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I must interrupt the usual thought-provoking blog content with an important product review.

MAC Fluidline! How did I live so long without this product? I have been rocking the cat eye liner look since I was a teenager! Originally I was a devotee of some Maybelline liquid liner, but the formula changed probably 8 years ago and I tried a handful of products until I eventually landed on Fluidline, the Holy Grail of Eyeliner. I can get an absolutely perfect swoosh with an angled liner brush. It does not budge all day, and Blacktrack is BLACKBLACKBLACK, which makes it ideal for everyday as well as performance. It is every bit as good as it is reputed to be, so if you use liner get yourself some!

OK back to your regularly scheduled asana sequences and anatomy freak-outs!

Another local bellydancer, Latifa, linked to a fascinating article from Men's Health Magazine, Everything You Know About Your Muscles is Wrong. It's all about fascia! Fascia is the network of connective tissue that runs throughout the body. The myofascial net, in particular, embraces all of the muscle tissue. It was my understanding in my yoga training that fascia contains neurotransmitters that send signals back and forth to the brain (proprioception) and inform the brain of sensation and pain. This article is focused on new research that shows that fascia also displays a spring-like quality that can help your muscles act stronger, and accessing the fascia can benefit overall fitness training.

We all have specific habits and imbalances that affect our posture and how we move. Those habits become engrained in the fascia. Fascia is difficult to change, so this article is suggesting starting your workout by opening up secondary areas of the connective tissue. Even that is effective in bringing the body into balance. Oh hey look at that! Bring your body into balance and you won't hurt yourself! Isn't that yoga?!

The article led me to Thomas Myer's website, where I found an excerpt of a lecture about yoga and fascia. Muscles relax after the neurological signal from your brain that basically says, "OK we're just in triangle pose, no one is going to get hurt!" Depending on training, this can be as short as 30 seconds for your hamstrings (for example) to start to let go and lengthen. After, one to three minutes, you can access the myofascial stretch. Fascia stretches plasticly,and does not snap back like muscle does. So keep holding those poses and you'll break those habits and imbalances that are causing you pain!

Hey there bellydancers!

There will be no class on February 10th due to the snow. The session will be extended to February 24th so we can make up the class.

Stay safe and warm, everyone!

While I was teaching and demonstrating bodywaves in my ATS class last week, one of my students asked me, "Are you doing a bellyroll?" and my answer was "Yes, sort of."

In a bodywave, the ribcage shifts forward and lifts, then the back body rolls back against an imaginary wall, with the shoulders touching first, then the ribcage, lower back, and finally the hips.

So, muscularly speaking, the latissimus dorsi contract to send the chest up and forward. Then, to bring the chest back, the rectus abdominis contract, first the upper section, then rolling down to the lower section. Finally, the contraction in the lower abs release, taking the spine back to the original dance posture.

In a bellyroll, the lats are out of the equation and the spine is held in dance posture. The rectus abdominis is still working, however, it's the obliques (mostly external, I think) that are driving the movement and the rectus abdominis is going for a ride on top.

Or at least that's how it's happening in my body.

Anyway, in my first go round at ATS General Skills, I learned about the latissimus dorsi driving the movement in Egyptian Basic. Try generating that movement ONLY using your lats. Amazing! You'll see in the attached image that the point of origin of the lats are way down towards the base of the spine, which gives the Egyptian Basic that dramatic swivel. In barrel turns, the lats are working to compress the side body for the initial "scoop" part of the turn. As mentioned above, in bodywaves, the lats are drawing together lifting the ribcage forward and up. I was under the misconception previously that the rhomboids were the inital part of the bodywave. While this will shift your shoulders back, your chest will not move up at all. You need to contract much lower down your back, towards the bottom tips of the shoulderblades to get that lift. So yay for the latissimus dorsi! To access your lats, transition between upward dog and downward dog. Down-dog lengthens the the latissimus dorsi, and upward dog works them.

It's very helpful for me to figure out exactly what muscle is working and how, both in yoga in dance, and I find descriptions like "this is a skeletal movement" to be frustrating and problematic. Bone doesn't move on it's own, so there must be some muscle taking that bone from point A to point B. You don't have to be an anatomy expert to investigate your movements and see how your body works.

If you've made a discovery of your own, please share! Also please let me know if my analysis make sense at all!

I live in Baltimore, and as some of you may know we got one hell of a snowstorm Friday and Saturday. I spent 2 hours shoveling out my car today, and that means I don't have to do my exercise video! That also means I'm going to be achy and sore tomorrow even though I popped some ibuprofen. Thankfully Flissy posted Asana Practice for Snow Shovelers! Thank you Flissy! I'm going to give it a shot, though not right now because I am full of dinner and am not fond of the full tummy + yoga combo. Hopefully some of you in snowy climates will find this post to be helpful!

My troupemate requested this practice last time we got a big snow, and I've finally gotten around to writing up this practice. We just got majorly dumped on, and although I have the good fortune to have an awesome HOA that shovels straight up to my doorstep, I still had to help my husband dig out his car from the communal lot. Here's a short asana sequence I cooked up that will stretch out and restore your overworked shoulders and back:

Tadasana (Mountain Pose)
Always a good place to start. Shake out your fingers and wrists to open them up and get some fresh blood in there. Reach one hand out, palm away from you, fingers toward the floor. Use your other hand to pull your fingers back, stretching the forearm, wrist, and bicep. Repeat with the other arm.

Utkatasana (Chair or Mighty Pose)for 5 full breaths.
Yes, I know you're tired but this will warm you up quick!

Uttanasana (Standing Forward Fold)
Soften your knees and allow your back to round. Walk your hands up your shins if it's too much on your back.

Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog)
Melt your heart towards the floor. Five breaths or more.

Balasana (Child's Pose)
Widen your knees so your torso and forehead can come all the way down, making your spine as long and round as possible. Hang out here as long as you like.

Seated Shoulder Openers
Press your hips back over over your heels and sit in Virasana (Hero's Pose) Vajrasana (Lightning Bolt) or Sukhasana (Easy Pose). Interlace your hands behind your back. Squeeze your shoulderblades and elbows together, then, as you lift your heart, lengthen your hands down towards the floor. Hold for a few breaths. Bend your elbows and take your hands to one side of your waist. Squeeze the elbows together and hold, then take it to the other side.

Gomukhasana (Cow Faced Pose)
Feel free to skip the hips, if you're not feeling it.

Janu Sirsasana (Head of the Knee Pose).
Just because it feels good.

Jathara Parivarttanasana (Revolved Belly Pose
Lie down and take a nice and easy supine twist.

When you're ready, peel yourself off the floor and have a cup of something hot!

Hey there bellydancers, dancers-to-be, and lovers of dance! There is so much happening on my dance calendar this month that I just have to jump in and share! I'm wrapping up a six-week session of American Tribal Style Bellydance Classes, and it's such fun I'm going to do it again! In addition, I will be attending the ATS General Skills February 19-21 in preparation for my teacher training certification. I'm so excited about studying with my dance mama again! Onwards to exciting upcoming events!

Wednesday, February 24th, 7:30pm-8:30pm, $10
ATS Level 1 Review Class
If you have some experience in ATS, and you want to refresh your memory, drill moves & transitions, and refine technique, this is a perfect opportunity! This is also great preparation for the upcoming ATS Electric Maid Mixer!

Saturday, February 27th, 9pm Doors, 9:30 Show, FREE!
Verve Tribal performs at Charm City Tribal
We're doing a sword choreography you won't want to miss!

Sunday, February 28th, 6pm Doors, 7pm Show, $10
Kallisti Tribal performs at DC Tribal Cafe
I love this event! A great community of dancers and dance enthusiasts. Always fun. We've got something special planned, too!

Wednesday, March 3rd, 7:30pm-8:30pm, $84/session, $17/drop-in
Fundamentals of American Tribal Style. I am following the ATS Level 1 format. Yes, we will be zilling! Beginners always welcome. Experienced dancers are also welcome to drill with us and refine technique. After this session, I hope to offer an intermediate level class as well.

Sunday, March 14th, 3pm-6pm, $8 suggested donation
Kallisti Tribal Hosts the Electric Maid ATS Mixer
My troupemates and I are super excited about this one! The Mixer is a low-key event for dancers to flex their improv muscles outside of class or performance in an intimate, sharing community arts venue. No pressure, no recital, no judgement, no costumes, just time to mingle and dance with the far flung MD/DC/NoVa community.

I hope to see you out dancing soon! Please stay in touch!
Om Shanti!

I just watched Yoga, Inc. for free online, and you can too! Just click on the little widget at the end of this post!

I was really impressed with the quality of this documentary. There were lots of informed yogis that shared their perspectives on the history of yoga in the US as well as speculations for the future. There are two camps of people on the commercialization of yoga: there's the "YAY! Let's go! It's the American way to make money on everything!" and there's the "Yoga is an ancient spiritual practice not to be sullied by the dirtiness of money!" This film did a good job of giving each camp equal voice, as well as some balanced perspectives from realist yogis.

There was extra focus on the YogaWorks guys (who also founded AskJeeves.com, back in the day. Who knew?!) and my favorite yoga don, Bikram Chowdury. The filmmaker and some of the interviewees seemed concerned that Bikram and YogaWorks are paving the way for other McYogas that will kill all the independent yoga studios. I don't think that will ever happen, unless there is some widespread regulation of yoga teachers, beyond what the Yoga Alliance is already doing. Anyway, it would be a long time.

Personally, I'm not that worried about it. I get a thrill out of Bikram, I love the abundance of chic yoga wear available to me, and it doesn't bother me that yoga is super commercialized. If any of this brings people to the practice, good can come out of it. People come to yoga for all sorts of reasons, and because there is such diversity in instructors and teachings, there will always be room for everyone.

Your thoughts?

Picked up some MAC Fluidline eyeliner in Blacktrack, knowing that Toya gives it her stamp of approval. Love it! I had a different gel eyeliner that I liked but the color was too light for performance wear (a black raspberry color). The Fluidline is so easy to put on, smooth and not out of control. I use a long fine tipped brush as I can control it better than a little stumpy applicator. I love that I can easily make a cat's eye tail on my liner, and if I mess up it doesn't dry so fast I can't fix it easily. Thumbs up!

For my birthday I was given a tin of Madame Scodioli's Fiji Mermaid Natural Clay Mud Mask. I've used it a few times and it really seems to do . . . something to my face. Get gunk out of my pores and tighten things up, it seems. The only downside is that it smells like seaweed, so today I put a dap of Vick's vapor rub under my nose to counteract the smell.

Finally Noralita picked up a tube of Lipstick Queen Medieval for me. This is a very sheer pale red lip product. It's lighter than a lipstick or stain but not as shiny as a gloss. The tint is barely there but it sticks around because the base is nice and creamy. I love this as my work lip product because I feel like I have a little more color without worrying about reapplying my lipstick. I have but am not crazy about Burt's Bee's tinted lip balms because they are minty and that makes me feel like my lips are drying out, so for me the extra bonus is it has almost no smell or taste. Noralita's been loving the Chinatown Gloss pencil in Mystery. Medieval was also one of Toya's recommendations, and let me say she is always right!

This information is primarily for my ATS bellydance students, but other dancers might find these resources useful as well.

Music Theory by Mary Ellen Donald. This is a brief, clearly written article that defines basic music terms like "rhythm" "measure" and "time signature." This extremely helpful for communicating about music with other dancers or musicians.

Carolena's Music FAQ for ATS is less about music theory in the technical sense, and more about the theory behind our choices for music for ATS. In this article, Carolena lays out what music is most appropriate for ATS, and also explains other points, such as how it is that we use slow moves with songs that have a fast tempo. Throughout the FCBD CD catalog, tracks are labeled with fast, slow, and sometimes a description of the piece. Very helpful!

Zill Speak by Artemis Mourat is a fantastic CD that comes with a booklet. She breaks down rhythms very clearly, with a variety of techniques to remember them by. While not all the rhythms are relevant to ATS, they are all common to Middle Eastern music, and therefore good to know!

Learning about music theory is definitely an ongoing process. It takes some initiative to investigate the variety rhythms and instrumentation to flesh out your knowledge. While there are tons of resources available for learning the basics, there is no replacement for just sitting down and listening to A LOT of music!

Here is a jumpstart to music for ATS! I've made an iMix featuring my favorite songs for drilling and dancing:

I decided that it's about time to get off my butt and get back in the groove of my One More Tiny Choice Things (see tags and past posts for full info). On that note, I'm going to institute Meatless Mondays, inspired by my friend Barbara at Tigers & Strawberries. I'm actually going to really aim for not just meatless but also vegan meals, though I reserve the right to make it happen not on Mondays but on whatever day seems like the best for the week.

We didn't make it all vegan yesterday, as lunch was left over bacon and bean soup, but I did make a delicious dinner with leftovers for today. I made the lentil salad out of Veganomicon; I was skeptical at first but it is crazy good. With it I made a macaroni casserole from the Whole Foods Recipe App. It's like mac & cheese except it uses coconut milk, butternut squash and sage. Next time I'll maybe spice the bread crumbs on top (paprika?) and double the sage. I like intense flavors. It's amazingly creamy and very much a comfort food.

The meatless meals are coming hand in hand with my attempt to start exercising again (more about that later) and an all around decision to try to be more conscious of how I am living my life (more later on that too). It isn't hard, I just have to DO it.

Once I started bellydancing, my music collection started to explode. SInce I use music in my yoga classes, as well as for dance practice and classes, I had to get my library under control. Here's how to gain control over a sprawling library so that you can easily use it for practice or in a class setting.

I used to make playlists for every yoga class, but now teaching multiple, distinct classes over the week, that just takes way too much time! Now everything yoga-appropriate is tagged "yoga" in the comment field, and I use a smart playlist of 4- or 5-star yoga songs shuffling through class. I make sure not rate anything too raucous in the 4 or 5 stars so as not to have any jarring moments in savasana, and it works great.

Managing bellydance music is a little more complicated, but the work is totally worth it:

• Step 1: Listen to your music and rate it. This part is unavoidable. You have to know your own music. For me, a 5-star rating means it is perfect for drilling and/or dance performance. At this point, you also need to ask yourself questions about your music so you have an idea of how you need to categorize things.
• Step 2: Use the comments tag. You can download a BPM counter to automatically tag your music, but you still have to listen to it. In ATS, for example, we might use slow moves for a song that is dramatic but actually has a fast tempo. I use "fast" "slow" and "tempochange" for my dance tunes. I also have the tags "ats," "vintage," "odd", and "zill," as well as tags for "kallisti" and "verve" for songs that we have or might perform to.
• Step 3: Use this information to make Smart Playlists. This is where it gets easy! Now that everything is tagged in a useful way, you can sort it as needed. You can enlarge the attached image and see my playlists. Using smart playlists also makes it way easier to pull songs for classes or practice if you want to put together something specific.
• Step 4: Maintain! Anything I can possibly bellydance to is tagged "belly." Even if I don't have time to listen through something right when I load it, I tag it all "belly" or "yoga" so I can find it to revisit it, rate it, and sort it.
  

I've decided that I'm going to participate in YogaDork's Sirsasana Challenge! The Sirsasana Challenge is inpsired by Cora Wen, a yogi who has started "tagging" various places she visits by doing a headstand and taking a photo of it. This seems just so random and fun to me, that I had to join in.

I went over and above the "take a photo of yourself in headstand" and made a short video blog post about it. I got it in my system that I was going to do this thing, and couldn't figure out how to push the button on my iSight camera and get in headstand in three seconds or less. So video it is!

TADA! I hope you thrilled by that 20 seconds of headstand in front of an old TV and Super Nintento! Hopefully my future sirsasna pursuits will be more exciting.

Be sure to share with me your headstands and other random public yoga poses!

My troupe mate Flissy will be starting her ATS Belly Dance classes tomorrow night in Baltimore City. I hope I can drop in on them occasionally because I know I could use the work!

American Tribal Style (ATS) Bellydance Classes

Expressions in Motion, 756 Washington Blvd., Baltimore, MD 21230
Wednesdays 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
6-week session begins Wednesday, January 13th
$84 session
$17 drop-in
To register, contact me to pay by check or cash. Or you can register via PayPal: http://omchantress.com/

Tribal bellydance is a fun and empowering dance form that creates camaraderie among women, celebrates the feminine form, and builds core strength. This class will be specific to American Tribal Style (ATS) as established by Fat Chance Bellydance. ATS utilizes non-verbal cues to allow a group of dancers to improvise and dance together in the moment.
Over six weeks, you will learn basic tribal bellydance posture and movements, as well as the cues and formations to dance in a group improvisationally. Each week will also include drills and conditioning as a foundation to build the strength and flexibility to execute movements safely and gracefully. Other topics, such as costuming, dance history, and music appreciation will be presented.
No dance experience is necessary. Please wear comfortable, close-fitting attire, and a quiet hip scarf (no coins) if you like.

Recently I have treated myself by attending a few classes. It started when I was on vacation in Florida, where I dropped in on a Power Vinyasa class at M Body in Jacksonville Beach. It was wonderful getting some magical adjustments that I know I needed and couldn't give myself. YUM. Since I've been back, I've dropped in on my colleague's Fluid Strength class (a fun fusion of dance and yoga), another AcroYoga workshop, and, with my dance partner, took a private lesson with Belladonna.

I love that I can get fresh insight into my own practice just by experiencing how other teachers present their material. This is why I never mind going to a beginner's yoga or dance class! I can always get a little (or big!) bit of information that can shed new light into a pose or movement. It's also so nice to just show up for a class, without having to plan for it and without having to be "on" for my students. I can just be present and go with the flow. Even when I am at home practicing, I get caught up thinking about how I might incorporate what I'm doing into a class, and so that opportunity to let go and be with my own practice also helps me refuel as a teacher. So, for once, I've got my lesson plans for the week completed EARLY! I should really keep this up!

Just want to give a heads up to let you know that Chris of Verve Tribal is currently updating her etsy shop with beautiful, tribal belly dance inspired jewelry creations. Head over to Sihaya Designs to check them out!

In the new year we often find ourselves reevaluating our place in life, searching for new perspectives, and setting new goals. It's strange that we do this by the calendar year, because these coldest, darkest days can be the most difficult time to find motivation to do anything at all!

Amy put in a request over the holidays for energizing sequences to beat the post-holiay meal slump. Here's a heat-building sequence with lots of twists to freshen your spirit as you warm your body up! Twists are also great for those of us who tried to eat our weight in chocolate chip cookies over the holidays, as they help regulate digestion by giving all your organs a nice squeeze.

Yoga for the Winter Blahs

• Start with at least three rounds of Sun Saluations (Classical or Version A)
• Next round, Low Lunge Twist: Step the left foot back into a lunge and release the right knee to the floor. Bring your hands to anjali mudra. Inhale and get tall, exhale and twist to the right, catching your left arm to the outside of your right leg. Five breaths like this: inhale and lengthen the spine, exhale and twist. Inhale and lengthen to come back to neutral. Take a vinyasa (downdog, plank, chatturanga, cobra/updog, downdog), and repeat on the other side.
• Sun Salutations, Version B, Two or three.
• Utkatasana Twist From uttanasana, bend your knees deeply, sitting back into a chair, getting as low as you can. Scoop the tailbone under and lift the heart up. Hands come to anjali mudra Inhale lengthen the spine, exhale and twist to the right, catching your left arm to the outside of your right leg. Keep squaring your hips forward. Five breaths on each side. You can do it!

You should be getting warm now!

Onward to some standing poses! (or skip ahead to seated if you prefer)

• Uttitha Parsvakonasana(Extended Side Angle) to Parivrtta Parsvakonasana (Revolved Side Angle)
• Uttitha Trikonasana(Triangle) To Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon)
• Parivrtta Trikonasana(Revolved Triangle) to Parivrtta Ardha Chandrasana (Revolved Half Moon)
• If you're an overachiever or if you just like a nice sweaty vinyasa practice, throw down some vinyasa between those standing poses.

Seated poses to finish

• Janu Sirsasana Emphasize the twist before even thinking about folding!
• Marichyasana III
• Bring it on down a nice supine twist before savasana
  

One of my recent entries was about the wedding we danced at in October. Well our friends Christina and Jason are Offbeat Bride. Go over take a look at the gorgeous pictures of the ceremony and after party!

Ever since October I've been feeling like the end of this year has been kind of . . . eh. I haven't been motivated, class schedules were weird, holiday and other obligations were looming. I tried to slow down a bit to enjoy the fall, get outside, rest up for the end of year craziness. Now that we're past the holidays I feel ready to jump into what's coming up next. 
 Christmas was wonderful as usual; my parents gave my SO and I a week of their time share in New Orleans over Halloween (his birthday). I already let Ali know we'll be down there, and (being me) I'm already making a list of places to eat. I've been twice before, as a poor goth young adult. Now I'm looking forward to going back as a less-goth (AKA not too cool to go on tours and other silly things) adult with a real job and some spending money. Thank goodness we have so much time to plan! There are also multiple Honk (marching band) festivals happening around the country and my SO wants us to go to at least one together. Need . . . more . . . vacation time. 
In April Noralita and I will be taking part in a show of all illuminated dance and performance. We're actually both performing as soloists. I'm pulling out my much neglected fire sword. Let me just say that I will be getting up close and personal with Belladonna's sword DVD this winter, as well as probably booking a private lesson on sword work with my teacher Shems (who won the Belly Dance Nationals Proptastic Category!). 
Also, there's a distinct possibility I will be buying a house in the first half of the year. Eeeeeek! I know nothing about buying a house but *gulp* I guess I'd better start learning. 
And on top of that I'm waffling about going to the FCBD GS in Arlington, VA in February. I really want to go, I've wanted to attend GS since Carolena first mentioned the idea of it several years ago. Unfortunately it finally came to my area right as it went from a 3 to 4 day session, which hikes up the price. Also unfortunate is the location; the studio is awesome but it's over an hour drive from me in metro DC traffic. So I'm still thinking about this one. On one side, getting all that info from the source, digging into my dancing for four days and getting to really work. On the other, the cost and manipulating my schedule and accommodations to attend. 
In preparation for all of this performing and dancing I've lined up some dance videos on Netflix so I can start getting my act pulled together in my home practice. After this weekend I'll be working on my schedule so I can get back into classes. There's a new dance studio in my neighborhood and I need to looking into their new year schedule. 
So yes, I'm gearing up to launch myself into the year. Who needs sleep!

Thank you, Amanda Palmer, for summing up my entire philosophy of ART (capital letters) using my most favorite instrument, the ukulele.

"Art is great that way, you can do anything."

I'll tie this one in to tribal bellydance. I'll wholeheartedly admit to being a "tribal curmudgeon." I love American Tribal Style in is purest form. I love watching it, and I love dancing it. I am satisfied digging as deep as I can into the nuances of the format and giving an entertaining performance. I've reached a point in my creative path where I enjoy simplicity to the point of minimalism and easy communication with the audience. I got all my hard-core analyzing out being an art history and theory major. Now is my time for enjoying the process.

It's nice to have this approach validated by another artist. I often feel that ATS is being increasingly pushed out of the picture by fusion dancers who are going nuts bringing in personal or popular influences into the dance. It was a humbling relief listening to Amanda Palmer's song and being reminded that fusion dancers who challenge the tradition of classical bellydance and tribal style have space for their voice as well. Art is great that way, you can do anything!