January 2013 Beginners' Class

As we count down the final days of 2012, we also draw everyday nearer to an annual tradition:  New Years' Resolution time.  If it's always on your list, why not make this the new year you take the plunge and give belly dance a try?

Through February 13, I'm teaching Wednesday nights at 8:30 at Ral'eau Salsa, 300 W, 43rd St. (corner of 8th Ave.), 6th floor.  This is a session-format course where each lesson builds on previously-taught material, and although drop-ins are permitted at any time during the session, the course is designed for students who start together and continue together every week.  I recommend that new beginners start this week, January 2, or if you are not able to make this date, start no later than January 9. 

For more information, see RSalsa.net.

I look forward to dancing with you in 2013!

St. Ives, Worker of Miracles

Great news for cinephiles:  now there's time to catch up on all those movies you've been missing!  From http://www.unrealitytv.co.uk/reality-tv/towie-lydia-bright-takes-part-in-the-st-ives-seven-day-challenge/"

"According to St.Ives, the average UK woman will spend 91 hours every year applying make-up, the equivalent of three and half days a year – enough time to enjoy over 60 films, back to back."

This is not a makeup bashing post.  I love makeup!  Primarily I think it's fun and artistic, but I'm also grateful to have the option to create a dewy, blushing, pimple-free face, and, in some situations, have more control over the way I'll be perceived.  Nor is this a "natural beauty" bashing post.  I also love not wearing makeup (and hearing media messages about not wearing makeup) because sometimes there are other things I want to spend my time and money on, and also because no one should have to feel compelled to alter their appearance for someone else's benefit.  What I do NOT love is foolish misrepresentations of "natural beauty" as a new unattainable beauty standard.   This is also not meant as a post bashing Lydia Bright (the TV personality pictured below, whom I know essentially nothing about but whom I am sure is under great pressure related to her appearance and how she expresses herself), but the premise of these photos is preposterous.  Supposedly we are seeing the results of Lydia's having undertaken the "St. Ives 7-day challenge," whereby seven days of using facial scrub allowed her "to achieve fresher, more radiant looking skin, giving her the confidence to go without makeup at a makeup free shoot."

Who knew seven days of scrubbing was all it takes?  I have a suggestion, though, about the true secret to natural beauty.  No, no, it's not those aphorisms wrongly attributed to Audrey Hepburn about being a kind person...  In addition to St. Ives facial scrub for seven days, I'd suggest following this authentic ancient ritual for petitioning St. Ives, patron of "natural" beauty.

Prayer to St. Ives

O St. Ives, obtain for me these beauty favors I implore.  Grant me perfect symmetry. Save me from the tweezer and eyebrow pencil, and let my eyebrows grow in tidy orderly arcs.  Normalize my pigmentation:  let my coloration be free of any variation.  Plump my lips; lift my cheekbones; whittle my jaw; shape my eyes, nose, and lips into idealized typical Caucasian shapes.  Intercede on my behalf against dark circles under my eyes, against hair on my upper lip, and against wrinkles and sags. Imbue me with a youthful rosy glow, make me fashionably slim but not too slim, and make me impossibly blonde (except in the hair of my eyebrows and eyelashes which should still be dark enough to accentuate the shape of my uncommonly light blue eyes.)  Above all, St. Ives, take away my pores.  Though I am an adult, make my pores like unto those of a newborn babe.  Make the texture of my skin like unto that of a billiard ball.

Well, maybe it won't totally work...  According to a tweet from Lydia Bright:

JPEG of tweet taken from the Daily Mail, who captioned it "Honest: Lydia opened up about her insecurities to her Twitter followers"

Also, below her chin and a little off to the side I think there's a little freckle or mole or something.  Tsk, tsk!  But I guess it's okay if St. Ives can't truly make us "perfect," since revealing our flaws will help us, like Lydia, grow the maturity and wisdom of self-acceptance.


More photos:  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2174803/TOWIEs-Lydia-Bright-leads-way-shows-face-make-free-promote-natural-beauty.html

American Hero, Roy A. Cui

In the embedded video, career image retoucher Roy A. Cui explains the moral imperative behind his decision to endanger his livelihood, and no longer accept jobs digitally altering images of female bodies in advertising and entertainment. Roy is a softspoken guy, and this is a relatively long video: if your head is in quick-clicking instant-gratification web browsing mode right now, come back and watch the video later when you have 9 minutes to dedicate to listening to this courageous and inspiring story.


 

(Or, if you're REALLY impatient, here's a transcript you can read: http://royacui.com/2012/06/28/i-dont-know-what-happens-next/).

Commentary: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-danielle-crumpton/authenticity_b_1641905.html

More info on the film that inspired this decision: http://www.missrepresentation.org/

Thank you Roy!

"Fusion" Costuming?

Not belly dance.  Not for ladies.  But definitely worth checking out for anyone who is interested in costume.  New menswear from designer Marcos Paulo Piccoli:

Article and many more pictures at:  http://www.thecreatorsproject.com/blog/marcos-paulo-piccoli-is-pushing-menswear-to-new-geometric-limits.

Body Type, in Gymnastics and in Belly Dance

Shawn Johnson, 2009.  Photo by Jason Christopher.

Retiring athlete Shawn Johnson talks about the ironic stigma of having an "athletic" body type in her sport of gymnastics:

At her heaviest, when she stopped full-time training and allowed herself to eat typical teenage fare like ice cream and pizza, she received brutal criticism from fans, especially on the sport's message boards, and from the tabloids. "That whole process kind of broke me down and taught me something," Johnson said. "People put too much emphasis on looks."

Most of the time, nowadays, that emphasis isn't so openly expressed. Instead, it's coded, by labeling certain gymnasts—the lithe ones, the ones who aren't built like Johnson—as artistic. In theory, artistry should describe a quality of movement, a connection between the performer's limbs, the music, and the audience. But somehow, the short, stocky gymnasts like Johnson rarely get credit for that je ne sais quoi.

"In America, we'll score the stocky, athletic builds normally," 1996 Olympic gold medalist Dominique Dawes said, in response to Johnson's comments. "Internationally, there still remains a stigma to that type of body type."

Go read the rest of this article:   http://deadspin.com/5915913/athletic-shawn-johnson-retires-how-gymnastics-talks-about-bodies-in-code, then come back. 

I have been told that “of course belly dance is easy for you, because you have the right body type,” the simplistic assumption that curvilinear body lines naturally create curvilinear movements. I usually try to explain that belly dance is (now) (sort of) “easy” for me not because I have the right body type but because I have the right body ability, created through years of training: drawing arcs has less to do with dumbly propelling one’s curves through space and more to do with fine-tuned articulation, made possible by building specialized strength, range of motion, control, and coordination.

But, I can’t entirely discount that body curves amplify curvilinear movements, just as the padding of body fat amplifies shimmies. Likewise, a lean frame and wide shoulders give a distinctive sinuosity to a lot of the currently popular tribal fusion vocabulary. (The weight distribution of this build also lends itself to unmodified yoga poses, a synergistic boon for those dancing tribal fusion). I don’t at all suggest that there’s an “incorrect” body type for any particular style of belly dance, but I do think it’s helpful for dancers to consider the way the way their shapes affect the way their dancing will be perceived. Knowing one’s “type” helps a dancer to take advantage of vocabulary and styling that is “easy” for him or her, and more clearly strategize to overcome the challenges of working against that type. Just as a melody has a distinctive sound when played on different musical instruments, choreography takes on a different cast on different bodies.

But, while the violin may the most straightforward instrument for plaintive melodies, I’d rather hear a plaintive melody played by a kazoo virtuoso than by a lousy violinist; likewise I’d rather see a highly skilled dancer dancing against type than see a novice fumbling through the vocabulary that is “easy” for her shape. In fact, I’d probably rather see a highly skilled dancer dancing against type rather than with it – the belly dance equivalent of JFK's “we go to the moon not because it is easy, but because it is hard.”  But that’s just me. If you’re NOT dancing for someone who has already seen a zillion belly dance performances, understanding and maximizing the conventional perception of your type may be a welcome shortcut to creating successful and likeable dance performances.

"Vagina (The Dance!)," posted in Honor of Lisa Brown

I'm more than a few news cycles behind on getting this posted here, but, as a result of reading about the controversy surrounding Michigan State Representative Lisa Brown's use of the word "vagina," I came across a lovely piece of dance from Boston's Snappy Dance Theater.  Delicate souls, rest easy: there is no nudity in the video.

Embedding is Disabled:  Click on this video still to open YouTube in a new window.

For those as behind on the news as I am, or who are reading this post in the future, read up on the backstory here:  www.cnn.com/2012/06/21/opinion/brown-kicked-out-for-saying-vagina/index.html.

Authentic Egyptian Dancing

I like the dancing in this video, but what I really like is the way it contradicts everything we "know" about Egyptian Oriental dance. (In fairness, that's because it's not really an Oriental piece. It would be most appropriate to call this an early theatrical, fusion, or nontraditional dance. But I doubt anyone would question the credibility, authenticity, legitimacy, or “Egyptianness” of the dancer, Egyptian great Naima Akef.) If you are impatient, dancing begins at 1:32.




 
So many "mistakes!"...

1:32 “Real” belly dance costumes would never have just shalwar. They are underwear! See-through “Harem pants” costumes are just a silly idea that came from I Dream of Jeannie. 

1:35 Egyptian dancers don't really do anything with their arms except frame their hips, flow through simple pathways (lift up to overhead, push down, repeat..), or maybe some shoulder rolls. They don't use arm movements to mark melodic passages.

1:42 Egyptian dancers don't play finger cymbals. [Okay, a lot of us know that in the old days they did. But this seems to be often forgotten...]

1:46 Egyptian dancers don't run around and use a lot of travel steps. They just stay in one spot and dance with torso isolations.

1:51 Fast turns aren't part of Egyptian vocabulary. Those are only for dancers doing Turkish or Turkic styles.

1:58 There is no use of turnout in Egyptian dance.

2:17 Egyptians consider floorwork to be vulgar. There is no floorwork in Egyptian dance.

2:26 Why do you Americans insist on doing gymnastics in belly dance? Egyptians dancers never use athletic, over-the-top, show-off moves. Egyptian dance is all about subtlety.

3:03 Tight choreography wasn't used by classic dancers.

3:34 There's no use of chainé turns in Egyptian dance. Well, okay, maybe there are some, but only because of Reda influence. But there certainly weren't any pre-Reda.

3:49 Here are more of those travel steps Egyptian dancers never use. They're really more representative of American Vintage vocabulary, adapted from Turkish style.

4:05 Hitting every nuance of the music is “trying too hard.” That's what American dancers do. Not Egyptians.

5:03 Egyptian dancers never mark accents with footwork.

5:35 Travel? Chainé turns? Hops!? Haven't you been paying attention? Absolutely not!

5:52 It's only correct to mark rhythm with hip or shoulder movements.

6:08 No one wants to see you do a lot of footwork. Kicks are okay for Turkish dancers, but if you do them in Egyptian dance every one will think you are too American or just plain unladylike.

6:35 Egyptian dance should always be very relaxed. Very grounded.

6:48 Don't put a barrel turn in your Egyptian dance! Especially don't use a series of fast barrel turns. They're not Egyptian at all and everyone will think you don't know what you're doing!

7:04 A Middle-Eastern audience is totally not going to get your wacky “fusion” dance that you just made up without paying attention to the correct way things are supposed to be done. Maybe random Americans will think that's okay, but you need to be more conservative if you want to be taken seriously by discriminating educated audiences.

I encourage new dancers to learn about the conventions that define traditional styles of belly dance, and obviously it's totally possible to create beautiful, complete, artistic dances within accepted conventions, so there's no reason to flout rules just for the sake of flouting them. But I also think authenticity and adherence to stylistic conventions aren't measures of artistic merit. (Honestly, it's MUCH harder to create a successful dance when you aren't constrained by the conventions of a traditional style.) So my point is: if you like dances created by “rules,” and want to dance within them, do it! You're likely to create a good performance piece. If you don't want to follow “rules,” don't! It will be harder to create a beautiful dance, but, as this video shows, it can be done. And, hopefully, this unimpeachable Egyptian dancer's having done it makes you feel that you have permission to do it too.


Thank you to Baltimore dancer Shems who uploaded this video to YouTube.

"Natural" Beauty: Not Because You Like It, But Because Outer Space Boy Likes You Better That Way

Perhaps you've seen this image online recently.

 

Ladies (and girls, and for that matter men, boys, and individuals who identify somewhere else on the gender spectrum): no matter what you look like, I agree that you're already beautiful without makeup and nice clothes because of the miracle of your unique living, breathing, feeling, improbably alive human body. But I also think you're beautiful in the makeup and nice clothes you choose as expressions of your personality, creativity, and style and I love the artistic ways you celebrate your physicality. And, if your employment or other life circumstances leads you to wear clothes and makeup that anonymize your unique features to make you conform more closely to a conventional beauty standard, I understand where you're coming from and I see the beauty of your craftswomanship.


I understand (and champion) natural beauty not in terms of makeup or the lack thereof, but as the attractive and charismatic quality of confident authentic self-expression.  So if you really care what I think, I suggest, dear "girls," that you show or create the appearance that makes you feel most like the person you are.  But I also suggest that you ignore messages that encourage you to change your appearance for the benefit of someone other than yourself.   

Linked below are several discussions of Outer Space Boy, with plenty of good points made in both the articles and comments.

http://pandagon.net/index.php/site/comments/thanks-but-im-still-team-dolly

http://slacktory.com/2012/06/sassing-back-boys-with-pseudofeminist-handwritten-signs-its-a-trend-nsfw-naked-woman-inside/

http://www.feministe.us/blog/archives/2012/06/13/notes-from-my-boner-natural-beauty/

A New Model for Models

From Elle Magazine (Canada):

The women in my research want models—regardless of size or age—to inspire them with glamour, artistry and creativity. One woman said it best: “What’s the point of buying fashion if you’re going to look unfashionable?” The underlying message is that fashion needs to sell aspiration, but it is not a standardized model’s age, size or race that is aspirational; it is the clothes, styling and creative direction of the shoot.

Link to article.

News Roundup: Brains, Noses, and Thai Food

In an interview, provocatively titled "The Wondrous World of Three Pounds of Meat" (in reference to the brain), author Jonah Lehrer discusses Imagine, his new book about the roots of creativity.  Highlight:

When it comes to creative problems, if you've got a feeling of knowing then you should keep on paying attention. You should drink that triple espresso, you should chain yourself to the desk. But in any creative process, at some point you hit a wall—you get stuck. At that point, you should go and take a long walk, let yourself daydream. Then a fresh insight is more likely to occur to you. You might even want to have a beer. A study came out showing that undergraduates who were too drunk to drive solved 30% more creative puzzles than those who were sober.

Link to story.

Elsewhere, the Daily Mail reports that nose jobs are on the decline among young Jewish women.  I'm happy for anyone who has a nose they feel good about, whether it's the nose they were born with or a nose they purchased from a surgeon, but I think this is a good sign that more people are accepting a wider definition of beauty.  The Mail suggests:

Today's stars and taste-makers are ethnically diverse and women are encouraged to value the features that make them stand out from the pack.

Finally, the New York Times reports on non-native chefs of ethnic cuisine.  While completely non-dance related, there are still some parallels to the experiences of native and non-native ethnic dancers that may be of interest to readers. 

Distance may allow a chef to explore traditions without the baggage of having to follow Mom’s recipes to the letter, even if the goal is to stay true to the original dishes. “My greatest gift is that I don’t have a Mexican grandmother,” Mr. Bayless said, “so I can look at all Mexican grandmothers as equal. If you grew up with this food, you’ll defend to the death the way your family makes a dish. So sometimes, with lots of experience, you can speak with a bit of a broader perspective.

Full Article:  Cuisines Mastered as Acquired Tastes.

Written from a different perspective, the author of the NYT piece (Francis Lam) follows up in a discussion with a Chinese-American colleague, offering equal, uh, "food for thought."

Francis: Well…would you prefer Stupak to say: "I'm doing food that's not really Mexican, it's a mashup of that and what's in my own head"?

Eddie: This is totally unfair of me to tell someone what to say. But, you asked me a question and I’ll answer it. If I could write his press release, I'd say, “I'm making modern New American food that borrows ingredients and techniques from a Mexican pantry.” Or, make fun of it like Danny Bowien [of Mission Chinese Food] does and basically say, “I love Chinese food. I don't know what I'm doing, but I respect this, that and the other Szechuan restaurant. Please don't consider me a master, I'm just a dude with a tea pot full of dirty girl drinks.” Danny Bowien is a guy who NAILS it in terms of messaging. He does funky hybrid party Chinese food that I think we're all honored to be the inspiration for. Danny hit me on twitter today wanting to put my Hainan Lobster Rice on the menu, do it! I love that people like Danny and Kareem Abdul Jabbar are interested in our culture in an inquisitive and honest way. I think Stupak is the same. His wife is Mexican and there’s a genuine passion, plus who am I to judge. I’m just saying, we need accurate messaging because it’s offensive to the diaspora. The culture needs to consider the villagers.

Link: Is it Fair for Chefs to Cook Other Cultures’ Foods?  Two immigrant sons hash out what it’s like to have your food shunned and celebrated in America by Francis Lam and Eddie Huang

What You'll Learn (or Miss) on June 23 and 24

I'll be teaching the choreography in the clip below, along with technique and other material, in my upcoming NYC workshops.



To learn more about the dance in this video, see my blog entry on my sister site, autumnward.blogspot.com. Workshop information here.

Gymnastics Fusion

It seems to be fashionable to complain about how there is "too much gymnastics" in contemporary nightclub style belly dance, particularly in regard to influence from the former Soviet Union. I have mixed feelings -- I appreciate athleticism, but generally don't like aggressive styling in the context of traditional belly dance. But anyway, here's an fSU example of belly dance in gymnastics that I think is wonderfully successful fusion. The dancer/athlete is Russian rhythmic gymnast Yulia Sinitsina. Look at the beautiful lyrical lines of her arms and feet.



Here's another clip of the same piece.  The video quality is not as good, but this one has no sports commentator talking over the music, and without the cuts between cameras it's a little easier to both see the composition and appreciate the enormous floor space she covers. 

Better than a DVD?

"Move," a smart shirt with alignment sensors, claims that it will "guide you toward optimal performance and precision in movement in an ambient, precise, and beautiful way." Not surprisingly, belly dance is not mentioned as a potential application (other dance forms are), but this sounds like an interesting concept for distance learners.

Move website.

Upcoming NYC Workshops

Complete info here.

Natural Beauty

From the Irish Examiner:

As 51-year-old mother-of-two, Molly Barker, and her 27-year-old friend and colleague, Caitlin Boyle, met for a coffee in their home town of Charlotte, North Carolina, they stumbled upon a question neither of them could answer.

"Molly is the founder of a self-esteem-boosting programme for elementary school girls, called ‘girls on the run,’ and I’m the founder of a site called OperationBeautiful.com," says Caitlin.

"One day, we were having coffee when I asked Molly, ‘what do you say to the girls when they ask you, "Molly, you say inner beauty is the most important thing, but you wear make-up and wear high heels and dye your hair. What does this mean"?’

"Both of us were stumped for a truly authentic answer, because we had always engaged in those habits and didn’t really know why we did them."

By the end of their discussion, the pair had decided that the best way to find out about those habits and their motivations was to desist from doing them.

Full story.

Upcoming Performance: May 31

Mark your calendar. I'll be performing alongside several other wonderful dancers in a showcase presentation. Full info.

Body Image Backfire

From an article-length post on BoingBoing today, "Modernizing Modesty:  The Hijab and Body Image"

In an ironic twist, Hijab-wearing Muslim women are falling prey to the same thing their choice of garb ostensibly protects them from: a relentless bombar [sic] of distorted female body images.

 Read more.

This Saturday, May 12: Egyptian Alignment and Hipwork Technique Intensive

On the agenda for this Saturday, in the third of five sessions in my "Oriental Dance Deconstructed" workshop series:

We’ll begin with a comprehensive overview of the kinesthetic anatomy of the core, individually locating the psoas, quadratus, oblique abdominal, rectus abdominal, and transverse abdominal muscles, then recruit these muscles into action to initiate Egyptian isolations:

•    Up-and-down hips (in the manner of Soheir Zaki) with travel variations
•    Lumbar contract-and-release accents with weighted, unweighted, and travel variations
•    Weighted down "internal" styling for small hip circles
•    Weighted hip articulations to the front, with Fellahi, Oriental, and Social dance variations
•    Weighted and unweighted twists
•    Several step-touch variations
•    3 Egyptian Double Drop variations
•    Egyptian styling for horizontal-plane figures of 8
•    Several "jewel" movements (compound twisting-and-shifting vocabulary), travel and pivot variations, and jewel transitions
•    Large hip circles
•    Hagallah shimmy
•    Straight-leg Egyptian shimmy

If time permits, we'll also revisit some of last session's undulation vocabulary, and look at compound Egyptian movements with undulation elements.

Depending on the headcount, I'm considering a venue change, so if you're coming please either pay in advance to confirm your spot, or contact me personally with a definite commitment to pay at the door.

The prepay discount is officially gone, but if you're able to pay in advance this week for the last three sessions of the series (Egyptian hipwork this Saturday;  Arms, Shoulders, Hands, and Head Isolations on 5/19; and Footwork and Turns on June 16), I can offer you a slightly reduced rate.  (Single sessions are $30 each).  Call or email.

Paypal link:
http://naturalbeautybellydance.blogspot.com/p/pay-for-class-in-advance-to-confirm.html

Contact me at:  AutumnWard@gmail.com, 917-686-1622, or if we're "friends" you may send me a message via Facebook.

Joyful Practice

This inspirational post gives excellent advice on overcoming discouraging inner thoughts. While written from the perspective of a musician, the author's ideas can easily be applied to dance.

Over the years there has been something within myself that has been detrimental and negative to my playing music- the persistent feeling that I am not playing as well as others, and even worse that I’m not playing as well as I think I should be playing. These thoughts never fail to make me feel unhappy and inadequate. So why do I keep allowing myself to think this way if it only makes me unhappy?

The answer is that such thoughts become a habit. Habits, even negative habits, are within our comfort zone. It is comfortable to fall into habitual thinking because new thinking means going out on a limb and being uncertain and vulnerable.

Full post here.

California School of Artistic Whistling

Another untapped fusion concept:



"A whistling act designed by Miss Woodward, combining whistling, gestures, steps and plastic posing--with the addition of changing colored lights.  Produced with great success at Grauman's Million Dollar Theater in Los Angeles.
WHISTLERS PREPARED FOR CHATAUQUA AND LYCEUM TOURS, CONCERTS, AND THEATRICAL APPEARANCES"

I wonder if there's a certification program?

Click on the picture to learn more about Artistic Whistling.

Coming Up: “Undulations, Vertical 8s, and Ribcage Isolations” on April 21

Undulations, Vertical 8s, and Ribcage Isolations is the second of a five-part workshop series, Oriental Dance Deconstructed.  This week's syllabus includes:

• Pelvic Undulations
over a basic stance 
over a staggered stance 
walking forward and back 
turning and traveling sideways 
with level-change variations 
over one foot, with 2 variations (lyrical and Saidi) for following through with the free leg 
over one foot with 3 twisting variations and modern Egyptian variation 
undulation stylization for hip drops and double drops 
undulation stylization for horizontal-plane figures of 8 

• Reverse pelvic undulations with travel variations
• Horizontal-plane ribcage circles
• Vertical ribcage circles, “U”s, and “n”s
• Chest lifts and drops
• Sagittal ribcage circles and reverse sagittal ribcage circles
• Beledi step-touch and other accenting with sagittal ribcage circles
• Full-torso undulations
• Upper body figures of 8 up, down, and twisting 
• Lower body figure of 8 up and down ("maya") with American, Egyptian, and Turkish variations for flat feet and lifting heels
• Single-hip vertical circles with travel variations
• Full torso figure of 8 up and down with American, Egyptian, and Turkish variations for flat feet and lifting heels
• Egyptian "up and over" 8
• Lower body or full torso 8s as a stylization for shimmies and hip drops
• Full-torso undulation accents
up to the front
up to the back
down to the back
up to the side
down to the side 

If time permits, we'll also look at some techniques for safe backbends, and incorporating backbends into undulations and upper body circles.

If you have not yet confirmed your spot, please pre-pay or RSVP.  Please note, registration is closed for the Foundations session at 2:00, but spots remain for the Master class from 3:00 -5:00.

Veil Dance

Kinetic Sculpture from David Wurtzel

Creativity in a "Post-Authentic" World

More inspiration from unlikely places...  The Daily News and Bruce Springsteen.  While obviously a discussion of music, readers of this blog and creators of nontraditional belly dance are likely to appreciate to the articles' observations about genre, creativity, self-expression, and creative constraints.

“We live in a post-authentic world,” Bruce announced to the young musical hopefuls. “The elements of what you’re using don’t matter. Purity of human experience and expression is not confined to guitars, to tubes, to turntables, to microchips. There is no right way, no pure way of doing. There is just doing.” 

[...]

Pronouncements like Bruce’s would seem eye-rollingly obvious to all those who’ve long felt there’s equal artistic expression in (still) often maligned art forms like rap, electronic music, teen pop or whatever unnameable new style arises to assault the conventions of song form and rhythm.

But for an old-school, hard-line rocker like Bruce to challenge musical divisions and hierarchies at this point says something key about where we are now and, perhaps, about where we might be heading.

Why Authenticity Is Hard; Why It's Essential

From the blogs at Forbes Magazine online:

Authenticity is hard because other people may seize on our weaknesses as proof of our unworthiness, rather than our humanity.

Authenticity is hard because we think what makes us human is our uniqueness, but it’s really our commonalities.

Authenticity is hard because we can lose track of our essence in daily compromises, accommodations, and dealings.

 Full post.

Last Call for Registrations: "Precision Hipwork" on March 31

If you have not yet confirmed your spot, please pre-pay or RSVP before noon on Thursday 3/29.

Precision Hipwork is the first of a five-part workshop series, Oriental Dance Deconstructed. 

This week we'll examine leg-driven movements that give you the greatest degree of isolation in the lower body.  This is the vocabulary you need for balancing, for the greatest range of layering options, and for poised, elegant, "crystal-clean" hipwork for theatrical Oriental dance.  We will dissect:

• Side-to-Side Tilts, Double Side-to-Side Tilts, and Lifted-Heel Side-to-Side Tilts
• Walking and Turning with Side-to-Side Tilts
• Push and Pull Travel Steps for Side-to-Side Tilts
• Soft-knee Shimmy  (A useful counterpart to the straight-leg Egyptian shimmy, which we'll cover May 12.) 
• Unweighted Hip Drops, "n"s, "m"s, and Traveling "n"s.
• Basic Double Drop
• Two Types of Triplet ("3/4") Shimmy
• Upward-Tilting Small Hip Circle

I'll be presenting this material twice:  Foundations from 2:00-3:00 for continuing beginners, and a Master Class from 3:00-5:00 for more advanced students.   For this Saturday only, the cost is $18 for the Foundations hour, or $25 for the Master Class.  Pay in advance for all five workshops at a discounted rate of $75 (Foundations) or $125 (Master Classes).

For Your Next, uh, "Fusion" Dance

Here is a very unusual prop!  Via Laughing Squid.

What You Learned (or Missed) at Melissa's March 24 "Effortless Expression" Workshop

Not even your toughest questions stump Melissa V.

Thanks to Melissa Voodoo for an enlightening afternoon of somatically-informed dance inspiration at 440 Studios.  We started the workshop with matwork, moving through mobility and coordination sequences to connect to our shoulders, hips, and core, then melted away remaining blockages with an intensive session of self-care trigger-point myofascial release using pinkie balls.

Fluid, open, and energized, we moved on to a series of poetic visualization exercises, exploring a part of the "core" that's rarely discussed in dance class -- the internal organs.  While I routinely connect to the physical (and emotional) sensations of belly dance movements rippling through the general visceral area of the "belly," the idea of integrating awareness of specific organs was brand new to me.  Focusing on the liver, spleen, and reproductive organs, Melissa led a short passage of dance movement to massage these areas, then opened the floor to experimentation with the highly metaphoric idea of organ-initiated movement.  I loved the feeling of leading with my liver!  I was surprised, too, at the range and ease of movement I uncovered in my spine and abdomen.  I've never felt constricted in my waist (I am naturally flexible, and one of my early training challenges was actually to make my movements smaller), but I was amazed to see my undulations—which I've long considered to be "done," and as perfect as I can make them—become even more deeply articulated.

Intentionality, language, and the poetic aspect of belly dance have always informed my dancing and teaching, so I really appreciated Melissa's use of imagery and her more esoteric appreciation of movement and sensation.  Her teaching, however, was balanced by plenty of straight-up anatomy, so that even those dancers who aren't instinctively wired to "go deep" could use her techniques to unlock freer and more precise dance articulation.  I came away from the workshop feeling tall, tranquil, and excited about using and sharing Melissa's material.  Thank you Melissa V!

Natural Beauty

Two photo essays:

10 Incredibly Hot Women Who Are Larger Than A Size 12
(Glamour photos with tasteful nudity and lingerie--click through at your discretion).

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To find less cheesecakey images, click through the "link" link under each picture in the post.   Here are some pictures from the website of listee Natalie Laughlin.

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At the other end of the spectrum: Forever 21 Hates Women's Kneecaps
(Contains numerous images of women's kneecaps airbrushed away - click through at your discretion.)

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Actual Face of Actual 42 Year-Old Actress Appears on Magazine Cover

An unretouched photo of Cate Blanchett graces the cover of the current "Intelligent Life" magazine.

One wonders if the same decision would have been made for an actress without Cate's perfectly even skin and dramatic bone structure, but it's still refreshing to see a woman in her 40s be allowed to look like a woman in her 40s.

Nomads are Busting Out All Over!

Two current New York City exhibitions may be of interest to readers of this blog:

At the Flushing Town Hall through April 29 is "Interwoven Worlds: Exploring Domestic Nomadic Life in Turkey."

"Interwoven Worlds" highlights hand-made carpets and textiles for which the Turks are celebrated. Beautifully crafted pieces are presented within two recreated dwellings – a nomadic tent and an Ottoman-style home– to weave together the rich traditions of Turkic peoples across space and time. The textiles are complemented by ancient ceramics, glassware and metal-ware.

On the one hand, depending on where you live, it may be quite a slog out there, but on the other hand you can make it a complete fun day out with a visit to Xi'an Famous Foods or any of the other zillions of tasty Flushing restaurants.

In Manhattan, at NYU's Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, is "Nomads and Networks, the Ancient Art and Culture of Kazakhstan," through June 3.

Nomads and Networks is the first U.S. exhibition to provide a comprehensive overview of the fascinating nomadic culture of the peoples of eastern Kazakhstan’s Altai and Tianshan regions from roughly the eighth to first centuries bce. With over 250 objects on loan from Kazakhstan’s four national museums, the exhibition provides a compelling portrait that challenges the traditional view of these nomadic societies as less developed than sedentary ones. Artifacts on view in the exhibition range from bronze openwork offering stands, superbly decorated with animal and human figures; to petroglyphs that marked important places in the landscape; to dazzling gold adornments that signaled the social status of those who wore them.

Read more about this exhibit from the New York Times.

I have no idea about Upper East Side restaurants, but I'm planning to combine my trip to the ISAW with a visit to the Central Park Conservatory Garden.  (East side of the park,  entrance at 105th St.)

The Fairy Tales of Franz Xaver von Schönwerth

Scenic Burg Falkenberg, Bavaria

Scenic Pilgrim’s Church of the Holy Trinity, Bavaria

Last year, a 19th-century collection of fairy tales collected in Bavaria's Upper Palatinate were uncovered in an archive in Regensburg, Germany, and a few were published (in German).  English translations are apparently underway, and a translation of one story appeared earlier this month in The Guardian.  Read "The Turnip Princess."

The Guardian reported that many of these stories were "rediscovered," but Harvard folklorist Maria Tatar amends this account in a recent post on New Yorker Magazine's "Book Bench" blog, reporting that the stories were not not so much lost but languishing.  Von Schönwerth is on the shelf at some American academic libraries, but many of the stories he collected are in manuscript form (untranslated from German), and, unlike those collected by his contemporaries, were not polished into smooth narratives.  Tatar writes for the New Yorker:

Schönwerth’s tales have a compositional fierceness and energy rarely seen in stories gathered by the Brothers Grimm or Charles Perrault, collectors who gave us relatively tame versions of “Little Red Riding Hood,” “Snow White,” “Cinderella,” and “Rapunzel.” Schönwerth gives us a harsher dose of reality than most collections. His Cinderella is a woodcutter’s daughter who uses golden slippers to recover her beloved from beyond the moon and the sun. His miller’s daughter wields an ax and uses it to disenchant a prince by chopping off the tail of a gigantic black cat. The stories remain untouched by literary sensibilities. No throat-clearing for Schönwerth, who begins in medias res, with “A princess was ill” or “A prince was lost in the woods,” rather than “Once upon a time…”

Read the full post.  Writing on her own blog, Maria Tatar promises "Next week, I’ll add my translation from one of the tales in Prinz Rosszwifl." I am looking forward to it!

In a tenuously-related but interesting parallel, when one googles "Bavarian Turnip," the top hit is an abstract from a journal article: "Notes on neglected and underutilized crops —The ‘Bavarian Turnip’ — a rediscovered local vegetable variety of Brassica rapa L. em. Metzg. var.rapa"

The 'Bavarian Turnip,' ('Bayerische Rübe,' Brassica rapa L. em. Metzg. var. rapa) is a nearly lost crop today. Until 1900, this local variety was commonly grown in Bavaria for human consumption. The special and very distinct characters of this variety in comparison with recent breeds are preferred by the farmers' families and assured the persistence and survival of this turnip in situ (on farm). In the region of Dachau and Freising, located north of Munich, only four farms are known, where this old crop is still grown and maintained. Urgent measures have to be taken to safe this cultural relict for future generations.

Scenic Horse in Scenic Turnip Field

Foxy!

Creative and foxy lips!

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More at andrussi.deviantart.com

What You Learned (or Missed) This Winter

This is a cameraphone clip of "Halcyon," (the choreography I taught as "Dryad Dance") earlier this year.  The music is "Keridwen and Gwion" from the German ensemble Faun.

Cute Anatomy

I am a sucker for cute.  Knowing that this propensity is not shared by all, I try not to push too much cute on the public at large, but hopefully these whimsical depictions of our internal workings can be appreciated by all.  Much much more at ilovedoodle.tumblr.com

Artistic Movement in Film

Two short films that interestingly portray bodies in motion.


Forms (Excerpt) from Nexus Productions on Vimeo.

(Athletics start at :34)

"Forms" (excerpted above) is currently on display at Bradford, England's National Media Museum:

Forms is a digital artwork that responds to the human body in motion. It focuses exclusively on the mechanics of movement, using footage of world-class athletes to illustrate human movement at the extremes of perfection.

Videos of athletes were processed through custom software to create evolving abstract forms that explore the relationships between the human body and its movements through time and space.

Divers (Short Animation) from Paris M. on Vimeo.

From DiversAnimation.com:

"Divers" is an experimental animation that was inspired by Busby Berkeley, mass gymnastics and experimental cinema from the 20s and 30s. I created it while pursuing my MFA in Digital Arts at Pratt Institute. As part of the project, I also developed a choreography-based animation toolset which I subsequently used during the animation process. 

Join NBBD's Meetup Group

If you'd like to hear about class offerings via Meetup.com, here's the link to join Natural Beauty Belly Dance's Meetup group:

http://www.meetup.com/NaturalBeautyBellyDanceNYC/

"Like" Natural Beauty Belly Dance

If you'd prefer to follow this blog's content on Facebook, here's the link:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Natural-Beauty-Belly-Dance/301380243251361

Charming Dance from China

All I know about this dance is what Google's translator tells me:  "Sixth CCTV Dance Competition Awards "Small Town Rainy"



(Stating the obvious, but to avoid confusion: this is not belly dance.)

Fluid Fabric

What belly dancers call "veil dancing," was quaintly called "manipulation of draperies" by turn-of-the-century modern dancers.   Here's a lovely use of fabric in contemporary modern dance.

Mastering the Shimmy: an Unusual Source of Inspiration

Teaching the bent-knee shimmy in last Thursday's class, I was trying to explain the relaxed loose flop of the movement's reverberation.  Searching for parallels, I suggested, "you know, like those funny internet pictures of running basset hounds," but was met with blank stares.  While not exactly the type of inspirational images I had hoped to be sharing on this blog, I promised to post pictures, so, here they are:

 A palette cleanser:

Photograph by Mirka Adamsky Rackova, via NationalGeographic.com

Olé!

Natural Beauty

The everyday beauty of the woman pictured below is debatable (her slender build, even skin, and dazzling teeth are exceptional), and, while unprocessed hair and non-white skin are "natural" buzzwords, the obvious thought and effort and the fantasy inspiration that shape this look are the opposite of how "natural" is usually used in the cosmetics industry.  But, I think this photo exemplifies natural beauty:  her radiance comes neither from "flawless" nor "natural" features but from her smile and the individuality of her look.  The amazing hair and makeup in this shot seem custom-made to celebrate the woman showing them.  Bravo!

Photo via Going-Natural.com

Click through to Going-Natural.com, a site full of inspiration and resources for "Going Natural: How to Fall in Love with Nappy Hair."

Diversifying Beauty

Commentary on the absence of diversity at the recently-ended Fashion Week, from a post entitled "Beauty According to Whom?":

[...] from the images I’ve seen, the majority of the young women chosen to represent the world's most celebrated event in beauty and fashion looked nothing like the world. In fact, they had one thing in common: blond hair and blue eyes.

Now let’s be realistic here: In 2012 in New York City, are you trying to tell me there's a shortage of working models of color? I beg to differ.

Read the full post here: http://bed-stuy.patch.com/articles/beauty-according-to-whom.

The post focuses on the under-representation of non-white runway models as a manifestation of our culture's limited appreciation for a wide spectrum of coloration and features.  It's a good article, which I agree with and recommend.  I'd like to add, though, that from my perspective, even the blond-haired and blue-eyed models look "nothing like the world." At least one blonde on the runway achieves an unreal look by not even being woman.

A model of any race or ethnicity may certainly have smooth even skin, a tall slender body, and the grace and stamina for the hard work of runway modelling.  The fashion industry can and should do a much better job hiring from a wider pool. But, how much does increased racial and ethnic diversity among runway models make fashion reflect reality?  A beautiful woman of any race or ethnicity is more likely than not to have acne scars, wrinkles, less-than-perfect teeth, a figure that does not fit into an off-the-rack size 4, or any other number of individualistic characteristics that make her look unique.

Then again, is this true diversity right for the runway?  Probably not.  The individuality promoted at fashion shows is not that of models, but of the designer; models generally function as a blank slate onto which a designer's creative vision can be projected.    While beauty is a requirement for modelling, the particular brand of preternatural beauty favored by the runway is deliberately unreal.   Intriguing idiosyncrasies in a runway model's appearance may occasionally help her career, but are more likely to be a hindrance.

While diversifying the ranks of runway models without question makes a positive contribution to diversifying fantasy representations of beauty, it's not a big step toward widening the appreciation of individuality.  Changing the culture at large ultimately means fostering an appreciation of the transcendent spark that may illuminate each of us--the inner beauty that transforms true individuality in all its permutations of shape, size, color, facial structure, and hair texture, so-called "flaws" and all, into an expression of the beautiful mystery of life itself.

Is this "real" beauty less compelling than the fantasy images of haute couture?  As something that can't effectively be sold or bought, it's certainly less compelling from an advertiser's perspective:  every woman and man can choose to take ownership of "real" beauty, simply by claiming it and acknowledging it in others.  But, once seen as the true, lush, rich experience of life, it touches in a way that fantasy can not.  We're equally entitled to enjoy beauty where ever we see it, in both real life and fantasy.  As authors of beauty, we should put no limits on our imaginations (and the images that inspire them).  My suggestion is that we we are most enriched when our appreciation of beauty encompasses the diversity of the natural and preternatural alike.

Human Canvases

From the Daily Mail:

Flamingo by Gesine Marwedel, Via the Daily Mail

The photo essay from which this image was taken features several other artistically painted bodies.  The painted bodies are (tastefully) nude, so click through at your discretion.

From Thursday Night's Class

"If you take my joy away from me, you destroy the beauty of yourself."

A Convenient Primer for Arabic Social Dance

Anatomy of a Tear-Jerker Why does Adele's 'Someone Like You' make everyone cry? Science has found the formula

This article from the Wall Street Journal could equally well be titled "Science of Tarab."

If "Someone Like You" produces such intense sadness in listeners, why is it so popular? Last year, Robert Zatorre and his team of neuroscientists at McGill University reported that emotionally intense music releases dopamine in the pleasure and reward centers of the brain, similar to the effects of food, sex and drugs. This makes us feel good and motivates us to repeat the behavior.

Measuring listeners' responses, Dr. Zatorre's team found that the number of goose bumps observed correlated with the amount of dopamine released, even when the music was extremely sad. The results suggest that the more emotions a song provokes—whether depressing or uplifting—the more we crave the song.

Full article.

The Human Element

Dave Grohl's grammy acceptance: 

To me this award means a lot because it shows that the human element of making music is what's most important.  Singing into a microphone and learning to play an instrument and learning to do your craft, that's the most important thing for people to do.  It's not about being perfect, it's not about sounding absolutely correct, it's not about what goes on in a computer.  It's about what goes on in here [heart] and it's about what goes on in here [intellect].

Photo via Buzzfeed

Downside to Authenticity

Authenticity is important because if you aren't true to yourself then you can’t be true to others. Plus, it’s more fun to be you. Unless you meet a girl who looks just like you and she’s a princess who’s tired of being rich and wants to switch places with you even though you’re a homeless vagrant who gets beaten every night.  Then I say go for switching places with the princess. Or better yet, kill the princess so you can take her place.

Full post contains profanity in the context of humor.  If you don't mind, read the full post here.

Art Thoughtz: Performance Art

Click through for a humorous commentary on performance art.  Video contains both profanity (in the context of humor) and non-pornographic nudity (shows stills of visual and performance art containing nude models/performers).  Watch at your discretion.

Magic Moments

From the "Emotional Sobriety" blog at the website of Psychology Today magazine: 

Can you remember a distinct, personal and private moment from your past? One where you felt connected to yourself, your purpose, or your essential nature? [...] I encourage you to remember those moments in your life, to be on the lookout for them now, and know that there is magic contained in those spiritual spaces in time where the unique individual that you are is vibrating at a perfect pitch.

Read the full post.

Style and Substance

From New England Public Radio's Classical Music Blog, on the "sound" of authenticity.

In praise of style:

Every conductor worth his/her baton knows that Béla Bartók's music is strongly influenced by the rhythms of the Hungarian language, which places the stress on the first syllable of every word.  So, Bartók's musical phrases should be accented in the same way, and orchestras need to be taught to do it right.

And of substance:

Finally and most elusively, there's the quality that you could call commitment, or belief, or pride.  It's what the late violinist-violist-teacher Philipp Naegele meant when he once told me "we all play Russian music as if it were great; the Russians play it like they know it's great."  How does that translate to sound?  In the best "authentic" performances [...] it can be heard in the unfussy, unfancy approach to the music.  There's no showing off, with stretched phrases or exaggerated dynamic effects, how well you've mastered the work's style.  The performances, taut and direct, call attention not to the interpretation, but to the work.   They have nothing to prove, no one to impress, only the composer to serve.

Read the full post.

Evading Regret

In an article on February 1, the Guardian reported on a group of common regrets frequently shared by those at the end of life, as recorded by Bronnie Ware,an Australian nurse who spent several years working in palliative care.

From the article:

She recorded their dying epiphanies in a blog called Inspiration and Chai, which gathered so much attention that she put her observations into a book called The Top Five Regrets of the Dying.

1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.

2. I wish I hadn't worked so hard.

3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

Read the full article here.