February is an exciting month for belly dance. After the holiday season, we are a month back into our normal schedules and belly dance routines. Keep up those New Year’s resolutions if you made any. If you couldn’t think of any good resolutions, try these ones out. It isn’t too late to start a new belly dance practicing regimen. Start easy and give yourself one new goal per month.
- Get strong ankles – Strong and stable ankles will greatly help you with level changes and movements on releve.
- Work on your super shimmy – Is your shimmy all it can be? If not, find 5 minutes a day to work on it.
- Learn the Arabic rhythms – A key to playing finger cymbals successfully is to know the rhythms. There are lots of great online resources to learn and practice the different zill patterns.
- Practice improv – Put on a CD and just dance. Learning how to interpret music on the fly is essential for any performing dancer.
Spotlight on Didem – Turkish belly dance superstar
For this series, the intermediate/advanced class is working on a modern Turkish influenced drum solo. Big sharp movements, head tosses, strong arms, and lots of energy. One of the modern Turkish dancers influencing belly dance. Didem is ethnically Romani and born to parents of Greek and Yugoslavian backgrounds. She was raised in Kustepe, Turkey amongst dancers, musicians and other performers. She found a passion for belly dance at a young age (her mother also belly danced) and later rose to her current fame as the featured dancer on the Ibo Show.
Check out some of her YouTube drum solo videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQEZsBMADts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XflEpyOcCv4&feature=related
In contrast to the Egyptian and American styles, look at her use of floor work in this Turkish Oryantal style:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BKDGvanbgs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpMjUA0DMnw
How to belly dance with a cold. Tips and tricks to dancing when sick. It happens to everyone at some point unfortunately.
Lodi Wine & Chocolate (& Belly Dance) Weekend. Looking for something fun to do this Valentine’s Day weekend? Spend the day tasting wine, eating chocolate, and belly dancing with me! Shake up your Valentine’s Day.
15th annual Wine and Chocolate Weekend in Lodi. Over 40 participating wineries. Nyla Crystal will perform both days at Acquiesce Winery (all white wine!) from 11am-4pm.
New and improved, the Dangerous Beauties are kicking off their new tour in San Francisco at the Darkroom on Feb. 18th. The show will amaze and haunt you with theatrical belly dance performances featuring history’s most infamous femme fatales. Mata Hari, Cleopatra, Salome, Sirens, Elizabeth Bathory, Lillith and others leap of the pages of history books, paintings, and tin types and reach into your heart. Featuring a new cast of Princess Farhana, Terry, Rose Harden, Surreyya Hada, Nyla Crystal, Dusty Paik, Katharine Summer O’Neal and Tatseena.
Feb. 18th 7-9pm
2263 Mission Street San Francisco, CA 94110
$15 admission
Photo posing workshop by Princess Farhana.
Strike a Pose: How to make the camera love you!
No matter what style of dance you perform, you need great promotional photos, and this workshop gives you the tools for looking amazing in front of the camera. In addition to the workshop,
Princess Farhana will coach you through a mini-photo shoot with Wayne Miller! Workshop packages starting at $45.
Feb. 19th from 12-2:30pm at Tanjia in Oakland.
For details and registration, please visit www.dangerous-beauties.com/workshops
Marrakech Moroccan Restaurant presents:
Glam Oasis, a night of glamorous belly dance performances. Come see Sacramento’s student and pro dance community perform their most glamorous belly dance routines. Kanz al Sahara will wow you with their beautiful choreography to Zay al Hawa and more treats are in store with performances by Zaheea, Mychelle, Nyla Crystal, Shupa Du, and more!
Feb. 19th 6-9pm
1833 Fulton Ave. Sacramento, CA
Please contact Mychelle to make reservations. mychelledancer@gmail.com
$20 gets you admission and a delicious Moroccan dinner.
Middle Eastern Recipie of the Month
Turkish Delight by Saad Fayed
Staying with the Turkish theme and with this month being Valentine’s Day, make up a batch of red, pink, and white Turkish Delight to give to your sweetheart and friends. It isn’t super easy, but well worth the trouble!
Ingredients:
4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups cornstarch
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
4 1/4 cups water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons rosewater
1 cup confectioners sugar
Vegetable oil or shortening
Preparation:
In a 9 inch baking pan, grease the sides and bottom with vegetable oil or shortening. Line with wax paper and grease the wax paper.
In a saucepan, combine lemon juice, sugar and 1 1/2 cups water on medium heat. Stir constantly until sugar dissolves. Allow mixture to boil. Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer, until the mixture reaches 240 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and set aside.
Combine cream of tartar, 1 cup corn starch and remaining water in saucepan over medium heat. Stir until all lumps are gone and the mixture begins to boil. Stop stirring when the mixture has a glue like consistency.
Stir in the lemon juice, water and sugar mixture. Stir constantly for about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low, and allow to simmer for 1 hour, stirring frequently.
Once the mixture has become a golden color, stir in rosewater. Pour mixture into wax paper lined pan. Spread evenly and allow to cool overnight.
Once it has cooled overnight, sift together confectioners sugar and remaining cornstarch.
Turn over baking pan containing Turkish delight onto clean counter or table and cut with oiled knife into one inch pieces.
Coat with confectioners sugar mixture. Serve or store in airtight container in layers separated with wax or parchment paper.
