News, Blogs & Links
LISTEN TO BELLY DANCE RADIO!
http://www.amulya.info/radio/mix/radio.blog/index.php?autoplay=1
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BELLYDANCE IS A DANCE THAT CELEBRATES ALL WOMEN - NO MATTER WHAT AGE:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dg_ruv8s8xc
SHAPE:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4qnkVZa6nc
OR SIZE:
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To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting. ~e.e. cummings
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To me, to be a professional belly dancer is a matter of attidude. It has nothing to do with how much money you earn or how well known you are. Or even how often you perform. It has to do with how dedicated you are. It has to do with the amount of respect you can show. Respect for the people you perform to, respect for the people you dance for, respect for your co dancers, your dance group, your teacher, your choreographer and the artists who provided the music you use, respect for the cultures, whose treasures you use in your choreographies and your costumes, respect for yourself and your dignity, for your competition and respect for the dancers who inspired you the most. Your ego has to step very far back to make space for all these things! ;-))
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Dance, Lalla, with nothing on
but air.
Sing, Lalla,
wearing the sky.
Look at this glorious day!
What clothes
could be so beautiful,
or more sacred?
(Lalla Ded)
Lalla was an indian Poet who lived in the 14. Century. Her live was devoted to her spiritual believes and during her pilgrimages she performed her poetry singing and dancing.
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How to make a tribal costume:
What you need:
A very well fitting padded bra, with solid cups to hold the weight of the decoration.
Lots of (preferably indian) coins.
Indian Border or other nice fabric.
Coin necklaces or other jewellery.
A tribal belt - mirror or coin. (In the picture I am wearing a coin belt but mirror belts are also very pretty and much easier to get!)
Base fabric for the belt.
Lots of wool or long fringes.
Any other decoration you might like as long as it looks authentic.
(To find out where to get all these things please look through the links below)
Coin Bra:
The easiest thing is to get a ready made coin necklace or other jewelry and sew it onto the bra. You can also get indian border or bracelets with beads or shells and sew them on, it looks great and is so easy to make! If you like, you can get some nice fabric and make a cover to hide the bra straps if you are wearing it without a waistcoat, otherwise wear the bra straps across your back or as a halterneck.
Belt:
Get a piece of fabric that you like to fit like a belt covering all of your bottom (black velvet fabric in the picture)with straps to tie in the front. Sew a ready made tribal belt (coin or mirror) onto the top edge and decorate it with strings of coins, beads, shells, etc. On the bottom edge, sew long fringes either ready made with border or made of long pieces of wool or thick string.
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Links
WEXFORD:
http://www.wexfordartscentre.ie - Shows, Gigs, Workshops, Music, Theatre, Art and a Cafe with amazing food & desserts!
http://www.labodega.es.kz - Authentic spanish Restaurant & Tapas Bar. Great Food & Cocktails and regular Flamenco Nights!
http://www.cacamilis.org - Monthly Cabaret Show @ Wexford Arts Centre. Great late night entertainment!
IRELAND:
http://www.irishbellydancing.com - Great site with lots of information about belly dance in Ireland.
http://www.shahiradance.net - Belly dance in Shannon, Co. Claire.
http://www.freewebs.com/yasminadance/index.html (Bellydancer in Dublin, very good dancer in egyptian and bollywood style)
http://www.isis-events.com (Karen Mallon, Bellydancer in Belfast - try to catch one of her Hafla's, they are great!)
http://www.geocities.com/flamencoymas/ ( Flamenco in Dublin)
http://www.iol.ie/~flamenco/home.html (Flamenco in Dublin)
www.wix.com/crystalmoonrocks/jewellery Handcrafted jewellery using moon charged gemstones
http://www.stageireland.com A network of Ireland based performers of all genres
http://www.bellydance.ie American Tribal Style teacher Laura Dunne (Fat Chance Belly Danc certified!)
THE REST OF THE WORLD:
http://www.suhailainternational.com (Suhaila Salimpour's website, the founder of the Suhaila format)
www.ameltafsout.com (the "tribal godmother" from Algeria)
www.orientaldancer.net (big network with lots of information)
http://www.galbeno.co.yu/ (great site about romany culture, a summer school in Serbia and some romany songs to download)
http://www.mosaicdance.org ( UK belly dance network & magazine)
http://www.shira.net (a very informative site about all things bellydance)
Khelashi Photography:
Stas
Bernasinski http://www.pbase.com/stasber
Thorsten Merz http://www.pbase.com/tmerz or http://www.thorstenmerz.com
Khelashi Web Hosting:
Some books about belly dance:
Sacred Woman, Sacred Dance: Awakening Spirituality
Through Movement & Ritual - By: Iris J. Stewart
Great pictures and information on sacred dance in general
Belly Dancing - By: Rosina Fawzia Al-Rawi
Good source of historical information
The Tribal Bible, Exploring The Phenomenon That Is American Tribal Style Bellydance
by Kajira Djoumahna
Serpent of the Nile: Women and Dance in the Arab World
By: Wendy Buonaventura
beautiful pictures!
Zaida: Belly Dancing for Older Women
By: Phoebe Carter
Grandmother's Secrets: The Ancient Rituals and
Healing Power of Belly Dancing - By: Rosina-Fawzia
Ancient Egyptian Dances - By: Irena Lexova