Viva La Diva Weekend Part 3 - Zambra Mora and Conclusion

Zambra Mora
Sunday's workshop had a smaller group in it, but I think that was for the best! With all the skirt-whooshing, we probably would have hurt ourselves and each other if the workshop was packed.

Though I've included a link about Zambra Mora, I was hesitant about posting more about it. The link I provided, however, repeats what we learned this past weekend about the style. Dondi and Titanya stressed that there's nothing conclusive about what they or anyone else has learned about the style. They know that it preceded Flamenco, and that it most likely was not an actual dance. But even in their travels to Andalusia and Southern Spain, they found minimal information. I found it fascinating that Zambra Mora was once outlawed and is such an underground style, almost to the point of denying all the cross-over and intermingling that is generally important in the birth of creativity.

Zambra Mora, which translates to "Moorish party," seems to be both fiery and earthy, often danced barefoot and proclaiming emotions. There's a focus on duende, or feeling a passion in the body and soul, and those emotions are expressed in the powerful movements and the noises that is often made during the movement. One interesting tidbit we learned was that "Olé" is derived from the Arabic "wa'Allah" ("by Allah" or "by God"). It might seem silly, but that information blew my mind!!! Though the more I think about it, the less I'm surprised, especially coming from a culture that has 300 years of Spanish rule behind it. I think it's just one of those things you don't really think about until someone points it out.

Viva La Diva Weekend Part 2 - Show and Competition

Viva La Diva Competition and Show
On my way to the Courtyard Marriott in Woburn that morning, I didn't think I would stay the whole day. With my weekends being so busy, I haven't had a lot of time to relax and spend time with my boyfriend and friends. But after Saturday's workshop, I had made some wonderful connections, and after telling my boyfriend about all the fun I was having he encouraged me to stay and get inspired.

I'm so glad that I did! It was my first Viva La Diva show, so I had no idea that it was going to go on for more than 5 hours!! But I love watching other dancers and hearing songs that I'm not familiar with yet.

Once Za-Beth posts up information about who the winners are, I'll update this blog with more of my impressions.

I was excited to see that one of my classmates with Amira Jamal was part of the competition! I was so proud to be there to cheer on Shakima Laila. She had performed some of her competition pieces to us in class, so it was exciting to see her in full regalia! She started up the night' festivities with one of her graceful routines.

I like that the belly dance community is so tightly knit. I'm sure that not everyone gets along swimmingly, but you can count on the fact that you will always see some familiar faces at an event. I asked Dondi a little about the differences between the communities on the coasts. She said it's a lot more competitive on the Westside, maybe because there's a higher concentration of them within a given radius and it seems like they're all trying to make it big. I definitely got the feeling of being "larger than life" from my small exposure to the Los Angeles bellydance community.

Viva La Diva Weekend Part 1- Dondi & Titanya's Five Elements and Middle Eastern Dance

It's been a really busy August.

It's been a really expensive August.

It's been a really wonderful August...so far.

In my decision to expand my raqs sharqi education, I signed up for the Viva La Diva workshops hosted by Za-Beth. I had been looking forward to this weekend for a while. Since August has been so busy - and expensive! - I've been too broke to take a month's worth of Najmat's classes (and they're not even that expensive!). All I could do was rely on my Netflix queue. But I do so much better in a classroom. I've missed a lot of the interaction with classmates.
 
This past weekend, however, was exactly what I've been craving all month.

Za-Beth was hosting Dondi and Titanya Dahlin, two fabulous dancers who I've only recently discovered but fell in love with their stylings immediately.
 
I discovered Dondi through the Bellydance Superstars, which seems to be how many students have found her. She has this amazingly infectious smile and is a mesmerizing dancer. After watching her (and the other Supah Stahs) on the DVD, I Googled and YouTubed like crazy. I loved how relaxed she seems while she's dancing, like it just took no energy at all.

Through the powers of Google, I discovered Titanya. I wasn't sure what it was, but I felt a sort of simpatico with her style. Oh wait...it's because the first thing YouTube led me to was Titanya as a mermaid. I mean, really. Is there anything else I need to say kids? Alrighty then.

Hot Summer Nights - End of Summer Specials!

Hi, My name is Cecilia, and I'm a huge nerd.

(*phew!* That felt good to get that off my chest.)

Now, being a huge nerd, I know that it's Blue August on the Discovery Channel's Planet Green. For those of you who haven't noticed, I'm also a sucker for anything to do with mermaids or anything ocean-themed.

In honor of Blue August and my love for sea creatures real and imaginary (and because it's been SWELTERING), I'm encouraging everyone to stay cool and enjoy the remaining summer days with our Waterproof products!

From the Water Dancer (or Rabbit Dancer) to the Celebrator to the Wave Maker to Aqua Erotica, if you place an order with me (via phone or email) that includes a WATERPROOF product, you will receive 15% off your total order AND an Athena's Bathing Kit full of samples will come with your order - a free gift from me!

NOTE: This special will last until Tuesday, September 22, 2009, at 5:18pm EDT(Eastern Daylight Time) - when the Autumn officially begins.

Did you get my newsletter??? There's more specials to behold! Sign up with the button on the right!

"Whatever Lola Wants" at 90 years old

On August 15th, my family celebrated our Lola's (grandmother) 90th birthday. Though her birthday is actually in September, the majority of family members (from San Francisco, Chicago, and elsewhere) were able to come in August.

It was a big to-do. There was a section in the Universal Hilton's Cafe Sierra reserved for our large family (and it's not even half of them!). My sister was responsible for making about 100 mini cupcakes as party favors. My mom and cousin were working on the program, which included a picture slideshow of my Lola's life. My siblings and I joked that it was almost like someone was getting married!

My sister and I (and one of our nieces) helped to provide some more entertainment for the day with some dances. Interestingly, because my sister learned hula in Los Angeles and joined a troupe there, my family has been privy to the style and culture of hula. Though I've been learning belly dance for about 7 years, most of my learning has been on the East Coast. I think my parents and siblings have seen one video of me dancing at a recital, but the majority of my family has never seen me dance live.

Hey, World: a little clarification...

I realize that I started this blog and combined my Sex Toy Goddess life with my Belly Dance life, and I didn't really think about how that would be taken.

Some people could really misinterpret each as going hand in hand, further confusing the very thick line between belly dance and stripping. That's definitely not what I was going for.

So, I just wanted to clarify things a little bit.

For me, in these years after I finished grad school, ended an 8 1/2 year relationship since high school, and decided to stay in Boston, there's been a lot of growth and renewal for me. There's been a lot of looking inward on myself and opening up about difficult things. There's been a lot of accepting myself.

Initially, I was of the mind that I would just put everything about who I am into one blog. I feel like it's too much work to hide and lie about things. But my boyfriend told me that I might want to separate things that "people might not agree with." So I did. I suppose some of the parents of the kids that I work with in my day job would be very much against me selling sex toys to adults, and some of the parents might also be very much against any mid-drift-showing, glittery belly dancing.

While I am of the mind that censorship only leads to ignorance, I know that this is all to just protect myself from those crazies that would be staunchly against these other parts of me. Now, I feel like this blog is another way for me to be open about who I am.

I feel like belly dancing (if you're doing it right) should be soulful and sensual - because if you're loving the music and your body wants to move and groove with it, then that's not "wrong." I also feel like dancing in general should be a way to get in touch with yourself and express whatever feelings you might be feeling. Though historically, belly dancing wasn't meant to be a spectacle for male on-lookers, I don't think there's anything wrong with the way belly dancing has evolved into an art and an expression that can be shared with everybody. Yes, of course, you still have to watch out for the occasional perv. But luckily, the belly dance community is strong enough that we watch each others backs.

Now, sex. In my heart of hearts, I feel like it's another expression. While in evolutions terms, it's just a method of procreation, I'd like to think that emotions play a part in it. To ignore that you feel sexual is to suppress an innate feeling. But first, you have to enjoy it. And how else are you to enjoy it without learning what pleases you and what doesn't? If our ancestors had to learn which berries were okay to eat by trying each berry and learning from that experience, then it shouldn't be any different in learning what pleases us (even if in the end, it's just so that we WANT to procreate or not). In this respect, you also have to protect yourself - the best way to protect yourself is to educate yourself.

So, in conclusion :) I'm not trying to say that belly dancing and sex necessarily go hand in hand, but that they are forms of self-expression that shouldn't be hidden and censored. I embrace these two sides of me fully, knowing full well that some people might strongly disagree with my lifestyle choices.

To them I say:
Hey, World! I love dancing and I love sex! And I think others should, too!!!

Swaying My Hips Right (Coast) to Left (Coast)

Venice Beach, CA

On Thursday, July 30, 2009, I decided to check out a belly dancing event while I was visiting Los Angeles. Since I feel like I've been able to learn a bit more about the belly dancing community in New England, I was curious to compare it with the Los Angeles belly dancing community.

I found Meryem Vani's Showcase on the LARaqs.com website, which is a fabulous website for any belly dancer beginner or advanced. Teachers, costumes, events - it's all there! If you or someone you know in Los Angeles is looking to dip their toes into the world of raqs sharqi, this is a great website to introduce them to! I was very excited to have found that website.

It became suddenly clear to me that one of the major differences between the LA and New England belly dance communities was the size. Los Angeles, being a ginormous city, has the capacity to hold a variety of talented dancers, workshops, and events within its county lines. While Boston (my East Coast home) also has a wide variety of dancers as well, many of the events and workshops are not as easy to reach. As someone dependent on the T or my bicycle, it costs me not only a workshop fee but also a Zipcar membership. Even my Athena's job is an investment if I need to travel far. Strangely, perhaps because of the concept of the "county lines" or because I have more control over the space, things don't seem as far in LA even though I'm much more dependent on a car.

But the Boston/Greater Boston belly dance community extends to both the Massachusetts and New England communities. I think it's great because of how far reaching the community actually is - extending to multiple states! Coming from Los Angeles, I always thought it was pretty neat that folks in Boston could feel some camaraderie with the entire northeast corner of the country. On the other hand, I definitely enjoyed only traveling a little more than 2 miles to the belly dancing event.

The Showcase was located at the Tsunami Coffeehouse Theater in Silverlake, not too far from where I (my parents) live. Unfortunately, I didn't get to check out the actual coffeehouse before they closed, but I have had my eye on that place for a while! Aside from Perhaps on my next visit home, I will check it out during the day time.

I didn't make it in time for the short workshop that Meryem Vani held, but the women that participated told me all about it. One of them found this event through the LARaqs website as I did, and the other woman told us that she was part of the Bellydance Meetup Group, more specifically the Hollywood-East LA Bellydance Meetup Group. To further illustrate the point I made about the space and size, this one section of LA has currently 182 members. The Boston Bellydance Meetup Group currently has 297 members - but certainly, not everyone's address says "Boston." Craaaazy!

Zahir, who is not only part of Meryem Vani's Troupe Zaghareet but also an entertaining MALE belly dancer, was the MC of the event. He introduced about 7 dancers, including himself and another male belly dancer who's name I can't remember at all. That first male dancer was mesmerizing - balancing a tray of candles on his head and moving so slowly, from the floor to standing up.

Completely forgetting myself at the event, the only other name I could remember was Jennelah. To be perfectly honest, she was my personal favorite, perhaps because she was more my style. She had on a beautiful sparkly costume, and maintained her poise even with a slight technological malfunction of the CD player. Most of the belly dancers and groups were great, ranging from beginners to teachers. It made me feel more comfortable about my own performance level, especially since I felt that I could have a more educated opinion about the dancers.

The one woman who spoke to me earlier about being part of the Meetup Group interestingly had a lot of questions about belly dance, from the costumes to the styles of dance. At first I was shocked - because I always feel like everyone else knows WAAAY more than me. It was a good reminder for me, though, that I do know quite a bit more than I give myself credit.

At the end, there was a group dance, where the performers and audience members all got up to dance. For the first time, I didn't even hesitate getting up to dance with my peers, feeling secure in my own knowledge and body. I managed to convince a friend of mine to join me, and she stated after watching all the performances that she was absolutely intrigued by the dance and wanted to learn some of the moves.

Overall, while it was only one event I attended, I am so glad that I did! I'm not really sure what I expected. I've come across some interesting belly dance experiences in Los Angeles - from a class that felt like the teacher was teaching just to watch herself in the mirror to a store owner/teacher saying that he "doesn't teach housewives." I guess I was nervous that it was going to feel snobby and distant. But everyone was so welcoming!

Near the end of my trip, I wanted to spend one more day at the beach, but I also wanted to return to Boston with a new costume item. I hopped onto LARaqs.com before heading out, and found that the Velvet Gypsy was just along the Venice Beach boardwalk! While many of the items were tourist-friendly, there were some fabulous items that caught my eye. It was great to find a store that was exactly where I needed it to be - reducing the amount of time I would waste in traffic.

The day I move back to LA, I will feel secure in knowing that I can easily find and join the belly dance community. Not that I'm planning on moving back any time soon, necessarily. But I do miss my Los Angeles, and it's nice to feel like I still have a home and can make an updated home there.