In general, if we have to pigeon-hole the experience,
I'd say this is a Vinyasa Studio... Flow, breath, the holistic
& the therapeutic is the focus. Aspects of Ashtanga, Iyengar,
Anusara, Amrit, etc. are utilized especially when students are
in need, ready, willing, or will benefit.
(Once, when the AC was hooked up wrong, we practiced a little
Bikram. That's not a standard offering here though.)
Every day each class is adapted to the participants. The focus
remains on the preventative, detoxifying, mind-centering therapy
of Yoga... that's what's most important to me... but challenging
ourselves and moving further both physically and mentally/emotionally
is also a goal. Boring is a really bad word here... We consistently
explore.
So
Belly Dance, what do you teach and explore in that realm?
"Deep Isolation & Solid Technique"
is the starting point which prepares you for EVERY style of Belly
Dance.
I'd have to say that Yoga and Belly Dance, for me, have also become
tightly intertwined so once a student has the basics, I encourage
particpation in Yoga & Conditioning for Belly Dancers.
My Background in BellyDance:
I was introduced to the world of "Bellydance" via what
seems lately to be lumped into one category, "Cabaret"
(some may call that a rather recent commercialization or even
explotation of Egyptian, Turkish, even Greek - the folkloric dances,
which used to be done within one’s tribe or their family
and local community and eventually made its way to stages and
became what you think of today when you hear the word "BellyDancer")
and I constantly return to that "root".
However, I quickly jumped into Tribal & from
there, quickly into Tribal Fusion. Rachel Brice, in particular,
caught my attention immediately and when you study her, you realize
Yoga isn’t just a stretching or strengthening exercise.
Sure, it’s (belly dance is) about maximum flexibility, muscular
and skeletal control, all necessary for Bellydance, but it’s
also about being present, and it is also about breathing... prana...
the life force within you and around you… feeling what you
are doing and with that feeling, emoting outward... working with
and even changing energy.
I suppose it’s that feeling of returning
to the strength of the dance, not to mention
the profound camaraderie amongst dancers that drew me in so fast
and deep to all things "Tribal". The intensity of control
within the body, really picking apart the skeletal and muscular
structures and how they work together with the mind and the creative
spirit… the collage of strength, control, sensuality, and
"spinelessness" is nothing short of stunning…
again, herein lies a never ending array of goals, opportunities
and experiences.
So to make that long story of "what
I teach" a bit shorter:
I start with teaching everyone the very basics of Isolation –
what belly dance really is about - even if they've taken 3 years
of Belly Dance, just in case they weren't aware, for example,
that they could expand one side of their ribs while contracting
the other whilst keeping the hips completely out of that movement
and rotating the shoulders in such a way that it mesmerizes audiences...
or that the heels are not involved in a deep maya and there is
a great reason for that... If they then skip ahead because
they do indeed already have that foundation, fantastic!
Depending upon each student's own desire, they
may end up in Cabaret or Cab-Fusion, Indi-Bhangra-Bharatanatyam-Fusion,
Hip Hop-Fusion, Burlesque-Fusion, ATS and/or Tribal-Fusion…
It really depends upon the student. If they want to do Drum Solos
and only Drum Solos, obviously I work with them to that end all
the while encouraging them to do Troupe pieces but ultimately
they are here to learn whatever I can teach them to meet their
own goals. Performance is not required but it is strongly
encouraged.
Bottom line: The world of “Belly Dance”
is huge and while there are what some term “purists”
out there who point one way or the other calling one style “real”,
nothing in life is really purely one thing or another… not
any art form, anyway. As long as the movements are those in the
Bellydance repertoire, it’s really up to the students where
they want me to take them individually… but taking them
I am. There’s not a lot of “I just wanna do laybacks”
or “let me use my heels doing mayas because it’s just
so much easier”… I study fanatically because I love
it and I'm here to pass it on.. else, why pay me...
I also have to add in a completely superficial aspect here, a
more regimented format, while still a total blast (perhaps moreso
than something so laid back it almost lacks any format at all)
also provides some serious health benefits. If a return to the
natural, feminine, hourglass shape is your goal, this dance and
this format is your best friend.
What does belly dance mean to you - spiritually,
intellectually, physically, or otherwise?
Bellidance is souldance...
Beyond that basic root, I've realized that this
dance returns all of us, every woman (and many men) to a true
understanding of the feminine - femininity that is at once strong
and vulnerable, beautiful in every life stage, in every
size, shape and color. It is thee root dance of all the others
(yes, even Ballet began there) and because of that, once you find
that movement, it just feels right in the body.
What other things you are involved in
or working toward?
I'm constantly working through the different
limbs of yoga, slowly and surely, with great pleasure, and I'm
very intrigued and challenged by Budo/the Martial Arts and am
finally taking time in my life to delve into that. I won't spoil
the surprise but at some point in the intermediate future there
will be a class here that will appeal to both men and women incorporating
some things that are rarely incorporated here in the West, at
least not in "gyms" or the average "dance studio".
I’m also an Aromatherapist and make (and
sell here in the Boutique) my own line of body & massage oils,
serums, perfumes, sprays and aromatherapy blends. I also stock
only completely natural incense from India, Japan, and Native
America, as well as carrying your basic ceremonial and medicinal
herbs, teas, herbal tinctures, oils (i.e.: Oil of Oregano), etc..
So, Aromatherapy and Natural Medicine/Herbalism are huge parts
of my life. I'm very much of the belief that if a problem exists
on Earth, it started here and the solution is right here too.
We just have to look for it.
Oh... and I don't know if I even have to mention
that I'm a jewelry, clothing, accessory and textile junky? That
seems to go with the words "Belly Dancer" I would guess,
but keeping an array of eclectic jewelry and textiles around me,
ready for purchase or project, is kind of the parallel business
here at the Studio.
What do you hope to impart on students
who take your classes?
Love for themselves!
Love for their body, their mind, their path. If their goal is
physical fitness, that’s easy. I can flatten your belly
or get rid of a saddlebag without much thought at all as long
as you are as dedicated as I am to that goal, and doing so is
very enjoyable for me. Nevertheless, far above that, I want them
to find out that fitness is more than a diet or an exercise (which
to my joyous surprise, many people already do know this before
they’ve even gotten to one of my classes!).
With both Bellydance & Yoga as well as the
other classes like Yogilates, Pilates, etc., I truly hope they
fall in love with the movements and the feelings you experience
when you practice...
A myriad of cultural contexts are also involved
in all practices here which should be acknowledged in any personal
practice. Beyond the long, interesting history behind these practices,
the fact that as this globe shrinks more and more every day, we
all are in desperate need of more cultural education, tolerance,
and understanding... moreso - almost urgently - than we ever have
needed it.. right here, right now!
There are also, sadly, some serious misperceptions
that need to be discarded. Lots have come before us and I think
we need to recognize that and learn from them, not to mention
who is coming after we are gone… Is it not our job to prepare
for the next phase? ...
I have to say that in Yoga, Pilates, BelliFit™,
Wolrd Dance Workout, but especially in Bellydance, I find I’m
constantly feeding a new outlook on body image and dismantling
the strange, media-driven complexes people - whether it's a 14
year old girl or 67 year old man - have picked up and taken into
their bodies and minds with judgment and even fear or shame.
Releasing those faulty images and negative feelings with the positive
and the pure is priceless. I think that's a huge reason I'm even
sitting here right now. It's beautiful.
Jennifer Neal, Yogini, Pilates & Belly Dance
Instructor
So
Belly Dance, what do you teach and explore in that realm?