Hipnotique - June 21st!

I confirmed today with Will that Hipnotique will indeed take place at Cabanas again, from 6-8pm on June 21st. I'll be posting more details over the weekend, and there will be workshops during the day as well. If you contacted me about performing or either, I'll be writing you back soon, if you haven't yet, particularly performing, drop me a note ASAP!

Speaking of which, if anyone has any recommendations for workshops they want to take from me, LMK :) I was thinking two of the following:

Dancing Darkly: Intro to Gothic Bellydance
Strange Presence
Nouveau Noir Dance

and maybe a special guest instructor :)

Just a reminder...

I'm invading NYC tomorrow. Involved with a work project for Wednesday and Thursday all day, CoM rehearsals in the evenings....but Friday during the day is open (garment district?)..

Friday Evening: Cult of Myth! www.venusuprising.com - buy your tix!
Saturday early afternoon: Nouveau Noir Workshop! There are only 4 spaces left in this workshop - email/msg me, and get in for $40 cash at the door (but you must write me!).
Saturday Evening:Cult of Myth! www.venusuprising.com - buy your tix!

Original Artwork up for sale...

In getting my studio together this weekend, I came across my portfolio, and I am parting with some of my original artwork to help pay for some medical and tax bills. These are one-of-kind prints (monoprints, etchings, engravings, woodcuts) and drawings - so there will not be any more like them. Art that is dancer, goddess, and woman-inspired.

Please visit the Med'Devi Ink gallery to see all of the images, descriptions, and pricing.

I will combine shipping if you want several pieces, and ship anywhere. PayPal preferred.

meddevi.tribe.net/

Today's Quote:

From a discussion on stage presence and expression in bellydance:

"Some are afraid of exposing their soul...others fear exposing the fact that they have NO soul."

Developmental Journeys

Contrary to my Gemini make-up, I don't expect everyone to like me or "get" me or anything I do. (And I try to keep the Sagittarius rising in check, because that's even more grounded in that desire). I figured out pretty early in life that people don't require a logical reason to show or voice dislike. Or at least have one that makes logical sense to YOU. And rarely, there's anything you can do deliberately to change that. The same goes for liking someone or something. You can ask why all you want, and can never receive an answer that will make sense.

Occasionally people ask me how I got to where I am now. The majority of them do it for advice for themselves, and I'd like to think the minority stems from a sense of disbelief. (Then again, most people who dislike you don't usually ask you things directly to your face, nor do they rarely offer anything constructive in their indirect means of asking you).

Frankly, there is no easy answer, and certainly not a singular specific one.

Mentality:
My parents pretty much raised me with the concept that I could do whatever I wanted if I put my mind to it (except sing). But they also balanced that out with a healthy dose of reality. If I wanted something, I had to work for it. No surprises, no giant displays of praise. I starting working at 14, and worked every summer (and weekends) to make my own money and buy my own things. Having a 4.0 gpa didn't mean a horse or a car. It meant maintaining a high level of expectation and workmanship, and perhaps a discount for college tuition. It meant the risk of choosing between sacrificing my artistic integrity or catering to a professor's preference. It meant learning about what's really important in the long run.

When it came to bellydancing, I wanted to learn as much about as I could, even before I started taking classes. And from there, I spent as much time in the classroom as I could, doubling up on classes. Even today, if the instructor is worthwhile, I'll gladly partake in both beginning and advanced classes. We can easily forget how important the basics are as we get immersed in more complicated, showy things. Nearing a decade of this, there's still so much to learn. Which is why you'll never find me saying I'm the best dancer in the world or that I know all there is to know. Sure, I've learned a lot, but I'd rather learn more. I'd rather focus on critique and improvement then fixating on a given moment in time. You can have all the preconceived notions about me that you want, but it'll never beat what goes on it my own head and my own expectations. What other people may think can't hold a candle to it. It's hard enough for me to keep up with myself.

I'm not about polished perfection and presenting an iconic image. Even the shiniest silver will tarnish over time, so I'll take the patina. You're going to see me in my glasses, you're going to see my foot catch in my bustle, you're going to hear me say elbow when I mean ankle, and I could be covered in cat hair. It happens. I'm sure as hell not perfect. But I never claimed to be.

And I've learned that more I accept these things, the better the quality of people I interact more deeply with, the better the experiences, the better the quiet moments, behind the scenes. The better the depth, the contemplation, and feedback. The better the journey itself is.

Today's Thought

Even if you have all of the money in the world, it still won't buy you class.