One of the most difficult parts of studying a dance from a country not your own is familiarizing yourself with your music. I wrote an entry a while back about  how to build a good music collection. This entry is more about how to get yourself adjusted to the music, since understanding the music is [...]

Instead of going with the water-glycerin-tracer fluid, we’ve moved onto kerosene oil. According to my advisor, the principle he is creating should work regardless of the fluid. The kerosene oil is from a home decor store. Because they didn’t include the specs on the oil, I ended up emailing them and explaining what and why [...]

Slowly around now, the joys and sorrows (acceptances and rejections) are coming in. Somewhere someone must have some weird sense of humor, because it is very easy to worry when you know decisions on the next 4+ years of your life are being decided but you have work to be completed. I would love to [...]

Take 2 with Melodia tops. This time, in tie top form. To the right is me in one of the batik-dyed leaf green ones. These definitely fit better. I like the versatility of them; you can tie them as I have in the photo or make them more of a wrap top. The wrap top [...]

There seems to be some kind of law in physics that whenever one professor senses that you have something major to do, the other one(s) must also assign something major to do. This has held up during grad school, too. Share on beboBlog this!Bookmark on DeliciousDigg this postRecommend on FacebookShare on favesShare on FriendFeedshare via [...]

I started one over break to sort out my growing pile of workshop handouts and notes. After talking to Danielle, though, I decided to keep a notebook for other class stuff. She made the excellent point that handling my dance training like school would probably be useful. I’ve been thinking about it. I already keep [...]

One of the best ways to get info on Middle Eastern dance is through internet discussion. There isn’t a lot of quality academic work out there, and depending on the info you seek, sometimes your best bet is someone online. With so many options, which one is right for you? Here are my takes on [...]

Despite being involved with Middle Eastern and fusion dance on and off for a few years, I don’t have really any cool practice gear. I own about 4 hip scarves and some boring yoga pants. Among my many things to do this year is to invest in nice practice gear. Enter the Melodia top. I [...]