Leyla’s Commentary for Dancers
Workshop in Sedona Arizona
I am teaching a workshop along with another friend of mine Rozana al Jinan sponsored by Shimmy magazine/Holly Luky Saturday, June 26th with the evening show happening Friday the 25th .
The show will be at: (Reservations only)
Relics Restaurant 3235 West Highway 89A Sedona, Arizona.
Telephone (928) 282-1593 – Online www.relicsrestaurant.
Saturday workshop times:
1) Rozana al Jinan 12:00-2:00: With over 30 years of dance experience, Rozana has chosen one of her sassiest Egyptian Style choreographies. Be prepared for a dynamic, fun and fast paced workshop. Rozana’s Lulu choreography is definitely one of her troupe’s favorites!
2. Leyla Najma 2:30-4:30: As a Master Teacher Leyla Najma focuses on hip articulation, speed and completion of movement. Come and learn Leyla’s unique way of putting together shimmies with sharp and soft hip combinations. Your traveling steps and layering will never be the same! Be prepared to shimmy, maya and roll!
3) $50 for both (early-bird) or $30 for one. At the door: $70/both, $35/one.
For more information:
Contact Holly Luky at shimmy@esedona.net
(928) 282-7755
For Hotel reservations contact Kokopelli Suites at: http://www.kokopellisuites.com/
The group code to use is “Holly” in order to get the discounted price of $99.99.
Phone numbers Toll Free: (800) 789-7393 /Local Number: (928) 204-1146
I will be writing more about this workshop because it looks like we will be broadcasting my class “live”!
Topic of Live On-line Classes
The live classes have been a blast to teach but I must say stressful for Daniel. Not only is he watching the class on his monitor but he is making sure everything technical is working. Can you imagine teaching class with him crawling on the ground and not being able to laugh? Or another scenario which I still crack up about was when Daniel thought we were off line only to find out we weren’t. It must have been funny for everyone watching us talk and I am so glad I didn’t pick my nose or do something silly!
With the classes being live my chances of making booboos is definitely there for everyone to see. The only draw back is laughing by myself but I know if I’m laughing you all must be too…right? Zippy our dog made an appearance in the last minutes of the evening Thursday class. He was pretty cute and class thankfully was coming to a close.
We are excited about the classes this week and I think you will all enjoy the curriculum that I put together for you. So far the feedback has been thumbs up and everyone seemed to love my bloopers! I definitely feel blessed because the women taking my classes have the most beautiful hearts and amazing dedication to their dance. So thank you all for taking the classes and I can’t wait to get started for this week!
Topic of Emails
We know that emails are a very personal matter and that sometimes it may seem like there are a lot of emails from us. So I wanted to let you all know where we stand with the emails we send out. Everything we send out is important at least to us and its all information we feel you need to know. Deep down inside I am a belly dancer first and business owner second and because of this I am dedicated along with Daniel to giving you the best on-line instructional videos I can. It is always at the top of our list.
Sometimes we have a multitude of things going on at the same time and Daniel will send out the technical emails to everyone and then I will send out my Belly Dance blog topics for everyone to read. On a day to day basis we get emails from dancers needing help with instructional videos, asking questions about the online classes etc. So Daniel is constantly making sure everyone is happy even if he goes to bed at midnight. At this point in our business it is all about customer service and we want everyone to know our goal is to make the videos and instruction available to everyone no matter where you live. This means wearing different hats and having to double up on responsibilities. Even our daughter Savanah is working with Daniel with editing and other areas to help him out. We are a family run business which means there are no middle men to deal with, it’s just us. So please know that we have your best interest at heart when we send out emails and that we are a family of three (with a neurotic dog) that are working double time to get dance to not only your door step but into your living room.
The Heart of Selena
Where do I begin, it’s like this past weekend was a blur; my life passing before my eyes. Life as a belly dancer is really amazing because each workshop presents new adventures, friendships and opportunities. It’s almost like dance is a flower that opens up unfolding her pedals, fragrance and beauty with each of us. The more experiences we have, the more layers are shared becoming visible for the first time. Imagine being with Isis in all her glory and women becoming empowered in their own femininity meaning to remember ourselves and to know what it’s like to be in the company of women! Workshops help us remember what it was like to be amongst our own gender and relish within the synergy we create by only being together; this is unique and rare now, it is called magic.
The Goddess herself was apart of our celebration this my daughter and I experienced on the way to Floralia by way of 70 mile hour gusts of wind while driving there!! The Goddess came riding on Mother Natures winds so she could be apart of Floralia. She made her presence known! Such is the life of a belly dancer and why as dancers we can live no other life.
The weekend started off with the film “Belly” a documentary about belly dancing and being women in an ancient art form. It’s about recovery from illness and reclaiming your own individuality in dance while living in a modern world. I loved the film and highly recommend everyone watch it! The producers are a husband and belly dance wife team, Cecilia and Chad Rinn. On Friday we were able to dance to live music by James Yousif. I have not danced to live music for awhile and I have to tell you that there is nothing like an accomplished musician who knows how to play for dancers. That evening James played for his wife Nadia and I must say her grace to his melody was like seeing the Yin and Yang of belly dance. My surprise of the weekend was being in the company of Helena Vlahos who blew me away not only with her dancing but with her vast knowledge of our dance form. She has the grace, beauty and presence of Isis herself!
Friday, Saturday and Sunday classes were full of dancers bustling around the dance floor learning choreographies and movement and props. There was another evening show on Saturday and it was full of dancers from all walks of life performing one right after another either doing solos or troupe performances. My student Mariposa Azul did her dance début and I was so proud of her. She worked for months on a choreography I created just for her and she shined like the star I knew she was.
Belly dance made a statement that night, she said she is here to stay and she is alive and well in every dancer who graces the dance floors and stages with their artistry and talent. Every step, turn, hip movement tells the story of how old our dance form is. It’s wonderful to see how each dancer individually reminds us that dance is about our life stories and who we are as women, mothers, daughters, wives, sisters and aunts.
In saying all of this I cannot forget to mention the one woman who made it all possible and she is Selena Kareena. To have a vision and desire for something is one thing but to make it into a reality and share it with others is another. This just means one thing, only a Goddess could have made this happen. There was a presence to Floralia from the start and this presence was the heart of Selena. Her heart has no boundaries, conditions, limitations; she loves just for the sake of loving. She is a rare find in a friend and one I will always treasure! So from my heart to yours Selena, thank you so much for inviting me to your vision of the divine!
Floralia Workshop Sneak Peek: Restaurant Dancing Tips and Secrets
Here is the Floralia Workshop info for those of you who are interested in coming out to Truth or Consequences, New Mexico April 29th-May 2, 2010. Daniel wanted me to put in more detail in regards to what I will be teaching and I thought it was a good idea. I will blog again and give you all some hotel information so you will know where to stay and keep up with the busy schedule Selena Kareena has in store for everybody. I can’t wait!!
Restaurant Methodology
Restaurant dancing to me is really an art and if it’s looked upon as just another gig or venue then the outcome can be depressing and time consuming. The bottom line is if you are making money with your dancing then you have to figure out the best way to make the most out of each job you get.
It can be so disheartening to leave a restaurant gig with little or no tips and customers ignoring you. I can remember through out my restaurant years that if I left it up to the customers to make me feel good then I was setting myself up for disappointment. Most people who walk into a restaurant have one two things on their mind and that is to eat and relax. It’s our job to entertain them and how we entertain them is the key to making better tips and having an enthusiastic audience that wants to watch us perform.
Let’s face it, not everybody walking into a restaurant is going to be thrilled with our presence, dance ability or smile. As a matter of fact a few times I was an unintentional instigator to unwanted dramas and usually the culprit was what people thought I represented. Not everybody is going to walk into a Middle Eastern or Persian restaurant and be an expert in our dance field. I have found American audiences to be a bit more narrow-minded when it comes to our dance form only because of what they see on TV and lack of education.
People react to us based on self confidence issues, insecurities and phobias. I mean a couple can come in who had an argument just hours before walking into the restaurant and there you are dancing for them without a clue. They probably don’t like each other at that particular moment so this means that we have to either read minds or earn a Psychology Degree within a matter of minutes. But I have to say that as you dance for grumpy couples the clues do become obvious very quickly. The glare from the wife, the husband gobbling up his food in a very enthusiastic manner; making sure he doesn’t look at you, pretty much says “Go away!” This is restaurant dancing and this is why it is not always the favorite dance gig to perform at. But Restaurant dancing can help you become a more intuitive dancer that understands her environment and takes charge. Add in my tips and you will be able to change the way you perform, relate to and engage your audience so that that not only do the tips get better but you feel better about your dancing!
What you will learn:
In Place Dancing
1. How to make the most out of small spaces and how to work your body so that you can do “in-place” dancing. This will include “in-place” combinations/layering/speed change. Remember the opposition hips I talk about? This is when they come in handy and make the difference in tight spaces.
Body Positioning
2. Angles, turns and leg work that allows for awkward spaces or crowded rooms with no space between tables.
Arm Positioning
3. Arm work that works with small spaces so that the occasional smack or slap on the head doesn’t happen.
Restaurant Etiquette
4. Restaurant etiquette and people skills 101. Remember the two C’s; Compliment vs. Competition. People ultimately want to be entertained so if a dancer can approach a table with the knowledge of knowing important clues then the chances of making more tips will be greater.
Remember that you are a Performer who Entertains
5. Stage performing is different then restaurant performing so remember that you have to have a different mind set for each. I have seen dancers perform at night clubs and stage who dance the exact same way for restaurants and it doesn’t work. Not everyone wants to dance in close proximity to people so figure out first what type of venue you prefer; stage, night club or restaurant. Then decide what type of dancer you are which might include all three venues or just stage and night club. The best way to think of each venue is like this; they are 3 sisters, related but different. Each venue has a personality all it’s own so understand your environment first before you perform.
Restaurant Bloopers
6. The faux pas of restaurant performing can be unintentional but hysterically funny. Bloopers remind us of how human we are and they also remind us to stay grounded and laugh even if we are laughing at ourselves. Unfortunately for me, I have plenty bloopers to share with you all but fortunately for you they will give you a good laugh.
Workshop information:
Selena Kareena is the Floralia Belly Dance Festival Coordinator. ancientartsstudioprod@yahoo.com www.myspace.com/floraliabellydance www.myspace.com/selenakareena 575-743-2048
