it`s my debut and I`ll bitch if I want to....
I don`t think it`s so appropriate or...thoughtful for a teacher to dance at a student`s debut party...there I said it, it`s her day dammit. So says Sadia and she didn`t dance at Makiko`s...but she`s dancing at mine...why? Because Bolbol `asked` her. I wrote `asked her` like that because in her words he requested her by saying`oh you are going to dance aren`t you?` so in her mind he`s begging her to dance. A) His restaurant is just the venue, aren`t we the one doing the party, don`t I get a say in this? and B) Bolbol is a nice guy but his English isn`t great. Call me bitchy but I`ve known Sadia a long time and have seen her work out similar scenarios to save her pride because she really is starving to dance (ie. Konya had called requesting her to dance but really it was Sadia who called them), also he requested Baba Karam. I thought he meant to put a baba karam song in my routine (give me a fedora and let me dance on my own) but Sadia has a whole group doing the same choreo she used from Mohammed Khordadian (this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oz7eSj7Z9H4), with Eugene playing Khordadian`s role. Not only has this routine been done to death by people who want to do Baba Karam but don`t know it well enough to do it improv or make their own choreography, it`s been done by us at bolbol before and I strongly voiced my opinion that Sadia misinterpreted some of the movement (wtf, why are you hopping, it`s strutting!). I personally think it`s strange for me to be a background dancer in a group choreo for this particular party so I said, fine you guys do it, I`ll rest and do a bandari/disco time (audience can dance) on my own after. I invited practically all the Iranians in the area, I don`t want to be taken for a dumb dancer who can`t do the Iranian dances properly, I want to show that I know what`s what. My main beef with Sadia opening for me is well, the aim of this party to showcase me as a pro dancer and show off what I know and I feel it`s kinda not fair for the master teacher with 30+ years of experience to also dance. But it`s too late to say anything and because she talked about this to bolbol first there`s nothing I can say. I did pick Mutsumi to open for me as she`s coming along as a dancer in her own right, also loves amcab and like me is totally about learning and researching everything she can about the dance, she`s a doll! And I also picked two baby dancers Miho and Yuka who hardly get to perform as well. I don`t mean to come across as a diva, really but I feel that this show is like I said, made to showcase me. I`m all for being a team player usually just this time I want to be a bit selfish.
Also this charity bazaar is gonna be a shitfest, Sadia, again is starry eyed that we are going to perform for a Princess VIP style but all the dances are a mess. Songs we knew got canceled because she made them too belly dance-y and none of the choreo is written out. I still don`t know wtf Im doing in the khaleeji and the sidi mansour choreo? I did only the first half once...ages ago and the show is on the 18th. The rehearsal schedule sucks and was put together very last minute (so no, I didn`t cancel my lovely workshop with Ozma *heart heart* or my bus ticket to Sendai because I had planned that way before). I think we should`ve kept it to 3 dances so everyone could remember and catch up on such short notice, and it would`ve given a nice but condensed showcase of folk dances (khaleeji for the gulf, debke for the Levant, plus one more to represent North Africa-Nubian,Saidi, Im not including Maghreb, Tunisian, Ghawazee because Sadia doesn`t know those well enough).
Also there`s Cabaret Tehran, she`s not happy I`m gonna be in the states and has to postpone it for a long time. But family is first and this time I have the opportunity to take a classical Persian dance intensive as well as Artie`s Totally Turkish and I`m not passing that up for anything. These events will make me grow as a dancer, one show that will cause me more stress than good won`t. I also told her if she wants help with the Iranian dance choreographies but then I really don`t plan on being in the show because it`s too much. She`s already asked the musicians and Nahid (must email Nahid to warn her to ask for money upfront, I don`t want my friendship with her to suffer and I worked the guts to tell Sadia that she must pay her every cent she owes her). I don`t think august 9th would`ve worked considering she hasn`t picked any music or came up with a godawful story yet. I don`t want her to promote it at my party either. The genie show was a mess, I don`t want the Iranians to associate me with that type of show.
But ws with Ozma was fun, and awesome as usual. I can`t say enough how wonderful it is to be in a healthy, postive, encouraging learning environment. It was also nice to see Hiromi again. And I really can`t wait for the persian dance intensive with Robyn C. Friend (this woman is amazing! http://www.robynfriend.com/) and of course the Totally Turkish intensive with Artie. Suzan`s also having a good bye party at the end of this month and the Lebanese restaurant Al Ain in Yokohama. Suzan thinks I ought to be dancing there anyway and we worked out that she will dance at her good bye party but I will also perform a couple of solos to show the restaurant owners my stuff and see if they like me or not. Suzan is very close to the owners and mentioned me to them a couple of times. I know I`m not as fit as I was a year and a half ago but I`m back on a healthy eating and circuit training regimen and while the results aren`t fast I know I`d be able to stick with it, unlike a fad diet that will have me rebounding in no time.
Also this charity bazaar is gonna be a shitfest, Sadia, again is starry eyed that we are going to perform for a Princess VIP style but all the dances are a mess. Songs we knew got canceled because she made them too belly dance-y and none of the choreo is written out. I still don`t know wtf Im doing in the khaleeji and the sidi mansour choreo? I did only the first half once...ages ago and the show is on the 18th. The rehearsal schedule sucks and was put together very last minute (so no, I didn`t cancel my lovely workshop with Ozma *heart heart* or my bus ticket to Sendai because I had planned that way before). I think we should`ve kept it to 3 dances so everyone could remember and catch up on such short notice, and it would`ve given a nice but condensed showcase of folk dances (khaleeji for the gulf, debke for the Levant, plus one more to represent North Africa-Nubian,Saidi, Im not including Maghreb, Tunisian, Ghawazee because Sadia doesn`t know those well enough).
Also there`s Cabaret Tehran, she`s not happy I`m gonna be in the states and has to postpone it for a long time. But family is first and this time I have the opportunity to take a classical Persian dance intensive as well as Artie`s Totally Turkish and I`m not passing that up for anything. These events will make me grow as a dancer, one show that will cause me more stress than good won`t. I also told her if she wants help with the Iranian dance choreographies but then I really don`t plan on being in the show because it`s too much. She`s already asked the musicians and Nahid (must email Nahid to warn her to ask for money upfront, I don`t want my friendship with her to suffer and I worked the guts to tell Sadia that she must pay her every cent she owes her). I don`t think august 9th would`ve worked considering she hasn`t picked any music or came up with a godawful story yet. I don`t want her to promote it at my party either. The genie show was a mess, I don`t want the Iranians to associate me with that type of show.
But ws with Ozma was fun, and awesome as usual. I can`t say enough how wonderful it is to be in a healthy, postive, encouraging learning environment. It was also nice to see Hiromi again. And I really can`t wait for the persian dance intensive with Robyn C. Friend (this woman is amazing! http://www.robynfriend.com/) and of course the Totally Turkish intensive with Artie. Suzan`s also having a good bye party at the end of this month and the Lebanese restaurant Al Ain in Yokohama. Suzan thinks I ought to be dancing there anyway and we worked out that she will dance at her good bye party but I will also perform a couple of solos to show the restaurant owners my stuff and see if they like me or not. Suzan is very close to the owners and mentioned me to them a couple of times. I know I`m not as fit as I was a year and a half ago but I`m back on a healthy eating and circuit training regimen and while the results aren`t fast I know I`d be able to stick with it, unlike a fad diet that will have me rebounding in no time.