(no subject)

Barbaro is doing as well as could be hoped for at the moment; hopefully that will continue.  He has a tremendous amount of metal holding his leg together now, but one danger with that is that all those pins provide multiple potential infection sites.  He ate like, well, a horse after the surgery, which is a good sign about his attitude at least.  All this must be extremely confusing for him, even apart from any pain. 

I was feeling sad enough about Barbaro that I wasn't at all sure how dancing was going to go on Sunday night, but after a wishy-washy start it went well.  I had a blast with the 7/8 drum solo.  I was a little worried the song itself might have been too repetitive, but dancing it for real I could feel and hence interpret the build up.  It's a really interesting rhythm to work with, because it sounds almost like an ayoub but not quite, and you have to think on your feet in order to switch sides, what with the odd number of beats.  Anyway I think people actually liked hearing something a little different from the usual drum solo.  I'll definitely keep it in my repertoire.

Apart from the Preakness, it was a good weekend.  Saturday I took a bunch of paperbacks to the used bookstore, and brought home a bunch of other paperbacks.  Hooray for seemingly infinite store credit!  After the race, M and I had sushi for dinner, and I continued on to a party while he crashed after a long day of recording.  It felt good to go out and see people, and jetsetting around from party to club to party felt very rockstar.

Conversation overheard in the crowded women's room at Toast (said club):

"Oh my god, somebody in here smells so good"
Woman leaping out of the stall she had just entered:  "oh my god, is it me?  I bet it's me!"
First woman:  "Oh my god, it is you!  What is that fragrance?"
Second woman:  "oh my god, it's Paris Hilton"--chorus of exclaimations from all women except me, doing my best to keep a straight face--"I was at the perfume counter and the woman told me to try it and I was like I am so not Paris Hilton but then I tried it and I was like, oh my god I *am* Paris Hilton!  I *am* Paris Hilton!"

I sang my head off at the party, to various karaoke songs and Buffy the Musical.  Felt good, though my throat was less than thrilled with me the next day.  Which I spent doing some intensive spring cleaning--I found a massive kibble stash in the nightstand and that prompted the cleaning frenzy.  Silly weasels.  They "helped" with the sweeping and vacuuming.  Cleaning is much more fun with ferrets involved.  Then yoga (and again, noted positive changes in my body as chiro treatment continues), and dancing, which brings me more or less back to the beginning of this post.  I guess checking on Barbaro was probably the last thing I did before going to sleep at a far too late hour of the evening.

beginner belly dance workshops

Interested in learning something about belly dance, but not sure about committing to a regular class?  Check out Seyyide's intro to belly dance workshops at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education!  Also, although they are beginner workshops, if you have previous dance experience in a style other than Egyptian/Arabic, these might make a good introduction to Egyptian/Arabic style for you.

Event: Workshops with Seyyide at Cambridge Center for Adult Education

Location: Cambridge, MA

Dates:     Saturday May 27, 1:00-4:00 PM

                Saturday June 3, 1:00-4:00 PM

 

Seyyide will be teaching two workshops at CCAE

May 27: Introduction to Bellydance. No experience required.

Learn Raks Sharki or Belly Dance, the Oriental dance women have performed for ages. Practice ancient movements, including balance, undulations, and vibrations, to ancient rhythms. This is a dance of isolation; different parts of the body are moved independently, layered to make a unity. Every part of your body will participate, from your toes to your fingertips, your head and your heart, as you develop body awareness and coordination. Regardless of your age or body type, you can learn something from this dance. Wear comfortable clothes, such as leotards or gym apparel, and bring a scarf to tie around your hips. Limited to 16.

June 3: Introduction to Belly Dancing using elements: Finger Cymbals and Veil

Part I will be a basic introduction to the use of a veil to embellish your dance. Part II will deal with the finger cymbals, the most common rhythms of Arabic music and the way to accompany with the cymbals. A minimum of experience in belly dance is required for this workshop, but no experience with cymbals or veil required.

 

For registration and information contact the CCAE directly (www.ccae.org).