Level 3.3 Arabic Hip Twist Flourish and Wrap-Around Turn

  Well let's be honest, yesterday was a rough day. The cliche's of pregnancy stuck me one after another with everything from nausea to exhaustion to crazy mood swings to heartburn. Needless to say, I wanted to go home and sleep after work. (Which, to make matters worse, ended at 7 in the evening). I had no energy to practice any Doubleback on my lunch, and I wondered if I'd be able to do it at all in class. Of course, I still had to go. I'd have to be close to dying before I'd miss a class. Ha!

Everybody is always so happy and positive in class, I felt a bit better immediately. We went into warm-up and I messed up a simple step-touch excercise. Uh oh... I really hoped that wasn't a sign of things to come. Puja was calming as always, and then we began dancing. The great thing about it is you can't think anymore. You just have to dance. Before I knew it my teacher had cued the Doubleback. My feet started going right away and though my arms were a sloppy for a few beats they remembered by the time she changed the move again. That's pretty much how it was the rest of the night, maybe a little sloppy, but my feet and hips moved before I even knew what was happening! Way better than I thought it would be. Egyptian Full Turn has been going well, and Reshamka is fun. Fading is still very intimidating for me but I'm sure it'll get better as we practice more.

New move number one - Arabic Hip Twist Flourish. This one is very straightforward! Cue with a gaze on 1, complete the hip twist to 4, then do a spin for 4 counts with arms raised. Needs a bit of practice to be smoother, but just like the Egyptian half-turn it has a very clear cue and very simply addition to a move I already know. (Much appreciated after the Doubleback brain-splosion of last week!)

The second new move is one I think I'm falling in love with. A slow move called the Wrap-Around Turn. In my opinion it is a very plain, understated, even misleading name for such a beautiful move. Regardless, this slow turn is Flamenco influenced and very elegant. It has 'feelings' - which is a new concept my dance teacher is introducing as a popular one in Level 3.

This gorgeous painting of a Flamenco dancer is by Fabian Perez.  I love how he conveys the strength in her arms - the same tension we should have in 'Part 2' of the Wrap-Around Turn.

The Wrap-Around Turn begins with the feeling of 'gathering'. The left arm sits behind the back as the right arm slides in front, dramatically pulling the audience in towards yourself. The second feeling is 'tension'. The move turns around and weight sinks coyly into the right hip. Hands do a reverse floreo to the sides and then rise - with said 'tension'. The head is turned slightly to the left, giving the audience a mysterious bit of profile to admire. Then lastly, the feeling is 'release' as the dancer completes a Corkscrew Turn spin all the way back to the front. The Wrap-Around Turn is mysterious, dramatic and magnetic. Beautiful. I can't wait to improve at this one and perform it with confidence!

* By the way, my dance teacher was recently in Oregon for training from Carolena and she purchased the book 'Tribal Talk'. She's been meaning to get it for a long time and now that she has it she wondered why she waited so long! Fat Chance Belly Dance used to have a newsletter and 'Tribal Talk' is full of the best (and still relevant) articles. Here is a link if you want to take a peek: Tribal Talk

Foot Undeez

   As a new ATS belly dancer, I'm still trying things out and figuring out how I can dance and learn best. One of the things I've had to determine is what to wear on my feet! I think barefoot is beautiful and seems more earthy and natural so that would be my preference - but it just wasn't working well for me.

   I found that for fast moves such as Turkish Shimmy turns and ASWAT, I wanted the grip of my feet on the floor. However when it came to dancing slow, my feet stuck and I couldn't do turns gracefully! Am I the only one who apparently gets sweaty feet? I didn't know they could sweat...

   I needed something that covered the ball of my feet for smooth slow turns, and left my toes uncovered for fast moves. I decided to cut up some old socks and try dancing with a sock band across the ball of my feet. Of course they slipped around and didn't work very well. Luckily a lady I dance with saw what I was doing and rescued me! She told me about Foot Undeez.

Basically, they were EXACTLY what I needed. They really do look like little panties don't they?! Haha!

These were $24.99 (CAD) at a dance supply store in my city. They come in many colours, patterns and sizes.

   They leave your toes uncovered, offer a smooth, padded surface for the ball of your foot and because of the thong piece and elastic band they don't slip around while you dance! Perfecto.

   The lady at the store told me that for some reason the nude coloured undeez that I purchased tend to wear out faster than the patterned ones. I think I'll go for something a bit more fun next time anyways - leopard maybe? Snakeprint? So many options!!

So I'm curious, do you have the same problem? What do you wear on your feet while dancing, or do you have any tips for dancing barefeet? Let me know in the comments below!

Make-Up Must Haves: Potion and Perfector

Two of my favourite skin products are Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potion and Clinique's Pore Minimizer. They're great for everyday, for dressing up and performing in. (Especially the primer to keep that gorgeous tribal make-up on right?!)  Here are my reviews!

Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potion

You only need a very small dab on each eyelid of the primer potion, before putting on any eye make-up. Smooth it over the lid and then apply make-up as usual. The first thing you'll notice is the smoothness. Then, if you're using the same formula that I use (in above picture) you'll see that the potion has some tint to it, and removes redness/veinyness from the lids. My eye make-up used to crease by the afternoon, now it can actually last all day! It's also really great for going out or performing, because the base makes shadows and pigments look brighter and last a lot longer.

*Caution - if you use too much potion it can backfire and there will be too much build up on your lid. Use a very thin layer.

Clinique's Pore Minimizer - Instant Perfector

I suffer from pot-hole size pores, so this product makes me very happy. Just a thin layer over my nose and anywhere else that needs 'smoothing' (or filling!) and my skin looks so much better. It's oil-free and doesn't make my sensitive skin break-out either which is wonderful. I also like that it is versatile - you can wear it with make-up or without. The creamy beige blends in with my skin tone so I can just leave it at that, or I can add foundation for a more perfectly smooth look. If you have larger pores, I'd highly recommend it. (Oh and the bottles last a looong time.)

*Caution - if you have dry, flaky skin, this product will exaggerate the flakes. If you have oily/normal skin you're fine, but any flakyness at all and you MUST exfoliate first. Also, like the Primer Potion - you only need a little! No one wants to see thick make-up.

Hope these reviews are helpful to you! If you have any product recommendations or want more product reviews on my blog let me know in the comments section below! :)