How to Create a Bellydance Performance

Once you tell people that you are learning to bellydance, chances are they will ask you to perform at their next party. I recommend accepting the offer just to have a unique experience – even if it is just once. Chances are you will enjoy it as will the guests and you will perform again.

Planning:
o Aim to dance for 3-5 minutes
o Choose Music with steady beat and is inspiring: Something upbeat that will get the audience exited right away.
o Find out how much space you have
o Choose a costume that makes you feel beautiful and doesn’t restrict your movements. Make sure the costume is pinned so you don’t have any unwanted surprises.

Create an atmosphere:
o Flowers or candles
o Make room: Clear your space at the party.

Devising your own routine:
o Where to begin?
o Making an entrance with a traveling step or if surrounded by an audience move in a circle
o Basic moves…Don’t need a vast repertoire of different moves to create a good performance. It is much better to perform fewer moves wel and with great energy and confidence than to get over complicated

Performing:
o Eye contact: This is how you keep your power.
o Confidence
o If nerves set in…have a backup move in case anything interrupts your choreography.

o The thing everyone notices when you are performing is not how many snake hips you do, but just how you do them. The audience will notice your spirit, enjoying the dance, your confidence.

o Do a dress rehearsal…

o At the end of your performance hold your pause and enjoy.

o It’s all about attitude! Don’t worry about what people are thinking… your delight in performing will be reflected in the faces of your audience.

Lingerie 101

Welcome to Lingerie 101 – I am your Professor, expert- tease for class today. We are going to study the relationship between lingerie & burlesque.
We owe the concept of lingerie being visually appealing to Burlesque. It wasn’t until Burlesque and the golden era of the pin-up that lingerie became fashion. Before that lingerie was just for practical reasons.

Lingerie is essential to Burlesque dancing – whether you take it all off, or playful strut around in it. I recommend wearing your favorite lingerie under your work clothes to perk up that meeting you are dreading. As a Burlesque goddess, these top 10 must- know lingerie items and there will be a quiz.

Sleepwear:
Formerly known as pajamas, but we’re showgirls now.. is “sleepwear”…what you technically would wear to bed.

Peignoir
A floor-length nightgown with matching panties

Negligee
The negligee is a knee-length nightgown
The negligee was made the epitome of sensuality in the 1941 photo of Rita Hayworth in Life Magazine.

Baby Doll
A babydoll is a short nightgown – the length of a minidress. They are usually considered provocative in a sweet way.
It is said the name was popularized by the 1956 movie Baby Doll starring Carroll Baker in the title role, which essentially marked the beginning of the enduring popularity of the style for adults

Teddy
A teddy is a form of bodysuit-like lingerie, which combines a camisole and panty in one piece.
The teddy is normally worn for the seductive look, rather than practical reasons – like sleeping.


Undergarments:
We will begin with undergarments, in other words, What you wear under clothes

Bra-Brassiere:
A lot has been written about the brassiere – or bra. Most important tip I can give you about a bra is to make sure you are wearing the right size. A friend of mine wore the wrong sized bra and I recommended her going into a lingerie store to get properly fit and now, things are looking up!
You can add trim to spice up any store bought bra and make it more of a costume.

Corset:
· Made of stiff material, like boning, and is typically laced up in the back
· Originally intended to mold and shape the torso for a desired body look that was in fashion.
· Who can forget the Famous corset scene in Gone With the Wind- 18’ waste of Scarlett O’Hara.

Bustier
· It looks like a cross between a bra and a corset.

· Its primary purpose is to push up the bust

Merry Widow
· Corset with a built-in bra and Garters
· First made to coincide with the 1952 film “The Merry Widow” starting Lana Turner


Panties:

· Many different variations of panties, but you should wear what’s comfortable and makes you feel sexy and consider what you’re wearing as outerwear to make sure you don’t show a panty line.
· Bikini, string bikini,
· Boy-shorts
· G-string, thong (the difference is a thong is about an inch wide, where the g-string is a string – it was the Brazilian’s gift to the world) ,
· Tap pants (Not practical as underwear, but something that you would wear as a burlesque dancer – for its retro style.)

Hoisery:

Garter
· Garters are items of clothing originally used to keep stockings up, but nowadays it is used for fashion and not function.
· A garter is often worn by newlywed brides. It is the groom's privilege to remove the garter and toss it to the male guests.

Garter belt
· A return to retro styled garter belts and stockings has become especially popular due to the ultra feminine iconization of pin up girls of the past.

This is the end of class..for extra credit, wear your favorite lingerie during your next workout.

Celebrate the Goddess Yemaya

This ritual is originally from Brazil, however you can ask Yemaya to bless you with this ritual from anywhere! You can do with a friend, a group or by yourself.

Create a sacred space

Pick a body of water that you feel most safe and sacred. You don’t need to be physically there. It can be a waterfall, a pool, lake, stream, ocean or your bathtub.

Define your desires

Write your dreams, goals, and desires. Be specific. You can write them in a journal, speak into a tape recorder.

Flower-power

Put on some white clothes that make you feel pure and ready to start fresh. Find a flower or bunch that are in full bloom.

Meditate

If you can get to your special place physically, find a comfortable place to sit. Have your flower in your hands. Otherwise, close your eyes and imagine that you are there – smelling, hearing, feeling everything you would if you were there. Float on your back and surrender to Yemaya, allow her to hold you. Now, think of your desires. Release them to Yemaya. Ask her to take your dreams and send them back to you how she sees best fit for you. Acknowledge to Yemaya that it is not within your power to manifest your goals, but she has the power to bless you. Ask her to illuminate the path to your dreams, so that you see the signs along the way. Promise to her that you will do your part. Pray to her that you recognize what your dream will look like once she has returned it to you. Now gently open up your eyes and look at the ripe flower in your hand. Look at how open and full it is. This is your dreams and how they will look.

Offering

Truly surrender your wish to Yemaya and give thanks in advance for her blessing by placing your flower in water. You can release your own will by throwing the flower into the ocean, a shallow bowl or your bathtub, saying, “It is done! Blessed Be!”

Waterfall Ritual in Hawaii

The day Martha captured these images was transformative, powerful, and magical. I was at a private waterfall that was once an ancient Hawaiian birthing pool with a group of women from my GoddessLife Teacher Training retreat. We were all wearing white, as they do on New Year’s Eve in Brazil to honor Yemaya, Goddess of the Ocean thought to be the essence of motherhood and birth. As we entered the lush tropical rainforest surrounding the waterfall, Hawaiian-born Hiwa chanted to her ancestors to ask permission for us to be on the aina(land). Then one by one, each woman released a red hibiscus flower into the waterfall, asking Yemaya help us make our dreams into reality. To honor, celebrate and truly connect with Yemaya, I danced in the waterfall. Dancing in the heart of nature united me with the Goddess and made me feel sacred, feminine, and empowered. With my feet feeling the strength and stability of the rocks, my hands brushing the sky like wings, the water rushing over my body, I truly felt connected with the divine. The message was clear: To dance your dreams, dance where you feel most sacred!

Roman Sea Glass

This necklace is a piece of Roman sea glass that is over 2000 years old! One of my favorite indulgences is imagining the lives of belly dancers in ancient Rome, especially in the time of Cleopatra. Maybe the Egyptian queen herself practiced her hip circles while floating down the Nile on her barge with purple silk sails saturated in rose oil. I imagine villages knew she was passing when they smelled roses. Maybe the rose oil was kept in mint green glass bottles and one made its way to the sea, and ultimately, to me!
Or maybe a woman drank from an green glass in between her undulations during the three-days of belly dance that is still a part of rural middle eastern birth rituals.
More than these fantasies, I love the enduring quality of belly dance. This ancient art form still exists because women need it. The archetypal movements--so deeply embedded in the natural motion of our bodies-- are an integral part of being of a woman. I wear this necklace to connect me to this powerful legacy that unites us all.

We are all Goddesses

As I looked into the water, an image of divine femininity gazed back at me, one that I didn’t even recognize! I was amazed and humbled, as were the women surrounding me.

The image reinforced my belief in the importance of women finding the powerful goddess within themselves.

Bellydance belongs to all women; it is how we express our own inner Goddess.

Look at the other bellydancers around you. They are all Goddesses. We must resist the temptation to think that our interpretation and the way we experience bellydance is the definitive and correct way to dance. This philosophy chips away at our individual self-esteem and deprives us of the chance to make women our allies.

This art has given us all so much. Who better than other bellydancers to delight in sharing in its riches?

When you begin to see and acknowledge the many magnificent qualities in other bellydancers, even if they dance differently than you, you will begin to feel the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood. This is how we will make a difference as women, united.

We are all Goddesses.

HOW TO THROW A BELLYDANCE GODDESS PARTY

You don’t need a big budget or months of preparation to host a Goddess Party that looks luxe, and most importantly: one you and your friends will enjoy. Just follow these few Essential Hostess Tips and this Goddess Party Outline.

Essential Hostess Tips
Setting the mood. They don’t call it “throwing a party” for nothing. Take your sparkling party and throw it in the air. You don’t know where it will land, and that is part of the fun. Just follow the outline, don’t script the entire evening moment to moment. All the accidents, unexpected guests, overlooked things that force you to improvise give your party panache. Let them happen and make the party memorable. Keep it simple. When in doubt, narrow choices like menu and décor. Err on the side of simplicity, too many options just muddle the mix and cost you time and money. Relax and enjoy your party. That means when the festivities kick off, stop working and whatever you do, refrain from asking people if they are having a good time. Allow yourself to have a real conversation and a real laugh without looking around making sure everyone has a drink. Don’t apologize for the unexpected – get creative and let others help.

Goddess Party Outline

Invites – Remember that Goddesses make the Goddess Party. Invite fresh faces, guests of different backgrounds, generations, and persuasions. Have fun with the invites – this sets the mood of the entire party. Let them know the specifics: time, date, place, attire, what to bring with your own personal style. For a switch, include the Party Favor with the invite to be used as the key to admission. Great party favors for your Bellydance Goddess Party are Finger Cymbals (a pair for $7.50 or set of 4 for $15)

Drinks – Set up a self-serve bar and stock it with water (fancify it in a glass pitcher with slices of lemon & orange), exotic fruit juices like guava, mango, or peach, and a bottle of champagne. Allow your guests to serve themselves, and to decide whether or not to mix the champagne with.

Food – Since they will be Bellydancing, no need to stuff your guests. Serve fruit like grapes & berries, and quick energy treats like cookies & biscuits. Make it more sensual with a pot of chocolate fondue for dipping.

Décor – Let your guests feel like they are in another world by engaging all the senses. Place fragrant flowers or candles all over your house (including bathroom). Scatter rose petals on the floor. Load your CD player with a random-play mix of intoxicating, chill-out, and danceable music. Suggestions: Buddha Bar, Goddess Workout, Shakira. Make the room where you are going to Bellydance a Casbah by draping fabric along the walls and placing pillows on the floor along the walls. Move out the furniture creating enough room for each Goddess to shimmy. Cue up the Goddess Workout video and place your TV so that everyone can see.

Activities and Entertainment – Have each of your guests bring a T-shirt or scarf to be decorated with rhinestones. Get a Bedazzler or two with a wide variety color rhinestones (fast-drying glue and glitter will give the same effect). After they’ve finished designing a gift they can take home, it’s time for you and your guests to shimmy to the Casbah wearing their creation. While doing The Goddess Workout Bellydance Fitness Video for the first time with your guests is a blast, you can also prepare a few moves in advance to teach them.