SA'DIYYA! Winner of the International Online Reality Series, "Project Belly Dance!" "Move with Intention & without Inhibition!" -Sa'diyya

Mentorship with Aziza in Knoxville, TN!

4/10/2013

EEEEEK! I'm very excited about my upcoming trip to Knoxville, TN on May 4-5, 2013! Alexia Productions is sponsoring Aziza of Montreal for a weekend event of workshops and a gala show. I have been invited to perform in the gala show and to participate in a special mentorship with Aziza over the course of the weekend! I will be learning Aziza's choreographies, which will prepare me to assist her during her workshops at the Tarazade Festival in Istanbul, Turkey, where my mentorship will continue.

Along with learning Aziza's choreographies, I will be mentored on the secrets of the international workshop circuit by one of the most sought-after belly dance instructors/performers in the world!

"This is a rare opportunity to learn about the world of international workshops from one of the most successful dancers in the world. The winner will have the opportunity to learn about the art of teaching a successful workshop and will be mentored about the business of belly dance (merchandise, contracts, etc). Best of all, the winner will get to meet important workshop sponsors and event organizers." -From the Project Belly Dance website

Over the next few weeks, I'll be preparing a special performance for the gala show and working on a new costume. And buying notebooks for all the note-taking I'll be doing!
It's so generous of both Aziza and Alexia for including me in this special event. I look forward to meeting lots of new dancers from Knoxville and the surrounding areas of Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, the Carolinas and Georgia! This is the first time Aziza has been to Knoxville, so everyone is in for a big treat! This is sure to be a great event that is not to be missed.
EVENT DETAILS:
Sponsored by Alexia Productions
Saturday & Sunday May 4-5, 2013
www.Alexia-Dance.com/Workshops.html

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My Debut DVD Filming Experience!

3/18/2013

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The Making of "The Move Before The Move"

Cheeky Girls Productions Logo

It came and went before I knew it: the filming of my debut instructional DVD with Michelle Joyce of Cheeky Girls Productions! Being featured on my very own DVD was just one of the phenomenal prizes for winning the international online reality series, "Project Belly Dance." The other amazing prizes include being mentored by Aziza while on a workshop tour (specifically the TARAZADE Festival in Istanbul, Turkey!), plus $800 toward travel expenses, and to judge and teach a workshop at The Belly Dance Nationals, to teach a workshop at Bahaia's Cabaret Dance Camp and receive a free custom costume from Maz Couture!

Finishing up hair and makeup for the shoot!

Preparation for this project started a long time ago, primarily with narrowing down the topic that I would be teaching. I took an online poll on Facebook, and it was almost unanimous that "The Move Before The Move: Transitions for Belly Dancers" was the favorite topic from my list of possible ideas. Now I had to get down to organizing the chapters, concepts, dance combinations, choosing the music, choosing cute outfits to wear and more! My chosen topic included so much abstract information that it was a challenge trying to organize it and provide useful visual examples and exercises.

On Sunday March 10, the big day of filming, Michelle set up in a nice dance studio in Mountain View, CA. We started filming in the early evening and went until 1am. I had moments of nailing a shot with absolutely no mistakes, and then I had moments of "brain-fried-ness" where I just could not focus. At these times, we took short breaks and then got into the groove again. Michelle was patient and offered helpful ideas to improve to final product.

Since I have taught on film before (Combination Nation Vol. 2 and 3) I felt that I would be able to blast through the filming process, but those segments in the Combination Nation DVDs were much shorter and less involved. Making my own DVD was a big project and required as much mental stamina as physical. It was a valuable experience in which I learned a lot, and I look forward to any other similar projects I may do in the future!

Sa'diyya's DVD is COMING SOON!

In the end, I chose to list 10 key concepts that help to better explain successful transitions in belly dance, 12 "before & after" combinations that present movements strung together without and then with transitions using those before mentioned key concepts. And finally an entire choreography base that students can use as their own jumping-off point to create their own unique dance with smooth and interesting transitions. The title of my new DVD is "The Move Before The Move: Transitions for Belly Dancers with Sa'diyya!" It should be ready early this Summer! I'm really proud of my unique DVD topic and I sincerely hope that it is viewed as a valuable tool for students of belly dance.

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Mentorship with Aziza in Knoxville, TN!

My Debut DVD Filming Experience!

The Making of "The Move Before The Move"

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