On my recent DBQ Road Trip tour, I was teaching my “In the Ears, Out the Hips: Improvisation Concepts and Strategies” workshop in Denver. One of the tips I start out with is to know your classics and more modern standards of belly dance music. Why? There are two reasons at least. The first is if you are dancing to live music, you increase the odds that you’ll recognize what they may play for you (which […]
Stretching has become a bit controversial in bellydance classes. Should you stretch before class or after? Yes. You read that right – it depends on which kind of stretching you’re talking about. Let’s clear up some confusion about how and when to stretch for the best dance performance and flexibility gains. Dynamic Stretching Dynamic stretching takes you through a joint’s normal range of motion with control. The range can start out small and gradually increase […]
It’s time again to see what’s hot on the Arabic Top 10 music charts! This month my pick is by the Lebanese singer, Naji Osta. I really like this one! It starts out with beautiful strains of a solo violin followed by vocals. The music ramps up in an almost classical Arabic way then the electric beat drops. It’s cool. I can’t wait for this one to become available for download for us in the […]
This is the newest installment of “Raks Me A Question” – an occasional series where I answer dancers’ questions about anything and everything to do with this Sparkly Life – from practice techniques to troupe politics. Think of it as a dancers’ Q & A meets Dear Abby! Got a question you’d like to ask? Email me and tell me all about it. Kelly asks: “How can I keep practicing when I’m injured?” Most dancers, at […]
I’m introducing a new occasional feature on the Daily Bellydance Quickies called “Raks Me A Question”. (Thanks, Pamela Yvette on Facebook for coming up with a fun name for this segment!) This will be part belly dance Q & A, part Dear Abby for dancers. We’ll tackle some why’s and how’s of belly dance and also take on some more sticky situations with clients, fellow dancers, students and other relationships. Our first question comes from […]