Malia's Belly Dance Extravaganza at Mezza Luna 2010

Malia and the New Moon Belly Dance Ensemble, student dancers, and guest stars will have their summer show Sunday, August 1, 2010. This belly dance extravaganza begins promptly at 2:00 p.m. at Mezza Luna Restaurant in Half Moon Bay. Special guest dancers will be Shabnam and Ooh La La.

This is sure to be an exciting adventure complete with balancing acts, mesmerizing moves, and tantalizing undulations! Enjoy the bar during the show and have dinner after the show in the main dining room.

Tickets sell out fast. Call Mezza Luna for tickets and make reservations for dinner now. See you there!

Pictured left are just some of the girls from Malia's classes: Back Row: Sarah, Basha, and Regina. Front Row: Laura, April (yours truly), and Debra.

Rakassah West and the After Party: L'Amour De La Danse

Five of us piled into a large vehicle and headed over to Richmond for Rakassah Saturday. Then there was the anticipated after-party in Oakland we looked forward to that evening. Rakassah was lively and exciting. Fun dance performances by talented dancers and a lot of wonderful vendors. Prepare to shop. I bought two pairs of earrings, a glowy pink to purple peony antique button pendant, a flowery blue and green wrap-around skirt made from recyled cloth, a large 3 -ring, shiny, gun metal gray marcasite bracelet, lavender and cardamom chocolate, dark sipping chocolate, and a feather arrangement for my hair by Wicked Smileys. Thanks Sarah! We walked around shopping and watching dance performances for 4 hours.

Then the anticipated party, L'Amour De La Danse. We had dinner down the street from The Oakland Metro Operahouse which looked nothing like an opera house. It was more like a warehouse. Buttercup is where we had dinner. It looked kind of like an upscale Denny's. It was fine. We all had chicken tostada salads and cheap wine. L'Amour De L Danse was worth the wait and standing for 3 hours. The "operahouse" had no seating. All of the dancers and performances were fantastic but I do have a few favorites. Of course it is always fun to watch my teacher, Malia DeFelice, referred to by the organizers as the "Foxy Siren of Belly Dance". Unfortunately, we arrived late as she was already performing. Jill Parker is also a favorite, watching her perform for the first time last weekend. Gina Bruno is a certified dancer from Suhaila Salimpour's school. Gina is breathtaking and mesmerizing. Tanja, closely tied to both Suhaila Salimpour and Jill Parker, is an award winning dancer and choreographer. Unmata is an amazing group of dancers and they were the most unique group. It seemed like lyrical dance and tribal fusion mixed into one. They used chairs and round metal circles as props. Ariellah gave an interesting performance gothic style. She was referred to as the "supreme dark fusion gothic goddess" I think that says it all. I wish I remembered who danced on two glass goblets! I believe it was Shabnam but not 100% sure. That was fun to watch. Google all of their names under "bellydance" and check out their websites. I hate to leave anyone out because they are all worthy of high recognition. I look forward to seeing them all dance again.

My First Belly Dance Show -Part Two- What Does Chocolate Fantasy Have To Do With It?

First, there I am in motion. Second photo, photojournalistic style, from top to bottom: April (me), Nicole, Gloria, Malia, and Monica. Malia's hubby sitting near the stairs with video camera.

I ended up doing well and no one could tell it was my first Belly Dance performance. I knew that I knew the choreography with my eyes closed. Practice! Practice! Practice!

Other comments to me earlier that day about how to calm my nerves:

"Find a space where you can close your eyes and relax your body totally at the performance venue."

"Wear a special amulet that is your "grounding stone" Focus on the stability of this amulet."

"Visualize flowing water - hear it smell it let it wash your nervousness away"

"If you know Yoga "Sun Salutation" do it five times before the dance. This will not only help you stretch - It will help you "breathe" Bring Lavendar essential oil or a sprig of Lavendar from your garden. Lavendar has calming properties."

"Today before the show - Google "overcoming stage fright" there are soo many articles online about this topic."

"One thing that trips me up is my tummy tensing up before a show.
It always helps to take big belly breaths ; )"

"What works for me is to stop fighting the anxiety....and just use it as excitement for the performance....!! Plus a nice margarita :)

"And if none of the above works take a Xanax and think about baseball."

I will perform again. And I will reference these notes and follow some of this advice. Well, except for the Xanax and baseball part. Isn't that from a movie? One thing I kept my focus on was that dessert drink at the end of the night "Chocolate Fantasy". Two scoops of chocolate gelato and Graham's Port poured on top. That was my Xanax and keeping my eye on the ball- or scoops rather- that was my relaxation technique. My reward for being brave. Lead me to the dance floor!