On Forgetting To Mention

Reading my previous post I realized that I mentioned EVERYWHERE ELSE BUT HERE, that Tasha Rose (a.k.a. ME) and Kamala Chaand Dance Company are officially Minnesota's PREMIER FatChanceBellyDance Sister Studio and presently the only Teacher Certified ATS(r) instruction in the Twin Cities.

I am excited that there will soon be more ATS(r) instructors in MN, too...up North in my former town of residence, Pine River, my former troupe mates Noelle Anderson and Amber Hunt(Gaia Sophia) will get their TT in just a couple of weeks. At that same time, Rochester's Terri Allred will get hers and a gal from the suburbs of the Twin Cities, Crystal from the learning group Briar Patch will get hers. Lotsa ATS(r) lovin up in this hizzouse!

OK that's all I have today, I promise!

On The Studio!

I don't have much right at this moment, but I will tell you this: KCDC will be in new studio space starting this Saturday! I am holding all day Saturday classes from 9am-4:30 pm at various levels to get new dancers off on the right foot with Minnesota's premier FCBD(r) Sister Studio.

I am taking this climb slowly and steadily and have some pretty massive expansion plans that encapsulate the next two or so years. One of which is developing a dance curriculum complete with history for a fine arts credit at a local college! Big plans! Taking over the world by dancing!

I will have photos up after the weekend. I plan to have a KCDC open house NEXT weekend for our first ever Second Saturday Shimmy Soiree.

If you are a local performer (or even not local but plan to be in the Twin Cities) let me know if you want to perform...any style...drummers too! Come out and riff a drum set for eager ears and happy dancers! It will be a great time!

More details sooooooon...... YAAAAAAAYYY!!

On Stats, Starts, and Super Upsetting

I have to say that one of my favorite parts of blogging is seeing where people are visiting from. One thing I find really funny this week is that in the week I was blogging about the intensives I had over 800 hits to this blog.

Today's hit count: 4

That really made me laugh a lot!

In April I am starting weekly Saturday all day classes. I am starting out with back to back hours of level one, mixed levels drills, level two, level three and floorwork. Additionally, I plan to host open hafla nights twice monthly on Saturday nights. I am encouraging people to bring as their admission, an item for the food pantry as well as a $2 donation that will also go to the food pantry in the name of the Twin Cities Belly Dance Community.

I will have info likely tonight on my website and on the KCDC Facebook page.

In other news, Sister Studio status is on hold as we received news that on Sunday night, Mama C had her laptop stolen. I hope it is found and/or insurance is able to replace it for her or mend any repairs that may be needed. As soon as she gets it back though.....I sent my email for status first thing Saturday night when I got back to the hotel room. I don't waste time.

Back at it....oh how I long for the day when dance is my day job!

Teacher Trained!

That's all I have the emotional capacity to post for today's update. I am blessed.

Thank you Carolena for this dance gift and thank you Megha for being a mentor! Congrats to my sisters who became FCBD(R) certified today with me! You are all fabulous! And now it really begins...

On Teacher Training Day One

This day was great! I am going to say though, that this is the most taxing day, but not physically. There was a lot of quick thinking and making sure to use your knowledge and execution abilities to teach a mini class based on a movement. It was the single most nerve-wracking experience of my life when I taught in front of Carolena. I am pleased to report that the only thing she said I would need to do is project my voice a little more! I am going to make note here that I am working hard to fight off a touch of a cold that is coming over me, so I'm going to go ahead and chalk the lack of projection up to that.

I am preparing for tomorrow where, at random draw, we will all have to teach two movements to the class. I have Ghawazee Shimmy Combo and Layback. I ain't skeer'd.

On the personal side I am really loving the women I am getting to know and look forward to collaborating with them. One who I really am drawn to is Teresa Tomb, though she isn't taking Teacher Training. We got to dance with one another quite a bit during GS and I really enjoyed it. I loved making eye contact with her when dancing and got really excited each time we danced together. There are others as well who I plan to give highlight about, but I am mentioning Teresa because I sooooo wish she was at Teacher Training with us!

Also on the personal side, I am homesick. I don't know how Mama C and Megha do it. I miss my babies and my Fella and my home and my car and my kitchen and my bed and my cat and my everything so much. I could dance all day everyday with Carolena and Megha and these women if only I could go home every night. I am glad I get to go home on Sunday. I love my life so much.

(I made a French friend today! Thank you readers far and wide! SUBSCRIBE! Also...check me out on Facebook: facebook.com/kamalachaand)

On General Skills Certification!!

Tonight my Quads are telling my hammies to shush. But they are all happy because we all worked hard this week to get this paper with that key to the kingdom scrawled across it.

A word to the wise. If you are any further along than 15 weeks pregnant, don't start GS or TT. I have been dancing for as long as I have and this has been a really tough week physically. I still have two days left for Teacher Training and I am super stoked but my body definitely feels it and is anxious to be done and home in my own bed.

Carolena and Megha are so unbelievably amazing and I can't say it enough. 

I am truly overcome today...I am nearing the pinnacle so far of my dance life and I am very excited about it. 

Thank you to each of you who have been reading along this week. I know I haven't provided a TON of detail, but I hope that you have gotten at least a bit of insight, some laughter and the understanding of the emotional aspect of this process for me....perhaps that last bit is yet to come.

Good night y'all....and once again, if you are reading and haven't subscribed you ought to...it's only going to get better from here...

YIP!

On GS Day Three

Today was another pretty intense day, though it was nice to have sit down time for Music Theory. It was great to connect the reasons WHY we dance to the music we do as opposed to dancing to Classical Egyptian music. You don't use thick Icelandic wool for lace making.

What I am really enjoying the most out of this is getting to know a little about Carolena and Megha and their non-dance lives. Discussions on food politics and beautiful Hawaiian men doing procreation chant dances.... oh yes. That's what is the good stuff.....

I am just going to let you sit with that for a moment...let me know when you can breathe again...

Ready? No? Not yet? Ok...I'll give you some more time...maybe you would like to watch that again, have a little private moment....It's ok. I'll be here when you get back....

So the rest of the day, when we weren't wiping drool from our chins, we did LOTS of drilling. I love asking certain questions because there are things I see troupes doing that are completely incorrect. Sometimes they are even Sister Studios, which is really kind of frustrating sicne the point of being a Sister Studio is the consistent teaching across the board.

Tomorrow is our last day and going to be filled with floor work and spins. I am really excited about this. I love to spin and floor work is excellent. THen we gradjitate and it's on to Teacher Training! YIP!

Good night! (It's OK if you want to watch that video again....I'm not about to judge....)

On GS Day Two

Today was a tough day just as I expected. What I didn't expect, however, was that I would have issues with my R.A. Just after lunch all of my joints decided that they wanted to be on fire. Not a lot of fun when there is an entire afternoon of content to cover.

We covered so much today that my brain is all, oaidhouabvibuavadgsagr. You read that right. Carolena and Megha are so incredibly encouraging though! I love this in that they are showing us the little things that tweak the skill one should already have when they start General Skills. Megha pointed out to me later after the day when I went to chat with her and Carolena that the couple of things she re-positioned for me were because she saw that I can do this dance well but she wants me to do it to my best. I really like that approach with her. I also really like that they correct what you may be doing incorrectly, not just walking around praising everyone for everything. Something is said when correction is needed.

By lunch I was starving and grateful for the time to sit and knit and eat. I am working on my Fella's Yuletide sweater (he was given a swatch at Yule because I am a procrastinating knitter...but now I can at least try it on him as I go...) and I had mentioned to Carolena that I was concerned about the neckline not being big enough but as I am knitting it, the pattern is working and I am becoming happy.... so I showed her that the neck works and then she asked about my cast on! I got to show Carolena how to do a German Twisted Cast-on!

I danced with some pretty wonderful dancers today. I think everyone was really pretty much pooped by the end of the day and really looking forward to resting.

After class was over, I walked over to ask Carolena a personal question regarding pain management during dance. I had a terrible episode with my R.A. today that had me fuzzy in the brain and nearing tears for just about all of the second half of the day. She and Megha shared some great insights and prescribed rest. "get horizontal" was what Megha specifically said in addition to getting clean food into my body. To be able to open up to them like that about my pain (I cried a little) and have them respond so compassionately was really wonderful. They both have been there done that. Carolena reminded me not to let my brain go to the place that says that R.A. is going to take my dance away from me.

Have I mentioned yet that I love this dance and will be doing it for the rest of my life? What is for you will not pass you by.....



Edit to add: I have noticed a lot of readers recently! Welcome.... you should subscribe!Also, welcome to those who have subscribed recently! I am glad you are here!

On General Skills Day One

Upon arriving to General Skills this morning we were each given the standard issue ATS(r) box and counter top set. Now I already had one (I never take it off,) so I am just going to pass mine along to a student...

We were also given a bad ass name tag

Can you guess who's employee ID is going on this bad boy?

So today was a pretty easy day, I am calling it Pura light. There was a little more Q&A today though than there was at Pura. Technical stuff, really. It was helpful info. I took a lot of notes and I thought it odd because this was a day of the foundation moves...but we are always learning about this dance aren't we!? Really what I ended up writing down were things regarding muscles. I, much like my Guru, am an anatomy (and biology) nerd, so I was really fascinated with her explanations of the muscle mechanics. To get to watch Carolena explain taxeem whilst staring at her midriff is like no other anatomy lesson.

After lunch Carolena led us in a little dancey dance time while we waited for some late returns. At one point I caught a glimpse of her in the mirror (the host has those little behind the door mirrors set up along some tables for us...) and in the mirror behind her and right next to her was me. I smiled so huge and my heart smiled too. I know this is where I am meant to be and will be doing this for the rest of my life. It was a pretty big personal moment for me.

After some dancing and drilling in formations we had a little sit down and went around the room telling everyone what our ATS lineage is. It was really great to hear about everyone's history and how each of us in connected and ultimately connected to Carolena...She has created an amazing art and I am so blessed to be studying under her and learning directly from her. This certainly will not be the last time, either.

I am expecting that since today was Pura light, tomorrow will be a pretty tough day. Carolena discussed what we are going over tomorrow and it's pretty heavy, but I am super excited because that means more variety in our drilling!

Time to take my box and countertop off for the night and hit the sheets....rest is essential. 

 Sweet Shimmy Dreams....

On Pura Day Two

Day two is over! Pura has ended and it was a good primer as to how I am going to need to spend my energy in the next week.

I enjoyed the day and have mental notes that I need to transcribe regarding the Temple Stretch.

I honestly don't have a lot to say about today! I have had the Crafting An ATS Set before and I love that workshop. It's really helpful and the input that Carolena and Megha give is wonderful. I was even paid a compliment by Megha about my presence upon entering the stage. That felt pretty great.

All in all it's been a tiring weekend and we are just taking it easy for the evening. I am going to bed by 9:30.

Pot lucking....we invited Carolena and Megha to our feast this evening...one can hope, right?

On Pura Day One

Oh.My.Gods.

I am doing this for the rest of my live long days.

So today was Pura day one followed by the hafla. The day was awesome and I am exhausted. Carolena and Megha drill HARD. I am really impressed, despite having had workshops with them before, at the intesity of the drilling and the focus on perfect technique. I loved watching Megha roam around correcting elbows and telling people to smile.

As a team, Carolen and Megha are outstanding. They are funny and feed off of each other and are just brilliant!

Best part of the day:
So the second of the days workshops was on formations and lead changes with circling and fading. After demonstrating duets, Megha asked for a volunteer. I hear from my left Jeanne (one of the ladies I am rooming at the hotel with) shout out , "Tasha-Rose will volunteer!" I gulp hard because my throat is full of my heart.

They pull me up to the front with them to demo a trio and I proceed to dance and demo with Carolena and Megha for about the next HOUR. I'm totally dying I am so excited. It was so helpful actually dancing with them and I learned quite a bit in terms of reading the eye contact of OTHER dancers... Dancing with them was amazing and it flowed in the most logical ways. I loved it. I was in total heaven.

After we had gone over all of the formations, we worked on group dancing. Naturally, since we were performing together tonight, the four of us in our hotel room decided to dance together and the whole group was split into seven dance pods. We were number seven.

Now. I don't get nervous performing. This wasn't a performance. But as it got closer to our turn to perform I felt this odd sensation like, "omg you are going to dance, are you sure you know how to do this?" Of course I did. But I was dancing in front of Mama C and Megha! Holy shit! Seriously. I've been doing this for HOW LONG???????? Weak knees? what is that? Dry mouth? What? But we pulled it out and did a good job.

After class we can back to the hotel and got ready for the Hafla. I will post an entire photo montage post after the whole week, but I was hot. I'll admit it. I'm sexy and I know it ;-)

Our performances (two of them) were decent and great. It was nice to dance with people I have never danced with before. It is very interesting to note the different styles that other dancers have based on what their teachers have taught them. Of course the only instructors in ATS I have had have been Masters. So it was truly a unique experience.

My feet hurt and I am bone tired so it's time for this dancer to hit the sheets. It all starts again tomorrow with make up and Temple Dance and Crafting a Set (LOVE this workshop. It was great at TU in Milwaukee so I am excited for it again.) Then begins the General Skills week.

Shopping is done. I have my Aishwarya and a few other goodies so I am happy. Now I can focus just on the dance and not on the trinkets and bobbles and blingy yummy goodness.

Nighty night dancin fools!!

On SEVEN DAYS!!! (and a costumer review...)

OMGS SEVEN DAYS! (and I realize now that I forgot a countdown yesterday…forgive me?)

This weekend we are taking the kiddos to the Science Museum of Minnesota to see the Pirates exhibit. We will all be scattered hither and yon for ten days so we want to do something super fun so kids have something great to talk about for a few days and not miss me and Fella so much.

Then Monday comes. Monday is always busy at work. Then Tuesday. Tuesday I will be dancing in Menominee, Wisconsin. Then Wednesday is the last class of the current session of Dance Fundamentals. Then Thursday I will suffer through work. ALL.DAY.LONG. just chomping at the bit to get home and finishing packing. Then Friday comes. OMGS then it’s FRIDAY! YAY!

Tonight the plan is to sort through my clothing to decide what I want to pack to bring along for street clothes, and review what I have already packed for costuming. I am pretty sure I can pare down a little given that I plan to buy and Aishwarya skirt from Magical Fashions that I will likely perform in on Saturday night.

I have long wanted this skirt and super love Magical Fashions. They have absolutely THE BEST costuming pieces as far as skirts go, (with the exception of cholis. I don’t buy cholis from anyone except Flying Skirts. I have a few from an etsy seller, but to know knowledge she doesn’t make them anymore…and I always need a bra with those, but I never do with a  F.S. choli.) All of my favorite skirts are from Magical Fashions. I have some very lovely photos on my facebook page that were taken by a photography student for a juxtaposition project (me dancing on the stairs of Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church…HA!) and in them I am wearing TWO Magical Fashions skirts. They are awesome people too! They KNOW the people they sell to. They really make a point to remember who you are and queries you have about pieces and they always do their best to get to you want you craaaaave for your costuming collection. Bonus points: they are super nice people. Their prices are reasonable and the quality is superb. I really recommend them for costuming.

When I have my new Aishwarya I will be sure to get pics to share and squeee to you about how much I love my new skirt.

For now, the countdown continues.

(omgs. seven. days.)

On Inspiration

NINE DAYS!! OMGS NINE DAYS!!

I was sitting at my desk at work yesterday listening to all sorts of music, as the ladies I am dancing with at the Pura hafla and I are working out our music. A song came on…not saying which…and I was moved to tears by the words and what they mean for me personally. I decided right there that in addition to performing ATS® with the ladies, that I would also be dancing solo and moving how Spirit leads.

I don’t solo. It’s one of the reasons my original belly dance training didn’t hold me for too awful long. I don’t like dancing alone. What’s different?

I am.

The journey I have had in this dance has been long, and in the past couple of years, quite a struggle. Going to Bloomington means so incredibly much for me and to me that it feels like a genesis. To celebrate that I will be performing solo as a means to my rebirth in this dance that I cherish so much.

We still are not decided on music, but I know that whatever we end up dancing to will be fabulous. I am inspired by the women I am dancing with, who I have never met. I am inspired by the open arms of so many who I have only met on Facebook. I am excited to meet and study with these women and men.

“Vous m’avez reconnue. Je susis la meme et pourant autre.”

You recognize me. I am the same, but different.

I am looking forward to that very much.

On Liking (or, go on Facebook and check out the KCDC page)

Kamala Chaand Dance Company on Facebook!

Yes, I have a page and yes, you should like it!!

That's all...

countdown continues tomorrow...I was inspired today.

On Excitement

T-Minus 10 days.

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok. I got that out of my system. I am pretty sure these next few days are going to go so slowly…I think they would go slower if nothing else was going on in this wait time. I am so excited. This weekend, despite being super sick, (Head cold. No fun.) Fella and my daughter Grace helped me lug up all of my costuming and accessories from the basement as well as suitcases. We measured. 60” achieved and the suitcases are huge! I will be able to pack everything I need plus some…and have room for goodies to come home with me (insert another squee of joy here. I loves me my dance pretties… Magical Fashions and Red Camel here I come!!) Plus a carry on and a bag. I’m set.

So I started the practice packing. I packed up everything I know I will want for classes and for performing in, as well as most of my makeup and hair accessories. I just have to do some Laundry on Thursday night for all of the comfy cotton street clothes I am planning to bring with…which isn’t a lot and they roll nicely. That’s the key to traveling with ATS® garb…roll-ability. I hear you can’t roll a scimitar though. Hence the reason I am not traveling with mine.

I have started creating marketing materials for after I am back and after I have achieved Sister Studio status. I had a grand idea this weekend about where I can market classes, and maybe even hold classes in addition to those I already teach….word on that later. It’s still a secret ;-)

Also this weekend some loverly items arrived via post!! These loverly items can be yours, too!!

I’ve got t-shirts!

The cutie patootie is Grace, my dancing daughter.

And here is one of the belly in the shirt :-D I have cut mine, of course...I like them that way.

I’ve got bumper stickers!

I’ve got business cards!

Shirts are $22 plus shipping, (ladies sizes m,l, xl, mens size m,l, xl and are $25) bumper stickers are $5 (I’ll cover postage) and the business cards…well you can have one of those too with your shirt or sticker order :-D Or run into me and I’ll be happy to give you one!! I love them, though I wish I waited until after GS and TT…but that’s OK…everything else will show the achievement and I can always mention it too when giving my card to someone. These will go quickly though. I only ordered 250 of them… With the kind of marketing I do, that doesn’t last long…so more will be ordered soon-ish I am sure.

Lastly, I want to say a special hello to a new Facebook friend who made my day today. Manila Tribal, you are awesome and I am so excited for what you are doing! Keep up your hard work. It will pay off!! *hugs*

I am touched at really how widely this blog is being read. If you read regularly and haven’t subscribed, please do.

With that, I bid you adieu until tomorrow….the countdown continues!!! YIIIIIP!!!

On Anticipation

Two weeks. In TWO WEEKS I fly solo to Bloomington, Indiana to attend my first Pura, followed by General Skills, followed by Teacher Training. I. AM. ELATED. This is many years (and much heartache) in the making. I plan to blog each night about my experiences. No, I will not be divulging the classes, just giving my thoughts on them as a participant.

My mantra of late has been “What is for you will not pass you by.” This is for me. This has always been for me and my journey in this dance has been lovely, and hard, and I have hated dancing sometimes because of things I have gone through, but it ever pulls me back and holds me and moves me and tells me I belong.  What is for you will not pass you by.

Review is one of the focuses I plan to take on this blog. In April I will be getting certified as a Dance For Birth instructor here in the Twin Cities. I will blog that experience as well. I am getting this certification not only to further my dance training, but also to further my doula and midwifery training. Of course I know about body mechanics in dance and how that can and does aide a pregnant or laboring woman, but having the specific focus and the subsequent credential is a good thing for my birth practice…when I am practicing again.

I am also in the midst of writing a pretty big post, what I was going to write for Fuse magazine before life got ahold of me in a very fierce way. The topic is the different certification courses in the belly dance world. This is going to be a big post and will not be opinion or thought or rant or anything except for the facts behind each course offered. It’s pretty interesting so far and I am excited to post it for you. That will be after I get back from Indiana though.

Coming up March 6^th I am dancing in a little show in Wisconsin for an ethnic fest at a school. My former troupe mates, Domyno and Velvet will be dancing with me and a drum ensemble. I am not necessarily anticipating it, but it should be good. I haven’t been performing, so it will be a fun little thing to do before I jump into the adventure of Indiana that weekend. I will try to post pictures and maybe a video of that event. I think my Fella will be there drumming too, so you may get to see him in action ;-)

At Pura, there will be a hafla where I will be performing with my room share ladies...ladies I have never met, save for the lovely Heidi Capps-Hayden who is not sharing a room with us, but will be at Pura. Heidi is a FCBD(r) Sister Studio and owns Blue Rose Studio in Kentucky. She is so lovely. We will be performing as Sevanti Tribal Collective! Yip! ATS(r) in purity...strangers dancing a common language. I am really excited!

Lots of anticipation right now. My greatest anticipation doesn’t happen until September though. Some of you know already, but Fella and I are expecting a wee one sometime in the beginning of September. I will be 12 weeks this Saturday. I have started feeling this baby dancing already and it is just as wonderful as I remember it being with my other three. We planned this baby and are completely over joyed at this expectation. I am thrilled to dance through another pregnancy and give my baby the gift of dance and music before he or she even comes to breathing life. Ah the sacred in dance…

What is for you will not pass you by.

On Professional Integrity

I have been thinking a lot on this topic lately simply because of the number of dancers who are taking on teaching. Oftentimes these are dancers who have had no dance training to speak of save for the maybe year or so of sporadic belly dance.

I have come up with a check list for those seeking out dance instruction (of any type…not just belly dance or ATS® specifically…) of things to watch and listen for when choosing to take a class that you are paying money for, be they dance or martial arts or yoga or any sort of movement class:

1.) Your instructor’s bio: How long has she been dancing? Where did she receive her training and from whom? Has she had experience in performing? What other dance modalities does she/has she studied? If she can’t answer these questions consistently, or is incredibly vague in her answers, chances are her bio is greatly over inflated. This is cause for concern.

2.) Your instructor’s location: is she teaching in a studio with mirrors and a suitable surface and ample space for students to stretch and dance without running into one another? A proper space is just as important as the quality of the instruction. Now, having been one who taught in the basement of a local Pagan book store, I can say that while this can be an OK place, it’s a place suitable for classes that are for gathering, and not really for teaching. I taught in said bookstore after my move to the Twin Cities. I just wanted to dance and truly didn’t adhere to any sort of format. My “classes” were dubbed as Tribal Belly Dance, NOT ATS ®. I instructed in basic belly dance principle with a tribal flair and mostly, we just danced and played lead and follow with very few cues. Additionally, I never advertised these classes outside of the bookstore.  If you are labeling yourself as a professional dancer and a professional instructor, advertising your classes as the place to be for quality instruction, then a professional space is required.

3.) Your instructor’s “fit” level: Does your instructor often sit out because she is injured? Does she have others teach in her stead when she needs to sit out? This is often a sign of a lack of personal dedication to dance. A dancer who has honed her body and muscle memory and who practices proper posture in and out of dance is far less likely to have this issue.  One does not do this honing and strengthening in one class a week-even two classes, and certainly not an instructor.

4.) Your instructor’s knowledge: Does she confuse her vocabulary often and easily? Does she know the muscle mechanics behind the movements she is teaching you? Does she know how to not only execute the movement properly, but also break it down simply and accurately? Failure to know the vocabulary can be highly detrimental to your learning; additionally, not being able to break it down accurately and instruct proper muscle use can severely impact a student physically. Injury can happen in one false movement if you are being instructed poorly, incorrectly, or not at all with regard to muscle movement.

5.)

6.) Does your instructor know the history of this dance form? Can she answer questions about how movements have been formed?  The past is prologue they say. The history of dance overall is wide and deep and beautiful. The history of Middle Eastern dance is so rich and abundant and to not know it’s history, or about the people groups who most influenced this art is a travesty not only to the student, but to the dance itself.  To know where you are going, you must know from where you came.

7.) Is your instructor not able to give constructive critique, ie. insight as to how you can improve your dance-devoid of personal sentiment? If not, chances are she fits into #4 above. An instructor who doesn’t know proper technique and the execution of said technique will absolutely be unable to give you constructive feedback on how to improve your dance. A student-teacher relationship can be friendly, of course, but would you expect in college for your Chemistry Professor to tell you that mixing these volatile chemicals together is OK even though they exploded, simply because no one got hurt? Extreme example sure, but what does it benefit anyone to have warm fuzzies about what they are doing incorrectly?

Overall, what sort of experience are you looking to pay for? You can spend $60-$100 for a simple 6 week series. You can either spend it at a studio, paying a teacher who has studied dance for her whole life, has thorough knowledge of belly dance and very specific knowledge of the genre she teaches, who has dedicated all of her passion and dedication to the dance…or you can go to a basement and pay that same money to a dancer who has had a cumulative of perhaps a year of actual dance training inside two years’ time…even more grievous, you could pay that money, at a studio, to a credentialed teacher who has no real aptitude or skill. She might have knowledge, but knowledge and execution are two different things. Knowledge without the ability to execute is nearly pointless. Equally, passion without dedication is just as pointless. The teacher you should want to spend your money on for precise and quality instruction is the teacher who has passion, dedication, knowledge, experience, the ability to execute and the joy in her heart and the strength of character to uphold the integrity of the dance she loves.

I would love to hear thoughts on this. I do have part three of On Dedication coming, but I have tweaked it after considerable reflection, and changing a lot about the situation…changing what I could, and realizing the rest was so petty that it wasn’t worth my time or integrity.

I start practice packing next week for my trip to Bloomington, IN for Pura, GS and TT. I am elated and excited and a little bit nervous about the flying part, but you know what? When I get back, it will all be worth the time and effort and the steep hill climb I have had to get to this point in my dance…and you know what, I’m just going to keep on climbing.

Dance on sisters and brothers….

On Dedication...stewing...

I am sitting on the follow-up of "On Dedication." the last installment that has truthfully taken until now to write. I've been quiet here, because I have been quiet in my life for about the past year...or thereabouts.

I am sitting on it...for a few days. I may or maynot post it. I may edit it again before posting it. I may re-write it. I don't know what I am going to do with it. There are two factors which will determine it for me...and also determine what I will or will not be giving up in the near future.

I am saddened today at what passes for truth and real and "sisterhood."