearing in October for the Hanford Renaissance Faire in Hanford, California. Most of it is completed, I am just currently sewing beads onto a piece and it is becoming very tedious. I know I will have it done before October, but it is very slow progress. But the end result will be wonderful and it adds more to the costume already, in a visual sense. Since I am facing finals next week for some classes, the next 2 weeks off will allow me some time to make some head way in getting the piece done and I look forward to that.
Until next time.....
Now don't get me wrong, I know I will still be inadequate with somethings and it can't be helped. It will take a lot of hard work and dedication to do what I am about to do. In no way does this mean I will be advancing in the classes I am doing now since this is considered an extra curricular activity. But as far as skill and expanding my list of dance moves, this is a perfect opportunity that I definitely don't want to pass up. Both girls are willing to break down the moves and work with me since this is all completely new in my world. These girls have some experience with balancing, such as swords and trays, but in this dance we are balancing jugs. Yep, new for everyone since each of us have never really tried any one aspect of a Tunisian dance. So there will be a lot of jug balancing and twisting that I have never done, one girl has a little experience and the other hasn't done this type of dancing, but does have the experience with balancing. So it's an odd combination of lacking skills from all of us.
Either way, it will be fun to try and learn. We plan to meet twice a week starting sometime after next week. Each time we meet, we will be working on matching costumes, choreography, balancing, dance techniques, and planning the trip to San Jose, California. It's not far, only about 3 hours or so from our location.
So as my current class comes to a close next week and we have the month of July off, I look forward to a new challenge during that time and working on my solo piece for a student party for the earlier part of September. My solo piece is coming along slowly. I am almost at the half way mark of the choreography. Once I get that all written down, it will be time to start dancing through the steps to be sure it will flow and make any changes/fine tuning required.
I am also slowly making some way in my costuming that I will be wearing in October for the Hanford Renaissance Faire in Hanford, California. Most of it is completed, I am just currently sewing beads onto a piece and it is becoming very tedious. I know I will have it done before October, but it is very slow progress. But the end result will be wonderful and it adds more to the costume already, in a visual sense. Since I am facing finals next week for some classes, the next 2 weeks off will allow me some time to make some head way in getting the piece done and I look forward to that.
Until next time.....
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Welcome
I will be posting anything related to bellydancing on this blog. From pictures taken of the troupe to events to websites to sharing what may be going on with my life in this subject. I have only been dancing for 11 months now. My first class was on my birthday last year as a gift my mother gave me since I had been showing interest in wanting to learn this type of dance for a while. So I get to share the anniversary of my learning on the same day as my birthday, which I think is cool. I have learned so much over this last year.
After only 3-4 months of classes, my instructor felt that I had the drive and determination to learn more. Thus, I was placed on crash course mode in January of this year to not only learn moves that I wouldn't be learning until my 2nd year, but to also be placed on stage for group dances. In a year's time, I have gone from exceeding my instructor's expectations in my learning ability to taking the stage for this year's Rogue Show in the Tower District of Fresno, CA, Vintage Days at Fresno State University, and a fundraiser for the Cat House in Parlier, CA. I have learned so much that, despite hitting walls, I am having a lot of fun with the fast past learning I am on. I do admit though that my technique is somewhat lacking since I am currently dancing with people in my class who have been doing this 3-4 years now. I have the skill that matches where they are at, not the technique. But that will change in time, especially since I have so many people to observe and learn from. Besides, I have some tools at home that will help a little in practicing fluid movements and other techniques that I am lacking in because of the fast past learning I have been doing the last 5-6 months.
I do not regret this time because I have had the chance to partake in something sooner than most. Whether it was a smart decision or not, I can't say. But I have impressed many so far with how far I have come in just a year's time that I think it was the best thing for me to really get into what I was doing. Currently, I am working on a solo piece for a student party. Now for anyone who has been dancing for a while, I do not plan on doing this solo for public performances yet. I would prefer to get another few years under my belt before I attempt to do anything of the sort. But for a student party, I feel that I can atleast partake in some fun such as this since there are no restrictions on what I can and cannot do. This party is about inspiring others and expressing one's self, despite not having the experience to do specific performances or dances. What we do at this party is to have fun and show what we have learned so far at our own skill level.
I hope to continue updating this blog and share what I can as I learn more. I do not plan on posting any dance routines on here, but later on when I know what I am doing, I may give some pointers or helpful hints. Until then, I will just share what I wish and hope that people enjoy reading what I post. If not, atleast it is something I am doing for myself and not for the entertainment for others. I got into bellydancing for me and only me. I have learned to be a little more comfortable with myself because I am not someone who is in shape. I am a plus size woman, but that is slowly changing as I learn more and do more in this style of dance.
So for anyone who will be sticking around, thank you for your continued reading. For those that this does not interest, thank you for taking the time to read and I hope that you find something more suitable towards your tastes.
After only 3-4 months of classes, my instructor felt that I had the drive and determination to learn more. Thus, I was placed on crash course mode in January of this year to not only learn moves that I wouldn't be learning until my 2nd year, but to also be placed on stage for group dances. In a year's time, I have gone from exceeding my instructor's expectations in my learning ability to taking the stage for this year's Rogue Show in the Tower District of Fresno, CA, Vintage Days at Fresno State University, and a fundraiser for the Cat House in Parlier, CA. I have learned so much that, despite hitting walls, I am having a lot of fun with the fast past learning I am on. I do admit though that my technique is somewhat lacking since I am currently dancing with people in my class who have been doing this 3-4 years now. I have the skill that matches where they are at, not the technique. But that will change in time, especially since I have so many people to observe and learn from. Besides, I have some tools at home that will help a little in practicing fluid movements and other techniques that I am lacking in because of the fast past learning I have been doing the last 5-6 months.
I do not regret this time because I have had the chance to partake in something sooner than most. Whether it was a smart decision or not, I can't say. But I have impressed many so far with how far I have come in just a year's time that I think it was the best thing for me to really get into what I was doing. Currently, I am working on a solo piece for a student party. Now for anyone who has been dancing for a while, I do not plan on doing this solo for public performances yet. I would prefer to get another few years under my belt before I attempt to do anything of the sort. But for a student party, I feel that I can atleast partake in some fun such as this since there are no restrictions on what I can and cannot do. This party is about inspiring others and expressing one's self, despite not having the experience to do specific performances or dances. What we do at this party is to have fun and show what we have learned so far at our own skill level.
I hope to continue updating this blog and share what I can as I learn more. I do not plan on posting any dance routines on here, but later on when I know what I am doing, I may give some pointers or helpful hints. Until then, I will just share what I wish and hope that people enjoy reading what I post. If not, atleast it is something I am doing for myself and not for the entertainment for others. I got into bellydancing for me and only me. I have learned to be a little more comfortable with myself because I am not someone who is in shape. I am a plus size woman, but that is slowly changing as I learn more and do more in this style of dance.
So for anyone who will be sticking around, thank you for your continued reading. For those that this does not interest, thank you for taking the time to read and I hope that you find something more suitable towards your tastes.
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