Finally the Launch of Our Online Studio!
Wow… We did it. We launched the online bellydance classes. I’m kinda in shock about it all. It was a dream for so long and now we have a online dance studio. Not just a class here and there….. no…. we have the whole belly dance studio online for people to learn, grow, and experience. Now there are really no excuses.
What I’m most excited about is being able to bring my mother around the world without her leaving the studio. My mom will not get on a freeway, fly, or go over a bridge, so being able to bring her to each and every home is such a joy. How lucky we are to be able to still have Jamila Salimpour teach you every day.
And the other component that was a huge factor in investing in online bellydance classes was that I felt it was the responsible move for my certification program. My format is hard and very demanding. It is a format you must practice like any other dance form – multiple times a week. The levels are clear, but you must do the work and put in the time. So if I’m not there to “push” you wont be as motivated to push yourself. It is just human nature. I have had my certification program developing for over 2 and a half decades and the one thing that was always an issue was people living far and not being able to have me train them. Now there are no excuses.
I had tried many times to make DVD’s of my format and over and over again came up the issue of “we need drills”. If I made drills of my format it would take me 2 years of filming every day to maybe finish. So the only logical answer to this issue was to have my weekly bellydance classes filmed since I don’t teach the same class twice in any level.
I got an email today from someone that said that they were so happy to have the online dnce classes so now they can see if I am as scary as “they say”. I laughed and laughed to myself ’cause I then thought well now I have no excuses either.
Rakkasah 2009
Rakkasah 2009
It always takes me time to “come down” after Rakkasah. Each year brings a new revelation. And then Monday morning hits and the day gets longer and longer with “the letdown”. Of course I day dream about all my friends that I was able to see. It is truly like a family reunion with all that people that I make my rounds to catch up with. It isn’t much time that we spend together, but just checking in makes a difference. In the last 2 years I have felt so much love and support from my dance community that I can say with my heart and soul that it is family.
Shukria and Michelle do an amazing job with both Rakkasahs and now the East Coast Spring Caravan. This family has dedicated so much to try and always find us the best venues and circumstances for performance and for this event. We all miss the old location in Richmond, but the new location in Vallejo is full of growth potential. We will get use to it once I figure out where all my friends booths are. The stage area and floor plan was very smooth this year and with vendors representing many styles it made it very difficult for me not to shop.
I adored the Middle Eastern family that had their booth right next to mine. Not only did they have wonderful goodies from Morocco (and yes I bought quite a few things for my home), but they brought their own Turkish coffee with them and we had coffee together – which kept me going. We had our booths circle outside so the inside could be our little den. Oh and the coffee was so good! I think it helped me out a little extra during the show too! This year our booth had a different look as well, thanks to Brittney. It felt fresh and inviting. I have so much information that it was starting to explode off the tables. And each of my dancers pitched in working on a rotation behind the booth. Now that is community. I sat and watched all these great women feel proud to represent the Salimpour Legacy, and I felt proud of them.
Now to explain our performance on Sunday is difficult. Not because the music, costumes, and choreography isn’t explainable, but the energy on that stage blew my mind. I have never seen my dance company so full of life. I was so proud and felt that the stage was getting eaten up. It had been years since I have performed with my dance company and this year I decided to dance with my girls. Of course we rehearse like crazy, but truly if you are not totally ecstatic on stage it doesn’t shoot to the back of the room. And can I tell you… we were shooting all over the place. 20 dancers entered the stage and from the first second Isabella opened our show the audience was silent. The weird part for me was looking at mini me onstage. Wow is she growing up fast!
So is all the hard work worth it? Yes! Did Vashti’s choreography rock? Yes! Was Rashid and his harem luscious? Yes! Did Brittney’s chair dance explode? Yes! And did we blow it out with our finger cymbal drum solo? Yes! So I feel all warm and fuzzy inside and can’t stop myself from thinking “what am I gonna do next year?” as I slap myself. I want to enjoy this year a bit long before starting to plan next year. But not too much longer…
First Ever Jamila Level 2 Weeklong!
We had such a great time at the first Jamila Level 2 Weeklong Workshop. All of these wonderful women worked extremely hard on the four Level 2 choreographies and learned a remarkable amount. It was truly so much fun.
My New Level 3 Certified Dancers! (Feb. 2009)
Rachel, Nadira, Me, Kitiera and Rebecca.
Congratulations to my new Level 3 certified dancers! I am so proud of you!
Level 3 Workshop – February 2009
