Thursday, November 17, 2016
West Charleston Library Performance!
Desert Gypsies will be performing at the West Charleston Library this Saturday at 7 PM, along with a host of other fantastic dancers. The show is a wonderfully diverse collection of dancers, ranging from our favorite style, Spanish Romani (Gypsy) to traditional Egyptian cabaret to Indian dance. Best of all, it's free to the public! Stop by the library and enjoy the show...We'll see you Saturday!
Friday, September 23, 2016
Get Ready for Ren Faire!!
Are you ready for Ren Faire? We are! We're looking forward to returning to our favorite stage at the Shifting Sands Belly Dance encampment on the following days and times:
Friday, October 5th -- 4:00 PM
Saturday, October 6th -- 1:30 PM
Saturday, October 6th -- 4:00 PM
Sunday, October 7th -- 2:30 PM
We'll be performing four different shows, so plan ahead to make it to every one of them...You'll see something different at each one!
Need more information on Ren Faire? Check out their Website for information on location, hours, parking, etc. We'll see you there...Huzzah!!
Friday, August 26, 2016
College Park "Fourth of July!"
We had such a good time dancing at College Park in July! This was our first Fourth of July performance, and it was wonderful celebrating it with our friends at College Park. See you soon! :)
Atria Seville "Belly Dance Celebration!"
College Park Cinco de Mayo Celebration!
We had a wonderful time dancing for our friends at College Park to celebrate Cinco de Mayo! We don't get many opportunities to perform our favorite Mexican choreographies, so we thoroughly appreciated the chance to do so. !Muchas gracias, amigos y amigas!
Thursday, February 25, 2016
NADHC Eastern "Spring Fling!"
Hello everyone! We had an amazing time performing for -- and particularly, with! -- our new friends at NADHC Eastern yesterday. Ladies and gents, you are terrific stage mates, and we're looking forward to celebrating music and dance with you again soon. :)
Thursday, February 11, 2016
Veil It Up for Valentine's Day!
Valentine's Day is this weekend! Would you like to dazzle your sultan(a) with a few sultry veil moves? Here's a brief primer on veil basics, and a few easy-but-effective veil moves. Even if you've never danced with a veil before, you can pick up these moves in just a week!
First, you'll need a veil. Veils can range in size, shape, and material. The moves we'll be discussing are best with either a chiffon or silk veil that's roughly 36" wide x 48" long. (The exact size that's right for you will depend on your height, but to get started, these measurements work for most women. If you have any questions about what's right for you, leave me a message.)
Once you've got your veil at hand, here's how to do the Basic Hold: Pinch the top edge (the long edge) with your first finger and thumb, with the veil in front of your body. Leave about as much space on each side past your hands. For most veil movements, the veil should be draped a little between your hands, as though your veil is giving you a little smile.
Got it? Great! You're ready to start dancing with your veil! Let's take a look at three basic movements, and some ways to vary each one:
Poses: This is the easiest of veil movements, but it packs a powerful visual punch. All you do is bring your hands together over your head! With the veil behind you, it creates a sensual background for any movement. If you drape the veil in front of you, it creates a mysterious curtain. To vary this movement, make a V-shape with your arms, instead of bringing your hands together. This variation is particularly effective with moving or traveling steps, as the veil will float up and out as you move or travel.
Turban Veil: I've heard this movement referred to by many names, but I call it this because essentially, you're wrapping your hands around your head, as if you were putting on a turban. To do the Turban Veil, begin with the Basic Hold. Bring your right hand around in front, then up and over your left ear. As your right hand passes behind your head, follow your right hand with your left hand, passing your left hand behind your head and over your right ear. Once you've got the hang of it going from right-to-left, be sure to experiment with reversing direction (bringing your veil from your left hand over your head, past your right ear, then bringing your right hand behind your head and past your left ear).
Here's a picture of me bringing my left hand behind my head, to my right ear:
The Turban Veil is incredibly simple, but effective, and you can vary it up in a number of ways. Try alternating directions; experiment with hesitating just a moment before switching directions (this creates a little whirlpool shape in the veil); or add in a level change by going up on tiptoe, then bending your knees. Try experimenting with a Turban Veil in each direction, then pausing in a Pose.
Turban Arm Veil: Once you've got the Turban Veil down, you're ready for the Turban Arm Veil. Begin with the Basic Hold, then bring your right hand and arm over your left hand (it helps to bring your left hand and arm forward a little), then place your right hand on the back of your left shoulder. When you're comfortable with doing the Turban Arm Veil to the left, experiment with going to the right (bringing your left hand and arm over your right hand, bringing your right hand and arm forward, and placing your left hand on the back of your right shoulder).
Obviously, you can do the Turban Arm Veil from right-to-left and repeat this movement, creating a sense of a bullfighter's cape. Or, you can intersperse Poses, Turban Veils, and Turban Arm Veils.
My favorite thing to do with Turban Arm Veil, though, is to work the extended arm. If your right hand is on your shoulder, your left arm will be extended...and you can use that left hand to create figure 8s, swooshes, or simply turn in place with your arm extended. (If you turn in the direction of your extended arm, the veil floats in front of your body. If you turn in the opposite direction, the veil floats behind you. Experiment with both directions!) Here's a picture of me turning in the direction of my extended arm, using the Turban Arm Veil:
Now that you have these three basics in your veil dance vocabulary, it's time to put on your favorite Valentine's Day music and get to dancing. :) Enjoy!
First, you'll need a veil. Veils can range in size, shape, and material. The moves we'll be discussing are best with either a chiffon or silk veil that's roughly 36" wide x 48" long. (The exact size that's right for you will depend on your height, but to get started, these measurements work for most women. If you have any questions about what's right for you, leave me a message.)
Once you've got your veil at hand, here's how to do the Basic Hold: Pinch the top edge (the long edge) with your first finger and thumb, with the veil in front of your body. Leave about as much space on each side past your hands. For most veil movements, the veil should be draped a little between your hands, as though your veil is giving you a little smile.
Got it? Great! You're ready to start dancing with your veil! Let's take a look at three basic movements, and some ways to vary each one:
Poses: This is the easiest of veil movements, but it packs a powerful visual punch. All you do is bring your hands together over your head! With the veil behind you, it creates a sensual background for any movement. If you drape the veil in front of you, it creates a mysterious curtain. To vary this movement, make a V-shape with your arms, instead of bringing your hands together. This variation is particularly effective with moving or traveling steps, as the veil will float up and out as you move or travel.
Turban Veil: I've heard this movement referred to by many names, but I call it this because essentially, you're wrapping your hands around your head, as if you were putting on a turban. To do the Turban Veil, begin with the Basic Hold. Bring your right hand around in front, then up and over your left ear. As your right hand passes behind your head, follow your right hand with your left hand, passing your left hand behind your head and over your right ear. Once you've got the hang of it going from right-to-left, be sure to experiment with reversing direction (bringing your veil from your left hand over your head, past your right ear, then bringing your right hand behind your head and past your left ear).
Here's a picture of me bringing my left hand behind my head, to my right ear:
The Turban Veil is incredibly simple, but effective, and you can vary it up in a number of ways. Try alternating directions; experiment with hesitating just a moment before switching directions (this creates a little whirlpool shape in the veil); or add in a level change by going up on tiptoe, then bending your knees. Try experimenting with a Turban Veil in each direction, then pausing in a Pose.
Turban Arm Veil: Once you've got the Turban Veil down, you're ready for the Turban Arm Veil. Begin with the Basic Hold, then bring your right hand and arm over your left hand (it helps to bring your left hand and arm forward a little), then place your right hand on the back of your left shoulder. When you're comfortable with doing the Turban Arm Veil to the left, experiment with going to the right (bringing your left hand and arm over your right hand, bringing your right hand and arm forward, and placing your left hand on the back of your right shoulder).
Obviously, you can do the Turban Arm Veil from right-to-left and repeat this movement, creating a sense of a bullfighter's cape. Or, you can intersperse Poses, Turban Veils, and Turban Arm Veils.
My favorite thing to do with Turban Arm Veil, though, is to work the extended arm. If your right hand is on your shoulder, your left arm will be extended...and you can use that left hand to create figure 8s, swooshes, or simply turn in place with your arm extended. (If you turn in the direction of your extended arm, the veil floats in front of your body. If you turn in the opposite direction, the veil floats behind you. Experiment with both directions!) Here's a picture of me turning in the direction of my extended arm, using the Turban Arm Veil:
Now that you have these three basics in your veil dance vocabulary, it's time to put on your favorite Valentine's Day music and get to dancing. :) Enjoy!
Thursday, January 7, 2016
2015 Year in Review
2015 was a wonderful year for Desert Gypsies, and we are looking forward to another year of sharing the joy of Middle Eastern music and dance with you! As we begin this new year, we wish you a healthy, happy year ahead -- and hope your year includes an abundance of music and movement that delights you, body and soul. Happy new year!
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| Desert Gypsies 2015 Year in Review |
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