Cairo Carnivale

I am sorely disappointed that I didn't get to go to Cairo Carnivale this year. I couldn't find a ride, and honestly, I don't just want to be a spectator. If I can't be a dancer there or do the workshops, it's not really worth it to me, and I'm in no shape to perform right now. I have some sort of Achilles issue on my right foot. It pains me to walk nearly every day and if I can't walk, I can't dance.

I did talk to someone at the Apple Valley Park and Rec. yesterday and she said they are always looking for teachers, so hopefully I can start teaching soon and earn money towards getting a car. It's a long way to ride a bus and as any dance teacher can tell you, there is a lot of stuff to carry. I'm between sessions right now, so the soonest I could teach (if they say yes) is in the fall.

If you've never heard of Cairo Carnivale, it is on the Queen Mary in Long Beach CA and it is going on right now. If you are local you still have time to go to it and they sell tickets at the door. A lot of my Facebook friends are already there. I hope you are all having a blast!

ATS Shoot

Out of the blue my daughter announced she wanted to take tribal belly dancing to get back in shape after the birth of her second child. So that inspired a tribal style photo shoot using just what we had on hand. I whipped up a floral headband, raided her jewelry stash, threw in some jewelry I brought on the train, and pulled out some costume stuff, and viola!

My digital camera is only showing you it's limitations. The ones I took with her professional camera are amazing, but I have to wait until she edits them and all. It's tricky doing hair and make-up with a 2 year old and a baby to care for at the same time. So I totally forgot the tribal tattoos until after the sun went down, and then I couldn't find my eyeliner. Even so we were both happy with the photos and we hope you are too. Her startled husband said something abour her looking like the goth queen of the damned, so maybe its good we didn't add the tribal markings.

Zoe Jakes

Robotics and Isolations

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day

I emptied out a storage bin that had stuff in it for 14 years and found these old belly dancing valentines I made. I must have been about 40. So Happy Valentine's Day.

My Personal Glory Days of Belly Dancing

Yesterday I was sorting through boxes that had been in storage for over a decade and found belly dance photos from my past as well as some art I did. I hope to scan them soon and share them here, because it helps me to affirm that I was once a very active dancer. And some of them are for Valentine's Day so they are appropriate for this time of year. I'm glad I save things. People are so hell bent on order and neatness they are throwing their memories away. Trust me, as you get older, your memory is not all that dependable. Better to have a few photos, old business cards and some brochures to jog your gray matter. So when you clean house, keep a scrapbook or a memory box for those things that will be more precious as time goes on. And don't let anyone else talk you into throwing them away.

Belly Dance Drawings

I found some belly dancing sketches in an old sketchbook from the '90's. Maybe you will enjoy them.

Hypnotic Trance Belly Dance

Working on a logo for troupe t-shirts.

Zoe Jakes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxZenpwtuko When I am having a bad day I like to watch Zoe dance.  She is the dancer I always wanted to be but never had the talent.

Costumes on the Cheap

What's in your closet? This tutorial comes from Leilani. Tips on making a tribal-burlesque costume from bits and bobs you already own.
http://leilanidance.wordpress.com/2012/05/14/use-what-is-in-your-closet-to-create-a-belly-costume/

MECDA Inland Empire Chapter

I was thinking of re-joining M.E.C.D.A. and hooking up with the Inland Empire chapter, but when I went to the Inland Empire page it didn't exist.  Anyone know if it's still out there? Maybe I'll go over to Facebook and ask.

Sew a Choli Top

I think this would be cute as a choli style top. I sure need some new costuming. I like that the top is opaque, but the rest can be sheer.

http://fashionsbyfayme.blogspot.com/2012/10/boho-blouse-to-sew.html

Zoe Jakes

Every time I see her dance I fall in love with her a little bit more.

Where Did the Dancing Go?

Last night about 2 AM I was reading my Facebook stream and a local group was advertising a showcase.  To my surprise and delight the organizer was a dancer I used to cross paths with quite a lot.  You know how you are part of a belly dancing sphere and you bump into people a lot coming and going to classes and conventions and what not.  I wouldn't say we were ever more than acquaintances.  Even then (twenty years ago) she was locally famous. I also doubt she'd remember me as more than a face in the crowd.

The painful part is where as about ten years ago my belly dance career ground to a halt as I got older, fatter, more frustrated and just slowly lost my desire to persevere with my dancing goals, other dancers my age and older didn't give up.  Now they are teaching at conventions, performing all over the world, performing at local restaurants and so on. Many of them are older than me, some by a lot. 

Basically life got me down. One of the places I taught at went under. The other place I taught had shoddy management that got real bad about paying people. I got some really harsh criticism following some dance gigs.  It just all piled on top of me along with mundane problems like poverty and not being able to build my own dance studio. Right now I don't even own a car.

But seeing her website last night I realized quitting was the wrong thing to do. I just don't know how to get back to where I once was, mentally, emotionally or physically. I want it back but I don't even know where to start. I don't even think I could survive a dance class right now, much less teach one. At 3 AM I finally went to bed. This morning, I'd hoped to feel better about it but if anything I feel worse.

Time and a Place People

Scary but funny: After fireworks on July 4th, while leaving a park in the L.A. area, a van pulls behind our parked truck blocking our exit, and some scary looking characters start to pile out. They are yelling something out to me. I'm thinking 'carjacking' or 'robbery'. A woman gets out and says, "Hey do you belly dance too? Best exercise ever." Behind her is a little girl who says, "I love your belly dancing scarf." LMAO.

Belly Dance Bazaar

I just found out my friend Marisa has an amazing belly dancing website here: http://bellydancebazaar.org/ I have barely scratched the surface of it but it's been a long day and I'll have to check it out later.

Be A Better Dancer

Years ago, when I was in my mid forties and teaching belly dancing, a 22 year old dance student challenged me in class to a flexibility test she had in some college class.  I lost of course. When she's 45 maybe she'll figure out that it's not so easy once your not all that flexible.  But today I was thinking that while flexibility is important to a dancer there are so many other factors that are important.  Most of us love to keep practicing the ones we are great at because that's our comfort zone.  But if you want to grow as a dancer, it might help to pick the five you are the worst at and work on those too.

Here are some I came up with off the top of my head.

1. Timing
2. Motivation
3. Musicality
4. Confidence
5. Poise
6. Strength
7. Stamina
8. Overall good health
9. Passion
10. 'the it factor'
11. Balance
12. Persistence
13. Consistency
14. Ethics
15. Spacial awareness
16. Peripheral Vision
17. Symmetry
18. Teamwork
19. Theatricality
20. Synchronicity
21. Punctuality 
22. Business savvy 
23. Originality
24. Innovative 
25. Trust 
26. Self-acceptance 
27. Sense of humor 
28. Posture

Flowers in Your Hair

How to keep those fancy hair ornaments in your hair while you dance.

Reminiscing

Many nights when I am restless I find myself watching belly dance videos on line. I must have seen 1000 by now. I wish that resource had been available in the 70's when I needed them. I love all the innovations. When I first combined belly dancing, fire spinning and juggling back in the 70's, people looked at me like I'd just fallen off the turnip truck. No one patted me on the back and said, "Wow, what innovative ideas." Now of course a great many dancers combine things like hooping and fire props. Maybe I was born 20 years too soon. I wonder if other dancers in their 50's feel like I do. One year I was performing at Cairo Carnivale with a boa constrictor, juggling, and magic. I wish I'd known a friend with a video camera from back then so I'd have a record of it. The only time I got to watch belly dancing videos back then was if I was at a M.E.C.D.A. party of something and someone put videos in. I was on a tight budget, raising 2 small daughters, so videos weren't a high priority compared to rent and groceries. Costumes are also much easier to come by. You don't have to wait for a convention to roll around anymore. I hope you guys are appreciating how good you have it.

Tarot Inspired Belly Dancer

Pink Gypsy

Penny over at the Pink Gypsy updated my listing. It's here: http://www.pinkgypsy.com/fayme/zelena.htm Make sure you refresh your browser to see the new updates. If you've wanted to take belly dancing but had no idea how to find a local teacher, her site provides links to many resources, so pop over and see what's in your neighborhood.