Day 11: My Space

It's class day so that counts. I'll probably play the pop playlist for our 20 minutes tonight. I think I will do it right at the beginning and invite any of my beginners who want to stick around to dance with us.
As I ran in my dance room together my iPod I realized that it has become a bit messy. Messy in a lived in sort of way.
I added a floor cushion to sit on for when I am watching DVDs or having the chatty part of my Skype lesson. Random fitness equipment like my hand weights, foam roller and a yoga mat have all migrated in there. It's a tiny room but somehow having all this stuff makes it feel better. It's much less a sterile space and more of a "me" sort of space. I like it.

Day 10: A Milestone

So, I said before that I wrote the numbers 1-90 on my mirror and I am ticking them off as I go. Well, they are in 9 rows of 10 so - one row done!

I'm still suffering from extreme fatigue and muscle soreness. I've been using my improv session like a warm up. I decided instead of pushing myself to do a long practice one day and only being able to do a short practice the next that I would even them out. Maybe if I just do as much as I can sustain every day then I will be able to add every week or so. I've also started adding in other elements to make it a long "work time" without exhausting myself.

So for now my daily practice looks like this.
20 minutes improv - starts slow and is my warm-up
10 minutes drills - I can't do too much this really fatigues my muscles
15 minutes choreography - I run it at least 3 times
5-10 minutes cool down/stretch
5 minutes upper body conditioning - this is how I know I am in rough shape, this was a breeze a month ago now I can barely manage my usual sets
Wednesdays & Sundays Yoga for Abs
10 minute meditation

All in all about about 1:15 - 1:45 in the studio so even though I'm not dancing the whole time, I'm still putting my usual time aside. Who knows maybe as the dance time grows I will keep the other stuff and have a killer routine.

Unfortunately, despite any lingering illness I am still able to my least favorite part of being an instructor, updating my syllabus and getting everything ready to start a new session next week.

Day 9: It feels good

So, I have to admit that I never did the rest of my practice yesterday. I felt run down by the time I got home and my husband and I had a date night planned so I chose to shower and rest instead of practice.

Its fitting that today's e-mail was about overdoing it and becoming cranky. I do feel like the while the week got off to a great start the second half seemed very forced. It's like when I am asked to make a combo or dance to certain piece of music that's okay but when you ask me to make a combo using X moves then it feels contrived and forced and I never like it. I felt like the 2nd half of the week was very forced and I was just dancing because I had a commitment.

Today felt better. Maybe it was my mood or the music that queued up. I don't know but today it felt good again.

I did go right into my drills and choreography practice after. I am still not up to dancing as much as I was pre-illness. I thought it would get easier but it is getting harder. I am very stiff and sore all the time. Of course, my massage therapist picked this week to go on vacation to Aruba. But I am trying.
Today's e-mail also mention Alia's tips for combating fatigue. I am doing all those things.

1. Vitamins and supplements- I am a big fan. I know they are not replacement for good nutrition but I am have good nutrition and still have a few deficiencies. I also think everyone should take a multi-vitamin and pro-biotics because no diet it perfect.
2. Water - The answer is to always drink more water.
3. Sleep - Yes, please.
4. Exercise - Obviously.
5. Relaxation - I admit that I am a non- relaxer. But I work on it. I listen to a guided meditation every night before I go to bed (it also helps me sleep) and downloaded a meditation app on my phone which I use sometimes at work when I am overwhelmed.

The good news is that I am still doing my super hard Abs video twice a week and while it is challenging I am not having the usual "please, don't make me laugh" soreness. So one good thing came out of coughing so hard I puked. Yay! Now I just have to work on getting the rest of my body reset.

Days 7&8: One Week

Day 7's email said it was okay to take a break. Good thing too, because I read it after I took a break. Friday is the one day a week that I don't practice. We usually do something after work to relax and get the weekend started. I had intended to come home and do my 20 minutes before anything else but it didn't happen.

Today I had an early hair appointment and decided to get my 20 minutes in first. This way I hope to be able to focus on my other practice this afternoon. I went back to the classics playlist. I tried to focus and moving energy but it wasn't happening for me so I just moved.

Especially after being sick and off my feet, it feels good to get into my space and just move everyday.

Day 6: Laylat Hob

Today's email was about musicality. Alia made several references to Laylat Hob. I happen to have an hour long recording of it so today I went in to my dance space and listened to it. My Skype lesson was scheduled for 5:00 so as I listened, I picked up and arranged things. I didn't really dance but I sometimes found my self swaying and moving in time to the music.

Days 4&5: The Safe Word

The very first thing on the mirror in my dance room is this: The Safe Word is RELAX
I'm a much better dancer if I can let go of the pressure.  I tried to do that with my practice today. Just be free, and not worry about it. I mean, who am I dancing for? Just myself.

Tuesday night is the night I teach and so there won't be posts. My second class has been working on improv and I made the 20 minutes part of our class. We are actually moving on to something else next week but I told them that we would still devote 20 minutes each week to improv.

I may have tried to do too much too soon. I am back to dancing 6 days a week but I can't make it an hour every day. If I do an hour one day then I can only do about 1/2 an hour. I am thankful that I can even do that much but it's frustrating because I feel so far behind in my homework for my lessons. That brings me to the statement on the mirror under the safe word.

There is plenty of time to get there.

I actually wrote that in reference to a choreography I was rushing but I find it applies to all things. Not to say that I don't have goals, or even deadlines. But there is plenty of time to get there. Relax. Have fun.

Day 3: Psychic?

Ha! So not only did I title yesterdays post the title of today's email (and by today I mean the real day 3 which was a month ago) but I originally had titled it Day 3 before I realized my error and went back and changed it to Day 2.

Tonight we are going to my parent's for dinner. I didn't want to have to worry about getting home in time to do my chores and my dance practice so I am going to go home right after work practice, clean and then head out for my parents house. That does mean I won't have time to blog later.

But if yesterday was light and I made shadows, what do I do for shadows today?

Day 2: Allegory of the Cave

A morning of heavy cleaning had already wiped me out. I had dusted and moved a few things in my dance space as a part of that so the space was feeling refreshed even if I was not.

The great thing about Alia's Love Note e-mails is they give you a focus but not a command.

Day 2 was light. My dance room has an average dome light so I usually leave the blinds open. I knew that closing them wouldn't really block out enough of the afternoon sun to do anything but make my dance room less stimulating. So I decided I would have to imagine my play with light. I chose my tribal/fusion playlist today. My dancing was a sort of fluid posing which made me think a lot about line. I imagined I was shadow dancing or dancing behind a screen as I flowed from one shape to the next. The last song that came up was Jehan's Enter the Temple. While I adore her and her dancing, I think that song is like Kraft - it's the cheesiest. But today, I focused on the lyrics as well as the music and let the song guide my line/shapes and breath. It was actually fun. I should give that song more credit.

My big observation today was this. If someone who was not a dancer was given still images of a bellydancer dancing in street clothes and not made up in any way, would they be able to identify what was going on? Do our lines, angles, expression, etc give us away? It's something to think about. 

Improv Challenge Day 1: Back in the habit

The post title makes me think of Sister Act 2, which I kid you not is my dads secret favorite movie, and that seems appropriate since we are currently without a pope.

So I am supposed to be participating in Alia's 90 Day Improv Challenge, and I was going to blog about it. While I am technically doing those things, I am about a month behind. I got the worst cold I have ever had about 2 days before the challenge was supposed to begin. Not only did I not leave my house for 7 days, I also was not able to really dance for almost 3 weeks. The first day I tried to practice all I managed to do was change clothes and hook up my iPod before I was beat. So today I officially kicked off my altered timeline 90 day improv challenge. Why did I decide to blog about it? A little bit of accountability, a little bit of guilt for letting my blog sit unused but mostly to make myself analyze what I was feeling enough to articulate it.

So as this is my introductory post, how about a little introduction to how I practice to begin with. My dance room, there is a post with photos around here somewhere, has a mirrored closet. I like to make notes on the mirror with dry erase markers. It's easy to see when you are up close but they don't get in the way at all when you are practicing. On the left mirror I write the month and what my focus is for that month (sometimes several things). On the right mirror I write the dates of every day that I practice this month and under a big heading labeled Today's Notes I write anything I observed that I want to remember for my next practice. I also added numbers 1-90 that I can mark off as I work on this challenge and space for some little notes and observations on it as well.

March: shimmy drills, choreography (that I am learning from my teacher), syllabus (review for changes for my next session of classes), improv

3/2 Improv Challenge Day 1
Intentions: Get out of head
Notes: Shimmies make me think, push turn with V (a move I noticed I did and liked)

I decided that even though I would put my iPod on shuffle for this challenge I would stick to a playlist so as not to feel too disjointed. I decided that since I'm starting slow I would use my classic/traditional playlist. I warmed up to Oum Kalthsom to get into the mood. I set my timer for 20 minutes and hit play.
Not even a minute into it I found the ticking of my timer distracting. My dance room is very small but moving it across the room so it was opposite the sound system allowed me to focus on just the music. I found that the first song which was a taxsim that I was able to focus my mind on the steady rhythm while my body danced to the accordion. It felt like a really good start. The next couple of songs I was very familiar with and able to go on auto-pilot, I tried to really focus on breathing with the music. I need to figure out how to breathe with the music when it speeds up. When the music moved on to something unfamiliar I was having trouble not "thinking". I happened to turn toward the window and noticed some birds eating in the snow. I realized I could watch them and dance without thinking about my dance just feeling the music. Unfortunately, this distraction went too far and I started thinking about the other things I needed to practice and lost the intention in my improv.

When the timer dinged, I turned the music off. I didn't even let the song finish. I still haven't gotten up to doing very much cardio dance since my illness and didn't want to overdo it since I had other things to practice. I moved on to my shimmy drills and worked on my choreography. I only had a 50 minute practice because I was feeling beat. After stretching, I did do my favorite yoga for abs DVD. I can't let all the abwork I did coughing my head off go to waste ;)

Shared Post: Amazing Egyptian Spa Themed Birthday Party

It's not often I use the "Share to Blogger" function on Google Reader but sometimes a post is so awesome that I don't trust y'all to click it when I post a link.
So check out this Egyptian Spa Themed Birthday Party from Hostess with the Mostess. This is a great idea for kids parties or you could do an adult theme with real spa treatments (you could upgrade the jewelry, but I'll be honest, I think the macaroni bracelets are awesome) or even make it more spa in concept for an outdoor soiree. So many awesome ideas that I just had to share. If you love it click through and give HWTM some love.

Amazing Egyptian Spa Themed Birthday Party:
Hostess with the Mostess®

This Egyptian-inspired “Cleopatra’s Spa Day” party that Bettijo of PagingSupermom.com threw for her daughter’s 7th birthday is – in a word – AMAZING!

Egyptian Birthday Party Highlights

Designed & styled with the help of her co-blogger Aimee, the Paging Supermom gals not only created a wonderfully unique and imaginative party atmosphere here, but they also put a huge emphasis on creative activities a for the kids…from “jeweled” Egyptian collars that the girls created using their fingerprints and paint (!) to a Sandbox table where they were encouraged to play and “exfoliate” before they were treated to manicures and Egyptian-inspired painting. There are so many more fun details to share, but one of my very favorites has got to be the downright fabulous DIY Gold Arm Cuffs that Bettijo made from empty toilet paper rolls, macaroni and spray paint. Oh. My. Goodness. I’m tempted to Page Supermom for my own birthday party! ;)


Read on for more fabulous party images + all the creative details…













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PARTY DETAILS, as told by Bettijo…
: 

When I started brainstorming ideas for an Egyptian-themed birthday party I immediately had an idea to build a big tent in the backyard. I ran the idea past my husband (who is used to my crazy elaborate party ideas by now), and being the darling Superdad that he is, he figured out a way to build a tent-inspired structure using mainly wire, fabric and safety pins! (See Faux Tent how-to below.)
The tent turned out amazing and definitely set the scene for the rest of our activities. My daughters’ other request was that this year be an all-girl party. With that in mind and pulling on my experience as founder of spa and bath brand, Bath By Bettijo , I centered on a Cleopatra’s Spa Day theme.
We divided the tent space up into 4 main areas: Food Table, Pillow Corner, Spa Table and Activity Area. Each space had it’s own functionality, but I wanted some way to unify all the spaces. I decided to collect the pieces for each space’s activity (except of course the food display) into matching wooden trays placed in each area. My husband built and stained these simple wood trays for under $5 each (See Wood Tray how-to below.)
PARTY FOOD:
My co-blogger Aimée and I tend to like minimalist and modern styling, but since the whole idea of this food table was a spread fit for an Egyptian Princess, we wanted to create a feeling of richness and abundance. This meant going outside our comfort zone a bit and piling things on the table to fill it up. We’re very excited with how the food table came together.
I baked six loaves of bread using this recipe. It is the EASIEST bread recipe ever – I baked all 6 loaves the morning of the party – that’s how easy it is! Not only is this bread as easy, but it also tastes wonderful and looks so natural and beautiful. Plus when baking vs. buying artisan bread, you save yourself lots of dough. Literally!
In keeping with the whole idea of “Spa” we tried to keep the food selections relatively healthy and natural but still fun and kid-friendly. We served whole dates, pears, chocolate coins and other fruits in pretty glass jars. Sliced bread, grapes, blackberries, olives, veggies and a selection of cheeses were presented at the guests fingertips, and the girls were invited to snack throughout the party.
I really loved the “Sand Cupcakes” made from the always delicious Krusteaz Cinnamon Streusal muffin mix. These are a breakfast favorite at my house, and one morning, a few weeks before this party, we were eating them, and I remember thinking how much the topping reminded me of sand. Aha! Sand Cupcakes are perfect for an Egyptian party!
Attalie thought a pyramid cake would be so cool, and I wasn’t sure exactly how to pull it off. Aimée came up with the idea of making a giant Rice Krispie Treat pyramid. We formed the base by making two batches and molding into a tapered square bowl I already had. The top portion was formed by hand using part of a third batch of Rice Krispie mix. I created the rough shape by hand and then pressed each of the four sides at and angle repeatedly on a wooden cutting board until we were satisfied with the shape. Then I pressed the top and base pieces together. To cover the seam and add a little sparkle, we finished the cake with white-and-gold, Egyptian-patterned ribbon. I mitered the ribbon’s corners so the pieces would fit right with the diagonal lines of the pyramid’s edge, and then I secured the ribbon in place with pins (which we were sure to remove before serving!)
PARTY ACTIVITIES:
When the girls first arrived at the party they were greeted by a fun sign on the door and then ushered through the house to the backyard where they met our “caravan.” We had them remove their shoes and change into socks and then each girl received a headband (made out of colored elastic seam binding like this). We began with a couple of gathering activities that would be easy for the girls to quickly join in on as they arrived. We had crayons and the Fill-in the Pharaoh’s Face Coloring Pages  set out on a table as well as a Sandbox for playing and “exfoliating” before their manicures.
Once all the guests arrived we began our first craft, Egyptian Collars adorned with fingerprint “jewels” made using red, blue, green and gold tempera paint. We set the collars aside and let them dry.
Next each girl made her own jewel bracelets, and during this activity we had the girls take turns at our spa table where they were treated to a royal makeover. First up was a pampering manicure including a Dead Sea Mud Mask; hand massage using Organic Whipped Shea Butter, topped off with gold nail polish. Then each girl was given Egyptian black eye liner and red lipstick. Finishing touches were a set of Gold Arm Cuffs that I’d made ahead from empty toilet paper rolls, macaroni and spray paint (See how-to below) and a giant gemstone ring.
After the girls completed their spa treatments we invited them to lounge in our Pillow Corner. I was trying to think of some simple activity to provide in this area that would be interesting but very unscripted and sort of quiet (since we were trying to create a spa atmosphere). My first thought was reading books, but that didn’t seem very partyish. Then I remembered how my daughter pours over the rock collection my aunt has in her backyard. Attalie is totally obsessed with rocks so I decided to surprise her by borrowing a bunch of my aunt’s rocks to set out at the party. I totally pictured all the little girls gathered around a tray of shiny, pretty rocks using a magnifying glass to “inspect” them — adorable in my mind, but I was sure it probably wouldn’t go over that way in person. BIG SURPRISE – it totally happened. Somehow the zen-like atmosphere rubbed off on them (or maybe it was the lack of boys?) but after each girl was done with her makeover, she joined the others in the Pillow Corner where they admired their bejeweled selves in a gold mirror, inspected the rocks and whispered and giggled. It was precious!
We gathered the birthday gifts in a wooden crate in the Pillow Corner and after all the guests had received their makeovers, Attalie sat on a bench and opened her presents.
PARTY FAVORS:
Each of the girls left the party decked out like an Egyptian Princess with her own pretty bottle of Cleopatra’s Milk Bath.
I knew we’d hit the mark, when just before leaving a couple of the moms remarked to me at how relaxing this party had been. (Yes – they thought a 7-year-old’s birthday party was relaxing!) Certainly it hadn’t felt relaxing to me at all (as the hostess it never is), but those words were the best compliment they could have given me!
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HOW TO MAKE THE FAUX TENT:
Our Superdad is responsible for this genius tent. Of course the specifics will vary based on your own location, but here’s some basic instructions to get you going. We started by setting three, 10-foot 2x4s into buckets of concrete and let dry for several days until solid. Next we attached three evenly spaced eye bolts to our back patio. We placed the center eye bolt 12 inches higher than the ones on the sides to give the tent shape. We also attached three eye bolts to the tops of the 2×4 posts. Then we placed the buckets on the far side of our yard, in line with the bolts on our patio. Since our yard is in the midst of a makeover, we didn’t mind digging holes to bury these buckets and make things more stable. We stretched tie wire (from the hardware store) from each eye bolt on the back of the patio to it’s corresponding eye bolt on the 2x4s. Pull it REALLY tight and secure well so it can support the weight of the fabric. We placed two perpendicular lines of tie wire to frame the front and back of the tent.
We purchased a total of 32 yards of white fabric (60-inch wide) and cut it into three lengths. We used a polyester fabric that reminded me of parachute material, but we selected it simply because the price was right (definitely a good time to check out the dollar table). We draped the three strips of fabric over the wire frame, overlapping the edges of each strip by about six inches. Then we let the ends hang down created the illusion of tent walls. We secured the fabric to the wire frame with safety pins. If your day is windy (like ours was) you’ll need to attach some kind of weights.
To dress up the tent I used inexpensive ribbon clustered onto a safety pin and easily attached to the wire frame. The colorful strips that created the back “wall” of the tent are courtesy of Aimee’s old living room – they are Pier 1 Imports window panels purchased several years ago.
HOW TO MAKE SIMPLE & RUSTIC WOOD TRAYS:
For the tray’s sides he used inexpensive pine 1x2x8s (you’ll need one for each tray) for the sides. Then he cut all three of the bottoms from one lightweight board, cut down to approximately 15×19 inches. He used small tack nails to attach the bottom and sides together, sanded and finished with a medium wood stain.
HOW TO MAKE EGYPTIAN GOLD MACARONI CUFFS:
This brilliant idea comes from my daughter’s first grade teacher. You need one toilet paper roll per set of cuffs. Cut the roll lengthwise on just one side so they create an open shape (resembling a cuff). Next cut each roll in half the other direction (perpendicular to your first cut) so you now have two separate cuffs. Glue elbow macaroni (using regular white school glue) as desired onto each cuff. This part could be fun to let the kids do themselves. Cover with gold spray paint and let dry.
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VENDOR CREDITS & RESOURCES:

– Design & Styling: Aimee Lowry & Bettijo B. Hirschi of PagingSupermom.com
– Invitations, Party Flags, Jar Labels, Signs: Supermom Co-Op
– Photography: Michelle Gifford of Jasper and Josephine
– Giant Gemstone Ring: Oriental Trading 

Hostess with the Mostess®