Tangled Blog 3-27-12: Continuing “Belly” Ed, Part 1
Continuing “Belly” Ed (Part I)
Welcome to Part I of the 3-part series “Continuing Belly Ed”!
I’ve always been a fan of continuing education. Whether you’re reading medical journals, watching documentaries, or taking a synchronized swimming class, it’s imperative to keep filling your brain with new ideas. New (or expanded) information leads to more critical thinking about our world, and hopefully… better decisions and actions. In the world of belly dance, one way to get new ideas is to attend a workshop or dance retreat.
Over the last ten years, I’ve taken a lot of belly dance workshops, and every single one was helpful in some way. Here are just a few of the benefits you’ll enjoy by continuing your education in belly dance.
- New combinations, choreographies, transitions
- New friends & contacts
- New music & costuming
- New styles & fusion forms
- New ways of handling that difficult dancer who says things like “I’ve never understood *why* people like your dancing… but I guess if that’s how it’s *supposed* to look…” (true story!!)
The overuse of “new” in the list above is deliberate. If you’re not exposing yourself to new things, then guess what? You’re getting “old” somewhere! And when it comes to the creative process, there’s nothing worse than getting stuck in the “old”. This has nothing to do with age – it has everything to do with your mind and how it uses resources.
Here are just some of the amazing workshops coming to the Ohio, Indiana & Kentucky area. For information about Ariellah’s visit this weekend, just click on the “Ariellah” tab at the top of my homepage.
Sherri Wheatley, sponsored by Black Rose Caravan in Indianapolis. Workshops on April 28-29.
The Accidental Circus, sponsored by Dante’s Gypsy Circus in Cincinnati, OH. Two belly dance workshops on Saturday, May 18th.
Cairo in Columbus with Sadie & Kaya, sponsored by Chandara Gamal in Columbus, OH. Weekend of workshops, May 4-6th.
Island of Isis Retreat with Ranya Renee, sponsored by Conchi & Nataj in Loveland, OH. Weekend of workshops, May 17-19th.
The Known World Music & Dance Symposium, starring Laurel Victoria Gray
Sponsored by the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) & OSU’s Medieval and Renaissance Studies Society (MARSS)
June 22-24, 2012
Columbus, Ohio
Cincinnati Belly Dance Convention, sponsored by Maali Shaker in Cincinnati, OH. Weekend of workshops by local and national instructors. August 19-20th.
Join me for Parts 2 & 3 of this blog topic, where we discuss what the “raq stars” of belly dance do for continuing ed and how to better yourself on a budget. Now… get out there, and learn some NEW stuff!!
Zahara, thank you for this blog. Just hours ago I was cleaning out my back pack putting all my workshop brochures into a pile by date. It is difficult when you are “new” to the passion of belly dance to keep it all straight. Since my passion is in the seedling phase, I am eager to take every workshop that will fit in my schedule and ( Blog 2 or 3 topic)…my budget.
Bless the dancer you quoted above, for they are blinded by the uniquness and beauty of *your* style of dancing. I believe that some people are so focused on what they already know or are comfortable with that they fail to see the greatness of all that is “new” around them. Dance & music is truly a personal experience. As dancers, we invite the music to move our bodies, our souls, and our spirit. When we dance for others, we are opening ourselves up fully to share our passion, our believes, and our energy with them. Weither someone enjoys our passionate interpretation or not, they should be greatful that we trusted in them to share ourselves with them.
So might I just say, “Really? How rude!” You rock Zahara! Thank you for sharing your passion with us.
I Love your blog Zahara. Since I’m graduating May 12th, I should be able to attend more workshops at least within bus distance or car pool with other people interested.
Your are awesome!