Glow versus Sweat

There's an adage that women don't sweat, we perspire or glow. Well, I hate to ruin the illusion, but we do sweat and this last weekend was a prime example! It all started with a two and a half hour martial arts class in the park Saturday morning. Next I moved onto errands, running around and heading home to rest, shower and get ready for a show that night. My students and I were performing at Desert Passion's monthly show and even at home practicing it took forever for the house and myself to cool off. Unfortunately the trend continued at the show where the combination of a large crowd and air conditioning that wasn't working well created the equivalent of a sauna. Even my veil seemed soaking wet and took extra effort to move.

Thankfully during the group cane number I didn't lose my grip and whack some poor audience member...although the people sitting close to the stage were a little nervous! Here's a picture of me with my beautiful girls who make up my student troupe, Baharat. And no, it's not the shine of a camera lens or extra glitter...we really were past the glowing stage and I, at a minimum was quite drippy. The lovely Tiffany is in turquoise, Alejandra in red (I know, it looks pink here...but it is really red), and Malika in fabulous fuchsia.

Side note, fabulous shiny holographic metalskin costumes look great on stage but don't breathe...at all!

Sunday was no different on the sweat-front as I spent the day on a marathon teaching tour. I left a little after 11:00 a.m. and didn't return until close to 9 p.m. I was subbing for two of Sherry's classes in addition to my two. Between the hip drills, shimmies, veil work and drum solos of the day there was a lot of sweating on my part. The good news is a quick shower will clean me up...bad news is there will be several Austin ladies who wake up quite sore tomorrow (sorry!) and probably cursing the name of Najla!

This week hopefully will be less sweaty, but equally as fun. We have our last Mirage show of the semester, which always feels a little bittersweet. It's like the end of the school year and you're equally excited with the time off from classes but also know you'll miss the class mates. Good thing we still see each other frequently...including a couple of road trips this summer.

Come Discover the Art of Belly Dancing

Many believe that belly dancing dates back to the dawn of time when sisters, mothers, aunts, daughters and friends celebrated events through music and movement. Although many people believe this dance form is about enticing men, the truth is that belly dancing past and present has always focused on women dancing for women. It is about building community, forging relationships and connecting to yourself in a way that other exercise and dance programs cannot do.

Belly dancing encourages and embraces all sizes, shapes and ages of women. Regardless of who you are, you are in the perfect shape to learn belly dance. This dance incorporates strength, flexibility, grace, and muscle control with beautiful music and rhythms in a fun, supportive environment.

So, if you'd like to learn more about taking belly dance classes in the Austin area, check out my class schedule.

Happy Shimmies!
Najla

Baharat Belly Dance Ensemble

Baharat is a term used to describe a blend of Arabic spices. When I was looking for a word or phrase to describe my student troupe, the term seemed to fit just perfectly. They are a mixture of sweetness and sass, and their enthusiasm and love of this dance is just contagious. The troupe consists of students in my Intermediate level class which meets on Sunday evenings. Attendance in the class is mandatory for troupe participation, and class time is spent working on choreographies, technique, solo preparation as well as improvisational skills. If you wish to attend the class but don't want to perform, you can certainly do that as well!

In January, 2010 Baharat Dance Ensemble debuted as a collaborative venture that includes my current intermediate students and guest dancers. This mix of dancers from the community allows me to bring in talented dancers to round out performances and allows my students to work with other lovely ladies. So, look for more events this upcoming year!