Smitty's Shoes

Tendu or not Tendu?

2010-03-10T08:06:00.000-08:00

                                                       image from Texas Ballet Theater myspace.

       Yesterday evening, my day started spiraling downwards just before I got off of work. I wanted to go home, put my head under the covers over my and shut the world out. My thoughts were in a Tug of War with all the inspiration I found earlier and dealing with some work drama that was getting to me. "Go get a slice of Pizza, turn off your phone, get in the bed and dont go to class. There's always go next time." AND "Ok Kandice, you've been waiting and wanting to dance all day and now you want to go home all because of something that happened at work?".

       I am happy to say I did go to Class, 2 classes infact. The first one was "Ballet Orientale". This class covered turns, ballet positions, belly dance and strength work. I learned a new a tip: When going into turn gasp to come up on to your toes then turn. It really worked! The teacher was so sweet too. She introduced herself to me and then introduced me to the class. I was doing a make up in her class because I had few classes that I missed and needed to make them up since this is the last week of the semester. I took the Orientale 2 technique class afterwards which was just as good. I plan to study with her in the future, meaning next week. I will pray the money to register comes from somewhere. I'm glad I didn't give into the negative emotion I was feeling. Just had to give myself time for that moment to pass. I felt so good that even went home and made myself a lovely dinner!
Cheers, to not sweating the small stuff!

Bisous!

Procrastination, Manifestation & Inspiration

2010-03-09T08:24:00.000-08:00

So, I'm just "sitting" here at my desk going a little crazy. It's so hard for me to just "sit" here. My body wants to get up, dance, move, stretch and create. So this is where I'll be until 5:30pm...here..."sitting". I keep thinking, "When do I take the plunge, when do I trade this office job for a more creative one?". Truth be told I have been saying this for while now, it's getting old and Im not getting any younger. Im like "WTH are you gonna do girl, WHAAAT?!".

I was listening to a talk by Wayne Dyer on Youtube last week and he talked about Manifesting. He says: "Whatever you do, don't tell anybody what is is you want to manifest. Once you tell somebody else, you immediately move into the world of the ego. Then you have to define it and explain it. Manifesting doesn't take place from the world of particles, it takes place from the world of the observer of spirit. Keep the ego out of it as much as possible and the way to do that is to have a relationship between you and God." He goes on to say, "As you think so shall it be. Don't put your thoughts on what you don't want. Put you attention on what is and it will continue to manifest." I have told my friends and family all the things I was going to do and what Wayne said I feel is true "Once you tell someone, you have to define it." And I have defined it, explained it and defended it once the questions start popping up. "What happened to you doing __________?" then I think why did I have to tell anyone anything. I'm going to try to keep what I want to manifest between me and the Creator from now on which means I can't tell you either. You'll just have to hear about it when it comes to be.

I recently received an email that my dance teacher sent to our group for a little inspiration. It was a performance of "The LXD" aka The Legend of Extraordinary Dancers on TED Talks. I was so blown away by them. The way they "feel" the music is so beautiful, I had goosebumps. They are truly superhuman. I have been watching and studying all of their clips, following them on Twitter and FB. I'm officially a groupie, lol! Just observing their Art in motion has inspired me to dig a little deeper within myself. I started reflecting on my group's performance songs and listening more closely. What do I feel when I hear this instrument or this rhythm, Am I completing certain moves or rushing through them, Am I breathing, Am I present? Another one of my teachers asked the class, just before we began our choreography, "how many people feel like they are giving 100%?". None of us raised our hands. I felt like I was somewhere around 80%, but commited to giving more and after that...I danced. I have just started working with a trainer because I felt my dancer needed more endurance and strength.I do feel much more stronger than I did before I started. My Tribal belly dance classes have been helping in aiding in my posture and strength. It's all about nuturing my dancer inside and out these days.

"The LXD" on TED Talks.

Light and Love!

Random Thoughts

2009-09-01T12:27:00.000-07:00

Bali Spirit festival in Spring 2010
Cruise Vacation with Beansie
RB belly dance workshop in two weeks
Vacay to Paris
Anticipating the "Fall"
Morning Yoga and belly dance practice
Sunflowers
Hosting a chic Eco-Friendly Soiree
Yoga teacher training
Big sister program
Sleep
Lavender
Wine
Dance
Making Soy Candles
Make-up class at Graham Webb
Getting a haircut
Catching up with Girlfriends
Working for myself
Laughing

Farewell UDM 7

2009-05-08T12:29:00.000-07:00

So "Under A Desert Moon 7" is officially over. I didn't think I would be as emotional as I was either. After the curtains closed my eyes watered. I went back into the dressing room and secretly wiped away a few tears. We have been preparing for this show since January and now it's over? I really experienced the show much more than last year. I watched the other dancers from the wings for most of the show too. I am so grateful to have been apart of a beautiful production.

Next up is Saharabesque and after that I will be performing my first solo.

I don't know if I want to do traditional or fusion, and what song will I choose and what costume will I wear and where is my shimmy?! I'm sure this will all come to me soon.

I always try to cram so many things on Fridays. Laundry, house cleaning, hair, yoga, belly dance, Mani. Pedi. and facial. Usually this ends somewhere between 1 and 2 am. I am ready to get off of work to tackle some of these tasks and my boss has been yelling at people all day long...I'm so over this day.

Pre-show Incidents

2009-04-30T06:31:00.000-07:00

The big weekend is just hours away and little "things" keep happening to me.

-last night had to practically run to pick my top from the Tailor

- Running late for rehearsal

-Misplaced my money

-Rehearsed with no contacts

-waiting for contacts that I order almost 2 weeks ago to arrive today

-scratched my hand up on something

-left umbrella at the Metro Station and it will be raining all weekend long

-30 mins late for work today due to a Metro Train malfunction :o(...something is always wrong with dang metro~

Now sitting at my desk waiting to start a training class and trying to breathe deeper. With 24 hours I've had I am very tensed and a little aggravated. I have Tech rehearsals tonight and tomorrow from 6:00pm-11:00pm at the theater so I need achieve a more Zen state of being so that I can fully engage in what I am about take part in... Four big and beautiful shows! In spite of all of these minor incidents, I am still very excited to perform this weekend. A few things I have to remember are to breathe, not worry to much about the crowd, listen to the music, project on stage, look at the little red light in the back of the theater, smile, be dramatic, have fun, not focus on what I look like but mostly what it feels like, honor my teacher and did I say project...project!

Last night after class, I went over BFF's house for dinner and convo. Our birthday's are in a couple of weeks and we are trying to make plans to celebrate. We reminisced on some the good times we have had and talk about the more recent not so good experiences we had going out to parties. "I am tired of remembering time", she says and honestly I am too. But it seems like every time we go out it's a dud and we end up back at home early and start "remembering the time" again. So we'll see how the 28Th bday celebration goes. I will right back later about my new year and what I would like achieve, how I feel in this 28 year old body and how I have grown. Stay tuned....

PS.

My contacts just arrived!

Cherish a rainy day just as you would a sunny day. We need rain after all. :o)

No more excuses

2009-04-14T07:36:00.000-07:00

So lately I have been thinking what will it take for me to paint or create some form of art. I have beads but no tools to actually make something with them. I have paints, brushes and a blank canvas. I have charcoal, paper, several sketch books and loads of books on the creative process so what seems to be the problem? I thought it first started out as being artist block, but now I think I am just avoiding it by making up excuses or keeping myself busy with other things. What happened to the liberating/therapeutic aspect of creating I had when I was younger? Before the all of the judgements"this is good, this is bad, I can't, this is wrong and this is right I would just dive into creating and get lost in it for hours. You can have all of the materials and how to books in the world, but what good are they if you don't use any them. So I have to challenge myself to use whatever supplies I have in my home before spending money on any new ones. It's so easy for me to spend money on new supplies and not use them. This is a habit that I have to give up. Another habit I have to give is trying to get to the finish line before I even begin. Deepak Chopra makes a good point about this in this clip.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NckPfc0qGAE

Future Workshops

2009-04-07T10:56:00.000-07:00

Here a few upcoming Belly Dance workshops that I want to take here and abroad. Gots to save some $$$.

Bozenka Workshop and "ohhhh...so that's what that's called?"

2009-04-07T08:03:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend I took my first Bozenka Workshop @ Joe's Movement Emporium. Bozenka is beautiful woman and a fabulous dancer who is apart of the Belly Dance Superstars and has her own studio in Miami, FL. When Rachel arrived with her I was extremely nervous and could barely look at her. I was like, "OMG it's really her". She was very cool!

One of my favorite topic she discussed were hands. She taught various hand circles, wrist circles, proper stretches for the hands and wrists, choreographies, provided great music resources and helpful dance tips. A few tips she gave were:
Not to be repetitive with the dance. Just when your audience thinks you are going to do a certain move, fake them out and do something else and then maybe do the move they thought you were about to do.

Don't become too predictable: For example, Don't dance on every accent in a song. Listen for certain sounds that are hidden in a song and pull them out.

Don't switch from mood to mood too quickly. Be aware if you are going from happy and bouncy to serious and dramatic too much or too fast. This makes you look like a crazy.

She also showed us the "Pelvic Shimmy. You have to be very relaxed to do this and not afraid to let "it" shake. She made it look like this was something she born to do. What you do basically is tilt your pelvis back and forth but very very fast which Bozenka says looks good if your back is facing the audience. So we all gave it a try and I thought "ohhh, that's called a pelvic shimmy in belly dance?". It's interesting how some moves cross over to different syles of dance. The pelvic shimmy is identical to a Jamaican move and a move that I've seen and done in clubs before.

Bozenka will be back sometime this Summer for more workshops. I would love to visit her
Miami studio before then though. I really want to learn more from her.

Pelvic Shimmies...out!

Mind Rehearsal

2009-03-30T10:41:00.000-07:00

I am sitting here at my desk listening to "Yearning", one of my performance songs for the show, and rehearsing in my head. This is such a beautiful and powerful song and every time I listen to it my heart accelerates. My instructor put together a fabulous choreography which compliments the song beautifully. I think one the most important elements for this performance is to really connect with the song, the title is called "Yearning" after all. So I had to think about what this word meant and a few things that resonate with it.

yearning

1.) deep longing, esp. when accompanied by tenderness or sadness; desire: a widower's yearning for his wife.

When I rehearse this piece I think about the people who I've lost along the journey, love and enlightenment. Have a listen for yourself:

http://www.imeem.com/people/Qws8rC/music/TmHgIgA_/1raul-ferrando-yearningmp3/

SD Hafla

2009-03-26T11:21:00.001-07:00

IMG_0156
Originally uploaded by Sahara Dance

This was one of the best Haflas yet! The party was packed 45 mins. after it started and was so hot , literally and figuratively. I was thinking ,"where did all these people come from?",but very happy with the turn out which meant the community is growning. Yay more friends to shimmy with! I had a great time dancing with the girls and finally got to see my belly dance guru after months of traveling with BDSS.
SD knows how to party peaches!

New Haps

2009-03-19T11:32:00.000-07:00

Okay so it's almost UDM time again! In 5 weeks I will be back on the big stage this time in two different pieces and performing 4 times! I am very excited, but it seems this show is approaching much faster than the show last year. I still have so many things to purchase, make up, diaper pins, lashes, etc. I think this year I am more calme just because I have been practicing...ALOT. While I am at work, I rehearse in my head with one ear plug in my ear...( step, touch, turn, touch, out, roll down. One two turn.) Also have rehearsed a few times in my classmate's living room along with a few other ladies. Those practices have been very beneficial. Like Chi Chi said "I can assure that all of these efforts pay off!"

Random thoughts:
I'm so tired, eyes burning.
Wanna go to NY to take the Theatrical Belly Dance workshops
Can't wait to get my hair cut tomorrow
Rehearse tonight
Yoga tonight
Wash hair tonight
There aren't enough hours in a day
Saturday and Sunday is all one day
Doing a cart wheel down the hall at work
What am I doing?
Bills tomorrow $$$
God help me
Saharabesque performance classes and working or purchasing Int. tech and Developing choreography and not working
Hitting the "powerball"

A love quote:
"love is just another form of suicide"

A wisdom quote:
G. K. Chesterton:
"A woman uses her intelligence to find reasons to support her intuition"

Another Morning Episode

2008-11-10T07:35:00.001-08:00

This was another crazy morning of losing my keys and work ID. I always say to myself, "Okay I am putting this here so I will remember where it is"... never works! My ID was in my laundry bag and my keys were in my kitchen cabinet. I'm Crrraaaazzay! Grabbed my keys and raced up to the Met where I did get the train at a decent time but it stopped between every station as usual! I even get up at the butt-crack-o-dawn and still have this problem.

2008-07-21T06:16:00.000-07:00

Last weekend the Sahara Dance Hafla was off the chainy chain. I danced in two combos taught by two super talented ladies. Two of my close friends came out to show there support, their hubbies even came along for the ride. They were so impressed with the SD community. Them: "How did you get into this, how did you find the studio?" Me: "Well what had happened was...." . I had so much fun dancing with the girls. I even jumped into the Tribal thang with Saundra's help. Sauny: Okay ,NOW turn.
The rest of the night/weekend was non-stop. Left the Hafla to have Desert with friends at Ocean Air...Yum. Afterwards spent the night at the Dupont Circle Mansion with friends. Woke up Sunday (early) walked to the Market, went on a 2 hour nature walk/hike through Rock Creek Park, ended up in upper Georgetown and walked back to Dupont Circle.
Not finished.
Went to the Bethesda Country Club to have lunch and SWIM. Back to Dupont, kissed friends good-bye and hitched a ride on the back of Little Isabelle's scooter. Got poured on the whole ride home. The rain was stinging my face and my clothes were soaked. Went to Isa's house changed and ran to community yoga at LuLu... afterwards HOME.
On Tuesday, I went to a Party at "The Park on 14th" with Heat where I met a beautiful being.
Afterwards, Dinner at Brasserie Beck with good convo.
Yesterday Khadij called me earrrrly in the morning. I was so confused and thought I was late for work. Me: "OMG Khadij, where have you been is everything okay with you, were you locked up?" Jumped up to catch up with Khadij over mani and pedi, ate breakfast and helped her prepare for mother's arrival from Morocco.
Now...At work a little tired and upset because I left my ear plugs at home! Now I can't listen to any music. This will be a long day. :0(

Om, like there's no tomorrow

2008-07-09T06:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday evening I really wanted to practice my yoga in a studio rather than at my usual at home practice so I visited Tranquil Space in Clarendon. I am very familiar with this studio and the owner from just visiting the Hip Tranquil Chick website, listening to their podcast and their Tranquility line is sold at Sahara Dance also. The studio was very nice and a little noisy as it is just above a belly dance studio. The instructor reminded us to stay connected with the breath and tune out all distractions while we sat in mediation. I wanted to get into some chanting which wasn't apart of the class so I did some when I got home. On the walk home, I called a few of the girlies and none of them were available because they are all in love...Cute.

On Sunday, I practiced at lulu lemon in Clarendon. Heather was supposed to come with, but had a late night and wasn't able to make it. The class started at 10:00am I jumped up at 9:26am,in the shower, in my gear, grabbed my mat, speed walked a few blocks and arrived at 10:15am. It was so humid! "Shoot, I'm late. I don't want to interrupt when I walk in, maybe I'll just turn around and go home, yeah I'll just go home." I open the door and the room was packed. I found a little space just by the door...and then joined in the flow. It was beautiful! Everyone flowing into one Asana after the other in unison. "We are all one", I thought. We honored our Gurus giving thanks to them and pictured someone that inspired us in the second Bridge pose. I started crying, not boo-hooing, just tears as I started thinking about my Mother, my cousin Terry and few others. The people that have played a role in my journey, that have taken care of me. I held in Bridge Pose for them, offering my practice to them with gratitude. We chanted OM three times to end the practice. I left some Sahara Dance flyers and cards there too!

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti

P.S. This weekend I will attend Shakti's Teacher Training information session

for the Fall program. Really looking forward to it!

Can't Help But Wait

2008-06-30T09:14:00.000-07:00

Okay so on May 10th and 11th I was in Sahara Dance's "Under A Desert Moon" show
which was my very first time performing...ever. It was quite an experience.
Studio and Theatre dress rehearsals, good eats backstage, losing my cell phone, earrings and false lashes everyday, nerves, drilling the routine like a mad woman, meeting new friends, taking lots o pictures and thoughts of..."what the heck am I doing"? An added bonus was getting to see the show from the wings. Everyone looked and performed beautifully.
The Sunday show was on Mother's Day. To cure my nerves, I imagined my mother sitting at the rear of the theatre watching me dance, this made me relaxed and present.
I was honored to dance in the same theatre that The Indigo and Raqs Sahara performed in.
This show has left me anxious for my next performance. I have even been trying to slide into a few shows since, but no luck...yet.
-Smitty Out

Raqs America

2008-06-26T15:32:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I attended the event Raqs America in Mt. Rainer, MD.
and took workshops with Asharah, Kami Liddle and Sonia & Isaam. I learned some purrty
good stuff too! I made some new friends also...yay new friends!
The show was crazy! Ebony burned the stage up and brought me to tears!
That was my first time attending a belly dance event so huge. I was so inspired and couldn't wait
for my classes to start the following week, I couldn't even sleep because is was so anxious. I wanted to go dancing, but no one was up to it so I danced at home in my new hip scarf for my cat
Asher. I think he enjoyed it ;)
Raq it out!