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Musings of a belly dancer!  Feel free to comment, I'd love to know your thoughts on topics I cover in my blog posts!

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Time flies!

Posted on 20th June, 2022

Well, how time flies... I had on my "to do" list that I needed to update my website, and when I just logged on I realised the last time I popped on here was November 2020! Oops... however, I have been very busy dance-wise, but I just tend to post on social media more now, and by doing so I realised I neglected my website.... I promise I will be more active on here too!

 

I made a big decision in April 2021 to leave my job as a teaching assistant and focus full time on my 2 businesses - teaching dance and making personalised gifts & crafts.  Both of which I have a huge passion for, and feel extremely lucky to be able to wake up every day and do a job I love.  It isn't always easy, and being self employed I don't think you ever really get a "day off" - you're always answering mesages or thinking  up the next idea.  But I am lucky that I can work my jobs around my boys and my health which took a bit of a knock the past few years.  I now feel happy and positive and my aim is just to keep going, allowing my creative side to flow in both my businesses and to make people smile through doing what I do!

 

I currently teach 5 classes a week, 2 in venue and 3 online.  I am very lucky to have such a loyal group of dancers who have in the main stayed with me throughout Lockdown and continue to come to class each week.  I have also gained some new dancers along the way through my online teaching and I love that I get to teach women who may live several hours away and wouldn't ordinarily be able to access my classes in venue.  I have the best of both worlds!

 

This week I am teaching some seated exercise and gentle dance in 2 sheltered housing schemes, and next month in addition to my usual classes I am also teaching a veil workshop too.  I don't tend to sign up for as many performance opportunities as I did in the past, as life is so busy.  My family will always remain my priority and so the balance of juggling time away from them to perform whilst still finding time as a family on the weekends is important.  I think at the moment I have the right work/life balance to suit us and it's great!

 

 

Exciting plans for 2021

Posted on 11th November, 2020

I can't believe that since my last blog post (and it's been several months!) that we are still living with restrictions due to Coronavirus.  I was lucky that I did manage to get back to teaching "face to face" classes for a short time, and it was SO good to be back with my dancers in the same room!  The fun, the banter, the giggles... but since last week we are in "lockdown" again and therefore I am back to only teaching on Zoom again.

 

I remain hopeful that we can get one last class in at my 2 venues just before I break for Christmas, as it would be lovely to end the year on a high with my dancers.  However, before then we have the excitement of our online hafla!  It was due to take place on the 5th December at our usual venue and as this can't happen, one of my dancers has kindly offered to work her magic to bring us the hafla online instead!  It pushed me to get the class choreographies finished and filmed, plus a solo which was a very different style for me!  We are still lucky to have Sureya join us to teach a workshop during the day and be our guest performer in the evening.  Please join us!  Head on over to |Facebook and join the event page to be kept up to date with details.

 

I am excited to release my Advanced dancer programme for January 2021 - please click on the tab and have a reaad if this intrerests you!  I want to invest more time into my own dancing next year and work on improving my arms and my posture and explore new music.

 

What are your dance goals for 2021?  What have been your best bits of  2020? I would love to know!

Dancing through a Pandemic

Posted on 14th May, 2020

Well... what a strange 8 weeks it has been so far, in "lockdown".  So much has changed in the world, since the arrival of Covid-19, and many lives lost.  However, there has also been positives that have come out of this - communities pulling together, families connecting more whether that be by social media, virtual chats or dropping off essentials to them.  It has allowed families time together and as a Mom as well as a dance teacher, it has meant some tough days as well as some lovely ones!  Trying to home school has its challenges, and it was a steep learning curve on how to teach dance online too! 

 

It was important for both my own mental well being and that of my dancers to get classes up and running.  The feedback I got from my dancers after the first few weeks was so heart warming, and spurred me to carry it on.  It isn't easy teaching online, there's lots to consider such as where you stand, can you be seen clearly, can you be heard ok, and is the music a reasonable volume, not to mention the whole mirror image confusion to contend with!

 

Having said all that, I have enjoyed teaching online far more than I anticipated!  It has allowed us to go back to basics, get stuck into technique and explore new moves that I wouldn't usually add into my usual classes.  It has given me something positive to focus on, and even on the bad days, when there have been tears, I have had to pick myself up and find my "dance mojo" and I think it has helped me to push on through.

 

How long this will go on for... who knows?  There seems signs of things starting to re-open as we move into the next phase but I still think it will be a while yet before groups are able to meet in an ennclosed setting to socialise & exercise.  So for now, we will shimmy on via the power of Zoom!  

 

 

 

New year, same love for dance

Posted on 6th January, 2020

Happy new year 2020!  

Wow.. how the years fly by... I can still remember 2011 like it was yesterday, heavily pregnant and then delivering our boys just before Christmas - how has that been 8 years! Since then life had been chaotic but full of amazing experiences and surrounded by love and support from family and friends.

 

I have really enjoyed a break from dance - I think we all need time out to re-charge our batteries and give time to other things in our lives that sometimes get neglected.  Tonight is my first class back of the year and silly as it sounds I always get a few butterflies in my tummy after a break, to get back into the swing of technique, combinations, creating choreography and hopefully welcoming some new dancers along with all my lovely regular ladies who I have missed!

 

It's a great time to think about our dance goals for the year ahead.  I am not a fan of "New year resolutions" as I feel they soon get forgotten or broken, leading to a sense of failure!  Instead, I like to think about what I can work towards that will help me to grow as a Mom, wife and dancer.  I managed more little snippets of dance practise in 2019 than ever before, and this is something I want to continue.  Whether it be literally improvising to one track whilst I run a bath for the boys, or managing a good 1 hour + session in my dance room - every little helps!  I have worked hard with my arm placement and fluidity too and want to keep this as a focus, along with strengthening my core and working on a good dance posture, as this is an area I sometimes let slip!  I still need to continue to strengthen my knee, and realising my limitations and not pushing my body to the limit.

 

I am excited to start to choreograph a new dance for my class and for a solo that I have in mind... I have a couple of hafla performances booked in so that will be something to focus on, and of course our hafla in May sounds ages away but it soon comes round!

 

Lots to work on, lots of exciting events to attend and lots of fun to be had in class too!

 

 

All I want for Christmas is...

Posted on 9th December, 2019

I am still coming down from the adrenaline filled evening at the hafla on Saturday - what a great night!  I was so pleased to see the room bustling with guests, stalls set up, an amazing array of raffle prizes... and then to top it all we raised £1323!  An amazing total - made up of the hafla money plus £50 from 2 of my dancers who were sponsored by family and friends, plus £133 from another lovely dancer who sold her handmade crafts at the hafla and donated 100% of the money.  What kind and generous dancers I have!  I am thrilled to be able to donate this amount to Redditch Nightstop just in time for Christmas.

 

I just loved ending the night with my all time favourite Christmas song "All I want for Christmas is you" and what started as a solo lead into a "flash mob" with all my ladies joining me on the dance floor. Magical!

 

I feel tired now and know my body needs a break for a few weeks.  My knee is just about holding up with support, so I need to rest over Christmas and try and ease myself back in gently in January.

 

I have lots of plans in the pipe line for 2020 - we already have Alexis booked in to teach a workshop in February, and another fabulous drumming workshop with Fulya in April, plus I am performing in a burlesque show ( a first for me!) and am booked to teach a workshop for Fulya in June on the day of her next hafla.  I need to think about what I want to work on and achieve as a dancer and as a teacher as we enter a new year and a new decade!

 

I want to wish all my dance friends a magical Christmas  - eat, drink, be merry and dance on the tables!!  See you in the new year & thank you for all your support.

Sizzling summer dance vibes!

Posted on 29th July, 2019

I am loving these few weeks of sunshine - long may it continue!  I woke this morning to find the sun streaming in through my dance room windows and it looked so inviting that I actually couldn't wait to settle down on my yoga mat and do my knee exercises whilst listening to some Arabic tunes! 

 

The sunshine makes me happy but so does my dancing and I have really tried to make an effort the past month to fit in tiny slots of dance time even if it is just grabbing 5-10 minutes.  Sometimes these initial 5 minutes have lead to half an hours dance practise and at other times a quick track or two is all I have time for, but I am now taking the stance that any practise is better than no practise!  

 

I am trying to work on my arms and hands more, that's my focus for August, with my goal to have stronger and more fluid arm movements and pretty hand ripples!  It's good to have a focus to work on, along with 2 new choreographies for my hafla in December, so lots to keep me busy!

 

What are your goals as a dancer for August? I'd love to know!  

Refreshed and motivated!

Posted on 3rd June, 2019

After another successful hafla and a week off in Devon for some family time, I am back and ready to crack on with class choreo's and work on my own dancing too!

 

I always feel better after a little break away from everything - a chance to unwind and not have the daily stresses that life can bring!  I have my new Tuesday class starting this week which seems popular judging from the amount of messages I have had - some of my Monday ladies wanting to swap to the Tuesday as the later time suits them better, and a few dancers wanting to do both, so I am expecting a good turn out Tuesday - fingers crossed!

 

I have chosen the music for both class choreographies for this term - both very different which is always refreshing for me, and both brand new routines that I need to get on with.  I feel inspired and raring to go - I just need to find the time in the day to get in my dance room and play around with some ideas!

 

I am also looking forward to teaching a workshop in a few weeks time on how to create a choreography - I love helping dancers on their journey and any tips and advice that I can offer I will happily share.  

 

Off to work on class drills and combos now!

Challenges & trying to overcome them

Posted on 25th April, 2019

Everyone loves a challlenge, right?! I think it depends...Some dancers really enjoy being challenged and pushed to achieve harder choreography, more precise technique, better posture etc, whereas others feel overwelmed and a sense of failure if they don't "get it" after a few classes.  Therefore it is so hard for me as a dance teacher to find that balance - how much can I push my dancers but still keep it fun without adding unnecessary stress?

 

This term both my classes have tackled difficult choreography, and while I have seen some dancers flourish and really enjoy the challenge, others seem a bit dispondent and slightly stressed out by the technique or footwork or the prop that doesn't want to play ball!  

 

I would never intentionally want to stress out or discourage any of my dancers, but it's important for me to occasionaly throw a routine into the mix where it does take some added effort or technique, as I need to make sure I cater for all abilities of dancer - this is the problem sometimes with mixed ability classes.  What I would say to those who are struggling with parts of the dance here and there is the following:

 

1. Practise, practise, practise!  If you want to crack it, then the best thing you can do is practise at home.  I know how hard it can be to grab time for 'you' when juggling work, children, running a house etc, but try and find even 5 or 10 minutes to give to your dance - this might be just watching the video clip I send out, or listening to the music on the way to work in the car, or grabbing your prop and practising that certain move or combination over and over for 10 times in a row!! It doesn't always have to mean dancing the dance from start to finish.  Focus on the bit you are struggling with.

 

2.  Don't let it stress you.  This is meant to be fun, and the last thing I want is for you to be worrying or stressing about a dance to the point where you lose the enjoyment.  I love the fact that you want to get it right, and from a self confessed perfectionist, I know how we can beat ourselves up if we make mistakes, but this dance should be about a group of dancers coming together to do what they enjoy, have fun and show what they have been working on the past few months.  You are not selling yourselves as professional belly dancers so don't think your performance has to be perfect.  Just do the best you can do and enjoy it!

 

3.  Consider booking a private lesson.  I am not saying this because I want to be quids in (!) but I have had several of my dancers book in with me lately, all to work on different elements of the dance, and I can't tell you how beneficial this is to them.  That quality time is ideal for me to be able to scrutinise their technique (In a good way!) and offer tweaks or tips on how to overcome problems.  They all leave feeling more positive, with things to practise and implement into their dance.

 

So to all dancers - take that challenge and work with it, aim high and do your best.  But never lose the enjoyment you get from your dancing!

Another Christmas comes round!

Posted on 30th December, 2018

Oops... a whole year since my last "blog" post!  I think social media is a lot to blame for that - I use Facebook and Instragram daily whereas it is more effort to get my laptop out and edit my website!

 

Christmas is always a time for relfection and I have had an up & down year dance-wise!  a knee injury meant that for the first time in my dance history I couldn't perform at my own hafla in May which left me feeling frustrated and sad!  I am at my happiest when i am performing, and it has taken months of rest, physio and pain relief to get it to about 80% where is needs to be.  I know it is still weak, but I am just happy that it is going in the right direction and that hopefully will continue to get stronger.

 

However, there have still been some great dance events I have attended - both dancing solo and with my performance troupe Eastern promise.  I really enjoyed choreographing some new routines in very different styles of dance - "Chaiyya Chaiyya" will probably be one of my all time favourite Bollywood routines as I love the music and the meaning behind the lyrics.

 

As we go into 2019 I am looking forward to dedicating more time on my solo dancing - it means giving myself a kick up the bum to practise as i am lazy when it comes to my own dance development, but i am already booked into a few workshops to look forward to!  I am also working on a duet with the lovely Lynne Chapman which will hopefully be ready to perform by May.  

 

Wishing all my dancers a happy & healthy new year for 2019 and here's to lots more shimmies and smiles along the way!

 

 

 

Merry Christmas!

Posted on 24th December, 2017

Another Christmas is upon us!  I do love having a bit of time out oover Christmas but because of the snow we had this year which disrupted class, it feels like I haven't danced properly in ages!

 

My dance room is currently full of Christmas presents and general junk that has been dumped there in an attempt to keep the rest of the house tidy, so I will be itching to blitz it and crack on with some dance practise in the new year!

 

It has been a lovely year dance-wise, lots of fun & laughter in class, some great choreographies thought up & learnt by you all, plus I have enjoyed some lovely performances, with my highlight being dancing a drum solo to Lynne Chapman drumming for me, a first for both of us!

 

This year has also seen classes being a bit quieter in numbers, which is always a shame, but I can only hope that come the new year, some old faces may return to shimmy with us again along with some newbies too!

 

Merry Christmas to you all x