New classes, new pictures!

Hello, Sarasota. This is overdue, but like everyone I have more to do than time allows. Besides, like most dancers, I'd rather do the dance than talk about it. But at this very moment my biggest time-stealer is taking a nap, so I've got a few minutes to share the news.

2009 is just around the corner - why not start the new year by learning new skills, finding some muscles you forgot about, and making new friends? Beginner class starts up again at DanceFusion on January 5th, a perfect time to join us. We'll be reviewing things we learned this fall and learning new things too, so it's a great time for beginning dancers to join in. Beginner class is every Monday at 7, and the advanced class, for dancers with at least six months under their belts, is every Monday at 8. DanceFusion is at 5725 Lawton Drive, just off Clark between Sawyer and McIntosh - call 923-3923 if you need directions!

Not only has belly dancing kept me 15 pounds lighter this year, I have also made some dear friends that way. These past few months I have had the honor of appearing fairly regularly with Afsana, who has been my student for about three years now and is really developing as a dancer. Check out some recent photos of us at work . . . and now picture yourself with us. See you on January 5!

New horizons

Hello, danceworld. It's been too long between posts, but it's because the whole family is in the midst of some very exciting changes. I have just been appointed Upper School Librarian for the Out-of-Door Academy, Brian is now a graphic designer for Cornerstone Sign, and Marty is starting daycare next week. There's lots more to report, but of course you'll hear it first if you come to class! Beginners at 7, advanced at 8. Look for me at Pegasus on August 23, too!

Beginner class forming now!

I've been teaching mixed-level belly dance at The Dance Palace for about four years, but as of July we are trying something new: a beginner class at 7 and an intermediate/advanced at 8, both on Monday nights. So, for all you beginners out there who were afraid to come to a mixed-level class, now's the time! For more advanced students who are looking for a challenge, I'm ready for you, too. See you Monday.

Welcome to the Casbah, baby

I've decided to embrace the pink. I will be moving to a different studio within the Dance Palace, and it used to be a ballet room, so the walls are classic ballerina pink. Belly dance is so fascinating that people will go to great lengths to peer into the room through any convenient means - window, doorlight, keyhole, whatever - so to fill in the single floor-to-ceiling glass window that faces the parking lot, I am taking my fuchsia-pink sari with the gold sequins and making it into a drape to keep out the peepers. In addition, I am adding a rack for spare veils, canes and hip scarves and I'm working on getting a map of the world so I can point out the regions when we do regional styles. The Sunday night show that I attended in Tampa with my advanced dancers featured one or two regional numbers, and we all agreed we would focus a little on ethnographic styles, like the raqs al-assaya or Saidi cane dances, or get even more exotic and do some Ghawazee as well. So, along with embracing the pink, I'm embracing the desert, too. It's time to get down to business, so to speak. New classes start the 7th of July, and I want to be ready.

The goddess in your own backyard

Hello, bellyworld. I have some good news: recent negotiations with the Sarasota location of the Dance Palace are complete. I will now be teaching TWO classes per week, starting in July: beginner belly dance is from 7 to 8 p.m. on Mondays, and intermediate/advanced class follows from 8 to 9. I bought a new stereo and I'm shopping for a map of Egypt this week, so one day soon that dainty pink ballet room is going to be like something from a Gerome painting. Not enough belly for ya? Local goddess Bethsheba Almeh has classes almost every day of the week. Visit SouthFloridaBellyDancers for more info, or call her at 587-6385. And of course, she appears every Friday and Saturday night at Pegasus, so get out there and contribute to the local economy! Gas might be $4 a gallon, but it's cheaper than flying to Greece.

We Come to Belly Dance

Looking for some belly this weekend? Kadayif, of American Belly Dance Studio in Tampa, presents "We Come to Belly Dance," a gala event featuring a diverse array of belly dance styles and of course, all that glitter. Show is Saturday at 7 p.m. at the USF Theater, and tickets are $15 at the door, cash only. If I can make it over the nasty tie-up on 75 North, I'm there!

Can't travel? Bethsheba Almeh is entertaining at Pegasus restaurant on Bee Ridge Rd. Saturday night as well. Eat saganaki, drink retsina, and yell "Opa!"

Ya Salaam!

Some of us are still recovering from all the weekend fun! Sunday night at Franko's on Main, Tahja and Ya Salaam played to a packed house of dancers, friends, family, and some very happy diners. After sharing a bottle of wine with my husband Brian and wiping the ketchup off Martin's chin, I felt spirited enough to do an impromptu kash to Rompi Rompi, even though I have always maintained that kash is better suited to a less robustly endowed frame than mine . . . nobody got hurt, anyway. I think. Ya Salaam is up to some very exciting stuff these days, from playing live gigs to making a record to starring in a movie. Want them for yourself? Get in touch with Tahja at http://www.tahja.com/index.htm.

Ahlan wa Sahlan!

Fondest greetings to those I know, and warm welcome to those I have yet to meet. This is Sarasota Belly Dance, a blog designed to provide information, advice, links, announcements and other information to my students and the Middle Eastern dance community in Sarasota and beyond. I am Alyssa, an instructor and performer, currently teaching at The Dance Palace, www.thedancepalace.com. Beginner classes are held every Monday night from 7 to 8 p.m., and the intermediate/advanced dancers meet from 8 to 9. For more information, call the studio at 923-3923, or email me at bellydancesarasota@yahoo.com. I look forward to what the future holds!

Can't wait? Here's some info from the local newspaper. In a funny coincidence, this article was published about 12 hours after my son was born. The nurses kept whispering to themselves at their station until one of them finally asked if it was me! http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060429/FEATURES/604290546