Settling in for a fairly quiet week being as my Sunday class had to finish early because of maintenance to the hall and my Monday class finishes this Monday for Easter. I weakened and said I'd carry on with the Monday class mainly because the improvers group are doing really well and are the kind of group I really like (i.e. there are people in there who can dance and are bothered about it- so  I'm starting to enjoy them as I really enjoy my Sunday class). I could do with another improvers class somewhere- the thought of more beginners in September is slightly depressing. Perhaps I could do with working with someone who teaches the beginners-does all the intial hard slog and then I'll sail in and do the actual dancing bit-*big grin*-not serious really.

I have found a performance piece for later on in the year-not suitable for a lot of things I'm doing but may be good for Raqs B,PE and JOY-not sure about PE it might be a bit slow for there. its to be done in the real old fashioned classical style with slightly Randa influenced modern overtones a sort of me meets Samia Gamal meets Randa after bumping in to a young Aida Nour. I'm going to wear my lovely(I hope its lovely when it finally arrives) Pharaonics costume. its Entel Hob by Mohamed Abdul Waheb. Its so un me as to be quite controversial. I feel quite inspired to try something different-when i was bigger I always felt like Dawn French doing the ballet comedy sketch if I attempted anything like that.

I think in contrast my other is going to be shaabi-I quite like the other version of El Enab done by someone else whose name I've forgotten its not quite so manic. Theres quite a good beledi going into a drum solo on Very cairo 3 but not sure about the instrumentation of it and I think its another version of one Maria is dancing to a lot -so thats no good the UK circuit being fairly small. Have to keep trawling the CD collection.I've got so many CDs I keep rediscovering things.

Tags: classes, music
Current Mood: creative

I am so pleased with my Monday improvers class. They have done so well and come a long way in a short time and bless them, have got used to me  both wittering on about Egypt and dance cultural background without looking too bored and laying the law down about technique without sulking about it. Our stick dance is looking so good, strong and spot on with timing-YES!!!!!

Tags: classes
Current Mood: cheerful

 for the last four weeks I'm doing choreographies and the corresponding technique with my Monday classes.A jolly pop Hakim for the beginners and good old Ana said stick dance for the improver lot. During these weeks I need to decide wether i'm doing any more classes for them after Easter. its a bit maybe at the moment!! I find I actually do like teaching just one class a week on a Sunday and putting my energies into that. I also enjoyed doing my "in more depth" class on Sunday afternoons.So I'm not sure about carrying this one on, particularly as I'm being offered work I like-workshops and restaurants. I feel I've gone through the "I've got to teach as many weekly classes as possible" stage-when I had to to scrape a living and its sort of lost its appeal now.perhaps I'll  feel different in a week or two.

Decided to apply for a real job-part time museum work.Hope I get it, its my kinda job and I need to get out a bit and get back to real life now I'm fully recovered-can't put it off any longer.
Think I'm on a post Cairo / post performance double downer at the moment.-a very sad condition resulting in the need to try costumes on or possibly buy new clothes!!!

Tags: classes
Current Mood: blah

Well I've got to post this even though it makes me look nerdy because this is the 3rd one today!!! BUT did my classes tonight and ended talking to an interested group about shaabi. Now last week I thought they hated me for explaining about the lyrics of songs but on reflection I think they were just really surprised. Its obviously very new to them that this dance has a background so i feel much better and less dinosaurish!!. Had a great improvers class-got quite a mixture of dancers from various backgrounds who have at last heard that a class is running and come along and we had a whale of a time. That great big arse was still following me about though I noticed in the mirror-shudder!!!!

Tags: classes
Current Mood: cheerful

 Can't believe its half term already. Last Sunday classes for a fortnight and last class tomorrow. Where has the time gone.
I enjoyed it today-but am very tired. Everyone in the Sunday first class-technique class is looking great-the relative beginners are hard to pick out. In the second class I need to get the debke framework sorted-going to get a much shorter version of our song so it will be short and sweet and after half term we can work on our Khaleegi.
In the advanced class we worked  at  dancing through and ideas for doing the big entrance number. the whole point was to try out ideas and start to recognise the different sections so I hope it made sense to everyone. We are doing a lot of work on nice shapes,poses,accents, stage awareness-where you need to be on the stage for best effect,and pauses its amazing the difference that makes.
So just the 2 classes tomorrow and then I can start to think about CAIRO!!!

Tags: classes
Current Mood: tired

I am shattered. taught for 3 hours today-some lovely shy beginners, who are liking me despite the fact that they have had someone else up to now-infact they have converted to me amazingly quickly-bless them and only a couple of intermediates so i worked 'em-heh! heh! I had such a nice time-they told me they did, but i bet they feel it tomorrow.
Decided to have a dance stuff clear out- after all I am retiring soon-right!! So various stuffie is on eBay-vids and CDs and more to go.
The work is rolling in at last-whey hey-i don't stink after all!!!! Think this means I need new costumes when I go to Cairo.
Had a great time with my Sunday girls-so pleased with our Debke. Might have been a bit over zealous in the first half of Sunday-mmm, note to self-calm down a bit.Enjoyed my advanced class-looking good and love that song! The foot is doing ok I think its time to get practising my stuff again.
My husband has sold his house-we might even be living together soon-well in the same area anyway I mean lets not kill a winning formula by actually living together!!
Going to Cairo in less than 3 weeks-did I mention that?.I'd best stop eating-don't want to be sulking on that couch. I want to be up there trying the cossies on-though not at Emans-done that!

Tags: classes, work
Current Mood: crazy

 i really enjoyed today first class back-hope everybody else did. thing is, everyone has had a long break and I haven't what with it being the party season and having had a lot of dancing to do, so i didn't feel a thing
Boy wasI  impressed with everyones finger cymbal playing -really good sound. I was thrilled with the debke-everybody seemed to be getting it much quicker than i did in the first place. It either shows how much easier it is to learn from a person than a DVD or its much easier to do in a group or I'm a slow learner . i think we are ready for a variation or 2 next week.
The foot stood up to today well I did do 3 and a half hours of teaching-even allowing for a good 20 minute sagat session-this is good.
felt ok in front of the mirrors this afternoon-this is also good.Everyone is starting to look like a dancer-dancing with their whole self-am very proud of everyone.

Tags: classes
Current Mood: pleased

Classes start Sunday.So looking forward to it.Going to do a bit of debke with my Sunday girls-should be fun.I'm so looking forward to Vashti coming up to teach us Khaleegi. Still trying to find THE khaleegi song for us to use-got a couple but they are not quite IT. all suggestions welcome.
Got some tricky stuff organised for the sunday afternoon girls-including arm revision and development and accents.

I've taken on a new class on Mondays which i'm worried about.its an adult Ed class and i know of the teacher who has been teaching it.She has a very different philosophy and approach to dancing to me and I'm bothered that her ex students will hate me and all give up. I've only once took over from someone who was completely different to me and I never felt they liked me-which was n't true-well i know 2 people who did!!! 

The foot is a lot better but I'm doomed to wear shoes to dance in and take it easy for a while.Hope its better for Cairo-did I mention I was off to Cairo again!!!Heh Heh!!
Diet is going good-except I had a mass costume try on yesterday -lots of alteration to do, more bloody sewing-sigh!!

Tags: classes
Current Mood: cheerful