what is the sound of a one-holed zill clanging

[alonewiththemoon]

Pretty good, as it turns out.  A long time ago, M gave me a pair of Zildjan finger cymbals, from their pro line.  They are heavy and large and have a beautiful tone, but they only have one hole for the elastic instead of two holes, which makes them much less stable than regular zills.  There's this big debate in the belly dance world about whether one-holed zills are more professional or just a bad idea in general.  But I will say that when M gave me the zills, I couldn't play them to save my life.  Now that I'm a more proficient zill player, I was amazed to discover this week that I can play them with ease and the instability doesn't seem to be much of a factor any more.  I'm excited about this because their tone is, as I said, beautiful--actually each pair is set to a slightly different tone so the sound is more complex.  I rather wonder if the single hole is part of what makes the tone so lovely, since the metal is less disrupted and the one hole is more symmetrical than two slots are.  Anyway, this was a wonderful discovery.  I'll be playing them tonight when I dance with Walter Sickert at All-Asia.

(These zills have a very rough finish to them and when you slide them across each other they make this wonderful melodic grinding noise, very neubauten.  I love it but M can't stand it, he was sorry he gave them to me the first time I did it :)

To make up for my apparent rise in professionalism, I'm wearing glitterdot tonight.  Don't tell the belly dance police!  It's just way too hot for pants and a glitterdot skirt was the next most appropriate bottom layer for the rest of my costume.


I would rather have seen Lacey and Neil go home, but the results were fair.  When they showed Sara's retrospective clip, it seemed pretty clear that she's courting some serious exhaustion this week.  In her solo last night, she was totally in synch, but a lot of her movements has less flash and flair than even in her try out piece.  For example, that break dance movement where the dancer balances on one hand while placing one foot over the other knee, almost as though she's sitting in a chair that's floating in space?  She was easily a foot higher in that movement in her try out than she was in her solo last night.  I also noticed in the opening number there was one moment where all but one of the girls went into a layback on the floor, while the one girl leaned back and was caught by one of the guys.  I think that was her, and maybe her body is just giving out at this point.  So it's in her long term best interests to stop now--she wasn't going to win anyway, and she's got her spot in the tour.  Pretty much ditto for Dominic, his chair solo was clumsy.

In fact most of them stumbled at one point or another in their solos, except Sabra and maybe Pasha.  Shane Sparks' Matrixy opening number looked very physically demanding and I bet they are all getting tired, and the nerves might be making them lose some focus.  But Sabra was perfect as always.  And I really liked Pasha's matador thing, he reminded me of Amir Thaleb.

What was up with Dominic all over Cat Deely?  First he's kissing Lauren and then he's literally clinging to Cat Deely.  I'm not sure if he's cute or creepy, to be honest.

Comments

[meddevi.livejournal.com]

wait...glitterdot is BAD on the belly dance police radar??

[alonewiththemoon]

there was a big dust-up over glitterdot on bhuz a month or so ago--can't remember what thread it was in, something totally unrelated of course. Glitterdot was sneered at as appropriate only for basic beginner student costuming, and even then only if the students have no pride.

Funny thing, I watched a documentary on a Tuareg music and dance festival in Syria, and they were adorned in yards and yards of glitterdot as they did their traditional dances and played their traditional music and looked magnificent doing it all. So what's authentic now, BD police? Huh??? ;-)

[nepenthedreams]

Moria showed us how she made a BDSS costume out of glitterdot. Thought it involved cutting it into strips and shredding it into unrecognition. Looked cool though.

[bluemoonsaga.livejournal.com]

i've got a shredded glitter dot skirt thingie inspired by bdss that always gets praise??!! like the stuff , use it all the time. bluntly i'm not buying a designer cossie to dance at the co. fair.

[alonewiththemoon]

I have some tassels on a corset belt made out of strips of glitterdot--it's a useful technique!

[meddevi.livejournal.com]

hehe...the white assuit costume that so many drool over, has glitter dot underneath it ;))

I mean, I understand having a love-hate relationship...it's a mess to deal with, but the sparkly factor can't be beat under lights.

[bluemoonsaga.livejournal.com]

if i remember the thread was something about what you hate. people were listing meat & walmart then somebody mentioned glitter dot. made me feel like getting a hamburger & going to walmart to buy glitter dot.

[alonewiththemoon]

oh, that's right. Well, I'll take glitterdot over harem pants any day of the week! ;-)

hate

[bluemoonsaga.livejournal.com]

harem pants. not real fond of chiffon either. luuv velvet.

[nepenthedreams]

I should thank you for introducing me to Melodias, because before that, I thought harem pants were the appropriate thing to wear to bellydance class. I knew they made me look fat but I figured - well, it's WHAT you wear. Along with chiffon skirts with only panties underneath....to class...after all, that's what my instructors wore!

Glitterdot harem pants probably would have been next in my fashion future if I hadn't started hanging out with you!

yup

[bluemoonsaga.livejournal.com]

glitter dot was declared bad recently. a belly bunny mistake. i plan on wearing it every chance i can get now. *off to practice with my $5 zills*

[xenoglaux]

What was up with Dominic all over Cat Deely?

I think he was a little bit high.

[alonewiththemoon]

that could explain it...

[xenoglaux]

I'm sayin' bro....

I also think Danny was messed up too, the run off stage then run back on was way too ditzy for him.

[cassel.livejournal.com]

I think it was more his arrogant true colors coming back out. ie: "yes! I made it!.... oh wait, I have to go and be a good sport about it."

Either that or whenhe ran off stage someone directed him back out.

either way, there was a huge difference in the ways Danny and Pasha handled being told they were saved.

[alonewiththemoon]

I think it was more his arrogant true colors coming back out. ie: "yes! I made it!.... oh wait, I have to go and be a good sport about it."

That's the way I saw it too. "Oh yay, me me me! ... oh, and oh yeah, you."

Pasha is such a gentleman, at least in his public persona. He seems pretty straightforward, though. The fact that he's 27 probably makes a big maturity difference.

[sirendipity.livejournal.com]

Speaking of Danny: is it me or is he becoming more...flamboyant as he comes out of his shell? I think he totally has a crush on Travis, too. hehe.

[cassel.livejournal.com]

W. says his "schtick" is a fake crush on Cat.

[alonewiththemoon]

Could be--though I have an alternate theory that he kissed Lauren to make people speculate about him and Lauren and thus completely ignore the true affair, him and Cat, even as he climbs all over her! ;-)

[cassel.livejournal.com]

Ha! eh... I guess I'm the cynical one who sees him as having a bet with his friends back home..

"dude, she's so h0t."
"yeah, but whats with the off-center nose?"
"dude, who cares, she's h0t!"
"I bet she wouldn't let you hug her."
"uh uh.."
"prove it."
"k."
"On air dude. we want proof."
"k."
...
"fine, double or nothing. Bet she wouldn't let you kiss her."
"dude, you are so on."