Dancing Isis Dance!

Dancing Isis Dance! – Poem

ballare — Wed, 01 May 2013 08:11:14 +0000

Dancing Isis Dance

The patterns rise up through the darkness of the earth

Through the layers of time

to ignite the bones of my feet

My feet begin to pulse

spiralling through the space in between the bone

The balls of my feet undulate

as my ankles fold to my breath

My breath filters out though my mouth

at the speed of mist

as my nostrils flare

to give me air

My breath and my knees are one

My knees and my breath soften my body

feeding the flowing blood in my veins

My knees move bobbing like buoys on a calm ocean

My thighs strong and soft

take the earth through their bones

My feet grow tentacles drawn to the core

The molten lava climbs up

kindling my feet

climbs through my legs

erupts in my groin

Spreading from hip joint to hip joint

meeting in the darkness of my womb

the weight of my glowing womb

sways with my breath

the balls of my feet

my knees

floating

The lava red hot bubbling

rising up and up

rocking swaying shaking

My belly swells and recoils to the rhythm

my belly caries my sacrum like a sleeping child

innocent and wise

forward and back

side to side

round and round

The shapes of life

behind my navel

My spine snakes up

spirals and weaves the fabric of our existence

our DNA manifested expanding into space

as the spine coils and uncoils

from my tail bone to the base of my skull

echoing my breath

moving to my heart beat

My heart expands through my armpits

my shoulder joints float up

carrying my arms towards the moon

my heart radiates from the palms of my hands

beams of love

pierce the universe

and touch your heart

My heart sings

explodes

sending waves though my spine

a flush across my sternum

radiates to my eyes

into my belly

to my groin

waves

ripple to the top of my head

and out into the universe

waves

spreading across the soles of my feet

My arms rising and falling anchored to my heart

in tune with my lungs and the bones of my ribs

Arms tracing my form

hands giving receiving giving

tracing my form

tracing time

expressing my soul

giving receiving

My throat widens and expands into my face

my face anchored to my feet

my tongue kisses my lips

and floats in my mouth

My throat spiral from my sacrum

expanding into universal consciousness

my eyes remember why I am here

dark eyes piercing through illusions

I am all of me

I dance the dance of the universal song

I dance so you can dance with me

Dancing Isis dance with me

For we are all of one

I dance with you

I dance for you

Dancing Isis Dance

By Maria Sangiorgi 2005 – 2013

The forming of my DMT Model

Maria — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 11:18:23 +0000

The forming of my Dance Movement Therapy model.
8th Nov 2009
In this paper I am writing from the point of view of myself as a dancer, dance educator and therapist in training. I will refer to my budding awareness of the terms “Newtonian” and “Quantum”, and their meaning in terms of my personal experience, and the theoretical presented to me in the reading material and in the tutorials that took place during Module 7 of my training.
In answer to the question and the topic presented I have chosen to talk about:
a) The personal experience of my journey into Middle Eastern Dance, and then towards facilitating dance movement therapy sessions for intellectually and physically impaired populations.
b) The development of my work with the Sussex Neighbourhood House group.
c)   How I have begun to develop my own Dance Movement Therapy style through my work with the Sussex Neighbourhood House group and through beginning to train as a Dance Movement Therapist with International Dance Therapy Institute of Australia.
d) The ”creation” and “vision” that is emerging of my own Dance Therapy model, that has “formed” from the acronym D.I.V.A., a,er having completed Module 7 coursework and reading in Reader 1:Leventhal, M. (2008) Transformation and Healing Through Dance Therapy: The Challenge and Imperative of Holding the Vision, in American Journal of Dance Therapy, Vol 30, pp. 4-23.
For the purpose of this essay I am using abbreviation to indicate
• • •
Middle Eastern Dance – MED Dance Movement Therapy – DMT International Dance Therapy Institute of Australia – IDTIA
I will also refer to Dr Marcia Leventhal by first name only when I am writing directly about the Module.
I have always been draw to dance and to the arts in general. I sing, draw, paint, sew, crotchet, write poetry and songs. I also love to be creative with food and also in my garden. But it has been dance that has formed most of my working life for the past twenty-one years. Twenty-six years ago a psychic told me that I had previously lived in Egypt and possessed the love of dance and the desert. I thought that she was describing the way that when I danced, I would completely let go and abandon myself and become immersed in the music; in fact I would become the music. It was not until five years a,er the reading, when I attended my first belly dance class that what she had told me really hit home. This was the beginning of my journey into MED. My training in Egyptian dance, which is my chosen style in the field of MED, leads me to feel and understand it as an “Energy” dance.   During the Module, Marcia read from a number of different pages the definitions of energy and commented on energy generally. Some of the definitions given included:
• Flowing • Feeling • Organic/inorganic • Unseen by felt • Changes depending on environment • Felt as vibration / wave • Source unlimited
She also talked about the flow needing to be unimpeded for healing to take place. This is my experience of Egyptian dance. When I am immersed in the dance, I feel my body change and I become, free flowing organic movement and when the dance is over something has changed.
Later as part of a group of Middle Eastern dancers I began working with Jane Refshauge. We explored the Alexander Technique, Ideokenisis, Anatomy, and Body Mind Centring. Along with Jane and my MED colleagues we formed a Movement Research group and invited other dancers to join us. They brought with them, Laban, Authentic Movement, Shamanic dance practices and Feldenkrais to name a few.
From this work I began to draw a connection between the fundamental aspects of Egyptian dance and the essence and integrity of the human body. The deeper I went into this dance the more I felt a deep connection to what I believe to be the primary source of movement. It is intrinsic to all indigenous dance styles across the globe – the basis being,
curves, spirals, waved, circles, shaking, centred, organic and animal like. I also began to explore the Chakric system. I felt that the movement of this dance was the physical manifestation of the path of the Kundalini and a play between each of the 7 main Chakras. It also follows the same patterns as what Body Mind Centring calls, “Navel Radiation” and is supported by what the Alexander Technique calls “Primary Control”. It mirrors the spiralling pattern of DNA supporting a flow of energy that creates a healing dance. I now call my work “Embodied Bellydance”.
In the past seven years I have been facilitating sessions for intellectually and physically impaired disability groups. This began before I did my Certificate in DMT. My entry into working with this population was via Belly dance, which this population loves. I watched myself grow and change as I learnt more about DMT and I developed my own way of working with these groups. Whilst I have moved away from Egyptian dance as my focus in this work and embraced the DMT approach, I come back to the essence of Egyptian dance time and time again.
One of the groups that I work with on a weekly basis is the Sussex Neighbourhood House Dance Movement Therapy/ Creative dance group. This group is managed by Sue Harris of the Sussex Neighbourhood house in Sussex St Coburg belonging to the City of Moreland. The sessions are held at the Pascovale Swimming Pool Hall every Monday evening and run for one and half hours. The group is made up of fi,een adults ranging in ages from late twenties to mid fi,ies. They are mostly high functioning individuals who are quite coherent and responsive and able to participate freely in all activities. I began working with them at the beginning of the year. This job came to me because I would occasionally be asked to facilitate a belly dance session at a weekly event that the Sussex Neighbourhood house   holds called Friday Friends. When the previous dance facilitator le,, the manger asked if I would like the position and I accepted. I made sure that she understood that my work would be in the context of DMT and she agreed. This group has been running for over ten years.
Another part of my dance life is what I call “Dance Journeys for the Awakening Heart”. The two main dances include “The Dance of the Sensual Soul” a women only dance that I began in 1999. The other is called “SensingFeelingDancing the Chakras”, which began in 2003. I do not call myself a Dance Therapist when I hold for these dances or any others that I do, but I do say that I have a Certificate in Dance Movement Therapy. What I have
learnt thus far in DMT has definitely given me a greater, clearer, holding capacity and intention. I am looking forward to when I can call myself a Dance Movement Therapist in relation to the work that I have created.
The immersion and abandonment that I previously spoke about refers to when I was in my teens in the seventies. My personal Healing Dance was to rock music. Not a Conscious Healing Dance, (Leventhal) because I did not have the knowledge of intention, holding and containing, nor was there someone holding for me. Never the less, it was most definitely a spontaneous healing dance and very much in the Quantum realm. It was “a timeless place, where I unfolded, went into the unknown. It was an energy dance that took me into a transformative, altered state of being. I dance my Soul/Self essence and communed with my higher self”, as out lined in Leventhal’s Chart 1 “Healing = a balance and mix of elements from each paradigm; a journey into the mysterious unknown (lev, 2008 p. 6)
In this course with the IDTIA, we are taught to embrace what is called the Conscious Healing Dance or the Quantum Healing Dance. The healing takes place in the Quantum, whilst being held in a Newtonian framework. Newtonian is referred to as “Core” Dance Movement Therapy, bound by time and space. We work with the known, the concrete, through cause and effect. We use theory to support what we do. We hold using the 5-part session and we are governed by the populations that we are working with. The Body processes we work with are body image/boundaries and sensory and perceptual motor skills. We name the range we are working with, force, time, space and flow. We are in the here and now, for example, standing in a circle feeling our feet on the ground. (See chart Leventhal, 2008, p. 6)
I have spent weeks wondering and pondering how to get my head around writing about my Dance Movement Therapy experience and what it means to me and how to give it form through a theoretical frameworks and what is my model. I saw that I had written the acronym, D.I.V.A in very large letters with the word “study” next to it in my journal. This acronym came from the same speech given by Dr Marcia Leventhal, to represent “ that which dance therapist totally embody” (Leventhal 2008, p.16)
The words are: 1. Daring
2. Dedication 3. Involved 4. Inventive 5. Vital
6. Alive
This is what the acronym means to me and essentially represent the making of my DMT model.
1. Daring
I dare to be myself and embrace all the knowledge and skills that I bring with me to this course and to DMT. I honour that even though the Newtonian way does not come easily to me in my day-to-day living, I do have the ability to combine Newtonian linea elements of DMT. I provide a concrete place, space and time to hold and contain a session. I am able to facilitate in a very practical way for example, bringing people into their bodies and to the here and now. I dare to embrace my intuitive, creative and improvisational skills that allow me to access the Quantum Healing Dance. I o,en feel that I experience life in a quantum way, especially my creative life. It is like a “fractal.” I am at home in a constantly metamorphosing, changing, molecular structure that is infinite. My limitations are the constraints that are placed upon me by the mechanistic Newtonian world. I have the gi, of connectedness to something deep inside of me that is the essence of all my dance experience. It is a part of the flow of the Implicate order, that I am a part of what Bohm calls “life-energy” (Dossey, 1982, p. 182) and that is where the healing takes place. “Belonging to the Implicate order – the unseen totality” that, says Bohm, “underlies the external world of things and events . . . in which all things are grounded . . . health is the result of the harmonious integration of all the analysable parts which comprise the explicate order-the cells, tissues, organ system and the entire physical body . . . health and harmony, a quality ultimately grounded, as all living things in the totality of the implicate order and not in the particulars themselves.”   My perception it that the flow of the Implicate order is the infinite the Quantum; and the particulars of the Explicate order is the structure of the Newtonian.
When I am facilitating a session with my disability group I can respond to them on both levels. We stand in a Circle and engage in structured activities that involve physical
movement. I dare to take my cues from them or what the moment presents, the Quantum. At a resent session with the Sussex Neighbourhood House group there were a number of participants running late. As we waited for them I asked those present to sit in a circle with me and I pulled out the shakers and rattles that I had brought to be played for our performance piece. I gave them all one instrument each and we sang the song that we would be moving to a,er the warm up. When all had arrived we stood in a circle and I asked them to keep shaking. I had no tangible idea where this was going. I asked Sandra, one of the participants to walk around Jen, another participant and to keep shaking. One of my reasons for using the shakers and rattles is that I feel that on a deep cellular level, the sound that they make touches something very primordial and shamanic; this simple instrument can shi, energy. I asked the others to do the same as Sandra and Jen had done. I then noticed Mark, who is o,en away from the circle and on this day in the corner. I decided we were all going to go where Mark was and do what he was doing, still shaking the instruments. We all stood against the wall like he was. Mark responded well to this; he smiled. I stood very close to him and asked him gently if he wanted to move. A,er a few moments without any verbal communication, which is the way Mark is, he suddenly moved into the room and I asked the whole group to follow. From there I chose another person to lead and to move how they wanted and encouraged them follow. It was like a crazy samba parade. I would call out someone’s name and we would all turn to follow them. Each person got to lead the group. This spontaneous molecular experience got the whole group moving, engaged, connected and happy. This “warm up” had moved into the “release” of a 5-part session before the “theme”, which is the dance piece.
During the module I arrived with a personal theme and that was to be in the NOW. I was greatly inspired by the recording of the book by Eckard Tolle the “Power of Now” that I was listening to daily. It was my personal unfolding, watching my internal dance of focus and distraction. This was the beginning of the exploration of my “Enlightened Discomfort”, which Marcia defined in the Module as “to go beyond the comfort zone to a place of unfoldment”; to develop the capacity to ‘hold’ the anxiety until an answer or an image comes to mind. She also discussed that in Shamanic training – you have to be ‘dismembered’ in order to be put back together again … Anxiety can cause a shattering, or things “falling to pieces” that can indicate a changing of patterns: the body’s pattern can so,en and drop into new things”. Daring to go deeper into myself into my “Dynesphere”, which Marcia describes as, “what is particular to me, to be still and listening to myself”. I
wrote in my journal “I am looking for the NOW, I danced it, found it, I got lead astray and came back”.
2. Dedication I am dedicated to following my own healing journey and to facilitate, share and teach others what I know in myself to be true and good. For the past 21 years I have been dedicated, devoted and self-motivated to researching and exploring the connection, between the somatic modalities that I wrote about previously, Egyptian dance, the Chakras, Esoteric Healing, Energy dance and DMT.
In the module during the experiential I found myself going into Egyptian dance. This greatly interested me because it does not always happen. I o,en avoid it so as to not go into technique. When I facilitate dance journeys I try to steer trained dancers away from technique. This is because they o,en hide in their technique and don’t allow themselves to go deeper into that place of “enlightened discomfort”. What I experienced in the module came from a place deep inside me. I heard a voice say “this is your healing dance, your home.” This was very important to me.
I fully embrace the dedication of the IDTIA to ensure that the course and its content are relevant and progressive; that we learn and achieve high standards that will take us into the psychotherapeutic realm. I am inspired by the dedication of those involved in DMT to take it and present it as a therapy that stands on its own with its unique qualities that set it apart from other modalities such as Occupational Therapy or Physiotherapy.
3. Involved I need to be involved in the process of my own dance evolution. I need to partake in my professional development, so I can be consciously and clearly involved and present as a skilled dance therapist. I aim to be totally involved with my groups and appreciate and use whatever they bring with them when they enter my space. They are at times, involved in decision-making.   Earlier this year I was feeling somewhat dissatisfied with the interventions that I was facilitating with my Sussex group; there was something missing. I asked them to tell me what music they liked. They gave me a varied assortment of old and new rock n roll and pop songs. I diligently found as many of the requested songs and artists as I could, downloaded them and arrived the next week with a good selection of their requests. We met in the circle as usual but instead of a warm up without music, I put
the music on, they were so happy and I improvised from there. Some of the tunes are now in our end of the year concert repertoire.
My involvement with the other members of the Advanced Diploma is essential for me to be able to experience the work. This ongoing involvement and interaction with the group will enrich my experience and support my learning during the course. I spent the first movement process of the module very much in my own space, noticing how I did not want to venture out to connect with others. When I engaged with my personal theme of being in the NOW that I mentioned earlier, I saw myself feeling a mixture of emotions: relief, satisfaction, fear, joy and sadness. Before I could meet my fellow dancers I needed to be involved in my own healing dance, to feel and explore those emotions, whilst I was being held and witnessed by Marcia. I was also holding and witnessing myself. Toward the end of the experiential I organically began to unfold and to connect to the group and to any individual in the group that came my way.
I am thrilled to be involved in the revolution of Dance Movement Therapy, this preverbal ancient healing dance, that through my experience thus far I feel intrinsically connected to. Leventhal in her article expresses,   “Dance in it healing capacities is one of the oldest forms of healing interventions and experiences know to humankind . . . .   the power of ritualistic movement, trance excitation and community exultation and release were forms generated and integrated into a culture’s social organization” (Leventhal, 1993, p. 257)
4. Inventive Inventiveness is what I need to keep my work fresh and alive. I need to be able the pull the rabbit out the hat, to go into a session with a plan and to be able to throw it away and reinvent it on the spot. Usually, this is when the magic happens when suddenly a theme evolves into something rich and satisfying for all. It sometimes feels like God has stepped in and arranged the molecules to create this moment of perfection and it is never to be repeated again. By God I mean the “universal source of all’. Along with inventive I would like to add another I, Inspiration. I feel that the two are close relatives. Breathing in the possibilities and breathing out the inventions. I enjoyed Marcia’s inventiveness and inspiration during the module. I loved her reminding us that she was working in a Quantum way, allowing each part of the module to unfold whilst being able to deliver what we needed to explore.
5. Vital
Dance Movement Therapy is a vital Primary Therapy. It works with the body and through the experiencing of movement and dance, taping directly into the deep held emotions that create disease. Therefore psychoanalysis alone does not work, because it is all in the head. Candace Pert states in an interview with Lyn Grodzki that; “ The raw emotion is working to be expressed in the body. It’s always moving up the neural access. Up the chakras, if you will, but really up the spinal chord. The need to resist it is coming from the Cortex. All the brain; rationalizing and pushing the energy down . . . The cortex resistance is an attempt to prevent over load . . . The real true emotions that needs to be expressed are in the body, trying to move up and be expressed and thereby integrated. That is why I believe that Psychoanalysis is in a vacuum and doesn’t work. You are spending all your time in to cortex, rather than in your body. You are adding to the resistance (Grodzki,   p. 4).
. It is Vital that we breathe, when we stop breathing we stop moving. Therefore it is very important to have an awareness of how we breathe and to develop techniques and strategies that help client groups to access a deeper flow of breath in an easy way.
Another vital part of DMT is Authentic Movement. I am excited by my own journey in this over the years, as I watch myself unfold both as the Witness and the Mover. I am becoming much more attuned to the Witness in me. It is extremely important and necessary that I be able to hold and to witness with very clear intention, focus, empathy, neutrality and presence as I can. I enjoy the science as the witness when the mover speaks at the end. This act makes me feel that I am with the mover on a deep vibrational level that is preverbal and in the Quantum.
Movement is a vital part of our lives, required for the continuation of life. As the slogan says, “move it or loose it”. The vitality I feel when I have moved something deep inside me a,er a dance.
6. Alive. Dance Movement Therapy is alive. Dance has been a part of mankind forever and when people have been in the depths of despair; dancing has o,en been the answer. My mother told me that when there was no food during the Second World War and they were hungry and afraid they would dance. The aliveness of my breath that supports my beating heart, which moves billions of blood cells through my body and no matter how still I am there, is
always movement.   The awareness of this can become a dance of aliveness. My body knows it all. My body holds the key to all of me and all that I am. We are alive until we stop breathing. While we dance we live and thrive.
To conclude this essay I would like to say that from the process of writing this essay that I have begun to develop my DMT model with much more clarity, conviction and intention than I had before. I have also realized that I am much more Newtonian than I thought I was. I can now consciously and fully embrace the importance of the integration of the Newtonian and Quantum paradigms of which I previously innately and intuitively followed.   I look forward to putting all that I have used into practice. I aim to use my knowledge, wide experience and adventurous approach to assist inspire and allow all those who participate in my DMT sessions to realized their own special potential and quality of life.
References: 1. Leventhal, M (2008) ‘Transformation and Healing Through Dance Therapy: The
Challenge and imperative of Holding a Vision”, American Journal of Dance Therapy Vol 30, pp.4-23 [modified version of a speech given at the ADTA 42nd Annual Conference, September 2007, Brooklyn New York]
2. Dossey, L (1982) ‘Health and the Implicate Order’, Space, Time and Medicine, Shambhala Publication, Chapter 2 pp. 181-189
3. Leventhal, M (1993) ‘Moving Towards Health: Stages of Therapeutic Unfolding in Dance Movement’, Current Research in Arts Medicine, MedArts International. A Capella Books, USA, pp. 257-261
4. Grodzki, L., (undated) ‘Approaching a Theory of Emotion – An interview with Candace Pert, Ph.D’, The Primal Psychotherapy page [ON-line] http://primal- page.com

DOWNLOAD The Forming of my Dance Movement Therapy Model

Women’s Dance Retreats

Maria — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 19:21:08 +0000

There have been four magical Women’s Urban Retreats held at the Inner Movement Centre. They have all been a wonderful womanly experience for all who attended.

This is what some of the women have to say about their experiences:

Beautiful Maria the last couple of days flash back in my mind I smile and giggle with delight . . . and at your beauty. I bow down in honour & appreciation for what magic you have sparked in me by being you and sharing it. Thank you AT

I still feel the ongoing joys and peace of that weekend and especially of connecting in such a special way with such amazing women. (Very like the image of the card I pulled on the first evening: the three dancing fates. I remember saying there was so much music and harmony in that image.) It continues to feed a small sacred sanctuary within me: my home, my springboard for dancing, enjoying good food, connecting with an open heart, living with all the messy, noisy, loving, peaceful vigour which is being without boundaries. Thank you!! NM

What a beautiful few weeks since the retreat . . . I am exploding with creativity and possibilities Thankyou to all of you,

Love and sunshine and hugs C

Dance, Eat & Play, Talk, Laugh & Cry, Women’s Day Retreat

Dance with beautiful women, connect to your personal essence & move it.
Eat delicious, nourishing, fresh home made organic vegetarian food
Play in the joy of togetherness and trust
Talk about everything and anything, sharing personal and universal stories.
Laugh from your belly
Cry from your heart

I feel so blessed to have met you all and to have shared such a beautiful time with you! I came back feeling sooo refreshed and ready to look for new possibilities and to get more out of life than I have before. It was so special being with people who are like-minded and I felt that every woman I met connected with me, especially during our dancing! What a wonderful and liberating experience it was. Thank you all for your kindness and sharing your beautiful spirits with me!

Lots of love DD

Sponsor by Joe’s Organic Market 64 Victoria Rd Northcote Ph: 03 9499 4646

Moon Dance Rituals

Maria — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 19:00:19 +0000

Celebrating and calling on the Dark and Full moon as a source of inspiration and transformation through Dance Movement Creativity and the gathering of feminine energy.

Lunar power directly and indirectly influences our lives on many levels. By
creating a conscious connection to this force we can harness the power of
the moon to nourish the journey of growth and insight.

These Drawing Down the Moon’s Rituals often occur at exactly the times that she goes
into her fullest and darkest moments.

During this powerful moment of primal energy we will create a form through meditation, dance and movement to express what cannot be spoken but is known in our bodies.

The Art of Raqs Sharqi

Maria — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 18:36:44 +0000

Raqs Sharqi – The Art of Egyptian Dance

The Raqs Sharqi’, means Oriental or Eastern Dance. The name has been used for centuries but no one knows for how long. This is also the name given to modern /classical Egyptian female solo dance. It is an important aspect to any celebration and has been danced publicly by women for eons.

The Egyptian people’s dance of the street, of the home, of the cafe, of the wedding, of celebration, is ‘Baladi’ or ‘Sha’abi’. Baladi means of the people. Sha’abi means, folk or popular.

Foreigners have always been intrigued by the dance and we think that the French were the first to name it Danse Du Ventre which translates to Belly Dance. And as the name was a foreign invention so are many of the influences on Belly Dance today. The dance was taken to America on the late 19th century and was viewed as very risqué even though the dancer was covered from head to toe.

The stereotypical belly dance costume that most people are accustomed to seeing is also another western invention which has also been adopted by Egypt and other countries of that region as has the influence on the dance and music. The dance has been imported and exported, exported and imported and has evolved with time. It is performed in nearly all Western countries and in many different ways. Some have developed the dance coming from a traditional base and others have taken it somewhere else.

Some regard Raqs Sharqi as an alternative name for Belly Dance, some as a major influence of Belly Dance, and some choose to disassociate it from Belly Dance altogether. I regard it as a major influence and that in its purest sense, it is more concerned with the dance as an art that comes from a traditional base and draws on the beauty and strength of the traditional styles of Egyptian Dance. I also wish to steer the dance away from the perception that it is a form of male titillation and choose to embrace the dance as entertainment for everyone.

Raqs Sharqi in its essence is an expression of the masculine and feminine – the yin and yang. It is a constant play in contrast of soft, flowing, feminine movements that can be expressed through curves, circles and spirals and sharp rhythmic masculine movements that can be expressed through the punctuation and vibrations of the hips.

Traditional Sha’abi’s - with it’s rural origins include the simple songs and dances of the Fellahin (farming communities) as well as the dance and music of the Saaid (Upper Egypt). There is also modern Sha’abi which is danced to modern pop songs and can successful incorporate the traditional style of dance to suit the more modern beat which is often accompanied by a drum machine.

Baladi (my favourite)- the most recent form of Raqs Sharqi, was born in Cairo in the late 19th to early 20th century. The Music is akin to Western blues or jazz or Spanish flamenco or Greek Rembetica which were evolving at the same time. Baladi is improvised and follows a structure like jazz does. It is an exciting fusion of Egyptian folk traditions and western musical instruments that were introduced to Egypt during the English occupation. Baladi is the constant play between the melody the drum rhythm and the dancer. The dancer becomes one with the intermittent weaving in and out of the different modes and feelings of each section of the piece and the instrument being played.

Sharqi is the classical form of Raqs Sharqi . The form is the descendant of courtly music and dance. More recent sources include the purist art music ensembles and ‘Awalim’ (learned ones) dances. Classical is much a more expansive form of dance usually accompanied by Classical Arabic music. Depending on which school you belong to there are many forms of classical interpretation. The influences include Classical ballet, modern dance, the Dances of the Silk Road, Indian, Turkish, cabaret and more. Shaabi and Baladi are the dance form mostly danced for entertaining at celebrations and festivals and public functions. Sharqi is much more a theatre dance to be performed on a stage.

Zaar : There is also another dance form which is called the Zaar. Zaar is a from of trance dance that brings one closer to the divine and is also used to rid one of physical or spiritual aliments.

For me, the spirit of Raqs Sharqi also draws from the essence of the ancient times of Isis. Where there were no religions or conservative morals to taint and distort the Dance. Raqs Sharqi connects us to our primordial celebration ofthe human form as a vessel for the spirit, and connects us also to mother nature and the cycle of birth, life, death and the divine.

SensingFeelingDancing the Chakra

Maria — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 11:21:45 +0000

SensingFeelingDancing the Chakra

Dance movement exploration

Maria Sangiorgi

Maria: dmt and esoteric healing certs., Egyptian dancer and teacher began her training in Egyptian Dance (Raqs Sharqi) in 1989. Her classes are called Embodied Bellydance,with a focus on body awareness, and workshops called SensingFeelingDancing the Chakras, the Dance of the Sensual Soul and Trance Dance. She is using Egyptian Dance within a dance movement therapy model when working with disability groups and women in prison. She is also a visual and performing artist and member of the Middle Eastern music and dance group, Yalla! and The Sanctuary Ensemble, a Sufi inspired group. She is passionate about facilitating the dance journey for all those who attend her sessions. (See www.dancingisis.com)

I began to facilitate SensingFeelingDancing the Chakras in weekly workshops towards the end of 2003. My inspiration first came from my many years of study and practice of Traditional Egyptian dance and other Middle Eastern Dance forms. The deeper I went into this dance the more I felt a deep connection to what I believe to be the primary source of movement that is intrinsic to all indigenous dance styles across the globe: the shapes that are common to all of nature and to the movements of the universe and our DNA. I also felt that the movement of this dance: the flow through the pelvis the vibrating of the legs and hips, the celebration of life; where physical expressions of the path of the Kundalini and the Energy centres or Chakras supported me; that flow of energy had a healing affect on me. I have

felt a deep spiritual connection to dance and movement that is intuited and often have a sense

of being part of something very ancient and sacred.

During those years I was also a part of a dance and movement research group. This group began in 1986 when the dance group that I was a part of then, called The Snake Sisters, decided that we wanted to deepen our relationship to movement. We found Jane Refshauge; she introduced us primarily to Alexander Technique, Body Mind Centering, and Idiokinesis. As we deepened our connection to movement and studied how all of these modalities enriched our formal dance practices, we felt the need to work with other movers. We changed the focus to a research group and invited others to join us. We then shared the facilitating and explored Feldenkrais and Authentic Movement, Egyptian dance, Ritual dance, and the work of Rudolph Laban, to name a few.

Originally I called SensingFeelingDancing the Chakras, Raqs Chakra. Raqs means “Dance” in Arabic. In Egypt their dance is commonly called Raqs Baladi. Baladi means “of the people”. The name reflects how important dance is to people’s lives. This is not just a dance for women, as is commonly thought by Westerners, it is a dance for all. In saying this it is the women who are the primary performers of this dance as entertainment. An Egyptian will say that you hear the music through the movement of the dancer. A good dancer will be able to connect to every instrument, every feeling and every nuance in her dance.

Spatially, Raqs Baladi is made up of circles, waves and spirals that move through an axis. These mimic the double helix of DNA, the spiraling structure of our bones and muscles, the spiraling nature of the universe and the weaving and spinning of the Energy Centre or Chakric centres of our bodies. As I deepened my knowledge of Egyptian dance I was led to explore the possible connections between the spiraling patterns of Raqs Baladi and the Energy flow of the Chakric System. This is how I began to develop my relationship between the Raqs and the Chakras.

Raqs Baladi and the Chakric system both move energy up and down the spine. I believe that the movements of Raqs Baladi physically express the Chakric system. There is a central axis which supports a weaving from where energy moves from the left to the right, the same as the weaving of the Left and the Right Channels which represent the masculine and feminine. Raqs also moves forward and back. In each centre there are wheels of energy that spin or spiral, and these centres drive the curves, circles and spirals that are Raqs Baladi. The deeper I go into these two modalities and bring them together the deeper I feel that a force greater than myself propels me. I come away feeling uplifted, I come away enquiring, and I come away with a variety of strong emotions, sad, happy, ecstatic. Whatever it is I am always affected.

Through the exploration of Body Mind Centering and Navel Radiation I developed a way of teaching Egyptian dance that begins with the navel as the primary source of movement. Every movement either moves through or is driven by the navel. I call the navel the driver but it is not the external front navel: it is what I call the “Spine-navel”. This is a point behind the navel and in front of the spine. This point is moved by the expansion and contraction of the abdominal muscles aided by deep diaphragmatic breathing. From this place the wave of energy undulates through the spine and pushes up and down the spine. All movements in Egyptian dance are supported by this energy pattern.

The Chakras are energy centres located in various parts of the body. The seven main centres are located along the spine beginning at the tailbone and ending at the top of the head. These seven Chakras also relate to the endocrine system. I will now offer you a brief description of the function of each Chakra that is by no means complete or the sum total of what each energy centre governs or expresses.

The Base Chakra, known as the Muladhara Chakra, is governed by adrenal glands located at the base of the kidney. Adrenalin is what drives us to move forward; to take action; our fight or flight instinct. It also rules the skeletal system, primarily the spine. We make a commitment to stand and be present on the earth. To do this we need to be grounded; we need to have a strong sense of security and of self. The will to be here, the will to live, the will to be born. The Base Chakra’s element is earth and its colour is red. This is the seat of the Kunadlini which over time and a deep commitment to meditation and self awareness and a clearing of all the centres rises to a state of enlightenment. To do so prematurely is dangerous. “The Base Chakra houses the Kundalini ‘fire’, which rises up the spine after all the Chakras have become activated and vitalised. It can be raised prematurely by unwise meditation practices, such as concentrating for long periods on the lower Chakras or through the use of hallucinogenic drugs: if this happens serious health problems can result” (Judy Jacka, p. 58, Synthesis in Healing, 2003).

Then we move up to the second Chakra, the Svadhisthana or Sacral centre. The ovaries in women and testes in men govern it. We meet the need to unite with another to create relationship. This is also the centre of joyful innocence and playfulness of a small child, the seat of pleasure, which can be sexual, or the pleasure of eating. It is also abundance and the wise use of money. Its element is water and colour is orange.

Above the Sacral centre is the Solar Plexus centre; the pancreas governs the Manipura. We are looking for the sweetness in our lives. This is the seat of our emotions and feelings. How we digest what is given to us in life. It also rules our desires, wants and needs. This is the ‘I’ centre. This is the last of the Physical chakras. Its element is fire and colour yellow. On a global level the evolution of the human race is at this level. We are challenged by greed and selfishness and we are on the brink of great change to either evolve to the Heart consciousness or to destroy the earth, as we know it.

Next is the heart centre; the Anahata. This is governed by the thymus gland. It is the seat of unconditional, and transpersonal love. We open ourselves without judgment of others or ourselves; we have left the physical realm and are moving into the higher plane of the spiritual realm. We are now also beginning to balance the lower three Chakras with the higher ones. The Heart is balanced by the Solar Plexus and manifests as Wisdom and Love. Its colour is green and element is air.

The Throat centre, called the Visuddha Chakra, is governed by the thyroid and para thyroid glands. This is the seat of communication, both inner and outer, and forgiveness; the words that we speak but also the voice of silence, the expression of ideas and making creative contributions to our life. It also governs the senses, touch, smell, taste etc. The Throat is paired with the Sacral centre and manifests as creative intelligence. Its colour is blue and element is ether.

Next is the Third Eye, called the Ajna centre and governed by the pituitary gland. It is the conductor of all energy centres. It helps to integrate the personality by gathering energy from all the spinal centres and focusing them in the head area to synthesise them into a whole. It rules our inner and outer vision. It provides access to the mediative state and transcendental experiences, and is the door to inner peace. Its colour is indigo and element is light.

And finally the thousand-petal lotus; the Crown Centre called the Sahasrara. This is governed by the pineal gland. Here we have reached our spiritual home having travelled the road from the earthly connection of the base Chakra through all the personalities of each to the seat of enlightenment. We are at one with God or the Universe. The Crown Centre is balanced with the Base Chakra to create Spiritual Will. The colour is violet to white light and the element is thought.

I presented at the conference a very condensed version of the Solar Plexus Chakra dance. So little time was challenging, but it was well received and there was enough time to experience the essence of what it was about.

I chose this Chakra because it feels to me to be the beginning. Before we are bones (Base Chakra), before we touch the earth, stand on our feet, we are navel/belly; we are attached to our mother in utero via our umbilical cord and everything forms around it. It is the instinctual place, our gut feeling the “I am” of which the breath plays an intrinsic role.

I asked the participants to lie down and to connect to their breath. As they did this I asked them to feel the support of the floor, to validate their bones and soften and release them. I proceeded with a guided visualisation to connect each Chakra to the Solar Plexus. I then asked them to connect to their navel and breath so that as they breathed in the navel rose, and as they breathed out, it fell.

I began the movement process by using various images such as being a balloon full of water that was being rolled by another, feeling the water tipping from one side to another, or one end to another. I find this to be a very effective way to engage the whole physical and mental body very quickly. I then asked them to come back to the breath and navel.

The process deepened into creating a connection to expanding and contracting, with the belly/navel as the centre or the motor that drives the movement. From here I asked them to include their limbs, head and tail. I used Didgeridoo music for this, as it is deep and earthy. The circular breathy drone that the Didgeridoo makes seems to help the connection to gravity, and to focus and not to rush. I began to call out phrases, beginning with “What do I want, what do I need?” Then as I began to give different themes for movement, I began to change the music. The predominant theme was expanding and contracting, opening and closing to feel the support of the Solar Plexus. As the music became more rhythmic and trance like, and got faster and faster, so did the dance. Another phrase I used was “I can feel it in my gut”.

I ended the process with time for the movers to consolidate by drawing and writing, finishing in a feedback circle where I asked each person to share their process using three words.

I was delighted and privileged to have a room of movers who were completely engaged in what they were doing. If only all dance movement sessions could be like this, where the participants are so responsive, causing me to become much more intuitive in the moment.

In conclusion, I feel that everyone went away with something – they moved in a different way and were touched by the experience.

E-mail: dancingisis@gmail.com www.dancingisis.com

We thank all the presenters who put so much time and thought into their conference presentations as well as the papers above (Eds).

Winter Intensive 2011

Maria — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 12:15:01 +0000

Embodied Bellydance™ Winter Intensive 2011

Friday evening 10th, All day Sat, 11th, Sun, 12th and Mon 13th June

9.30 am – 5.30 pm

Join Maria in the idyllic surrounds of her urban retreat this Summer for a five day introduction to Embodied Bellydance™. Soak up the sun by the pool and sauna and treat yourself to some Heart Centred Massage. Bed and breakfast is available – enquire on registration.
Date: 26-30th January 2011 (day enrolments welcome, conditions apply)
Venue: Inner Movement Centre, 32 Lower Heidelberg Rd, Ivanhoe

Cost: $ 350 – Complete workshop – Early Bird, before May 1st 2011. Installment plan available with $50 deposit.

$50 Friday evening

$125 per day * conditions apply

More information on content coming soon

People who have explored Embodied Bellydance™ say…
“Techniques like the Shimmy and the Egyptian walk have been the hardest for me to teach to my students, but since doing your workshop, I have utilised the way you break movements down, and my students and I are doing the best shimmies ever!”
Melissa Cristina, Oriental Dancer, Melbourne

“Maria’s style of teaching is unique, powerful and deep with major focus on body awareness, finding your centre and being in the moment when you dance. She has an intuitive understanding of the music and guides dancers to explore and interpret it in an authentic manner.”
Madonna Teitzel, Tribal Dancer, Toowoomba

“Maria’s Embodiment work has opened up a whole new way of looking at Bellydance for me. Anatomy, body awareness and the embodiment of the dance takes it to a whole new level, beyond just the physical. I have learnt to be connected to myself fully and authentically. This creates such a freedom within the dance that you rarely find anywhere else.”
Cindy Hyde, Tribal Fusion Dancer, Melbourne

Melbourne Classes

Maria — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 11:27:08 +0000

Term 1 Classes in Embodied Bellydance™

Begin on Tuesday 1st Feb – 10 weeks

Neo Traditional Egyptian Dance Level 1 - 6.30 – 8 pm Cost $200 / $170 con /

Neo Traditional Egyptian Dance Level 2+ - 7.45 – 9.45 pm Cost $230 / $200 con

Cost for both classes $350

Egyptian dance promotes, Strength, vitality, sensuality and grace.

Embodied Bellydance is a unique approach to teaching & learning this wonderfully feminine & enchanting dance form.
Incorporating Anatomy, body awareness, creative visualisation & somatisisation. Working with the breath to facilitate a deeper connection to the inner and our movement of the body -
Improves posture, joint & bone movement, muscle tone & also helps with pain management. Promotes self esteem & celebrates womanhood.

Cassandra Longley -
Your classes had given me the foundation and grounding to be able to learn from other people. You style of teaching is like no one else

Since I began my teaching journey nearly 20 years ago I was always draw to the inner world of movement.
Embodied Bellydance brings together the knowledge drawn primarily from my innate deeply felt relationship that I have with the essence of Egyptian Dance. This dance and all genres of Bellydance/Raqs Sharqi draw from the connections to the primordial connection to the eternal spirals and circles of all of life and the movement of the Universe it self.

We begin in the womb connected to our mother from our navel via the Umbilical cord where we are fed nurtured. We form as a curve around this life force as our spine and skull form curl around this our life force. As we grow and out organs form the curve grows expanding and lengthening. When it is time we move through the birth canal and arrive in the world we take out first breath and the cord is cut.
As a well newborn baby we emanate a perfect lengthening expanding and deepening from the navel, when we breathe in we expand in all directions like a stat fish and when we breathe out we reconnect to the primordial curve. As we expand and compress bones muscles move in a spiralling manner.

Lauren Butler -
I went along to another class this Saturday for a little extra practice, & while it was a good class, it definitely gave me an appreciation of how great & unique our class is, & what a great teacher you are.

Though the aid of Anatomy, Visualizing, Imagining, Somatasizing and most importantly Breath Embodied Bellydance honours the connection to this primordial movement and bring it to life in exercises and movements that then inform and enhance the Dance. All is connected.
Embodied bellydance is just that, embodied.
If you are looking to deepening you experience in Bellydance or dance and movement in general then you will find Embodied bellydance very beneficial to you.
What I have just described is the foundation of Embodied Bellydance. As we embody the physical relationship to the dance we also embody the joy, feeling and expression of the dance. In the control of origin of all bellydance style dance is a part of a way of life it is not separate. Many of the moves come form day to day way of being.

Yoka Jones
You teach us in such a way that’s like magic . . . the next thing I know I am in my body & dancing
The music played informs that type of dance/movement that will be explored.
In my Recreation Egyptian dance I use mostly modern Egyptian pop music (Modern Shaabi). In my Traditional Egyptian dance class I use is some time very ancient using very simple instruments to the more sophisticated urban folk that is called Baladi for the turn of the 20th century to the early 20th century, (Traditional Shaabi or Traditional Baladi)

Melissa Christina -
I also especially love the way you really focus on the belly being our dance centre. I think for me this is what inspired me the most. It brought me back to my body and my feeling centre. I can quite easily lose my centre; a lot of stress from every day running of a business can be overwhelming

Serpentine Ritual Dance

Maria — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 01:13:20 +0000

Deep in our bellies lies the memory of Sacred Serpentine Power. In this dance ritual you will be guided on a journey that embraces the power of the belly and the Serpentine movements of the spine.

You will be invited to dance your physical, astral, mental and spiritual bodies. Like the serpent that finds the crack between the rocks and disappears into the darkness, you will be invited to slide through the layers from one energy field to the next. Dancing your breath, belly and spine, accessing the full potential of the fluid undulating movements of the spine, the physical powerhouse of Snake Energy. As the Snaking spine ripples and flows a river of energy though all of your joints and muscles, spiralling out from your core centre you will emerge out of the darkness of your inner journey, you will be invited to find you feet and dance in the new light of you.

This Serpentine Ritual Dance experience is for those who want to find the authenticity of self in their dance. This awareness connects to the whole self beyond just the physical, and the drills and technique.

Give meaning to the beauty and power of the snake movements of belly dance and truly embody Snake Energy. Your dance style and technique will be enriched, strengthen and supported by this deep connections to your essences and to the source of all that is.

LIke Mother Like Daughter

Maria — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 21:24:56 +0000

Like Mother, Like Daughter?

Claudia and I recently taught a workshop together on Mothers day and of course it was a mothers and daughters workshop. The day was attended by children as young as 6 years of age to mothers in their seventies. Some families came as 4 generations the daughter with the children and the the mothers and mother in laws. This included our own family, as my mother and sister came too and some came as extended mixed families. It as a very special and fun day.

Claudia and I decided we would take the Hip Hop line and have a Dance Off – mothers verses daughters. We chose a Panjabi MC track and took alternative segments of the tune each and created our respective style choreography. Off course mine was the Egyptian Dance component and hers was Hip Hop/Afro Funk style. We separated the mother and the daughter which some time became grand mothers and grand children, took them to our respective studios and taught them the segments of the dance. We then met and put it all together and to their astonishment we had created this very entertaining dance piece. There was much laughter and excitement as we bought the dance together shimmy our shoulders and flicking our hips to push the other side off the dance floor so each side could do their thing. We separated them into 2 performance groups so each group had a chance to watch and applaud the performing teams.

Thanks to The Underbelly team Andrea and Trisna for inviting us to create this mothers day treat. Bellow is an interview that Trisna did with Claudia and I as a prelude to the workshop.
I hope you enjoy it.

Like Mother, Like Daughter?

If you thought that the latest addition to the Underbelly family looked familiar, it may be because she was part of the family already! Claudia Sangiorgi has recently started teaching Afro-funk at Underbelly alongside her mother, Maria Sangiorgi, who has taught Egyptian Baladi at Underbelly since the Thornbury studio days.
Underbellydancer caught up with mother and daughter about growing up among art and dance and what it’s like to work with your mum.

UB: Firstly to Claudia, welcome to Underbelly… how are you enjoying working in the same place as your Mum?

C: It was bound to happen some day and I can’t think of a more relaxed and warm environment for it to be than Underbelly. My first month has been fantastic! Just ask the girls in Shonah’s African class, they get to have studio B after us, and boy do we make it smelly in there.

UB: Maria, tell us a little bit about what you do, your lifestyle, your many jobs.

M: Our life style… We had quite an eclectic, not very ordinary lifestyle,
compared to the norm. Whatever the norm is. My focus has always been on the creative and no matter how hard I try to put away the washing or the dishes or sweep the floor, it is my creative life, which I am blessed to say is how I make my living, that always comes first. I have never had a nine to five job in my life, and I really don’t know what it would be like. The concept fascinates me.
I teach Egyptian dance, and facilitate Raqs Chakra, Trance dance and The Dance of the Sensual Soul workshops. I am working on consolidating my work on paper and as a video/DVD. I am an artist’s model and have been since I was 19, so that is 26 years now. It is the only job I have had where I get a pay slip and a group certificate. I sew and recently made my girl friend her wedding dress. That has rekindled my passion, so I would like to do more of it again. I play the guitar and write and sing songs late at night when there’s no one listening, (before I took up MED I studied jazz singing). I draw, I write articles for the Spiralling News, a quarterly publication that I produce and for my website and sometimes for Underbelly. I write poetry. All these things are my job in one way or another. One of the most exciting things that I am doing right now is a certificate in Dance and Movement Therapy. I do some dance work with people with disabilities and would like to do much more. I have been a single supporting mother for 18 years, Claudia has a big brother called Robert. We live week to week, so it can get very exciting sometimes.

UB: Claudia, tell us a little bit about what you do.

C: This year I’ve decided to go back to school. I’m doing a Diploma of Visual Arts/New Media at Swinburne TAFE in Prahran, which takes up a lot of my time and energy in the week. On the up side I’m surrounded by painting, drawing, photography, printing, sculpture and film making – all the things I love. Aside from that, for money (and for love) I do a bit of graphic design, photography, filming and what not for friends and acquaintances. Occasionally I work along side artist Amanda King assisting her on public art projects which gets me to interesting places and meeting new people with a lot of laughing along the way. I’m also a member of the Mzuri Dance Network, contemporary and traditional African dance company, which gives me very exciting opportunities to perform and teach all over Melbourne. A friend and I are just at the beginning of starting our own dance project, and now I’m teaching at Underbelly, so my dancing career is unfolding very nicely! Everything is like a project… at least that’s how I try to view it, otherwise it all gets a bit crazy and overwhelming at times. Needless to say at 19 I’m pretty fortunate to be doing all the things I do and that’s thanks to my creative upbringing and the wonderful people that support me.

UB: Maria, are you a proud Mum (just because Mums often are)?

M: Yes, I am a very proud mum, many parents dream of their children doing what they do. With Claudia she just did and does. When she was five she was at a life drawing session working away on the floor and a woman came up to her and said, “Isn’t that nice dear, are you going to be an artist when you grow up?”. Claudia looked her square in the face and said “I already am”. And that is the way it has always been. Even now when people ask me what she is going to do, I say she’s already doing it. Her father tried very hard to discourage her from pursuing an artistic life, being an artist himself and knowing the struggle, but it was inevitable. So we share a rich, creative and parallel life. There were many times I couldn’t go and be the proud mum and watch her dance when she was small because I was doing a gig too and visa versa. I love to watch her enthusiasm and to see her blossom in what she does. Along with being motivated she is a great motivator. I also feel privileged that I can give her support and encouragement and that for her it is reasonably easy to be a strong individual, unlike my own early life where I was an alien in my home and had to fight very hard to be myself.

UB: Claudia, are you an embarrassed daughter (just because daughters often are)?

C: Not really embarrassed, I find it very funny when mum gets proud. She gets a huge grin on her face. When there is good news she also feels the need to rush out and tell everyone. Although she may not come across as one of those mums, when there’s good news, boy does everyone know about it! It’s especially funny when she comes to see me perform. She just stands, stares and can’t stop smiling… well maybe I get a little embarrassed.

UB: Maria, do you think you have consciously influenced Claudia’s direction in life?

M: No I don’t think I consciously influenced Claudia’s direction. As I said before, she just is who she is and it is truly a gift, as not only is she my daughter, but she is also my colleague and friend. Did I want her to be a belly dancer? Well she might surprise you all one day! I can see how I indirectly influence her. Sometimes, very rarely, she will ask me about something, but she is one of those people who takes things in without giving too much away. Later she will tell me that whilst she was teaching she said this and this to her students and I recognise my influence. I think one of the biggest influences I have had on her is that she is able to see that there are many ways to live your life.

UB: Claudia do you think you consciously followed in Maria’s footsteps as far as becoming a dancer and dance teacher?

C: Being surrounded by sequins, zills and figure eight’s from a young age definitely didn’t discourage me from taking up dancing. My journey to dance is a little different to mum’s in that I have really been dancing since I could walk and have always been surrounded by performing artists. The constant support and respect of dancing in my home has definitely made my direction easier to take. As far as becoming a dance teacher, well I still think that is a bit surreal and just plain funny. About 3 years ago at the ripe age of 16 I was sort of thrown into the deep end when asked to teach beginner classes for MZURI. Since then, it’s just been full steam ahead – not only are my students learning but I am learning too. I’ve been ‘teaching’ people to dance for years, I did it right through secondary school and I love the experimental side of it, not to mention the proud mother goose feeling I get when people twice my age are doing things I’ve taught them. At the end of the day teaching for me is about having fun and letting people express what they want.

UB: Has your Italian heritage had any influence over your
lifestyle/directions?

M: I think so. My background is very grass roots. We are mountain people and of the earth. I come from an area in Italy that many life models came from the 18th and 19th century, renowned for their strong bodies, good proportion
and beautiful hands and feet. The Mediterranean connection is very strong in this dance. Also there is some research that has been done by a cousin that suggests that we have a gypsy lineage in our family. My mother’s maiden name is Eramo which means “to roam”. My mother being a very devout Catholic is not interested in perusing this line. People often think I am Egyptian (I have considered lying).

C: The European heritage has definitely influenced the way I look. I‘ve been called Spanish, Italian, Yugoslavian, Argentinean, Mexican, Chilean, Turkish… even Egyptian. My genetic heritage is a little more interesting and would explain my dancing. We all know my mum can dance well. My dad is a pretty amazing mover too. It’s all in the genes you see.

UB: Claudia, what is the most valuable lesson you’ve learnt from Maria?

C: I couldn’t say one particular lesson, she has taught me a lot without even knowing. In terms of dance, I have so much respect for her knowledge of human movement. To have that much patience not only to understand, but to want to understand your own body is something everyone can learn from. Stubborn as I am, I do secretly listen to her when she is telling me about the something joint in the something bone doing the something transiting through the something chakra. Her exposing me to my own body awareness and anatomy really does help me, not only in dance but in everyday life. She has a lot to share with everyone if they are willing to listen and learn. Cliché as it may sound she really has taught me I can do whatever I want to
in life, never putting any pressure or emphasis on having to be anything except for just being me.

UB: Maria, what is the most valuable lesson you’ve learnt from Claudia?

M: Claudia never ceases to teach me. She has always been very wise. She has taught me to stay young. She has taught me to discriminate and speak out (she is much louder than me). She has taught me that no matter how eclectic her life has been, that I am a good parent, which is something I used to doubt. She’s also taught me the value of being totally honest with her and her brother.

UB: Tell us a story from Claudia’s childhood that really sums her up.

M: When she was about 6 she said she wanted to do Ballet, so off we went to the Clifton Hill Ballet School. She did her thing and seemed to like it. When the next term came and I went to enrol her again she said, “I don’t want to point point point! I want to dance”. So off she went to Dominique’s Dance and that is were she stayed for seven years. You can see what kind of head she’s got!

M: In a nut shell, it’s great having Claudia on the Underbelly team. We are planning a duo for the next Underbelly Bazaar to one of our favourite pieces. I don’t know who is going to move out of home first – me or her?