Power Belly Episode #29 . . . and up dating
Yesterday we shot the second Power Belly Show #31 Since our January Belly Dance Retreat. Because of our 10 days in Hawaii we had our first schedule delay since we started in MAY 2009. Looks like Laura Rose is putting up Episode 29 shot on Jan 11th and Episode # 30 shot this past week February 8th. We know there will be periodic rests in our ambitious schedule due to projects and travel but we are pleased how well things are working so far. Opps I just got an email that our host we put them up now is delaying us. . ugh technology so there may be another delay not our fault). Anyways there are 2 shows up at the moment. . .
News
We are getting positive feed back in most places about our new Power Belly Show. A couple articles are coming out! A nice article was written by our November intern from Ohio; Averill Obe on the Gilded Serpent e-zine. She studied with me, Christine, Dahlia, Laura Rose, Bella Jovan, the Neighborhood Temple Priesteses, Power Belly and even took drum lessons from Erik Brown and performed in a show. It’s called Belly Dance in 21 days ! We are all so proud of her!
Our Youtube extenze spoof POWER BELLY SHOW / FEMALE ENHANCEMENT we made to bring attention to our show has brought us tons of responces from folks we haven’t heard from in ages saying they laughed thier ass off. However some dancers took it way to serious and tried to draw all sorts of weird associations. I’m not going there now, but I have find the internet neurosis deserving of a blog note in the future. Our Youtube Extenze spoof is all just in fun. However belly dance is female enhancement and I stand behind that claim!
We are still working on making our web site faster. Our site is pretty big but they say it shouldn’t be so slow. Hmmm? We have had lots of calls and letter from dancers wondering where is ; Alexandra’s Library? the Underwater Belly Dance Gallery, all those back articles, poems, photos, video clips and stories about projects and insights are? Well they are all there, but moved to “Inspirations” under my name on your right hand side of the main page. They added the word “archive” into the address of many of the pages which means if you book marked them they won’t work until you visit the page and re insert your book mark. Bummer. . . Please update your favorite pages it will help our page rank linking.
I just watched episode 29 and made content notes that appear on the page when you order it, but here I want to take an opportunity to say a little more about my observation of this Power Belly Show workout;
Costume Notes:
I start out wearing my favorite pants I call the Japan pant. It’s not on line yet but it available in size S, M, L, if you call us, ( they are $89) 206632-2353. I am also wearing a detachable black vest that fits over a coin bra that goes with a matching coin hip scarf. The vest is from one of Atira’s Patterns available from Artemis .I tell you how to make a cheap and easy bedlah (bra and belt set) I call my “ Law & Order “ special because it takes 2-3 episodes of law and order to cover the top!
Shout Out for Sedona from Portland’s new HD concert DVD that just was released last month called Power and Passion. House of Tarab, Dahlia, Ruby, our good friend Karim Nagi and I are all on it along with a bevy of other totally amazing costars. A must see! We mentioned the good buhz the Power Belly Show has been getting on buhz.com! Then I caught up with my diet that I blogged about after all the holiday richness and before our January Hawaii Retreat. I lost 10 pounds and feel much better. Then we were so active in Hawaii I feel totally back in shape!
Episode #29
This episode workout begins with a little inner focus. I ask you, Who belly dances inside of you? As we breath and shimmy we look with in. The idea is to burn some wood, stoke the fire as you look toward the present moment and find your inner dancer. Then I go ahead and teach a simple movement meditation / belly dance ritual that addresses the 4 directions. Why? This is a powerful focusing exercise to make you aware of the place in the world your instrument, your body, your life vessel, occupies. Doesn’t this seem important to people that identify themselves as dancers? Center is prime from where you feel your balance and breath. You maintain it and strengthen your core awareness by drawing focused attention to how the earths gravity below effects you. How the sky sustenance of light and air above you feels. Then we slowly move and open to the North, South, East, and Western perspectives. Tribal dancers tell me they really love this simple exercise. This gives you firm grounding. It connects you with the planet and humanity as we address an audience out there and share our gifts of love and beauty.
Example; “ dancers of the West, we give you the gifts of our hearts!”
After we did these stretches we moves back into the shimmy. We did some simple walk to the beat. You know I have to say something here to all my classes. Dancers think they are stepping to the beat. To my observation many are not. Relax, To walk on the beat your foot presses down on the beat. Don’t lift up, Don’t spread your knees far apart and walk like a cow girl. Don’t bounce up and down lifting your body with your shoulders on each step. At least not for this dance. Speak to the beat and you will probably do it right. Count it, or say beat, beat beat. People think this is easy but it’s really not. When you do it consciously it settles the mind down so that creative insights can make their way into your dance body. You know, I’m talking about the art of dance.
In this episode we did moves that really work the core. The weight belt adds a strong challenge. Every time you move the weights by momentum then put the breaks on to stop in place, this exerts a bit bigger squeeze of core muscle groups. Thus the sweat appears and our balance is challenged and will improve. NOTE At 24 :54 I demonstrate a pretty good example of not moving my upper body when changing hip action from one side to the other. Twists are especially good for the waistline. Hold that core and open up your rib cage and lift from inside to stabilize the upper body. When I say “Electric Fingers” I mean to see some life energy in them. This does not come from the digits or the shoulders it comes from being generated in the belly and moving through the upper body, shoulders, arms wrists and out the finger tips!
I know dancers are watching a TV or a monitor but once you get the move I’m doing I encourage you to look away ( Even stop the play button) and make sure your head, face eyes are in the correct place to support the move correctly at some point. You can move your body position so you can see the monitor too. Example in the horse shoe move; I look back over my shoulder as I lift the back side of the hip up and toward the back of my ribs towards my head. Then the hip move travels down, then towards the front and rises with the front of the hip, up under the front of the ribs. Your chin should meet it in front.
Backing up and changing direction are what tests your balance and core strength. Can you switch with quick efficiency? Or do you look like a locomotive came to a screeching halt and had to reverse thrusters? I like the pattern circle-and-a-half because it makes good use of direction changes inside the body close to the core. You feel it with the extra weight for sure! Makes for a good workout move.
I asked the students to apply Ruby’s Palates ab awareness of keegal up, tight then up toward belly button and in toward the spine. (Ruby’s ab Power Belly Extra is getting lots of positive feed back, be sure and see it next time it appears).
Then we shifted to cheftitelli and did slow sexy triple circles, reversing figure 8’s in an oval, big loop, little loop traveling steps and other combos. We went back for more intense shimmies upper body and lower body and then layered with the Pyramid Step combos and twisting series. Finally at the end we did some contrast movement to ease the stress on knees and thighs by kicking back and doing knee lifts toward the upper front of the body (good for belly) Always feels good I think.
Dancers want to be able to do belly dance that is isolated and conversational and looks effortless. Well you gotta get the physical endurance up and the strength of carriage in order before this is possible. That’s what the Power Belly Show is aiming at. Plus we want it to inspire you to dance every day and have fun! Life is too short to do exercise we hate! Thanks for all of those who have joined me. Don’t stop we are doing it for you!
oxox
Delilah