East meets West

Anna and Shillan 

Love and Kumbaya

Caitlin and Pilar take a few minutes for an encouraging hug. 

Sitar

Today we were joined by a sitarist. It was very cool to have live music during practice. 

Anna danced a improv solo to the melancholy sounds of the live sitar. Pilar and Kenzie watched along. 

Hmong beauty

Alex wore her beautiful Hmong skirt to practice today. This skirt can really fly....

Dance as a Daily Practice

With the start of a new group I hope you’ll find new commitment to your dance practice. Similar to yoga, the idea of dance as a daily practice can inspire graceful living. Dancing each day can reconnect us to simple ideas of beauty, reminding us to walk gently on this earth, breathe fully with each movement, hold our centers of strength and be a alive in every moment. Or, our daily dance practice can simply be an hour of each day where we practice good posture and connect with music we love.
Mastering an art form requires countless hours in the studio and belly dance is no different. However, belly dance is a holistic mode of expression and even on days when we aren’t dancing together we can practice good dance habits. Noticing how we initiate movements, where we hold tension, the expressions we make, the ways in which we carry ourselves… all of these observations build the body and self awareness that are essential for discovering and fine tuning our individual dance voices. Our dance practice can vary, but the commitment to dancing daily will help ground and nurture our art.
In the spirit of dancing daily, we hope to support lots of robust and flourishing dance practices and to see everyone at rehersal often ;).
Rachel Kay Brookemire,
Sahara Tribal Dance Company

The Band Room

We practiced in the Band room today cause it has a big mirror!! We all left with mixed feelings because we loved the space and the mirror. It almost felt like a dance studio but it lacked the privacy of ROOM 103. There were lots of band students milling around and the fact that we forgot a boom box didn't help either. From left: Alex, Sarah, Kenzie, Suzie (new member), Amelia, Cory (new member) enjoy the benefits of the mirror. 

Today we learn to make horizontal figure 8s with our hips. Go Anna, Go Caitlyn!  

Out of the Caravan and Into Grand Ledge

Zeebah Tribal Belly Dancers. 

Lights, Cameras, Action!

Our first performance. 

Hidding the Street Rat

Amongst Zeebah, Aladdin (Jeff) hides in the drapped hoop for the dramatic MC entrance to the Pep Assembly.

Pre-performance Buzz

 

Wow!

Pilar and Olivia preparing to enter the stage.

Transformed...

Caitlyn is glorious in royal blue. Jazmine would turn green with envy! 

That Tickles!

Nina tracing a stencil on Amelia's belly to create our very cool Tribal Tattoos. 

Body Art

Ana is beautiful in Bindi. 

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

Right now, Zeebah practices without mirrors. In the mirrors of the dressing rooms, we got to see what we looked like for the first time...it was Zeebah! (Sarah O, Ana and Tiffany)

Belly Tattoo

Caitlyn applying tribal marks on Pilar.

Blushing Camilla

 

Belly Dancer Eyes

Olivia in Tribal Make up.

Hip Drop!

Honoring the ancient dance. 

Possessed By The Spirit of Zeebah

After every practice, we all seem to leave with these silly happy goofy grins on our faces. This is a picture of us at the end of dress rehersal. 

Omi

Pilar, Caitlyn, Camila, Ana and SarahO workin' the Omi. An Omi is a move where the dancer makes tight circles with her hips while leaving her upper body motionless. 

Toran Belt

Here is a picture of Pilar's finished mirrored Toran camel tassel belt. Toran belts were often used as door decorations and as accessories for camel mounts. Tribal Belly dancers use them to make hip movements pop. 

Sew till you drop!

On Friday, we stayed in school till 11pm learning sewing techniques and creating our costumes. Here is Pilar puting the finishing touches on her Toran belt. 

Yes, You Can!

Nina learns to bring out her inner grace.