.after show.

Raqs Bohéme on Friday was spectacular, as promised.  Talks have already begun for both a reprise, and also a special expansion project that may or may not get off the ground.
Also this happened:

.show day.

I spent three hours last night searching my house for the Science Fair medals I was going to use as the Costume Contest awards at the show tonight. I did not find them, though I know I've seen them in the last month, and I'm pretty sure there in with a pile of things I thought would be good for costuming. Now that I have replacements (which are coincidentally much more fun) they will definitely appear in The Most Obvious Location sometime Sunday afternoon.

Tonight's Third Place "Medal"

Bella, who can't dance in the show after all due to a half torn off toenail, is donating one of her piece props - a giant life size print of Captain Kirk - as a prize as well. So with the venue needing us out by 8, everything should be fine. My plunger is painted silver. I definitely know at least one of my pieces. And I've found all the parts of both costumes ahead of time, so that I won't be running around like a headless chicken when I rush home after work to put together my Show Bags.

I am not exhausted. I just need to drink a bit more tea.

This is as good a time as any to announce the date for the next show - the Last Raqs Bohéme at RecordBar (at least, this incarnation of RecordBar) as they are changing locations after the first of this year, and the new location is yet to be located.

Time will tell.

Moar Video!

Two of Three...

and video!

One of Three (except there are only two).

.everything in my head is exploding.

Everything in my life has been completely and totally overwhelmed by Friday and Geektastic Raqs Boheme. So obviously everything has already gone On Hold until that's over.
Because my brain is full!

Until next week...

.raqs bohéme video - Sail.

.happenings.

I desperatly need to update the calender on my website, but in the meantime:

• This Saturday (January 12th) I'm dancing in Villans & Vixens at the Manhattan Arts Center in Manhattan Kansas. The headliner is the one and only Princess Farhana - if you're in the area you should totally check it out.

• Friday January 18th is Raqs Bohéme and I'm really excited about the lineup.

• Friday February 1st is an exciting Salon evening at Bella Studio hosted by Miss Amy Jo.

• Friday February 15th - Raqs Bohéme.

• Saturday February 16th - Mudd Slide hosted by Siham Ali.

• Friday February 22nd is a benefit how for a local school - more info there when I have it.

• Friday thru Sunday, March 8th-10th, St. Louis - Angels and Absinthe hosted by Ami Amoré. This is seriously going to be an awesome weekend.

.reenchantment.

I picked up a new book the other day.
Literally picked it up off the floor in my studio. Turns out it's one of my husbands books from his art teacher in high school, and it probably accidentally migrated when I was moving bookshelves from his studio to another room.
This book is an art book, philosophy-ish, and probably a little out of date in terms of the fine arts world - but very possibly totally relevant to what's going on in the bellydance world right now. One paragraph has hit me particularly hard:

"Some artists have taken offense at what I write because it doesn't appear to validate what they are doing; but a paradigm shift can't occur without the consequences to the way we see and do things, and the uprooting of accustomed habits of thinking often has uncomfortable personal consequences. Condemnation of the ways that our society, as currently structured, fails to provide any context for a socially or morally sensitive art is easier, and less likely to demand a change of consciousness, than the more formidable effort of trying to construct a new vision and put it into practice. It is not part of our legacy to view ourselves as powerful agents of change; however, we are being confronted with the necessity of transforming our old modes of understanding if we are to survive the predicaments that are our collective fate right now."

-Suzi Gablik, The Reenchantment of Art

I really look forward to reading the rest of this little monster.

.home.again.

I want to do a proper "what happened" post, but it's going to require pictures, and I didn't really take many. At all. Fortunately Carrie Meyer was there, working her butt off documenting everything; so hopefully with her permission I'll reference a few of her snaps later (and then you can thank her by buying copies from her website!) with better narration and stories and squirrels.
But I did take a few photos, and I might as well share them...

 

It was really really dark when my plane took off. really dark.

sssssooooooooooooooooo DARK. You don't know.

It was dark.

 

 The beautiful view flying out of Chicago.

 Me harassing Nathaniel Johnstone.

 The creepy creepy "Dive Bar" we walked past while foraging in the city for noms. Creepy. Beyond creepy.

 

DO YOU SEE HOW CREEPY!

I should have gone in. I wanted to, in that masochistic seriously curious kind of way.

I also sort of wanted to run screaming.

Sort of.

Not really.

 

And mz. Ami Amore, spazzing with me and the camera.

.Dance.Challenge.September.

...but first, an introduction!
Vlog style...

Video #1: "Get the Money" by Pantyraid

Video #2: "Into the Orion Nebula" by Project Skyward

Video #3: "Going out West" by Tom Waits

.September.Dance.Challenge.

Here's the deal - You suggest songs, I dance to the first minute of them, and post them on YouTube and here on Monday the 5th. You get to pick what I dance to! Voting commences for five days. Then I'll dance to the entirety of the song with the most votes. Voting will be done via "Like" clicks on YouTube.

Rules:

• I'm using the first 10 song suggestions only. If you don't get yours submitted in time, never fear - should this work out without making my head explode, I'll be repeating it next month.
• Songs may not be sexually explicit. I'm not dancing to the Big Butt song, or whatever else.
• Songs also have to be available on iTunes, since I don't have a ton of free time to be hunting down obscure recordings of  Tatil Shibak. Also, donations are very much appreciated as it's my own money I'm spending on this music. Also, all donations after the music has been paid for go to supporting freeing Morgan. 
• Songs should be under 5 minutes long.
• I reserve the right to add new rules as necessary, since this is a big experiment - but I promise not to be unreasonable.

If you haven't seen me perform, I highly suggest checking out my videos (there is a link right here!) to get an idea of what my movement style is like and how you can challenge me!

.September.Dance.Challenge.Precursor.

It's early yet - the last Dance Challenge just ended 2 days ago, but I've got my panties all in a wad, and I thought getting this out earlier might be the way to go.

Why are my panties in a wad?

Because of Morgan.
Morgan is a beautiful wild Orca, supposedly rescued to rehabilitate, but now essentially being held captive by her rehabilitators, the Harderwijk Dolfinarium.  There was an attempt to send her to an amusement park in the Canary Islands, which was thankfully blocked by the Orca Coalition, but her release back into the wild has not been secured yet.

It just makes me nauseous.
And while normally I keep my politics to myself, I just...there are no words.

So, for the next Dance Challenge, I'm going to take between 5-10 song suggestions. If the songs are in some way ocean related - bonus points. And rather than tipping, I'd like all donations to be made toward freeing Morgan. Last I checked they needed about 2500 Euros to keep the legal battle ongoing.
As a bonus, as well as YouTube video "likes" for the voting, I'll be taking dollar donations as votes as well - and all of those dollars, every one, will go to freeing Morgan.

I'll be taking song suggestions on the 1st of September, and the first batch of videos will be posted on the 5th. Voting will be open until the 9th, and the final video will be posted on the 10th.

Additionally, I'll be donating half of all etsy sales towards freeing Morgan.
For how long?
Until it's resolved.

.Dance.Challenge.August.Final.

OMG I'm so sleepy!!!!

Seriously, soooo sleepy. Maybe four hours last night? Then a full day of work? Then dancing?
So, without any judgment on my part - sleepy dancer dancing:

My favorite part is where my cat decides he's batman, and then gravity disagrees.

.Dance.Challenge.August.

It seems to be crazy video day!

A few notes before you watch - the backlighting is horrible. Just ignore it. Also, my dining room is not tidy and perfect - ignore it. As "Beginning to Work on a Piece" videos, I'm not horribly dissappointed, but I'm not critiquing anything, and if it were up to me, I would not continue to work on certain ones. That being said, these are essentially pre-practice videos, and improv to boot. I very rarely choreograph, and especially not when I'm still getting to know a song. Also, I had to use my laptop to record as the digital camera has gone missing (that's what I get for cleaning anything).
However it's up to you, not me, and it's up to your YouTube "likes" - so Go! Like Things!

Also, still taking donations, if you're enjoying yourself of course!

Dance Challenge / Art Challenge

The Dance Challenge is off to a great start. I have Six - count them - Six songs I'm working on currently. One in particular is throwing me for a mental loop and it's going to be really really interesting to see what comes of it. But the challenge is exciting - really pulling me out of my box in a host of different directions.

Meanwhile, I noticed that my illustration portfolio is sadly lacking in portraits - something which used to be my thing. So I put a call out to my friends on who I should illustrate, and after a few questions (no, no bellydancers; yes, men and women; and a variety of professions) I got a good starter list. The one suggestion that really caught my eye was Gregor Mendel...
...oh Gregor, how I love you. My introduction to high school biology, my love affair with genetics...
Perfect first subject.

And as he was a friar, and sort of the godfather of modern genetics, it seemed only right to make an Icon of him.

Next will be a lighthearted portrait of my friend Amanda, as a fairy.

It's Hot! Dance Challenge

It's so hot!
106˚ when I got into my car after work.
Clearly my honey bee has vanished - off to cooler climates.

But, it's time for my first ever Dance Challenge.
Here's the deal - You suggest songs, I dance to the first minute of them, and post them on YouTube and here in a week. You get to pick what I dance to! Voting commences for five days. Then I'll dance to the entirety of the song with the most votes. Voting will be done via "Like" clicks on YouTube.

Rules:

• I'm using the first 5 song suggestions only. If you don't get yours submitted in time, never fear - should this work out without making my head explode, I'll be repeating it next month.
• Songs may not be sexually explicit. I'm not dancing to the Big Butt song, or whatever else.
• Songs also have to be available on iTunes, since I don't have a ton of free time to be hunting down obscure recordings of  Tatil Shibak.
• I reserve the right to add new rules as necessary, since this is a big experiment - but I promise not to be unreasonable.

Donations/Tipping is welcome, especially since I'm more than likely going to be having to purchase music.
If you haven't seen me perform, I highly suggest checking out my videos (there is a link on the right!) to get an idea of what my movement style is like and how you can challenge me!

And GO!