CULT OF MYTH IS COMING

It's one week before the opening of our show CULT OF MYTH and all I can say is "WOW!"

The amount of talent and creativity—not to mention fun and enthusiasm—is nothing short of amazing! It's so inspiring to see what everybody is manifesting and to see individual artists teaming up to create a whole bigger that its parts.

Just take a look at this program:

* AUTUMN WARD - "Atlantis! A one-act belly dance ballet" (Amantha, Danyel Jones, Erica Young, Melissa Voodoo, Victoria LaCerra)
* SIRA - "The Mermaid's Tears"
* TANNA VALENTINE - "Amaterasu"
* BLANCA - "Persephone", "Nymph"
* SHERENE VISMAYA - "Tzigane"
* SARAH SKINNER - "Salome's Sin" (Kazja, Tava, Sherene Vismaya, Patricia Delgado, Kelly Wasilishen, Tanya Michaca, Melissa Voodoo)
* TEMPEST- "Cthulhu Waits Dreaming...No More"
* LaUra - "Mona LaUra"
* AYSHE - "Firebird"
* RAYHANA - "Aphrodite, Born of the Sea" (Sirrah Nur, Elena Kirsanova, Miyoko Satoh, Nana Masuda, Kai Wen, Tanya Michaca, Jennifer Bowen, Patricia Delgado, Enzina)
* NEON - "Swan Maiden"
* JENIVIVA - "Bastet"
* ANDREA ANWAR - "Enchantress of Bioluminosity"
* IRINA- "The Call of an Amazon Warrior"
* LaUra and BELLYTRANCE - "Deja Vu" (Susanna, Zobeida, Indira and Fatima)
* BELLYTRANCE - "Mantis Speculum" (LaUra, Zobeida)
* DARSHAN - "Narcisse"
* AYSHE and ZOBEIDA - "Emergent"
* SIRA and SARAH SKINNER - "Spring Flower and Butterfly Sprite"

CULT OF MYTH
a Fantasy Bellydance Concert
April 25-26, 2008 ::: 8 PM
TICKETS NOW ON SALE @ SMARTTIX.COM

Reception immediately following show
$25 adv | $35 door

DNA Theater
280 Broadway, 2nd fl NYC
4/5/6/R/W to City Hall
1/2/3/A/C/E/J/M/Z to Chambers

VenusUprising.com
venusuprising.com/events/cu...f_myth.htm

Dream Job

What a perfect weekend :)

I just received pictures from Sunday's show. We opened for the Brooklyn Philharmonic. It was incredible.
In the picture: Umut, Scott, Carmine and Marissa. They played beautifully.

I was able to enjoy the last piece by the Philharmonic, which was incredibly haunting and dreamy, with wonderful storytelling.
At some point the announcer mentioned the "Secret word of the day: 'Blanca', after the bellydancer you just saw" :)

Thank you Carmine and Marissa for the opportunity to present Middle Eastern dance in such venerable setting.

NYC DRUM SOLO WORKSHOP REPORT :: blanca

Carmine and I taught our NYC Drum Solo workshop this past Saturday. The group was lovely, look at all those beauties!

We had so much fun... Thanks to all the dancers who attended.

Here are a few of the comments we received:

"I have been taking BD lessons for over 2 years now and until Saturday, the rhythms were a total mystery to me. I loved the sound but had no idea what they were about. I feel like a whole new aspect to BD artistry was opened up for me."

"I wanted to tell you both how much I enjoyed the workshop yesterday. It was just what I needed to help get my creative juices flowing again after the cold winter. I think you are both excellent teachers with good explanations and very warm personalities. You both make the class very enjoyable and personal.

"Blanca, I love your notes! They are very well organized and thought out. I will use them as reference for a long time to come and share your ideas with my students as well."

"I really enjoyed the workshop. Very straightforward and thorough. Breaking down those riffs and hearing the drummer's perspective is invaluable. You are both great teachers."

"Dear Blanca, The workshop was really great. I had a lot of fun and it was a real treat to meet Carmine (he's so funny!) and to learn to "listen"... I learned so much. Please, more workshops!!!!!!"

Our next workshop is this Saturday: "Zils Technique" With Elsa Leandros— not to be missed!

More photos:
venusuprising.typepad.com/venus...e.html

Sign up for Elsa's "Zils Technique" workshop:
www.venusuprising.com/worksho...dex.html

DESIRE IS OUT!

The Fantasy Bellydance instructional DVD series is now out!!

Watch the trailer for "Desire" in which I teach a choreography -- a story in dance about a Nymph who falls in love with a human.
Carmine composed the BEAUTIFUL music... it was a really rewarding team effort.
Watch the trailer here:
www.worlddancenewyork.com/product.php

AND if you like my teaching style, come take your body and mind for a ride this Saturday at
Carmine and Blanca's DRUM SOLO Workshop. We still have a couple of spaces open.
www.venusuprising.com/worksho...dex.html

Check out all three Fantasy Bellydance DVDs on worlddancenewyork.com
3 DVDs. Nine choreographies. Great variety, imagination and skill! (Gorgeous covers too!)

DRUM SOLO WORKSHOP THIS SATURDAY - NYC :: blanca and carmine

Back in the days when I started I was fascinated by live Drum Solos. To me, they are the ultimate bellydance improvisation. I loved the moment when the dancer turned from a floating cloud into a sharp, articulate instrument... and a fun one at that! Even then I could sense that there was a method, an underlying structure that put together dancer and drummer and something told me that the day I was able to give a good Drum Solo I could consider my dance skills to be up on the next level.

Last year Carmine and I started talking about Drum Solos. Over lattes, we had many conversations about improvisation, performance and how Drum Solos are put together. We shared our own experiences from the viewpoint of a musician and a dancer, talked about how we found Drum Solos very challenging when we first started and noticed how often we've encountered students who are afraid of them.

Since we share a taste for analytical thinking and a passion for teaching, our conversations centered around ways to provide students with tools that would accelerate their training. We talked about ways to give in one workshop all the insights and techniques that we've come up with through our years performing. We taught our ideas in several cities in Mexico (we've been asked to go back and teach more) and have been preparing our first NYC workshop.

Carmine believes that listening is an essential skill. For him it's not enough to tell the dancer to listen; he teaches what to listen for: cues, changes, hints... and of course, the rhythms.

"We hear that Drum Solo is about dancer and drummer communicating —says Carmine— but what does that mean? The dancer should be listening to the drummer and the drummer should be watching the dancer, giving each other feedback, so they do what works for the Drum Solo, and provide a good show."

In the same vein, I encourage my students to communicate with the audience. What we feel when we are dancing not always translates the way we think it does, so I pinpoint common weaknesses and teach them how to turn potentially awkward moments into highlights.

Carmine and I think it's very important for a belly dancer to be really familiar with the rhythms. He explains that even if the other elements are too complicated, even if the drummer is playing phrases the dancer can't relate to, there's always the rhythm to fall back on. I think that for us dancers having a real understanding and appreciation of Middle Eastern rhythms is like finally being able to hear the music after having danced wearing earplugs the whole time. Also, understanding rhythm is essential if you want to create your own choreographies and if you want to feel joy and have fun when you improvise.

Another one of the tools we'll be teaching is a series of connected phrases that the dancer can draw from as she improvises. As they become ingrained in the dancer's body, she no longer has to think about them when she is performing. By connecting the movement phrases with the rhythms, they become memorable and the dancer gets a clearer understanding of them.

In Carmine's words: "Often after I play for dancers, people from the audience will say: 'You and your wife were great!'
They see us so connected they assume we must live together and practice all the time. The trick is to make it look like we practiced even if we didn't. I really want to teach drummers and dancers how to do this".

We're both very excited about sharing this workshop and look forward to having fun with you this Saturday. There will be lots of "Ah ha!" moments and surprises from Venus Uprising!


Venus Uprising presents
DRUM SOLO: TECHNIQUE, MUSICALITY & SHOWMANSHIP
with BLANCA AND CARMINE

Saturday March 29, 2008 - 12:30 - 3:45 pm
440 Studios - 440 Lafayette - Studio 4F - NYC
$55 prepaid / $70 door

Read complete info and sign up:
www.venusuprising.com/worksho...dex.html

LUSCIOUS - THE BELLYDANCE WORKOUT :: neon

Yesterday was a big day for Blanca, Sarah Skinner and myself: We filmed "Luscious - The Bellydance Workout." The rehearsals marathon over, the day of the filming everything went fine; we took turns leading workout segments, gossiped in the dressing room, marveled at the twists and turns of our fast-paced lives, and consumed organic coconut macaroons provided by - no doubt - Satan himself.

The workout is made 100% of bellydance moves, it is beginner level, but it offers a perspective of challenge and growth. Each section of the workout consistently builds on the dance vocabulary introduced in the previous section through combinations. It's an "instructional workout" because of the method of introducing dance vocabulary and because there is an extensive tutorial section breaking down each move used in the workout.

The program is designed to be "very bellydance." We hope that it will be lavish, overflowing with deep, rich and feminine movement - so that it can be enjoyed as a beauty ritual.

My personal conviction is that workout programs like this (where dance experience is not compromised by the imperatives of the fitness aspect, but intertwine organically) are the best form of technique practice for dancers, a functional "drill". "Functional" because the moves are not practiced in isolation, but in the contexts of combinations or transitions in which they are actually used in dance. This creates an extra layer of muscle memory, which isolated drills/practice don't provide.

Thinking of our work on "Luscious," I must admit that being involved in a group project is a more rewarding experience than the solitary activity of working on solo video projects. I will miss it!
One of the moments of unbridled fun was putting together our workout costumes - which occurred during a shopping spree at the SharifWear sale. Our pants, shirts and hip scarves are by Sharif Wear; bras and belts - Blanca's and mine are by Totally Creative NYC, Sarah Skinner's are Sarah's design.

More photos: venusuprising.typepad.com/venus...e.html

Hacked - please read

Hi Everyone,

Someone hacked my account yesterday (maybe it was happening longer, who knows).
I have no idea to what end so if you encountered any activity from me that doesn't sound like something I would say, please ignore!

Love, Blanca

BLANCA & JENIVIVA DANCE WITH DJINN :: neon

Je'Bon on St. Mark's place is a cute Asian restaurant and an unlikely place for an ongoing bellydance extravaganza, and yet it is the site of a successful weekly bellydance party with traditional and cutting-edge dance music performed by Djinn, one of only 4 bands playing for bellydancers in Manhattan. Yesterday, bellydancers and friends converged at JeBon to see Blanca, Jeniviva and their students perform with Djinn. Each of them delivered two traditional numbers: Blanca did a classic bellydance song and a very elegant drum solo; Jeniviva did a semai and a karsilama, both with outstanding zil playing. A costume change occurred and their second set had a Gothic flavor: Blanca's costume and mask were adorned with long black feathers, and Jeniviva was her usual Gothic Goddess self, all in black and red. Unfortunately my boyfriend's camera died right before the Gothic set, so our photo report below shows only the traditional bellydance looks.
- Neon

More photos:
venusuprising.typepad.com/venus...a.html

Growing as a Dancer

What exactly makes a dancer or a choreography advanced? By "advanced" we usually mean a difficult choreography or a dancer's ability to execute fast, physically demanding movements... but this is not necessarily true.

Let's imagine a dancer. She is performing two pieces. The first one is packed with complicated movements, fast transitions and challenging isolations. Our jaw drops and we feel happy to witness what the human body is able to do. It is obvious that dancing at this level takes years of work. In the second piece she appears to be floating on a cloud and having a good time. As she dances, we forget where we are and what we came here for. For a moment we feel what she is feeling. Our imagination soars... our heart opens. "Wow! –we think– that was so simple but so beautiful".

These are two very different examples. They both can be called "advanced dancing", but the second example often appears deceptively easy. If the dancer's intention for the second piece is to portray the simplicity and joy of being able to bellydance on a cloud, it would be inappropiate to choose her fastest moves and most elaborate isolations. Like in the first case, her body and mind are performing at a level that only years of training and development can achieve, and much of this hard work was put for the purpose of making it look easy, effortless.

I think that what makes a performance advanced is the dancer's ability to take what needs to be taken from her toolbox of skills and knowledge and weave all the elements seamlessly together for the purpose of communicating her message effectively enough to move the audience, rather than looking like a mere athletic feat. By these "elements" I mean muscle control, musicality, facial expression, the use of props, costuming, choice of music, etc. By "message" I mean anything from interpreting the music, to portraying a character, to telling a story, to expressing one or more feelings, to communicating something abstract so effectively that the audience intuitively understands it and is moved by it.

And how do you do know what elements to take? How do you even decide what to communicate? To do that, you need to grow as a dancer, as an artist and as a person. You need to fill your heart and mind with images, music, knowledge. You need to see many performances, of bellydance and other arts. You need to read and enrich your imagination. You need to know yourself and find out what moves and what inspires you.

To me, another thing that makes a dance advanced is the effective use of all those little details that turn a dance into magic. It could be a subtle tilt of your head, a hand gesture, a nuance in your timing, a deliberate pause or a glance... these little things can create something very special and meaningful and the way you are able to do this is by being truly present in the moment.

And how can you be present? First and most importantly, you need to work on your craft, you need to take your classes, do your drills and rehearse your choreography. You need to master the technique until it's ingrained in your muscle memory. Once you have it in your body, your brain no longer needs to think about the steps and can go on "automatic". Then you can begin to engage the emotion and play with all the different little nuances that are possible. You will begin to do things your own way. You'll grow to be your own dancer – not somebody else's copy.

www.thehipcircle.com/article/display.asp

Jeniviva + Blanca + Djinn at Je'Bon this Wednesday

Wednesday Feb 27 2008
7:00 - 10:30pm
Je'Bon, 15 St. Marks Place, NYC
Cover: $10 + $5 min.


7.00-7.45pm Bellydance video screening
7.45-8.15pm Bellydance Class with Blanca
8.30-10.30pm Live music by Djinn,
performances by Jeniviva, Blanca and guests,
open dancing time for you to shimmy and shake!

www.djinnnyc.com + www.blancadance.com + www.venusuprising.com