Some days are just crazy. The universe sends you multiple gigs, and maybe you have to do them after you’ve spent hours at your day job. Or maybe you’ve signed up for a full day of workshops. Whatever the reason, you’ll do your best job performing or learning if you are properly prepared for the experience. There are several ways you can prep for the best. For starters, keep yourself in good physical condition to […]
It’s that time of year – you are probably surrounded on all sides by sneezing, coughing people! Dancing and exercise in general help strengthen your immune system, along with other healthy habits like eating well and getting enough sleep. Still, you may find that you’ve fallen victim to the germ attack. It’s frustrating to have started the year on a roll with consistent dance practice, regular class attendance and a good supplemental exercise routine to […]
Last week there was a pretty lively belly dance discussion on Saqra Raybuck’s Facebook page regarding how to be a considerate dressing room companion. As bellydancers, we rarely have spacious, luxurious, star-quality dressing spaces. The reality is usually a crowded room with suitcases on the floor, a few mirrors and a table – if you’re lucky – and poor lighting. Most of the contributors to the discussion were experienced professionals – and among us, we had […]
We all love progress – it’s exciting to finally master a new move or layer we’ve been working on . As an instructor, I am genuinely as excited as my students when I see them solidify new skills. Getting there is the hard part, and the decisions we make about how we drill and practice can either help us hinder us along the way. The key is to practice in your “sweet spot.” Every skill […]
As performers and belly dancers, we pour a lot into a performance – time, energy, sweat, When the time comes, we put it out for all to see and then comes the last phase, evaluation. It’s an important one and we lose a valuable tool for improvement if we don’t process it for all it’s worth and harness its true value. There’s self-evaluation and then there’s the less formal evaluation we get from others in […]