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Yes its been non-stop. All dance, all the time. At least that’s what it felt like in May and June, so much that by the time I got home from rehearsals each night with intentions of updating this blog, I was too toasted to write anything mildly coherent. All of this work is paying off, and at the end of working on some shows there was more work. The discipline of the daily grind, with sprinklings of performance highs.

The madness started in April. Sugar Shakers performed at the Georgian Sound Festival in Thornbury. Our road trip was a lot of fun because there was also a lindy hop act of five couples, choreographed by Joanna of Sugar Shakers. So with a crew of 13 dancers we had a great time both on and off stage.

     

Then there were the birthday celebrations. Well mine was early April, but for the first time in a few years, nothing really dance related happened for that. Celebrations nonetheless. Drummer and friend Jaash Singh celebrated his birthday at the Cameron House with a show that featured his various musical projects past and present. Victoria and I danced a drum solo, some old school Om Laila styles choreographed by Meaghan Shields. Another April baby, fellow dancer and friend Laura Atma celebrated her birthday with a Champagne Cabaret at the Painted Lady –featuring a wide variety of bellydance talent. I did an ATS duet with Orkideh of Serpentina as well as a solo flapper number for that.

Shortly after that was the Frankie Manning Tribute weekend, where the Sugar Shakers performed at the opening dance. It was a full weekend of workshops and celebrations of one of the innovators of Lindy Hop.

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Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to check out the rest of the weekend but for good reason –great reason in fact, I ventured to Detroit for Soul Skate 2012. Now Detroit has its edge for sure, but overall  I feel pretty comfortable there from spending some time there at warehouse parties  back in the day and I’ve always found Detroit music people to be pretty welcoming. Soul Skate was one of the many after parties for the Movement/Detroit Electronic Music Festival –a weekend long celebration of the contribution Detroit has made to electronic music, with its specific genre of techno. While I didn’t actually get out to any of the festival, the lineup was great and after ten years of this festival and decades of local innovation in techno, the mayor  declared May 20-26th, ‘Detroit Techno Week.’   Sweet. One after party during the first couple years of the festival is where I first heard a Kenny Dixon Jr. (aka. Moodymann) DJ set live. Now, 12 years later that name still catches my eye (and ear!) which is how I ended up at SoulSkate 2012. With a couple other four wheel enthusiasts we drove Northland Arena, laced up our skates and started to move. We didn’t stop til the early hours of the morning and I saw some of the most insane rollerskating ever. So many amazing crews, dancers, acrobats and overall fierceness on four wheels.

The first weekend of June was filled with excitement. The long awaited, much anticipated Rachel Brice intensive finally arrived. Friday was a short workshop separate from the intensive, ‘Chop chop’ featuring  learning fast tribal fusion combos. Right after that workshop I had a show with the Sugar Shakers at the Carlu for the Mortgage Brokers Awards for their speakeasy-themed event. We greeted, danced, took photos and performed two sets over the course of the evening.

Rushing home after the show to get some sleep while mentally preparing myself for the days ahead. So much to learn from Rachel Brice and Saturday she worked us hard with drills, yoga, musicality…my mind has yet to process everything that my body took in that weekend. After the day of dance it was time to get ready for the Infusion gala show, where Serpentina North Ensemble would also be performing alongside a variety of tribal fusion dancers. I think this whole experience with the intensive and the show together in one weekend really warrants more digesting so suffice it to say, that it was incredible.

Toronto is bursting at the seams with interesting events right no –too many to mention right here, right now. But some things you need to know about right here, right now:

Painty McGee’s grand opening

Alternative Garage Sale at Radar

Sugar Shakers 3 Year Anniversary Party

Funkabelly at the Capitol Theatre

Love&Sweat to you my friends…

I love Toronto, this city is live when the sun comes out and people start to shake off the cold. No shortage of creative things to take in, and I’ve been taking full advantage.

Early March brought the Combo Royale CD release party, the local vintage jazz party makers. Their new album “Slaugheterhouse Stomp” has been on heavy rotation around my house.  The same night was the first of Darkside Studio’s Fireside Chats, this one on costuming ideas for tribal fusion dancers.

In mid-March Junko Mizuno came to Toronto to show her new series, Venus Cake. I have been a fan of her work for years, having fallen in love with her early characters Fumi and Shiori action figures around the time she put out Hell Babies, a book with a quilted cover featuring awesome images of female characters that reminded me of a sexy, psychedelic and earthy version of the 70’s Dolly-Pops that I spent so many hours with as a kid. I got her to autograph and old journal of her artwork from 2006, which I will now frame alongside a print from one of her old series that a friend surprized me with.

Last month I had an oppotunity to attend a workshop “Unusual Movements to Unusual Music” by local dancer Laura Atma, as a part of the Alternative Bellydance Series at Dragonfly Studio. The time passed quickly as we learned some of Laura’s signature moves and learned a piece of her recent choreography –a piece created in collaboration with friend and dancer Maddie Bolek, for a Cirqlar event.

The end of March brought the long-awaited Cues and Tattoos in Seattle –my first ATS-focused bellydance conference. This is its 5th year running and apparently now bigger than ever. I went with two other members of Serpentina North Ensemble and we had our first workshop Friday morning with Kami Liddle –ATS remixed, variations on ATS combos that can be used for solo or group numbers. Later that afternoon was a workshop by Kajira Djoumanha of Blacksheep Bellydance , where we learned some of their signature combos. The next day was another Kami workshop where we learned faster combos of pops and hits. Then in the afternoon was a workshop on isolations with Steven Eggers, where we did some really interesting drills by mixing up the combos to work in opposites and unfamiliar patterns. Finally on Sunday (the days flew by!) was a Guedra blessing dance taught by Kajira. Its a really beautiful ritual dance of the “blue people” (they use an oil based indigo dye to colour most of their clothes, which rubs off on their skin, giving them a blue tinge) of the Tuareg Berbers, performed by women to offer blessings to groups and individuals. Accompanied by chanting and drumming, like many ritual dances, the whole environment along with internal focus induces a trance-state in the dancer.  Dancing for meditation, cleansing/exorcism or blessings, is an area of interest for me and Kajira is so knowledgeable about Guedra, it was a pleasure to learn from her. My last workshop was with members of Troupe Hypnotica, the creators of Cues & Tattoos, where we worked on polishing details for performing ATS improv. I had a lot of fun in that one, especially since being newer to ATS I haven’t done improv much outside of my own troupe. Although there wasn’t much extra time, I managed to get to Mighty-o Vegan Donuts to bring some goodies I promised to bring back for friends. Laura, Sarah and I (3 out of 5 of us in Serpentina) had really nice dinners and silly times travelling around together. The marketplace was super –I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of incredible jewelry, and we managed to get bustles for an upcoming show. I\m looking forward to next year and hoping our whole troupe can go together.

    

Back from Seattle, I had only a few days until my birthday, which happened to fall on the long weekend. Lots of birthday love, lots of catching up with people I hadn’t seen in a while, over awesome food. Then, of course, back to the grind but also back to all my regular classes: Om Laila, Serpentina and Sugar Shakers. With the inspiration of the last few weeks, motivation and creativity are running high.

Lastnight I went to Uno, presented by La Carnita, to see work by illustrator and fellow Sugar Shaker, Jacqui Oakley, alongside such international street art talent as Mike Giant, Sam Flores and locals Skam and Rcade. Set in a building on industrial grounds that have been re-purposed for urban agriculture (really amazing projects there), now called Evergreen Brickworks, it was a perfect setting to showcase an international line-up of cutting-edge artists.

        

  

Late April is filled with shows so be sure to take a look at the Upcoming Shows section. One of the most exciting events will be in early June, where Serpentina will be performing alongside other local bellydancers in the InFusion Gala show  featuring Rachel Brice. It is during the weekend of her intensive (which I’m taking) so it will be a full –and no doubt fullfilling –few days. Rachel doesn’t perform in Toronto often, so you don’t want to miss this one!

Stay tuned for more transmissions from the sistership…

Happy almost March everyone! I blinked and February is leaving as quickly as it came. A lot of dance got packed into this short month already. Lets start with this past weekend: the long-awaited, much anticipated Surreal Speakeasy –brought to us by Salon Noir. With the speakeasy theme in full effect everyone was looking fine. And that wasn’t just the absinthe talking, people really went all out! I had a lovely time performing with Sugar Shakers, a new ‘flapper doll’ themed number, alongside the likes of a barbershop quartet, sultry burlesque and the headliner David J of Bahaus.

Sugar Shakers also opened for Tia Brazda this month at the Cadillac Lounge for her EP release party. It was a full house for her and after hearing this red-headed bombshell with a vintage jazz sounding voice, I can see why. The week before that, Sugar Shakers also danced alongside local talent Alex Pangman at one of  the Saturday Night Swing events. Another great night of music and dance…

On a bellydance note, last week was Funkabelly –a fire theme, this month– and again more fabulous music. Nomadica, as always, filled the space with its eclectic grooves and featured the Funkabelly Allstars doing shamadan (dancing with candlebras on their heads). Gorgeousness. The headliner was Xing Bang Fu, a dancer of such experience and refinement that he truly left us breathless. For years Om Laila has lived in the same studio as Xing teaches ballet and modern dance, yet I had never seen him perform.  I’m not entirely sure how to describe his style but as I understand it, he is one of a kind:  moving between  joyful and sinister, non-uniform, yet perfectly contained in his movement. I spent most of my time in the vendors section, at my Strange Dames booth…I’ve run out of cowls almost but expect some more in the coming months. Oh yes and fascinators too. Thanks to all my dancing (and singing!) ladies helping me promote the things I make. If you make things and want to sell them at Funkabelly, let me know. We are always looking for new designers and creators to add to our vendor section.

And last for now but certainly not least,  was  Inversion: Rewind, at Darkside Studio. Serpentina North Ensemble performed alongside other local acts including Coco Framboise and my new favourite mime (an altar ego of bellydancer Lluvia). The new location is amazing and it was nice to have an intimate studio show with so many other dancers, again making me grateful for the sense of community that arises from dancing together. I’m excited to check out some dance-related but not dance events that Audra will be hosting, including fireside chats, movie screenings and ‘A Real Hafla’ haflas.

I had plans of posting some new costume pieces I got in the past little while…particularly two headpieces made by two of my talented friends. But I have no clear pictures yet (but sneak peek in the photo above, I wore one to Salon Noir) , so that’s for next time.

If, like me, you get upset that you can’t dress up like a larger than life character everyday and are looking for something wildly creative to do this weekend, see you at the Fedora Upside Down‘s Mardi Gras Masquerade party. Featuring a bunch of local bands including Combo Royale, who I only saw once and was left wanting more.

Remember to check the events section, there are lots of new shows coming this spring!

Hello everyone, its been a while…January was all about last minute work on the Sugar Shaker number for the Followlogie competition. We’ve really been pounding the pavement with refinements after months of working on this choreography. We just got back from Montreal a couple of days ago and the whole experience was both strange and wonderful. All of the Sugar Shakers have worked so hard and been through so much in preparation for this event and our efforts and training and love of dance did not go unnoticed by the crowd at our performance. It was nice to have a little Toronto crew in the house that night at the lovely Rialto theatre.   Thanks to all of the people who went wild for us on the dancefloor and came up to us afterward with good vibes. Unfortunately, we did not place in the competition but felt we did a killer performance and can’t wait to show our hometown what we’ve been working on. The winning troupe –called The W Project –were awesome and they were the one troupe who went out of their way to be friendly and mutually appreciative competitors. It was a trip to remember thats for sure… a lovely dance and bonding experience for the Sugar Shakers. We got to see some talented vintage dancers and the workshops I attended taught me a lot about Charleston variations.

And here is our number…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5tXIX4WbYE

With the high of the performance in my wake, I’m re-focusing for the numbers that Serpentina has been working on for Inversion. It’s this Saturday at Darkside Studio and the theme is several artists take on the same song. Can’t wait to showcase our ATS version!

There are tons more things coming up in the next few weeks, here are but a few…

Feb 3rd – a Real Hafla

Feb 16 – Funkabelly – Hail to the Year of the Dragon

Feb 19 – Salon Noir – The Surreal Speakeasy

March 3rd – my friend Nancy’s solo sexy movement workshop …the tagline asks: “Wanna work it out like Cyd Charisse”? I know I do!

If you’re looking for a website to showcase your talent/business/hobby/work, my very talented and creative friend Nat Kuleba is having a New Year sale til the end of Feb. Check out her site, her aesthetic is minimal and zen.

See you around town. January hibernation is cozy and wonderful but get your ass onto a dancefloor at least once this month 🙂

Happy new year, fellow space travelers! Inner and outer space that is. Welcome to 2012, what will you do this year?

Looking back at 2011, I feel good about it. Through all of life’s madness I managed to do some pretty awesome dance stuff, like:

• Did my first dance competition ever, with Sugar Shakers in Montreal last January
• Performed solo bellydance at Second City alongside really amazing circus performers
•  Joined the wonderful ATS/ITS troupe, Serpentina North Ensemble
• Started learning Lindy Hop with Sugar Shaker Joanna Kassoulides. The adventure in partner dance continues
• Completed my first Rachel Brice intensive (4 days!)
• Performed vintage flapper dance at Funkabelly and bellydance at Lindy Hop Cabaret… I love when worlds collide!
• Started writing this dance blog

On the last point, its been almost a year of writing this blog about my adventures in dance. It started out when someone who hired me for a show wanted promotional material for the show’s program, so I scrambled to put together a wordpress page, not sure if I would continue after it served that purpose. I’ve always  been a writer and decided to keep on with it, wondering if anyone would be interested in reading my words. Turns out some people do because there have been about 1300 hits snce I began. WordPress sends out the “Your 2011 Year n Blogging” email and I found out that most of the hits are from Canada and Europe (mostly Italy) but that people all over the world have checked out my blog…from Brazil to South America and the highest percentage of hits from Asia came from Indonesia! I think this is really awesome and reading this report gave me the same sense of wonder and amazement I remember having when I first explored the internet from the computer in my parents livingroom. It’s really an incredible thing to be connected over geographical space. Thank you to everyone who has clicked on my blog, I look forward to another year of writing about this inner/outer space odyssey with you all.

Over the holiday Serpentina had the pleasure of a private session with Rosana McGuire while she was visiting from San Francisco, to learn some of her signature bellydance/vintage/flapper moves. She was also selling some of her lovely creations, I bought a really awesome headpiece and crocheted earrings, will post photos soon! There’s still more of her stuff up for grabs, check it out!

2011 also brought Hindsight Studio and Strange Dames out into the world, I am thankful to all of the creative people who’ve been encouraging me to ‘get out there’ with the things I make. This month, Hindsight will be promoting some crocheted designs by guest artist Ruby-Dee. All you bellydancers out there, listen up…if you play zylls/finger cymbals, you need some of these! I got mine years back from a fellow bellydancer and have always had people ask where to get Now’s your chance…only $20 for this handmade bag and cover set, price will be higher on the etsy site.

I love these because not only to they protect my zylls but if I’m practicing in a small area or at home where the full on zyll sound can be intense, I cover one zyll on each hand to muffle the sound but still have mobility and be able to hear what I’m playing. If you want to buy a set please email me at watters.sandy@gmail.com

You know its a new year in Toronto when the Harburfront DJ Skate Nights start up. This has been my favourite (and only) outdoor winter activity the past couple of years. See you at the rink! Don’t forget to check the Upcoming Shows section for this month’s happenings!

All good things to you for 2012.

Happy Solstice everyone!

The darkest day has come and gone, and we can look forward to the return of the sun. Whatever you celebrate this time of year I hope it is spent in the company of lovely people, food and music. Having a four day weekend is precious to me right now, as I savour every second of sleeping in, playing records, baking vegan cookies and seeing all of my favourite people.

The much anticipated Frostbite: Bazaar of the Bizarre was a smashing success in its new location, the Great Hall.   Congrats to the Plastik Wrap folks, on a fantastic event! And I was loving the soundtrack of the day, brought to us by Jonah K. There were a few craft shows that day on that block and people were out in droves. Of course I was sewing buttons on my cowls right up until the final hour (and beyond!) for the Strange Dames booth. Here we are:

    

I bought a few things myself, it was so hard to decide with so many talented creative people and things under one roof. I had to get more shimmery eyeshadow from Peculiar Potions of course and later came across Lana Opus Scarves, a guy who makes really awesome scarves –or ‘man cowls’ as I call them, though they’re  unisex for sure. I will post some pics, I got two and although he works mostly in wool (old man pants, houndstooth,etc.) I found a couple without.

On the dance front, I been focused on the final month before the Sugar Shakers bring our new number to the Followlogie competition in Montreal. Now that we are working on final touches, I can really see how truly dynamic and awesome this piece is. Its fast, organic and full of attitude –something us Sugars have no shortage of! I can’t wait to perform it (breaking news: you can get a sneak peak Sat Jan 14th at Dovercourt House, that is unless you want to follow us to Montreal!).

Meanwhile Serpentina North Ensemble continues to work on new ideas and prepare for Inversion/rewind at the end of January. I am constantly expanding my ATS/ITS repertoire and ever challenged and amazed by the improvisational spirit of this style. Falling deeper and deeper in love. Next week the troupe will get a specialty workshop from the talented Rosana McGuire on her visit back to Toronto from San Fransisco…can’t wait for that! Here are some pics from our performance earlier this month at Twilight Mirage. Photos by Peter Lear aka FotoDances.

                        

Om Laila wrapped up the year with its annual holiday soiree. Having no more room in my brain or body for new choreography I chose not to dance and instead enjoyed being an audience member, drinking wine and taking in both new and seasoned dancers. I did however, sing –and in Arabic, nonetheless!  The small crew of us who have been studying singing, drumming and zylls under Roula Said finished off the night with Roula on kanun/main vocals, Jaash on main dumbek/vocals and a few more of us on vocals and zylls. It was a scary and exhilarating experience. I have a bit of a singing background but that is reaching back so many years now…however the songs Ala Warag Il Foull and A’Nadda which we performed are two of our regular songs and I found myself comfortable enough singing them in front of an audience. Hopefully much more of that to come…

On a different style of music, some of you know I’m a huge Erykah Badu (aka: Sarah Bellum, Medulla Oblongata, Analog Girl in a Digital World, Low Down Loretta Brown, Fat Belly Bella and Maria Mexico) fan and have been trying in vain to see her live for a very long time. Last year her New Amerykah part 1  tour was supposed to touch down in Toronto and as I held onto my tickets for dear life, the show was cancelled the day of. So for now I am destined for youtube videos…but her tour with the Cannabinoids is making me want to get my ass to the states for a show. Check this out, as if her voice and flow  weren’t enough for you, she also rocks the drum machine and theramin in the loveliest of ways.

Some older footage from her New Amerykah 1 album

There are so many events going on in the next couple of weeks, its hard to keep track. I’m opting for a low-key NYE (unless someone can persuade me otherwise!) but I still want to get out and dance before that, so I was pleasantly surprised to hear that Detroit techno legend Juan Atkins is playing next week. I haven’t seen him live in years and I will even bear the Drake for it. As for some online listening, tonight my soundtrack has been Rachel Brice’s mix from her 8 tracks page, it spans pounding to atmospheric. Some really nice tracks.

I wish you all delicious and rejuvenating things for for this last week of 2011. See in 2012 my friends, for more movement, mystery and mayhem!

In production at Hindsight Studio!

I will keep it short and sweet on this frosty, sunny morning, cause its a busy Hindsight Studio day preparing the Strange Dames booth for the bazaar tomorrow.

There’s a lot going on this weekend and here’s where I’ll be:

The Dark Salon

Frostbite: Bazaar of the Bizarre

[PLEASE NOTE THAT WABI SABI POP-UP SHOP IS CANCELLED FOR DECEMBER, WE WILL BE BACK IN THE NEW YEAR…STAY TUNED!]

                              Random truth: I love Glenn Barr’s paintings. I really do.

Despite my efforts to write every week, I end up getting the time for a nice lengthy entry here every two weeks. November has come and gone in the blink of an eye and here we are approaching the dark days of December. I look forward to the winter solstice and the approaching hibernation. Staying active and creative this time of year can be a challenge but I think I have a good handle on it: my new additions to Toronto winter survival are ashwaganda (aka withania), an imune-boostng and energizing herb, astralagus tea (good for lymphatic health) and something I should have had all along –vegan hot chocolate. My daily pick me up between work and dance classes or meetings or the long streetcar ride home, and if I’m feeling like I need some extra sweetness, the vegan marshmallow ‘fluff’ with Sadies Diner hot chocolate is just what I need.

Sustaining myself physically, is essential to my dance practice. Gotta keep moving, stay limber, even when hibernation seems to beckon. Stretching every day has been crucial to maintaining several hours of dance per week and to keep my body feeling good. These days I take about 20 minutes out of each day for yoga, that is to stretch and meditate. Some days my meditation consists of nothing more than groaning and moaning as I stretch out the resistant muscles in my body and other times its a conscious body scan or set of chants. I’ve found it useful to commit to daily practice and it has certainly made my dancing (and being) feel more fluid and grounded.

Last weekend was the Toronto Lindy Cabaret and I performed with Sugar Shakers as well as a solo bellydance number. Being one of the few non-lindy hop acts I felt myself getting a little nervous. Once I got up there I was at ease though, getting hoots and hollers from other dancers in the house. I wish I could have seen all of the other acts, I only got to see a couple, including a pretty awesome band who’s name escapes me, if you know please tell me in the comment section! After the show, people had a lot of questions about bellydance and I had some great conversation about points of intersection between different styles of dance. The lindy-hoppers were quite fascinated with the isolations in my number and I remain quite fascinated with their graceful yet playful abilities to dance with another person. That’s a work in progress for me! I made some new friends that night and felt very supported by the local vintage dance community.

Since I last wrote I attended Heather Labonte’s workshop at Dark Side Studio, where I learned some fabulous drills and combos from a talented dancer. We worked on particular angles, and little details that add extra finesse and beauty to contemporary bellydance. Then Sunday I attended the much-anticipated sword workshop by Zahira at Dragonfly Studio. Oh man it was everything I imagined it would be, to put a sword on my head, on my hip, on my knee, and dance. It was extremely powerful, and I was taught enough to practice on my own for a while. Once I get a sword that is…Im saving my pennies.

This month is jammed pack with awesome goings-on. Here are but a few that I’ll be checking out:

Dec 3 – Twilight Mirage  I’ll be performing with Serpentina alongside other fabulous local belly talent.

Dec 4 – Tumbling Into Light

Dec 10 – The Dark Salon

Dec 11 – Bazaar of the Bizarre

Dec 14 – Om Laila Holiday Soiree

Dec 15 –  In Honour of Jenna

Dec 18 – Wabi-Sabi pop-up shop. One day only! Stay tuned (here!) for details

I know there’s more, so stay tuned…I’ll update next week!

Until then, I leave you with music to hibernate to.

 

 

 

This month has been a time of deep reflection and striving to stay vibrant and grounded in these crazy times. Trying to take on less so I’m able to go deeper into my current practices and projects.  Sugar Shakers are getting into the nitty gritty of our new number for the Followlogie competition in January. We shook some serious sugar at Swing Out To Victory last Saturday, alongside other local vintage dance talent. Pics on location at the Hamilton War Museum…

And a video of all of the dancers:

Serpentina North Ensemble is preparing for the upcoming Twilight Mirage show as well as developing and refining choreography. Although shows are exciting, I think all of us look forward to a winter of studying together and collaborating on new ideas.

At Om Laila  I’m learning a new veil choreography and also continue to study singing, drumming and zylling from Roula. Its always meditative, grounding and healing. Not to mention just good old fun singing gorgeous Arabic songs.

This weekend I will be in two separate workshops: Saturday its Work Hard, Play Hard  with Heather Labonte at Dark Side Studio and Sunday a sword workshop with the oh so talented Zahira at Dragonfly Studios.  The first got sold out so fast she had to  set up another date right away! I don’t have a sword yet but a friend offered so kindly to lend me hers. I’m sure I will be inspired to get my own after this weekend.

Coming up later this month is the Toronto Lindy Hop Cabaret (see upcoming shows page for details) where the Sugar Shakers will perform and I’m also doing a solo  bellydance number. Its the first time I’ve ever done bellydance at a swing type event and I’m pretty excited! The next day I will sit back and enjoy being an audience member at Mayada’s Fierce Showcase, so looking forward to that.

As with all of the beauty and excitement of life, so has there been incredible tragedy as the local community mourns the death of  an inexhaustible soul, Jenna Morrison. Healer, mother, lover, yoga therapist, dancer. So many of us were lucky to have known her. When she opened Pure Intent with her friend and fellow healer, they offered bellydance classes (with a teacher named Malinka who stopped teaching shortly after). I had not done a class since I was a teenager and it was in their space that I began a serious practice of bellydance as therapy, mediation and self-expression. Six years have passed, with about five years with the teacher I found shortly afterward (Roula of course!) but I never forget those early days and the sacred atmosphere in Pure Intent which drew me back to a dance I had only partially forgotten about. Jenna was always a dancer, and moved her body like a sacred object.

Here I am at a time when dancing and movement are central to my identity and wellbeing, and I am filled with sorrow that Jenna’s life has been cut too short. Her memorial this week was one of the most heart-wrenching yet inspiring and beautiful ceremonies I’ve been a part of. As the church darkened and we all lit candles, this song resonated through the space.

Then her partner and young son danced in front of her picture to one of her favourite songs. Others joined, moving for Jenna and with Jenna in the candlelight. An amazing sendoff to a very special soul, indeed

Please friends, never take your lives, your loves, your abilities and your communities for granted. Each moment, each word, each gesture and each shimmy (!) counts.

 

Day of the Dead/Dia de los Muertos is a holiday I feel connected to. Its healthy and fun to have a celebration of the people in our lives who have moved beyond this physical realm. I randomly found the above artist online, he has a great Muertos gallery.I kind of feel like I rolled out of a grave myself today, but not for lack of fun this weekend. Halloween is usually almost a week-long event for me and even though this year I didn’t perform at any Halloween shows, I had some good times around town.

Friday I performed with Jaash and Victoria at a fundraiser for St. Mikes hospital, and it was in the grandiose Arcadian Court.  It was a pleasure to perform and help raise money for their Urban Angels project. Sunday I had planned to go support my fellow bellydancers at the last PS Kensington instead I supported my pillow at home in bed. I did however make it for the parade, culminating in the back alley garbage stage for a bangin’ Lemon Bucket Orkestra show. Uninhibited dancing ensued.

Since I last posted, Serpentina performed our newest choreography at the Johnny Hollow show at Lula Lounge. Here’s a little clip, for your viewing pleasure.

It was a great event and I was particularly loving Dr. Draw as well as the ever lovely dancers of Dragonfly Studios dancing a duet to Johnny Hollow live. There was also a sneak preview  a of a movie that had stunning animation, although I was too focused on preparing for our set to give it the attention it warranted. A couple of days later I was setting up our Strange Dames (handmade wares by Laura and myself) table at Bazaar of the Bizarrewhen I realized the guy next to me was the artist who made that movie  –who’s also in Johnny Hollow. Check out the beautiful melancholy art and animation by Vincent Marcone. Other favourites for me were Peculiar Potions, Auxiliary Magazine, and Vintage Love. And of course the ever creative and inspiring people at Plastik Wrap.

Some shots the Strange Dames table:

     

If you missed Bazaar the Bizarre, stay tuned for Frostbite, the holiday edition on December 11th…more details to come!

As winter approaches I am attempting to reign in the flurry of activity and build a warm creative cocoon for the cold months to come. Easier said than done, November brings tons of creative events! To name but a few coming up in next two weeks.

This Thursday –ATS with Orkideh

This Sunday – Dia de los Muertos Festival  of Art and Cabaret

Thurs Nov 10 – Plaid at Wrongbar

Sat Nov 12- Swing out to Victory – Sugar Shakers will be performing!

If I held your attention and you’re still reading, thanks 🙂 There’s so much more to come this month…