BELLY ROLLS!!! ZILLS AND MY LESSON 4/ updating my life again

After a long time, i finally have mustered courage to post a belly roll video. And i was too lazy to practise. But i guess belly rolls can only be mastered by making friends with your stomach muscle. I still am not in good terms with my lower muscles.

LESSON 4

I am covering chest drop, chest circle, 3 step turn, normal turn, pivot turn,

You can try them step by step.

THE CHOREOGRAPHY WITH ZILLS

I have a way of naming all my tools, as i mentioned in my previous blog entry i named them zohra and zia. Yes they are twins! I dont know who is who by the way! I didnt have enough practise. I decided to use zills in the last minute. If you listen carefully you will notice many mistakes.

THE BEAT IS BELEDI BEAT!

Beledi is arabic means City. So this is a city a beat lol It sound like

DUM DUM-COFFEE SHOP-DUM-COFFEESHOP

RL-RLR-R-RLR

R -right, L- left.

This is a very famous zill rhytmn. The one i used in my previous video is I can dance- i can dance- i can really really dance. Its always better you say the words by heart while u play, you can keep to the rhythm.

CHOREOGRAPHY

 3 step turn chest drop drop lift lift x 2

normal turn

pivot turn

rib circle

omi

bicycle hip

shimmy to one side, shimmy to another

POSE

UPDATING MY LIFE

Ever since sundari passed away, panda is all alone. And lately he shows signs of middle ear infection which is worrying the hell out of me. I am still quite devastated over sundari’s demise. Maybe i sound childish. But these kiddies mean the world to me. I cant bear to see them leave me. I am also beginning to develop a fear of lonliness if panda were to leave me as well. i have lived all my life near rabbits. I understood death and birth from these buns. I never had my relatives near me, never felt a real human die. This animals mean alot to me. I realized yday that there are actually rabbit savy pets in singapore. I hope to throw money at them and not at some useless vets.

Observation on people

I am still quite fascinated at the idea that zodiac signs could be actually like archetypes in psychology. How come 2 people from the same zodiac share smiliarities or obvious traits? It still fascinates me , cos i dont believe that people can actually be generalized. Then again, when i read about love compatibility i really want to laugh my head off at what some zodiac gurus say. Since my ex and i were very compaitible according to them, and he was a number one jerk? How much can you actually trust these sources?

All i learnt is that our mind is really powerful and so is our body. We can do miracles. But we simply dont believe. And belief is the only root to power. Strange world isnt it? Try observing people born in same dates…you will be as astounded as i am

Playing finger cymbals and dancing:D/ update on my life

Introducing my zills

ZOHRA AND ZIA (i named them zOHra-means blooming and ZiA- means ripening

Zohra and Zia

These fine instruments are called finger cymbals, zills in turkish, sagat or sill sill in arabic.

What are they?

Finger cymbals are handheld percussive instruments that middle eastern dancers play while dancing. They are very important in this art form, as these dancers werent only dancers but musicians as well! This is a good way to feel and drown yourself in the rhytm

 Finger cymbals today

Finger cymbals unfortuantely according to shimmygoddess website, is falling out of fashion in egypt which is a pity, as finger cymbals have a rich source of history. Whereas, in united states, a dancer’s ability is judged by her use of finger cymbals. In turkey, you would find most dancers very good with these instruments.

What finger cymbals taught me?

Well, if you want to learn how to concentrate or multi task, this is the best way of learning. Its not easy as it seems. Playing music with rhythm and dancing is no joke. I cant say i have any practise. In fact, i swear to my lord i bought these babies two days back and no one taught me to play. I looked up at some rhytmns over the net and practised walking first while playing. Lucky for me, i am able to play as i have an irritating way of unconciously wiggling my fingers while dancing!! Maybe thats what help me. It also helps me deal with emotional problems. I am able to just drown in the playing. Its quite challenging to see how many things u can do at the same time. As ive mentioned before, bellydancing is about moving different muscles at the same time…and to add zills with it..is just another challenge.

Some zill rhythms

Karshlima 1 (double time)	1, triple beat, triple beat, triple beat, 1-2 (R, RLR, RLR, RLR, RL) 1, triple beat, triple beat, triple beat, 1-2 1, triple beat, triple beat, triple beat, 1-2 1, triple beat, triple beat, 1-2 (ending the phrase)
Karshlima 2 (half time, then full time on the final triple)	1, 2, 3, (3 slow half time) tri-ple-beat (3 full time) 1, 2, 3, (3 slow half time) tri-ple-beat (3 full time) 1, 2, 3, (3 slow half time) tri-ple-beat (3 full time) 1, 2, 3, 4
Beledi called “the dancer’s rhythm”	Dum Dum coffee shop, dum coffee shop, coffee (1, 2, 1-2-3, 1, 1-2-3, 1-2) Dum Dum coffee shop, dum coffee shop, coffee Dum Dum coffee shop, dum coffee shop, coffee 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 (ending)
Gallop	triple beat, triple beat, triple beat 1,2 (RLR, RLR, RLR, RL) triple beat, triple beat, triple beat 1,2 triple beat, triple beat, triple beat 1,2 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 (ending)
Chiftitelli	1, triple beat, triple beat, 1, 2 1, triple beat, 1, 2 1, triple beat, triple beat, triple beat, triple beat, triple beat, 1, 2

http://www.shimmygoddess.com/zills.htm

The rhythms i used?

123-123-12345-123-123-123-12345

It sounds like..

I can dance / i can dance/ i can really really dance

One way of practising is by saying this words and hitting your zills.

Right/left/right Right/left/right  right/left/right/left/right

Zills are worn on your middle finger and thumbs. Its painful if you jam your zills like crazy. Hitting on the side or sliding the zills pass each other producing a ringing sound. Hitting the zills slowly produces a muted sound. Zills are usually made of brass.

UPDATING MY LIFE

Well, today my sister flew to UK to pursue her masters. I began to embrace the different natures in the world during this ride of emotional roller coasters. I never understood my sister all my life. And she didnt either. But this trip, made a whole new difference. All my life, i didnt even know what my nature is. I am poles apart from my sister. I have finally realised, the best word that can ever suit me is ECCENTRIC. I am a little crazy to those who know me deeply. I have an obsessive nature, and you will find me dancing today, being a nun yesterday, and maybe even a cook tommrow.  I am crazy. When i was a kid, i used to dismantle radios and vcrs and explore what could be making it work.  And then when i grew a little bigger, i used to tape my voice on my mother’s tapes and pretend i am a newscaster. And then when i got whole of a video camera, i started remixing old songs with new footage. I would work hours at it. Creating or inventing some things. Then, my obsession became writing ghost stories which was quite famous in my primary school, some children actually wanted to read more. Then threw it away, and i became obsessed with stamps, then coins, then with cooking, then my “supposed finacee”, then dieting, then supernatural things, religion,then makeup and now im back to dancing. Dancing has always been my passion. Becos of the illusions bellydancing has. It is an on and off obsession.

And now my obsession with makeup is hanging out somewhere there. I hope i get back at it. I am too lazy to makeup my face. I guess i live to taste and enjoy life. And that is my nature. My sister cant understand my eccentric and mad ideas. Once i was obsessed with business. And until these obsessions last, i reach my level best at it and then i throw it away. This is me, and i have to accept that. A person’s nature cannot be changed. My sister is very practical minded, down to earth but isnt very emotional. Me being an emotional person, finds her scary. She finds me crazy. Its only now i realise, she hides her weak emotions. She isnt a bad person. Thats just her. And this is me.

Apart from all my mad ideas, people find me absolutely crazy when i want to settle down as a housewife after achieving some great stuff. Conventional idiots will not understand me. But family is no. 1. I want to establish myself as something and then be a good wife and a good mother and have great sex with my husband.

Drum solo belly dance by me :D

This is the first time i am doing a drum solo. Thanks to help and motivation from my friend Yesil in particular.

Drum solos

They are basically moving your hip according to the drum beats. It accentutaes your movements alot. I also realise that basic techniques can have many variations and it also depends on how creative you are. The more you practise the more flexible you tend to be.

My belly dance costume

 

Gorgeous!

The hip belt

Necklace :O

IM LOVIN IT

Choreography(This is my choreography mixed with bellydance superrstars ANSUYA’s choreography)

1)Hip drop kick turn around

2)Hip drop kick front/ back- shoulder shimmy X 2

3)Shimmy to shoulder to hip and back to shoulder

4)Shoulder shimmy with a tuck

5)Hip shimmy lean back and then shimmy shoulder

6)Sholder shimmy towards right and tuck

7)Figure 8 and tuck

8)Omi tuck

9)Shoulder shimmy to hip to shoulder to hip and tuck

10) Sideways hip and tuck to beats

11)Chest drop lift drop lift

12)omi tuck

13)pulses shimmy

14)Lean back with shimmy -half big circle and shimmy X 3

15)washing machine shimmy

16) spin and shoulder shimmy X 2

17Bicycle hip and tuck X 2

18) omi tuck

19)omi to rib circle to omi to rib circle

20)Face sideways and bicycle hip X 2

21)omi to chest drop to omi to chest drop

22) hip tuck ( i call that action that)

23) choo choos with side shimmy and big circles

24) hip slide to the side X 2 and POSE

My bellydance with backbends

Backbend video 

I am silent for the 1st few seconds…thats becos i didnt extract my audio..so see my silent self and be patient with it. I have done backbends at the end of my video. Its my first attempt. I have added a variation to my backbend. I have also used music called Zeina Zeina from belly dance superstars. The audio sounds funny cause i am playing it off another video.

Practise and Advise on backbends

Dont be too adventurous with it. Always practise with protection. Try taking supplements such as glucosamine to help the knees. You can try doing undulations or even shimmies as you saw me practising. Backbends are very dangerous for your knees. Its best to avoid them as advised by Bellydancer Shira. But who can resist them? Practise on yoga mats or with knee caps.  Good luck!