http://bellydancenation.tribe.net/thread/9d9263ab-1f2a-4714-ab86-0aad592da713?format=rss Tribe.net. Local Connections http://bellydancenation.tribe.net/thread/9d9263ab-1f2a-4714-ab86-0aad592da713#2c0fb15b-2527-4436-a47d-10ebbed27859 Thanks, Brandon! You made my week! Mon, 29 Jun 2009 01:53:10 GMT http://bellydancenation.tribe.net/thread/9d9263ab-1f2a-4714-ab86-0aad592da713#2c0fb15b-2527-4436-a47d-10ebbed27859 Megan 2009-06-29T01:53:10Z http://bellydancenation.tribe.net/thread/9d9263ab-1f2a-4714-ab86-0aad592da713#1158ff62-73ee-4a89-bf1f-6dd0d7294885 PAMEYLA (MD) WAMEDA Member Sunday How ironic that the 1st performance on SUn would be her rendition to Michael Jackson's ''Thriller'', especially with the events of this past week. When you think of how many folks in the tribal fusion/gothic community who has done some form of bd interpretation to any of Michael's classics, it stands out even more as an extended tribute to the 'King of Pop'. Pameyla was also smart to have change her time slot and go on 1st (around 1:30ish PM) as she had just came out of a workshop (Lotus Niraja, I think) instead of having those muscles tighten up go on later in the afternoon. She danced as herself in regular gold/black fusion wear, not as one of the zombies in the famous video, by the way. :) ZONDRA MELE (GA) Sunday Cute as a button with the cross-looks of Jennifer Love Hewitt and a younger Stephanie Zimbalist, Zondra, who bust a glute or two in one of Kami Liddle's many sold-out workshops, performed a nice Bollywood-style fusion piece. I think she's also a member of the Alchemy & Southern Oasis crew that is popular in the Southeast US. NAJMA Sunday Performed a nice Adore'-like gymnastic fusion piece with a drum solo. Always nice to see the younger generation exploring floorwork in their routine. From the floor, hand-raised position, also nailed a nice set of extended flutters, too. NAIMAH (Baltimore, MD) Sunday At a towering 5'11'', naimah has a way of standing out, especially with her killer 6-pack and wingspan of a Boeing jet. She chose her Afro-tribal techno piece to liven up the crowd (her original choice was too slow and thought it would put all to sleep). Instead, her isolation and popping actually held the crowd in a quiet daze, almost as if they were being hypnotized. TOO funny. Naimah's use of sewing and needling her own threads is as uncanny as her eclectic dance styles. This is where there was an unusually long delay between dances, which may have benefitted the crowd to that out of the trance Naimah put them under. :)~ ELIZABETH MUISE (NY) Sunday The towering Big Apple dancer showed a lot of seasoned poise and grace for a soloist, dressed in Indigo gothic white for her tribal fusion dance with an angel's touch. Slow, fluid and tranceworthy, Elizabeth gave reason to believe that tribal fusion bellydance in the Big Apple is ready to turn the page past its initial exodus and approach a public next chapter of entertainers for the future. AMBERETTA (NY) Sunday Ditto for this tall drink of tribal goodness. Opened up to ''Mr. Sandman'', then a nice 2-setter with changes of pace and rhythm that captivated the remaining audiences. YouTube both Elizabeth Muise and Amberetta and see how talented they are, and more importantly, how talent they'll get down the road. RENEE Sunday Voluptuos framed and energetic renee, a bellydancing sistah danced on stage and in the audience, looking jaw-dropping in her orange attire to her Egypian/Arabi pop tune. I have a feeling it won;t be long, if not already, if there's a restaurant with nightly bellydancing in her living area will find her as its feature draw. JEFFREY Sunday Again, performed his solo to the song ''You Wanna Move'', combing standing and floorwork. At about 6'6'', there was a lot to move, to say the least. He did a nice job. PATRICE LANGFORD Sunday She wass the last one, and kinda felt bad, as the technical equipment tried to eat her original CD dance selection, in which ''SuperKami'' and the tech guy had to come to the rescue to fix it to offer an alternate selection (Tip: bring more than one CD, always having a backup, you neever know). Also close to 6-feet-tall, she ended RAQUSA with a nice tribal fusion dance with infextious grooves that can rock the traditional teen/tween nightclub, with a Sharon Kihara-like flair. NOTE: Attiya (CA) performed also, repreating her SAT performance, also to rave applause and reaction. NEXT: Any other reflections, hmmm?..... Sat, 27 Jun 2009 14:57:02 GMT http://bellydancenation.tribe.net/thread/9d9263ab-1f2a-4714-ab86-0aad592da713#1158ff62-73ee-4a89-bf1f-6dd0d7294885 Brandon F. 2009-06-27T14:57:02Z http://bellydancenation.tribe.net/thread/9d9263ab-1f2a-4714-ab86-0aad592da713#ba029579-8036-4997-96ae-c7feb4f4bc89 The weekend's highlights from the RAQS AMERICA Open House performances... TYPHRODIASIA (MD) Saturday Part of the Annapolis Navel Academy, bringing down her troupe (Sestraluna), who did a nice tribal fusion piece with a prehistoric cavewoman flair. She opened the weekend to Linkin Park's ''In The End''. Ironically, the last lyrics are ''...in the end, it doesn't really matter.'' Considering it was pouring outside before showing up, the song was appropriately fitting. LATIFA and BENAT EL-BELED (MD) Saturday Keeping the traditional folk customs related to MEDance alive from Millersville, MD, Latifa had a lovely rendition to a classic Egyptian song, dedicated to one of her mentors, the late Ibrahim ''Bobby'' farrah, a respected and well-known artist back in the day. Her troupe performed a textbook cane dance and drum solo, and had lovely solo performances by nabilah and (going to be a local area rising star to be) Amira. These ladies are experts when it comes to doing cane dances, they can't get enough of them. TRIBAL REMIX (DC--SAHARA DANCE) The trio decked out in red and black for a funky fusion 2-setter that once again showed their perfected cohesiveness with each other, always sharing a love of jazz fused with their tribal fusion mentalities. M.O.D.E. and MIA NAJA (MD) Saturday A lovely sextet ensemble dance complete with fan veils with a giddy and super smiling Mia naja working in a nice Egyptian/Lebanese-style opener and a nice drum solo to finish it off. POSITIVE PAT (MD) Saturday If you met her, if she was any more positive she would be 'Surplus Positive Pat'. Nailed the audience with a nice, smooth routine showcasing the use of Isis wings, which I think isn't used enough. MEGAN HARTMANN (MO) Saturday Took time out from working the vending area to pop and lock her way into the crowd's hearts and threw in her cabaret version, so multi-diverse since her 1st love is tribal fusion. Has that ''pure as the driven snow'' appeal with a hint of naughty to put it all together. Will learn so much from traveling with the BDSS to approach her future personal endeavors and wouldn't be surprised if she is performing for real on tour down the road. SHEMS (MD) Saturday Baltimore's charm in the Charm City wrapped up the day with a nice solo routine, always utilizing the entire stage and showing off her veil work, always flashing that sexy smile at the end. A consumate professional and always a hard-driven worker and a ''dancer's dancer'', giving you something not just to watch, but to study and learn from right in front of your eyes. BELEDI STUDENT PERFORMANCE CO.-SAFFRON DANCE (VA) Saturday Dynamic group performance, fielding 8 dancers, the redheaded soloist was wonderful and Spahira's magic was well served in transition, not missing a beat through the baladi/taqsim and group pop dance numbers. BASUSHA (MD) Saturday Benat member gleefuly displayed nice charisma during her Arabic pop number full of synthsizer sounds, shining brightly in her pink and blue veiled attire. ATTIYA (CA) Saturday She is a teen who actually won the Raqs LA teen compo held earlier this Spring. Still in her early bellydance stages, has a nice balance of basic fundamentals down pat and seems dedicated to pursue her jurney as a bellydancer for her adult years ahead. A nice taqsim and drum solo combo was full of undulations and full body spinning, always nice to see a young, fresh face representing bellydance today. JESSICA ROSS Saturday The young blonde was very liquifying in her bubbly performance, once again another one drawn in to the positive darkness of tribal fusion bellydance. NEXT: Sunday's roster... Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:33:36 GMT http://bellydancenation.tribe.net/thread/9d9263ab-1f2a-4714-ab86-0aad592da713#ba029579-8036-4997-96ae-c7feb4f4bc89 Brandon F. 2009-06-24T00:33:36Z http://bellydancenation.tribe.net/thread/9d9263ab-1f2a-4714-ab86-0aad592da713#79df6aeb-7b35-4b3e-a025-c5b372e6da72 Hmmm. Where do I begin? To say the least, a lot of extra effort went into trying to make everyone as happy as possible, and from the looks of the attendances of the workshops, all went very well from the instructors I had a chance to talk to. It was also fun to watch through the looking glass of the 3 studios to see them interact with their students (including Petite Jamilla's multi-veil choreography class). Miles, as well as the other vemdors were well at work selling merchandise, an important element in driving the productivity in '09. A lot of localized representation came through, as the current downtrend in the US economy kept many folks at home from traveling to the DC/MD line this year, which was a shame. I was kind of annoyed a bit as RAQUSA got closer that there was a few people who stayed away from the workshops because there was no planned performances to go with the weekend open house performers. Of course, a majority of these folks should be reminded that they WERE at GW-Lisner Auditorium back in March, where there were plenty of BDSS goodies on stage and a few empty seats then. I and the bellydance community is glad that the only thing that didn't happen was a SAT night show. Not to mention, a lot of local instructors, bellydance superstars themselves, got deserved accolades for their chance to showcase their tutorial guidance for those in session. If anything, having a chance to give local and beginner bellydancers a weekend spotlight is a wonderful trade-off. Those who got to show up, that is. I can't complain or criticize, but at any given time one's schedule can get confused or fate intervenes. A few folks who signed up for the open houses either canceled or wasn't able to make it . This left long gaps of time in-between performances, but plenty still worth the wait for folks like myself. Some things can't be troubleshot in life, and this weekend was a test to everyone's patience in a way, and passed with flying colors for the most of it. Coming in to this year, I knew it would be hard to imagine to top the enthusiasm and excitement going into 2008, having the full weeknd as well as the kick-ass SAT nighter of local stars and the BDSS perform. There was a need to be here for myself as an enthusiast and as a supporter of the localites looking to get their feet wet in the performing experiences of what RAQUSA was all about. Knowing that most folks were holding off of performing in the open houses to do the auditions (to take place SUN evening), I went in to the weekend with an open mind of expecting anything and hoping to be surprised. I think I achieved that. The Top 10 Thing Taken Away from RAQS AMERICA 2009 ============================================== 1. ADDITION BY SUBTRACTION. Giving the BDSS's more time to focus on their students and what they wanted to have them do in their workshops and not have to throw in in-between time to prepare for a show may have been a blessing in disguise, if for this year, hoping for a return in 2010. The ladies were full of energy (see Kami Liddle and Petite Jamilla for workshop in your town) and from the amount of sweat glistening off of a lot of my online friends in town this weekend, they were put through the full course and got their money's worth, which is all you would expect. Miles chose not to have a 1-day/full weekend admission fee, and should be thanked for that, especially with all the criticisms he gets. He is a battleship, nothing can penetrate him (we think). :)~ That had to perk up extra interest for those who would have not bought a CD, a DVD, or jewelry and other items if they were hip-hit in the wallets/purses. 2. AN ALL-STAR LINEUP For the WORKSHOPS. Ansuya, Kami, PJ, Sabah (making her 1st appearance), Sonia and Issam, Zoe Jakes and Bozenka. And don't forget local talents of Rachel K. Brookmire, Saphira, Ebony and Lotus Niraja. And all of that in your own backyard for a full weekend. Got your tribal. Got your modern. Got your fusion. Not too '' sha'bi ''. Where did I hear that from again? Hmmm..... 3. THE NEW JOE'S ''BIGGEST FANS'' You may remember last year from my '08 blog about the lack of AC inside the performing area, as the nite show was almost the resemblance of a hot tub party at Spring Break. This time around, they got out the biggest windblowers you can find. Alas, the area around the performance stage (with the lighting) could use an extra fan or two for next year. 4. MILES BEING MILES BDSS creator/founder Miles A. Copeland, remains the rock that holds things in-place. If anyone can manage to get these ladies across the globe in this economy, he can and has. His rules will not be broken, but that doesn't mean he can mend or bend them when needed to manage a situation efficiently. He has helped teach other to organize and operate similar smaller established tours and events by making the efforts he has, and doesn;t get enough credit for his efforts. He lets the bellydance dance, and he manages and directs the business end of it all. He has a nice established following in Asia (especially Japan and Korea, working on China) and would like to get a BDSS foot in South America, under the right conditions. He, like the ladies of Sahara and Saffron Dance , will learn from what did and didn't go as planned to make this event even better, and has 12 months of brainstorming and planning to see that it happens. Everything is a work in progress, and from the workshops and merch sales, Miles will be happy. Not fully, but happy. 5. THE OTHER ''SUPERSTARS'' An impressive display came from an area where bellydancing didn't take center stage (sort of). In the last 5 years, Miles had produced and collaborated a hell of an effort in making bellydance CDs and musicians more accessible to the BDSS and the eclectic ears of bellydancers and afficianados globally. He has a nice collection of classical and modern bellydance music, music that caters to the tribal and fusion genres, and a killer list of drumming choices. Bellydancers have to have something to dance to, other than their own voices and heartbeats, and making the music grow with the DVDs they put out will be a bigger benefit in the long-term. And those who perform professionally would like to see more submersions into the need for more alternative (gothic/industrial/electronica/tribal groove/''bellytechno'') styles of music and musicians. 6. HEY, WHAT AM I? CHOPPED COUSCOUS?? Uh-oh, Brandon's snapped again. No, wait. hear me out. I think it's time for Miles to invest a little into developing a male-oriented merchandising scheme somehow. A ''workshop'' where ladies/bellydancers can bring their male counterparts/significant others to meet the BDSS/local teachers and have an open discussion on the art form, how they can be a big part in its future without having to be a dancer or a musician...and that bellydance and stripping is still NOT the same thing. Hell, I'LL do it if necessary. Issam is wonderful in helping bellydancers with their drum solo work. How about a class helping area male drummers expand the horizons in their own areas as the BDSS does local beginners and students for once? Hell, invite local area drummers to teach a workshop or two, even have an improv drum circle. We, as men, could benefit from a FRI night, 2-hour max ''meet and greet'' sssion wtth the ladies/Issam, even Miles (if he's not at a local restaurant watching belly dancing on his own). Finding ways to get more men into the mercghandise arena and represent the BDSS is as crucial as the continued global development of their acceptance in the mainstream of today's professional performing artistry. 7. THE PETITE ''POWERHOUSE'' Just don't call her ''Mighty Mouse''. It's one thing to watch the mastery of 2x and 4x veilwork of Petite Jamilla. But you REALLY have to appreciate her at point blank range when having a quick rap session. The girl is FINE. As toned and as toning can get, folks. She an go into fitness pageantry or swimsuit modeling tomorrow and not miss a beat. To say the least, her biceps are a result of a lot of dance classes as well as her own personal workout regimen program that keeps her mentally and physically at top form. As devoted she is to her craft, she is as down-to-earth to talk to about what the worldly travels the BDSS has blessed her with. (And, she's now working on a SIX veil number that many will hopefully get to see done live or on videotape/clip sometime down the road). I joked are you going to get to 10 and that'll be the benchmark? She jokingly said no, but she's always in the need of a challenge. She mentioned some of the adversities that bellydance (and her veilwork) has helped her cope with, words I'll choose to leave seperately off from this. But, it was enlightening to know. Surprise, she eats A LOT, she also burns it off very quickly (with as much dancing, ya kinda have to, right?0 Three cheers and veils for having to be a 2nd-generation bellydancer, and extending the legacy your mother had (Jamilla Rasa) that you proudly continue on. She is a lucky woman, although looking at her, she looks like she can pass for a freshman in college. 8. SHAKE, RATTLE AND ROLL, 'HON! You have to be from Baltimore and beyond to get that one. In 2009, the city (and capital) of Annapolis, MD made a splash in the Open House weekend, particularly Saturday with offerings from Typhrodiasia and her troupe Sestraluna.. Local favorite Latifa and her Banat el-Beled troupe dazzled the crowd all afternnon in troupe and solo efforts, based out of Millersville, MD. Baltimore was well represented by Shems (on SAT) and Naimah (on SUN), whose eclectic Afro-tribal groove moves seemed to put a hypnotixed look on the crowd's faces than anything else. Or, her abdominal work froze them in their tracks. Baltimore, 'ya got competition, 'hon! better et 'ya grooves on for next year.... 9. SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE That is, the diverse cultural backgrounds and reps of all folks who took the classes throughout the weekend. All races were there, more than I can remember at any workshop offerings. A Middle Eastern-influenced art form that is growing in culture and representation with each passing day, and it's a good thing. 10. IT'S A BIRD....IT'S A PLANE....NO, IT'S ''VENDOR GIRL'' !! Every year, when an annual event takes place, you hope for a standout moment that makes it all worth while. Surprises are best when they come from places you least expect it, and it started in the vending area. Little did I know that a young woman proudly helping Miles out with the DVD/CD and other sales earlier in the day would catch my ass and others off-guard at 4pm on SAT when she got in a lovely emerald green/gold bra/belt design costume and pop and locked her way into many people's minds for the rest of the day. Was this a trick by Miles? Doubt it. :)~ Nevertheless, the talented dancer did her routine, shimmied off-stage, changed and turned back into Lois Lane, er, the vending girl. She even moved her spot to dance up about 1:45 because of all the unexpected delays, a real trooper. So much in fact, it's her gig, to help out as the BDSS tours across the world and gets to sell items that makes us all happy. Her name is Megan Hartmann, who hails from the Midwestern upbringings of Columbia, Missouri. Although the number performed was cabaret, I learned on SUN that her 1st love is tribal fusion. As in hardcore love. She sees a time where, with the BDSS or a dence opportunity down the road, she will take the genre of tribal fusion to a new level. She has the skills to go very far, in fact. She was blushing to know of the well-footed standing the DC area bellydance community has in tribal and fusion (thanks to BOCA and DC Tribal, woo-hoo!!) and continues to develop that talent throughout Northern VA as well. Megan is as giddy as she is punctual with her dancing, and mock my words, there may be a serious future in the BDSS with her name on a DVD or on the marquee of a performing venue in the future. She would also be happy just to have a regular following of tribal and fusion near Columbia, if not Kansas City o St. Louis right now. (One of her 1st teachers was Somra El Nubia, a tribal teachng/performing legend who has graced many BOCAFests in this decade). It punctuated also the ability of a normal person, in an instant, to change into another character of one's self, in this case scenario a bellydancer and become an entity visually unexpected. Being a performer and being yourself and seperating from it is harder for the bellydancer probably than it is for folks like me. To perform for numerous people, you have to get into a mode of focus and concentration few will ever possess. Even though they dance for us, it's still about them. The stage is their palace. But once they step down the stage, it's back to the dressing room to change back into some form of normalcy. Not as easy as it sounds. Traveling bellydancers are a close, tight fit for each other with not a lot of interaction at times outside of their job work. It takes a special talent to accept these sacrifices to achieve the status the ladies of the BDSS has today, and from a distance Megan is both a team player and a promising young talent....available to grace that palace at an instant's notice. And, give you some damn good feedback on CDs and DVDs just released, too. :D REFLECTIONS *For 2010, someone bring in a TV with a DVD player and when there are intermission breaks like the ones that happened this year, pop in a DVD, particularly performance, to keep the crowds in the building. *As evidenced with the turnout on Sunday, there needs to be a focus put back on the modern/cabaret version of the dance. Tribal and fusion was dwarfing the others, and likely for the audition process. *For 2010, either for a ''meet and greet'' or performance night if it returns, have a local area band perform. *For most shows, the BDSS don;t have the option of coming out and meeting fans after the show as much as they used to or would like. Schedules, 'ya know. The best way to get in touch is to take a workshop earlier or get on to Facebook, or MySpace, or Tribe and keep in contact with'em. Makes it a lot easier. *For future RAQUSA workshops, PLEASE bring your own or get your own water and keep well-hydrated. These are no kiddie workshops. The'll make 'ya sweat. :) *Make it an effort to talk to or find Miles and say a simple ''Thank You''. It means a lot to him. *When you see Rachel K. Brookmire or Saphira, give them a nice hug. It means a lot to them, too. *For 2010, set up pre-registrations for RAQUSA just before Xmas and/or just after New Years, because folks will have more $$$ accessible to make plans well ahead to prepare, especially if out of the DC area. *More tabla, doumbeks and other instruments for sale for the vending area in 2010. Hell, I even bought a pair of BDSS zills. :)~ Ears of DC, beware!! *More website advertisement opportunities, especially for bellydance retailers and outlets throughout the DC and Baltimore-metro areas, including a links page for those who also want some web traffic. That can go a long way to making the ends meet for Miles and his biz efforts. *While on that note, involve, more of the Baltimore, MD bellydance scene in conversations of representing bellydance for 2010. Less on ''America'', more on ''MidAtlantica''. Hello, WV, DE, lower PA and outside of Northern VA, like Richmond. It needs to be approached as a regional thng now. OK, I've babbled enough. Took me 2 hours to spew this. :)~ Good job done by all who attended and performed. Hopefully, a lot of new friends that has been made and those who did travel got a chance to capture some good memories. We are lucky to be blessed to have women as talented grace their presence in front of us and help other bellydancers to engulf their love for an art form celebrated by thousands of women, thousands of years ago. For 2 days out of the calendar, everyone got to be a Bellydance Superstar. With 363 days to keep it light bright until June of 2010. BFJ 6/21/09. NEXT: The Standouts.... Sun, 21 Jun 2009 23:59:15 GMT http://bellydancenation.tribe.net/thread/9d9263ab-1f2a-4714-ab86-0aad592da713#79df6aeb-7b35-4b3e-a025-c5b372e6da72 Brandon F. 2009-06-21T23:59:15Z