Dancing Isis Dance!

Posts Tagged ‘Bones’

I loved the classes, I found them really useful in so many ways, the way you explained the skeletal system and got me thinking about my bones rather than muscles was fantastic. The ways in which you described the movement was easy to understand and it was all at a good pace I thought. I looked forward to coming to each class. I enjoyed the before and after stretching etc a lot also. If anything I was going to ask you if you would consider making a CD of your talking through the breathing and movement to buy so I could do it at home as I found that part so useful and meditative!
The dancing was great, I felt movement in parts I had never used before and the use of parts of the body which I hadn’t consciously thought of before also and this is of great benefit I think to health and awareness. I thank you for your teachings and beautiful space in which to learn, I felt your encouragement and approachability.

Recreational Egyptian Dance class – Naomi 2009

I thoroughly enjoyed your workshop about dancing with the bones of the body.

After seeing my own drawings of the pelvis looking like a strange butterfly and the ribs a birdcage it was a real eye-opener. I have belly danced for 6 years but never really thought about the bones, just about muscles and weight etc. So it was good to bring it back to fundamentals of anatomy, and what moves when we do.

Also the simple principles of weight transfer with a bounce, rather than just ‘pushing up’ with the hip I really appreciated – because while I sometimes move into that step, I had never considered that much of our dancecan be broken down into those two simple movements. It frees things up a lot.

I did find the ‘bounce’ helped in the Yasmina workshops today (and more to go tomorrow). Also DEFINITELY for a performance I did in a show last night, I did a character stint as ‘Fifi Abdo’ complete with dark wig and scarf in big bow on my head, totally improvised to some great music I’d found that morning, HEAPS of bouncing and none of it choreographed. Definitely far more liberating! And a whole lot of fun

Thank you! The day was very worthwhile, and I enjoyed dancing with you.

Love & best wishes,
Vicki
Thanks again,

Dear Maria,
I am writing to you to thank you for the amazing workshop that you taught at my studio in late January this year. I was in a very stuck space, both as a teacher and a dancer. I needed an injection of inspiration, which I got from your workshop. I gained a deeper insight into you and how to connect the dance much closer to my body than ever before. Your ability to make bones and muscles, mind and emotion all connect as one totally blew me away.

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 moments down, and my students and I are doing the best shimmies ever!

As the day went on and I started to absorb more of what you were saying, I began to understand that the more loose and relaxed my bones and muscles were the more vulnerable my mind and body became to the music.

This concept gave me a whole new insight into improvisation, which is truly the art of the dance, expressing yourself freely in the magic of the moment. From this vulnerable state the dancer transforms the music from sound into a visual tangible feeling form, therefore justifying the music. This is where the journey begins for the dancer and the audience.

In this space there is an abundance of movement, whereas, if the mind takes over, there are limits to what the body can do. When our negative inner talk takes over, the dance becomes a stressful experience and Belly dancing is not meant to be stressful.

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 everyday and running a business can be over whelming. When I move my energy to my belly and dance from there, my feet instantly become heavier and I feel more grounded. This felt really good and I felt more present in the moment and my dance became more natural, not so contrived.

I am an Oriental Dancer, not a Folkloric Belly dancer at all. Some people make the mistake of assuming that what you do only applies to a particular style — well it doesn’t.

I am defiantly applying the things you taught me and my students are benefiting a lot
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I think you are really onto something and I have no hesitation in recommending you for workshops and private lessons. Thank you for your passion and true care and respect and love of the dance

Sincerely with love

Melissa Cristina
February, 2004