Sarah Malik سارة مالك
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Home Archive for September 2015


Vintage Egyptian Belly Dancers

Naema Akef, Samia Gamal, Tahiya Carioca, Ketty, Hind Rostom, Soheir Zaki, Nagwa Fouad, Naimat Mokhtar, Zeinat Alawi



It isn't a secret that my personal belly dance idol is and always has been Sadie. It was almost ten years ago that I fell in love with her style of belly dancing, and so far no one else has surpassed her in my eyes (and after getting to know her personally, I doubt anyone ever will).

What this DVD has to offer:

Sadie begins with explaining the sounds of the drum and what kind of movements they signify for the dancer. She then teaches combinations and techniques for a drum solo that can be used in her choreography or separately in your own choreography. Sadie uses these combinations to teach her choreography for a two and a half minute drum solo routine that is both challenging and creative.

The DVD ends with a performance of the drum solo that was taught on the DVD and another drum solo to live drumming by Amir Sofi.

This DVD is not for beginners! You should have some knowledge of belly dancing before you attempt this choreography!

My thoughts:

I really liked this DVD because it is still challenging to me today. It simply never gets old! It's the perfect combination of choreography that is exciting for someone who is trying to build their repertoire and for someone who has been dancing and performing for years.

Cons: In the beginning of learning the choreography, Sadie teaches a combination, then does that combination to music. In the combinations that follow, she doesn't do that combination to music before moving on to the next combo. I wish that she would teach a combo, practice a couple times without music, practice a couple times to the music, and then do the choreography from the beginning, incorporating the new combination. What I like to do is pause the DVD and run through the choreography with the music a few times before moving on to the next combo.


The music used for the drum solo is called "Drum Solo" by Isis and the Wings of Isis & Dr. Samy Farag. It can be found on the CD "Belly Dance Party".


Here is the performance of the choreography learned in this DVD:






Last night I attended my first ballet class!

As part of the Raqs Flow program with Sadie Marquardt, we are required to take classes in yoga and another form of dance such as ballet, jazz, etc. I chose ballet.

When I started social dancing (salsa, swing, ballroom), I noticed that the best dancers, or the dancers who looked like they were more grounded - I hope that makes sense - and especially those who had the most beautiful spins were trained in ballet.

They don't call it "classical dance" for nothing! Like classical music, it really is the backbone of all other dance forms. If you can dance ballet, you can dance anything (yes, even hip hop).

It was so refreshing to try something completely new. This wasn't a dance I could "cheat" at. For example, I can fudge my way through a class in kizomba because I already have a background in salsa, bachata, merengue, etc. This was a class where everything was brand new: the position of my feet, body, arms...

What I loved so much about taking ballet is how my muscles felt! Wow! I've always said, "Don't mess with a college or professional cheerleader!"...well, add ballet dancer to that list. I was doing the absolute basic movements of ballet and I felt every single muscle in my body working to elongate and be beautiful yet strong all at the same time - and I was probably doing most of it incorrectly!

I also found out how large my calves really are haha. No wonder ballet dancers have to be slender and thin! I was trying to touch my heels together in first position and found my foot bouncing away as my calves collided. As my Polish great grandmother would say, "You have nice, big legs. You strong. You go pull plow." Thanks great grandma ;) - I also have to buy an 11 inch ankle bracelet to fit my ankles...if you have never worn an ankle bracelet before, just for comparison, most bracelets are 9 inches long, and those 9 inch bracelets are loose and dangle below the ankle bone of most women...haha...riiiight....

I look forward to taking ballet classes on a regular basis and seeing how it affects not only my body and muscles but also my quality of dance in other dance forms. I'm most excited about being able to spin properly!

If you have never tried ballet, I highly recommend it. You can be an adult and a complete beginner. It's really a fantastic experience!


Happy Dancing <3
This video says it all...



Mr. Alonzo King, founder and artistic director of Ballet Alonzo King, San Francisco, California.

Words to dance by: "Truth is beautiful".


Happy Dancing <3

 




I don't know about you, but I have never been able to do a split. I've been super close (only a couple inches from the ground), but nothing where I could have my hip bones touch the floor and raise my arms in triumph as if I were a gymnast.

That, my friends, is about to change.

It has been my dream to be able to do a split, and with the help of Jen Hilman from Psychetruth, I will make that dream come true.

If you have been struggling with splits, check out her videos!

It will take time, but don't give up!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I am a professional bellydancer and (for what seems like forever) an engineering student. I am originally from Atlanta, Georgia, but I currently live in Metz, France. I speak English, Arabic, and French. I am happily married and looking forward to adopting some cute fur babies (kitties!) in the near future!

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About

I created this blog ultimately to translate Arabic songs into English for non-Arabic speaking dancers. I have learned most of what I know about bellydancing and the bellydance community on my own and by making plenty of mistakes, so I wanted to also share what I have found through my bellydance journey (which, it always seems, has only just begun!).

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