Exhausting Vasanas

CULT OF MYTH IS COMING

blancadance — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 21:09:51 GMT

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 http://venusuprising.com/events/cult_of_myth.htm

Dream Job

blancadance — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 15:12:59 GMT

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

blancadance — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 01:53:08 GMT

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: http://venusuprising.typepad.com/venus/2008/03/today-was-wonde.html Sign up for Elsa's "Zils Technique" workshop: http://www.venusuprising.com/workshops/index.html

DESIRE IS OUT!

blancadance — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 21:30:15 GMT

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: http://www.worlddancenewyork.com/product.php?proid=64&catid=7 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. http://www.venusuprising.com/workshops/index.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

blancadance — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 15:58:30 GMT

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: http://www.venusuprising.com/workshops/index.html

LUSCIOUS - THE BELLYDANCE WORKOUT :: neon

blancadance — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 09:02:45 GMT

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: http://venusuprising.typepad.com/venus/2008/03/luscious---the.html

Hacked - please read

blancadance — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 20:47:42 GMT

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

blancadance — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 06:16:31 GMT

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: http://venusuprising.typepad.com/venus/2008/02/blanca-jeniviva.html

Growing as a Dancer

blancadance — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 06:13:21 GMT

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. http://www.thehipcircle.com/article/display.asp?ArticleID=310

Jeniviva + Blanca + Djinn at Je'Bon this Wednesday

blancadance — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 04:32:17 GMT

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

SENSUAL VARIATIONS :: blanca

blancadance — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 08:20:04 GMT

Being artists in New York we sometimes reach that point when we forget why we came here in the first place. A couple of months ago, after an outpouring of dance shows and DVDs, happiness, bliss, friends and DVD release parties, I fell into a bit of post-partum depression and the classic existential crisis. It was then that I had an epiphany during a voice class: "I didn't come all the way here to be bored... I came for the magic! I came for that moment when you forget about the past and the future and with all honesty you take that which is in your heart and pour it out... I came for those moments when I have a magical performance and for a moment I feel connected to the audience... and to my soul." And then I thought: "There's only one thing that could make me even happier than those moments... and that would be to find the key... the key that will unlock that magic every time. Not just when we are in the mood, but even when we didn't have a good day... I want to learn about that key that unlocks the magic inside each of us... and I want to teach it to others." So my 2008 resolutions (in no particular order) ended up being: 1. Have fun 2. Share fun 3. Develop new teaching methods and cool choreography 4. Share them Come learn a new combination each week. This Friday (Feb 1) will feature a fun, flirty song... it will make you smile! Yes, you will learn technique. Yes you will learn steps. And... you will learn magic. How? Come and find out! -------------------------------------------------------- SENSUAL BELLYDANCE VARIATIONS with Blanca -------------------------------------------------------- when: Fridays 6 PM (from Feb 1 - Jun 6. No class April 25) where: Harkness Dance Center @ 92nd St. Y Lexington Ave at 92nd St. room: Lower Dance Studio price: 18 sessions: $220.00; single class: $16; ten-class card: $145 bring: hip scarf, veil. Silk veils will be available for sale. Class notes and music available upon request. Every class will include hip work and veil practice. Plus, each week we will learn a new sensual bellydance combination. Upcoming classes: FEB 1: MAKSOUM - sexy, fun, flirty FEB 8: BALADI - earthy, flirty, sultry FEB 15: RHUMBA - romantic, dreamy, elegant FEB 22: MASMOUDI - passionate, rich, intriguing FEB 29: CIFTETELLI - mysterious, dramatic and so sensual! MAR 7: CIFTETELLI 2 - with veil work MAR 14: TAKSIM - no rhythm... we'll work on feeling the music and being in the moment. MAR 21 and 28: FLOORWORK - feel like an odalisque. [ bring kneepads ] The class level is listed as "Beginner" but it is an Open Level class. I have my ways of teaching a mixed-level group. You will improve in each class whether you are just starting or are an experienced dancer. http://www.blancadance.com/bd_classes.htm

WHAT'S IN A VOICE? :: blanca

blancadance — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 04:16:35 GMT

Coming from a place where the prevailing mentality was that of "people are that way, they don't change", New York has been the nurturing environment I thought only existed in my dreams. One of the most exciting things in this profession is to witness a student's immediate improvement after a teacher's correction. Whether that student is myself, a classmate or a student of mine is equally gratifying. The courage of the student to open his or her mind to new ways of learning, to push his/herself beyond his/her own capacity often fills my eyes with tears and my heart with indescribable joy. The generosity, intelligence, dedication and ingenuity of the teacher fill me with admiration, pride and inspiration. This week is full of new wonders as I pushed myself beyond my limits and began to sing in front of a group. Not just any group, mind you. I'm taking part of Tom Burke's NUTS AND BOLTS weeklong workshop and my classmates are amazing singers. Some of them have graduate degrees in voice performance, some are voice coaches with published books on the subject, some have toured the US singing. And here I am, a dream come true: I can stand in front of them and actually produce a song with my voice. I'm strong enough not to allow fear to grab me by the throat (literally). My first attempt at an acting career was at the age of 6, when my older brother was trying out his new camera. I put a veil over my head (actually, a towel) and took this huge metallic scorpion that my mom had for decoration, pretending I was some sort of scary creature as I spoke to the camera. I was so into it! I was so excited to see the result... but got devastated after hearing my voice on the TV screen. Unable to understand that the sound quality of that camera sucked, I decided that my voice was hideous. I decided to bury it. I decided that there was nothing I could do to change it or improve it or learn to love it (thank the gods dancing is usually mute!) After moving to New York I began to take voice lessons with wonderful teachers. They were very supportive and great teachers, but being my own worst critic, it was almost as if the more I practiced and studied, the worse I felt about my singing. Perhaps my ear got better, making me more aware of my lack of perfection. Every note was a judgment: "Was I off pitch?" I would ask every 2 measures. Today in the workshop I realized that the main reason why I'm now able to sing in front of an audience is because Tom never judges me. He doesn't patronize me or baby me either. He is very matter-of-fact, and simply tells me what to do to achieve the results we are looking for. Today he was telling the group how research has shown that students learn better by positive reinforcement every few attempts. That correcting a student after every single attempt is actually counterproductive. How true this is! Tom treats me like a professional, and I'm starting to behave this way. His extensive and varied background allows him to combine speech pathology, Estill Voice Training (a mind-blowing / high-tech method of voice training), chakra/energy work, and other disciplines to craft each student's performance at a fast pace. The image on top is a screen capture of the computerized spectrogram sound analysis program Tom uses in class. It provides an accurate voiceprint for monitoring purposes. Real-time biofeedback is very inaccurate when you are taking a voice lesson. What you feel is SO DIFFERENT from what it sounds like on the outside. This is a dream come true for visual people like me! He often tells me after coming up with a mind-blowing correction: "Try that with your bellydance students and let me know how it goes" And well... that's exactly what I have been working on! I'm very excited about my upcoming workshops: SENSUAL VARIATIONS (starting February 1) and DRUM SOLO: TECHNIQUE, MUSICALITY AND SHOWMANSHIP with Blanca & Carmine (March 29) I could write some about these workshops... but that's another blog. ... Tom Burke is available for coaching at The Singer's Forum in NYC. www.tomburkevoice.com

"CULT OF MYTH" - SPRING VU SHOW :: neon

blancadance — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 04:47:39 GMT

The all-important Venus Uprising Shows Committee has decreed that Spring 2008 will be graced with a new Fantasy Bellydance show hosted by Venus Uprising. The title of the event: "Cult of Myth" The theme is images and stories from myths, legends and fairy tales of the world depicted through the art of bellydance Dates: April 25 (Friday) and April 26 (Saturday) Location: DNA (Dance New Amsterdam) Theater downtown, NYC Reception: Yes! Wine, cheese and chocolates - both days, following the show. A small group of the Committee representatives gathered yesterday to sign the deal in blood. Predictably, the meeting occurred over a box of chocolates that enjoyed a lot of attention from some of us. There were also cakes, but I won't go into the detail here, sparing the reputation of my esteemed friends. The meeting was followed by a celebratory dinner at Brendan's across the street. For me personally an 8 p.m. meal is a dinner, but for some people at this table (below) it was breakfast (from the "dinner" conversation: "I'm starving, I haven't had my breakfast yet..." "Wow, and it's almost lunch time!") Ya gotta love New York City with its "open for breakfast ALL DAY" establishments! Below - Blanca, Sarah, Neon and Carmine who joined our group for dinner. More photos: http://venusuprising.typepad.com/venus/2008/01/cult-of-myth--.html

FANTASY BELLYDANCE - INSTRUCTIONAL DVDs :: neon

blancadance — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 04:40:09 GMT

At the end of February World Dance New York is releasing 3 choreography DVDs within our Fantasy Bellydance instructional series: Each program contains 3 intermediate-advanced choreographies - performance and choreography breakdown - by 3 instructors. The styles range from classic bellydance, to cabaret and tribal fusion forms. "Fantasy Bellydance - Mystery" (Neon, Sera, Ayshe) "Fantasy Bellydance - Desire" (Blanca, Naraya, Darshan) "Fantasy Bellydance - Magic" (Isidora Bushkovski, Autumn Ward, Ariellah) View screen shots from the performance sections of the DVDs:

NEW YEAR'S EVE REPORT :: neon

blancadance — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 04:33:29 GMT

Our New Year's Eve celebratory activities started with a photoshoot - Blanca for the cover of one of the upcoming "Fantasy Bellydance" DVDs. Blanca arrived with a suitcase filled with her costume, a couple evening gowns and a few bottles of Veuve Clicquot. One of those bottles was immediately put to use. It was a vigorous and uncompromising start to the night of revelry and debauchery. As Blanca transformed from a bellydancing nymph to a NYC party girl, we went over our partying options and confirmed our enthusiasm for the event co-hosted by Carmine Guida and Liz Free - a party for the lost souls of the bellydance world and all sorts of bohemian misfits: we definitely belonged there. We danced till 3 to live music - Carmine, Pete List and friends. It was great to meet the new year with our creative family, where you don't have to explain to strangers what you do for living and how you survive as an artist. Carmine and Liz, many thanks for the fabulous night! See more pictures: http://venusuprising.typepad.com/venus/2008/01/new-years-eve-r.html

VENUS UPRISING MAKES AN APPEARANCE IN SINGAPORE :: blanca

blancadance — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 04:31:16 GMT

As you probably know, our beloved and always gorgeous Golden Apple teammate Jenna is a sought-after bellydance performer and teacher who abandoned us and moved to LA a couple of years ago. She was recently invited to Singapore's Ahlamy Festival where she taught several workshops and performed. Take a look a the snapshots she sent me, they were taken at the Gala Show. Photo caption: Blanca's image from a Venus Uprising poster greets Jenna at the Singapore gala! More pictures: http://venusuprising.typepad.com/venus/2007/12/venus-uprising.html Posters by Venus Uprising: http://bellydanceposters.com/

Dancing at Mezzo Mezzo this Saturday!!

blancadance — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 20:46:55 GMT

Happy Holidays : ) Please join us this Saturday Dec. 22 at Mezzo Mezzo! Mezzo Mezzo NY features LIVE weekly Middle Eastern Music and Bellydance Performances by some of the best talents from NY areas` ME Music and BD community. Saturday Night December 22 2007 Features LIVE Bellydance Performance by: Blanca (The Hip Circle`s Editor in Chief), and Musicians : Elias Sarkar(Violin/Vocals), Chris Marashlian(Bass), Robert Boghosian (Oud), Nick Mandoukos(Guitar/Vocals), Carmine Guida (Tabla) . For more info please e mail, cm@creativeartistsproductions.com Saturday Dec. 22 2007 9:30pm-1:30am Mezzo Mezzo 31-29 Ditmars Blvd(corner 33rd St/Ditmars Blvd), Astoria, NY 11105 Reservations (718) 278-0444 NO Cover / $20 Minimum Per Person Table Minimum.

PETE LIST'S ARMY :: blanca

blancadance — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 07:12:45 GMT

Nobody says it better than Melissa and Scott, so I'm going to quote them: "Pete might have the highest talent:ego ratio of anyone I've ever collaborated with. He's a rare musician who, while brilliant himself, also lets others shine through." -- Melissa the Loud "Pete you are a force of nature and art incarnate. The composition, the performance... all fabulous. Let's do that again real soon - !!" --Scott Shuster, World Dance New York On Friday we celebrated the release of Pete List's, Kassar's and my new babies (Songs for Kassar CD, Fluid Precision DVD, Sensual Bellydance DVD and Gothic Bellydance Revelations DVD) Wow! What a night! I danced to amazing, AMAZING live Gothic music by Pete and Melissa the Loud. I have no idea how but the two of them can sound like a full orchestra. You can see from the pictures (make sure you view the entire gallery) that they inspired me to transform into some kind of hairy beast. There was one inspiring artist after another on that stage... Pete must have a magnet for unique and talented friends who are also super nice. Read more and view pictures: http://venusuprising.typepad.com/venus/2007/11/pete-list-army-.html Full gallery by Dale Langdon: http://www.paparaksi.com/rdr/songsforkassar

HYBRID: SONGS FOR KASSAR show this Friday

blancadance — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 15:24:51 GMT

Pete List and Alchemy Performance present: HYBRID: SONGS FOR KASSAR Friday November 2nd at 7:30pm Galapagos Art Space 70 N 6th St. (btw. Wythe & Kent), Williamsburg, Brooklyn $15 at the door HYBRID is a performance series featuring artists who explore new forms and fusions from ancient and contemporary sources. Dancers and musicians sample ethnic and electronic elements -- from India to the Balkans, North Africa to Brooklyn – and remix them into a moving collage across cultures. This month we celebrate the release of a CD and two DVDs that feature the work of HYBRID resident artist Pete List. Pete's new CD Songs for Kassar includes songs written for Kassar's DVD Fluid Precision:Tribal Bellydance and Blanca's DVD Sensual Bellydance. Several artists featured on the CD will be appearing live, including: ...Pete List …Kassar: Melanie Wood and Karin Hein-Parks …Blanca ...Sarah Johansson Locke and Irina Akulenko of Alchemy Dance Theater …Rob Mastrianni …Julianne Carney …Tbird Luv …Melissa Kacalanos For more info please visit: www.petelist.com | www.alchemyperformance.com | www.kassartribal.com | www.galapagosartspace.com

WORKSHOPS EVERY DAY :: blanca

blancadance — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 18:26:36 GMT

SUN OCT 21 - LEON - GUANAJUATO We taught two private workshops for Lupita and her group DAE who drove 3 hours from Morelia. Carmine taught Middle Eastern rhythms, then together we gave a drum solo workshop. One of the students (Alvaro) plays with the Symphony Orchestra. After the workshops we went to Guanajuato, my favorite town in Mexico. We stayed at the most gorgeous place... the view of the town was glorious, every detail was beautiful. We were on the top of a tall mountain and from our window we could see the fireworks in two different parts of the the city, announcing the end of the Festival Internacional Cervantino, the largest arts festival in the country. MON OCT 22 - GUANAJUATO - SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE Wish we could have enjoyed the magical place that is Guanajuato longer but at 9 AM sharp we had to drive to San Miguel de Allende to meet Elsanne and teach at 11. By the time we finished the workshops I knew something was very wrong with Carmine because he had slowed down to a mere 10 jokes/hour. Elsanne gave us her dentist's number who prescribed an antibiotic over the phone and gave us a next-day appointment with the root canal specialist who luckily was coming to town just that one day. TUE OCT 23 - SMA Just as the dentist anticipated, Carmine's pain was completely gone right after he took the medicine and he was able to teach our drum solo workshop. After 2 hours of agony at the dentist's office, Carmine came out feeling perfectly fine as you can see from the picture [phew!]. Elsanne took us to a gorgeous Rancho for the best-looking and best-tasting party ever. WED/THU OCT 24/25 - LEON We went back to León and taught 6 workshops in 2 days... nice! By now Carmine is teaching about half of the class in Spanish. He's even contributing new words to the Spanish language, such as "tamboristas" (female drummers). FRI OCT 26 At 6 AM Carm and I leave for the airport. We have a 6-hour layover in Mexico City, the perfect amount of time to have breakfast, change our currency and write a drum solo. He leaves for California, I fly home. I called Celia my sister to tell her I'm home and she tells me she and her son practiced with Carmine's DVD today. "we were trying too hard, shoulders hunched... then we heard his voice say: 'relaaax...'. We turned to look at the TV screen and saw his smiling face... we couldn't help but smile too..." See pictures: http://venusuprising.typepad.com/venus/2007/10/workshops-every.html

SURROUNDED BY BEAUTY IN MEXICO :: blanca

blancadance — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 14:46:27 GMT

WED OCT 17 - GUADALAJARA (cont.) Don Jose drove me from Quinta Don José to pick up Carm at the airport. Don Jose turned out to be a graduate from my high school in Morelia, (many years before my generation) I couldn't believe it! After a lifetime of directing some of the most prestigious schools in the country and managing some huge companies Don José has taken the Quinta as a personal project to help his friend who owns it. THU OCT 18 - GUADALAJARA We had my ideal breakfast: set in a beautiful garden, under a perfectly blue sky, with birds singing and fountains decorated with flowers. Carmine is quite fond of Mexican food — What a relief not having to take him to Burger King! Later, we taught our workshops (4 hours total) and had a show. The level of the local dancers was very good! The show opened with Carmine playing an amazing drum solo (no dancers, just him). I had never heard him play a musician's drum solo — Wow, he's good. Performing with us were Araceli de Anda (our workshop hostess), Nicolee and Ayled, who are all into tribal style (he's the first male tribal dancer I've seen), also Marcela who loves cabaret style. After the show we went to a place two houses down ("La Medina de Fez", I think) which was very pretty. There was a bellydancer there too. I'm telling you, bellydance is taking over the world. Back at the Quinta, I learned thanks to Carmine that there are Margarita glasses in Mexico about the size of a kitchen sink. FRI OCT 19 - GUADALAJARA - LEON Speaking of tequila, I'm typing this on the road to León, and the fields are covered with blue agave. It's very pretty. This morning, the lady who cooks at the Quinta made us a special breakfast... she's so sweet. When we boarded Don Jose's van he told me that the lady calls me "La Sirenita" :) Today is our only day off and we happily spent a couple of hours doing nothing by the lotus pond... SAT OCT 20 - LEON "FACETAS DE UNA DANZA MILENARIA" -- Teatro Maria Grever We got to the theater at 10 AM for tech rehearsal. We basically had the theater at our disposal... I'm impressed by the professionalism of these people! We had great lighting equipment and at least 6 tech people, who didn't make a single mistake that night. We also had box office people, 4 ushers and Juan Melia, director of the Instituto Cultural de León arrived very early to make sure we were all set. Everybody was going out of their ways to help us. I was directing the show and the whole experience was a pleasure. Nobody got stressed out even for a second, it was wonderful. We had dinner with my family, then headed to to the theater to finalize the last details and get ready for performing. There were about 300 people in the audience. We had a great mix of styles performing, The two Mexican groups who joined us were 'Belibeya' (first tribal bellydance company in Mexico) and 'Grupo Danza y Arte'. The live music was wonderful, people couldn't believe Carmine had just met Guillermo (harmonium and djembe) and Victor (cajón) that day. Speaking of Carmine: his drum solo was beautiful and moving... who knew drum solos can be beautiful and moving! After the show the director of the Institute invited us back to perform again in a few months. I came out to say hello to my friends and encountered a crowd of people asking for Carmine's autograph. There was also Lupita my teacher from Morelia with a bunch of her dancers and drummer Alvaro. I am ecstatic by how the night turned out... this is what I live for: wonderful show, wonderful people to work with, happy audience. Here's a photo I took from backstage... will post more when I get them. See pictures: http://venusuprising.typepad.com/venus/2007/10/surrounded-by-b.html

FIRST DAYS IN MEXICO :: blanca

blancadance — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 12:30:39 GMT

Wed, Oct. 10 - León Shortly after landing, I was interviewed by Luis Meza, reporter for "AM" newspaper to talk about the show we are having on the 20th. I was impressed by the beauty of the "offices" (it really is a palace). At night I enjoyed some time with my sister Celia and her children whom I adore. Thu, Oct. 11 - León Early in the morning I had 3 more interviews and one dance segment for 2 TV stations, which were a lot of fun. Celia and Jonathan, PR for Instituto Cultural de León, were with me. Nicté (our workshop sponsor in León) found out I had arrived because she saw me on TV. At night I drove to Morelia. Fri, Oct. 12 - Morelia After a long, long time my first bellydance teacher Lupita and I reunited! She showered me with gifts and had me sign the certificates (at least 40 of them) that she was going to hand the students after our workshop. The certificates are also signed by the department of culture of the State of Michoacán and have curricular value (how do you say that in English?). How cool is that? The first workshop was for little girls, between the ages of 5 and 8 or 9 at the most! It was the cutest thing ever as you can see by the picture. The workshop was 2 hours long, mind you. The second workshop was from 4-8 PM. During the first hour the students warmed up with a different teacher, then they danced with me for 3 hours! These girls have some energy! And their memories are so good! During part of the workshop we were joined by a group of musicians. Sat Oct. 13 - Morelia 2nd part of the workshop. When I arrived I could hear them warming up to Djinn's music. After another 4-hour workshop we all rushed to get pretty and headead to El Leon de Mecenas, which is a great bohemian place. We performed and had a feast. I couldn't describe how wonderful everything was, how wonderful everyone was to me. My mom, my niece Mariel, and my Sister-in-law Cindy were there... so special. Sun Oct. 14 - Morelia Had fun at my dad's annual birthday party. This is the reason I may never see Rakkasah East... Mon Oct. 15 - Morelia I got to cut the ribbon at Lupita's newest dance studio. At night I took a jazz class, it was really good. I got to enjoy my mom's yummy food for a few days :) Wed Oct. 17 - Guadalajara Drove to Guadalajara, actually Tlaquepaque, which is one of the most Mexican places in Mexico. The place I'm staying at is simply glorious, the staff is the sweetest ever. I picked up Carmine... I'll tell you more later because we have to take a bus to León now... Hope all is wonderful in New York or wherever you are! More photos: http://venusuprising.typepad.com/venus/2007/10/first-days-in-m.html

DANCE OF MIND :: neon

blancadance — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 00:15:32 GMT

Dance of Mind is a graphic / photo novel by Venus Uprising: A few of us have been working on it consistently for over a year. Finally we are really close to publishing Episode 1. Selected chapters will appear online in winter 2008; Episode 1 will be published in its entirety as a book in winter/spring 2008. Built around a fantasy-fiction plot, Dance of Mind features characters under the names of the actors who play them. In most cases, the real-people names are our characters' only link to reality: their traits and stories are fictitious, they blend the worldly and the supernatural, light and darkness, good and evil. Among the artists who contributed to Dance of Mind are: Blanca, Tempest, Ayshe, Sarah Skinner, Carmine Guida, Ariellah, Sashi, Neon, Scott Shuster and others. Visit the photo novel website to check out sample pages and a sample sequence from the upcoming online edition. Stay in touch for updates about the release of the book. http://bellydancephotonovel.com/

Sensual BD / Wild Wings Workshop this Saturday

blancadance — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 16:47:56 GMT

Dear ones I'm so happy! Venus Uprising, Ayshe and I have put together a very special workshop for you. And when I say "there will be surprises"... there will be surprises :) I promise two things: you will leave after the workshop more empowered and you will take home what you learned. Pre-pay here: http://www.venusuprising.com/workshops/index.html Or make your reservation here: venus@venusuprising.com

Reminder: Djam at Je'Bon tomorrow night!

blancadance — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 16:00:13 GMT

Just a remider for our show. I'm dancing with Djinn FIRST TIME EVER!!!!!!!!!!! Where: Je'Bon 15 St Marks Pl, near 3rd Ave, lower level, NYC Cost: $10 (plus $5 min. for drinks and food) Screening of bellydance performance, bellydance class, live music by Djinn, dance performances by Sarah Skinner, Autumn Ward, Katherine and Blanca, TONS of open floor dancing onstage for YOU. Food, wine, cocktails... See you there! www.djinnnyc.com/DJinnNYC/showevent.asp?EventID=113