Happy holidays from Janim and friends!
Shimmy through the weekend!
I am looking forward to this weekend! Starting Saturday morning off with class at the Pittsburgh Dance Center at 10am. We are still working through our choreography which we hope to premiere in January and again in February at our first Hafla of 2013. We have been working hard and it really is coming together!
Sunday afternoon we have our workshop series continuing at 12:30-2 pm. We will feature the first hour with zills and veils followed by adjustments using the Alexander Technique. After class, it is time to get our things together for the Shimmy Holiday Party and Swap Meet! This time, our holiday party/ hafla is for dancers and students only. I think this will give us all a level of comfort and intimacy not normally present when we entertain! It is also a chance for the community to raise any issues or concerns for 2013!
I know I need to gather my goodies for sale as well. If anyone is interested, I will be bringing a few inexpensive costumes, skirts, and veils 🙂
Hope you all can make it!!!
Belly-Off 2012: Lalita!
Our featured dancer of the day is Lalita of Maryland, our Entertainer of the Year! She will be one of our guest judges next year as well as a guest instructor at the Pittsburgh Bellydance Festival 2013.
Who do/did you study with? How long have you been dancing? Also what style of Oriental do you prefer, Turkish, Egyptian or Lebanese and why? Or are you a fusionista?
I started belly dance classes with Sitamun in the fall of 2006, and I immediately fell in love with this exotic and sensual art form! I now take classes with Artemis when I can, and I travel to do workshop master classes with amazing instructors. This year, I have studied with Dina, Aegela, and Shereena just to name a few. I like to experiment with fusion and many styles; however, I am probably most comfortable in my body with Egyptian stylings.
Do you travel? Teach or take at workshops? Perform?
I perform at restaurants, haflas, gala shows, and other special events locally and even nationally 😀
Do you prefer dancing to live or recorded music?
I have only had three opportunities to perform with a live band (two of those times were at the BELLY OFF), and I want to enjoy live band dancing more often– the energy and passion you feel from the live music is exquisite!
Why bellydance as opposed to another dance form? And finally, what does bellydance mean to you?
I have studied many dance forms, but there is something so enchanting about belly dance. I love that it is so beautiful and expressive and embracing of womens’ bodies of all shapes and sizes. Belly dance makes me feel strong, sexy, and sassy 🙂
In studio with Laura Dark!
Laura Dark is amazing! From her facebook fan page, Dark Beauty and Fashion Photographer Biography
Laura Dark has been shooting professionally for the past 15 years. She attended art school for a BFA and apprenticed for 2 years under a local commercial and portrait photographer. She is well versed on both sides of the camera as both Model and Photographer. It has been said that, “what Laura can do in a half a dozen frames would make grown men cry.” She is best known for her dark portrait and beauty work which has been described as, “beautiful and creative to the max….the images are so realistic and haunting…it’s insane.”
Laura is also the Fashion Editor for the avant garde fashion and photography magazine, Dark Beauty. Dark Beauty is a magazine dedicated to artists, fashion designers, photographers, musicians, and actors who crave dark glamour. We provide a new avenue for promoting new and exciting talents who dares to push the envelope and bring such fantasies to life. Our focus is to highlight and bring awareness to bold talents from the darker side of the arts community.
Needless to say, after my second photoshoot with her, I am not only a fan, but totally hooked! Laura captures the magic of veil work like no other photographer!
Belly-Off 2012: Angela Alam
Part 2 of our Belly-Off in review features Angela Alam, runner up in our Headliner category!
How long have you been dancing?
I was a late belly-bloomer. I began taking classes in 2006 at the age of 35 with Amira Nagi in Hurricane, WV.
Maybe I should give you some back story on how I got into this… It might be more interesting than just the static question and answer…or not. ha
I found belly dance sort of by accident. I had bariatric surgery in 2005 and ended up losing a total of 100lbs. My Dr was really after me to find a way to be active and maintain my weight loss. I found belly dance at an art fair in Charleston, WV. A group called “Rom Neve” performed, and to tell the truth I cant remember if they were part of the scheduled entertainment or just busking, but I was hooked on the music and the beautiful dancer that “moved like smoke” (to quote a band member). I set out on an internet search to see if she offered dance classes locally. I didnt find that particular dancer, but I found videos of Rachel Brice and “Fat Chance Bellydance” and finally information on a local teacher, Amira Nagi. I was hooked. I took classes for a few years with Amira and danced with in her student troupe. When Amira took a break from teaching, she turned her classes over to Jenna Brooke Swanson. (fyi, Jenna was the Rom Neve dancer…YAY)
I danced with Jenna’s student troupes in its many evolutions; Bella Dames and the Nitty Gritty Gypsies, Bal aBlonde (funny story) and Raqs Shakti. Jenna has since moved to the west coast to further her career and I have sort of been on my own since. I travel to as many workshops and intensives as financially possible. I have studied with Moria Chappel, Sherena and Tiffani Ahdia from Project Bellydance. I began as a fusion dancer and only recently discovered the more traditional forms of bellydance. Teachers of Oriental dance are scarce here in my little part of the world. I have made it my goal to learn all that I can so that I can share it with others some day.
Do you prefer dancing to live or recorded music?
Choreography to recorded music is my friend and I love the secure feeling it gives, however nothing compares to the power and energy that comes from live music and improvised dance. The planned and canned performance is fun, but its a dance recital and it is what it is. The power of improv and live music fills the room and is something…well, MORE. (sorry, I cant find better words to describe it)
Choreography to recorded music is my friend and I love the secure feeling it gives, however nothing compares to the power and energy that comes from live music and improvised dance. The planned and canned performance is fun, but its a dance recital and it is what it is. The power of improv and live music fills the room and is something…well, MORE. (sorry, I cant find better words to describe it)
Why bellydance as opposed to another dance form? And finally, what does bellydance mean to you?
I love that belly dance doesnt care that I’m not 5’9″ and 125. My belly sisters and I have been through lots of personal ups and downs. Dance lets me get it all out…good and bad.
I love that belly dance doesnt care that I’m not 5’9″ and 125. My belly sisters and I have been through lots of personal ups and downs. Dance lets me get it all out…good and bad.
Belly-Off 2012: Addivas of NC
Over the next few weeks, I would like to highlight this year’s Belly-Off Competition! We have been conducting interviews with our winners and judges and have much to report on!
Al Atlal – The Ruins
I came across the translation of the famous Om Kalthoum classic, Al Atlal… The Ruins
This song is tragic, devastating, and incredibly rich with emotion and heart ache…” The only song ever written by the legendary Ibrahim Nagi, it is one of the most complicated and esoteric works of modern Arabic music and poetry! ” – from, Arabic Song Lyrics and Translation
Om Kalthoum – The Ruins, Translated by Chris
My heart, don’t ask where the love has gone
It was a citadel of my imagination that has collapsed
Pour me a drink and let us drink of its ruins
And tell the story on my behalf as long as the tears flow
Tell how that love became past news
And became another story of passion
I haven’t forgotten you
And you seduced me with a sweetly-calling and tender tongue
And a hand extending towards me like a hand stretched out through the waves to a drowning person
You seduced me with the saliva (of a kiss) that a night traveler thirsts for
But where is that light in your eyes?
My darling, I visited your nest one day as a bird of desire singing my pain
You’ve become self-important, spoiled and capricious
And you inflict harm like a powerful tyrant
And my longing for you cauterized my ribs (soul or insides)
And the waiting was like embers in my blood
Give me my freedom, release my hands
Indeed, I’ve given you yours and did not try to retain anything
Ah, your chains have bloodied my wrists
I haven’t kept then nor have they spared me
Why do I keep promises that you do not honor?
When will this captivity end, when the world is before us?
He is far away, my enchanting love
Full of pride, majesty and delicacy
Sure-footed walking like an angel with oppressive beauty and rapacious glory
Redolent of charm like the breeze of the hills
Pleasant to experience like the night’s dreams
I’ve lost forever the charm of your company that radiated brilliantly
I, wandering in love, a bewildered butterfly, approached you
And between us, desire was a messenger and drinking companion that presented the cup to us
Had love seen two as intoxicated as us?
So much hope we had built up around us
And we walked in the moonlit path, joy skipping along ahead of us
And we laughed like two children together
And we ran and raced our shadows
And we became aware after the euphoria and woke up
If only we did not awaken
Wakefulness ruined the dreams of slumber
The night came and the night became my only friend
And then the light was an omen of the sunrise and the dawn was towering over like a conflagration
And then the world was as we know it, with each lover in their own path
Oh sleepless one who slumbers and remembers the promise when you wake up
Know that if a wound begins to recover another wound crops up with the memory
So learn to forget and learn to erase it
My darling everything is fated
It is not by our hands that we make our misfortune
Perhaps one day our fates will cross when our desire to meet is strong enough
For if one friend denies the other and we meet as strangers
And if each of us follows his or her own way
Don’t say it was by our own will
But rather, the will of fate
Red Gold Bella- SOLD!
I am selling this lovely red and gold Bella that was orignally Maria’s.
The belt is very heavily beaded and drapes down to the mid-calf, and the bra is completely covered with beads and sequins. There is a swirling motif on the bra, belt, and wrist covered in beads and sequins. There are crystal encrusted 3-dimensional buckle decoration on the bra and belt. Bra has right side red fabric with gold beading, left side gold fabric with red beading. It is a really unique costume, super comfy and gets lot of compliments.
Bra: B/small C cup, 35″ underbust. 6.5Vx7Hx7.5Diag
Belt: one piece belt, made of stretch gold lycra. Completely covered with beading and fringes. 23″ long at the back. Will fit 30″-35″ upper hip 35” end to end.
Skirt: circle double chiffon skirt; 38″ length.
Disclaimers:
– Some fringe loss at tail of belt
– Typical wear on sequins and hexagon beads in fringe as is typical in Bellas
– The gold lycra has lost most of its shine and is now more of a matte color like the red lycra orignally was. It was like this when I purchased it. It is a uniform wear and does not look like wear but how the costume should be! I have a picture included of Lauren wearing the costume since I do not have any great shots of myself! Hope you don’t mind Lauren 🙂
-the bra straps are pinned but need sewn in!
$350 plus shipping and paypal fees please!
The Belly-Off approaches! Join us on Saturday at 7pm for an amazing evening of entertainment!
By Steve Sucato
It’s no ordinary dance competition. The Belly-Off 2012, at the Pittsburgh Dance Center, pits belly-dancers against one another in an impromptu skills improvisation to live music by Pittsburgh vintage belly-dance bandIshtar. As organized by local belly-dance queen Janim (pictured) and last year’s winner, Mehira, the second annual competition and show also features demonstrations in belly-dancing, aerial silks and tango. Upward of 20 local and regional competitors will perform in three no-age-limit categories — professional, student and amateur, and troop (two or more dancers) — in an in-the-round cabaret setting. The competitors draw a song from Ishtar’s repertoire from a hat, improvise to it, and are judged by their dancing, audience interaction and showmanship. This year’s guest judges — who will also perform at the event — include: Canton, Ohio’s Sherena, star of the reality web series Project Bellydance; Maryland’s Greek belly-dance bombshell Amartia…
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Gold Eman SOLD!
I received this Eman in a trade and it isn’t quite working for me. It still has a lot of life in it but the metallic on the fabric has worn away a bit. It is not noticeable on stage! It does show some signs of wear and tear as seen in the photos
Measurements are:
Underbust 33.5
Individual halter straps 11.5
Bra cups would fit A or B with padding, B or C without padding
Cups measured from the inside: Diagonal 7, horizontal 6.5 vertical 5.5
Upper hip 33-36
Lower hip 37-39
Length Top to bottom 38
SOLD!
JANIM 