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.