some things happened

There have been times when I felt I was the luckiest boy on Earth. As socially awkward as I am, I know a thing or two about American Tribal Style® belly dance, and that's about it.

Lucky for me, I have the opportunity to stay in the East Bay and take classes at the FatChanceBellyDance® studio. I get to dance with the student troupe, Blue Diamonds Belly Dance, and last February, I had the honor to perform with some members of Blue Diamonds along with two of my teachers, Wendy Allen and Kae Montgomery, at Tannourine. 

Photo by Yuka Sakata

Then of course there was the Devotion Kickstarter Party at Bissap Baobab Village last month. I just had to dance at this event because I won't be able to make it to this year's Devotion Show. Dancewave Center collaborates with Gedung Kesenian Jakarta for Jakarta's Anniversary Festival on June 15, 2013. More on this later. 

In orange choli is Larissa Archer, yes, she's the daughter of The Masha Archer

But the real treat was this year's Cues & Tattoos. 

You see, some of the Blue Diamonds girls thought that it would be sweet to dance at Cues & Tattoos as some sort of a farewell for me (I thought I was going to leave the USA for good somewhere in mid 2013, but that won't happen because I'm staying at least for another year to get a dual degree in nonfiction. Yes). 

So there you have it: Taksu Tribal. "Taksu" is a Balinese word which means "good energy" or "spirit". I'm going to leave the video right here so you can see for yourself if we have Taksu.

Addendum: Just to rub it in, here's what Ms. Nericcio wrote about Taksu Tribal. 

Proud, happy faces post dancing, posing with Ms. Carolena Nericcio!

But wait, there's more. 

So I told Rob / Valizan that I was going to go to Cues & Tattoos. He rounded up two other boys who were based in Seattle (Russ Martin & Rich Williams). I've met and danced with Russ at the FCBD® studio when he was taking General Skills & Teacher Trainings. He has killer Layback. I'm friends with Valizan and Rich on the Internet but never actually danced with them before. But you know, it's ATS®. It only took about two hours of getting used to dancing with each other and BAM! Sons of Trimurti was on the stage. 

Katherine Erickson (owner of the fabulous Silk Road Tribal) said that when Sons of Trimurti danced on stage, the shopping stopped. The only time she'd seen that was during Suhaila Salimpour's troupe performance. 

I'm still waiting for a video, but for now, here are some of the photos of Sons of Trimurti. (Purple: Rich Williams; Gold: Rob Galbraith / Valizan; Turquoise: Russ Martin)

Photos by LJ Brackenbury

Photo by David of CheekyMonkeyCaravan

Addendum: The video cometh! Courtesy of Laurie LA Tribal.

Seattle was uncharacteristically sunny and warm. So here's a photo of Kitty, my faithful companion for more than two decades, in front of the Space Needle. 

There will be a review of the festival as well as some pictures from the Instructor's Showcase very soon!

I'm going to end this entry by quoting a line from Bridget Jones's Diary: 

It is a truth universally acknowledged that when one part of your life starts going okay, another falls spectacularly to pieces.

And of course vice versa.

Yes, I know: I'm a very, very lucky boy indeed.

notes on performing ATS® solo

So, obviously I have tons of homework to be done (and I haven't updated my Pink in California blog for a long time now), but I just can't find the motivation to do so.

Although I like to multitask, I feel that I can do better if I work on one thing first (the one on the top of the priority list and work myself down - well, most of the time) and dedicate my time to it. And this blog entry has been waiting quite a while.

The thing is, whenever I'm back in Jakarta for end of semester vacation, I don't really have anyone to perform ATS® with, so I have to do a solo. At the end of every solo performance, though, I've always become sad because well, American Tribal Style® is never meant as a solo piece. No one told me this, but I used to believe the only person allowed to do ATS® solo is Ms. Carolena Nericcio. But then from time to time, I saw videos of FatChanceBellyDance® troupe members soloing when there're just two or three of them dancing together for a set.

Still, as much as I love performing, for me, ATS® solo was not something I looked forward to. It just didn't feel right.

That's why I'll always remember one recent Saturday when she said in class that even when we were dancing solo, we weren't dancing alone. We have the chance to engage the audience, to dance with them, to invite them in, to include them in our dance. And this can be done through our face and body angle. Always smile and not only with the lips, but also the eyes. Don't squint but slightly open your eyes and let your eyes smile too.

This was a great light bulb moment for me. And I hope this makes sense to you too.

I mean, yeah, I've heard of the concept of engaging the audience when dancing in a group - always maintain eye contact and smile and such, but this kind of falls into the wayside whenever I'm soloing. I didn't think of "dancing" with the audience. I always thought about dancing for the audience.

Speaking about engaging the audience, Sensei Kae also stressed how important it was to always engage the audience whenever we're dancing, even in a Dueling Duet formation when it's easy to be too engrossed in whoever's leading. We can do this by making eye contact whenever we pivot or do a Move or Step that faces the audience.

There's another important note. I've always thought the Arm Undulation (whether layered with Taxeem or not) and Body Wave were beautiful movements, but away from the stage, they could be really subtle, too subtle for a dramatic impact. Ms. Nericcio pointed this out yesterday. Dramatic slow songs (Stamena, Aicha, Arawan) instantly beg for level drops, turns, and laybacks, but that doesn't mean we can't do many of these when dancing to other types of slow songs. Use Arm Undulation (with or without Taxeem) and Body Wave for fillers, for transitions, for moments for the audience to breathe and clean the audience's palate, so to speak. And when you're doing these subtle movements, our body needs to be really articulate, and this means two things: clean technique and the knowledge of all the mechanics of the movements.

Then I remembered that one time I saw a video of my performance and thought how boring my Arm Undulation was, no matter how much I enjoyed performing it and thinking how good it must've looked. Haha.

I'm just going to close this blog entry with this awesome video (I think I put it on the blog one time, but it's just so good).

folkloric look for ats®

All I knew (and this was said repeatedly whenever we had classes that focused on creating a folkloric look) was that generally, when one wants to dance ATS® to a folkloric music (with the mizmar, oud, doumbek, without any of the synthesized sounds), complete with the vintage head wrap and tassels, it is best to maximize the folkloric look by staying away from swirly, swishy moves. This categorization had eluded me for so long (a year, probably), but last Saturday, I finally received the answer. 

Ms. Sandi Ball gave me the permission to copy this list. I've added some that weren't on the original list (look for the asterisk). 

Folkloric Look:

1. Egyptian (I assume this means all variations of Egyptians, including Triple Egyptian, but excluding Egyptian Sevillana since this has a more Flamenco feel to it)
2. Arabic (but not Arabic Hip Twist nor Arabic Hip Twist Flourish and its later descendant: the Alabama Twister)
3. Pivot Bump
4. Choo Choo
5. Shimmy (including the variation with a slight dip on the one in every four counts. Since the Shimmy is a two-count move, it goes like this: one - two - one - two - one - two - one - two - one - two etc. The underlined is when you slightly dip) 
6. Turkish Shimmy (including Quarter Turn and Half Turn, but excluding Turkish Shimmy with Arms & Turn)
7. Arabic Shimmy (excluding Arabic Shimmy with Arms & Turn)
8. Reach & Sit (well, this one comes from the Tahtiyb / Stick dance, so it works well with songs with Saidi rhythm)
9. Up 2 Down 3
10. Double Bump & Single Bump
11. Shoulder Shimmy
12. Wet Dog
13. Ghawazee Shimmy
14. Reshamka
15. Chico Four Corners
16. Ribcage Rotation
17. Head Slides
18. Circle Step*
19. Camel Walk*
20. Corkscrew, Propeller, Reverse Turns*
21. Torso Twist*
22. Circle Step*
23. Bodywave*

Modern Look: 

1. Arabic Hip Twist and Arabic Hip Twist with Flourish and the Alabama Twister
2. Turkish Shimmy with Arms and Turn
3. Arabic Shimmy with Arms and Turn
4. Double Back
5. Sahra Turn
6. Wrap Around Turn
7. Barrel Turn

Now, obviously this list is ever evolving. For example, the Water Pot from Devyani or The Box Step and Push Forward Push Back from the Ghawazi Caravan vocabulary are not on the list. Granted, the Water Pot is swishy and swirly (meaning it has lots of turns and spins), but it does have that folkloric look. In my opinion anyway. And the Push Forward Push Back and Box Step have that folkloric hard edge. 

Also, I believe Floorwork falls into the Folkloric Look category. 

One of the main reasons I post this is to remind myself that there are moves that are considered Folkloric Look. When I dance, especially when there's mizmar or any kind of wind instrument that's not droning, I like doing the swishy steps like the Arabic Hip Twist. So, the list gives me a kind of boundary in a good way. 

I was going to include a YouTube snippet of The Tattooed One, but instead, I'm just going to post this.

When I stumbled upon it, it was like opening a treasure chest. Seeing Ms. Nericcio's fast solo is a rare treat too. 

shimmies and shimmies

Ya know, it's a bit ironic that I call myself (on this blog anyway) "the boy who shimmies", and yet I find myself unable to shimmy properly, well, the Oriental shimmy anyway. However, when it comes to ATS® Shimmy, I feel very confident and at home.

Sensei Kae, Ms. Sandi Ball, and Ms. Wendy Allen all did shimmy drills on the course of two weeks. Beginning with Sensei Kae (another shimmy & spin class) on Thursday night (we also learned the tricky art of Over Shimmy), Ms. Ball on Saturday afternoon (have you ever seen how she flawlessly executes ASWAT? I have her tips below), Ms. Allen on Wednesday (I felt a bit adventurous and took the 51A bus to cross Oakland and Emeryville to Alameda where she teaches, then Sensei Kae again just a few hours ago (more shimmy drills).

So, okay... Here are the tips from Ms. Sandi Ball:

1. To make your ATS® Shimmy even, if you're like me (my left shimmy is weaker than my right when I'm doing Turkish and Arabic Shimmy), then switch your focus from your right hip to your left hip. Concentrate on the left hip only. Your right hip is already shimmying big and nice and juicy, now it's the left hip's turn to get some lovin'. This was a lightbulb moment. It works for me. 
2. When doing Arabic, there's this contrast going with your upper body (chest and torso) and arms. When the right foot steps down on one, think of stepping down but your upper body goes upward, like floating up, this is to get your chest to lift and your torso to undulate). Then as the left foot steps down on two, it's like your upper body (down to your hip, actually) sits down. On one, as the upper body goes upward, the arms plunge down in front of the body, then floats up on the side to over head from second to eighth counts. Add shimmies and you have Arabic Shimmy. 
3. For ASWAT, this is how you achieve Ms. Sandi Ball's ASWAT flawlessness: as you're turning on fifth to eighth counts, keep your left hand near your left hip on five and six and left it float on seven and finish on eight. Letting the left hand sit there for five and six gives more aerodynamism, plus you won't hit your dance partners as you turn. 

This is one of my favorite videos, despite its lighting quality. Although I think the dark lighting adds the mood. 

Well, I'm blogging at San Francisco International Airport now, waiting for a grueling economy class flight back to Jakarta. I'm so sad to miss classes at the mothership for three months, but I'm glad that I closed it rather well: I got to dance with a guy! His name is Russ, he's from Seattle. He's at the studio for General Skills and Teacher Trainings. So that means... Another male joining the clan!

Sensei Kae just had to do the Shimmy drills. Then I had to drag two suitcases, each one weighing 23 kg (50 pounds), from my apartment on the third floor, all the way down, and walked five blocks to the bus stop. Then one block to the BART station. One of the suitcases contains Kali, Lilith's twin. I was a bit worried because I thought the suitcase containing Kali was oversized and Singapore Airlines has restrictions over the combined linear dimension of the suitcases. I even phoned their rep in SF, and I thought I had to pay USD 109, but it turned out fine. They checked in well. 

I'm so tired. I just want to find my seat (I get window seat this time, YAY!), get comfy, see the in-flight movies, and cocoon myself. 

I'll see you soon. I need to blog an addendum about ASWAT and Sunanda. 

foot, elbow, face

Some Saturdays ago, Ms. Nericcio was there to teach the class. I was away in December and January and those were actually the months when she wasn't travelling and dedicated her time to teach (and observe). So of course came rain or high water, I went to the studio.

I know I'm still struggling with so many aspects of many of the moves and steps. I realized that I've been very, very bouncy. I mean, with the flailing arms and the bobbling head and everything, so I'm working on it. But Ms. Nericcio pointed out something else (well, not only to me, but to the whole class). She said she wanted to see a beautiful entrance when we're coming out of the Chorus to be the featured dancers.

Here's the checklist:

1. Feet: Glide, don't walk. Long, supermodel steps. 
2. Elbows: Lifted to convey a feeling of emphatic entrance. When you slide back in to the chorus, make yourself small so you can fit right back in, without dropping the elbows, of course. 
3. Faces: Smile! Toothy smile when doing Fast Steps. You can also show your teeth when doing Slow Moves, but it's okay if you don't, as long as you smile. 

Here's a little video to emphasize on the three aspects above. 

I was late for two consecutive Saturdays and so I didn't have the time to tell the teachers (Ms. Allen on one Saturday and Ms. Lalwani on the next) that I was working on my bounciness. But after class, I asked Ms. Lalwani about this and she said that she didn't see me bouncing too much. 

So, yeah. I guess I can work towards a goal after all. Haha. Yay!

hitting the brick wall

Earlier this week I was thinking how time had gone so fast. How I had landed in San Francisco this year on that cold January night and then had struggled to get into a university in the USA. Now my first semester as an MFA student is almost done and I'm a quarter closer to earning my degree.

Then just this morning, a friend told me how she felt time had gone so fast - as if she had blinked herself into the end of the year. And it's true.

Let me tell you my deepest, darkest secret. It won't be my deepest, darkest secret anymore after I've told you, so at least that's one out and millions more to share. What can I say, my life is an open book and the secrets are there, waiting to be revealed to anyone who cares to read it.

Now, about that deepest, darkest secret: I sincerely wish I could stop time. I sincerely wish that I could take the happiest moment of my life with the people I care about and just freeze it and live it forever and a second. Maybe that's what Heaven is. Possibly.

The point is, as I'm getting closer to earning an MFA, that means my days of taking classes at the FatChanceBellyDance studio are also numbered. I had already complained about not being able to go to Thursday classes next semester (February until May) because of the new school schedule. This means I'm only limited to the Saturday classes and Dance Conditioning sessions. This means I'll be missing my friends who usually come only on Thursdays.

Then there's the physical limitations. There's so much that my brain has to process. There's so much that my muscle memory has to take in. There's so much that my reflexes has to train themselves to remember. I've been away from the weekly velvetRAQS practices for less than a year and now whenever I try to do the Turkish Shimmy or the Arabic Shimmy with my left foot as the dominant one, my shimmies will get stuck. Shimmies have never been my best friend. Layering movements on regular Oriental shimmies has been so hard. Doing the sharp pop, lock, and hit with my body has been almost impossible.

The fears and paranoia are the cherry on top of the cake. What if when I go back home to Indonesia, I can't find anyone to dance ATS with? This is not about the invested money and energy and time and what have you, this is about not being able to do the dance that you love so much. This thought scares the bejeebus out of me. The fact that this dance demands so much and the fact that I, as a teacher, also demand so much because I want to keep the purity of FCBD ATS, posture and all, they may not be appealing to many people.

Then I realized, heck, if I can get only one or two people to dance with and they give their best like I do, I will be happy. Then I realized, I am a human, there's just so much that my body can do. But I will work with my strengths and my flaws and I will learn to love myself and accept that probably I can never shimmy while doing a full split. And these realizations came after watching this video:

That is Oskar, the blind cat. I wrote earlier about Ms. Wendy Allen's three-legged dog, the sweet Abby Noodle Bumskooter. And I have to repeat myself: it's amazing how animals (some, like Oskar and Abby, aided by kind humans) can constantly amaze and inspire me to do more and never give up, even when I'm hitting a brick wall.

areas that need improvement

Hokay. Where in the world should I begin?

I know where my stance is in the belly dance world, or any world for that matter: I am to never stop learning. This is not just for humility sake, but for refining the techniques, skills, and presence needed in order to really grace the stage.

At times I feel the need to constantly realign myself with the dance and its rules, and by dance I mean American Tribal Style (ATS). Sure, there are also rules within Oriental, such as: chest lifted, arms never in chicken wings position, feet close together; but as someone who've been studying Oriental for three years, I feel that these rules are made for aesthetic purposes. I am probably wrong, since I'm only a baby dancer, but the point I'm trying to make is that with ATS, every body angle, every arm sweep, every floreo, every head tilt, is a cue. That's why it is essential to make sure we execute the Moves or Steps correctly.

Laura, one of the fellow dancers who also danced that night at Tannourine last Friday (November 18, 2011) convinced her husband, Luke, to take videos of the sets. She then sent the links to us. I had felt good about the dance, so I watched it. Then I cringed. Here's why:

1. Limp wrists. My God my wrists are so limp. I have dainty, limp wrists. I overdid the playfulness of the wrists in some of the Steps. In my daily life, I love my limp wrists. They are somewhat a statement of my masculinity (HA!), but in dance, I want to project strength, although not necessarily masculine strength. I had the same problem with my bouncy neck and head. After dancing with my sword and doing ATS, I think I may have succeeded in overcoming it. I will do the same to my wrists.
2. Forearms too close to the chest. Holly hallelujah. I was so sure that my forearm and my chest had enough distance when I was doing Pivot Bumps. My right forearm carriage was okay, but my left forearm was definitely too close to my chest, and that is wrong. Whenever our arms are in Table Top position, or when we're doing Split Arms in ATS, the arm(s) that is/are in Table Top should be extended with the elbows making a soft curve as if there is a big Swiss Ball in your arms.
3. Slow Song Face. With my thick lips, if I try to project a thin, mysterious smile, it will end up looking like a frown. During Maleh U Filfil (a slow, mysterious, instrumental, haunting song), I gave my usual thin, mysterious, sly smile. That wasn't captured nicely. It made me look smug. Maryann was giving a genuine smile and that translated so well.

Sensei Kae told us about having the Precision in the dance. I totally understand that. I've seen non-FatChanceBellyDance ATS troupes doing FCBD moves (on YouTube) but they lack the precision, the arm carriage, the lift of the chest and chin that the moves looked so sloppy.

No.

I know this might sound zealous and overbearing and probably a bit scary (like Single White Female scary), but if I want to bring FCBD ATS back to my home country, I have to make sure I have what it takes to present it FCBD style, posture and all.

At least I remembered to engage my abs that night.

***

Still photo from the video by Luke Terheyden, showing (from left to right: Miriam, Julia, Maryann, and yours truly).

class notes (new steps, laybacks, more floorworks)

The past two (or three?) weeks have been some kind of a whirlwind, what with Sensei Kae taught us a new way to spin (I'll write it up in another blog entry, I promise. Oh, and that blog entry will also include the Extended Prayer. I just need to doodle and scan it to better illustrate the full gorgeousness of the whole Puja), me recovering (I'm 98% healthy! Yay!), and another Tannourine show coming up (Friday, November 18), this time with live music by Helm. I know, right? This is going to be my first performance with live music and it's the great Helm of all bands. Oy, the pressure.

These notes are from Sensei Kae's class:

Egyptian Sevillana

1. Start with Basic Egyptian (first until fourth counts), then angle the body on the fifth count so your chest faces the left wall of your phone booth and you almost show your back to the audience in front of you.
2. When angling the body, drop the two arms, just like in the first part of Sahra Turn (actually, the body angle at this moment should also match the first part of Sahra Turn).
3. On the sixth count, move your right arm just like when you do the first turn of the Sahra Turn (like holding a tray above your head). Also like a Sahra Turn, to your right on the sixth count.
4. Keep your left hand near your left hip and bring it up only on the seventh count (while you're turning), but slowly so it floats up and ends its float on the eighth count.
5. The eighth count (or half of the eighth count) of Egyptian Sevillana is spent by doing the pose with arms raised and waiting for another down beat to start a new count.
6. You have to pay attention to your leader when he/she is doing Basic Egyptian and cuing to Egyptian Sevillana. You might not be able to execute the first move (arms sweeping down like Sahra Turn) properly if you don't concentrate and therefore have to rush the sweeping down and the turn.

Triangle Step

1. This is a very beautiful eight-count step indeed. I will ask the assistance from the big-ass footprints once again.
2. Imagine there's an inverted triangle (dotted orange) inside your pizza box (red). On the first count, place your right foot on the upper left point of the triangle. Make sure that your toes point to the front, therefore stopping the lower body from twisting too much but still get the upper body to twist just enough so that you feel like showing the audience your back (but not much). Your arms should be framing your body as if you're doing a Wrap Around Turn, however, your right arm should be lower (the right arm in Wrap Around Turn is table-top height, the right arm in the first section of Triangle Step is about 45 degrees). There is one soft floreo on each wrist when bringing the arms to frame the body. Chest lifted at all times. The corresponding number in the diagram is number 1. On the first count, the weight of your body goes to your right foot.
3. Stay until the second count.On the second count, the weight of your body switches to the left foot.
4. On the third count, move your right foot back near your left foot, but keeping the arm frame and body angle the same. Body weight distributed evenly on both feet.
5. On the fourth count (not the fifth!), move your left foot to the upper right point of the triangle. This is the mirror image of what you just did on pointer #2, including the floreo. The corresponding number in the diagram is number 2. Body weight is on left foot.
6. On the fifth count, switch the body weight to the right foot. Arms stay.
7. On the sixth count, move your left foot near the to the right, but as you step in, the toes of the left foot should point to 10 o'clock (or somewhere like this). This will give you the momentum to do a T-step turn on seventh and eighth counts. Starting on the sixth count, move the arms up with a soft floreo, just like when doing the turn in Arabic Twist with Turn.

These notes are from Ms. Kristine Adam's class (featuring a photography also by Ms. Kristine Adams. This photo is a series of a very fun project involving Ms. Nericcio and Rachel Brice switching their costumes and make-up!). Also, when I realized that it was going to be Ms. Adams teaching for that Saturday, I really wanted to work on laybacks and floorworks, knowing that she's one of FCBD troupe members who did that Layback Song (as featured in Volume 7). So it was really nice that Theresa, one of my classmates, requested to do a layback.

1. Laybacks, like Diagonal Trio, Dueling Duets, and Floorworks, have to be discussed prior to dancing.
2. Do not initiate (that means cue) a Layback if you don't feel comfortable doing it, or if you haven't done enough warm-up for your back.
3. The cue for a Layback is what makes it different than a Deep Bodywave. When doing a Deep Bodywave, your head stays level while your upper body (below the neck) undulates. Imagine having a sword or a basket or something balanced on your head. You want to keep the head level and stable. On the other hand, when doing a Layback, you sort of fuse your head to your neck, and they should be one line. Think of this as having an apple wedged under your chin. You don't want to squeeze the apple, but you also don't want to drop it.
4. The initial arm placement is Split Arm #2 (right arm up, left arm table top).
5. To do a Layback, lift your ribcage up, so you have the slight tilt on your upper back, and when you can't lift your ribcage up anymore, start to bend your upper body backwards. DO NOT FORGET TO BREATHE. DO NOT BEND YOUR KNEES TOO DEEP. DO NOT THRUST YOUR HIPS FORWARD.
6. When you have achieved the degree of bending that's comfortable to you, sweep the left arm down your body and to your left to go all the way up above your head (not above your forehead!) while sweeping the right arm to your right and ending with your right hand next to your right hip. Then (without stopping, actually), sweep the left arm down along the left side of your body and the right arm up along the right side of your body, the left hand should end next to your left hip. Then as you go up, with your left hand, trace an imaginary half circle on your left, so both arms will end above your head. I hope this makes sens.
7. Remember to always breathe. Not breathing will make you see stars when you come up.
8. Bending the knees too deep will make the hips thrust forward and will put more strain on the lower back.
9. To keep the hips from bending forward, you may want to create the sense that your lower body (hip downward) is anchoring itself to the ground by squeezing your thighs together and or engaging your core muscles. This also helps with Torso Twist. I actually tried squeezing my hips together and engaging my abs and my hips stopped swinging when doing Torso Twist!

On a somewhat related note, on Dance Conditioning last week, Ms. Lalwani showed us a really cool trick for a Backbend when doing Floorwork.

If you don't have anyone to spot you and you happen to have one of those exercise bands, use it like a rower. Secure the band, grab each end of the band, and get on your Floorwork position and try the Backbend. As you come up, if you feel tired, the exercise band will help pull you up. The goal is to rely on the band less and less as you work on the Backbend. Work on your Quads, Glutes, and Abs for the effortless look of a Floorworks.

Well, that's it! Quite a long post, eh? If nothing of this makes sense, I'm really sorry, but I hope these notes will help you. And remember, always do a proper warm-up before doing Layback and Floorworks.

improv tribal style workshop

"So there's this dancer who said to me, 'Hey, why are you still learning belly dance? You already know how to move! Why not focus on working as a bellydancer?' and all I could do was give a friendly smile and a nod," my friend told me the other day.

I looked at her with disbelief. "Wh... What?" I stuttered. "I mean, the money I get, either from performing or teaching, goes to costumes and taking classes and workshops!"

"My husband said the same thing! He said that all my money went to more costumes and more workshops!" she replied.

I know I've dedicated the last six months of my life learning ATS the FCBD way straight from the source, but when my friend told me about a dancer called Mihrimah Ghaziya and that she was doing ITS (Improv Tribal Style), I was intrigued. So, I signed up for Mihrimah's workshop and my belief is reconfirmed: you never stop learning new things.

Mihrimah's format of teaching is well-crafted and nicely laid-out - this has to be related to her vast teaching experience. She explained the dance and the movements very eloquently and even took the opportunity to tell the students briefly about the history of Tribal and Ms. Nericcio. Her structure and method made it easy even for those who had never tried bellydancing, let alone Tribal Style bellydancing.

I learned the different dialects for Egyptian Half Turn, Arabic, Arm Undulation and also the format and shape of the chorus. She also taught about "gathering the chorus" to circle together. A really cute thing was when we (as a chorus) all knelt on one knee when the song was about to end while the featured (solo) dancer was doing her thing. She said that her troupe did it once to a very shy student who finally took the lead; it was a way to encourage the shy dancer or give props to a dancer who just did a neat thing.

It is just amazing that even when her tribe is very far apart from the Mothership (Mihrimah's tribe is in Germany), she still regards the ATS rules with much respect: have solidarity, have trust, and always follow what your leader does, even though you know he/she is screwing up.

I admire her, for she is not only a generous teacher, but she is one of those people who dedicate their lives for the dance. She has become a world citizen, travelling around the globe, staying with the Kalbeliya Gypsies in India to learn their dance. Now that's dedication.

Mihrimah Ghaziya dancing a modern version of "The Peacock"

* Photo by Kusuma Dewi. L-R: Veronika, Desi (the organizer), Lia, Mihrimah, Yours Truly

devotion 2011 & tips

I'm writing to remind you about a few things.

First: Devotion 2011 Show is on Friday, 17 June 2011. Have you bought your tickets? Don't forget that there are workshops by Colleena Shakti, Devi Mamak, and Elizabeth Strong starting on the Monday leading to the show.

Second: Posture. Ms. Suzanne Elliott reminded us to stay in performance angle all the time and not to flatten out and anchored by the mirror in front of us. Also, "leading from the elbow" means elbows are lifted while shoulders are down and back, at the same time opening the chest and engaging the back muscles. However, the elbows must stay in front of the chest. Never bring the arms to the back in order to get that lifted-elbow look. Imagine you're holding a big Swiss ball in front of you, and now lift the elbows so they face the ceiling.

The same arm position is held when the arms float above the head (elbows facing the back wall), and when the arms are down and wrists rest on the sides of the body (elbows facing the front wall).

Sensei Kae said that when being done correctly, it would really show off the triceps. Just like bodybuilders. And no, I'm not going to put a picture of big, burly, hunky, scantily clad hunks on this post. You can search for such images on your own.

tribal fest 11

I can't believe I'm in Sebastopol, CA, getting myself spoiled by taking classes from Ms. Carolena Nericcio, spending at NakaRali and Silk Road Tribal's booths, and watching hours of performances by my idols. Yes. I went to Tribal Fest 11.

Okay. Let's begin the review.

I wrote a separate thought on the location of Tribal Fest on my San Francisco blog.

It was sheer luck that I still managed to squeeze myself in Ms. Nericcio's workshop. And what a workshop it was.

We were taught the essentials of performing: formation, grand entrance, eye contact, absolutely no verbal communications while dancing, fade, chorus work, technique on taking a bow, and the grand exit. Ms. Suzanne Elliott also taught some new moves, a.k.a. Devi Mamak's addition to FCBD's movement vocabulary. We learned the Pulse Turn, Rainbow, Box Step (and Turn).

Many of the issues discussed in the workshop were covered in General Skills and Teacher's Training 1 & 2, but there were so many valuable inputs and constant reminders (of posture, eye contact, dance angle - I sucked on the latter), that I kept finding myself nodding to information both I had heard before and just heard then.

Here're the inputs I took note of:

1. Dance Angle: if the leader does not stand in dance angle, followers must stand in dance angle.
2. Eye Contact: breaking eye contact can be a nonverbal cue that someone will become the leader. Break eye contact when in the 7 o'clock position to become the leader.
3. Fade: flat out first to sign for a fade, then stay in flat angle (not dance angle) so the followers can see the cues better. However, when doing Arabic / Bodywave, flatten the angle to the left, and go back to dance angle when in stationary fade position.

Now, on to the performances.

I don't have so much to say, except the good ones were too short (Mardi Love and Rachel Brice each danced to one short song, Kami Liddle did a stellar Tribal-Hindi fusion), the crazy ones were too long (I won't name names, they're a mile better than I am because they actually had the courage to go up on the stage and dance), and the surprises were so, so good.

The numbers that were just perfect were: Zoe Jakes & Special Guests (including Kami! Yay!), Samantha Emanuel's duet with another magnificent dancer whose name escaped my ears (as usual), Persephone Dance Company (I took GS & TT 1-2 with two of Persephone dancers! My God, they're so, so, so good), Red Lotus (FCBD's sister troupe), and FCBD (the headliner, I swear, Ms. Nericcio won the longest flutter award! Although her solo was far, far too short! Ms. Lalwani looked soooo pretty in pink & black.). Jill Parker and her Foxglove Sweethearts were also a highlight, and I was completely awestruck by Unmata's dramatic performance (their ending was so apt, with the troupe members holding out signs that said "Do What You Want" - I almost cried).

I took so many pictures that I got confused on which one to upload to the blog, and yet I didn't take enough. It was so hard to take photos and see the dance. I made a difficult decision: I forsook (that's the past tense of "forsake". Believe me. I checked) taking pictures and just watched the dance.

I'm still feeling the jitters.

FCBD's set was so intense that it left me with adrenaline rush.

I was sitting there with Yuka and Maho (Maho's Sensei Kae's sister), both of them are FCBD students, and a conversation took place after I bought a pure silver NakaRali belt that Maho had put on hold and we discussed about the opportunity of being adopted by Bill Gates.

"I don't want to be famous," Maho said.

"Well, if you're dancing with FCBD, you'll become famous," I replied.

"Is that why you're dancing with FCBD?"

"No. I want to bring FCBD ATS to Indonesia, and have Carolena do a workshop in Indonesia," I felt a glimmer of hope in my eyes.

After Frank Farinaro's set, Maho asked if I wanted to be like him. I said no, I wanted to be like Mardi Love when I grew up.

"Really?" Maho egged on.

"Umm... I guess no... I want to be like Kami Liddle!" I corrected myself with rare determination. Maho smiled and we watched more shows.

During an applause, I turned to Maho and finally confessed, "No. I want to be like Carolena Nericcio!" I said it dreamily, not unlike a schoolboy fantasizing of being kissed by the handsome, athletic classmate.

saturday, 14 may 2011

This is the first entry that used a date for a title. I'm using that title because I will never forget that day.

I wouldn't mind being alone at this year's Tribal Fest, which I'm really excited to go to, but on Saturday, 14 May 2011, I found not one, not two, but three people who are going to Tribal Fest 11 and taking only Ms. Nericcio's 3-day intensive.

I danced with those three people. We tried so hard with our techniques and skills (mine were just mediocre - theirs were more superior than mine). There are times when I felt I did mistakes, but Sensei Kae didn't point them out, so I supposed the mistakes were tolerable. However, I know we'll never stop learning. Being not from San Francisco, we realized that the women who lived in close proximity to the studio were actually very, very lucky indeed. They could take as many lessons they want, refine their techniques, skills, and drill away with FCBD's elite teachers and troupe members. They will have direct correction from the source, that way no confusion or slight "variation" will happen.

Oh, and one lady also said that when we're dancing to more folkloric songs, it would be necessary to stick to the older moves and steps (Tribal Basics volumes 1 and 4), whilst the newer moves and steps should be done to more modern sounding or fusion songs. I asked Sensei Kae about this and she concurred. I love learning new things everyday, don't you?

I can't wait to go to Tribal Fest!

i'm not gonna brag about this, but... - teacher training 2

Ya know, I'm not much of a bragger (HA!) and I'll bet you all understand that I'm an underachiever (for my age, at least - and I actually wrote that once in my on-line CV... I took it down, though). So, yeah... I'm taking this whole certification thing as a big deal, because it really is a big deal!

I've blogged once about how some people consider "Tribal Fusion" to have sprung from an anonymous hole from the face of the Earth. I feel that having this certification really sets me apart from the rest of the Tribal Fusion dancers. I love doing Tribal Fusion, but if I have a serious troupe who really wants to do it ATS style, I might want to withdraw from both Oriental (either folkloric or modern) and Tribal Fusion, and just do it ATS style. And by ATS, I mean FatChanceBellyDance format.

Teacher Training 2: Carolena Nericcio & Sandi Ball

It's just amazing that both of these women were actually knitting when listening to us and giving complete feedbacks. KNITTING! And they didn't lose a beat in answering. Ms. Nericcio confessed that her brain works like a shark: if it doesn't move, it sinks down and dies. So, she knits. If she doesn't do anything, she'll just go blank.

From 11 AM to 5 PM, we sat there, fourteen of us (two teachers, eleven participants, and one translator), talking about starting up dance schools, avoiding confrontational competition with other teachers and "teachers" of ATS in proximity, burning bridges, motivating students, overcoming problem students (this one was the longest discussion and generated the most ideas).

Needless to say, Ms. Nericcio is not only a diplomat but also a savvy businesswoman. I mean, this lady started from scratch and went all the way to the top of the game and accomplished so much, not in a nick of time, but over time, through dedication and hard work.

I can truly see what began as a rough concept and draft of ATS, has actually become a sophisticated format of dance with standardized terminology and codifications that are used around the world by sister studios and those certified to teach ATS. One can only learn so much from her experience.

And this sophisticated art of movement, a contemporary, more modern style of bellydance that actually looks more antique than other genres, brings together people from different parts of the world that don't really speak the same language. We had Americans, Canadians, Taiwanese, Puerto Rican, Italian, and Indonesian in the class.

One thing that really touched my heart was how Ms. Nericcio and the rest of the participants (especially those who also took the General Skills workshop with me) said that I totally knew how to behave in class: a room filled with women, many of whom bared their bellies. It has been hard for me to fit in, let alone have friends, so that compliment just blew me away.

Later, when we were handed out our diplomas, I was informed that I was the second male to earn the three certifications.

And that makes me the first Indonesian to be certified to teach the one and only American Tribal Style (ATS) bellydance by the often imitated never duplicated FatChanceBellyDance (FCBD), the source of all things Tribal.

But I'm just not gonna brag about it...

the ats language and no fighting - ats teacher training 1, days 1 & 2

So, General Skills Training was over. We had a two-day break and I used it wisely by skipping Jill Parker's class and going grocery shopping on Saturday. I hope I didn't miss much of the class.

On Sunday, I went to Dance Conditioning class at FCBD studio. The Dance Conditioning class is always amazing and I can't believe it's already on its fifth week! Only three weeks left!

And then, came the day for the Teacher Training (TT) 1. I sort of had a vague idea of what was going to happen. Ms. Lalwani said that Ms. Nericcio would make us do the steps and movements and teach them in front of the class. I was nervous about that. I mean, yeah, I teach bellydance, but it's ORIENTAL (and some Tribal Fusion, which obviously uses lots of movements from ATS). And then there was going to be other teachers (AND THE CREATRIX HERSELF) in the room, so I just felt unsure of myself.

On the first day, Ms. Nericcio went over a several pointers in teaching ATS. All of them are helpful, even for those with teaching experience. But there's one that resonates deeply, and that one is (written in capital letters in the Teaching Manual given to us): NEVER CONTRADICT ANOTHER TEACHER.

Clearly, this is the diplomacy that everyone in the bellydance world has to know. And that one point really slapped me hard in the face. There were instances when I just said, "God, how can that person be teaching?" and there were also times when people would say that my Tribal Fusion is WRONG.

Ms. Nericcio gave us an example. A student walked in to your class, learned a move, and then said, "But that's not how so-and-so taught me. So which one is the correct one? Yours or so-and-so's?" Here's how you reply: "Well, some teachers have different ways of teaching, but everything comes from one source. In my class, I teach it this way."

Now that's diplomacy. In most cases, the teacher was doing the right move, but with different choice of words than what you said, and the student didn't get it.

And telling people that a teacher is doing it wrong, is just classless and tacky and tarty. And so, from that day forth, I shall never, ever say that another teacher is wrong, be it Oriental, Tribal Fusion, ATS, or any kind of fusion. That being said, I still won't delete my old blog posts.

After the lecture, each of us had to pick a card that Ms. Nericcio placed in front of the room. I chose to do Shimmy (with Turn in Place). In case you didn't notice, my alias here is "the boy who shimmies", so it was just so apt that I got to do it. I'm not going to tell you the details, but it went well and I learned so much. After each of us presented the step or movement, Ms. Nericcio would give direct feedback and correct our explanation if it needed correction.

Before we went home, we had to choose three cards that each represent a step or a movement. We were to present the movement on the second day. For the slow movements, I chose Wrap Around Turn and Flutter. For the fast step, I chose Reverse Shimmy (of course!).

On the second day, we had two chances to present the moves. I finally presented Wrap Around Turn and Flutter. I decided that I'm so much in love with the Flutter and I had a hard time learning to do it so it would be good to share the way I learned it, as taught by Ms. Nericcio through her video (Tribal Basics vol. 4) and Ms. Miftahul Jannah of the velvetRAQS (my Oriental teacher for three years and counting). I guess I was doing a good job because one of the participants actually came up to me afterwards and complimented me on teaching Flutter. She had been trying to do it for sometime but never got a satisfying result. When I taught how to do it, she was finally able to flutter, albeit for a short period of time.

Well... I learned from the best teachers, and it took me a year to finally master it.

One last thing. Elizabeth from Italy (she's five month pregnant) made a very true statement. She speaks good English (although she doesn't want to admit it). But when she had to teach in front of the class using English, she sometimes stuttered and just lost her words. So after presenting a step (Spins - I LOVE SPINS!), she asked, "Would you like to drill?" and we all nodded our heads, she answered, "Very good! It's much easier to dance! No language!"

And that just about summed up this whole American Tribal Style thing. It's a language in dancing that transcends the verbal and written languages of the world. I can be dancing ATS with Sherry (a Taiwanese in our TT 1 class who doesn't speak very good English) or with Ilhaam (a Spanish in our GS and TT 1 classes who also doesn't speak very good English) and yet the dance just flows naturally.

And that, my friends, is not magic. That is hard work and dedication.

putting the "sun" in "sunanda" - ats general skills training, day 4

I can't believe it's the fourth day. Everything just went so fast. One day I was in a room filled with strangers, and another day I was saying heavy goodbyes to those very strangers who had become my dance sisters, whom I'll most probably never meet ever again.

Well, there's Facebook, but it still won't replace the true feeling of meeting.

But, when there's a hello, there's bound to be a goodbye. I knew it was going to be this quick, but I'm still being smitten by the feeling.

Remember the two ladies I formed a trio with during the training? There you have it. The one in white is Mirna from Italy and the one in FCBD's Original Gangsta tank top is Karen from Milwaukee. Karen came to SF with her daughter, Daniella, who is also an ATS dancer. Isn't that cool?

Day Four: Carolena Nericcio & Kristine Adams

1. Slow moves: Wrap Around Turn, Barrel Turn, Sahra Turn, Laybacks, Floorwork
2. Fast steps: Sunanda, Re-Shamka, Reverse Shimmy, Chico Four Corners, Wet Dog, Egyptian Full Turn, Double Back (with Half Turn), Spins, Arabic Shimmy (with Arms & Turns & Fade, with Arms & Turns & Fade & Circle)
3. Yoga for Floorwork

I don't know what happened, but I got fazed out almost everytime Sunanda came on. I love this move, but I almost didn't make it to the second half on multiple occassions. I finally did manage to get it on, though.

There's this neat way that Ms. Nericcio uses to explain the Sahra Turn. We always start with arms above our head, then plunge down, both arms to our left hip, our body in profile, facing the left wall - this is the Jane Russel. Then, we do a reverse turn, landing on performance angle - this is the Ava Gardner. The last segment is another reverse turn, finally landing on a rather flat angle facing the audience - this is the Audrey Hepburn. You see, in the pictures of Jane, Ava, and Audrey shown to us, each of these ladies strikes the same poses in the three Sahra Turn segments. Jane in her profile, Ava in diagonal, and Audrey in flat angle.

Later, we did the Laybacks. I have love-hate relationship with Laybacks. Sometimes I think Laybacks have been done too many times. I know I've done it almost too many times. My last attempt was with Lilith on my head. The problem is, if I don't do proper warm up and or cool down, doing Laybacks will hurt my lower back. So I asked Ms. Nericcio if she had suggestions on doing warm-ups for Laybacks and she came up with a great idea: walk on the wall! Stand in front of the wall, and slowly do a Layback with the wall as your spotter!

And as for the cool down, she suggests to squat down and place our elbows inside our knees and push out. It felt so good when I tried it.

For the Floorworks, I spotted again with Ilhaam. She is just amazing. She always told me, "Neck!" and, "Again!" it was like working with a personal trainer! She knew if I didn't keep my neck one line with my spine and dropped my head back (an absolute no!) and she would tell me to try it again until I got it right.

Later during the break, she told me she enjoyed working with me because of my energy. Well, well... This came from a woman who beat me when doing two simultaneous floor drops. I just had to give it to her: she's one amazin' Amazon.

One thing that I realllly, really feel I need to work on is my A-SWAT (Arabic Shimmy with Arms & Turns) and A-SWAT Fade. When we were drilling in our Trio + Suzanne Elliott (!!!!), I had a hard time going on releve, staying on releve, doing the turns, doing the spins, doing the Arabic Shimmy... I will need to drill this with Ms. Lalwani. But Ms. Elliott joining our Trio was like a much needed professional help! And, oops... I stepped on her skirt during one of the A-SWATs. Sigh.

And then came the time for the diplomas. As much as I'm happy finally getting the GS Training certificate, I wouldn't mind going through the experience at least once more. So many good songs, so much energy... When we were circling the little display table to eat our lunch, we were like a big family. Well, there were times when the conversation would be awkward... I wouldn't even want to discuss what. It was so awkward that it was funny.

And there you have it. Ms. Nericcio and me with my certificate. I forgot two things on that day, though: my booklet (I left it in my room) and a big envelope to store the certificate. I was contemplating the idea of holding the paper from FCBD all the way back. Luckily, I remembered the Original Gangsta FCBD hoodie that I coveted. I got a 10% discount on that! So I bought it, asked for a bag and was given a bag big enough to safely store the certificate without crumpling it. So in that bag was two things I cherish the most: my FCBD hoodie and my ATS diploma! I'm wearing the hoodie right now too! It's so warming. However, I'd better remember to bring a big and sturdy envelope for the next two trainings to store my other certificates!

Oh, and Kristine Adams is the rockstar of ATS! She has this commanding presence when she teaches, she is very encouraging and giving, and she always has time to goof off with either Kae Montgomery or Suzanne Elliott, both of whom were there. Kae Montgomery and Kristine Adams have the best arms frame evah!

And Suzanne Elliott... What can I say about one of the original members of FCBD? ATS is like her second nature. When I grow up, I want to be like her: all bubbly and full of energy.

Well, I'd better rest now. I'm going to Jill Parker's class at ODC in the afternoon!

devotion - ats general skills training, day 3

Day Three: Carolena Nericcio & Sandi Ball

1. Slow moves: Camel Walk, Ribcage Rotation, Head Slides, Belly Rolls, Flutters
2. Fast steps: Arabic Shimmy, Arabic 123, Waterpot, Arabic Hip Twist (with Half Turn & Flourish), Arabic Orbit, Shoulder Shimmy - Hip Drop Combo, Ghawazee Shimmy Combo
3. Music for Tribal Bellydance
4. Quartets and Duets

It was a somewhat somber day for all of us. To begin with, it rained and stopped and rained for the most part. There were forecasts that said it was going to snow. If snow happens, it's going to be the first after thirty years of going the Bay Area going snow-free.

And then Ms. Nericcio came into the studio holding a bunch of DVDs. When she asked us to do the Puja to bless the DVDs, I thought they were new DVDs that FCBD was going to sell. Turned out, those were last year's Devotion DVDs.

The good news is, each of us was given a copy of Devotion: the Harvest DVD. The bad news is, the 2011 Devotion show, which is supposedly in June, is seriously under threat; the place of the upcoming performance has been claimed unviable. So now, FCBD is looking for a place that can hold up to twenty companies (or dancers - I'm not quite sure) and enough room for an audience of fifty people or more. Preferably (well, I'd prefer it so) in San Francisco. Or at least somewhere near San Francisco. Oh, and there has to be enough parking space. If you have any idea of a place, go to FCBD's website and send an e-mail to Ms. Nericcio.

FCBD's 2011 Devotion theme is "The Home", which is ironic because this is its 4th year and FCBD is still looking for a home - a sanctuary where they can perform their yearly Devotion show.

I just finished watching Devotion: the Harvest DVD and I gotta tell you... Everything is just so amazing. I could really feel the "harvest" theme without the dancers pushing it on my face. I don't know which ones are improvisational and which ones choreography. What I do know is I WANT TO HAVE KAE MONTGOMERY'S AND KRISTINE ADAM'S BINDIS!!

Speaking of bindis, I remember that Sandi Ball is a bindi artisan. I asked her about her bindis after the training ended but sadly, she is currently not producing bindis due to lack of materials. Sigh.

The third day of GS Training went fairly well. Ms. Lalwani dropped in and I was so glad to see her. When Ms. Nericcio was explaining about Music for Tribal Dance, she played Hossani Oo and Ms. Lalwani and I glanced at each other - Ms. Lalwani gave that song for me to learn as a homework. It had changes from Maqsoum to Fallahi rhythms. The song was used to demonstrate how the FCBD format fits in to the music no matter if the rhythm changes. However, dancers need to really know the song (possibly even count the measure to determine which steps to use) to be able to dance to it with full confidence.

We also experienced dancing in duets and quartets. I did the Arabic Orbit with Ilhaam, a dancer from Spain who did really awesome job leading Chorus on the second day of GS Training. She is as tall as I am... Okay, she's a little taller... That's why I chose to work with her.

Ilhaam and I had difficulties in Arabic Orbit, so when break time came, I decided to try it again alone. She saw me and quickly joined me and we did it together. And finally, with a little help from another dancer, Diana, a Puerto Rican, who talked to her in Spanish on what we did wrong, we got the Arabic Orbit nailed down! Yay!

There are two little things that I like to point out. I really love the way Diana handled the situation. She didn't act all know-it-all, and when she did come to the rescue, she didn't gloat in the afterglow (when we thanked her profusely).

The second thing was that, as I was talking to Karen (one of my Trio members - GO GROUP FOUR!!) before the class started, she said that she was staying in a hotel where the owner didn't even know about FCBD.

That reminded me a lot of the fact that no one in EF knows about FCBD and that American Tribal Style - now considered a bellydance genre of its own - was born and now resides in San Francisco.

I mean... FCBD is like world-renowned. I'm not saying this to suck ass. I'd rather suck on something else - but that's for another blog. I'm saying this because I wonder whether Americans are really ignorant. I always thought that I'd been living under a rock, but when a foreigner asked me about an Indonesian(s), I'd usually know right away.

Also, I have a teacher who was surprised when I said I quit my job to become a dancer. He didn't know that being a dancer can actually support a decent living. Well, obviously, my teacher doesn't know anything about this business. It's both fun and money-making.

Sandi Ball is a bubbly, joyful creature with a face and voice that make her look like a 30 year-old. And it's just amazing to see that the FCBD dancers are so fit. They carry themselves in such an elegant way. I guess that's what years of dancing in a powerful posture can do to you.

double bump? more like double blunder - ats general skills training, days 1 & 2

I've said this once and I'm going to say this over and over again, like this instance, for... err... instance: Learning bellydance from a video will never replace learning bellydance in a real classroom setting.

No matter how interactive the video is, nothing beats the real life human contact in a classroom. Especially when you're trying to decode American Tribal Style (ATS), an improvisational-based dance form that works in a group (hence the word "Tribal"). Everything is seamless and works as if it were choreographed, but it's not.

The term "ATS" is now exclusively only for those in the FatChanceBellyDance (FCBD) format. Others, such as BlackSheepBellyDance and the oh-so-cool Unmata, are classified as Improvisational Tribal Style (ITS). But the concept is the same: the leader gives cues on which combos (combinations / series of movements) to use.

I'm very lucky that while I'm in San Francisco, I'm able to join the series of certification programs of General Skills, Teacher Training 1 and Teacher Training 2 at FCBD. After all, this is one of two reasons why I came to SF in the first place.

Ms. Nericcio has given me permission to review the General Skills (GS) Training, so I'll do just that, hopefully on daily basis.

Eep. I might have to crash that hope. HAHA... It's already the SECOND day and I didn't post anything for the FIRST day, so I'm going to combine Day One and Day Two and the little tidbits.

Day One: Carolena Nericcio with Kae Montgomery

1. Posture
2. Puja
3. Slow movements: Taxeem, Reverse Taxeem, Hand Floreo, Arm Undulations, Bodywave
4. Fast steps: Egyptian Step, Arabic Step, Pivot Bump & Choo Choo (with Arm 1 & Arm 2), Shimmy
5. Group formations
6. Working in a chorus

We started off with a lengthy yet fascinating lecture called Basic Anatomy for ATS. There are sixteen pointers that Ms. Nericcio explained to us. Mesmerizing, strong stuff. We hear words like propriaceptors, closed chain, open chain, and all about muscle work. During this segment, we learned why certain ATS (or bellydance) movements look ooey-gooey and just defies gravity (there's the closed chain & open chain movement right there) or why turns are designed to keep the arms close to the body (to maintain balance).

In the picture above, you can see a little black and white booklet. That's the booklet that was given to us, it's like a mini ATS Bible.

After being given the movements and drilled with Ms. Nericcio and Ms. Montgomery leading alternately, we were told to form a trio. So I bundled up with two nice ladies (I'm the only guy in the room, sigh) and off we went. There were five groups of threes (fifteen participants). I'm so glad I'm with my group. They're just amazing. I couldn't stop smiling when I was dancing with them. I didn't even have to force a smile or fake it: it came naturally.

Finally, we were put in a group setting where the Chorus ("back-up dancers") forms a crescent-shaped line in the back and the "featured dancers" dance in front. Each group did their little number. It felt really good.

Kae Montgomery has a magnificent stage presence. I learn a lot about posture just by looking at her.

Day Two: Carolena Nericcio with Wendy Allen

1. Slow moves: Torso Twist, Circle Step, Walking Taxeem, Walking Bodywave, Reverse Turn, Propeller Turn, Corkscrew Turn
2. Fast steps: Turkish Shimmy (with Quarter Turn & Half Turn, with Arm 1 & Arm 2), Turkish Shimmy (with Arms & Turn, with Arms & Circle), Reach and Sit, Arc Arms, Up2 Down3, Double Bump (and with Pivot), Single Bump (with Gradual Turn & Half Turn)
3. Flock of Birds
4. Extended Puja

The day followed the same routine: each movement is broken down; questions are asked and answered; drills with the whole gang; drills with trios; chorus.

Today, I got to lead the Chorus. It felt reaaaallly good. In Day One, both Ms. Nericcio & Ms. Montgomery emphasized the importance of staying awake & alert when doing Chorus. Since you're in the back and doing less fancy stuff (more stationary movements that compliment the "featured dancers"), you might get transfixed at looking at the "featured dancers" doing their thing (I know I did), and ended up not following the leader of the Chorus.

When you're the leader of the Chorus, you have to make sure you're not doing something that's the same or too similar to the movements currently being done by the "featured dancers". Ms. Nericcio suggests that when the "featured dancers" are doing movements with both arms up (such as Egyptian Step), Chorus dancers can bring the arms down and do Turkish Shimmy. Therefore, the audience knows that there are two distinct groups working at the same time. The audience can also see the depth and dimension of the groups. Whereas if both the "featured dancers" group and the Chorus do the same thing, the differences will not be visible.

And so it was my group's turn and I (think I) did a good job in going into the "featured dancers" spot - Carolena invoked Valentino's (the fashion designer) mantra when he ushered his models on to the stage, "Long, elegant steps!" and so we did long elegant steps.

Everything was fine until our leader did a cue for a fade. So I went to the front and took the lead. Since we were drilling on Double Bump, I did a Double Bump TO FADE BACK. Bwahahahahaha... I knew Ms. Allen was trying so hard not to laugh.

So when the drill ended, Ms. Nericcio said, "Everything looked good except for one thing," and I interjected her, "The Double Bump, right? It is illegal to fade back with the Double Bump, right?" I guess the term "illegal" made everyone in the room laughed. Including myself. Well, I got a pat on the back. When I was doing the fade with the Double Bump, I realized, "Hey wait a minute... This is like the Pivot Bump / Choo Choo: WE ONLY TRAVEL FORWARD, NOT BACKWARD!" But, too late.

And that was the highlight of the day.

Wendy Allen is just so graceful. Her floreos are just so graceful. And I think she also (almost) solved my problem with the Torso Twist: FINISH YOUR RIGHT ARM UNDULATION! Although, I still need to practise that move.

Well, I'm pooped. I'll blog more later!

belly rolls, flutters, what's next?

So today in Ms. Lalwani's Dance Conditioning class in FCBD studio, the one and only Carolena Nericcio dropped in, stayed the whole class, and in between the sets, drilled us on belly rolls and flutters.

And yours truly here, being placed in the Intermediate group, experienced the Staggard position that, at two times, was led by Ms. Nericcio herself. And since it's Staggard (meaning everyone in the group (there were five people) had to go clockwise to be the lead), I got my turn to lead. AND I WAS LEADING MS. NERICCIO. Of course I failed on the first attempt. Miserably. I mean, I thought I was in a movement where we weren't dancing on the beat and I tried to match it but the transition wasn't as smooth as I had imagined. It was good in the end, though.

Like I've blogged earlier, flutters are easier to do than belly rolls. I was lucky because the day before, at ODC, Jill Parker drilled us on belly rolls. When a very nice woman (with an incredible Tribal arm tattoo) told me that my flutters were good, I thanked and replied that I learned from Tribal Basics volume 4. It did take me a year to learn it. My Oriental teacher, Ms. Miftahul Jannah of the velvetRAQS is probably the first Indonesian Oriental dancer to ever master the flutter. She learned it during a workshop with Sadie in 2009. When she attempted to teach it to us, I still couldn't understand it. With Tribal Basics volume 4 and Ms. Jannah's explanation, I put the pieces together and slowly started fluttering.

However, belly rolls are totally different. It takes serious muscle conditioning to suck in the tummy and make it roll. Sharon Kihara has killer flat abs, but when she sucks her tummy in, it's just... IN. It's as if she's creating a vacuumed plastic. If that makes sense.

When Aiza from Malaysia guest-starred in Dancewave Center's / velvetRAQS's second annual hafla "1001 Nights", she did perfect belly rolls. And she has six-pack abs.

Ms. Nericcio doesn't have washboard abs, but they're made of damn steel. Or titanium. Holy crap that woman can suck in her tummy.

And just as I thought I finally got the hang of belly rolls, Ms. Nericcio showed us how she rolled her belly from side to side.

Yeah. That should probably take me about ten years to master.

She gave us a tip, though: practise the belly rolls by doing belly rolls. You can do crunches and whatnot, but it won't enable you to ROLL your stomach (from up to down or down to up anyway).

How I wish I'd taken photos of her and the class. Then again, I might've looked like a dorky paparazzi cum stalker.

And talking about flat objects: (courtesy of ICanHasCheezburger.com)