I'm moving!

I'm officially making the move to take this blog to a different site. Yeah, it kind of sucks to have to change the site after keeping this one for several years. However, in good conscience I could not continue maintaining a blog that had the name of my old troupe in it. Nothing against the troupe, but really...what started off as a blog that would showcase a variety of dance voices, really only ended up being my thoughts and opinions.

And, when I decided to leave the troupe last year I thought about the name behind the blog and decided it still worked for me. I really do consider myself to be more than just a member of Mirage and more than what that institution of dance represents in Austin. Unfortunately, when I started this I didn't have the forethought to begin with a web address matching the title. So, it is time for me to move on, update the blog and hopefully they'll update their site as well!

For now, I'll be doing a little cross-posting on my new blog, as well as importing all my old posts into the site as well. If you're a subscriber to this one, jump on over to the new site! If you've got this listed in your reader or other RSS feed, update the information and I promise not to move again. And, I've got lots of goodies in store and much juiciness to blog about this year.

Happy Shimmies,

Najla

The Artists Way for Dancers

So, if you've read any of my previous posts, you'll notice several references to The Artist's Way. Written by Julia Cameron, the book provides a 12 week (or 12 step) program to help you either heal your creative child, or move towards more clarity and direction in your artistic life. As someone who really appreciates a well-written and organized system of thinking, this book is artfully crafted and really does take you down the path to re-thinking what you are doing creatively.

I completed the book with a group last fall, and I'm in the process of finishing it again this next month. The second time around, I had not planned to dive back in but I did! By default, I ended up in charge of a Meet-up group with about 150 members, all focused around this book and artistic philosophy. And, at the urging of the group, I officially started facilitating a study group on the topic.

Facilitation is not a new technique for me. I used to do this in a previous job/life and really enjoyed helping groups move forward. So, although it seems like the members of the group are getting the benefit of my experience, I really am the one who is blessed by their stories, their presence and their ideas and thoughts.

Call me crazy but I want to do this all again but this time with a smaller group of belly dancers. For me, this book came at a crucial time in my dance life and provided me with an outlet to grieve one former dance life and at the same time embrace another one. It has also really helped me look at other areas of my life, my job, my finances, my time and my relationships.

So, I'm looking for people who want to start this process. Yes, it is a commitment (14 weeks total), yes it takes time on a daily basis and yes...it will require some soul searching along the way. But, if you commit to the process you will see changes in your life and in your dance. My goal is to start in June, and the day of the week is flexible. I'm thinking Thursday nights...for two hours. We can meet a library, coffee shop or a home depending upon who is interested in attending. If you're interested and willing, drop me a note and we'll chat more!

I am going to charge for this series ($75) to cover the cost of materials, handouts I've prepared and to cover my facilitation fees. I also believe that if people invest money in a class or event they are far more likely to follow through with attendance. That being said, if you are interested but short on cash...just let me know. We can do a payment plan or work something else out!

P.S. If you want to buy the book I've included links on the bottom of the blog so you can see which one I'm referencing. You'll need the book, the workbook and journal are optional and you don't have to do Amazon, most book stores have it, even Half Price Books!

Can you dance without moving?

I’ve always been the show-and-tell type of instructor. I spend time breaking down movement and illustrating what I am doing on my own body before I have students complete the movement on their own. I carefully explain what their structure (bones and joints) are doing versus what muscles are engaged or relaxed. I can explain most moves 2-3 different ways and can help people understand adjustments to allow their body to successfully complete the movement.

I have never tried however to teach movement without the use of my own body as the illustration or model. That is, until this week. Starting this week, I will have to re-think my entire teaching paradigm for a few weeks. It’s a bit daunting, but at the same time exciting to see how this exercise could change my teaching style.

I was diagnosed with skin cancer a week ago, and yesterday they removed a sizable chunk of skin from my upper chest. If this had happened on another part of my body, or on someone with a smaller chest, I would not have to make accommodations. Unfortunately the location and size of my breasts require me to limit all physical activity that would move, stretch, bounce, jiggle or otherwise affect the incision site while it heals.

Now the scar will heal and life will settle into a new normal for me, but I secretly hope this will help me teach belly dance more effectively. It means that for both my beginner and intermediate classes I will need someone to ‘model’ the movement while I explain it. For my more experienced students this won’t be so hard, but for my beginners…my baby dancers…this could be difficult. So, I’ve recruited an experienced student who is very clean technically to assist in class. My hope is that this will help her in her training as well as serve as a nice illustration for the new dancers.

In my intermediate class, this turn of events allows me to experiment with teaching movement in a different way. I may have one person demonstrate and the others check and review the movement, or use multiple models to illustrate each movement. The fun part will be the work with zils since my students have varying degrees of proficiency in this area and the ‘follow-along’ method has always served me well. It will certainly be a challenging few weeks for me, so wish me luck!

In which she stops to take a breath...

I feel like this year has been a whirlwind of activities, and now we're four months in and finally I'm feeling more grounded, rested and able to catch up on life. It seems like I stepped onto an escalator...and found myself in a different spot. I have lots of pictures to post, videos, links and other inspirations but haven't had the time to sit and work through all of that. So, we'll go with a quick summary in my belly dance life.

• I started the Artist's Way book once again. Well, I started to help facilitate a group who wanted to do the book and got sucked back in. I have to say that the second round has given me much more clarity, inspiration and joy.
• We just finished our second Hip Circle Hafla the last weekend in March, and it was a wonderful success. I am so proud of all my students that I could just burst at any given moment, and I am so happy to have this experience to share with all the wonderful dancers in Austin. Really, I could hug every one of them right now!
• I wished for my classes to fill up and sell out...and as of today, I am almost at that point. I really do think I've hit my stride and built up enough momentum to really move forward with my teaching.
• Including this week's gig at Mirage, I've been booked three times as the head liner for local shows. Two at new venues (one I did last week), and this week at Mirage...my old stomping ground. (or is that shimmy ground...) Seems fitting that I can finally close the show at the venue where I performed my first solo. It's exciting but a little sad since the venue may be going away this summer :-(
• Next weekend I'm teaching my first ever Mother-Daughter belly dance workshop. I was approached with the idea last fall, but got caught up in the 'how'. Then, the lovely Casey stepped in to organize and help promote it. Now, all I have to do is show up!
• This June I will be performing with a live Middle Eastern Band at the Austin Belly Dance Convention (Yeah!!!!!). I've danced to live music before, but more of the drum-circle or fusion style shows. Not classic BD music or traditional formats, and I get a 10 minute set. I'm praying for Alf Leyla as my song choice because I love that song so much. Then, I'm praying that I get through the drum solo successfully.
• I'm working on a whole new belly dance site, that I hope will be as fabulous on line as I have it drawn out to be. I've really been thinking long and hard of what I need now, and what I want the site to grow into.
• I am signed up to take Sahra Saeeda's Journey Through Egypt certification course, starting this month. I love Sahra...love her dancing and when I first saw her I was so new to this dance I could not fully appreciate all the information she had to share. But I'm ready...for a 20 hour workshop at the end of this month to absorb it all.
• I have a birthday this week, and although growing older is a little hard to take at times...I could not feel more blessed in my life as I do now. This feeling, this excitement, this joy...I owe entirely to belly dance, the community that comes with it, and the creative outlet it gives me. And no, this is not just some random, drunken rambling where I declare my love of everything and everyone...it's very heartfelt. So, go hug a belly dancer right now!

And...a little warning...some time in the new future I need to change the web address of this site. Since I'm no longer a part of Troupe Mirage, in all good consciousness I can't keep using that in the web address. I will still use "More than a Mirage" as the blog name, since it seems quite apropos for my situation. I'll keep you posted on that move (and of course invite you to the new site!).

So, that's what I've been up to in a nut shell. I promise to post on each and every one of these things soon :-)