#thabit

Day 42.  (Hooraaay1  I have The Answer!  Now.. who's got The Question..? ;D)

Note to self: When acquiring a new place in Portland OR to live, must remember to make sure there's a cat-proof dancing space. *lol* Between one being an attention whore and the other in lust w/anything wavely (i.e. everything flowy like veils, tassels & skirts *lol*), dancing w/2 adorable kitties nearby can be hazardous- for me AND my dance stuff! I had Skye plop down right next to my left foot while I had a SWORD on my head n' refuse to move- even though I was gently rolling him over and over w/my foot so he'd get out of the way, and then Ouna, bless her li'l pea-pickin' heart, grabbed my veil juuust toward the end of my last song. (And I know she fought her instinct of wanting to snatch it from the get-go, so I'm proud of her for not giving in until my dance session was almost over. *lol*)

As for the DANCING on the other hand, today was prop day at the WaterHouse! :D I brought out Inana (my sword) and one of my first ol' veils, and basically gave myself an improv-style refresher course on various prop techniques. :)  With both the veil and the sword, I was a bit worried I'd lost a good bit of my movement vocabulary at first, as they both felt awkward and gawkish, floopsy and wobbly. But after a little reacclimation, both felt a LOT better over time, and we all kinda fell into the swing of things n' ended up a relatively stable, mutual cooperation. :) (Hoooraaay for symbiosis. ;D)

Tonight I was also reminded of how much nicer silk veils flow- even synth-silk- as opposed to the cheaper, slightly cotton-y starter ones I first bought years ago- and used to night (as it was just the first thing I grabbed). I thought it'd be fine, but I discovered that after working w/my newer veils, the silk (and pseudo-silk) ones just mooove so much better.. fly so much more fluidly and easily.. and get caught on things so much less! (Plus, they're not as staticky.. you know..?) I have to admit, I always thought that people were just being kinda hoity-toity when they talked about how fancier materials in their props moved better, performed better, etc. But after this semi-direct comparison, I can hereby say that even as a po' girl, the fancy stuff really does sometimes move and work better. ..Whether I like it (or like to admit it) or not. ;))

It was nice reacclimating myself to my veil and sword tonight, forcing myself to remember bits of info from classes & workshops I haven't taken in years, or really had the chance to practice much in a formal setting since. While yes, I'd still like to get Belladonna's DVDs to refresh my sword skills and remind myself of the finer points of certian techniques, and yes, I still want to snag a few veil DVDs as well, I think I remembered more than I was fearing I'd lost. Plus it was especially nice to get reacquainted w/my sword. After one song that was kinda iffish I just decided to keep going instead of putting her down like I'd originally planned, and I think it paid off.  I just kept her on my head and danced with her there, feeling her balance and letting the music move me, the two of us remembering what it was like to dance together, and I think that did a great lot of good. :)  It let us get used to each other again, you know..?  I was reminded of my sword posture, my head angle, how to move and how not to move w/my sword just sitting there atop my head, and it felt great. :)  By about half way through the 2nd song w/her and through to the 3rd, I think we'd gotten our groove back, I'd remembered more moves, and we'd become more reattuned to one another- so I could concentrate more on the emotion and the improv than "oh crap, do I remember how to do this move..? What was that motion again..?" You know..?  And by the end of the 3rd song, I didn't wanna take her off. ^_^  

So overall, tonight was a pretty good experience. :) I danced to some really fun music which made getting reacquainted w/my props definitely more engaging & fun. N' though it took a little futzing and fidgeting at first, it's nice to know not that all my technique was lost. ^_^  Also, that one point in my back still gives a good hard twinge now & then, but I think it's something about leaning over and how I hold my abs when I do certain things (like bending to the side, leans & such), so I've been trying hard to not only eke out what causes it, but to bloody make it STOP. *lol*

Here's to reviving old, good knowledge, and putting away icky, old pain! -And here's to starting great new practices n' cultivating new skills & intentions, too! Hellllooooo Spring! We need your rejuvenating, reviving, & recuperative powers! ^_^

♥

Songs for Tonight: Warmup: Jermaine Dupri - Gotta Getcha (ft. Missy Elliott)

Kelly Clarkson - Breakaway  (veil)

Rhea's Obsession - Dreaming Blade  (I'll give you 3 guesses, n' the first 2 don't count. ;))

Mandy Moore - Saturate Me  (veil)

Adam Hurst - Four Wings  (sword)

Jen Titus - O Death  (sword)

Johnny Cash - God's Gonna Cut You Down  (sword)

Devdas - Silsila Ye Chaahat Ka  (veil)

Day 29. (Long-but FUN-one ahead. Readers be warned. ;))

--Today I learned to find the joy in the little things. ^_^

Throughout this day I put dancing off.. and put it off and put it off and put it off some more. ..And BOY, was that a big mistake!! *lol* When I fiiiinally got down to dancing tonight/this morning; OMG it was SO MUCH FUN!!! ^_^

I was hurty and sore and looking none too forward to dancing tonight, so when I finally made myself go to it, I started out slow, determined NOT to aggravate my ankle, or this weird neck thingy I've been somehow stirring up. So I started off in the middle of the livingroom at like 5am, just sitting on a little rocking hassock, thinking I'd do all chair dancing tonight. BZZZZ!!! WRONG!!

For the first lesson of today, I learned that chair dancing is one thing, but chair dancing w/a rocking surface to park your bootie on is TOTALLY another. ^_^ Having the ability to move your lower half a little bit makes it MUCH more entertaining and enjoyable, as you can still keep your weight off of whatever's hurting you, but you still get to MOVE a bit to the music, beyond solely stationary jiggles and lifts. You can do seated Mayas and Incase of course, but w/a rocking seat, you can also do FORWARD and BACKWARD figure 8s (some people call Camels), and work on isolating your lower half while you concentrate on your pelvis, too!

-In fact, I think this'd be a great technique for people trying to learn the back/forth pelvic figure 8! (Especially if it's the isolation that's giving them trouble.) My first bd teacher taught us this great analogy of imagining your pelvis is on a roller coaster: Starting out level in bd posture, you graaadually climb the hill/track, then crest over it, go dowwwn the slope, curve under back towards Home, and eeease your way back into starting position. ^_^ But I've noticed that lots of beginners have issues w/this movement, and even moreso w/keeping their upper halves sationary while their lower bodies go for a ride. So tonight w/the hassock, as I was using it to go back & forth easily w/o being on my feet, I realized how easy it was to DO that movement, w/o much effort when it came to keeping my body (ribcage up) straight. It kinda made me wanna pull hassocks into the next class I get the opportunity to help out with. ^_^

But after the first song, the music had LONG gotten to me, so I got up. ^_^ -And it turns out, putting your music on Random and challenging yourself to be smooth, calm, take it easy, and work in smaller movements CAN BE SO MUCH FUN!!! ^_^ (Especially when you add the challenge of still working to be just as expressive & illustrative of the music as you are when you can be a bit freer in your movements. ^_^) How neat it is to find expression in the tiniest sharp hip lift, or be reminded of how facial expressions & moving parts slowly can be JUST as expressive & passionate (if not moreso) than constantly going hard and moving all grand and fast!! ^_^ There's a certain freedom & playfulness in being slower & steadier, too. ^_^ ..More.. intentional. :D And if there's comedy in the music, have the chance to play off on what's happening in the music can be -that much more fun,- and an opportunity to ham it up! ;D

Plus, this let me work on my transitions, which I've always had a little trouble with. I've always found it tough to say.. switch from left hip figure 8s in front to right hip figure 8s in front. I never know how I'm supposed to change my stance, or work the motion so it's fluid. Plus I've always been a little hesitant of finding transitions between one dramatically different move to another. How do you get that all to work out and be fluid and seamless, w/o looking like you're stopping & going between each move..? Well.. turns out, moving slowly makes you really focus on how to (gracefully & artfully) get from one move to the other, 'cause there's no frantic hopping or jumping from one point to the other. You gotta sliiiide or work another swirl of a hip in there, and that feels fantabulous. ^_^

Moreover, being forced to dance more slowly makes your dance more intentional and thoughtful somehow... It gives you time to go from mind to heart & back again as you travel through one loooong move, and allows you time to enjoy both aspects. :) While you're taking one looong, wiiiiide hip circle around during 16 counts, you have time to plan your next meovemtn AND feel how good it is to travel there, in the moment, and that feels delectible. ^_^ N' when it's over, you just ooooze onward and go from there.. like improv, w/out all the panic. *lol* So, SOlovely. ^_^

Now, of course sometimes the music got to my head & I realized I was going faster or moving more grandiosly than I'd planned... But pulling it back was no big deal, and retuning to the "challenge" was both fun & engaging- not frustrating or disheartening at all. :) (And there was no shamein losing track, either. It was just like "ah-ah, girrl, you're gonna hurt yourself again. Cool it down..!" *lol*) All said, it was too much fun- playing w/songs, keeping myself still and slow & easy, and glorying in the smaller movements to express the PERSONALITY of the music. ^_^ I loved being able to enjoy and love and laugh and revel in each moment, w/o feeling rushed. *beams*

Plus it was great learning that I could be easier on my weary body, while still dancing w/alll my heart, n' having LOADS of fun.. ^_^

What a super challenge! ♥♥ I'm really likin' the feel of this, and DEFINITELY wanna make do this again in future. ^_^

♥♥♥

La Playlist de Esta Noche:

Christ Brown - Forever

Collide - Frozen

Disney's Beauty & the Beast (OST) - Gaston

The Bawdy Balladeers - The Clockwinder

Balkan Beat Box - Hermetico

♥

Day 28.

Last night I was exhausted & just didn't feel like DOING it that day, so.. come the end of the night, I decided to get into my bed n' "voice dance." ^_^ I found a variety of tracks that inspired me to sing along (especially improv with) the music, closed the door so I didn't disturb anybody, and snuggled into my bed to set to it. Turns out, even if you're just intent on singing, the body tends to have a mind of its own, and I danced in bed anyway. ;)

I couldn't letterrip like one would want of course (a; 'cause it was the middle of the night, and b; because it's hard to belt it out when there's ANYBODY else at home-'cause that means the TV is blaring until they're unconscious). But that did give me a refresher course in keeping the throat open and still singing -correctly,- even if I was in bed, laying down, & had the keep the volume, way, way down. :) Plus believe it or not, singing (and subconsciously dancing in my bed ;)) taught me a few lessons about dancing, too.

When you're singing w/a song (especially improving), it's not always good form to just go and go and go. You've got to learn the art of timing, of listening, of responding to the music, and feeling when the time is right to sing, or stay quiet. You've got to let your brain and your heart do a duet of sorts, while you intellectually ponder when you might next come in, where you should go from that note, when you might wanna stop, hold a note, etc. But you've also got to FEEL the music- really- like in dance, become one with it. Because otherwise, whatever you're doing w/your voice along w/the music is just noise.

So singing last night was a reminder of things like rests, of mindfully, thoughtfully listening, and of letting your brain & heart form this interesting kind of double helix, that gradually wraps in and around and through whatever piece you're listening to.. dancing to.. or singing with. ^_^ It made me mindful of accents and rests, of that sort of synergy musicians and their singers, as well as their dancers can have.. and strive to have, at every collaboration. It reminded me that w/o mindfulness, just dancing w/ALL heart can be chaos, and w/o heart, you might was well be hearing a car alarm toll along w/your music, or seeing a Newton's Cradle tick-tick-tick back and forth, like a mindless metronome to the beat.

It reminded me of the art & poetry inherent in dance, and in the collaboration of musician & singer, as well as musician & dancer. It reminded me of listening so you know when to come on strong, or when to just bloody STOP. *lol* It reminded me of rests and cadences and all the juicy moments you wait for as ANY kind of performer, regardless of medium, and of that succulent moment when you grab it- as well as that moment where you go too long, stop short, miss your cute, or whiff it all together. ^_^ Plus it was fun to dance along in my mind, and to take a piece of that mental-emotional connection & plot out routines to each of the pieces- even if only in flits and fragmentations. :) ..I guess that's where my bed-dancing came from.. my over-active imagination, my attention-span issues, and a booty that just needs to MOVE when the music is inspiring. ;)

I hope you danced AND sang w/your body last night.. in whatever you did, too. ^_^

♥

Playlist for Day 28:

Rhea's Obsession - Mahakala

Conjure One - Damascus

Beats Antique - Louie's Lullaby

Rhea's Obsession - Spill Elixir

Shanghai Restoration Project - Babylon of the Occident

Cirque du Soleil - Egypte

Day 24! BOOyahhh! ^_^

Woo! Tonight I got a bit of a workout! :D

This evening I danced to songs rescued from Ioda juuuust before it died. I gathered all the 2.58 gigs in one playlist, n' just hit "Shuffle!" :D And while I thought there was approx. 90% bellydance stuff in there, methinks tonight I was proved wrong! *lol* For me, this evening was about finding the beauty in whatever I heard.. the dance-ability and the soul in the piece.. even if I didn't like it much. (And fortunately, I found a few really great tunes mixed in there, so by far it was no constant grudging or gritting of teeth. :))

Tonight's session reminded me of what other dancers must go through when they're at nightclubs & other venues; where they have little-to-no control over the music they hear, n' subsequently have to dance to it- whether they like it or not. ..I think it takes a little reaching.. a little digging more deeply to find something you love in music you might not necessarily (or initially) enjoy, so tonight was a learning experience for me in many ways. :) ('Cause even if I didn't like a song, there was still something in each one that I could pick out that I liked.. that I could identify with.. or at least, honestly dance to. :)

See, Ioda only gave you like a few seconds to listen to each song, from which you had to discern whether or not you wanted to download it for potential play on your podcast. So, you get the very real possibility of liking the snippet of a song, but finding out you don't really much like the full thing. So going through one's music from there is definitely an adventure, and while ya do find some poopers now n' then, you also find some real gems. :) It's kind of like a treasure hunt or an adventure.. and for me, that's very much what dancing can be.. what -music- can be... And it's definitely what this 90 Day journey is. :) -And fortunately, all of these have born MASSIVE amounts of treasure- not to mention the wonder of the journeys themselves! ;D

(Now.. where's my Indiana Jones hat??? ;D)

♥

Tonight's (Adventuresome!) Playlist:

Warmup: Karen Dalton - Katie Cruel

Michael Beach - La Casa de Malfouf

Mina Agossi - Caravan

Maggie Sansone - Maienzit Ane Nit

Witherspoon - Wait

Slonovski Bal - Hočemo Li U Šabac?

Beau Flamme - Haiti Vodou: 1