Videos from recent performances

Here are two videos of my performances at SpringFest - my solo and my troupe.

My Springfest solo.

Saffron, my troupe, at Springfest.

I have a couple of performances (troupe and a duet) coming up this Saturday at Club Cairo, our big dinner dance event of the year. After that I'll have a little dance downtime.

One down, four to go...

...bellydance performances, that is. Last night I danced at Indian Oven. It was an improv set of nearly 8 minutes. It had been a while since I'd done improv so I was a little nervous. It went really well, though, and I had a great time. (I also made $20 in tips, which was nice.) We rounded out the evening hanging out with some of our favorite people until way too late, and loved it. In all a fun evening.

Next up: a (yet to be) choreographed solo performance and (not quite polished) troupe performance for the Middle East Club on Wednesday. Then I'm performing those same solo and troupe dances at SpringFest, a big all-day bellydance festival in SLC on Saturday.

After that I have three weeks before doing troupe and duet performances at Club Cairo. *phew*

It feels like a lot of dancing when I'm in the thick of it, but I'm loving every minute.

Dancing at the Indian Oven

Bellydance is returning to the Indian Oven! There will be one Dance Night per month at the Indian Oven, starting Saturday, Feb. 27th. I'm performing at this first event!

Show, part 3

Here is video of Doodle performing during intermission. No audio.

Show, part 2

The real star of the show was Doodle. She owned the stage during intermission. She ate up the attention, loving every second of it.

I'll post video soon.

Show, part 1

The bellydance show last night went really well. Our performances were great, and went off without a hitch (or the breaking of water on stage). After all the practicing leading up to the show I will be glad for a little break from dancing. Lots of photos and video were taken, though very little by us. I'll post more as I get them, but this will have to do for now.

Can you spot the belly?

How about now?

Shazadi Soiree, Oct. 2nd

Because I just realized that I haven't posted info on the upcoming bellydance show...


...here ya go. I'm hoping to perform in three choreographies in this show, so if you want to see an immensely pregnant woman (39 weeks!) dancing a lot, come see the show!

Bellydance show May 15th

There's a bellydance show coming up next week here in Logan. Details are below. Tickets are $10 at the door, or $8 in advance. If you know you want tickets, let me know and I can get you the cheaper ones. But I need to know soon!

The Details:
Friday, May 15, 2009. Show starts at 7:30pm.
Location: USU Taggart Student Center Auditorium, Logan.
Tickets are $10.00 at the door, or $8 from me.
You can also purchase tickets at the Indian Oven in advance (I don't know if these are $8 or $10).

Join us for an evening of fun with the Shimmering Sands. Watch various Utah talent shimmy across the stage. Look for performances by Shazadi, Saffron (my troupe), Shimmering Sands Students and other great Utah talent. Plus special guest of the evening, Stephanie!

If you need more information, check out the Shimmering Sands School of Belly Dance website: shimmeringsandsbellydance.com

Springfest pics

There is a very large bellydance community here in Utah. Most of the performances that happen are either A) restaurant gigs, B) student recitals put on by individual dance companies, or C) big shows with headliners brought in from out of state. There are very few festivals that welcome dancers from throughout the community, including beginners through professional level dancers. One of these festivals is Thia's Springfest. Registration is first-come first-serve, and as long as you get your form in early you get a five minute time slot in which to perform. It's really a great opportunity for dancers throughout Utah.

I've performed at Springfest since 2007, after I joined the student troupe here. Every year I've gone and danced with my troupe, then stuck around to see the huge variety in bellydance styles. This year, however, I stepped it up a notch.

I did a solo.

It actually went pretty well. I know I wasn't as relaxed and comfortable on stage as I could have been, but really, I did well. I didn't drop my sword, I didn't run off stage crying. I completed my dance, and am now a little more comfortable being the ONLY ONE ON STAGE (yes, it's so intimidating it warrants all caps).

Luckily, there was a photographer in the audience who took a ton of pictures at Springfest, then posted them online for the bellydance community to enjoy. Here are a few of my favorites from Springfest. The pink and silver costume with silver wings was from my troupe performance. The sword: my solo.

Bellydance show Feb. 21st

It's that time of year... time for another bellydance show! Mark your calendars. On Saturday, Feb. 21st, Shimmering Sands Bellydance is hosting Club Cairo. This event, modeled after Egyptian night clubs, features dinner and a live show. Dancers include Kinza, Mayyadah, Sumra, Shimmering Sands dancers (myself included) & Utah's kickass tribal troupe, Kashmir Dance Co.

But that's not all!

We'll have live music by Bazeen, and improv dancing by those three lovely ladies on the poster (Kinza, Sumra & Mayyadah). You can't beat dinner and a live show like this. Tickets are $25, and not for sale at the door. You can pick 'em up at the Persian Peacock (on Main across from the Tabernacle) or talk to me and I can hook you up.

Hope you can come - this is one of my favorite Logan events!

Show tonight!

Shazadi Soirée is tonight, 7:30pm, at Sherwood Hills. I'm performing in three sets: a duet, the advanced class choreography, and our troupe choreography. Lots o' MamaBee undulations to be seen. (ooh, plus a cash bar!)

See you there!

Bellydance coming up!

Our big fall show is coming up in just a few weeks. Here are the details:

What: Shazadi Soirée featuring Virginia (shown above)
When: Friday, Oct. 3rd, 7:30pm
Where: Sherwood Hills resort, in Sardine Canyon
Cost: $12 in advance, $15 at the door. I have tickets for sale.

Come see a quality show featuring Shimmering Sands Bellydance students, amazing dancers from UT, and the wonderful Virginia!

(An additional belly heads-up: SATURDAY, Sep 27th there will be bellydancing at the Indian Oven in Logan at 7:30pm. There will now be bellydancing on the last Saturday of each month at the Indian Oven on Main. So if you get a hankerin' for Indian food and watching sexy ladies dance, head on over!)

Edit: Saturday, not Friday. And no, dear followers, I won't be dancing there this month. I'll let you know when I will be.

The Show

This weekend was a blast! We had a great show with some wonderful performances. We even had some baby bellies (our endearing term for beginning bellydancers) dance for the first time. They did great!

We had some press coverage of both our show and Saturday's workshop with Shems. Yes, you can see me in the workshop photo. I'm staring at the mirror and not looking especially cute, graceful or excited. *sigh*

Thanks to everyone who came to the show. It's great to have such a supportive and enthusiastic audience. We love you all!

Spring Hafla tomorrow!

That's right, folks. Tomorrow is the USU Middle Eastern Dance club's Spring Hafla! The show starts at 7:30pm in the TSC Auditorium. Tickets are $10.

It'll be a great show. We have the radiant Shems headlining, with student and professional level dancers performing in the show. And if you come, you'll get to see me dance! There's incentive for ya.

Hope to see you there!