...and other wonderful tidbits in Part 1 of 2 interviews with Carolena and Megha by a couple of gals in Florida, Mary and Tammy. I love especially the discussion of preparing students for performance starting at around 25 minutes.

http://www.yippodcast.com/2009/07/episode-11a-fatchance-interview-pt-1.html

Here is a transcribed snippet, from around :50, in brief, to whet your whistle:

Yip: "Through the years...how do you keep ATS fresh? I mean, do you guys add in new moves, and how do you decide if you're gong to add something in or...the creative process behind that."

Carolena: "You know, I don't even think about keeping it fresh. I just do it. And I don't consciously say, you know, 'This is getting stale. We need a new move." We just do what we do.

And it's like an energy bounce. It just keeps rolling and rolling and rolling, and I just, I follow it. I don't direct it. D'you know what I mean? It's like I really feel like it never really intended for it to happen in the first place. It just sort of showed up and like, said, 'Chase me,' and I was like 'Okay, I'll chase you.'

And it's still like that. I really feel like there is a Dance Goddess who wanted me to present this to everybody, and I was like, 'Me? I'll try.' And she's been running ahead of me all these years..."



Around at 53ish, here is a final favorite snippet...
Carolena: "Being onstage, I feel, is really like a moving meditation. Because, you can't be anywhere but right there. You can't be ahead of yourself or behind yourself. You just...all you can be is right there. And you're either doing what you intended to do or not... ...it just flows.

When you're really like, right in that spot, it's so satisfying, because nothing else is happening right then...it's really like a single pointed meditation. It's fabulous."

Megha: "And I think also, with this style, what the audience sees, whether it's due to your successful attempt to do something or your mistake at doing something; the audience sees, whether they are conscious of it or not, the cooperation that's happening within the group. We talk a lot about how the audience sees the spark of creativity, because you're making the decisions as you go along about the sequence of things that you're gonna to, and they can see that exciting part of it. But they also can intuit the cooperation that's happening. Like, if there's a mistake and no-one gets frazzled about it, there is something that happens within that group that they can pick up on, and it just makes the whole thing even more mesmerizing and special. I love that about it."

Carolena: "Yeah, it's true that there really is a communication between the dancers and the audience. And that's what I really try to impress upon people when I'm teaching them, is being natural on stage. Be your natural self, because the audience is being its natural self, and they are looking for natural gestures. So don't be fake.


Definitely be showy. Y'know, be on the stage, and own the stage, and give us a show, for sure. But be yourself, because the audience can read a natural gesture. So if something is a success or a failure, they may or may not be able to figure that out, but your response to it is what they're going to trigger their response from. So if you look, y'know, you're just like "Oops!" and the other dancer is like "Hey, I'll help", the audience is like "Oh, that's cool".

Megha: You know, it all comes down to "Just be cool". Whatever, just be cool!

This is a 1997 video of Carolena talking about what ATS is and isn't, and specifically some of her theories about the evolution of dance, motivation of feminine display and beauty, and more. It's very brief, but enjoyable.

My favorite dance moment is right at the beginning. She is just doing a simple little hip bump, her arms posed so beautifully, and just turning slowly, to show all sides of the simple move. It is done with such grace, control, and confidence, it strikes me at my core. Inspiring. So little can have such impact, it's easy to forget you don't necessarily always need all the bells and whistles. Just your own energy and confidence, and the simplest things are powerful.

I have really been loving learning more about ATS and really digging into those roots. It's beautiful, it's powerful, and so much of what I have wanted to inject into my dancing but didn't quite know how. As soon as I started exploring it I started feeling it, and I feel it has been a good path to take for me.

In my teacher training this past winter/spring, Carolena stated that she doesn't see why anyone doing tribal improv should want or need to do anything more than what she has already created. She feels the dance style is whole and complete as it stands, and anyone wanting to do it needs to adhere to that. With due respect to this incredible woman I am coming to know and respect even more than I already do, my being rebels against this assertion, and feels counter to what it means *to me* to be an artist.

To me, this is like someone saying "You can paint pictures, but you can only use these paint colors, and these brush strokes. You can only paint the Approved Painting Styles on this specific Approved Canvas and cannot deviate from that. Why would you need to do anything else? This collection of colors and strokes is whole and perfect and needs no changes. Though if you wish to add to our palette, you must first get approval from me on the colors and brushstrokes, then we will test your theories, and if we deem them worthy, we will disseminate these colors and techniques throughout our collective so everyone can continue to paint the same colors in the same way." It's like a room full of Van Gogh's, and never a Kandinsky.

I feel torn at times with how I feel about this approach.

I do *understand* the desire to keep terminology clear. Carolena's seen more than her fair share of what she has created being completely bastardized, yet people claim to be doing what she does. And frankly, if it walks and talks like a duck, it's a duck, and if it walks and talks like a gorilla in a duck costume, it's a gorilla in a duck costume. Sadly, not everyone can tell the difference, and perhaps Carolena is trying to turn back time and change that. I admire her courage to stand up for her art, and her honesty about her motivations.

But it's the interest in buying into that which confounds me as an artist myself. I think that creation and building something from within YOU is part of being an artist. Being told what I can paint, how, and where is fine when I am first starting out--the path of most every artist is emulating those greater than themselves. But eventually, you start working to paint from the inside out, rather than the outside in; and all those lessons you learned along the way are now a part of you, and those different colors and brushstrokes find a home within you and are re-blended with other influences and are expressed through the lens of You-ness.

I completely understand that once one has started to express themselves in a unique way, it should take on another name. It IS something else, it is not that original creation any more. In this case, it has become another expression, style or format, and not ATS any more. But the idea that one could and should only ever want to use those moves, in that format, forever and ever, and deny your personal creative instincts in order to follow someone else's prescribed methods for all time...I personally can't get behind that. I have too many creative ideas of my own!

Now that I have really dug into ATS, and am enjoying its energy and form, it will absolutely influence me greatly going forward. I am already much more thoughtful about what I add to my dance and why (and some things I added before were ditched once my eyes were opened to this different way of looking at movement and format), and I do literally think "What would Carolena say about this kind of movement? Does it meet the basic requirements for ATS aesthetics? Does it flow and jive with those goals?" BUT then my very next question is, "Does it jive with my energy and my troupe and our hybrid version of ATS that we work with. Does it still honor those aesthetics, while being a unique message from within us? Does it flow with who we believe we are and where we think we want to go?"

Now, admittedly, these are questions we can only realistically ask as of about the last 3 years or so. And I bet it is not as easily or clearly answered as it will be in, say, 10 years from now. Because with each passing year we grow deeper and deeper into our Selves. Our troupe gels more and more each year, creating its own energy and aesthetic with our collaborative energies feeding into it. Carolena is at a point in her career where she really Knows who her troupe Is, who she is, and what she wants to express with her dance. I want that to be an inspiration in my dance, but not the sole driving force. As an artist, I can't sit back on someone else's creation and claim it is truly coming from within me. Art doesn't work like that.

Only that which comes from Me can really BE ME. And I want to be Me. And I want my Troupe to be My Troupe. I will honor those who have come before and put me on this path, but I will forever strive to be my own unique interpretation of those lessons and philosophies. I truly have a hard time understanding Art in any other context...

That was my deep thought of the day. Off to the aquarium with Celise, Tyler, Claire, Amy, and Simon!

I am in San Francisco as I write this. Quinn wanted to get an early start on Friday, and is someone who can wake at 3am, fly for hours, and land at 9am and then go all day long. I am not that person. So I opted to fly in a day early and stay at a hotel near the airport to meet her in the morning. So I am all alone at an airport hotel with nothing nearby (okay, there is a McDonald's across the street, and some other hotels nearby, but noplace to go on this lovely sunny day). Free Wi-Fi and some television...I think I might take a bath later and just relax and knit and get in some meditation time. There is a restaurant and lounge in the hotel, and I am undecided if I am going down to eat dinner and have a drink or order room service. I am so not an eat-alone person, but maybe that's why I am considering going down and giving it a go...
It occurred to me on the flight down that I have not really been to "San Francisco" in about 10 years. Which is to say, I have flown here many many many times. But was always going straight to something dance related, and back home. Never saw the city. I was last here to see The City back when I was dating Rob and we came down on Halloween to see Switchblade Sister. Another lifetime ago! DAYUM! So I am excited to get to see some of the city, and have my own personal guide too.

Tomorrow is city time, then some dance time at the studio--2 hours of classes, Level 1 and 2. Unfortunately, Rakassah spoiled our plans to rock through 5 hours of classes on Saturday--all cancelled. But it means we have a day free. So we are planning to do some more city time, then see if we can get in some Ultra Gypsy class time --beginner tomorrow, and possibly a workshop after if Jill allows us to stay.

So a busy weekend, then the training on Monday and Tuesday. Whew!

Okay, so I have to start this off with a: YOU MUST COME TO THE FESTIVAL THIS WEEKEND! Cues & Tattoos is DA BOMB!

And for my friends out there who haven't yet done it: GET YER TICKETS FOR BELLYBOWLING! It is NOT a requirement that you bellydance to come and bowl with us, and I would love to see you. :) It's a screamin' deal for a night of all-you-can-bowl-pool-and-shuffleboard in our own private room!!


*****************************
It's finally here, the first ever event focusing on the use of improv
choreography within Tribal Belly Dance. Don't miss all of the fun this
weekend!:

Kick Off Party hosted by inFusion Tribal-Friday February 22

Kick off the weekend with an awesome opportunity to hang out with your
fellow dancers and workshop participants. You never know who might be
throwing a strike the next lane over! $15 gets you unlimited bowling, pool
and shuffleboard in The Spare Room, our own private party space. There will
be fun dancer- door-prizes drawn throughout the evening. And come hungry
and thirsty! The Garage has a delicious menu that includes vegetarian
options, serving food until 1am.

There are limited tickets available, so get yours now to get in on the fun!
You can buy your tickets online (see link below) at the pre-sale cost of $15
until Wednesday, February 20th. After the pre-sale cutoff, the cost will be
$20 at the door. Please note that bowling shoe rentals are $3 extra.

Any proceeds from the ticket sales will be lovingly donated to New
Beginnings, an organization devoted to ending domestic violence, in the name
of the tribal community at large.

http://www.infusiontribal.com

Garage Billiards
1130 Broadway Ave
Seattle, WA 98122

Workshops Saturday Feb 23 & Sunday Feb 24:

There are still opportunities to study with the pioneers of Tribal Improv:

FatChanceBellyDance of San Francisco, CA.
Gypsy Caravan of Portland, OR
Unmata of Sacramento, CA
Troupe Hipnotica of Seattle, WA
Read My Hips of Chicaog, IL.
inFusion Tribal of Seattle, WA.
Troupe Salamat of Bend, OR.

Visit http://www.troupehipnotica.com/cues/workshop_registration.html to
register on line.

Northgate Community Center
10510 5th Ave NE
Seattle, WA 98125


Saturday Night Showcase, Feb 23rd

Enjoy 4 hours of Tribal Improv performances featuring instructors along with
the dancers who came to study in a festival atmosphere with lots of
shopping. Be awed and inspired, mingle with dancers and enjoy a few global
treats. The $10 entrance can be pre-paid on line at
http://www.troupehipnotica.com/cues/workshop_registration.html or just pay
at the door.

Northgate Community Center
10510 5th Ave NE
Seattle, WA 98125


See you there!!

When we last left our fearless adventurers, they were settling in for the night after their first full day of the FCBD GSI.

Day two was probably the most challenging day for me personally. The reason being that the moves were still fairly basic and universal...but with subtle tweaks from what we usually do with them. So the movements individually were not hard at all, but the details and the variations and turning combinations were *just* different enough from what we do to bend the brain a bit. As promised, the talking went down and the dancing went up. We and the gals we had hooked up with the first day had agreed to show up early to stake out a better vantage point in the class (center, not faaar left!--the worst position for ATS, dude!), and stay close so when it came time to group up and dance, we would have some partners with some experience. This plan worked flawlessly and Renee and I partnered with Margaret (who incidentally happens to be in a troupe with LuSynda! Like, from Oasis Dance Camp all that time back! WOAH! Tiny world!).

I think one of my few "I wish" from the weekend would be I wish we had had a little more partner dancing time--more drill time in general, without having to try and follow Meg or Carolena. Just getting to internalize the moves a little bit and put feet to floor to music. But as was evidenced, the goal of this intensive is not to really gain any muscle memory or skill in the moves, but to just be *exposed* to the individual moves, and a chance to ask some questions about the moves and format. This we definitely accomplished.


We had our first day of music theory, which was well laid out. I think I would have taught it a little different from a rhythm study standpoint, but it was neat to get to hear Carolena talk a bit about her relationship with live musicians, and the experience of creating an understandable communication system between the dancers and the musicians when it comes to rhythms and developing music for performance. Or more to the point, the way Carolena and Mark Bell talk about rhythms, and the pitfalls of working with musicians who are "always right". We only ever played triples and military, however, during the workshop.

I got to ask a lot more questions throughout this day, as well as at the Q&A directly after the workshop. I was hyper-conscious of not trying to overwhelm the day with my "agenda" of questions, or to appear too overeager. I was worried about speaking too much, and taking up too much time with my detailed explorations and Carolena's and Megha's gracious answers. However, many women throughout the weekend specifically commented on what great questions I had and how they were enjoying my inquiries and the insight they revealed, so by the end I felt confident I wasn't wasting anyone's time. *whew*

We joined our gals for dinner again that night, this time at a bistro tucked into a 102 year old farmhouse about 15 minutes away. It was lovely, with the courtyard and porch lit by oil torches, and stark white tables in a whitewashed "living room". The food was fabulous (Renee and I split a to-die-for baked goat cheese appetizer, then I moved on to She Crab Bisque and finally Atlantic Salmon), we shared a bottle of wine, lots of laughter, and dance philosophy and dreams. We were so lucky to get to meet up with such wonderful women. Mindy with her strong desire (and blossoming ability) to foster community through the dance, and using it as a tool for battered women. Laraine quietly soaking up the experiences of the other women to take back to her "just broke away from our teacher" troupe, interjecting with occasional questions and contributions. Connie with her desire to bring more codification to her troupe, and some pointed questions to Renee and I about our experiences. Margaret with her classes teaching little girls how to dance, drum, and play zills, and the neat exercises and traditions she has developed to help these girls grow up strong, confident, and nurtured by their little circle.

We head back to the hotel and retired to our own rooms. We were all very tired, had to be up early, check out, have a full day of workshop, and then fly/travel home. So no latenight EEMED watching. But Renee and I ended up drinking some wine, eating some junk, composing some mails to the troupe, and pillow-talking until wee hours. We were exhausted, but couldn't sleep! Finally we fell into an exhaustion and dropped off.

The last day had more new information, but was less mentally challenging for me personally. Largely because the moves were so different from what we do that they were kind of using a different part of my brain power than the day before, and because I had most recently been viewing and working with Volume 7 so the mechanics of the moves were very fresh in my mind and were easily called upon. But unfortunately, my back was killing me. It was already a bit fatigued from the previous days, but when we loaded the suitcases into the car, despite me being very very careful, something went wrong. And my back was in severe pain all day long. So it meant I had to spend more time sitting out that I would have liked. But realistically, this was the best day for me to have been down and out. I danced when it was time to break things down and put feet to floor on a concept, but sat out when it was just doodling around a bit or drilling. I simply economized my dance time to the most important moments in the workshop, and it was alright. I did have to go lie down off to the side a couple of times, and I used up all my Advil earlier than I would have liked. I honestly felt like an idiot sitting out, and feared appearing weak or disrespectful or both! But I knew going into this that I had to do what was best for my physical health, so I just sucked it up and sat out as needed.

We did the latter half of the music theory on this day (not much new info there, but from a teaching perspective, good to observe how another teacher approaches it), as well as belly rolls and flutters (too much time spent on this IMO, but what can ya do). We finished with some partner concepts (Arabic Shimmy w/ arms and fade, Arabic Orbit, etc), and then Carolena and Megha presented us our certificates for those of us who had to dash out before the end of the workshop day (we couldn't stay for the Q&A hour, basically). I have some photos of the weekend, but Chris has the cord for the camera cleverly hidden someplace, so I can't get them off the camera right now! WAH!

For me, it felt too short. I think even one more day would have allowed the workshop a little more fleshed-out exploration and drill time. But I do honestly feel I got a lot out of it--in fact, most of what I went into it for, and then some. I got to ask questions that specifically spoke to the philosophy behind the construction of a move, and gained much insight from observing the connective tissue, details, and aesthetic qualities of FC movement that appeal to me. Renee and I got some inspiration for derivative and new moves and concepts for the troupe, and had good talks with each other and the other women about dance philosophy.

Carolena did confirm that she is definitely developing a second-level training program, between this and the "you can only do ATS" teacher training, which will be a teacher training for those who want to learn more FC movement and teaching skills but not teach only ATS. I am definitely interested in that training, and hope it will work into my 2008 schedule, and that I will be accepted to participate (you have to audition).

Gotta go eat lunch!

*back*
To sum up: the workshop was everything I hoped for and more. Carolena was kind, engaging, super informative, and felt like an open book to me; which to be honest was not was I was expecting, but was grateful to find. She was respectful of people's limits and motivations, spoke clearly and concisely, and managed to put together in only 15 hours a truly informative practical overview of all the moves in the FC vocabulary. Megha was an unexpected treat--a great addition, and she and Carolena taught well together, kind of tag-teaming. Megha's warmth and smile added to the room, as did the presence of her sweet troupe members who were all in attendance, and demonstrated some of the more complex group concepts for us to see in detail and take notes.

It was more than worth the money (and back pain ;)!

I am writing from our *excellent* (**second**) hotel room in Atlanta, where Renee and I are attending the ATS General Skills Intensive certificaition program with Carolena. Oh yes, Sharon gets the best adventures and drags other people along, I think. Well, I take the blame because it seems like I am the constant in these things. Nevermind the horrid check-in at the airport. Nevermind the ridiculous security line (idiots running that place!), and barely making our flight in time. Nevermind that the people who volunteered to pick us up from the airport neglected to mention that they also agreed to pick up three other people...three hours after our flight arrives, so despite landing at 7:30, we have to sit in the airport waiting and get to our hotel at 11:30pm... (believe me, I am grateful for the generous gesture, but had we been informed of this, we would have rented a car, which would have also settled a few other transportation issues we are running against now)...


We get to the hotel which was recommended: an Extended Stay America, which is set up with a bunch of individual buildings around a courtyard. Each has yellow "danger" tape around every building and giant trash containers taking up half the parking lot spaces. The very nice lady at the desk (yes, really) informs us they are roofing all the buildings. She doesn't know how early they start in the morning. Hooray. We get our assignment, and we hike off across the parking lot to our building. We open the door to the first room, and aside from it being the most depressing hotel room I have ever seen, it stinks like a chain smoker just left...after a week's stay. So we haul our luggage back to the main office (ow my back!), and get our second room assignment a little further away. We hike out there...it's not much better. Turns out they have NO plan for smoking room blocks. They have rows of smoking rooms with one non-smoking room tucked in between! (You know what my father would say). These rooms are so sad--a single glaring fluorescent light in the center of the room, a bathroom about as big as the front seat of my car, nothing on the walls, a single low dark wood dresser with a 22" TV sitting starkly in the center... It's kind of like a prison as far as decor and charm go, and no I don't think I am exaggerating.

So we hike back to get a third room assignment. The nice desk lady says, "Well, we only have three more available rooms. Two of them are the old rooms, which you could try. The rooms you have seen already are our newly rennovated rooms. The older ones won't have the plush furniture. Would you like to try one of those?" (PLUSH FURNITURE?!?!?!) Renee starts to say yes, and I say "Uh...NO! No no no no..." So we try one last "plush" room, and I inform Renee we are moving to the Holiday Inn Express up the street. She halfheartedly agrees (it is a pain in the ass--we will have to walk there, since our ride has gone home) She sits on the edge of the bed and... "Oh damn. These are like slabs of cement with sheets thrown over them." She calls to check on reservations at the Holiday Inn Express.

We hike back to the desk one last time and ask for our money back. It's midnight now Atlanta time, and we have the workshop in the AM. So we grab our bags and head down the street. It is a 5 lane highway, btw, and there are no sidewalks! So we are walking in the road against oncoming cars, ducking into the occasional parking lot to save from walking in traffic. We finally make it...and it is nirvana! Matt The Desk Guy has just popped a bag of popcorn and offers me a handful while he checks us in. Turns out it's all suites, so we get a freaking wicked room (but not before grabbing a couple free cookies and some tea). We dance around the room, leap onto the soft beds, and run into each other's arms, hugging and laughing gleefully at our fortune. We sip our tea, watch the 30" TV (with 70 cable channels and HBO!), and sleep peacefully until morning.

So we have finished our first day of the intensive with Carolena, which was pretty basic stuff and pretty verbose (more talking, less dancing), though we are told that will be less true with each passing day. We were lead to believe the group would be pretty experienced, but really only about half or less have significant training evidenced in their dancing. *sigh* So group work could be dodgy in the coming days, but we're trying to keep an open mind, and soak up all we can! And Carolena is just fab. She has been incredibly engaging, laughing and making jokes, gives a great amount of detail, and has already revealed some of the insights I hoped to glean from taking this workshop with her. Her assistant, Megha of Devyani, is also sweet and well spoken, and I am enjoying their teaching partnership very much. I am enjoying getting to play zills more than usual. I look forward to more hard work--this from the gal with the back issues! Today was no big deal at all. I could have stood more pain to have more real drilling.

After the workshop, we met up with some gals from Tennessee and Florida, who invited us out to dinner along with two other gals we had met earlier (from Virginia and Baltimore). After getting their reservations canceled over at the Extended Stay and (effusively grateful) moved into the Holiday Inn as well, we head out for a meal. We drove a little out of the way for an Asian fusion restaurant they found online, which was delicious, and there was much laughter and dance talk. Great gals, good time. Stopped at the store on the way home for some snacks and wine for tomorrow night--a little EEMED video watching is in store, as is possibly a trip to one of the largest haunted houses in the US, which is just up the road apparently!

Sorry that got so long!

I'm tired of debating and defending and arguing and considering and tempering and...I'm tired. Today. Tomorrow I may catch a 35th wind. But for today, I am tired.
I feel like I have to defend tribal on two fronts sometimes. From the "outside" with people who would say that tribal isn't even bellydance, and from the "inside" for those would would make it anything and everything you feel on a whim and make sure it never codifies or defines itself on any level.

Bleh.

In other news, I can't stop knitting. Somebody bind my fingers! I got about 1/3 of a way through one project and realized I didn't like the yarn for that project, so I stopped and continued work on project 2, which I was working on simultaneously. I am about 1/2 way through that one, and love it. Then yesterday I started, and essentially finished, another project with a new technique I learned yesterday afternoon from one of Amy's knitting books, which just so happened to be mirrored on the packaging of the yarn I already had! It looks really cool but I am considering unraveling it and trying it again, as I added several rows of knitting by accident near the beginning, so I continued that, and ran out of yarn before it was as long as I wanted/the project claimed it would be. I also used a somewhat smaller needle than it called for, which surely had an effect. So pulling it out seems a good idea. And it only took me about 3.5 hours to make it!!

This week has been Amy-centric! She is on break from school, so we're hangin' out while she has actual free time. On Friday we had a crafty day. On Sunday we went to Canada. I wanted to do a pre-trip for our troupe trip in January, and was disappointed to find very little of interest. But I got a years' stash of bindis, a few saris, and Indian food. We also made a run by Lush, with much rigamarole trying to get just enough Candian currency to park for 20 minutes. In the pouring rain! Today we are trying a water-exercise class, and I will sport a swim cap for the first time in my life. Tomorrow is punk rock yoga before I teach class.