The good bits of 2011

So yesterday it was all doom and gloom but I do not want to become one of those people who do nothing but moan (my mother) so today I am focusing on the things which have gone well this year.  Most of it is related to Belly Dance.  This year has seen a lot of changes for me I decided to get over my fear and take some solo bookings - now I did not enjoy it as much as dancing with my Shikidim sisters but I got up there and did it and people seemed to like it so I am glad I did it.  Dancing in a restaurant was also a new challenge - the audience are so close! its scary but again I did it and I am kind of proud of myself.

This year I decided to experiment with fusing different styles, I have always tried to represent Belly Dance as authentically as possible but after going to a workshop with Ansuya who explained that it is perfectly ok to mix different styles together I decided to experiment a little.  I am so glad I did this as you do kind of get stuck in a rut.  I am proud of my Belly-Bolly fusion choreography - it seems to go down well with audiences.  I am also very pleased indeed with my tango fusion choreography - in fact I think its my best dance yet and I can't wait until we have polished it enough to perform.  I have half a Belly-Cha Cha put togther which I think is going to be lots of fun to teach and dance.


This year saw the end of my Wolverhampton classes.  This was due to the college I was working for scrapping concessions and putting fees up.  I was sad at the time as I had some lovely students however it has proved to be a positive thing.  I stated a private class in Dudley which is going very well indeed and a lot of my Wolverhampton students switched to my new class or my Wombourne class.  It is like a weight off my shoulders not teacing for Wolverhampton Adult Education, I found the paperwork very stressful.  I have not written off classes in Wolverhampton completely - I have in fact found a rather nice new venue but have yet to finalise details.

This year also saw my first venture into putting on a show.  I thought I would have a nervous breakdown trying to organise it however it was a huge sucess.  We had Ozgen come to teach us some workshops and then we had a show with some amazing performances.  I am now busy planning the next show which will be in a better venue and am busy trying to find different artists to perform.  I already have quite a few but if you know anybody who you can recommend please get in touch.  I am looking for acts that are a little bit different - especialy troupes.

I have also ventured into the world of hosting other teachers -  I have the fabulous Galit Mersand coming in March.  I only intend to host dancers whom I personally feel are brilliant teachers.  I go to a lot of workshops with fabulous dancers but often come away not remembering anything and with nothing to use which is a waste of money.  I have been to 2 workshops with Galit and each time I came away with a complete dance choreography embedded in my memory - she just has the knack of teaching and is such a funny lady too.  I am very much looking forward to hosting her - I have 3 spaces left on her workshops, please get in touch with me if you would like to take the chance to learn with this fabulous lady.

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I should mention this is the year I turned 50! I decided instead of a big birthday party I would have lots of small celebrations with different friends and then spent my actual birthday in Northern Cyprus - I had a fablous time and decided being 50 is not that bad - apart from the arthritic joints.

I have attended some lovely Belly Dance events this year too, Sirocco and Fantasia being my favourites, I came away with lots of inspiration for new dances and enjoyed meeting up with friends in the Belly Dance world.  I have probably said this before but I am so glad that I discovered Belly Dance all those years ago, it gives me purpose, allows me to express myself and I am so blessed to be part of a fabulous supportive community of women.

I think 2012 will be a good year for Belly Dancing - I am excited by my own personal plans for classes and my next show and I am hoping this stupid thing on my leg does not get in the way of my plans.  I wish all of my friends a very happy New Year.

Its official 2011 is THE WORST YEAR EVER.

This has been a horrible year.  I started it with a black eye after a picture fell off the wall, then we had our roof stolen, then Freya broke her arm, then we got burgled, then my Wolverhampton classes folded.  My parents health is worrying and financially things are tight and now today I went for my check up, there is something growing where I had a malignant melanoma cut out 3 years ago and they are going to operate to remove it, they said its just a precautionary measure and not to worry, but they always say that don't they? I am scared and worried, I cannot afford not to teach at the moment and can't face another operation. 

The Trials and Tribulations of a Belly Dance Teacher part 2

I pride myself on being reliable, which means turning up to teach my class come what may.  This has proved tricky sometimes as I have had to deal with illness and injury.  The worst was when I had an operation on my leg and was told not to dance for 6 weeks, I ignored the advice and ripped open the stitches - OUCH!

As I have become older arthritis has taken over my joints and some weeks it is really painful to move and I have had injuries to my knee and back which has made teaching tricky.  I have tried teaching from a chair but you can't spend the entire lesson doing this, I have tried explaining to the class about the nature of the injury and saying I won't be doing such and such move because it will aggravate my problem but then you get to the point in the dance and do it anyway because you know the students are following you.

Teaching with the flu is especially horrible.  You feel so ill and miserable but have to put on a brave/happy face because you have to make the class fun.  It is especially annoying when you get students sending messages saying "not coming to the class tonight because its cold"