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Friday, March 27, 2009

Tribal Fusion 5-week series :: class 4 notes

Here is a recap of yesterday's class:
1. Warm up
2. Review of each movement
3. Introduce new movements:
- 3/4 shimmy = walking, right foot steps as right hip lifts up 2x, then left foot steps as left hip lefts up 2x; continue "walking".
- hip drops = begin with a twist with the downbeat on the back of the right hip; set the hips on auto-pilot, step the right foot forward about 3 inches and lift the heel, pivot your entire body to the left diagonal; continue.
- undulations up to down = contracting the upper back to lift the chest, the contract the upper abs to drop the chest, then contract the lower abs, and release; continue.

Choreography to "Cybele"...
- Horizontal Figure 8, front to back. 8 of them (right and left side counts as 1). On the 2nd, 4th, and 6th ones, add a sharp right hip accent up-down-up.
- Turkish shimmy. 4 of them (front and back counts as 1). (start time = 00:48)
- Turkish shimmy with quarter turns. 4 of them.
- Pivot Bump Doubles. (2xfront, 2xback, 2xfront, 2xback). (start time = 1:01)
- Turkish shimmy half turns. 4 of them, leaving you facing the back. (start time = 1:08)
- Hip singles, down beat left. 4x right hip down to face front. (start time = 1:15)
- Hip singles, down beat left. 2x right hip down, level change down. 2x right hip down, level change up.
- Hip singles, down beat left. grapevine feet pattern, traveling right. 8x right hip down.
- Choo Choo traveling left with left hip leading for 8 counts.
- continue with Choo Choo, traveling in small circle in your dance space for 8 counts.
- Single-hipped Figure 8 in place right hip. 4 counts. (start time = 1:35)
- Choo Choo leading with right hip, circle around over right shoulder. 8 hip bumps total.
- Single-hipped Figure 8 in place left hip. 4 counts.
- Choo Choo leading with left hip, circle around over left shoulder. 8 hip bumps total.
[PAUSE both arms up] Time = 1:50
- Propeller Turn. Turn on count 4, decorate drum accent with chest lift up-down-up. (start time = 1:54)
- Propeller Turn. repeat.
- Egyptian Basic 4x. (start time = 2:14)
- Egyptian half turns 4x.
- Hip drops, pivot on left leg to face front. 4 counts to face front, then 4 counts facing front. (start time = 2:27)
- 3/4 shimmy walking forward for 8 counts. (start time = 2:35)
- Undulations up to down, circle to the right for 8 counts. (start time = 2:37)
- Single-hipped Figure 8 in place right hip. 8 counts.
- Undulations up to down, circle to the left for 8 counts.
- Single-hipped Figure 8 in place left hip. 8 counts.
- Undulations up to down, circle to the right for 8 counts.
- Continue with Undulations up to down, walking forward for 8 counts. Raising arms up into flamenco position (left arm back) on counts 7,8.
- Finale: (hip and chest accents) double hip down, chest lift down and up.


The music for "Cybele" can be found in iTunes, under the artist "Solace", in the "Sha Waza" album: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=257814522&s=143441
[Note: You need to have iTunes installed and have an iTunes account to purchase the music.]


Next Thursday is our last class for the series. We will cover some new material... yes, adding on to this choreography!

Have a great weekend and see you next week!
lily

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Tribal Fusion 5-week series :: class 3 notes

Single-hipped figure 8 - Start with body at a 45 degree diagonal, arms in flamenco position. The hip facing the audience will dip back/down, scoop up, back to center, dip front/down, and scoop up back to center.

Propeller turn (modified) - Start with both arms overhead. 1.) Drop the right arm to hip height and slide your hip to the right, then raise it again. 2.) Then do the same with the left arm and slide your hip to the left. 3.) Drop the right arm again. 4.) Cross your right foot over your left and pivot in place, dropping the left arm down to hip level as you turn to the back. As you come around to the front again, sweep the left arm up, end with both arms up.

Egyptian Basic - Step on the ball of the right foot, twisting the right hip up/forward, then drop it back (1-2), and repeat on the left (3-4). Try to accentuate the natural swivel in your hips as you change weight from side to side: this will give the step more shape. Arms are overhead with elbows back. The arm on the same side as the hip that's working will be pulled back slightly; the effect will look like your hands are making an X overhead. Shoulders and torso face front.

Egyptian Half Turn - Start with the Egyptian Basic: Step on the ball of the right foot, twisting the right hip up/forward (1), then drop it back (2), and then step the left foot on 3 and twist the left hip up; as you release the left foot, turn by stepping back with the left foot on 4 and pivoting over the left shoulder, ending with the right foot ready for 1. Turn back to the front on 4 again.

Correction!
So, I've been calling the movement we did "Reach and Sit", which is actually incorrect. That movement is actually called Pivot Bump Doubles.
Here is the description again:
Pivot Bump Doubles - The right hip goes up twice to the front, then up twice to the back. Right arm up, left arm forward when right hip is front, right arm forward and left arm up when hip goes back.


Continuation of Choreography to "Cybele".
- Horizontal Figure 8, front to back. 8 of them (right and left side counts as 1). On the 2nd, 4th, and 6th ones, add a sharp right hip accent up-down-up.
- Turkish shimmy. 4 of them (front and back counts as 1). (start time = 00:48)
- Turkish shimmy with quarter turns. 4 of them.
- Pivot Bump Doubles. (2xfront, 2xback, 2xfront, 2xback). (start time = 1:01)
- Turkish shimmy half turns. 4 of them, leaving you facing the back. (start time = 1:08)
- Hip singles, down beat left. 4x right hip down to face front. (start time = 1:15)
- Hip singles, down beat left. 2x right hip down, level change down. 2x right hip down, level change up.
- Hip singles, down beat left. grapevine feet pattern, traveling right. 8x right hip down.
- Choo Choo traveling left with left hip leading for 8 counts.
- continue with Choo Choo, traveling in small circle in your dance space for 8 counts.
- Single-hipped Figure 8 in place right hip. 4 counts. (start time = 1:35)
- Choo Choo leading with right hip, circle around over right shoulder. 8 hip bumps total.
- Single-hipped Figure 8 in place left hip. 4 counts.
- Choo Choo leading with left hip, circle around over left shoulder. 8 hip bumps total.
[PAUSE both arms up] Time = 1:50
- Propeller Turn. Turn on count 4, decorate drum accent with chest lift up-down-up. (start time = 1:54)
- Propeller Turn. repeat.



The music for "Cybele" can be found in iTunes, under the artist "Solace", in the "Sha Waza" album: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=257814522&s=143441
[Note: You need to have iTunes installed and have an iTunes account to purchase the music.]


Hope to see some of you this weekend at The Gathering show!!
Lily

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Suhaila in Austin

Hi ladies,
There is a great belly dance show this coming Saturday (where I will be dancing with fellow Sabaya member Yasmin), March 28th. Details...

Saturday, March 28th, 7 PM - DINNER AND A SHOW
at Copa Bar and Grill in downtown Austin on Congress Ave. between 2nd and 3rd. Paid parking lot conveniently located behind the club; street parking also available. Doors open 7:00pm
Showtime 7:45pm - 9:45pm
Tickets available at the door $10 (show only)
Seating on a first come, first served basis. Food and beverages available for purchase from Ararat.
Stay after the show for salsa dancing!

If you are interested in taking some workshops from the master teacher Suhaila Salimpour, check out the options here: http://suhaila.eventbrite.com/

Friday, March 20, 2009

Tribal Fusion 5-week series :: class 2 notes

Not sure if you can tell or not... not matter what has happened during the day or what circumstance I just came from, I'm happiest teaching dance. Thank you for staying late!

Here is what we did in Class 2...

1. Review of last week's 3 main movements:
- Turkish shimmy
- Horizontal figure 8 (front to back)
- Reach and sit

2. All kinds of toning and stretch exercises.

3. Hip singles down beat right (Ups) - the right hip is up on the down beat (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.).
- speed changes: slow, medium, and fast
- level changes: flat foot, releve (on your toes), squatted.
- weight changes: jazz posse right (all of your weight is on the left foot, right foot pointed and lifted off the floor next to the left ankle), jazz posse left (all of your weight is on the right foot, left foot pointed and lifted off the floor next to the right ankle).

4. Hip singles down beat left (Downs)- the left hip is up on the down beat (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.)... do the same speed, level, and weight changes as specified above.

5. Hip singles down beat left, grapevine feet pattern (starting with right feet crossing over the left), traveling right.

6. Hip Bump - Hands in flamenco stance (right arm straight back and left arm forward and slightly curved). Body faces forward; weight is on the right leg (back leg) and the left foot is on releve.

7. Choo Choo - Continuing from the "Hip Bump" position and traveling to the right, every time your right hip is up, right foot presses against the floor. By transferring the weight between your feet you can shuffle your feet towards the right. The Choo Choo can also be performed on the left: left hip up when the left foot presses against the floor.

8. Turkish half turns - Starting with the Turkish shimmy, pivot on the left foot on count 4 to face the back; repeat again to face the front, etc.

9. Continuation of Choreography to "Cybele".
- Horizontal Figure 8, front to back. 8 of them (right and left side counts as 1). On the 2nd, 4th, and 6th ones, add a sharp right hip accent up-down-up.
- Turkish shimmy. 4 of them (front and back counts as 1).
- Turkish shimmy with quarter turns. 4 of them.
- Reach and sit. 4 of them.
- Turkish shimmy half turns. 4 of them, leaving you facing the back.
- Hip singles down beat left. Use 8 counts to face front.
- Hip singles down beat left. In place for 8 counts.
- Hip singles down beat left, grapevine feet pattern, traveling right for 8 counts.
- Choo Choo traveling left for 8 counts.

Have a great weekend and look forward to seeing you next Thursday!
Lily

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Austin Belly Dance Convention June 5-7, 2009

Here is the information for the Austin Belly Dance Convention. I will be there part-taking in workshops and teaching one. Hope to see you there! - Lily.




The ABDC 2009, June 5-7 2009: abdc.eventbrite.com/

This is a very exciting year, featuring artists YASMINA RAMZY and drummer SULEIMAN WARWAR. Not only will Suleiman accompany Yasmina during her workshops and performances, he will be teaching two doumbek classes!

Also included in the RED HOT DEAL: specialy class offerings with six different instructors, two fantastic show line ups, an open stage on Saturday, and shopping, shopping, shopping! Or, you can go a-la-cart according to your tastes.

Friday, March 13, 2009

Tribal Fusion Bellydance 5-week Series Class 1

Hi Ladies,

Thanks for a great first class of the drum solo series!
Here is a recap of what we covered...
1. Warm up!
2. Internalize the hip movement of:
- Hip singles up/down.
- Hip out (sway).
3. Choo choo shimmy - hip singles to a faster speed, on toes.
4. Three-quarter shimmy - hip singles up-down-up on one side, then on the other.
5. Turkish shimmy (of the American Tribal Style vocabulary) - facing forward, step the right foot in front of the left; at the same time arms swing over to the right side (This is count 1). Left foot steps in place on count 2. Right foot steps back to starting position as arms swing over to the left side (This is count 3). Left foot steps in place on count 4.

To add a quarter turn with the turkish shimmy, we would pivot on the left foot on count 4.

6. Reach and Sit - Facing the left diagonal, step with the right foot and press the right hip up 2x, then release the foot. Right arm is over head and left arm is shoulder height extended but curved forward slightly. This is counts 1,2.
Continue to face the left diagonal, step the right foot behind you and press the right hip up 2x, then release the foot. Right arm lowers and is at shoulder height and left arm raises over head. This is counts 3,4.

7. Horizontal Figure 8, front to back - Right hip presses to the front right diagonal, wraps around to the back right diagonal; then left hip takes over to press towards the front left diagonal, wraps around to the back left diagonal.

The music we are dancing to is "Cybele" from the "Sha'waza" album by Solace. You can find the music on iTunes. The choreography so far is:
- Horizontal Figure 8, front to back. 8 of them (right and left side counts as 1). On the 2nd, 4th, and 6th ones, add a sharp right hip accent up-down-up.
- Turkish shimmy. 4 of them (front and back counts as 1).
- Turkish shimmy with quarter turns. 4 of them.
- Reach and sit. 4 of them.

Look forward to seeing you next week!
Lily

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Atash at Sahara Nights


Sabaya is beefing up this month's Sahara Nights with the world fusion sounds of Atash. See you there this Saturday!

Friday, March 6, 2009

Tribal fusion belly dance class 8 - final one of the series

Hi ladies,

Thanks for a great final class of the series. Here is a recap of what we did:

1. Quick stretch, minus the toning exercises (sorry Caitlin! ). We'll get to do more of that in the next series!)

2. Review of all the movements we've covered in class and explore ways of modifying:

  • Egyptian Basic: Arms are straight up, twisting at the hip, slightly lower the same elbow as that side hip twists up.

  • Egyptian half-turn: Start with regular Basic Egyptian, the right hip is forward on count 1, right foot steps back on count 2, then left hip is forward on count 3; then turn by stepping back with the left foot on 4 and pivoting to the left, ending with the right foot ready for 1. Continue the movement facing back, then turning back to the front.
  • Basic Arabic: Technically, this movement is a shifting of your weight forward and back. Make comes from your legs, the pelvis/hips following along swaying back and forth.
  • Arabic hip-twist: 4-count step. 1-2 is an Arabic basic; on 3-4, step on the right and twist the hips to the right and back to the left. Arms are curved out slightly front. On 1-2, add hand floreos, turning into the center. On 3-4, the arms should stay in place, framing the torso, as the hips twist.
  • Choo Choo: Continuing from the "Hip Bump" position and traveling to the right, every time your right hip is up, your weight is on the right foot in releve. When your right hip is down, your weight is on the left foot. By transferring the weight between your feet you can shuffle your feet towards the right.
  • Choo choo arc turn: Choo-choo to the front 2 counts, bring left arm down to meet right arm in front 2 counts. Slightly raising both wrists, then pivot around to the left, bringing both hands to the left hip as you turn to the back. Sweep arms around and overhead to complete, ending with arms in starting position.
  • Taxeem: It's a vertical figure 8 without any horizontal twist at all. Drop the hip down first, then push it out and draw it up using your obliques, before switching to the other side. The movement is based on the natural movement of the hips as you walk.
  • Torso rotation: imagine a heart shape on the floor. Starting center with arms out, upper body leans forward and to the left, round out to the back, then to the right and rounds out leaning forward and to the right, finally pull back to center. Arms remain in classic tribal position, elbows up and pointing out. There is a gentle bend/flex in the arms as your torso moves around.
  • Snake arms or arm undulations: Arms at classic tribal position, gently push the right hand away and the head tils left, eyes looking to the right hand, left forearm slowly pulls in. Then left hand pushes away towards left side, head tils right, eyes looking to the left hand, right forearm slowly pulls in towards body. As you get comfortable, incorporate a subtle chest fig-8. In tribal fusion style, these arms are done slowly and controlled, incorporating shoulder rolls and extention of the finger tips. Try to keep the height of which your elbow moves at a minimum.

  • Piston Hips: start with legs hip width apart. Hips, alternating, move directly up and down.
  • Pelvic Locks: pelvis tilting back and forward. By contracting the lower abdominal, the pelvis tilts back. By contracting the lower back, the pelvis tilts forward.
  • Reverse Taxeem (a.k.a. up-to-down figure 8) or "Maya": starting with the right hip pushing up, to the far right, bringing it down and moving the weight from the right foot to the left as you bring the left hip up, to the far left, bringing it down and back to center.
  • Box: combining the Piston Hips with Pelvic Locks. In the clockwise direction: lower ab contraction, right hip up, lower back contracting, left hip up.
  • Interior Hip Circle (or "Omi"): Smoothing out the sides of the Box into one continuous motion; we get a circular motion similar to that of water swishing around in a bowl.

  • Chest:
    locks up and down
    slides side to side
    tilts side to side
    exterior circle
    interior circle, chest omi or "chomi"
  • Shoulder locks:
    forward and back
    shoulder shimmy
    up and down
    box
  • Body wave: Start by pushing the chest up and forward, then lean back and roll the movement down the spine. There are varying degrees of body waves. Start small and work towards a bigger movement. Be sure to keep the tailbone tucked and engage your abdominal muscles. Knees are bent. Arms should frame the upper body and face. The arms can accentuate the movement. At start, arms are extended forward, as chest lifts up and forward, draw hands inwards towards the body. As you lean back, push arms away from body. Cycle through as continuous movement.

  • (ATS) Camel Walk: Step with the right foot onto the balls of the feet as you press down with the right hand and raise the left hand overhead. Keeping all your weight on the right foot, bend your right knee and extend the left foot to the side. Right arm goes up and left hand reaches toward extended left foot. Straighten your right leg as you draw the left foot in, and layer an arm undulation over a small torso rotation to bring you back to center. For long lengths of time, manage your arm movement so that the hands flow gradually to their full extension.

  • Torso turn: Using the torso rotation starting right, with the initial momentum of the rotation, turn (we will use quarter turns in class) to the right by putting all your weight on the right foot and let the left foot drag behind then placed next to the right foot.

  • Level chages: Many steps can be combined with a level change, which simply means you bend your knees to lower yourself and then come back up. The slower and smoother you go, the better! For the choreography, we are pairing snake arms with a level change.

  • Lale (a.k.a. "swimmer". Pronounced "lah-lay"): Starting with a stance slightly wider than hip width apart, left toes point forward, right toes point right, reach with the right arm slowly and gracefully towards the right, keeping your hips in the same place, chest faces forward, top of head reaches to the right. 4 counts. Pivot the hips and torso so that the chest faces the floor as the left arm sweeps in a straight line along side the body towards the right wall. 2 counts. Dragging the left foot towards the right foot (weight on right), lift the torso to vertical, pushing the arms down so that hands are next to hips. 2 counts. Repeat the left side.

3. Review the "Heretic" choreography.

4. Explore ways of adapting the choreography to your liking.

Thank you for a great 8 weeks!

Next series start next Thursday. See you there!

lily

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Hi there! Just wanted to share this little clip of Unmata. Enjoy!