Monday, July 29, 2013
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Upcoming July Bellydance Events!
Happy shimmies everyone! The Summer is halfway done but the fun is never over. I'm happy to announce that I'll be instructing SharQui®, the only accredited Bellydance workout in the world, this Sunday in White Plains, NY. This is a special event because not only am I instructing but there will be many other classes as well in this free open house celebrating Love Dance Fitness Studio's first year!
This is the opportunity we have been waiting to celebrate our One Year Anniversary. We did it!!
Bring
your friends and family and let’s celebrate together the joy of Fitness and
Happiness.
THIS IS A FREE EVENT!!
Have you have always
wanted to try Bellydance? Try SharQui-the
Bellydance workout® with Nahla!
Enjoy
the benefits of this fat-burning workout such as a toned core, improved posture
and circulation, increased stamina and strength! Class will take place at:
Love,
Dance & Fitness
196
Maple Avenue
White
Plains, NY
(2nd
Floor, above Magnotta’s)
914-437-7711
Love, Dance & Fitness is pleased to invite you all to an
Open house.
This is the opportunity we have been waiting to celebrate our One Year Anniversary. We did it!!
DATE: Sunday July 28th,
2013
TIME: 9:00AM - 4:00PM
PROGRAM SCHEDULE
TIME: 9:00AM - 4:00PM
PROGRAM SCHEDULE
Cardio Belly Dance @ 9:00AM - 9:45AM ~ that's me! :)
Zumba @ 10:00AM - 10:45AM
Kickboxing @ 11:00PM - 11:45PM
Family Zumba @ 2:00PM - 2:45PM
(children are welcome for family Zumba followed with face painting)
Special Recognition and Refreshment!! 3:00PM – 4:00PM
Family Zumba @ 2:00PM - 2:45PM
(children are welcome for family Zumba followed with face painting)
Special Recognition and Refreshment!! 3:00PM – 4:00PM
THIS IS A FREE EVENT!!
If you have any questions, please call the studio or any questions about SharQui® please email Nahla at NahlaBellydance@gmail.com
And for more Bellydance events, if you're in the Bronx this Friday head to Lucca's in Pelham Bay!
Bellydance show with Alexis, Amira Iriz and Tatiana!
Friday July 26th, 2013 at 8p
Lucca Restaurant
3019 Westchester Avenue Bronx, NY 10461
718-892-8282
Prixfixe Menu only $30.00
no cover
Monday, July 15, 2013
Nahla Bellydance @ Bollywood in the Bronx
So you've read my posts now see the dance! Enjoy everyone! :)
Sunday, July 14, 2013
So how's this Summer heat for ya, huh? I hope so far its going well for you! Work that tan! :)
So now that I have finished my History of Belly Dance Series for you I will now start my NYC & Bx Misconceptions of Raqs Sharqi and Middle Eastern Dance. Belly Dance is known by many names and the most common are the above mentioned. Raqs Sharqi and Oriental Dance means "dance of the east" and these are the proper names for Belly Dance. I use the term Belly Dance because it is what most people know it as. The term Middle Eastern Dance encompasses all the dances from northern Africa, the Mediterranean, and Middle East including Belly Dance. With name game out of the way, I hope this clarifies what to call it a little better. But what about what Belly Dance really is?
Ask almost anyone in NYC or the Bronx what Belly Dance is and I can guarantee that you will get a different answer for each person you ask. Ask them where it comes from and 9 times out of 10 you may be told, with conviction, India.
My personal favorite is when they tell me where I'm supposed accept my tip...more on that later.
Since I've been bellydancing I've heard all kinds of things: why it's done, where it comes from and who does and specifically who doesn't. I myself had some misconceptions of Belly Dance, luckily I asked questions and read a lot. This is my craft and I want to make sure I get it right, this way I can give you the correct information! :) So for those who were too afraid to ask (it's not like Belly Dancers bite or anything, tee hee), here are some clarifications.
Belly Dance as we know it now is a fun style of dance thats used for entertainment for special events and parties. Its also a good alternative to gym workouts. I always recommend people try it because it works the core and helps with flexibility and agility. It indulges your inner "girly girl" and brings that dormant femininity out for the those who aren't so girly. From an American perspective women see it as empowerment. In the Middle East it is a part of their culture, empowerment has nothing to do with it, and because it is a part of their culture, the dance is not limited to only women. There are male Middle Eastern dancers as well. Many of them are great teachers as well. Yes it is essentially a woman's dance but men dance it as well.
With that said, Oriental Dance as far as we know it, got its start as a dance made for women by women, to prepare her body for child birth and to celebrate fertility. It spread from the Far East to the Near East and throughout the Maghreb (Northern Africa) and the Mediterranean.
It did NOT get its start in the casbah, with harem girls dancing for the Sultan. That's another kind of entertainment all together! That image came from movies and paintings, especially from Orientalism art. But because people have seen this image over and over for centuries, we now believe it to be true. I can assure you it's not. I remember dancing in one place and I noticed this guy staring at me as if he was caught up in his own sultan/harem girl fantasy with these aggressive and intense eyes-very creepy (cue the song Hungry Eyes here).
Some people equate it to salacious entertainment, like we take tips in our cleavage. Quite frankly I'm not doing that with a child or someone's grandma in the audience. Want to know where that person told me to take my tip? One women actually TOLD ME "no, no; you're supposed to take it here" as she pointed to her bra strap. Uh NO, none of my teachers EVER mentioned that to me nor have I EVER SEEN a Middle Eastern dancer take tips like that. Another man insisted on tipping me in my cleavage even after I politely shook my head then put my hand out to accept. He had nerve to get upset at me. Okay, rock on Grandpa, but you're not degrading Belly Dance. I'll take my tips wherever I deem appropriate. And you're welcome.
So how do you tip a Belly Dancer? For starters, you DO NOT touch them. Give her respect as an artist and give her the tip in hand. If she allows it you can place the tip in her waist belt or hip belt. Some people, especially in Middle Eastern establishments and parties will hold the money in one hand and use the other hand to "shower" the Belly Dancer with the tip money. It kept with their tradition in not touching the dancer. Belly Dancers are very friendly so she will signal what's okay and what's not. DO follow her lead, DON'T push your luck.
So to review Belly Dance also know by other names is mainly a woman's dance though in the Arab countries it is a part of the culture so men dance it as well. It is a dance for everyone from young to old and can be done for fun and exercise. It is not to be confused with another kind of entertainment. Even an exotic dancer deserves respect as the human being she/he is.
Now ladies, after you learn a couple of Belly Dance moves and you want to try them on your honey at home-by all means do you! RAHRAHRAHRAHRAHRAH!
See you soon with more myths and truths of Belly Dance, shimmy on my friends!
love always,
Nahla
So now that I have finished my History of Belly Dance Series for you I will now start my NYC & Bx Misconceptions of Raqs Sharqi and Middle Eastern Dance. Belly Dance is known by many names and the most common are the above mentioned. Raqs Sharqi and Oriental Dance means "dance of the east" and these are the proper names for Belly Dance. I use the term Belly Dance because it is what most people know it as. The term Middle Eastern Dance encompasses all the dances from northern Africa, the Mediterranean, and Middle East including Belly Dance. With name game out of the way, I hope this clarifies what to call it a little better. But what about what Belly Dance really is?
Ask almost anyone in NYC or the Bronx what Belly Dance is and I can guarantee that you will get a different answer for each person you ask. Ask them where it comes from and 9 times out of 10 you may be told, with conviction, India.
My personal favorite is when they tell me where I'm supposed accept my tip...more on that later.
Since I've been bellydancing I've heard all kinds of things: why it's done, where it comes from and who does and specifically who doesn't. I myself had some misconceptions of Belly Dance, luckily I asked questions and read a lot. This is my craft and I want to make sure I get it right, this way I can give you the correct information! :) So for those who were too afraid to ask (it's not like Belly Dancers bite or anything, tee hee), here are some clarifications.
Belly Dance as we know it now is a fun style of dance thats used for entertainment for special events and parties. Its also a good alternative to gym workouts. I always recommend people try it because it works the core and helps with flexibility and agility. It indulges your inner "girly girl" and brings that dormant femininity out for the those who aren't so girly. From an American perspective women see it as empowerment. In the Middle East it is a part of their culture, empowerment has nothing to do with it, and because it is a part of their culture, the dance is not limited to only women. There are male Middle Eastern dancers as well. Many of them are great teachers as well. Yes it is essentially a woman's dance but men dance it as well.
With that said, Oriental Dance as far as we know it, got its start as a dance made for women by women, to prepare her body for child birth and to celebrate fertility. It spread from the Far East to the Near East and throughout the Maghreb (Northern Africa) and the Mediterranean.
It did NOT get its start in the casbah, with harem girls dancing for the Sultan. That's another kind of entertainment all together! That image came from movies and paintings, especially from Orientalism art. But because people have seen this image over and over for centuries, we now believe it to be true. I can assure you it's not. I remember dancing in one place and I noticed this guy staring at me as if he was caught up in his own sultan/harem girl fantasy with these aggressive and intense eyes-very creepy (cue the song Hungry Eyes here).
Some people equate it to salacious entertainment, like we take tips in our cleavage. Quite frankly I'm not doing that with a child or someone's grandma in the audience. Want to know where that person told me to take my tip? One women actually TOLD ME "no, no; you're supposed to take it here" as she pointed to her bra strap. Uh NO, none of my teachers EVER mentioned that to me nor have I EVER SEEN a Middle Eastern dancer take tips like that. Another man insisted on tipping me in my cleavage even after I politely shook my head then put my hand out to accept. He had nerve to get upset at me. Okay, rock on Grandpa, but you're not degrading Belly Dance. I'll take my tips wherever I deem appropriate. And you're welcome.
So how do you tip a Belly Dancer? For starters, you DO NOT touch them. Give her respect as an artist and give her the tip in hand. If she allows it you can place the tip in her waist belt or hip belt. Some people, especially in Middle Eastern establishments and parties will hold the money in one hand and use the other hand to "shower" the Belly Dancer with the tip money. It kept with their tradition in not touching the dancer. Belly Dancers are very friendly so she will signal what's okay and what's not. DO follow her lead, DON'T push your luck.
So to review Belly Dance also know by other names is mainly a woman's dance though in the Arab countries it is a part of the culture so men dance it as well. It is a dance for everyone from young to old and can be done for fun and exercise. It is not to be confused with another kind of entertainment. Even an exotic dancer deserves respect as the human being she/he is.
Now ladies, after you learn a couple of Belly Dance moves and you want to try them on your honey at home-by all means do you! RAHRAHRAHRAHRAHRAH!
See you soon with more myths and truths of Belly Dance, shimmy on my friends!
love always,
Nahla
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