The 90 Days is going well. Already many folks have found it easier to improvise, to dance for 20 minutes, and to enter a zone of presence and calm. Here is on of this year’s Love Notes I thought you might like.
How to Dance Away Body Shame
Many years ago at Ahlan wa Sahlan, I took a class on dance from Siwa. One of the steps was a cute little skippy side step—with a twist. Not a physical twist, but a mental one.
The step was done facing away from the guests, and the intention was to show off the dancer’s, um, behind. Our intention was to show off our luscious rear end, to put our attention there and to feel and convey how juicy and nice it was.
Frankly, this was the first time in my life I ever did this. And I was not young at the time. My relationship to my rear end (and a few other body parts), was problematic to say the least. But Lo!
It was SO FUN. And naughty and liberating and mischievous!
It was so fun that later on I did some experiments. I chose troublesome body parts (ones I generally hide), and danced as though they were the most beautiful, glorious, delicious body parts in the world.
Mmmmmmm ; )
Imagine a body part you hide—with clothes, costuming, etc—or wish you could.
In your practice, I invite you to let it be the leader, the most beautiful and lush. Display it with gratitude, pride, and delight.
Today was sunny, the snow was melting, and the day was so much longer! Let’s dance renewal and rebirth, too.
With our newly luscious body parts ; )
Love,
Alia
Music: Here’s Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue
And here’s a long version of Summertime
And here’s a great venue in which to flaunt your body parts! ; )
March into the Spotlight: Bring Basic Belly Dance Back Challenge
March 1-14 2020
- Dance for fun, no costume or fancy setup.
- Video yourself.
- Post the vid on FB or Insta.
- Hashtag with #basicbellydancerchalleng
- Use the hashtag to find other videos.
- Watch everyone else’s videos and they will watch yours!
It’s free, fun, and fabulous. Plus you can win prizes!
I’ll be doing it–I hope you will too!
I’ll be doing pop-up live streaming of my dances via zoom–if you’d like to be part of that, join here: remind.com/join/raqsalia
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