Monday, February 16, 2015

Belly Dance Eye Candy Part Two

My post of belly dance eye candy from almost two years ago remains one of the most popular on this blog to this day. Makes sense. As dancer's we are involved in a highly visual art form, so of course we enjoy looking at pictures of other dancers when they are decked out in jaw-dropping costumes and stunning makeup. Thus, I thought it was time for an update post to include some of my favorite belly dance pictures that I've seen circulating lately.


 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Craving more? Then follow along with me on Pinterest.   
 
 
Photo Credit: To the extent that I knew who the dancer was, I added credits.
Know the unlabeled ones? Let me know and I'll add links!

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

New Year Alchemy


It's that time of year again: a calendar of fresh canvas, dripping with possibility is laid out before us. The beginning of a new year is when I always take a time-out to reset and draft my dreams for the year.
 
As part of this process I always pick a theme for the year, and my theme for 2015 is Alchemy. After having a very challenging year in 2014 due to health issues, I'm ready to craft magic in my new year, turning the base elements of life into precious moments and memories. Getting down to specifics, generating Alchemy in 2015 looks like for me:
 
1. Cultivating my joy and passion for belly dance by exploring new topics and new teachers. In particular, I want to do this by taking weekend intensives with Sadie, Bozenka, and Sahra C. Kent. I've already registered for all three, and in fact, already took the Sadie one and blogged about it last month.
2. Expanding my realm of dance by babbling in ballet, which I'm doing by taking weekly ballet classes at the Pacific Northwest Ballet.
3. Gaining further insights into tarot and astrology. I started already by taking a 7-hour tarot workshop in January. For readers in the Seattle area who have an interest in this topic, I highly recommend my instructor Beth Schermer.
4. Engaging in some fun, unique events that I've never done before, like the Luminata Autumn Equinox Festival at Green Lake, Steamposium Convention, and a medieval festival at Camlann Medieval Village, Bastille Bash in Madison Valley, and attending Super Bowl 49!
5. Focusing on friendships. Last year, my health took center stage, at times frequently crowding out my social life. This year I'm ready to get back into the swing of things and focus on building new friendships and cementing old ones.
6. Writing my novel already. I wrote approximately half of a nonfiction book last year and then gained the clarity that I was writing the wrong book. I feel that I'm back on track now as I work on drafting a young adult fiction book.
7. Advancing my artistic side through aerial silks. I took an aerial silks class a few years ago, enjoyed it immensely and then never came back to it. I'm hoping that 2015 proves to be the year I take some classes again and graduate to doing a student performance.
8. Enjoying an overseas adventure. Besides dance and writing, travel is my other big passion in life. On the slate for 2015 is a trip to Costa Rica scheduled for March. Stay tuned for pictures later in the year!
 
What goals and projects are ready to be manifested, created, and birthed into existence in the new year, in your new beginning? Reflect and project forward. Your dreams are yours for the taking. But only if you make it so.  Hello 2015!