Catchin' up once again-let's start w/ Around the World in 80 days!

I have quite a lot to recap for the months of April & May both in my work as a fiber artist and a belly dancer. All this catching up is going to take a few installments on the blog and will start with...my first excuse for lagging on my blog.

Have you heard of the stage shows I've put on? They are crazy! They include most of the tribal belly dancers in the greater Los Angeles area in some way or another, this year our cast alone was about 70 people! We also had 4 major backdrops, an after party, a boatload of volunteers, a handbuilt platform, the basket of a hot air baloon, an elephant, a lot of food, drink, a bakesale, a silent auction & a spotlight! I'll post some pics and video and you can see what I mean!

Stage set up beginning on the Friday before the show, Gigi is smiling in the foreground.


Performer check in table, Robin & her friend...

It's kind of crazy for a few girls who are NOT the Walt Disney company (no where near it), have hardly any money, BUT are blessed with a LOT of talented friends. If I say so myself it is a testament to what can be done with a little tenacity, and hard work.



This year's show theme was Around the World in 80 days and was a fund raiser for the Midnight Mission-Family Housing unit...I'm preparing to tie up the financial end of things and can proudly say we have collected $500 to donate! Not as good as last year ($1500), but everyone knows the economy totally sucks. So I am still proud of what we accomplished. And let me go ahead and drop some names here...do you know who was in our show??? Unmata, Frederique, Tabu, Lee Ali, Sooz, Frank Farinaro, Aubre & her troupe Lumina Dance Company, Heather Shoopman & her troupe se7en becomes twe12ve, Marjhani, just an incredibly great cast!!
So here starts the slideshow...

This is my driveway with back drops being painted by my talented husband Robert & daughter Jillian



I cannot even imagine what people in the neighborhood of the show thought when they saw this scene! Girls have to go get their coffee, even if they are in costume...


I have a feeling the Tsingani girls don't believe we'll pull this off...or do they?


Jenn O. & Julie are modeling our t-shirts! We still have some if you want to buy one drop me a line...

Always sweet and patient Michelle, Ayse's sister...I honestly don't know why any of these people put up with us and our outlandish schemes!


One back drop going up


this is the lovely and ever dignified Bonnie of Tsingani fame...


Sooz & Zach

Jillian and Lisa (blurry)


Khani consulting w/ Sooz, Tabu standing to the side...Tech rehearsal blah blah blah!


Frederique & I'm not sure...Sloan and I think it's for the India part...


Khani & Ayse being very official... I just tried to stay out of their way and deal with other types of problems!


Jillian-Gigi, Kris, Lisa & Jenn in background

Ayse- Frank & I- Thank all my lucky stars when our original male star backed out of the show we found Frank Farinaro he could not only dance amazingly but act as well!!!


Umata on the stairs! We are so f-ing lucky!!

Dressing room scene


Heather Shoopman and her troupe- se7en becomes twe12e are a bunch of sillies...they did an amazing piece portraying a storm!

Aubre also a silly.

Politti tells me ALL the Geisha's smoke!

Tandava those Saloon girls!!

Look at what goes on backstage!! A bunch of kissing!!

For videos of the show check our group blog http://mythicalcreaturesla.blogspot.com/

Right after completing our stage show, I threw all my energy into preparing for Tribal Fest, we consolidated some of that energy by re-using some of the choreography from 80 days and presented a Trip Around the World themed piece. AND for me the icing on the cake was that I was honored with the opportunity to teach a workshop at Tribal Fest! Island Influences. I think it went very well, once again saying so myself...I had a good time anyway, we all got a good sweat and I did some cool fusing of Hula/Tahitian dance with Tribal Belly dance but that story is next...

Tales of desire

The DVD is finally out!! Go run out and buy it now! https://www.hollywoodmusiccenter.com/browse.php?userId=I5iM8rT6rN2cR9kH&language=english&categoryId=25

OR wait and buy it off or OUR website as soon as we get it on there. By the end of next week. www.sacredcirclesproductions.com

The show stars Unmata, Arish Lam, Mira Betz, Steven Eggers, Sabrina Fox, She'enedra, Elizabeth Strong, Aubre & Lumina, Damage Control- sorry if I forgot anyone...here is a link to the sample video https://www.hollywoodmusiccenter.com/additionalMedia/1693.mov

this is a collection of pictures from and for the show. Some are done by Lee Corkette of Weathervane studios some are random pictures I found on the web and I don't know who did, the last one is me I don't really like it but WHATEVER!!

weekend stories and this week's expectations

Friday-had the meeting regarding next year's show from Sacred Circles Productions...NO it will not be called Mythical Creatures again! That was last year's show by Sacred Circles Productions aka, Ayse, Khani & Elizabeth! I shouldn't say anything even about the big name dancers I already know we will have because the ink is not yet on the paper! But the show is going to be so interesting and yes last year was interesting but this will be even better.
Bought the new couch! yay! We really need it! I know Friday is a repeat!
http://www.sacredcirclesproductions.com/



Saturday-left the house super early to go to meet Khani on my way to take a workshop from Frederique David at Oasis Dance Studio. Fred is so awesome, she is nice and warm and talented. Her dance style is subtle and confident, it's really an art! In the class we did some very basic layering drills that I cannot wait to adapt into my classes! These should really get the class going on layering movements.
http://www.bellygroove.com/

After the workshop both Khani & I danced in the evening show, which Politti the owner of Oasis Dance Studio calls Super Saturdays. I wish I had pictures! But Khani did a video of me dancing that I may be able to post or link to later...
http://www.oasisdancestudio.net/




Sunday- got up early again and started right in on sewing some more Not Pants, and kNot Tops and some tie in the front tops in black lace fabric to sell on Etsy. AND I actually finished sewing by 10 am!! That was fun! Afterwards we went to see Cats at the Civic Arts Plaza and the funniest thing happened! We got our picture taken with other families from Riley's school that had been gifted tickets to the show, and Riley was so funny she raised her hand and asked the president of the theater "Are the cats real?" The woman just loved her and brought her inside to get her face painted as a cat, took her backstage to meet the cast and after the lady made her announcements she had Riley walk across the stage and asked her what she had to say at which point Riley said "MEOW!" Then she and Jasmin got to sit in the orchestra section! It was really funny and cute! She's certainly not afraid of getting up on a BIG stage at all! I think we'll be enrolling her in musical theater soon!





Now I am somewhat bored! Robert has been at the comicon ALL weekend!! I want him to come home! Oh well, I just talked to him and he says we are going to be flown to Malaysia so he can be on a panel about the making of War of the Worlds, so I guess it's worth a little suffering and loneliness (I'm a drama queen). Also, Jared (my son) got hired to draw for a comic book company and Nickelodeon asked him to submit storyboard tests! He ought to know how to do that since he spent most of his childhood sitting next to his dad drawing storyboards w/ him. yay!!

To top all this goodness off, tomorrow I'm getting Lazik done on my eyes! I am not afraid at all, I have worn glasses and contacts since I was 12 years old and I will be free! I hope at least mostly. The doctor seems really confident that I will have good results and so am I.

So I feel like a really lucky duck right now!

Fun day!

Well we have finally decided on a theme for next year's BIG stage show!! A date and made a list of dream performers!! Yay! It's going to be so fun! I wouldn't have believed that we would be able to make another show that would be a original as Mythical Creatures, but I think we will do it this time!

Oh boy! And after a LOONG meeting w/ Khani & Ayse we went shopping for fabric...going downtown is so very distracting. I still haven't bought fabric for the quilts and curtains for the pop up tent.

I almost forgot! On the way home we stopped and I bought a couch! Finally after sitting on couches everywhere I finally found one I liked...I know that is totally unimportant! There are really important things in the world!

So I know I should write more but I have to mix music for my solo at the Super Saturdays at Oasis-this time it's w/ Frederique! I'm really excited, I love her dancing and I get to take a 3 hour workshop with her!
yay!

I found this funny picture of Ayse & I when we were in Holland.