http://www.betterinbedlah.com Sporadic writing for improving at belly dance Thu, 11 Sep 2008 14:02:03 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en When I have the house to myself (as I do tonight), I think, "oh well I'lljust try to quickly..." and then I realize that hours have passed and I'm late, late, late in getting to bed. It's always something that's such a little thing, but it becomes completely absorbing and time ... http://www.betterinbedlah.com/?p=72 "I know that I shimmied... a lot. For almost the whole 4 minutes, I think." Oh that sounds so familiar. That nervousness, the zoning out, the fall-back-moves taking over your dancing and the brain that can't come up with the right mix or variety of moves. We all know that you don't ... http://www.betterinbedlah.com/?p=54 The lotus is an elegant, figure-eight motion done with the hands. Done correctly, it looks as if your hands are rotating unnaturally around each other, and adds a distinctive exotic flavour to your dance. This week I've set out to learn to perform the lotus hand movement. It's a pretty confusing ... http://www.betterinbedlah.com/?p=60 I've spent my adult life writing technical, logical, persuasive documents. I've written cover letters, sales proposals, development plans, biographies, sales copy and training manuals. It's been five years since I wrote my last poem. I'm surprised to find myself here, frankly. I have always loved to write, and I loved it ... http://www.betterinbedlah.com/?p=44 Have you ever had the experience of not knowing what to do or say to a friend who's going through a bad time? You can't think of anything helpful to say or do. Your mind is blank and your hands flutter by your side like birds in a net. Do you ... http://www.betterinbedlah.com/?p=22 From Naima's Bellydance Blog: All Bellydancers should be aware of her "bellydance" body type. There are 3 things that you must address separately = bust, torso, and size (as in thin, average, full/goddess figure). You are doing yourself a disservice if you are buying/making costumes based solely on size (sm, med, ... http://www.betterinbedlah.com/?p=31 Dancing on your toes requires balance, ankle strength and core muscle strength. But if your balance is good when you're flat-footed, and your ankles are strong, yet you're still having trouble, check your posture. Don't straighten your feet 100%. If you're up too high, then most of your weight is ... http://www.betterinbedlah.com/?p=29 When I recollect the best performances I've seen, and my favourite dancers, the critical element is never technique. I love the dancers who are not only smiling, but their smiles are present, relaxed and engaging. A vacuous smile won't do. Neither will smiling past the audience. My favourite dancers are focused ... http://www.betterinbedlah.com/?p=12 As a Belly Dancer, and a Feminist, I frequently find myself in a situation where I want to speak my feminist mind on the topic of Middle Eastern Dance and our attitudes about it. And then I tend to second guess myself and keep quiet because they feel like two ... http://www.betterinbedlah.com/?p=14 If you suffer from stage fright, when there's a performance looming, you probably find yourself questioning why you even dance. Let alone, why you're considering performing. When there isn't a performance in the mix, and you're feeling unconflicted, the answer is easy. You dance because you love it. And you love ... http://www.betterinbedlah.com/?p=3