I made a marquee

Belly Dancers do it with Finesse!

Festival in SLO for tribal dancers.

I just found out that on Dec. 18 there will be a tribal belly dance festival in San Luis Obispo. That's 300 miles from me, but I was going up there to do a children's show on Dec. 19 so this is going to work out really well. Rachel Brice is supposed to be there as well, so I'll get to see what all the hubbub is about. I cruised her site at www.rachelbrice.com. It looks like she has the belly dance career I always wanted. The event will be at the Vet's Hall.

Veilwork Tips and How to remember steps

I just added a new page to my website that covers veils and steps and some other goodies. http://www.spiralcharms.com/bellydancing.htm

Tough to decide sometimes.

They say that athletes make the worse patients. They won't stay off of injuries long enough to let them heal properly.
So for once I'm going to let my head rule my heart. I'm staying off my bad knee today because I know a 2 hour class tonight would kill my efforts to let it heal this week. My two students are too new to go through class with verbal directions. I feel bad that I had to cancel though. Still better to skip one class than to do permanent damage.

Mirror Mirror

In dance, your body is your intrument. So for this exercise, you take off everything and stand in front of a mirror. For once, the goal isn't to look for flaws...it's to look for your best features. Do you have a long neck? Doe shaped eyes? Pretty feet? Sensuous curves? Sparkling eyes? A beautiful smile? Great skin? Write down your 10 best features.
Remember, one man's flaw is another man's asset.
Now, when you go costume shopping, look for items that bring out those features. Pick colors that make your eyes twinkle. Pick fabrics that make you feel glamorous. If you like your curves, pick fabrics that cling to them. If you don't like your curves, pick a fabric that will skim over them.
And try not to get locked into wearing only two colors. We do that by habit, then we feel like we look the same in everything. Get wild once in a while and grab that chartruese scarf or those fushia earrings.

Nutrition and leg cramps.

Do you suffer from leg cramps during the night? One cause can be lack of potassium. Many foods are rich in potassium. Bananas are one of the easiest ways to get more potassium into your diet.

Knitting on giant needles.

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Beadwork close-up.

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Dance practice 2.

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Dance practice.

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Beeswax

When sewing on beads, it helps to run the threads through a cake of beeswax. The beeswax helps to strengthen the thread and keeps it from tangling. Look for beeswax in the quilting section or the needle section of your favorite fabric store.

I'm writing a book on belly dancing

It's a long term project, but I thought it would be helpful to have a place to park tips for those that want to learn more about the dance and who want to be better at it.