March/April bellydance series starts tomorrow!

Hello Dancers!

If you haven't signed up for the March/April series, it's not too late! There is still plenty of room.
Register here: http://www.lilybellydance.com/instruction/

We will be working with finger cymbals, learning movements from the Jamila Salimpour format, and piecing together combos into a dance.

See you Thursday! Bring your finger cymbals!

Lily
http://www.lilybellydance.com/

ChoreoCreation 2012: Class 6 Notes and Homework

Thank you all for a great 6 week series. We packed it in, but I hope you had fun! Here are the notes.

Class 6 -
Technique:
Footwork/Foot patterns
- walk
- grapevine
- cross touch
- step touch
Review:
- hip singles
- hip twists
- pelvic locks
- undulations
- hip slides
- interior hip circles
- interior chest circles
- hip figure 8's
- chest figure 8’s

Movement:
- Sidewinder

Combo:

• Sidewinder while walking (16 cts)
• Undulation up to down, kicking on count 4
• Rond de Jombe right leg on counts 5, 6
• Back turn on count 7
• Face front on count 8 for an ending pose

Group Exercise:
Take the combo above and use one of the motif manipulation techniques. Then perform it as a group. Finally, perform it as slow as possible without music.

Discussion on Choreography:
1. Exits / Endings - Explore options on ending a piece: turning and pose, walking off, etc.
2. General structure of piece: introduction, build up, climax, resolution, end


Class 6 Homework
- Continue working on your piece.
- Get inspiration by watching live dance performances.
- Book a private lesson with Lily if you are serious about completing your piece and performing it.

ChoreoCreation 2012: Class 5 Notes and Homework

Class 5 - Musicality
Technique:
Footwork/Foot patterns
- walk - step touch
Hips warm up
- hip singles
- hip slides

Hips
-Figure 8's Up to Down
-Figure 8’s Down to Up

Chest
- Figure 8’s Up to Down
- Figure 8's Down to Up

Movement:
- hip singles full time, walking half time
- figure 8 quarter time, walking quarter time
- figure 8 half time, step touch quarter time
- Lateral Bodywave
- Creature Comfort: Lateral Bodywave into undulations up to down walking backwards.

Creative:
1. Play 30 seconds of a song. Stop the music, then use the residual and continue to dance. Use 5 different types of music. Goal here is to listen and anticipate the music, continue to dance means you have to commit to the way you’re dancing.
2. Lead the dance: Pair up. Leader chooses a body part and assigns the Partner another body part. Leader leads the dancing while Partner follows with her body part. Then switch. Goal here is to learn someone else's interpretation of the music.

Class 5 Homework
MORNING PAGES
Morning Pages Topic 8 - Who are you in your "story"?

Collage - Do a collage about your character / persona in this piece.

DANCE
Continue working on WIP. Practice and commit to the movements.

REMINDER

Next class is our last in this series.

Sign up for the next series March-April when we will be focusing on tribal fusion combos with finger cymbals! Don't own a pair? No worries, Lily will have some on hand for sale and to lend. Don't like finger cymbals? You should! Being able to play the finger cymbals well is an important part of being a belly dancer! I'm pretty sure your belly dance idols are great at playing finger cymbals. So, follow their lead!

http://www.lilybellydance.com/registerTFMar.shtml

ChoreoCreation 2012: Class 4 Notes and Homework

Don't forget this Saturday, February 11th is Sahara Nights at Copa Bar and
Grill with special guest performers and musician/DJ Jef Stott from San
Francisco! Details here: http://www.sabayabellydance.com/
Hope to see you there!


Class 4 Notes
Technique:
Hips warm up
- hip singles
- hip slides
- pelvic locks
Hips
- hip squares
- interior hip circles
- alternating directions
Chest
- chest squares
- interior chest circles
- alternating directions
Arms
- tribal arms (emphasis on the downward push)

Movement:
- pelvic locks half time, walking quarter time
- pelvic locks half time, walking half time
- hip squares quarter time, walking quarter time (alternating directions)
- interior hip circles quarter time, walking quarter time (alternating
directions)
- chest squares quarter time, walking quarter time (alternating
directions)
- interior chest circles quarter time, walking quarter time (alternating
directions)
- alternating directions: hip squares quarter time, walking quarter time;
interior hip circles quarter time, walking quarter time.

Creative:
1. Given an emotion, dance your 16-count combo (from homework). Class to
guess what your emotion is.


Class 4 Homework
MORNING PAGES
Morning Pages Topic 7 - Brainstorming Web: Pick a word that describes your
piece. Then branch out with other words that come to mind.

Collage - Do a collage about your piece. This does not have to be done in
the morning. Use magazines, weekly mail flyers, newspapers, etc. Anything
that pertains to your piece.

DANCE
Continue working on your piece.

Have a great weekend!
Lily

ChoreoCreation 2012: Class 3 Notes and Homework

Class 3 - Variation and Manipulation of combo
Technique:
Footwork/Foot patterns
- walk
- step touch
Hips warm up
- hip singles
- hip twists
- pelvic locks
Hips
- hip slides
- alternating hip slides and hip singles Chest
- chest slides
- alternating chest slides and chest pivots (same as hips above but at the hip)
Movement:
- hip singles full time, walking half time (warm up)


16-count Combo:
R shoulder roll forward (12), L shoulder roll back (34), undulation up to down (56),  pelvic lock front (7), chest lock down (+), chest lock up (8).
Head slide R (1), chest slide R (2), hip slide R (3), L arm up / R arm down (56), Cross turn L over R (78)


Creative :: Dance the 16-count combo using some of the motif manipulation techniques:
- Retrograde
- Inversion
- Size
- Embellishment
- Change Plane and Levels
(Google: “16-ways to manipulate a motif” and you’ll get the rest of them!)


Class 3 Homework
MORNING PAGES
In your dance journal, write (pen to paper):
Morning Pages Topic 5 - When I think of bellydance, I see, I hear, I taste, I smell, I feel (touch)...

Morning Pages Topic 6 - What is the "story" I'm telling in this dance? Who is the character in this piece?

MUSIC
1. Listen to your music with your notebook and pen. Doodle your song.
2. Listen to your music and note sections of the song that are your "rest" periods.

DANCE
1. Create a 16-count combo that you can use for your piece. Practice it for the next class.

2. Practice dancing your piece with just feet (no arms, chest, nor hips). Determine if you are stationary too much and if you need to add traveling movements. General rule of thumb: If the music sounds like the whole band is playing or several instruments are playing together, travel. If it’s just one instrument or a singer, then stay in place.

3. Practice dancing your piece with just the arms. Notice if they stay in the same place and if they reflect the music appropriately.

4. Continue working on your piece.