Being fit

This fall I am going to be teaching classes at the Academy of Art in San Francisco! They are undertaking an admirable effort to incorporate well-being into their arts curriculum. The recreation director, Sarah, has the task of motivating the arts students to pursuing a well-balanced and healthy lifestyle in addition to excelling in their fields. They want their students to graduate not only with skills and talent in art, but also to be able to take care of themselves and work on a team. As a dance instructor, it is my job to motivate the students in this and demonstrate that I can be a dance artist and be fit. I applaud the Academy of Art for making this a part of their education!

I was asked some questions about my view of my dance and fitness. Below are my musings:

Name three qualities of a healthy, balanced person. works hard, plays hard, rests hard

How do these qualities relate to being an artist? To grow in your art requires discipline. You have put time into your art, but need to also rest and find joy in other things. Those other things could be unexpected sources of inspiration!

What's the coolest thing you've seen one of your students do in your class? Independently add her own move or style to the music! This shows me that she's owning it and enjoying it.

What do you say to someone who doesn't have time to workout? Multitask! Walk to the grocery store, take the stairs, go out dancing with friends, clean the apartment! All of these things burn calories and keep your body ticking. You can always squeeze in 10 minutes of stretching, or 5 minutes of jump rope, lunges, and burpees. Invite a friend to join you. You'll be surprised how many of your friends will say "I've been wanting to do that too." They'll be thankful to you for making the suggestion.
Why do you love your sport/activity? I love love love Arabic music. It takes me away on a magic carpet which loops and glides and soars! I love discovering new ways to convey the music with my movements. Of course I also love the sparkly outfits and dramatic make-up. Getting ready for a show is a transformative process for me.

What has your sport/activity taught you? It has taught me what "fit" means to me and my body. It's different for everybody. For some people that is muscular, for some it is slim, for some it is voluptuous. As long as you don't have to punish or abuse your body to maintain your shape, you are fit. It has also taught me how to let loose and enjoy the moment. The most important thing in belly dance is to enjoy yourself. You can say that is the most important thing in life too!

And how have you applied that lesson to other parts of your life? Being fit and enjoying life are both holistic approaches to living. I can eat french fries, drink margaritas, and stay up all night once in a while without guilt because they don't contradict my view of being fit and enjoying life. I may balance these activities with taking care of business and taking care of myself through exercise and healthy eating.

Economic stimulus

I just got this funny email from a good friend of mine about the upcoming stimulus checks many of us will receive from the government. It made me LOL! It's one of those rare political jokes that I think would appeal to both conservatives and liberals alike. I'm including it below along with a quick little addendum by yours truly. Enjoy!

Some time this year, we taxpayers will receive an Economic Stimulus payment. This is a very exciting new program. I will explain it using the Q and A format:

Q. What is an Economic Stimulus payment?

A. It is money that the federal government will send to taxpayers.

Q. Where will the government get this money?

A. From taxpayers.

Q. So the government is giving me back my own money?

A. Only a smidgen.

Q. What is the purpose of this payment?

A. The plan is that you will use the money to purchase a high-definition TV set, thus stimulating the economy.

Q. But isn't that stimulating the economy of China ?

A. Shut up.

Below is some helpful advice on how to best help the US economy by spending your stimulus check wisely:
• If you spend the stimulus money at Wal-Mart, the money will go to China .
• If you spend it on gasoline, your money will go to the Arabs.
• If you purchase a computer, it will go to India .
• If you purchase fruit and vegetables, it will go to Mexico , Honduras and Guatemala ..
• If you buy a car, it will go to Japan .
• If you purchase useless stuff, it will go to Taiwan .
• If you pay your credit cards off, or buy stock, it will go to management bonuses and they will hide it offshore.

Instead, keep the money in America by:
1. spending it at yard sales, or
2. going to ball games, or
3. spending it on prostitutes, or
4. beer or
5. tattoos.
6. Or taking belly dancing classes with Andrea! ;)

(These are the only American businesses still operating in the US .)

Dynamic Dancing

On Saturday April 18th I taught a great workshop at Elana's Solstice studio in Santa Rosa. The topic of the workshop was Dynamic Dancing and I think it is a workshop that all belly dance performers could benefit from! I taught different ways for a dancer to change her mood and movements in order to convey more of a spectrum of emotions. The most memorable performances are those where the dancer is dynamic, or conveys more of an emotional spectrum. If you put more of yourself out there, the audience can feel it and connect with you! Too often, unfortunately, a performer will convey just one emotion or one side of her. I started the class by asking the students how they would describe the female experience. They came up with a great list!

• sensuous
• flirty
• mysterious
• elegant
• powerful
• nurturing
• soft
• creative
• strong
• playful
  
• sad
• longing
• passionate
• joyful
• energetic
• drama
• comical
• sexy
• romantic
  

And that's just scratching the surface! Now, I'm not saying that a dancer has to be all of the above for each performance. You have to know your music and know your audience. For instance, you probably aren't going to pull out the "sexy" you at a kid's birthday party or the "sad" you at a wedding! But, if you have a spectrum of music then definitely convey a spectrum of emotions. Be playful, flirty, elegant, sexy, and romantic at the wedding performance. Be comical, energetic, longing, and creative at the restaurant show. Be powerful, flirty, sexy, and joyful during your drum solo. If you are a powerful dancer, then show the audience your soft and tender side as well. If you are a coquettish dancer, the show the audience your powerful side as well. If you are a playful dancer, show the audience your dramatic side as well. You get the picture.

Bellydance at its best encapsulates the full female experience! Tap into your spectrum of experience and emotions and put it out there to move your audience. They will be awed by what they see!

Rags to Riches

So like I said before, I have a lil troupe and we're called the RaqStars. "Raqs" means dance in Arabic and I don't mind explaining that to people who don't know. I just like the sound of it: RAQSTARS! The name conjures confidence, glamor, high energy, fun--just like us. I'm fortunate to have such fun, sweet, and dedicated ladies in my troupe. We work the name and own it. I just love saying at our rehearsals, "OK RaqStars let's get ready!" or "Calling all RaqStars to the dance floor!" It tickles me.

And now the good news: The RaqStars and I have the privilege of performing in Dance Mission Theater's Choreographer's Showcase on March 13 and 14! I'm putting together a piece that will showcase classic Egyptian music and dance as well as modern and punchy music and moves--all in only 10 minutes! I was going to call the piece "Classic Meets Modern" but recent unexpected events have necessitated a change...

Which leads me to the not so good news: The lovely people at Dance Mission Theater mistakenly listed my troupe as Andrea's Ragstars. Yes, Rag stars. Grrrr. Sometimes I think I'm too clever for my own good. Here I was thinking "I'll get to tell people about the play on words in Arabic and English." Now I'll have to add to that "It should be Raq but there's a typo." Real. Clever. Not. The most hilarious part is that hundreds of postcards with this typo will be distributed. (In case you couldn't tell, that was sarcasm.)

After moments of fury and my dad talking me down, I've decided to own the typo and have fun with it. So now our piece is called "Rags to Rockstars;" as in the post card says Rags but at the show we will present you with the Raqstars. No we are not going to dance with rags or do anything that has to do with rags or riches. It's just my way of trying to correct a typo and turn it into a funny story. I'm creating a memory here, for good or bad, because life's too short to be angry over something like this. Thanks to my dad for teaching me this.

So come watch us on March 13th and 14th as we transform ourselves from rags to RAQSTARS! Peace!

Still glowing

So far I've produced 3 RAQ THE HOUSE events and they just keep getting better and better! The last one on January 25th was a ginormous success. And on top of that the performers and audience were so gracious and wonderful. I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to perform with them! And my troupe members are the bomb, too. They are the most dedicated, inspired, and sweet ladies around.

RaqStars Choreography

Wow! So much has happened since my last post! I'm just going to dive into the stuff that's been at the forefront of my brain...

So I have a troupe now and we are called the RaqStars. In case you didn't know, raqs means 'dance' in Arabic. Our name is a play on words! I love it! I think we should do a performance one of these days with stars painted on our faces like Paul Stanley from KISS. What's more rock than that? It's on!

Anyway, we had our debut performance last Sunday at my new monthly event called "Raq The House" at Tannourine. My girls busted their buns learning the choreography and technique and indeed we did Raq The House. We had so much fun coming up with names for the moves in our routine. There are very few standardized or formalized names to belly dance moves. Sure, everyone knows what a shimmy is, but one dancer's "undulation" is another dancer's "camel". Throughout the rehearsal process, we had to come up with ways to identify the steps and here is the choreography in its entirety:

Habbousu by Hakim
Fabulous Opening
Charlie's Angels
Veil Toss
Chorus
Step Touch
Ya Sidi
Head Slide
Wax On
Wax Off
Swish Swish
Jab
Jabby Jab
The Marilyn
Bouncy Circles
Upper Body Walk
Quick Change
Beauty Sleep
Punch the Walls
Push the Head
Forward and Back
Big Sensuous Circle
Chorus
[repeat]
Finale
Money Shot

There it is! Feel free to try and reproduce it!

What would Andrea do?

Jerusalem is a beautiful city with some pretty amazing historical sites. It has very high spiritual significance for Christians, Muslims, and Jews. The hotel I stayed in was conveniently located across the street from the Old City which is enclosed by an ancient wall. Inside the Old City there is a Muslim Quarter, Jewish Quarter, Christian Quarter, and Armenian Quarter. The rest of Jerusalem is pretty much Jewish. Much of the cultural flavor of Jerusalem is provided by the Orthodox Jews that live in Jerusalem. You can easily spot them by the large black hats, long beards, tassels on the corners of their shirts, and overgrown sideburns. Not the most flattering or chic ensemble, but I suppose that fashion isn't the point.

I loved wandering through the zig-zaggy streets of the Old City. Religious monuments come crawling out of the woodwork! My first day in Jerusalem, I had coffee in Pontius Pilate's home. (It's now a souvenir shop.) I played Jesus, walking along Via Dolorosa and stopping at the stations of the cross. I walked into the Chapel of the Flagellation, where Jesus was tormented by gassy Roman soldiers. I visited the Tomb of the Virgin Mary, where a I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Let me explain: everyone in the Mediterranean/North African/Middle Eastern area of the world thinks I'm Egyptian! I know I look the part and I don't blame them for making the assumption. In fact I think it's fun to make people guess where I'm from and I enjoy the looks of incredulousness when I tell them my ethnic background! But at the Tomb of the Virgin Mary the priest named my ethnicity and the city I live in on the first guess! It must have been Divine Intervention. I might have said one sentence to him ("Do I have to take my shoes off?") and on my way out of the church he said "You are Mexican. From San Francisco." Then he handed me an autographed poster of the the Mary.

I continued up the Mount of Olives and gazed at the view of Old City from the outside, crowned by the golden dome of Al Aqsa mosque.