Announcing "Miss January"

And the winner is...#2! She won me over with her talent portion of the competition, so yes indeedy...my January goal is blogging! And, so far, so good. I'll admit the bar is a little low right now, and it would be easy to just match or beat the number of posts from last year in one fell swoop. I spent so much time last year thinking about blogging, planning to blog and just not doing it.

One primary reason was that the intent of this blog was to talk exclusively about belly dancing in Austin, and focus on Mirage in general. I hesitated on many occasions to post because I wanted to talk about other things, other interests and other ideas. It didn't seem appropriate to use this blog as the vehicle for my thoughts and ideas even though I've been the sole source of information for the troupe. So, my solution? Two blogs.

Yes, let that sink in for a moment. Crazy you may say to the woman who has been unsuccessful with one blog...well, I laugh at that, and you...and myself. So, if you want to hear more about my other life, my other new year's goals and just general stuff, you'll have to join me here. Otherwise, you can stay with me here and I'll do my best to let you in on more belly dance secrets. Of course, you can read both if you really love me ;-)

By the way, if you're wondering why I don't have any belly dance items on my list of goals. That's simple...I don't need a list for the things I'm already doing. For example, I get to practice dance four days a week...for a minimum of 8 hours a week. I am so fortunate to have multiple performance opportunities, and opportunities for workshops and seminars. I also have a wonderful community of belly dance friends, performers, and students to keep me actively engaged, creatively inspired, and delightfully amused. So here's to a wonderful new year of dance and exploration!

The Plan

I wouldn't be human this time of the year if I didn't sit down and reflect upon the past year and make resolutions for the new one. Personally I've never really liked resolutions, I prefer the term 'goals'. A resolution seems very definitive, with no room for alterations whereas a goal can be modified, changed, and updated. I actually started coming up a with a list of goals in December and had a wonderful pipe dream of posting my equivalent of the '12 days of Christmas' which included my 12 goals and focus for the new year. For those of you who've checked this blog, you'll notice that they never materialized in 2008.

However, here they are, in no particular order. The plan is to work on one thing each month with the hope that it will be a habit, an integral part of my life...or just something I can check off the list. I haven't made a final decision on which one will be the poster child for January, but I have some strong front-runners for that award. I'll keep you posted on which one I choose, along with my explanations for why I chose each of these items for this year. For now, just wish me luck or let me live in my happy oblivion for just a little while longer, that is until the work and chores get the best of me!

1. Meditate.
2. Blog.
3. Do the dishes (more consistently).
4. Practice my martial arts.
5. Put up the laundry.
6. Make my bed.
7. Take better care of my skin.
8. Take better care of my feet.
9. Clean my desk off regularly at work.
10. Keep in touch with friends and family.
11. Pack my lunch 1-2 times a week, and cook at home more often.
12. Manage all my receipts.

Dear Internet...

I know you think that by now, I've forgotten you...moved on, and found another. Well, I'm here to say that you've always been on my mind even if I haven't shown that by my actions. It's been a busy year, and I admit that I have been busy 'doing' versus 'blogging' and that you've been left behind in the process.

On this first day of the new year, I suggest that we forget past indiscretions and focus on a more fulfilling relationship in 2009. I realize that you've been the victim here, just waiting with nothing else to do...but I promise to make it up to you, invite more people over, I even redecorated a little. So, can we give it another try...pretty please?

Najla

If I could turn back time

By the way, I know I've been a little slow on the blogging the past few weeks. At one point in time it looked like March postings would surpass February (for those of you counting), but gosh darn it...my typing slowed, okay it stopped.

I have lots of lovely show pics to share and some wonderful stories. If I could only set them to appear a few weeks ago, I would look really sharp and on the ball. However, I didn't and I can't so you'll have to just hear about them in the future.

Now, I know you can change the date and time of your blog but that would be deceptive. Maybe not along the same lines as Google's Custom Time Stamp which actually turned out to be an April Fool's joke.

And yes, I believed it at first. I was seriously torn up about the potential deception that could occur with emails but equally intrigued by the idea that I could make up for correspondence omissions. I had just started thinking about what would be my 'ten' emails to send out when I realized it was a joke. And, I was quite ashamed of myself...so no fake dates on the blog from me...consider it my penitence.

All things happy

I really am still very new at this whole blogging thing, and like most other things in my life I just started doing it (literally one evening)...then bothered to figure out the details. In this regard, I am so much more like a man, I don't read maps (or bring them along), I don't read instructions and I obviously wait until later in the game at time to ask for directions. On a basic level I know that if you want your blog to be read by people you have to do a little marketing, include links, get yourself listed on other blogs...and oh my gosh so many other things. At first I thought that the labels portion of my blog would allow me to help market the blog (and things related to the troupe) better. So, at first all of my labels referenced the very same things:

• Mirage


• Troupe Mirage


• Belly Dance


• Austin


• Middle Eastern Dance
  

Do you get the picture????? I was adding keywords to all my posts thinking this would help in the great netherworld that is the Internet. Well, now that I've thrown together several blogs, I've started reading and taking note of what others are doing and it just dawned on me this weekend that the label section is just a method for me to categorize my posts in case someone wants to search through them by topic not just by date! Duh!!!!! (My favorite example of categories is on http://www.dooce.com/ ) So, now I'm trying to go re-label everything I've done and figure out if there is some system or method to my posts (short answers is no) and do I have logical categories I want to build on (maybe).

Which brings me to the topic of my newest label "All things happy". I have one post for this label (my zil saga) because I couldn't think of a more appropriate category. So now, in addition to the pressure of finding things to blog on (is that the correct term?) and taking photos to enhance my blog (I am the most random photographer...) do I need to worry about fleshing out each category in advance or just let them organically grow and develop? Whew, it's a lot to think about. So, here's my attempt at hitting all three worries in one blog:

Hip scarves with coins; always a happy thing!

There is a trend out there to not wear jingly, hip scarves in class. Well, although I may do that when I'm taking a workshop for myself...I just can't bring myself to give them up while teaching. Why you may ask?

1. It helps me tell if the students hip movements and shimmies are consistent,


2. I can see what they are doing at a glance during class,


3. They really do frame your hips and tush nicely, and


4. The sound is one of the most delightful, joyful noises you can hear on any given day!

Creativity continued...

Okay, so this blogging thing is actually starting to groove for me a little more. Last night I managed to send out two (yeah) posts within a short period of time. In just a little over six weeks I have now surpassed my total posts for 2007. I admit, it wasn’t a tough record to beat but you have to find the challenge, the kudos and the excitement where you can. So, imagine my surprise to find out that someone had read my recent posts, and felt obliged to comment back and add their whole take on the creative process (thanks Debra). So, here are just a few things that now come to mind after reading her notes…

It is one thing to be creative and give into that process. However for me, it takes on a different meaning and purpose when you are trying to be creative in a set time, for a set format where it’s not a matter of if your work will be displayed publicly but rather when. There is also a responsibility related to those who must end up dancing and performing your work (for example forcing people to hop when they don’t like to…). And now, with nine of us in the troupe I’m having difficulty finding a balance between just getting a basic, sound choreography complete that everyone can remember and skillfully dance and my desire to add the unpredictable, the more organic, less patterned staging that I dearly love in the dance. So, that’s my dilemma in a nut shell.

But, I’ll figure it out; my short term solution is to wait one week before teaching anything. Now that the song is decided (for me at least), I can let it filter in and out of my brain for a few days…I’m humming it at work and sneaking little practices moves in the bathroom at work, and I’ll be dancing it in my car numerous times.
After a few days, I’m sure it will all percolate into something good, solid and exciting…and since I have all the faith in the world creatively with my fellow dancers, we will make it work, regardless.

My other final note…when I mentioned the great deal on shoes, I wasn’t talking cheap Payless styles…these were lovely fashions, and yes I’m on my second pair (you can't just buy them and not wear them immediately) today and yes…my feet have been hurting, but it’s such a good hurt ;-)