I again take myself back to my 2 weeks in Mexico City, and relive our full on weekend of Tribal Bellydance workshops and the full on show, dancing friendships forged with gleaming smiles, bodies working hard, and my students minds imploding with so much new material!
Sunday was a long day of dance, after workshops all day on Saturday, and the show that night. But these dancers are returning to the studio, eager, hungry for what I have to share. This is part of my reward, to see their vibrant faces light up with each new concept new step, and even more drilling. They first arrived Saturday morning, reserved and quiet women, but now they are giggling, more comfortable with each other, willing to ask questions, and re-learning how to use their bodes to interpret this amazing and evolving dance form.
Comments of how natural and organic it feels, how much easier it is to follow, how enjoyable the freedom is within the structure. I just smile and nod with appreciation. I love to watch them glisten and grow.
After we warm-up with a fun and vigorous workout, we continue to drill and dance,reviewing and adding new moves and ideas. After the lunch break we move into my Funky Bits workshop, and the energy raises, often unusual for a Sunday afternoon class, as the dancers are usually in full-brain mode! But not these dancers, they want more. With hip twists and quick turns and partner rotation ideas, we are tearing it up. I make them drill solo, I am determined they start to get it on their own. We move into rotating circle so each dancer can take the lead and follow too. We experiment with different formations and we end with a big whooping open chorus, where everyone has a chance of leading and jumping into the formations. They bust in with exuberance and a new courage, loving the dance and themselves in a different way, with newfound tribal sisters, a large and exciting repertoire of moves, which of course will take time to remember and execute with confidence and strong technique. That is part of the dance journey. And it is a lovely sight to behold.
Another shorter break, and the last workshop of the weekend is my Tribal Trance class. I love ending with this workshop because it is healing and relaxing, yet invigorating and intense. Even though Carol and I are both tired, realizing we are teaching at 8000 feet altitude, (no wonder I was having a hard time breathing), I am raring to go. The dancers are not sure what this class entails with with my wonderful interpreter, Kika, I describe how we as dancers and women need to let go of structure and inhibition. So in this class, we release to find bliss, we set intentions of dance dreams, and we allow ourselves to move in different ways, other than bellydance moves.
We write, breathe, move along or with partners, sometimes as a pulsing group of creation. WE sound out loud or we walk quietly to nowhere. We envision and we stretch, with tears of gratitude and smiles of new insights. We are in love with ourselves and each other. The workshop is complete.
My job is done. I am full up with pride as a mama can be, and knowing I have given them much more than they expected. They are different dancers than when they arrived. And their journey has strengthened themselves as well as their local community of dancers.
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With Walky, Oso, and Carol, we ready ourselves for our midnight bus ride, our tribal adventure, to the outskirts of Vera Cruz for a 3 day stay in a villa on the beach. Then a return to Mexico City for three more intensive dance days with an intimate group of women who are undertaking my Collective Soul Level One Intensive, with my Gypsy Caravan’s Tribal Bellydance format.
*You can read about the journey on my other blog, The Adventures of Tribal Country Gal Paulette!
http://globalcaravandance.com/blog/tribal-country-gal/
*Remember to watch my Vlogs, Talking Tribal! Go here
to watch the Mexcian dancers talking about tribal!
*and if you like this or have anything to add, you can comment back on my Facebook pages! I so enjoy your comments…
https://www.facebook.com/tribalbellydancing
Thanks for joining me on my Tribal Travels!
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