This week Mahaila.net question: "Are you in favor or against the use of shoes in belly dancing in Brazil?"

Enquete (Brazilian Portuguese)

O fato é inegável: eles estão fazendo a cabeça das mulheres. Ou melhor, calçando seus pés! Os sapatos de salto alto estão ganhando cada vez mais espaço no cenário da arte da dança do ventre. No exterior, em especial nos Emirados Árabes, sapatos são considerados indispensáveis na composição do visual de uma bailarina. Em sua defesa, os militantes do movimento pró-sapato afirmam que, além de proporcionar maior elegância, o calçado priva o público de ver algo totalmente desnecessário como a fatal sujeira que se acumula nos pés da artista, dependendo de sua performance.

No Brasil, apesar de não ser uma exigência dos estabelecimentos contratantes (restaurantes, casas noturnas e eventos em geral que disponibilizam apresentações de dança oriental árabe), o sapato de salto alto tem invadido não só esses locais, mas também espetáculos em teatros, mostras e competições em festivais e até mesmo as salas de aula. Na contrapartida dessa propagação estão os ativistas conservadores da arte milenar, alegando que o sapato não apenas não pertence à tradição, à essência cultural da dança do ventre, como prejudica a saúde das articulações da praticante.

Esta semana Mahaila.net pergunta: "Você é à favor ou contra a difusão do sapato na dança do ventre no Brasil?"

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Poll (English)

The fact is undeniable: they're doing women's heads. Or rather, his feet shod! The high-heeled are gaining more and more space in the art of belly dancing. Abroad, especially in the UAE, shoes are considered indispensable in the visual composition of the dancers. In his defense, activists of the pro-claim that shoe, and provide greater elegance, footwear deprives the public of seeing something completely unnecessary as the fatal dirt that accumulates in the artist's feet, depending on your performance.

In Brazil, although not a requirement of contracting establishments (restaurants,nightclubs and events in general that provide Arabic Oriental dance performances), the high-heeled shoe has invaded not only those places, but also shows in theaters, small shows and competitions at festivals and even classrooms. In return for this conservative activists are spreading the ancient art, claiming not only that the shoe does not belong to the tradition, the cultural essence of belly dance, as affect joint health of the practitioner.

This week Mahaila.net question: "Are you in favor or against the use of shoes in belly dancing in Brazil?"

New blog updates and our Night Out video!
http://ping.fm/KghoU

Do you know what is Poi Veils?

Veil poi is a new prop in belly dance shows. It appeared as a fusion of styles. Originally performed by the Maori in New Zealand, poi and fire dancing are now seen at festivals, raves, concerts and nightclubs around the world. Whether you are performing on a big stage or simply dancing for yourself, poi will add a hypnotic and colourful dynamic.

"It definitely will help you to improve your own show and make it more captivating.  I started to use it after having experience dancing with fire and glow poi." Said Alexis. The most fantastic is that once you learn poi veils then you can also perform and create choreographies with glow poi, that is a boll with LED inside and when you spin it create lights design on the air around you. You also can dance with pixels poi, that is also LED poi in form of a baton however you program on the computer what to write on the air. You can even write the bride's name or the name of your company. A part from LED poi you can also dance with flag, ribon, spiral, veils poi.

Last week we had a girls night out and Alexis, our lovely HADASSAH Stars teacher performed as surprise with pixels poi. That was absolutely amazing! The combination of the song and the patterns she could draw in the air was absolutely amazing. Everyone was watching so surprise as me. Have a look at our Night Out video. You will see the even in a minuscule restaurant with limited space she could dance and make the audience paralyzed. The only word we could hear was: OMG!!!

The fantastic news is that to all belly dancers in the UK, Alexis will teach us to belly dance with poi veils on the 20th November. How exciting is that? She is one of the pioneers in the UK and have circus background which make her even more special. In the workshop you will learn the technique to use all kind of poi. In the workshop we are going to use Spiral Poi, afterwards you can dance with flag, spiral, veils poi, as mentioned before.
The bad news :-( is that we have only 2 places left due to the fantastic repercussion. So have a look below and grab your poi workshop opportunity!

For all workshop info and more Alexis poi videos visit: HADASSAH Stars

How to wash your belly dance costume!

Do you know you need to wash your belly dance costumes?

Dancing every night you need to have many costumes. But it is comum you repeat your costumes from one week to other. When the costume is new, the fabric and beats are so shiny but it never smells good, even when just come from the designers. A mix with incense, shisha and cigaret makes even a brand new costume smells HORRIBLE!!! So what you do? Perfume... :-) and you keep using it adding make up and sweaty. GOSH!!! 

Because is new costume we refuse to wash, as it looks clean. But trust me, it is not clean.

Fresh air or bacterial spray helps for a little while till the day you go to work and you can smell your colleagues costumes, so you realise that we all should wash more frequently. I was thinking, make up, shisha, food smells, sweaty and sometime liquids on the floor that your costume wiped up. Gosh, time to wash all my costumes!

But how is the best way to wash? My friends wash on the wash machine, that I have tried and I confess that is scared when you have a pretty expensive costume. So I washed by hand, one by one and it was a good experience. 

See below how I did. so you can wash your costumes too and won't smell like my friend ;-))))

I washed all inside a plastic box in the bathroom, but you can also wash on the sink or bath.

1- Fill the sink or bath with clean warm water. Cold won't take all stain off and too hot can damage fine fabrics and crystals. 

2- Add soap or wash capsules. I used Surf with essential oils capsules. It is small plastic capsules filled with a liquid to wash your cloths in the wash machine but once you sink it in the water it melts and mix with the water. I liked the work it did and its smells sooo good and fresh.

 3- Sink your costume in the water and start to wash by hand paying more attention where you have make up and stains. Allow the product clean your costume at the same time use your hands to help the stains off. Always very delicate moves.

 4- You are going to see the water very dirty, that is a mix with dirty and fabric colour. Change with clean water as many times as necessary. Just use soap in the first wash afterwards just clean water to take the soap off. You might need to change about 3 times with clean water. Don't worry if still after 3 washes the water is still a bit coloured, it might be the fabric colour.

 4- It will be very wet, so just hang somewhere in the bath and allow it dry a bit, naturally.

5- Once it dropped all water you can hang your costume close to a open window and allow it dry naturally with fresh air. It might take 3 days to dry completely but I am planning to leave it drying for 5 days. If you store your costume still a bit wet it will create mold, you might don't see but certainly will smell.

 6- When you hang your costume also check if you need to fix anything. Always is necessary some sewing or replacements. So before use again make sure you fix all necessary.

Remember that using perfume every night also make your costume smells bad after long time. So I strongly suggest you all to wash your costumes every 3 month or less, if you use regularly certain costumes. 

I hope this help you to keep your costumes clean and smelling like flower flowers. 

PS. I hope my colleague read this :-/ 

Wonderful Greek Night

Who said belly dancing can only be danced by Middle Eastern songs? Well, I also thought that before meet Galu Restaurant in Sutton. A few months ago I first danced at Galu restaurant and for my surprise was with live band, which I love. But for one more surprise, was with Greek live band! Well, never tried before. When I first started I felt sooo stif, gosh! I didn't know the songs and was worried being dancing funny. But the music was so good to dance that I would stay there for all my life. Tonight was the second time I danced with Greek live band at the same venue. Tonight was much more relax and I could enjoy even more. Lovely people, great management, spectacular band, what I wanted more? So I would say to you that we can belly dance even chines music if we truly enjoys it and let the rhythm takes us. A big smile and connection with the audience is the key don't let the night die. For now I suggest everyone interested in Greek food to visit Galu, you will absolutely adore the environment. Www.galu.co.uk

The campaign "Stop Ballet within Bellydance"

This image was the most popular in the last months against Ballet within Bellydance.
One of the most polemic subject in the last years. There was no group, forums and groups of friends that wouldn't talk about this polemic mix of styles.

Ballet is part of bellydance since 1930's when Europeans influenced Bellydance adding Classic Ballet technique into this tribal and street style. The idea in that period was to professionalise the dance to be seen in theatres and musicals. Badia Bassabai, the dancer who opened the first Cassino in Cairo with public shows of Bellydance, also had added ballet into bellydance to be able to choreograph peaces to the public and make it more sellable.

Ballet for long time was necessary to develop technique, posture and add professionalism in belly dancing. Nowadays everyone is noticing there are too much ballet into Oriental Dance and even Folkloric styles, which most professionals don't agree. We can see some dancers, with ballet background with stiff arms and strong moves from ballet. But we also have to agree that these elements might be bringing more ideas, new steps and another way to bellydance. It worked in early 1930's why won't work now?

I do agree that Bellydance is a cultural dance and must be performed like its origins respecting the folkloric and historical side. However I believe all these new elements from ballet can contribute positively in our dance, considering that Ballet is the first form of technical dance ever registered.

The correct I would say, everyone should learn classic music if one dance want to play rock in roll and everyone should learn ballet if one day want to dance hip hop... Does that make sense???? What I want to say is that Classical form of art is always more complex, studied and precise and YES can contribute to folklore and popular styles of music and dance.

However, I have to agree with most of Facebook and Twitter comments saying that "When is too much is too much!!!"

Are you dancing bellydance or Ballet wearing Egyptian costume?

So, I believe classical art must be studied by everyone to understand art and learn to appreciate the beauty of it. However, once you decide to do bellydance, study it with love and all your passion. Integrate in your moves the passion of this culture and the love of these songs and only Belly Dance...

About last post! Subconscious judgement.

Oh Gosh, never realised so many people would read the last post and find themselves in that situation. What a coincidence? So I suppose a lot people must study first and then find a job. Or better, take the job of other professionals instead.
Anyway, when I wrote that was inspired in daily auditions between 4 restaurants I work at and surprisingly a few dancers recognised themselves in that situation and called me to ask why write about them? What?? Wasn't exactly about them, was a general comment with something that keep happening and we want to change.

The case is that girls are impulsive and right away said: Why to write about me? I don't study because I am learning with youtube? I can't study because don't have money? I can't study but I have done a lot? bla bla bla.. What I can do with that? That is just excuses that won't help at all.

We give the job and expect improvement, however no improve no job! Because there is a lot girls out there that have been studying for at least 10 years, hardly and spent a lot money on that. So it is not fair you take the job if you have no knowledge enough and "recognise this". If you recognise yourself I suppose your subconscious is telling you the true and yourself are taking the responsibility to get off the professional works yourself! So no one has to fire you, because you did yourself.

I wish all girls starting in this business have a look at the "big picture" and not only what is around them. I hope they take the advices and improve, keep studying hardly, or honestly... get a life! don't waist your time in something is not for you.