Inspired by Antimony's post on bhuz. New Years resolutions are early this year. First of all I want to say that my main goal next year will be to enjoy the process more and focus less on the end results. 2006 was full of new experiences and starting to teach weekly classes makes all the difference to me. I'm a better dancer because I have to prepare two beginners/intermediate classes a week, going over the basic, trying to find new angles to look at a move.

Besides teaching I also promoted myself as a performer and I did some great gigs that rekindled the love of performing. Belly dance is a difficult artform to master, because there are no set goals or facts, or points to score. How do you know that you're doing well if you don't know what your anchorpoint is?

For next year, I want to continue the process to learn more about dance:

1. I want to go to Egypt for classes and performances. I already signed the papers, so that one is going to happen in a month or three

2. I want to become a better performer. Stage fright makes me underperform and I hate it!!! That combined with self fullfilling prophecies (I think I can't do it so I don't try that hard) is holding me back.

3. find a live musician to work with. This one is tricky: I love dancing to live music, but good muscicians are hard to find. I'm not sure wether I want to do this while I still have so many other things to work on.

4. My website and promo material was good enough for last year, but I want something new! Better! improved!!

The in depth bellydance course is coming to an end in june. I'll miss those monthly workshops and want to find another course to improve my dance skills. Maybe in world dance, maybe in belly dance, or in dance in general... it all depends on the tuiton fee and wether I'll change my dayjob next year.

Most of all, I want to enjoy dancing. Without thinking that I ought to better or need to change things, letting go more often and just enjoy the moment. Who knows what may happen in the future? The death of a great dancer over here and the illness of another dancer puts things in perspective. We're not going to live forever and for dance you need a body that can do what you ask from it. I always took my health for granted. One of my classes has students in the age of 60-70 and they love to dance. I have to pace my classes and I can't do athletic stuff like floorwork or high intensity dancing for a long time. Despite their physical limitations, their dancing is so beautiful.