Two Year Danciversary!

Two years.

Two years ago, if you told me that I'd be A) showing my midriff in public, B) dancing for them C) without jitters and D) loving every minute of it, I'd quietly call the police to have you held in a mental facility on a 5150.

That just wasn't me. I was the chick whose ass was firmly planted in her chair at weddings during Dancing Time. I was the girl who'd go to the club and "hold the table". I was the woman that called herself "too Jewish to dance". I was the girl that rolled her eyes at that "I Hope You Dance" song. Okay, that last bit, I still do. Tooooo schmaltzy.

What changed in me, two years ago?

I have met several amazing women that belly dance for fun, for fitness, for performing, for work... Gorgeous women with bright spirits and calm confidence in their bodies. So, one day I decided, what the hell, give it a shot, if I hate it, we need never speak of this again.

So I signed up for what I call "those three awkward Egyptian cabaret lessons".

This is not an ATS dancer hating on Egyptian, by any means. I think Egyptian cabaret is a gorgeous style, suitable for so many bodies and moods and dance stories.  I'm not even hating on the studio or the teacher... the studio is doing a lot of work to elevate belly dance as an art form, and the teacher clearly loved her dance and her work.  It just didn't mesh well with me, and that was what made things awkward.

It was a lot of stuff thrown into a small period of time, a choreography, veil work, the basic moves, and a warmup and cooldown. Throw in a featureless dance room (big long room with dance floors and mirrors) and both instructors using mics, and my crappy hearing just couldn't catch everything.  There was a lot of sound bouncing around the room, which made it hard for me to understand, and mics make it hard to lipread. So there's poor me, with no idea what is going on in class, and I just didn't end up enjoying myself. 

But I still wanted to learn.

So, I searched out other classes when that session was over, and found Eastern Fire. I liked Grace and her teaching style, which was much slower and broke things down a lot more, and the mechanics of the studio made it easy to understand her. So, I figured I'd keep going.

About nine months after that, I had my dance debut. About nine months after THAT, I was asked to join Cassia, and then we were selected to perform at Tribal Revolution.

There were so many points along the way that I couldn't believe I passed... I thought I'd never be able to master the taxim, or the dreaded 3/4 shimmy, or the body wave. I thought I'd never be able to zill and would have to fake it. I thought I'd never perform, and I'd certainly never bare my midriff in public. I thought I'd never be a member of the student troupe, and I didn't even imagine being a part of the larger dance community.  I was just too uncoordinated, fat, pasty, ugly, and weird to want to share this.

What the hell was I thinking? I'm beautiful.

How Not To Get Burned!

This one is not about sunscreen or cooking safety.  Today, I want to talk about buying belly dance gear as securely as possible.

As an avid online shopper, I'm fairly tolerant of shopping risks, but I understand that not everyone is as comfortable as I am buying things sight unseen without trying anything on or touching it to make sure it's quality.  And I understand that there are plenty of people that aren't, so I'm not here to convert you necessarily, so here are some tips and tricks for buying in multiple venues.

1)  Conventions!  Big dance gatherings!  Haflas!

These are probably the best places to pick up dance gear. However, there are some things to keep in mind when you're surrounded by dancers and surrounded by merchandise.  Remember that you are paying convention prices. They're probably inflated, due to the cost of transportation, shipping, booths, and advertising. You will be paying more than you would online or secondhand, and you need to accept that.  If there's something fairly basic or mass-produced (i.e. skirts, cholis) you can always take a business card from the seller and check them out after the show. If you're buying something a little more special, make sure to try it on first. Returns with a con vendor can be a nightmare, especially if you get home from the show and realize that it doesn't fit.  Stress-test the jewelry and belts... you don't have to take it out to your car and run it over, but give a little tug on the sewn seams and near the jump rings. If they start to give, decided how comfortable you are repairing.

2)  Online shopping with an established vendor!

They'll likely be less expensive than at a show, but now is when your research comes in. Talk to your teacher or more experienced students with cool gear, and find out where they find stuff they like.  Eastern Fire Belly Dance is a big fan of Magical Fashions, Sirik Tribal, and Flying Skirts. I personally also had success with Tribe Nawaar and We3.  I am not a paid endorser of any of these links, I'm just telling you what I heard.  Before you order, make sure you get comfortable with a measuring tape. Check the measurements and dimensions of the item you're looking at.  Some people get very upset when they buy something that's very zoomed-in on a website, but is only listed as being 2" long.  I personally had an experience where I bought an XXL Turkish vest and failed to account for it being much bigger than my ribcage... I had to alter that one myself.  Also, check out any complaints on Bhuz.com or ask around with your dance sisters if you see a site that has gorgeous merch but you're hesitant about buying from them.  For example, we3 has a fair amount of complaints, but I've had good experiences with them overall.

3)  eBay, Etsy, and DIY sites

This is where things can get a little risky, as you're not necessarily buying from businesses... you could be buying from scammers, weirdoes, or fly-by-night organizations.  So now is the time to research!  Check feedback religiously, and if the feedback comes up as positive, make a test purchase and use PayPal. By using PayPal, you're entitled to buyer protection in case a sale doesn't come through. Also, please remember that you are likely going to be working with an international buyer. Shipping can take a long. ass. time. I had a particular headpiece ordered from some outfit in China that took a month and a half to get to me. It was cheap enough that I didn't mind the length of time for shipping, but it was still annoying, especially since it didn't come in time for a performance.  International shipping can take its sweet time, no matter what you're buying.  However, patience and luck paid off, and I now have a source for 25-yard cotton skirts for between 30 and 40 dollars a pop.

4)  Swaps and Sells through Dance Studios

You get to finger the merch and look at it in person, however, come forearmed with knowledge!  A seller that wants too much for that skirt, vest, top, etc, is going to be ANNOYING and hard to work with.  Get comfortable knowing going rates for things. Also, check on stuff... check for stains, rips, smells, failing seams, and evidence of customization. Know your comfort zone... if you're okay with a modesty panel taken out of a skirt, or trims added, or are comfortable changing these things yourself, that's not so much of a red flag unless you aren't comfortable with those things.  Also, there are some things I'd never buy secondhand... anything that fits tight to the chest, groin, or feet. Some things are just too personal, after all. Also, returns here are basically impossible.

Special Places I Buy Things:

To get my latest pair of Saroyan Professional Zils, I did a LOT of research before buying them via Saroyan's Amazon presence.  I'd seen different pairs, heard different pairs in person, and also availed myself of their website's listen-before-you-buy feature. I'm totally happy with the Professionals... they sound like really loud, tinkly, ringy bells.

I'm not afraid of Forever 21 and Claire's jewelry, because I'm well aware that I'm getting what I pay for.

I make my own hair flowers, accessories and extensions, so I don't have a good resource for them, besides CONTACT ME AND I CAN MAKE YOU SOME.

Some things you can't just buy from a picture, however... I won't buy dance shoes from an online seller. I found a local dance shop that special-orders ghillies, and I always try on before I buy. Dance shoe companies work off a completely different size chart than regular shoes. No matter what, though, if my feet don't fit comfortably in the shoes, the shoes come off and I ask for another. My local tiny dance shop probably thinks I'm a crazy diva, but I do buy and I do plenty of word-of-mouth for them.

Happy shopping!

Tamarind Tribal!!!

So, tonight at Belly Dance Wednesdays, the lovely and ridiculously talented ladies of Tamarind Tribal stopped by!  They drove to Bolingbrook from Milwaukee, just to hang out and dance with us. They opened the show, and WOW. Much talented. Such beautiful. They are gorgeous dancers and we were all blown away that some real life ATS celebrities graced us with their presence.

Of course, they joined in at All Tribes, and the Eastern Fire and Amaranth dancers were all bursting out on stage to have the opportunity to dance with them.  And then me.

I hadn't necessarily meant to dance with them... since they are like SERIOUS PROFESSIONAL DANCERS and I'm still working out what to do with my zills, I was kind of like, "Okay, maybe I'll go out like once for All Tribes, I am performing later too, the other girls are super excited about them, don't want to step on anyone's thunder..."

But fate was not with me. Still keyed up from a performance that ended with Grace tearing up and giving me a special hug, I noticed that the amazing Ashley from Cassia was heading up. I figured, what's the harm, let's go, I've got my half wrap on and everything.

GUESS WHO ELSE WENT INTO FORMATION.

Yeah. Whoa.

I'm surprised I was able to keep up with them. For awhile, I was feeling okay. I've only been dancing for a year and a half, so I'm nowhere near their level, but it was going okay. I recognized most of the cues they were throwing down, so that's a huge plus.

And then they started spinning.

We've talked about spinning a little, we've tried some, I've been drilling at home. But I'm not yet ready to start whirling around in front of people, and I dont' want to risk torquing a knee or falling on my skirt.

What's a baby dancer to do?

Hopefully said baby dancer is in quartet (Tymora was smiling upon me), so once the grownups start spinning, she can quietly and seamlessly slink off into the quartet and pretend like she was there the whole time.

Yep, I ran out of there like I stole something.  Nobody seemed to mind, and even Grace said I disappeared well.  So ladies, if your teacher is cool with you bailing when famous people are dancing, then you made a good life choice.

A brief primer in Bailing Like A Boss:

Wait until you're in quartet. Then take a few steps backwards, glance to the chorus leader, and begin doing what she's doing, Smile the whole time. Above all, move with purpose. And remember, you gotta know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away, and know when to run.