Drum solos BREAKDOWN

 

I am back pretty quick this time with another unchoreographed drum solo. This is what i do late into the nights after an outing. Dance. I had always liked drum solos. I wanted to boost up my confidence by trying to dance unchoreographed. Ive lately began to admire russian dancer Maria Shashkova. Especially her charisma on stage. Even though most of her dance steps are just shimmies. She does in them in variety. Apart from the muscle training my teacher taught me, i started practising drum solos as well. I can say, its great exercise.

My BIG mistakes 

I can see my mistakes all over the video. I dance too fast. And maybe a bit too sharp. Or could i call that mystyle. I like accents. But observing many bellydancers not all accent themselves that much. But i like the style of Maria. Another fact, i am not FEELING the music. I havent reached the stage yet where dancers are so CONFIDENT that they can melt into the music. I am still in the “not so sure” stages. I know i beat the music. I always do that. Out of fear of missing that step, i dance too fast. And i look like i am going to fly out of the screen. Its like someone is fast forwarding me

Improvments?

Hmm. My transitions have certainly become alot more smoother. I could do transitions well last time. My confidence level has become higher. I dont have to choreograph anything too much. My stamina has certainly gone up! I cant dance fully for a 6 min drum solo. Now i can do it. Yes ive been smiling. I usually frown or look constipated lol. Or sometimes i look like i am dying.

What i learnt?

After dancing drum solos non stop for over a few nights. I learnt a few things.

-You HAVE to know the music

-You DONT need to choreograph anything. Just a rough path to follow

-Dont STOP when you missed a step

-keep SMILING!

I have decided from now on, i will listen to a drum solo. Recognise the beats. Until it becomes my memory. Then, i would try dancing to it. It will be alot more easier. And smoother. Drum solos are KNOWING the music . RECOGNISING and DANCING to it. Its always great to have a group of bellydance friends. Ariadne and i exchange music all the time. Its like, i know there are certain music that she can pull of better. Her intrepretation is always iteresting to watch. I am waiting to see her dance to some of the music i sent her.

Future plans

I am planning to pick up workshops on turkish bellydance. Turkish bellydance is a passion of mine. I might also consider tribal in the future. I would be taking more workshops later this year. I am not sure if that would benefit me. And i would always give top prority to school as its on a weekend of May. I dont want to pay in advance just to cancel it later.

Or should i just get a weight belt and practise till i am really ready for a workshop? Weight belts are great in helping you learn faster.

Or should i do enough research on turkish bellydance before signing up for workshops? There are great DVDs in the market. That would give me a good preview. 

I have the same character as my dad. Obsession runs in the family. I am obsessed with dance as he is obsessed with games. He has gotten himself so far

-Xbox

-Xbox 360

-PSP

-Nitendo DS

Yes. Its all for him to play. Not to mention the numerous games sitting in my house And ive gt the same obsession with the things i do. Anyways keep obsessing yourself with bellydance. Bless you all. Do keep mailing me. If you need music do ask me, i will send it to u. Take care!

Sabreena

Youtuber Seema’s request->Hip drop kick

Youtubers’ requests

I am back again to fulfill a request from a fellow bellydancer Seema. She was interested to know how to do a hip drop kick with a turn. I tried to find some background information on this particular step in bellydance. Unfortunately, there is not much information on the net. I once remember watching the dance dvd of Neena and Veena and they called this dance step playful and lively. Hip drop kicks are really fun to watch. Especially when done with a smile.

I am glad to recieve feedback and suggestions. I do not mind doing up video requests. But if you guys want a particular step, you might have to show an example video. Thats because in different countries they address the same step with different names. So it would be a bit difficult for me to find out what you guys are trying to say. Do keep sending me requests ad questions, i would certainly try my best to help you.

Learner friendly videos

In this video, i tried to make it learner friendly by showing a close up of the feet movement. After all, i am a film student. I might just have to use some of the knwoledge i learn from my course. Now i am directing my own videos. The room needs to be a little more less messy i guess. But i have a tiny room. So its like i have to make arrangements before doing a video. And most of the stuff ends up on my bed. And it is a major distraction.

I should start thinking of mis- en- scene. Maybe it will be better practise for me. I am now shifting my interest towards how a scene should look like. How a set should look like. The colours used. The textures on the wall. Music. I am pretty interested in that field for now.

 I should also thank my dad who got me a tiny tripod. (Not a great one, it came free with the camera). But to me its useful. I can mount my camera somewhere safe finally.

I shall try my best to remove distractions so you guys wont lose focus. Do tell me what changes and how you want to be taught better. I can try to make stuff easier. But expanding my room is impossible. Sorry.

Improve bellydance how? 

Some bellydancers ask me this. The main problem with many of us is we have no problem dancing in class. We find it fun. But when we get back home. Some HARDLY parctise. The reasons are… “Im not motivated”, “Lazy”. I watched a video on a bellydancer who advised that dancing in restuarants help her. She is able to see and control the space she dances in. Not all of us, dance in huge stages. Sometimes our dance floor can even be a teeny spot, depending on your location. So its important you practise on big and small spaces. Having an audience or a dance partner helps. Recieving comments and constructive criticisms. Another way is to camera yourself. Watch it. See how you look on stage. Review your mistakes. Tape again. This helps you gauge your strength and weaknesses.

“ I only like drum solos!!!” 

Another pattern of thought i found in many dancers are that if they are good in a certain genre of that dance, they will stick to it. Honestly, i was like this. I only liked drum solos. Cos i am a really fast dancer. I CANT move slow. I ALWAYS go faster than the beat. Later on, i forced myself to dance slowly. I started bellyrolling. Bellyrolls need tons of patience. The slower the better. Thats how i could start dancing to slower music.

When a youtuber requested me to dance to “trust in me”. I was trying to avoid it and run away. Cos i thought i cant move slow. But eventually i was able to. I am not great in it. I am somewhere.

So its always important to explore. If you doing egyptian. Dont just stick to it. Try tribal or turkish. Try fast, slow movements. This widens your circle of dance and you can dance to aything. To me, a good bellydancer is someone who can dance to any music.

How much do i have to practise?

Everyday. Honestly, i dance everday. I dance in my shower, when i am changing, when i am watching tv. Its always hard to put on music and review steps. No one likes that. After every class, i record my steps so i can review back and practise at home. This helps me to remmeber the choreography taught in class.

Well thats all for now. Do keep sending me requests and emails. I am reading them. I am no expert. Just a regular dancer. But always keep in mind to seek help from a professional teacher. Videos can only help to a limit. Its never like being in a class.

 Sabreena

bellydance makeup n questions

Casimera asked me a question on undulations. I did a quick video to explain to her as much as i can. Undulations look similar to bellyrolls. But they are different. Undulations also require the control of your muscles. Like ive explained in this video, there are three muscles in your stomach. You have to suck in the 1st(diaphram), then slowly the 2nd muscle…lift your chest and then the third muscle.

Another topic i touched was on Bellydance makeup. There are very few sites that explains how a bellydancer should groom for stage. I had always been a fan of arabic makeup so i tried a soft one using gold and greens. I used mac colors humid and woodwinked. Its advisable to wear corn shadestick and then apply those colors.After blending them, i applied eyeliner all over my lid and topped it off with mascara. Its pretty simple to do. I have put some pics on this page.

My hair has started to have really tight curls. Unruly hair. Some asked me to rebond. I dont think i ever will. In a world where there are so many straight haired people, i am standing out. Well i know i look alot older than my age. But i really love my curly hair, i dont think straightening my hair would ever make me look younger. But i must congratulate my darling Ray to have been trying all sorts of hairstyles on me to make me look younger.

My flash sucks. It makes my skin look real bad!

I dont usually wear makeup. I am lazy. My mom prefers me without makeup. Honestly, i do too. My features look kinder without makeup. I wear it when i have the mood or if there is a necessity to look presentable. I guess i would invest on a mac shadestick soon. I have no regrets getting mac humid. I remembered someone saying, “You can never go wrong with green.” I love mixing colors with gold. But then again, i am indian and im brown. So gold should sit well on my skin.

I am just enjoying every minute of my holiday doing what i really like to do. Dancing. I enjoy my bellydance lessons alot. Apart from that, i have to thank Ray to have put some sense on to me. I no longer should brood over what happened to my brother. (Sorry Angel, this personal issue might help people out there.) Its time i move on. People are not used to seeing me quiet. Especially my classmates. I am better now. My brother would only be happy to see me move on. I guess its every pain that makes you stronger. Ive seen quite alot in this short life of mine. Things had only made me stronger. There is a reason for everything. And is God decides it, it will only be for the good.

I needed time to brood over the issue. To chew on it mainly because i couldnt grieve when i needed to. I am done chewing on the issue. And yes i will visit Kerala soon enough. This time to entertain my bro’s mom. Kerala is my Kerala.

And i take real offense with people who speak bad about my state. I was about to slap someone who offended my state without having proper knowledge about us. As for the documentary, work is going alright. Slow but steady.

Well my obsessive nature always keeps me busy with something. I hope you guys enjoy reading my blog. This was really long one.

Peace on you

Borneo…My new Kerala

Well i am back from Borneo. And i have started my life in Singapore back again with a video. I took this video back in Borneo in a hotel room. My room mate was kind of late. Most of my friends were at a bar. And i didnt like the atmosphere nor do i drink, so i sneaked back into my room. Was really frightened to shower and sleep alone. I usually dont like sleeping alone! So i put on some music and started bellydancing. I didnt dance for tempted to touch in this video, just to some random indian and arabic songs.

Well where do i start. I have so much to tell about my trip. The amazing people i was with and the amazing people i met. An unforgetable trip. I tried working on my project and a documentary while i was there. I dont want to reveal my plans much on a public blog. But i have plans. Big plans. There is a gold mine of issues there.

I left a family to meet another there. I lived in a simple Kampong called Batuh Puteh there. There was no internet. No taxis. No fast food restaurants. Simple life. I kind of expected things like that. I had been in India before. I adapted pretty quickly. The people are amazing. They arent rich. But their hearts are so big they can offer so much. I walked around the kampong like i belonged there. I could not speak malay, i would use hand signs and broken malay to talk to them. Yet i made so many friends there. Good friends. People who would try their best to help you without any expectations. This driver guy called Kamza would drive me to so many locations to shoot my documentary. And he didnt charge extra for it. Honestly, i wasnt quite interested in doing just the digital storytelling project. I wanted to make more out of the trip. The driver knew my situation and drove me around. He even staged the tractor taking away oil palm so i could capture it with the camera. How can i ever thank him? Or Hatti who would hold the umbrella for me while he gets wet in the rain. Or what about Ding Ding. The guy who was well experienced and yet humble.

Why are people there so different from us. Does poverty make people better human beings? Women there had issues like indian women have. Possesive husbands. But i guess it happens in modern society too. I had seen my own share of possesive men who claim to give freedom to women and yet trap them. I am not only reffering to modern malay and indian men. Its universal.

I have so much to tell the world. I dont want to earn lots of money out of this documentary. I am doing this out of passion. Since young, i loved film. 

I lived with a family there in my kampong. I rather call it my kampong. I had a mom, 2 bros and 3 sisters. Machik (aunty), Corrina, ami, anda, abang and kacha. Thats what we called them. they would laugh at my jokes. I like to make them laugh. I guess Borneo is my mini Kerala. Maybe Kerala in my dictionary means Eden. My real hometown has turned into a graveyard ever since my bro died. I dont think i would want to go there yet. I had found my kerala in Borneo. I love the people there. Ding Ding reminds me of my bro. The people there are so friendly they would wave to you.

On the last day, we all cried. Machick brought her tiny plate and ate the last lunch with us. What hurts me is….would i see that family again? Honestly, i love borneo alot more than Singapore. Not all could adapt as well as me i guess. I think Florian and i can move into Borneo. I am dying to tell him what i saw. My dad told me we will visit Borneo in God’s grace. But before i move in, i would love to travel with Flo to other places. I like the idea of homestays. And Flo is someone i can trust. He doesnt act funny with me. I wish people were more like him. Innocent, straightforward and good natured.

I learnt more about my character when i came back. I dont hurt people who hurt me. I am not the vengeful type. I can forgive. But i notice i cant forget. Its like when someone hurts me (bad way), i kind of note them, observe if they hurt me more, once they do i label them as dangerous and keep my distance from them and then disappear from their lives. This has been the process with quite a number of people. I dont know why. When i love someoe, i trust and love them like no one has ever done before. When they really hurt my feelings i dont say anything back. I just move away. Its my nature. I dont know what i am doing is right or wrong. But this almost happened with my dad. Especially over the issue with my bro. I almost ran away from him. I am torn between them both. But my dad didnt do anything on purpose, so my heart is able to forgive and forget. Even tho there is tiny black dot. But i love my father no matter what. He still means the world to me.

There are two people who loves me alot. One is my dad another is my bro. My bro is gone but atleast i have my dad. I trust very few people. I trust my close friends Flo, Traviz and now Angel. I guess i will learn to forget. I cant quite blog my problem. Forgive me for that. I never keep diaries. My secrets are buried within me.

I realized in this trip how quiet natured i am. When all the kids play, i sit alone and think. I like thinking. Shu hui asked me why i frown. I am lost in my own world of thought. I have so much to rearrange. Shu hui understands me alot i guess. But i know ive become awfully quiet. I dont talk much anymore. I was so tired of hanging out with my partners. I excuse myself close my room door and think. Gaze into the mirror, think about practically everything. I really liked being alone i guess. Its just that i choose to be alone sometimes. Nowdays i am alot more moodier. I love looking at the sea or scenary outside my car or boat and think. When i talk too much, i find i have no time with my mind. I realize i do the same at home. I sit down in my room and think. Well i have blogged my mind out.

I have sought helpd from lecturer for my documentary. I need a formal letter from my school to tap some info from an organization. I hope Chin boo can help me with the formal letter for my documentary. I want to do this well. Chin Boo is a nice and kind lecturer. And he takes my idea seriously. So i guess he is the best person i can approach. Well thats all i have to say for now. I am thankful to all those lovely people who made my trip great. I had been moody and quiet the whole time. Sorry. Thank Shu hui, Liqing, Pamela, Vanessa, Fat, Adlin, Zid, Maybelle, Ying Ying, Adrian, Derrick, Melvin. I really pray i didnt miss out anyone by accident…