Category Archives: Dancing

Dancing with the Stars – Not the Ringers

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We watched the finale of Dancing with the Stars and lost interest once the final two were selected. To my husband and I it had turned into Dancing with the Ringers. A Pussycat Doll and an Olympic Figure Skater are hardly amateurs.

The excuses I hear repeatedly from the show producers is that they are not ballroom dancers. That doesn’t matter since, except for tribal and some ethnic dance, all professional dancers have foundations in ballet. The same is true of the Olympic figure skaters.

I know I have complained abou this before.

While walking our little dog, my husband and I started thinking of the perfect ringer season of Dancing with the Stars. The list we have thus far:

  • Shakira (not likely to happen)
  • Madonna (Carrie Ann may have trouble being neutral)
  • Tom Cruise
  • John Travolta
  • Christopher Walken
  • Kevin Bacon

and so on . . .

Who would you include in the all ringer season of Dancing with the Stars?

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Adding Bellydance Class Again (Too Long Away from Raks Sharki)

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Last Thursday I returned to my bellydance / raks sharki / oriental dance classes to help me lose weight. I was exhausted by the end – and felt as though I had once again come to life!

I used to be in the Intermediate/Advanced classes with my wonderful instructor Princess Madiha, but I would never survive that class in my current state! I barely survived Thursday’s beginner class!

Now, before having to stop for reasons I spoke of earlier in this blog, I had taken classes from Princess Madiha for 4 years. Interestingly, I only knew a couple of the girls that were there for the “beginner” class. This was interesting because her students don’t tend to leave permanently – unless they move far away or become incapacitated in some way. The ones I did know are regulars of the Monday or Tuesday Advanced / Intermediate classes.

The girls in the class were kind and claimed I seemed to be keeping up just fine. Of course, I used to be somewhat good at this and know how out of shape – and practice – I truly am. But, it felt so good to push myself to try to keep up with the shimmy queen – even if it was just in a beginner class.

By the end of Thursday’s class I was thoroughly exhilarated and exhausted. It was a wonderful feeling of being alive for the first time in a very long time. Raks Sharqi is a dance that celebrates the feminine in a way that most other dances don’t. This, however, does not mean that you can let yourself go and perform! Performers still have to fit a certain mold, thankfully, it is more forgiving than the one for ballet.

For those who want to know, the type of bellydancing / raks sharki class I am returning to is referred to as Westernized Nightclub. It is a descendant of Egyptian and Lebanese style bellydance. I have also done American Tribal Style (ATS), a little bit of folkloric, American Cabaret, and fusion styles. I love it all – but haven’t been able to do it for 3 years.

It feels good to dance again. I have been dancing off and on all weekend!

Report From Princess Madiha’s St. Jude Benefit – A Festival of Bellydancing Stars

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… at least the local Metro Detroit Stars:

Princess’s Daughters - Banat al Amira

The Princess’s Daughters – Banat al Amira danced in the middle of the show. These ladies are some of the best dancers around. All of them donate their services for the St. Jude Benefit every year. Many of them I consider friends. All of them are either present or past students of Princess Madiha. Many are available for events and can be contacted through Princess Madiha – or via their own web sites.

The local bellydance community is one of the nicest groups around. (Of course, like any group, we have our cliques that go in and out of style. But that tends to be very transient.) This even tends to only bring the best out of the community.

Princess Madiha’s Annual Dance Charity raises thousands of dollars every year for St. Jude’s Hospital in Memphis Tennessee. This goes to help save young lives – without cost to their families.

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