Dread Falls Workshop!

Hey, all, just wanted to give a shout-out for a workshop that people have been asking me to do!

If you want to learn how to make dread falls, I have two great blog posts here and here.  But now you can learn how to do this IN PERSON!  Please come to this workshop!  It’s going to be a lot of fun.  We’re not going to have time to make a full set, but I will show you all the steps you need to know, including installing the falls (which I haven’t yet done on the blog).

So if you are in the Chicago area, please consider stopping by and joining the workshop!  You don’t even need to be a belly dancer!  If you are interested in dread falls for any reason, please sign up! Click here!

The workshop will be at Arabesque Studios, 3120 W. Belmont, on Saturday the 15th at 12:00pm.  Cost is $30 per person. Please pre-register by the 12th of December, because cost goes up at the door!

You will need the following items for this workshop (some extras will be available, but supplies are very limited, so please bring your own if you can):

• One package (at least) of Kanekalon Jumbo Braid hair (this can easily be found at most beauty supply stores, or go to Doctored Locks)*
• One comb (teasing comb is best–also found at beauty supply stores–but any comb will do)
• An iron or a hair straightening iron
• A spray bottle
• Two towels (one small, one large, if possible, but any two towels should do)

*You will actually need anywhere from 6-10 packages of hair, depending on what you are doing, for a full set of dread falls.  But for the workshop, we’ll only be using one package.  If you want more than one color, you can bring a second (or third!) color, and I can show you how to make spiral dreads.

Countdown to Vegas!

As you may or may not know, soon…VERY SOON…I’ll be heading to Las Vegas for the Las Vegas Bellydance Intensive.  If you haven’t gone, you should!  But this one is going to be a milestone for me.  Not only is it the 10th year for the Intensive itself, but it will be my fourth year going!  AND I’ll be entering the So You Think You Can Bellydance competition.  Scared!  But I think it will be fun, and it will be educational, and that’s pretty much how I view competitions.

It also means that I won’t be keeping up with my blogging as much (I’ll be driving back on Monday the 10th, so no challenge that week!).  BUT, that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on my experiences!  I will be posting stuff on my Tumblr, my Facebook personal page or my Facebook page, or through Twitter.  So choose your favorite social media site and follow or “like” or friend me, and get updates (when I remember…it’s a busy weekend!) straight from the Las Vegas Bellydance Intensive!

Another Weekly Challenge!

It’s Monday; time to be challenged!

This week is a bit different.  We’re going to stretch our brains a little bit and get creative, and I’m not going to give much guidance.

How many shimmies do you know?

So?  How many?  Two?  Three?  Eight?  Make a list and count them up.

In addition to practicing those shimmies every day this week, we’re going to see if we can discover others.  What can you do with your shimmies?  Stand on one leg?  Try shimmying with different parts of your body.  Can you shimmy just your quadriceps muscles?  See what you can do with your shimmies, get creative, go wild, and have fun.  Coming up with fun shimmy or movement variations is how you start separating yourself from other dancers; it’s your personal style.  Just practice every day, explore a little bit every day, and make sure that you always relax into those shimmies.

Shameless plug: Clueless about shimmies?  Want to learn more?  I’m now offering workshops, and a shimmy workshop is one of them!  You can check out my available workshops here. If you are interested in hosting a workshop by me, please contact me at kamrah (at) tattooedbellydancer (dot) com

Happy dancing!