When Giving Up is Winning

    I came across this picture some time ago. It was part of a motivational post on Facebook, talking about the virtue of working hard on one's dreams and never giving up.

While I think that being active, as opposed to lazy, is truly a virtue and is necessary to achieve one's goals, I also think that this picture and the idea of the post it was attached to are misleading and counterproductive.

   Having goals and dreams is fantastic. I myself have tons of them. It is something that helps you walk your way through life and keeps you focused, maybe even gives meaning to your life. I definitely followed my dream and am currently a full-time professional performer/dancer,

Making a living from this kind of work is not a given in Europe nowadays. I have many girls come up to me and ask me for advice on how to achieve this.

    And it might seem contradictory but the advice I always give is - learn when to give up. Running after a goal if it is impossible can destroy you, mentally and physically.

It's actually not so much about giving up on your dreams completely, but rather make the right choices for yourself, which means preferring some things over others and give up on some.  

    First, what exactly is your goal? Let's say you want to be a professional belly dancer. Still not precise enough! What do you mean by it? Do you want to be big on the festival circuit? Do you want to be a night-club performer? Do you want to have your own dance school? Do you want to be a competition champion? Do you want to make a decent living out of dance? Or do you just want it as hobby? 

Make sure your goal is clear. Then sit down and honestly see if it is possible for you. 

We are often being told that if we keep chasing a dream, it will become true. But I disagree. Will that rhinoceros from the picture ever become a unicorn? NO! It will just be constantly unhappy from trying and never seeing any results. 

    For club and commercial performances, looks are very important. Do you match the demand? If not, are you willing to maybe undergo aesthetic procedures or even plastic surgery to fit the market demands? This may sound harsh, as bellydance is often advertised as a dance for women of all shapes and sizes. But keep in mind, that the commercial circuit is very different from the dance community, classes, haflas and festivals. If after two years of trying with agencies, you are still not able to get a contract, then maybe it's time to reconsider and give up. 

    If you wish to win competitions, assess your fitness and technique honestly. You have to work very very hard on your dance and invest considerable finances to buy the costumes, pay for the travels and competition fees and pay your trainer/coach if you do not train yourself. Also, make sure you can handle losing well. If you are someone who cannot handle defeat, then competitions definitely are not for you! 

    If you want to become a successful teacher and run your own regular classes, promotion is the key. Of course, making sure that you have the necessary education to be a teacher is a given and should be automatic, but I will not elaborate too much on it, as it has been said many times and alas, those that want to teach will teach no matter what.... it's a topic by itself. 

    In any case, this needs a LOT of promotion and TONS of patience. It can take a couple of years to build a name and a strong student base for yourself. However, if after 2 years, you still don't have more than 5 students in your class, it is probably time to reconsider. There are several factors - maybe your town/city/region is just not the right market for bellydance classes and you might want to try elsewhere. Maybe your promotion is insufficient and you might want to give it one last try and boost it. Maybe, you are a bad teacher and you have to assess this honestly. Or maybe, it just simply wasn't meant for you. It might be time to give up.  

    Do you wish to be a guest at international festivals and travel the world, teaching and performing? 

Then either you have to be an exceptional dancer/teacher/choreographer *OR* you will have to accept "exchanges" (which means someone hosts you in their festival and you host them at yours in turn). If you are looking to make a living from it, then be aware that the exchange path is not really for you, as you will end up spending approximately as much as you earn and if you are not an organizer yourself, it can be difficult (because you have no event to invite the others to). There are many excellent and accomplished artists to be found at these festivals, they deserve it. Maybe you are one of them, but because of the exchange strategy now being such a big part of the festival circuit, you might still have to invest a considerable amount of money to first make people aware of your existence. Some people will get discovered, some need to make themselves be seen first.

    If you are just in it for the spot on the poster and teaching a workshop and you have the finances to pay for your expenses (YES this does happen at some festivals), then by all means, make use of the exchanges. Everyone is free to do what makes them happy! 

    I have been dancing for 25 years now, enrolling in dance school when I was still in kindergarten. I love dance and oriental dance the most. I wanted to achieve ALL of the above!!! I was so full of energy and determination. But it didn't make me happy. I became happy when I considered my own possibilities and chances and concentrated on the field I was best in. 

   I love to teach, but I find that I prefer to coach and teach already advanced dancers, so regular classes were not the thing for me and never seemed to work. I also travel too much and move internationally too often to be able to build a student base. So maybe that is something I will do when I retire from performing a settle down in one place. :)

    I love festivals, as it allows to choreograph beautiful pieces and gives more artistic freedom than a club. I was very lucky to be invited as a performer, teacher and even judge to several good festivals and I am always glad to accept a good invitation, however I was also very much discouraged later when I discovered the "shadow world" of exchanges. Since I decided to make a living out of dancing and I am paying for all my expenses alone (rent, insurance, taxes, food, clothing...), I  didn't want to and most of all COULDN'T spend all that money to get myself invited to "exchange festivals". I also felt like I was not being approached by the organizers for my artistry or level as a dancer. Just to be able to see my face on the poster and say that I was a teacher there was not the main drive for me. 

    I am most successful as performer. I feel like I finally found the right path for me as I like to perform for middle eastern audiences and I also know how to. My looks also fit the demand. It is a tiring job sometimes. It does not always make me feel like a true artist, it can get repetitive and also is full of intrigues and headaches. 

    But I made my goal clear to myself - I want to earn decent money from dance (having a single household, no shared expenses - this might seem unimportant but it's the contrary) and I prefer live music and Middle Eastern audiences. 

    It's when I stopped chasing something that just wasn't right for me at that time and rather concentrated on what I was good at, that I became happy. 

Bottom line is, if what your are doing is making you more anxious than relaxed, it's time to stop! If you are stressed about your classes not filling up, your festival invitations not coming in, the agencies not giving you contracts... STOP! You only have one life and you should live it being happy! If you are a rhinoceros, you will never become a unicorn, stop chasing that impossible goal. Rather focus on becoming the best rhino out there! 

BTW, Katerina Shereen has a very nice article on making choices as a dancer and you can read it here: http://theharaamblog.blogspot.com/2015/04/about-hard-choices-in-professional.html 

The Miracle Fertility Dance for Everyone - On Belly Dance, Injuries and Getting Pregnant

I am currently sitting at home with an injured back. It's been over 6 weeks now, out of which I spent over a week on a hospital bed. No dance practice, no rehearsals, no jobs... not even basic housework. 

While I know I will be back dancing (relatively) soon and will not suffer permanent damage, I still lost a good amount of my monthly wage, not talking about the emotional pressure of not being able to put on some music and practice in my home studio, which is my daily routine. Funnily enough, it's the dancing that put me there. 

And I am not the only one. Knee injuries, shoulders, feet, back... you name it. Sometimes it's just overworking, sometimes it's more serious. But it exists. 

This kept me thinking about the mantra I hear so often, at least in my region, about how healthy belly dance is, and all the health benefits you can get from it.

I think there is a discrepancy between two spheres here - hobby/recreational dancing and professional commercial performing. 

Sports and physical activity are healthy for the human body ... if done in the right way. There is a reason to the disclaimer saying you should consult with your GP before taking up any sport. There are conditions and diseases that may prevent a person from doing certain movements or whole activities all together. 

I have a serious problem with claims that describe belly dance as some kind of miracle dance form and cure for all kinds of physical problems and the magic solution to getting pregnant. I think it's misleading and is also dismissive of other dance forms.  I've had this problem for years, have openly said so and have been called aggressive, arrogant, dismissive, mean... even jealous of other instructors (their classes are overbooked and I am just trying to ruin their business... what else?). 

I love this dance. I make my living from it. Why would I try to put down something I love so much?

Was belly dance meant for pregnant women? Is it its sole purpose and origin? I am not a scholar, and while I am sure that some connections can certainly be made (check Morocco's accounts of witnessing a child birth where there was dancing involved), I think that there exists a problem with dissociating certain moves and contexts from the art form as a whole. I am pretty sure that what Badia Masabni put on stage in Cairo in the 1920's was not meant to represent some childbirth ritual. 

I am personally reluctant to teach pregnant women. Not because I think they cannot attend belly dance classes, but because I do not have the necessary education to know what they can and cannot do at various stages of pregnancy. I usually recommend they go to a colleague who has attended actual classes on this topic. I am not against belly dance for pregnant women at all - I think it can be a wonderful activity for pregnant women. BUT I am against people who don't know what they do and can harm the mother and the baby.

But we're a bit ahead here, already dealing with pregnant women. What about those that are yet to get pregnant? Let's look at the claim that belly dance can help you get pregnant. I have met a few women, who had trouble getting pregnant and finally managed to, after taking up belly dance. At the same time I have met loads of professional dancers that have been trying for years and just can't get pregnant.
I don't think it's the "belly dance" itself that is a magical cure - many times, these women are stressed and tense, under pressure from work, their partners or other factors, and when they start dancing, they relax, open up, become happier... and then the magic happens.  For some, this magic is dance, for others simply taking that long awaited vacation from work, for some a new relationship in which they feel happy... the list is long.
If it happened for you thanks to belly dance, congrats!!! If you are an instructor and advertise your classes using this argument, go ahead, but then please get in touch with my colleagues who are professional bellydancers and still struggle to get a baby and please explain to them what they're doing wrong in their dance technique. 

Lastly, bellydancers are NOT immune to dance injuries. Undeniably, belly dance is less demanding on the body than professional-level ballet for instance, and a lot depends on the personal style of the dancer. While there might be a "safe way" to dance - limited back-bends (if any) and hair work (like in Iraqi rada7 dancing, which can be very hard on the neck and upper spine), no splits or high kicks etc. - many dancers have lower back problems (usually between S4 and S5 sacral segments) even if they do not use these extreme positions in their routines. Admittedly, this might be just a feeling of discomfort with/without pain and not go as far as an injury. So I think there definitely is a "safeR way", but there is no 100% guarantee, with any kind of sport/dance.

These are also the sacral segments that I injured. When I was admitted to hospital and waiting for the MRI, everyone thought it's a herniated disc. I was in tears and already saying goodbye to my work rhythm and my previous movement range.  Fortunately, it turned out to be just an irritated nerve and strained muscles.
OK... I say just, but it still hurt like hell and still is painful until today. It came as a shock to me, as I really try to keep my back and core muscles strong, specifically to prevent back injuries, and I don't even do back-bends that much. But I was told in hospital, that because of my style of work (performing several times per week, often waiting in the cold, sometimes without the time for proper warm up), even the exercises I do cannot protect me completely. They probably saved me from the herniated disc though!
I will be dancing again soon, maybe as soon as 3 weeks. I will have my full motion range back (although maybe not straight away) and will have no permanent damage. Excellent news, as I would have been p*ssed if I had to give up on certain movements!
Not every professional dancer can choose the "safer way" to dance. Depending on the occasion, the country, the community or the manager, some dancers need to incorporate difficult and extreme extensions and positions in their routines. Add to that the fact that a professional dancer usually performs several times a week, trains and rehearses and might also be teaching classes on top of that. That is a lot of strain for the muscles and joints. (note: sometimes just waiting in the cold dressing rooms with a bare midriff is enough to hurt yourself while doing a rather safe movement)

Bend it! 

(photo by Uros Cotman/Ambrosia : http://www.ambrosiatribal.com)

So to say that belly dance is a "healthy dance form" is something I would have to disagree with. Or at least I think it should come with a disclaimer. Yes of course, if you go to class once a week for 45-60 minutes, no back-bends and such, I don't see much of a risk. Or let's say you perform once, twice a month with a "safe" choreography - also good. But that's not the case for everyone. It actually isn't the case for most pros. Or maybe we shouldn't be called bellydancers then... 

Saying that "this dance is for everyone" is also a bit misleading, in my humble opinion. What does this mean anyway? True, oriental dance does not have such strict standards on body type and flexibility as other styles might have. Which is fantastic and the reason why I think this dance can be so liberating for many women. So on a professional level, bellydance is globally less demanding than ballet or latin. But also not everyone can become a professional bellydancer! I think this is a fact we can all agree on and a topic that would deserve a whole post on its own. 

Now, if this statement is applied to the context of classes, then yes of course, it is 100% accurate. It truly is for everyone. But so are other dance forms. Look at adult beginner ballet classes for example! No one forces you to do a 120 degree arabesque or do the splits or 20 fouettés in a row or get on pointe. Why shouldn't that be for everyone? Professional ballet is certainly not for everyone, but if you want to do it is a hobby, there are classes meant for that. 

You can take up any dance form whenever you want, you just have to choose the right level and class method. What I do for example in my advanced coaching classes (competition preparation for example) is often NOT for everyone, but I have classes for all kinds of levels and abilities. 

Photo from an adult ballet class at Waipawa Dance Centre. The description from their website says: "At first, everyone attends a beginner's course and then you will be graded into the best class level for your individual skill and fitness level. There is a proper structure to your learning, which will allow you to work up to your full potention and should you choose to do the exams you will receive BBO qualifications that are recognised throughout the world!"

(http://waipawadancecentre.wordpress.com/ballet-classes/)

Moral of (my) story?
Dance, enjoy, be happy, hopefully get pregnant if you wish to. Teach bellydance but be a responsible instructor, know your job, don't mislead people. They trust you!
If you choose to be a professional and rely on bellydance for your income, make sure to be careful, strengthen your back and core, dance in the safer mode if you can and want to but also accept the risks and be prepared for the possibility of an injury.

But an Arab Told me So!

So in my last post I talked about my feelings on the style of dance I am seeing more and more at competitions. That it lacks that "oriental feeling" (I am tempted to say "Arabic feeling" and will actually use it from now on in this post, but since there are other styles, like Turkish for example, I didn't want to discriminate).

This I found puzzling at first, since it seems to me that having that feeling, and dancing "like an Egyptian/Arab" is something oriental dancers strive for.

That's why getting a compliment or a positive reaction from an Arab is so highly valued. And I think that`s correct, since the dance and the culture cannot truly be disconnected, in my opinion (but that`s a topic by itself).

HOWEVER - I am lately seeing many puzzling performances, justified by the fact, that "an Arab said it was ok".  Compliments and critique from (not only) Arabs should always be taken with a grain of salt. Here`s why:

First of all, Arabs don't know everything. Through festivals we are led to believe that the Egyptian Master Teacher is the all-knowing dance genius. Well, no... Look at their khaliji or radah dancing. It`s a far cry from the real deal. Just because they are Arab (and to confuse you even more, this is also subject to discussion among ME populations, but it is not related to dance so let`s just stop here) it does not mean they are familiar with all dances and music types. Khaliji rhythm? It should be Khaliji rhythms, plural. Raqs Arab? Ask an Egyptian what it is, they probably won't know. The same goes in the other direction - Nubian dance? Ask a Syrian, they don`t know. The difference between Nawar (a Gypsy group found in Syria) and Badu (Bedouin)? They're the same. Except they`re not. But to city populations these terms are often interchangeable.

When it comes to theoretical knowledge, a well educated foreign dancer might actually know better than an Arab.

Sometimes, these Egyptian Master Teachers will honestly believe what they teach and say. Back in 2008-2009 I used to work with a smaller private folkloric troupe in Cairo, composed of Reda and Qawmia dancers looking for more revenue, as well as some random girls from shaabi districts just wanting a job. I loved the manager and the choreographer - I was very lucky that they treated me well but that is yet another story. The choreographer, Mr. Hassan, did this pharaonic piece which we used for zaffas - the bride or the groom would be carried in on a gold gilded chair by the male dancers. The costume and the movements were all too much like some orientalistic Hollywood fantasy of what dance might have looked like during the Pharaonic era. Walk like an Egyptian, anyone? This particular piece had been intriguing me until one day I asked Mr. Hassan what his inspiration was. Like, how does he know what the dances looked like? Without hesitating, he simply answered "but we have the drawings on the temples, we know how they danced". And guess what, I am sure he was being 100% honest and believed what he said. Yet, if you saw that piece, you could probably tell that there was a lot of artistic licence in there. 

And sometimes, and I am sorry if I ruin anyone's illusions, the teachers just make things up, or keep teaching something they know is not really true, but it sells. Many times, Arab dancers (and even musicians) don't research. It's something that is so much part of their culture and environment growing up, that they don't analyse the "why", they just DO. So when foreign students keep on asking the meaning of this or that movement, or keep asking why this or why that, some teachers just come up with an answer or a theory. 

Secondly, I don`t think there is one single way or one correct style to dance belly dance the "Arab way". Every dancer develops her own style, and the preferences differ from country to country. What I do think is that there is a correct way to understand the music, the rhythms, the moods of the maqams... For me, that`s what makes someone`s style "Arabic". And you can do spins, backbends, hairflips, front splits... There are not wrong movements per se, but there is a time and mood for them in a performance. For me, without understanding the music correctly - and by this I don`t mean the song lyrics but the structure of oriental music - there cannot be Arabic feeling in the dance. This is very difficult for someone who didn't grow up surrounded by that music and culture and can take years, but I do believe it is doable.

This does not mean that a ME audience cannot enjoy a "foreign dancer" (I use this word here instead of western , because first of all that is a geographically limited term and second, Arabs themselves use the word "ajnabi" to describe non-Arab things). They can actually enjoy them very much! I used to work with a female Lebanese singer who would express her admiration every time she would see a technically strong foreign dancer, saying how much we take the dance seriously and treat it with respect - training regularly, going to class, doing big theatre shows....

And at the same venue there was a drummer who would say that none of these dancers knew how to dance correctly. He would say they were "shatrin" (this could be translated here as a mixture of talented and skilled), having beautiful turns and spins and posture, but that they didn't know how to use the dum and the tak. He wasn't talking about the quality of their movement technique, but the use of it.

So there is a difference between complimenting beautiful technique and complimenting interpretation or authenticity.

This also shows, that there is not one single opinion - Arabs are also individuals, go figure! What one likes the other might not. Some like faster dancers, some like softer choreographies. Lebanese might not like the Egyptian style and vice versa. Some have higher expectations and want to see some serious technique, some want just a good entertainer for their niece's wedding (that's the party where no one even paid attention to your dance and you actually didn't even dance much, because everyone stood up a minute into your mejansé and filled the dance floor), but will still tell you what a fantastic dancer you are because they had a blast.

I used to be devastated by the drummer's critique, feeling I was a horrible dancer. Then I got a booking with a new place (Iraqi) and they loved me so much, they now book only me. Apparently they think I am a wonderful dancer. I worked with the drummer again and he would suddenly compliment me - nothing changed in my style. He might just have been in a better mood, or we did songs I was more comfortable with, who knows.

Just like with Western audiences, the general public and the expert public will not look at your dancing the same way. The latter will probably put higher standards on your technique and musicality than the first. If you get critique from a musician from the band you`re working with, be prepared it will be harsher than that of the customers.

Finally, this leads to me to the last point - who is the compliment coming from? What is the context? If you are a dancer, you have probably been flirted with more than once while on the job. Be aware, that the compliments might just be part of said flirting. I was once dating this guy who would praise my cooking, which actually is horrible, only to later find out that he did that to be nice, because he liked me.....I also had a musician boyfriend who would always tell me I am the best dancer ever, which turned out to mean "best in his eyes" because he loved me. So there you have it. 

I actually think that this last type of compliments is more frequent than one might expect. What with all the Egyptian guys using Facebook like a dating service and watching the dancers' Youtube videos and then showering them with compliments. 

Getting critique and compliments from Arabs (or Turks, or Persians or whatever your target audience is) is vital in my opinion. However, one compliment from one random guy in Hurghada, who compliments your dance and then asks for your mobile number in the same sentence is not something I would take too seriously. 

Do try to please your ME audience and listen to their opinions but don't let it stress you out too much, because you might never fit someone's personal taste. If you make sure to study the music thoroughly though, you will feel comfortable enough to let yourself go and find your own style, while still staying true to the oriental essence of the dance. 

Cheers,

Ranya

Not All That Shines is Gold - on Medals and Competitions

We all want our dance to be a respected art. The how's and why's of this are still making the rounds in discussions and I hope it stays that way as we need this kind of discussions. There are so many things to write about concerning artistry and niveau in the world of oriental dance, or bellydance (I do not shun this word and you will see me use it a lot on this blog), so why should I be writing about competitions first, you might wonder.

First of all because I just came back from a festival where I judged a 9-hour long competition and because, believe it or not, I do think that competitions are often doing more harm than good to bellydance. But let me explain.

Before you say that this is my hurt ego speaking because I am jealous of all the winners, you should know that I myself took part in several competitions and also placed first in most of them (I placed 3rd twice). I am also now a frequent judge at competitions, including the Dutch Championship in 2012, which takes place under the IDO umbrella. I do not hate competitions. I think they push a dancer to work harder on her/himself, and many new talents can be discovered this way. While I consider myself a club performer, I gained many good contacts through competitions, not to mention about the experience I took away with me. I like competitions and I am happy they exist. 

The level of the dancers is getting higher and higher every year - I feel like the technique and appearance (costuming, make up, hair) is finally getting the importance it deserves, which indeed brings bellydance closer to other dance forms and away from the image it has as "just some undefined shaking in a coin hip-scarf". I am amazed by the technique and strenght of some dancers. Delighted even. I wish I had such a strong technique many times, because I don`t. 

I don`t even think it is bad to admit to the desire to win. I heard many times people complain that it got too competitive and thus the dance lost its soul of sisterhood. But what is wrong with wanting to win? That is logically the first goal of joining. No, I don't think there is anything bad about the desire to be the best. I had it too, for every competition I joined. 

But while I was sitting there for nine hours watching all the dances, I was asking myself - where did the bellydance go? The choreographies would include odd movements at odd places. There is a certain logic to bellydance. There is a natural flow that leads your dance when you hear a maqsoum or a laff or a baladi rhythm. When you hear a qanun or an accordeon. Oh wait - except there isn`t anymore I guess. 

It was all about spins and turns. Which would be fine but there was no hip work either. Arms and legs were strictly kept in 45,90,180 degree angles. Minimal amount of undulations and the isolations and accents were all hip-hop like pops and locks. 

Now, while I do agree that your average Arab club dancer would probably not win a competition, I do not agree that only the current westernized style is suited for success. Getting an oriental feeling and styling to your dance does not mean you should not point your feet, keep a good posture, have strong arms and hands or not do fast spins. DO ALL OF THAT. I too hate flappy technique and I don`t think it has a place in any sort of dance on a professional level. But learn your rhythms! Learn the instruments! Learn the background of the songs. What the heck learn the background of the dance itself!!! 

Your shimmy can be ground-shaking but I will make you lose points if you do it on a soft nay taqsim (when there is no tremollo). 

But wait - there is a reason all these young new dancers think it is ok and they bask in the glory of their shining gold medals. It`s because they think that if they placed first then it all was good!

Someone gave them that medal after all... Why would they doubt any of it. 

I do not mean to say it is all the judges fault. In the end, the points are a sum of all the judges` points. But I also feel like some judges probably never saw an Arab dance. Or never worked with ME audiences. Or they themselves are there only because they won the competition last year and being part of the jury was part of the prize. Especially the last point is puzzling, being given the many factors that influence the outcome of a given competition at that one given moment. 

I am afraid that if we keep these young new talents in this bubble, that has been so cleaned from all that could be remotely connected to how dancing looks in clubs and restaurants or done by Arab dancers (not those at festivals! but those that do commercial performances), we will let bellydance transform itself into something unrecognizable.

If a dancer knows the theory, the music, the movement vocabulary, and still chooses the westernized style, then that is her own artistic choice. What bugs me is that I feel like most of these girls actually DO NOT KNOW any of this. Because their teachers or choreographers (if they have any and are not training all alone by themselves) might not know all this or bother showing them. And if the dancers do train alone, then they are most likely to just look at other competition dancers.  

So after this very long and chaotic post, here is what I wish would happen : 

Competitors, go and ask for feedback. Always. Even if you won first place. Do not forget you are also there because you were compared to the other girls that might happen to be bad dancers, or they just had a bad day etc. Sorry to put it this way but that`s what it is. That you were first does not mean you did nothing wrong. 

Judges, I know we cannot just go and give feedback if the dancer didn`t ask for it. It can be rude. But try to find a way to sneak in some feedback. Maybe make a general public proposition to give feedback - many competitors do not know they can ask for feedback. 

And everyone - do not work in clubs if you don`t feel like it. Do not dress with slits all up to the waist-line of your skirt if it makes you uncomfortable. Do fusion if that is what you prefer. But DO know how the dance looks like when it`s done outside of festivals and competitions. DO go to the clubs as a customers, at least a couple of times. DO learn from dancers working in such a setting. DO watch other Youtube videos than who won the most recent IDO Cup of Russia. Do not just learn combinations and choreographies, but try to understand WHY a certain combination has been put where it is in the choreo. 

I hope you do!

WELCOME!

Welcome to my blog. After years of inactivity I decided to return to blogging, inspired by fellow artists such as Shereen, Amar Lammar, Luna of Cairo, Magda Monti ... just to name a few. While many interesting discussions take place on Facebook, I think a blog is a better and more public platform to voice my thoughts and opinions, of which I have quite a few. Many posts will be reactions to posts by other dancers/bloggers, so make sure to follow their blogs. You can find links to them in the side bar on the right.

Please feel free to comment and share.

Cheers, Ranya.