The Belly Dance Hip Scarf

There are many reasons women are attracted to bellydance: the sensuous body movements, the intoxicating music, the middle-eastern environment.

I think it's a lot more basic than that. I think we just love the bellydance costume and all the accessories :)

It all starts with the hip scarf. It is the single item that separates the belly dancer from all other dancers no matter what exercise gear she wears to practice.

So when I noticed the only woman in practice class without a hip scarf, I lent her mine. And I watched with amazement how she kept looking herself in the mirror as she went through the paces, loving how the coins on the hip scarf went dingly-dangly jingly-jangly as she moved.

I don't know why she hasn't gotten herself a hip scarf by now. Maybe it's the money. Maybe she feels she's too old to be wearing something so showy. Whatever.

At the end of practice, I told her to please keep the scarf. She protested. Then she offered to buy it off me.

No, I insisted. I told her I wanted her to have it. That it would make me very happy to see her keep it and enjoy dance with it.

She finally accepted the offer. With the slightest of a shy smile, she said a soft "Thank you". Then she caressed the hip scarf one more time before carefully folding it and tucking it into her bag.

I have to admit I feel darn good seeing how much she loved the hip scarf. I hope she keeps dancing for a long, long time...

Dance props galore

My collection of accoutrement from different dance forms keep growing.

I have hip scarves, veils, zills, saidi canes, petal skirts, harem pants for bellydance.

I have pau skirts, leis, flower crowns and wristlets for Hawaiian hula.

I have top hat, waist coat, tails, bow ties and cane for Broadway jazz.

I have boas, masks, headress, showgirl costumes, vinyl suits etc etc.

Of course I saw it all coming when I took up folk dance, but I put off the inevitable for as long as I could. I really really have a mind-block about this prop. But the day of reckoning has arrived.

I now add - to my already huge collection of dance accoutrement - the Chinese silk fan! *cringe*

p.s. does it make it any better if I tell you my fan is "watermelon" with the green rind, red meat and black seeds? *double cringe*

Gentle dancing

A lifetime of injuries from sports and dance is catching up with me.

I live with recurring muscle aches and joint pains for years now. I keep downgrading my dance activities with the aim to prolong the dance shelf life I have left.

I put bellydance on hold for now, because I cannot do both hula and bellydance. It puts too much strain on my knees.

I enjoy the less demanding folk dance sessions with the aunties at the cc. The repertoire covers cha cha routines from the 70s, Taiwanese alishan tribal, and circle folk dance which covers the israeli and greek hora, arabic dabke and the folk circle dances of Eastern Europe.

Less demanding, yes. Less dangerous, no. Because somehow there is always the odd one who will lose her sense of direction with the turns and spins and collide with the dancer next to her.

The strange thing is you know it two seconds before the collision will happen. And you try to avoid the full impact of a moving body slamming into you by jumping out of the way. Which is how I end up with aches and pains in muscles and joints - jumping out of the way whether my body and limbs are aligned or not.

How can such a gentle dance with a bunch of sweet old people be so dangerous?

Dancers and Dance on Us

The place is Azzucar. The school is Dance on Us.

The performers are students and instructors. Some are professional dancers. Most are still finding their place in the world of dance.

But for this one night, every dancer came together as equals to strut their stuff in front of their peers, friends and family.

I love dance school recitals. There is always the nervousness and excitement among the dancers. And after they finished their turn, there is the applause and approval from the crowd.

Above all, there is honesty and pride in their delivery that never fails to touch a special place in my soul.

Two nights of dance

I am finally back into the swing of things. And very much looking forward to the two events coming up in November.

And as always, I admire the hard work and dedication that went into bringing these small local dance events to the public.

Date: 7 & 8 November (Saturday & Sunday)
More information here.

Date: 12 November (Thursday)
More information here.

The Newcomer

A newcomer to an on-going class is always subject to friendly curious interest. So it was that when the woman joined our hula class, we greeted her with the usual polite smiles and hello's.

But this woman's response to us is nothing short of jarring. She took one look at us, and asked, in a tone that came across as accusatory: Must we wear pareos to dance? Well, no, there is no strict requirement but we use pareos tied in some skirt fashion to help us focus on how we are moving...

Followed by another almost-cross question: Where do you buy your pareo? By this time the entire class shrank away from her physically and emotionally, with someone timidly muttering something about Arab Street or swimwear shops. We were too scared by now to mention that we even have leis to help us look the part and get more into the mood of the dance...

The woman was absent for the next class, and showed back up in the third week. A dance mate lent her a pareo and helped to dress her. She looked herself in the mirror and went: This style doesn't suit me. The rest of us busied ourselves with looking at our toes...

We danced through our routine at the end of which she turned to the dancer closest to her and asked, in an unmistakably annoyed tone: Did you learn that last week? Came the meekest reply in the weakest of voice: Yes...

Aiyoh...is she going to join us for real? And will she stop being so cross? Dare we hope...

Los Tarantos goes Arabian

Los Tarantos is home to the Singapore Flamenco club, providing a Flamenco haven for all Flamenco enthusiasts in Singapore.

It also provides a flexible performance space for various music and dance performances or special themed private parties.

La pena (an informal gathering of Flamenco artistes who come together celebrate the culture of Flamenco) is a regular feature at Los Tarantos.

Last Saturday, bellydancers staked out the place for their Hafla at the charming Peranakan shophouse in the colourful Geylang neighbourhood.

The usually Flamenco-themed place was transformed into a cosy middle-eastern cafe for the bellydancers and their friends and family. Clever use of gold and silver threaded fabric draped the otherwise stark walls. A kelim and scatter cushions provided the finishing touches.

Many dancers made their debut performances alongside seasoned performers and competition winners. Several professional performers and teachers were on hand to give quick lessons to the interested crowd.

What is a party without drinks and food? There was the ever-present much loved sangria. A lip-smacking middle-eastern meal of beef kebabs, chicken curry, hummus and salsa dips and flat breads was cooked by the Maestro of Flamenco - Antonio Vargas.

It was an evening to remember for a long time for the bellydancers.

I can see a Hawaiian Luau in the offing soon :)

Hafla@Los Tarantos

Los Tarantos is hosting its first Hafla, a private Arabian party with delectable Moroccan tapas and drinks, Middle Eastern music and dance where dancers take turn to perform for each other, and some open floor dancing for everyone to dance the night away ...

A prize goes to the best dressed performer of the night!

Limited Seating ! Book your tickets now!

TICKETS: SGD 25 (inclusive of Moroccan tapas platter and one drink)

TO BOOK TICKETS:
Call Daphne 68440893/ 94510597
Email: info@lostarantos.com.sg

To purchase tickets online, click here.

A little bit Bellydance, a little bit Hula

I love Middle Eastern Dance.

I love Hawaiian Hula Dance.

I positively hate it when the two are thrown together in the name of fusion.



A little bit of Bellydance, a little bit of Hula. Then call it bellynesian. It still does not make for a good dance; it does not do justice to either dance form.

I generally do not like fusion. After seeing this, I positively hate fusion.

All that jazz

Photo by The Man

Choreography and arrangement by Bill Calhoun
Dancers from Dance on Us

Little girls, big girls

Most pictures are already used in previous montage, but I cannot reisit putting this together.

Thank heaven for little girls
For little girls get bigger everyday

Thank heaven for little girls
They grow up in the most delightful way

Showtime

The long hours of practice. Fine-tuning the choreography. More changes. More practice. Until, finally, dancers and dance come together to form a kaleidoscope of glitz and dazzle.

The last minute preparation for body and mind. The final touches to makeup and costume. The pre-show jitters. And then ... it's showtime.

And afterwards, as the dancers made their way back to the changing room to wait for the grand finale, one excited dancer said to her team-mates:"Oh, they applauded! Did you hear that? They applauded!" Another asked, "Did they applaud us the loudest?" "Yes! The longest and loudest. They loved us!"

The applause - that has to be the happiest sound to any dancer's ears.

She's a ballroom dancer

The dance performance is mere days away now. There have been many stumbling blocks in all directions, one of which is that we have not had a single practice session with everyone present yet.

At the last practice session, we had the most number of show-ups todate. Things were looking up.

Until.

To our dismay, one of the dancers just had difficulty lining up right after each formation change. A helpful soul tried to explain to the left-fielder how to spot and get back in line.

The spoken-to did not take kindly to the constructive suggestion. She has been a dancer, a ballroom dancer if you please, for 40 years. She knows all about dance - connection, frame, posture, timing, body alignment, proper weight transfer, etc.

And the light came on in my head: the woman, in her 40 years of being led across the ballroom, never ever had to figure out space and place when dancing.

Can die. And the performance is mere days away.

I guess the rest of us will just have to dance around this stubborn obstacle.

Feria de Abril in Singapore

(click on image for enlargement)

FlamencoAsia brought to Singapore the world of the Sevillianos - a world of music, food, drinks, and of course, flamenco, the dance that embodies the very soul of the Spanish character.

For two nights, we were treated to a breathtaking display of tanguillos, rumbas, sevillanas, alogrias, fandangos, guajiras, tangos, bulerias itentos asturias, siguiriyas.

For two nights, under a colourful casetas, we lived the gaeity and cultural richness that is the Feria de Abril.

I will be back next year, better prepared with some training in the dance of the Sevillianos.

Meantime, there is Camino Flamenco to look forward to on Saturday.

April and all things Flamenco

April is the month of semana santa (holy week) and Flamenco activities in Singapore.

The arrival of Los Tarantos, under the guidance of maestro Antonio Vargas - mentor, teacher and choreographer - promises to bring the world of Flamenco to a whole new level. It provides the space for all flamenco dancers to experience the beauty and power of this art form, and actively promotes the lifestyle and culture of this elusive and beautiful dance.

The two Flamenco events taking place in April are:

Feria de Abril (April Fair) at CHIJMES on 18 and 19 April will be evenings of festive music, dance, food and all things Sevillian.

Camino Flamenco (Road to Flamenco) traces the journey of gypsies from Rajasthan to Turkey and Egypt, through North Africa to Morocco and finally into South of Spain - Andalusia - where the influences of Indian and Arabic elements come together in the dance that is Flamenco.
I am particularly intrigued with the gypsy element of Flamenco. I look forward to an intimate encounter with Flamenco which I see now as more than just another dance form.

It is culture, history, art. It is a lifestyle.

Evolution of Dance

Come on - you just gotta like this.



Comedy without saying a word!

I love the guy.

And for comparison, here's his earlier act.

She danced?

I debated long and hard before deciding I need to air my grouse regarding this programme :

Genre:	Variety
Duration:	30mins
No. of Episodes:	13
Cast:	Belinda Lee 李心钰.
Synopsis:	Our host, Belinda Lee now travels to these world capitals of modern and cultural dances to get a crash course on dancing. At the end of the journey, Belinda will either show off her dance steps she has learned or in fact, put through a real performance on stage! "Come Dance With Me" is the ultimate travel experience that mixes a dose of reality-TV, exoticism and adventure. *This series expire on 31 March 2009

I saw the repeat telecast of three of them - Flamenco, Bellydance and Ballroom.

I have issues aplenty with the whole concept - that anybody can master a dance form after a crash course (four days, to be exact) and be good enough to show off what was learned, or better yet, put in a real performance.

On a personal level, I think she showed nothing but arrogance at the end of 4 days of intense training.

On a larger scale, I think it is unmitigated disrespect to presume that one has even begun to grasp the basics of any dance just because one has put in some hard hours with master teachers, never mind trying to do any justice to the dance form.

She mimicked the different dances, doing a better job with some than others. But she made a mockery out of dance as a discipline that would take years of dedicated training to master.

Come dance with me? I don't think so.

Flamenco pena @ Los Tarantos

Flamenco circle @ Los Tarantos

Los Tarantos, the fruit of a labour of love, opened its doors last night, as a flamenco haven for all flamenco lovers. Housed in a beautiful Peranakan shophouse, Los Tarantos celebrated its opening with Flamenco y Tapas, a Flamenco pena in which friends and family gathered in an intimate setting to celebrate the beauty of Flamenco with their way of song, music and dance.

Los Tarantos, December 13, 2008

It was a night of festividad. There were so many things to rejoice in this single gathering: the opening of Los Tarantos as a studio and club for flamenco enthusiasts, celebration of the flamenco culture, and maestro Antonio Vargas turned 68.

I have always been in awe of flamenco with its fiery temperament and haughty posture complemented by strong hand flourishes. I admired all this from afar.

The love and passion for flamenco is palpable last night as friends and family danced, laughed and shared the special night.

And for the first time, flamenco came alive for me.

Los Tarantos is located at:
No. 1, Lorong 24A, Geylang Road,
S.398525
Contact: Daphne tel 97420637
email: daphnehml@pacific.net.sg

Zambra, Gypsies and Dance

I was never big on fusion belly dance, but since attending a workshop on Zambra Mora conducted by Flamenco maestro Antonio Vargas, my mind has opened to the fact that fusion adds a whole new dimention to any dance.

I managed to find a short 45 sec sample of the dance Zambra here. There is also a beautiful heavily Indian-influenced drum solo @2.50.

Specifically, I love the genre of belly dance that is Spanish-Arabe performed by the gypsies, like the dance shown below - Danza Fusion Oriental/Gitanos (Fusion Oriental Dance/Gypsies).



I am looking forward to seeing the Zambra Mora performed by Hsiao Min on opening night at Los Tarantos on December 13.

he mele no lilo

Indulge me. I just love this song :



There is this really cute children's version :



Then the version I'd love to dance:



... and now I can't stop the song playing in my head...