The Dancing Spirit Studio Evolution

The Dancing Spirit Studio Evolution: The Dancing Spirit of RI - A Dance Story

2012-01-22T19:45:00.000-05:00

The Dancing Spirit Studio Evolution: The Dancing Spirit of RI - A Dance Story: The Dancing Spirit of RI A Dance Story Monday 9:30 on Privates availabl...

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The Dancing Spirit Studio Evolution: Imagine you are............" For girls of all ages...

2012-01-22T19:39:00.000-05:00

The Dancing Spirit Studio Evolution: Imagine you are............" For girls of all ages...: Imagine you are........is a poem, picture book I wrote for " Girls of all ages" to share my favorite messages of The Dance "Imagine you...

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Imagine you are............" For girls of all ages"

2011-11-18T11:52:00.001-05:00

Imagine you are........is a poem, picture book I wrote for " Girls of all ages" to share my favorite messages of The Dance

"Imagine you are............."

A princess, swathed from head to toe, in brightly colored,long, flowing, silks

swirling around your legs,with each step

Shining hair, Sparkling pins and flowers

Waist and hips,Wrapped,in a scarf,sewn with musical dancing beads

Jewels adorn - Ears,neck, graceful wrists,expressive fingers .

You are,the adored ,adoring ,special girl of your palace home

Everyone knows you well

Everyone loves and respects you

You, love and respect everyone

As you walk,with each step,you feel your whole foot, gracing the earth

You are tallest, proud, happy spine

Open, lifted chest receiving the sunlight

Strong, wide back. magical wings in place

Longest neck

A third eye for the widest view

Pink bubble gum attached to the back of your head reminding you to always stand tall

A princess stands straight

Ready.with grace,at a moments notice

You are happy to walk

To be able to walk -with every step you say,Yum,Yum, yum, yum feeling happy,just to walk

Traveling through your palace,You see everyone with an open heart

You always, try to smile,to acknowledge the best in everyone you meet

Everyone who knows you,is waiting for you to say, to do the next, wonderful, thing

Being a princess, is a big job.

Every gesture, glance, word, delivered with love

Being a princess,you must be educated in all good things

You respect yourself and others by taking good care of yourself

By taking care of your body and mind

You try to eat the most healthy things.You don't over eat. You don't under eat.You try to make your body happy

You try to get enough rest to have lot's of energy for all the busy days

You try to set the best example for the whole palace community

You try to read all the books in the palace,so you can answer any question asked of you with knowledge

Being a princess you try to study and practice all the arts of living

When you decide what you want to do you try to bring all of your love you do

When the time comes for you to perform you transform to create a vision

Enter the performance space with love

Pose,fill up your inner space with love

Send your audience love

You are happy to be here for them .They are so happy to see you

As the music begins you begin to move to the music

You dance with all your love and knowledge

You dance with your heart, breath, eyes,hair, feet, arms,legs, hands,back,shoulders,fingers,with every part of your body, mind, spirit

You swirl, twirl, turn, spin, smile, twist, dip,stop, sparkle, shimmer

You are happy, sad, young, old,ageless, timeless.

You dance your story

You are the Princess dancer,of the palace

Every one knows you and loves you.

You know and love everyone too

Imagine you are...........A princess, swathed from head to toe

Love Barbara www.thedancingspirit.com

The Dancing Spirit Studio Experience: The Dancing Spirit of RI - A Dance Story

2011-11-06T12:31:00.000-05:00

The Dancing Spirit Studio Experience: The Dancing Spirit of RI - A Dance Story

The Dancing Spirit of RI - A Dance Story

2011-11-06T01:27:00.000-04:00

The Dancing Spirit of RI
A Dance Story

Monday 9:30 on Privates available ,5 - 6;30 Dancers Pilates 6:30-8;00 NEW Belly Dance Class, call to reg. 4013389905

Tuesday 10-11:30 Belly Dance,5:30-7,Tiger Lily,7-8;30 Group Belly Dance

Wednesday 9;30 on privates available 5- 6:30 Dancers Pilates, New Belly Dance class 6;30- 8 pm Belly Dance ,call 4013389905

Thursday 9:30-11 Cardio Belly Dance, Private 11:45-1:30, Mom's/ Daughters 10-14 yrs 6 wk,workshop 4:45 - 6, 6-7;30 Tiger Lily

Friday 9;30-11 Dancers Pilates , 11:45 Privates available

Recently I performed a lecture demonstration for a wonderful learning community of 100 people in East.Greenwich, RI. They asked me before hand for a bio. I haven't included until now my "before belly dance life". Here goes........Classical Ballet, Modern Dance, Oriental Belly Dance, 6 yr owner of one of the few Oriental Belly Dance Dance studios in the RI,Mass, Conn area. 2010 Editor's choice, Best undiscovered gem of Newport County.

Age 4, I began dancing in a creative movement class,in NYC with Jean Erdman (then married to Joseph Campbell). In that class ( like yesterday) I drew my first dance map which I think was the drawing of my long dance journey. Isadora Duncan and Anna Pavlova were my muses. I danced between the worlds. Early years of Ballet were in Rye,NY,with Natasha Redel,student of Michael Fokine and Madame Swaboda of The School of American Ballet. At 16 I attended the Washington School of Ballet. Famed Mary Day told me I would never be a dancer and that I should go sailing with my Dad. For many years I would think of Mary's words while I kept dancing. Senior year of high school I was back in NYC at The Professional Children’s school and on scholarship at The Joffrey Ballet. I received my Baccalaureate of Fine Arts in Dance at SUNY Purchase. After college was NYC with Grethe Holby,Asakawalker,Dancer Company,Susan Dibble, to name a few,then in Boulder, Colorado for a year with Nancy Spanier’s Dance Theatre.

Mark and I,married and started our family in Tiverton,RI .Adam,1984. I taught modern dance, had a small troop and put on shows around the state.Jaeke.1986, I started Tanagra Movement Theatre Co. with Michelle Bach Coulibaly,Brown Univ. Followed was The Goddess Dance Triology of women dancing thru ages,inspired by a poem " Before it was Written"- Womb (Cave women),Worship (Pagan ritual based on The Mists of Avalon) and Kajum Chantu, (Egyptian Mysteries).Kajum was a ritual of women dancing a fantasy birth, performed by The Island Moving Company. Izabelle, 1989.I began teaching creative movement,ballet, modern dance,art and movement classes for children-adults and Dancers Pilates.I opened the first The Dancing Spirit Studio. I put on community shows for all ages with dance ,theatre, art and stories. I continued until my brother and Dad passed away.
At that time I was signed up to get my masters at Salve University for Art Therapy but as luck would have it I took a belly dance class which recharged and shockingly altered my dance life view. My kids were teens at the time.My new dance career wasn't easy for my family to accept. They said " You are going to be a what?" My husband said" You are going to do this seriously?".The household joke was,"I know where she is cause we can hear her hip scarf and those LOUD zills".I used to practice the zills 247. I wasn't very good for a long time.

I have been reinventing my dance through the study of the Art of Belly Dance for 10 years. I was surprised to learn such a diverse dance world existed,that I never knew about it and that I hadn’t learned about it in college. I found The Dance by accident wanting to try something new, the way many do.I thought at the time it would be less difficult than ballet and modern.I was right and wrong.
Making my first hip circle I felt an inevitable connection to heaven and earth. Instantly I knew my journey was to somehow express that overwhelming feeling. I didn't know what that meant,how long it would take, how I would figure it out or even who to ask.

The Belly Dance chapter of my life has been wonderful and challenging to learn and share. To be a good at anything you must work hard. I have felt and said often," I had to cut my head off, forget everything I knew, to learn this dance, so I could put my head back on to fuse the best of both worlds".

Before I took the first class I didn't know there was a technique, vocabulary or a long history as I think many people don't realize if they have never taken a class. I believe that Mid East Dance vocab,culture, rhythms and costume knowledge can grow all dancers and non dancers because it is from a different world. Belly Dance is an expanding art form based on roots that open channels.It is a dance map to an alternative dance world regardless of wether you've studied dance or not.

A Modern Dance friend, who I hadn't seen for a while, said to me while dancing at a party ," Barb, you are dancing like a cat". I said happily, "I think I am". Belly Dance is a different way to be in your body and to feel rhythms inside music. It is a folk dance but it isn't our folk dance.To learn it and feel it takes you on a journey of seeing and feeling your body in a new way.

New England roots are Purtinas and Shakers. Belly Dance roots are the ancient desert of snakes, camels and mystery. The dance requires you to listen and feel with every part of your body.When you study and learn the rhythms you hear and feel music differently. It is a funny and challenging thing to try to explain to those who haven't taken a class.
I challenge YOU.Try to move like a snake or camel while counting 2,3,5 or 7 with your torso. Let me know how it feels.

In addition to the techniques and music education there is a deep rooted mind, body, spirit healing aspect to the dance which is a gift for those who find it.

Many of my students have been non dancers.They have been some of my best teachers because to teach them I had to learn how to explain the movements in simplest form. They helped me get inside the movements the most.

The dance is also very proud.All good Belly Dancers have beautiful posture. I teach posture FIRST and ALWAYS in every class with tons of images and core awareness which helps support the technique. The beautiful Belly Dance posture can be a challenge for every student weather they have danced before or not. I say often that " I am a posture freak" because I talk about posture so much.Some say " But I feel as if I am sticking my chest out". It might feel that way if you aren't used to standing up straight with your tummy in, eyes up. Many people walk by my studio with their heads down. I want to say" Head lights UP, long neck, heart open, wing bones - back, down,IN( Dad used to say), walk like a graceful princess

Often trained dancers think Belly Dance will be easy, as I did. You can't take body training OUT you can only add to what is already there. Trained dancers can be as challenged, as non dancers to learn to move their torso and hips to the rhythms.

This fall is 6 years on Main Rd. I made it through the recession! Studio classes are- 4 Adult Belly Dance classes,(One is Cardio Belly Dance), 2 Teen Belly Dance classes (Teen Tiger Lily Seeds, very creative), 3 Dancers Pilates classes and just added Mother. daughters 10-14 workshop. Local students are from Newport, Portsmouth and Dartmouth. International students are from Japan, Italy, Mexico and Puerto Rico.

In December, on the 16 & 17 thanks to Tempest organizing Tapestry, I met Alessandra Belloni. She is bringing her International singing ,percussion, healing, Tarentella passion, energy for a Tarentella weekend of an amazing workshop and show. Bellissimo!!!!!!

I am grateful from " the bottom" for discovering The Art of Belly Dance and for meeting and working with all the amazing artists, lovers, teachers, scholars,musicians and students of The Belly Dance world.

Thanks for reading. Comments welcome. If you have a chance to go to take a class or to see a show " GO!!!!"

Sincerely Barbara www.thedancingspirit.com

I read somewhere recently " If you don't let people know what you are working on, who will ?"

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The Dancing Spirit Studio , Belly Dance Arts Photo Album

2011-06-14T18:26:00.000-04:00

The earth did sigh.........

2010-08-07T09:01:00.000-04:00

Inevitable Inspiration

Interpretation & collaboration

Poetry....Song....Dance

The Woman of Andros by Thorton Wilder

The earth did sigh
as it turned on it's course
the night's shadows crept from the sea..........
deep blue pockets of the dark water
swayed and flowed eternally
swayed and flowed eternally
from the dark rocky caves
came a shimmering light
dancing over the sea
glimmering sea, glimmering sea
a light passes over the sea

A fair tripping breeze
ruffled the land
like gentle fingers
stroking softest hair
and the earth did sigh as it turned on its' course
ready for another way to see
wanting another way to be

Like the waves on the sand
arrived a woman on the shore
dressed in flowing silken veils
she came from afar
bringing a message
through many life long tales

Sharing and teaching the Dance
A spirit connecting heaven and earth
Sharing and teaching the dance
A vessel connecting heaven and earth

She danced the dance of flames
with chest open wide
the dance of swords and tears and Gods

She danced the dance of stars
and she danced tragedy
and she brought a new joy to their hearts

Sharing and teaching The Dance
A spirit connecting heaven and earth
Sharing and teaching the dance
A vessel connecting heaven and earth

Song, poem, dance, performance with Derek Escher, Red Eye Flight & Barbara,The Dancing Spirit