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Luz

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joined on 05/24/07
last updated 07/23/09
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Biography

Gender
Female
Location
New York City
about me
Before the discovery of bellydance, my dancing was purely social dancing, with a little Latin dance mixed in for Sabor! My study of bellydance has been extensive in traditional Egyptian and Turkish styles, learned at the famous Serena Studios. I later extended my Egyptian training with Nourhan of the Egyptian Academy and in private lessons with Noora Aphrodite. Exposed to Tribal fusion by watching the BDSS, I took several workshops in Tribal styling and currently study under Sarah Locke of Alchemy Performance. In addition I dance with Altagracia Bruno, who fuses Latin dance (predominently Flamenco elements). Proudly I am a member of the Caribean Rose dancers.

I would describe my bellydance style as contemporary bellydance, fusing Cabaret, Tribal fusion and Spanish-Arabic fusion.

In my solo performances, I do not just like to to perform a technique based dance, but to tell a story with each performance. I have many times gone into my performances as a character and telling the story the song speaks to me through movement. In this way the audience is taken away, involved in the dramatic telling of a story told by the body and music. I believe that dance is emotional almost spiritual. When a dancer makes an emotional connection with the audience it is so much more effective than pure technique. (Although I am a stickler for good dance technique!) As a teacher, I teach strong dance posture, technique, but moreover, keeping that movement is alive, breathing and flowing. Without "breath" (Thank you Noora!) the all dance is dead.

As a lifetime student of this dance style I am always humbled by its variety. I previously danced under the name "Tasnim", until I decided that I no longer have to resort to an alter identity in order to be a bellydancer. My identity had been fused with dance .

Notable workshops & teachers: Jannah (my very first!), The exciting Zenaide of Serena Studios, Nourhan Sharif, Noora, and, Altagracia the Caribean Rose. I currently take Tribal class with Sarah J. Locke of Alchemy Performance & perfom as part of the Alchemy Tribal Collective. Workshops with Nourhan Sharif, Mariano Parra, Flamenco choreographer & master teacher, Sharon Kihara of the Indigo. Heather Stants of Urban Tribal Dance Co.,Tamalyn Dallal's teacher's workshop, Rachel Brice's 5-day intensive workshop in Costa Rica. Recent workshops with Kami Liddle, Suhaila, Heather Stants (again -love her!) Jillina, Zoe Jakes, Mira Betz and Ava Fleming while in NYC.
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Growing from Yoga
Lately, my yoga teacher (probably about 20 years my junior) has been teaching me more than just poses and stretches. These passages that she has been reading have been driving home things about myself that I need to change or resolve to evolve. Of course she doesn't know that that's what she's doing. I am only 1 student. When I'm there I feel as if the lesson is just for me. I go home and think about the class dedication or the paragraph she read.

Today the dedication was to someone whom you have struggled with. I spent the class crying and in child's pose. Without going further into why, I'd just like to say that Yoga is more than a journey of the body. It is a spiritual growth, wrapped up in a twisty windy box. Sometimes it's about balance, sometimes about being bound, sometimes about holding the uncomfortable to discover more about ourselves, and sometimes about letting go. I one hour I am a warrior, a child, a chair, a Cobra, a corpse and all the emotions that each one brings.

I tried yoga when I was younger, but I hadn't the patience to be still. Now being still is a place of great discovery. I want to thank my yoga teacher(s) and all those in my life now that are bringing me on a more spiritual journey. You may not know that's what you are doing, or that I am even counting you in these special people that I am thankful for, but...Thank you.

Namaste.
Wed, May 27, 2009 - 12:33 PM permalink - 0 comments
 
"the way to love" by Anthony De Mello
from the chapter "Love your Enemies."

"When you are in love you find yourself looking at everyone with new eyes; you become generous, forgiving, kindhearted, where before you might have been hard and mean. Inevitably people begin reacting to you in the same way and soon you find yourself living in a loving world that you yourself have created. Or think of the time you were in a bad mood and found yourself becoming irritable, mean, suspicious, even paranoid. The next thing you knew everyone was reacting to you in a negative way and you found yourself living in a hostile world created by your head and your emotions. How could you go about creating a happy, loving, peaceful world? By learning a simple, beautiful, but painful art called the art of looking. This is how you do it: Every time you find yourself irritated or angry with someone, the one to look at is not that person but yourself. The question to ask is not, "what's wrong with this person?" but "what does this irritation tell me about myself?"

Read in class by my yoga teacher Laura Butler.

Peace
Sun, May 24, 2009 - 7:23 AM permalink - 2 comments
 
Success
Success is not about perfection:
but, it is about commitment
and life-long learning.
If you stray from the path,
you get to choose to come back to it.
You get to discover what got in the way,
who you are, and what's important to you;
and, best of all, you get to feel the fulfillment
that comes from creating your life
based on your highest values.
-source unknown

(This quote was read to me (us) by my Yoga teacher, Laura Butler, in class. I resonated with me. Perhaps it can help us all.)
Tue, May 5, 2009 - 6:18 AM permalink - 0 comments
 
Time passes. Pain gives way to truth.
Often in my lifetime I have been amazed by my ability to hold on to anger. I have a strict rule of "three strikes, you're out!" With experience having taught me that often people show their true selves over time, not right away, I have adapted the rule to three strikes. In my youth, I was much more forgiving taking enabling to new heights. None of us like to be taken for granted or advantage of, so to keep myself from investing too much time & feelings on someone who unreasonibly acts out on their friends or loved ones, because they "should" forgive their tresspasses. if someone truely hurt me, 2 times & they were forgiven, on the third, I more likely than not terminated the relationship through distance. Afterall people are who they are & we don't know their bagage (as I've written before). We also don't nessesarily have to help them load it on us, or, have to help them carry it into their healthy relationships, hurting the people who love them and are trying to help them. I do not want to make my occupation as enabler.

Occasionally, when time has passed and you are unguarded, the people who hurt you make an appearance. My initial reaction is to recoil (like my pal Vlad, my ball python), making contact impossible & uncomfortable. There is a quick recognition followed by dismissal.
The other day I was met by a past friend, who hurt me deeply. My reaction was very different. I saw her shy welcoming smile. Our eyes met & my heart allowed itself to open & we embraced like lost friends often do. The hug was deep and sighs were exchanged in recognition of what once was. I felt myself forgive.

Funny, but a while ago, another friend asked me about this friend. I told her "Sometimes, when people with intimacy issues feel as if someone is getting too close, they create a situation that unfairly ends the relationship." "It helps them to get out before they can get any closer. They hurt you, before you supossedly hurt them"

Afterwards it was awkward again. I think we know that our time had passed as friends. There is no going back. Now at least we can smile at one another if we cross paths again. Remember that we were once great confidants and grew together whilst we were friends. Now I can remember what she taught me, instead of thinking about how I was hurt.

It feels really good to forgive.

Tue, October 28, 2008 - 12:42 PM permalink - 1 comment
 
Thinking Greener, Put it Into Action
After my last ridiculous Con Edison bill I decided that I was no longer going to be a victim of the energy companies. I would be more proactive in thinking greener & saving the planet & subsequently, some money.

1) Pilot now used G-Diapers. They cost about the same as disposables, but they are flushable & have reusable liners. www.gdiapers.com

2) I now unplug everything I'm not using throughout the day. Yes, terribly inconvenient, but so nessesary. If you use you toaster in the Am, why leave it plugged in all day taking vampire energy (being in the ready)? Unplug it. Turn your TV, DVD player, sound system, cable box, etc off, & pull out the plug. First it'll save energy, but also be a reminder "Do I really want to watch TV right now?" Unplug your chargers, lamps, computer, printers, etc. You'll have to wait for everything to boot up, but if all of us did it we could save an enourmous amount of energy.

3) I recycle everything I can recycle. Yes the roll inside the toilet paper, envelopes that come with my mail for response, magazines, boxes, bottles, cans, (this one is easy).

4) Walk, bike, take mass transit. My hubby started riding his motorcycle instead of the Jeep to work. It saves tons of money on gas. Might want to be more proactive & learn to drive a scooter instead of your car for neighborhood trips. You'll save money on gas & on shopping because you'll get just what you really need, because you can't shlepp it all on the scooter. Or shoot, get an old-fashioned shopping cart & walk to the laundrymat or supermarket & walk your stuff home. You'll be using more calories & saving money on gas.

5) Send all un-solicited mail back to the sender, with a note on the envelope to think green & stop sending unrequested bulk mail.

6) Don't throw away your old clothes, bring them to the Salvation Army or nearby thrift store. You'll get a chartitable tax receipt & donations go to disaster relief victims & some sold to people who will give your old stuff new life.

7) Take a shorter shower. Don't leave the water running as you take a phone call. Wash the dishes in sudsey water & rinse in cool water.

8) Buy a good broom & duster, use some old fashioned muscle to clean. Stop buying into products that promote buying refills & filters. Swiffer this!

9) Reaccustom yourself to being slightly uncomfortable. It won't kill you, it'll make you more tolerant of heat & cold. Wear lighter breathable clothes. Carry an parisol to block off the sun (helps to prevents skin cancer as well). Wear layers in the winter to keep warmer. Wear a blanket while snuggling on the couch in the winter for warmth, rather than always raising the theremostat.

10) Think back to when you were a kid. Did your mother have 10 different bed spreads and redecorate every season? Many stores make you feel like you need to re-vamp your home every season with pillows, throws, bed-spreads and accessories everytime there is a holiday or a season change. Don't buy into it.

11) Learn to sew, knit, crochet. Pick up a book, learn a language, take a dance class. It'll keep you away from the TV & computer.

12) Do the above with your kids. They will learn to be more athletic, be smarter , more social & less slaved to plugged in games & entertainment.

13) Plant your own garden with you own two hands. Planting makes you respect green.

14) Throw showers and b-days parties & recommend that no one gift-wrap the gifts. Encourge them to bring it the box or bag it came in. (Next time you go to a shower, look at all the bags of garbage after the gift opening part. Its horrible waste. Think then about all the big boxes of things you didn't open, like the playpen or diaper gennies, etc, that she still didn't open)

15) Encourge showers that re-cycle hand-me-downs, give moms to be advice & bring gently used toys, walkers & high chairs. Have people bring frozen meals for new parent to be to defrost & heat up rather than cooking when they are exhausted.

16) Don't buy what you can't use.

Of course feel free to add your own ideas & tell us how you save energy in your own way.

Peace & Green for All,
Luz
Wed, September 3, 2008 - 7:17 AM permalink - 0 comments
 
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