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Vagabond Princess
Tribal Fusion Belly Dancing
Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012
Getting back into training after a wee while overindulging in rest and food. This tip should help get you back into your practice too. Go to 8tracks and select a playlist either at utter random or say by GENIUS and sweetheart Rachel Brice (arbibi) then improvise your heart out to the whole delicious thing. Surprises abound! Enjoy.
Posted by Sam
on 03/01/12
in Belly Dance, Friends, Health, Inspiration, Practice, Practice Tip of the Month, Tribal No Comments »
Monday, June 6th, 2011
CORE STABILITY
I know that’s not technically Belly Dance but without core strength you are headed for injury my dears, especially in this style of dance, using your core will dramatically improve hip work and abdominal isolation. When I started adding Pilates to my practice I noticed a difference right away. My undulations and hip work felt deeper and way stronger, isolation more controlled and posture improved.
Click here to find the online Tabata Workout Clock. You use this to tell you when your 20 seconds work is up and you use the 10 seconds rest time to prepare for the next exercise.
I usually choose 3 different exercises like push ups, sit ups and squats and vary all three for 12 minutes. You can of course do more or less time wise depending where your fitness level is at right now. This is known as interval training and I find it highly effective in a short amount of time.
A good practice day for me consists of early morning jog followed by Yoga then a Tabata session or two followed by drills and improv/choreography work. That is a very good day. I will not pretend that happens every day, as things come up…But this is my goal.
I’m going to give you a fun variation for this type of work out by adding a Pilates Ball into the equation. There are lots of how to’s on You Tube for ideas… like this lady. I pick 3 different exercises and start the Tabata Timer.I find I don’t get bored using the Tabata method and adding the ball guarantees core strengthening by trying to stay on the ruddy thing! Wikid.
If you have any daily exercises you want to share here feel free, I know many of us work in isolation, either by living in the country side or just plain cannot afford classes every week, so my thinking is the more we share what is working for us, the quicker this art form can flourish and gain the respect it deserves from the wider dance community, innit.
Note:If you have any kind of injury, use common sense and talk to your doctor about which ball exercises will work for you! Always cool down properly after this type of rigorous exercise OK!
AND HERE IS THIS MONTH’S BOOK:
The Element by Sir Ken Robinson available here
Inspired and very amusing, Ken puts all into perspective and shows us how everyone is capable of creativity when given the opportunity.
Fanks x
Posted by Sam
on 06/06/11
in Health, Practice, Practice Tip of the Month, Tribal 5 Comments »
Monday, March 14th, 2011
As promised.
This month’s practice tip focuses on Shimmy. Its pretty simple, find a good long track and shimmy for the entire length with no break adding layers and traveling without the shimmy being affected at all. Try big and loose, small and fast, 3/4 and 4/4 or whatever feels good to you today! I have put up a couple of tracks on my itunes PING account which you can see via HERE to use for ideas. Enjoy!
This month’s suggested reading is Inside Ballet Technique by Valerie Grieg available HERE. Regardless of whether you are interested in Ballet or not this book proves to be a useful tool and a very accessible read indeed.
Love and Fluff
Posted by Sam
on 14/03/11
in Belly Dance, Health, Inspiration, Practice, Practice Tip of the Month, Tribal 1 Comment »
Friday, December 31st, 2010
Kicking off 2011 in the BEST WAY EVER!
Teaching and performing with Elizabeth Strong and Zoe Jakes in none other than the Fat Chance Belly Dance studios in San Francisco. I am so very lucky to be able to work with my friends across the pond again, it’s been a while. We will teach a week long intensive and also put on a show together. Yay, yay and also YAY!! For full booking info check out my calendar page where you will also find details for my ONLY other US visit in 2011… TRIBAL FEST!!!
Posted by Sam
on 31/12/10
in Belly Dance, Friends, Health, Inspiration, Practice, Tribal, Wild Weird and Wonderful 1 Comment »
Thursday, December 9th, 2010
Food is very important to me and any time spent at home is spent mostly in the kitchen juicing fresh juices with my Oscar juicer and cooking up a Jamie Oliver inspired storm. I used to hate cooking with a passion but getting into dancing 6 years ago started to awaken an interest in what I was putting in my belly, most of which was baaaaad stuff.
I have recently returned from a very inspiring time in Cape Town with the most excellent Marissa of SOMA dance company. There I learned about eating a healthy raw food diet, something I had written of as impossible, especially living in the UK at times like these in sub zero temperatures. The food we ate in Cape Town was tasty, colourful, varied and made me feel good. So I got the RAWlicious book , a ton of superfood supplements and have been experimenting here at home.
While I do not think I can go 100% raw just yet I am definitely feeling the benefits of being around 70% raw while at home. Soon as I hit the road however I know it will be tricky to survive in airports and on trains without being extremely organized in advance of each trip and preparing my sprouts and snacks while I am packing the striped beast who rolleth on two tiny wheels.
While I am struggling with the food miles attached to using many of the ingredients listed in the book, as it was written with South Africans in mind: where the sun shines and abundant varieties of fruit and veg grow… I am doing my best to alter the recipes to fit with what comes in my veg box each week.
Here is where I big up my friends Ed and Izzy pictured below, who grow our food as part of a community agriculture project Chagfood which they themselves set up. We are lucky enough to have organic veg grown in our valley and delivered by horse and cart!
In an effort to make the project as low-impact as possible they use horse-power for cultivation, tillage and transport of their vegetables. Samson is a Dartmoor-Welsh Cob who has been trained by them from a foal.
And now I raise my Green Juice in hand and say To Your Health!!!
Hope this has sparked yer curiosity a little, I’m off to check my sprouts!
x
Posted by Sam
on 09/12/10
in Friends, Health, Inspiration 1 Comment »
