Bellydance Basics Mar/Apr Class 4 Notes

We did A L O T today! Typically, I break up chest locks, pelvic locks, and undulations into 3 separate classes, but you ladies were stellar and did a fantastic job picking up the material... We just were able to cover this much.

Key things to remember is that chest and pelvic LOCKS are isolated and sharp/precise movements. It's a rotation in the chest or pelvic part of the body. We're not moving this body part in a front or back direction. Also, your undulations are made of of these chest and pelvic rotations. Making these movements smooth and connected are what creates an undulation from up to down. It's a good idea to practice them connected in an "Undulation" and also separated, sharp locks into a "Broken Undulation".

Class 4. Chest Locks, Pelvic Locks, Undulations

1. Warm up
2. Drills:
while seated: chest locks, arm waves, chest circles
standing in place: pelvic lock, chest lock - pelvic lock, undulation
walking:
pelvic lock HT dbF, walking QT dbR
pelvic lock HT dbB, walking QT dbR
alternating chest lock - pelvic lock HT dbF, walking QT dbR (Step right foot for chest lock up down. Step left foot for pelvic lock front back)
undulation QT dbF, walking QT dbR
undulation HT dbF, walking HT dbR

3. New Combo:

* Undulations up to down QT, walking right QT- 4 counts

* Broken Undulation: Chest lock up down, Pelvic lock front back. Walking right QT - 4 counts


4. Review Choreography

0:10 Intro

4 x 8 counts: Arm waves & Cross Touch



* Right arm wave and right foot cross - 4 counts

* Left arm wave and left foot extends - 4 counts

* Right arm wave and left foot cross - 4 counts

* Left arm wave and right foot extends - 4 counts

* repeat




0:30 Vocal

4 x 8 counts: Hip Slides & Hip Circle



* Hip slide right - 4 counts

* Hip slide left - 4 counts

* Hip circle downbeat left clockwise - 8 counts

* repeat




4 x 8 counts: Chest Circle & Arm Waves



* Exterior chest circle downbeat front clockwise, while turning to stage right - 8 counts

* Arm waves downbeat Right - 8 counts

* Exterior chest circle downbeat front clockwise, while turning to upstage - 8 counts

* Arm waves downbeat Right - 8 counts




1:09 Theme

4 x 8 counts: Figure 8 Down to Up variations

[Facing upstage]



* Figure 8 down to up, downbeat right - 8 counts

* Figure 8 down to up, downbeat right - 8 counts



[walking ¾ T to face front]



* Figure 8 down to up, ¾ T (RLR, LRL) - 8 counts

* Figure 8 down to up, ¾ T (RLR, LRL) - 8 counts



NEW 1:29 Vocal

4 x 8 counts: Undulation & Broken Undulation in circle formation



* Undulations up to down QT, walking right QT- 4 counts

* Broken Undulation: Chest lock up down, Pelvic lock front back. Walking right QT - 4 counts

* Repeat 4 times, traveling in a group circle (facing outward from circle)



Hope you enjoyed it!
Lily

ABDC 2011 Registration

Hi there!

Have you signed up for the Austin Belly Dance Convention yet? If you haven't you should! There are so many reasons to be there:

* New venue! That's right! It'll be at the Holiday Inn Midtown, which is next to Highland Mall. The hotel has been updating its digs, so you are in for a swanky modern vibe. What a treat for us belly dancers!

* Live band! From Dallas, Texas, Badrawn will be playing some sweet classic and unexpected bellydance tunes for us during the Social Hour Show, which starts at 7pm. Get there early to get a good seat and purchase your tickets in advance.

* WORKSHOPS! Yes, we have instructors from Texas, California, and New Jersey, making this a cross-national event! It's not everyday you get all these options under one roof. There are so many different topics, offering something for the drummers, the movers-and-shakers, the thinkers, etc. Check the registration page for class times and signups: http://abdc.staceylizette.com/registration.html
In case you are wondering, yes, I am teaching one of the afternoon workshops! Join me!

* Suhaila! It's so good to have Suhaila back in Texas. She was in Houston for a brief stint last fall, but this time, not only will she be teaching her mother Jamila Salimpour's format, but she's also bringing Bal Anat for the Saturday Night Gala Show! If you don't know what Bal Anat is... you need to: http://www.suhailainternational.com/FromManyTribesOriginsofBalAnat.pdf

* Shows! Shows! Shows! It's not enough to have just a Friday night show and a Saturday night show. Let's face it. We get together once a year. We hang out. We learn... but we also want to see some fabulous dancing. So, there is also Friday Social Hour show which starts at 7pm before the Friday Gala show which starts at 8pm. There is the Saturday afternoon Performance Evaluation show, followed by the Open Stage show. In the evening, we kick off with performances at 7pm with the Saturday Social Hour show, and then for the big bang at 8pm, we have the Bal Anat Show... first time ever in Texas!

Enough of me going on and on about this event. Let's rendevous at ABDC 2011!
www.TheABDC.com

TFBD Mar/Apr Class 3 Notes

Hello Dancers!
Are you being challenged? I hope so.

Here is a super brief recap:

1. Walking creatively around the room with your finger cymbals.

2. Warm up

3. Drilling the down to up undulations.

4. Drilling ribcage down to up figure 8's.

5. New material for the choreo:

- Take the Jamila Salimpour "Goosh Step" and modified it by moving the figure 8 to a figure 8 at the ribcage. Then add walking.

- Back to front figure 8's with walking.

- Baraka


6. Choreo so far...

Time	Movement	Music	Counts	FC pattern
0:06	Wait off stage	Intro	16	none
0:11	Feet – Step touch HT dbR, then pause HT. Repeat. Torso - Wait count 1. Und d2u FT, then hip single FT dbR, pause count 4. Arms – 5th position.	Theme 1: Mizmar	2 x 8	337
0:22	Feet – Cross step HT dbR in CCW circular floor pattern. Torso – Int chest circle HT dbR CCW. Arms – 2nd position.	Theme 2: Orchestral with tambourine	2 x 8	3
0:35	Motif: R shoulder roll b2f HT. L shoulder roll f2b HT with body pivot to L diagonal. Int chest circle dbR HT (2 counts). Und u2d FT (1 count). Und d2u FT (1 count). Int chest circle dbR HT (2counts). Und u2d HT (2 counts). Right foot extends behind and drags in half circle to end crossed over left foot (3 counts). Cross Turn dbR FT (1 count). [mirror the motif]: L shoulder roll b2f HT. R shoulder roll f2b HT with body pivot to R diagonal. Int chest circle dbL HT. Und u2d FT. Und d2u FT. Int chest circle dbR HT. Und u2d HT. Left foot extends behind and drags in half circle to end cross over left foot. Cross Turn dbL FT. Arms – high 1st position.	Mizmar solo	4 x 8	3-3-3-3-1
0:58	Figure 8 b2f ET	Bass & vocal	2 x 8	355
1:10	Ribcage Goosh Step – HT dbR (ct 1-6) + Baraka (ct 78)	Mizmar & vocal	4 x 8	31313

Hope you're enjoying the finger cymbals!!!
Love it!
Lily

Bellydance Basics Mar/Apr Class 3 Notes

My oh my! We're only in week three, and already, I feel like you've come a long way. For some of you, I know the "slowness" is probably the most challenging of all. We just want to move-move-move just like our brains are going-going-going non-stop! Like I had said in class, take on this challenge of moving slowly from within... like a moving meditation.

Here's a quick recap of class today:

Class 3. Figure 8: Down to Up
1. Review

* Hip Slides
* Chest Slides
* Arm Waves
* Hip Half Circles
* Hip Circles
* Chest Circles


2. Hip Figure 8 Down to Up

* Downbeat right, ET
* Downbeat left, ET
* Downbeat right, HT
* Downbeat left, HT
* Downbeat right, ¾ T
* Downbeat left, ¾ T
* Downbeat right, HT; walking HT downbeat right
* Downbeat left, HT; walking HT downbeat left
* Downbeat right, ¾ T; walking ¾ T downbeat right
* Downbeat left, ¾ T; walking ¾ T downbeat left


KEY of shorthand:
ET - Eighth time, meaning, this movement takes 8 counts
HT - Half time, meaning, this movement takes 4 counts
3/4 T - three-quarter, meaning, right-left-right-HOLD and left-right-left-HOLD.
Downbeat right - means we start on the right
Downbeat left - means we start on the left


3. Review Choreography
0:10 Intro
4 x 8 counts: Arm waves & Cross Touch

* Right arm wave and right foot cross - 4 counts
* Left arm wave and left foot extends - 4 counts
* Right arm wave and left foot cross - 4 counts
* Left arm wave and right foot extends - 4 counts
* repeat


0:30 Vocal
4 x 8 counts: Hip Slides & Hip Circle

* Hip slide right - 4 counts
* Hip slide left - 4 counts
* Hip circle downbeat left clockwise - 8 counts
* repeat


4 x 8 counts: Chest Circle & Arm Waves

* Exterior chest circle downbeat front clockwise, while turning to stage right - 8 counts
* Arm waves downbeat Right - 8 counts
* Exterior chest circle downbeat front clockwise, while turning to upstage - 8 counts
* Arm waves downbeat Right - 8 counts


1:09 Theme
4 x 8 counts: Figure 8 Down to Up variations
[Facing upstage]

* Figure 8 down to up, downbeat right - 8 counts
* Figure 8 down to up, downbeat right - 8 counts


[walking ¾ T to face front]

* Figure 8 down to up, ¾ T (RLR, LRL) - 8 counts
* Figure 8 down to up, ¾ T (RLR, LRL) - 8 counts


Hope you enjoyed it! See you next week!
Lliy

TFBD Mar/Apr Class 2 Notes

Hello Dancers!
In this second class, we warmed up with our finger cymbals, followed by a moderate physical warmup, drilling and breakdown of the movements so far in the choreography and then introduced the new section:

Motif:
R shoulder roll b2f HT.
L shoulder roll f2b HT with body pivot to L diagonal. Int chest circle dbR HT (2 counts).
Und u2d FT (1 count). Und d2u FT (1 count).


Int chest circle dbR HT (2counts).
Und u2d HT (2 counts).
Right foot extends behind and drags in half circle to end crossed over left foot (3 counts).
Cross Turn dbR FT (1 count).

[mirror the motif]:
L shoulder roll b2f HT.
R shoulder roll f2b HT with body pivot to R diagonal. Int chest circle dbL HT.
Und u2d FT. Und d2u FT.

Int chest circle dbR HT.
Und u2d HT.
Left foot extends behind and drags in half circle to end cross over left foot.
Cross Turn dbL FT.

Arms – high 1st position.

Finger cymbals are 3's alternating with pauses, and a single on count 8.

Hopefully, you can make out the cryptic shorthand above.
See you Thursday!
Lily

Bellydance Basics Mar/Apr Class 2 Notes

Hello Ladies!
For this second class of the series, we covered Circles! Exterior circles on the horizontal plane.

Exterior Hip Half Circle

So before we even go into a full circle, let's take a look at a half circle.
1. If we start on the right, going counterclockwise, we slide our hips to the right, the round up to the front, then round over the left. You should end up on your left hip slide.
2. If we start on the

Exterior Hip Circle

1. Options for your starting side or "downbeat": front, right, left, or back. Remember that each of the sides is actually a slide and that this hip circle is like the hoola hoop around your hips. It's super important to keep your knees soft. Any time you straighten or lock your knees, there is tension in the areas that would be counterproductive to what we want to achieve.

2. Options for your timing or speed: quarter time (slow), half time (medium), and full time (fast).

3. Options for directions: clockwise or counterclockwise.

4. Options for your feet (This isn't all the options, but these are what we explored in class): One foot steps per circle, two feet per circle. Then challenge yourself by stepping on the foot opposite the hip that starts.

Then we take the circle to the chest or ribcage. The same concepts mentioned above applies to the ribcage too. Remember to keep the movements horizontal.


Here are the combinations we covered:

1. Arm waves + Step touch
The right arm waves for 4 counts as you step right foot over left. The left arm waves for 4 counts as you extend the left foot out to the left. The right arm waves for 4 counts as you step the left foot over the right. The left arm waves for 4 counts as you extend the right foot out to the right.

Repeat!

2. Hip Slide + Hip Circles
Slide the hips to the right for 4 counts, the slide the hips to the left for 4 counts.
Exterior hip circle starting left, front, right, back for 4 counts; then two faster hip circles for 4 counts.

3. Chest circle + Arm wave
Exterior chest circle starting front, right, back left with a quarter turn to the right for 8 counts. Repeat.
Arm wave right for 4 counts, arm wave left for 4 counts.


Practice these and we will work on actually pairing these movements to the phrases in the music next week!

Lily

Choreography updates to "Never Does the Light Shine on Me"

For the TFBD students performing at the upcoming Hip Circle Hafla...

Here are the updates to the 'Never Does the Light Shine on Me' choreography:

0:00	Intro:	Wait (16 cts)
0:10	Vocal:	Arabic 2 (8 cts), Arabic 3 (8 cts) Arabic 2 (8 cts), Arabic 3 (8 cts)
0:30	Beats:	Running Choo Choo 1 (8 cts), Running Choo Choo 3 (8 cts), Running Choo Choo 4 (8 cts), Running Choo Choo 1 (8 cts)
0:50	Transition:	Pose (8 cts)
0:55	Intro:	Turkish Walk facing right diagonal (16 cts), Turkish Walk (8 cts), Turkish Walk (4 cts), Turkish Walk (4 cts)
1:15	Beats:	8-Count, starting stage right (8 cts), stage left (8 cts), stage front (8 cts), walk to inner-facing circle (8 cts)
1:35	Mizmar Q/A:	Maya (8 cts) + Baraka (8 cts) Twist Step (8 cts) + Baraka (8 cts) Samiha (8 cts) + Pivot Shift Step to the next formation(8 cts)
2:05	Drum Transition:	Locks: head slide RL, Chest up down up, Rshoulder FB F, chest up drop
2:10	Vocal:	V step + V step with turns
2:30	Vocal and Violins:	X step (8 cts: QT+HT), Goosh Step traveling vertically or around yourself(8 cts) X step (8 cts: QT+HT), Goosh Step traveling horizontally or around yourself (8 cts)
2:50	no drum transition:	Taxeem with arms at (8 counts)
2:55	no drum instruments:	Turkish Back Walk facing stage right, arms up every 8 counts (3 x 8 counts)

See you at rehearsal today at 7:30!
Lily

Hip Circle Hafla is March 19th

You know this is the hippest, most happening dance venue for belly dance
students in Austin, and each show gets better and better! The Hip Circle
Hafla was created by Bahaia, Stacey-Lizette and Najla as a way to showcase
their student's performances. This year, we're excited to add Lily and her
students to the mix, as well as expanding our showcase to include an actual
hafla! That's right, we're going to rak it old school (seriously bad pun
intended) and not only have planned performances but open up the stage to
all of you to showcase your best dance moves.

The hafla will be held at the Arthur Murray Dance Studio (13343 Hwy 183
North, Suite #285) on March 19 from 7:00 to 9:00, and the cost is only $5(cash only at the door please). Doors open at 6:30 p.m., bring some food or
drinks for the potluck, and your best dancing attire (coins, sparkles and
rhinestones strongly encouraged).

The first half of the show will be performances from all four teachers and
their students, followed up by DJ Naj spinning some tunes and our live
drummers helping you figure out all those wonderful dance rhythms. So, come
practice your dance moves, perfect your shimmy, and hip drop 'til you drop!

We look forward to seeing you all there!

Bahaia
Lily
Najla
Stacey-Lizette

TFBD Mar/Apr Class 1 Notes

Hello Dancers!
After a quick warm up of the finger cymbals, we went into a real warm up and then a break down of the movements. In general, these movements aren't anything earth shattering. However, once you add the finger cymbals, you'll realize it's a lot more challenging than you thought!

Drills:
1. While seated, practice undulations, broken up into sections, then smoothed out. Vary the speed. Slow (QT), medium (HT), fast(FT).
2. Step touch with finger cymbal pattern 337.
3. Step touch and undulations with finger cymbal pattern 337.

Here is the key to the shorthand:
FT = Full time. The movement gets 1 beat. Musically, think quarter notes.
HT = Half time. The movement gets 2 beats. Musically, think half notes.
QT = Quarter time. The movements gets 4 beats. Musically, think whole notes.
dbR = down beat right
dbL = down beat left
Und = undulation
d2u = down to up
5th arm position = arms straight up over head
2nd arm position = arms straight out to the side at armpit level
Int = interior
CW = clockwise
CCW = counter-clockwise

1. Step Touch Combo:
Feet – Step touch HT dbR (step R on count 1, touch left on count 2), then pause HT (wait counts 3 and 4). Repeat other side.
Torso - Wait count 1. Und d2u FT (count 2), then hip single FT dbR (right hip up on count 3 and down on +), pause count 4.
Arms – 5th position.
Finger Cymbals - 337

2. Floating Circles Combo:
Feet – Cross step HT dbR (right foot steps over left foot on count 1, left foot steps out to left on count 2) in CCW circular floor pattern.
Torso – Int chest circle HT dbR CCW.
Arms – 2nd position.
Finger Cymbals - 3

We also started to put these two sections to the music: "Tafani" by Solace.
Hope you enjoyed it!
See you next week... we'll be drilling more movements with finger cymbals... yeah!!!
Lily
www.LilyBellydance.com

Bellydance Basics Mar/Apr Class 1 Notes

Hello Ladies!
I hope you enjoyed our first class of this new series. The music we are dancing to is "Cleopatra in New York" by Nickodemus.

Here's a recap of what we covered in class:


Class 1: Posture, Hip and Chest Slides, Arm Waves and general overview
1. Posture
• Feet flat, hip socket distance apart.
• Knees slightly bent, soft.
• Hips are squared over the ankles.
• Flat back.
• Ribcage directly over the hips.
• Shoulders relaxed down.
• Neck long.
• Chin lifted.
• Crown of the head to the sky.
• Finger tips are extensions of the arms.
• Energy throughout.
2. Hip Slides
Reminder: Keep the upper body in place.
• isolated hip slides.
o smooth and sharp.
o walking with hip slides
o walking with opposite hip slides
3. Chest Slides
Reminder: Keep the head in place.
• isolated chest slides.
o smooth and sharp
o walking with chest slides
o walking with opposite chest slides
4. Hip Slides and Chest Slides
Reminder: Keep the head in place.
• opposite hip slides with chest slides
• smooth and sharp
• walking with opposite hip slides and chest slides
5. Arm waves
• isolate shoulder, elbow, wrist, knuckle, finger tips.
• connect and smooth out the sections.
• alternate right and left arm.
• practice large arm waves.
• practice small arm waves at shoulder height.

We will start putting some movements together starting next week. You can download the music here (right-click and select Save Target As), since it's not available for purchase anywhere.

Hope you enjoyed our first class together. Looking forward to next week!
Lily
www.LilyBellydance.com