FIRST UP: NYC
I’ll admit it, I’ve NEVER been to New York. Cleveland is the farthest East I’ve been (in the U.S). My man, a DJ at KEXP (and their sister station in New York), has been planning a trip to the Latin Alternative Music Conference at the beginning of July. And since my trip to Marrakesh fell threw, I’m going to go with him. We just booked our place at the Pod Hotel yesterday!

My friend, Trisha, suggested that I take some dance classes while I was there. She sent me Lotus Music and Dance Studio’s site to check out. I was impressed with all the different classes they offer, but then my jaw dropped when I saw that they have a Dancehall Fusion Class. What?! I LOVE DANCEHALL, there’s a dance class for this?! I love NYC already. So my new mission is to hook up some private lessons or take a class with Hannah Herbertson. Check out one of her videos:

NEXT UP: STRICTLY SEATTLE
Once I get back from a music and sweat indulgence in NYC. I’m going to be diving into Velocity Dance Center’s Strictly Seattle dance intensive. 3 weeks of dance technique and choreography from 6-9pm, Mon-Fri. With a show the last weekend of July. I’ve always wanted to do this, but I’ve never had 3 weeks of week nights open. I’m kinda nervous, and super excited. I think I’m going to learn a lot and hopefully get back into shape and strengthen my knee up some more.

Join Bahar in “Support Women Artists Now” on May 1, 2010 at the UW Ethnic Cultural Theatre!

When: Saturday, May 1, 2010
7:30 pm – doors open for Visual Art Exhibit
8 pm – Performance

Where: UW Ethnic Cultural Theatre
3940 Brooklyn Ave. NE
Seattle, WA 98105

Admission: $12 General, $10 Students/Seniors

Contact: Kathryn Hightower
360-621-9077
kathryn.hightower@gmail.com
www.jahbreeze.com

ISIS: Women Arts Festival is Seattle’s only all-female, arts-centered, community-building event, honoring the international holiday SWAN Day (Support Women Artists Now). Sponsored by Steel Grace Dance/Jah Breeze Rhythms and the University of Washington Ethnic Cultural Center, with easels generously donated by the UW School of Art, this year’s event features grassroots female artists from all walks of life. More than twenty women, representing Iran, Mexico, Taiwan, India, Korea, and the USA, will express themselves through such mediums as painting, sculpture, modern dance, original music, Butoh, bellydance, video, spoken word, and even two all-girls steel drum ensembles.

ISIS: Women Arts Festival is about creating networks of female artists who can support, encourage, and empower one another. One of the goals of ISIS is to give opportunities to artists who do not often get a chance to showcase their work, either because their work does not follow the current aesthetic trends, or because they are of a race, ethnicity, or country of origin that intimidates or scares others. With ISIS, we aim to create an environment where each woman feels safe and supported to share her work. We are reaching toward “ISIS:” balance, homeostasis, an even-ing of the art world’s playing field. This even-ing will prove to be not only a unique glimpse into the creative psyche of Seattle’s female artists, but also a chance for you as art-supporters to create lasting networks for change and empowerment.

ISIS features: Nasrin Afrouz (visual), Ines Andrade (dance), Daya Bonnie Astor (visual), Bahar Bellydance, Ameliorator (dance/spoken word/music), Diana Garcia-Snyder with Sean Stephen Hopps (dance/music), Chela Grey and Dancers, Kait Heacock (spoken word), Amaranta Ibarra (visual), Sheeba Jacob (music), Joyce Liao (dance), Dahe Kim (visual), Julie Luke (visual), Garima Naredi (visual), Serrah Russell (visual), South Shore Girls Steel Pan Ensemble and Rainbow Girls Steel Pans (music), Steel Grace Dance (dance/music), Nitya Venkateswaran (dance), and Vanessa Williams (video).

Students in this Spring’s Beg/Int Class can also choose to participate in a group performance at the end of the 8-week session. They will perform the choreography they learn in class during Bahar’s Bellydance Showcase and Fundraiser on April 25 at Rendezvous’ Jewel Box Theater.

Be sure to register in advance to save your space in class. Plus, you’ll save some $$$ if you register before February 11.

I saw an audition posting for The Atomic Bombshells Burlesque’s “Lost In Space” show. They were looking for extras, Meteors to be exact. Yes, Meteors. So I decided to email right away before I chickened out. Which, by the way, I totally would have.

My chicken-ness is a result of a few things. Mainly, I have never had an official dance audition before. With the exception of one interview, every group I’ve been in has been through a teacher or peer who has invited me into their performance group. (Although, I had to try out for volleyball in highschool – but that was over 10 years ago, doesn’t count.) Two, I am not a “formally” trained dancer. And I knew there would be a ton of people there with a lot more experience than me. Three, I found out that over 30 people were auditioning for just five spots. Four, I didn’t know anyone else who was auditioning. (Knowing people always makes me feel a little more at ease.) And five, there was going to be someone filming the audition. This possibly made me more nervous than the audition itself.

When I arrived at the space I was shocked by the number of people and the giant video camera. Ah! And I became a little more nervous because I recognized some of the people who were auditioning. They were performers that I have seen and admire. Yikes!

I decided to stretch, and try and relax. I really wish I would have known someone. Sometimes I can be a little introverted, it’s hard for me to break out of my shell. I was relieved once we started.

First, we were taught a simple choreography. We had to break into groups because there were so many of us. I still couldn’t see myself in the mirror very well. But that’s okay, because we didn’t face the mirror when we performed the combo. And it’s best if I don’t rely on the mirror too much. I jumped into the first group, because I didn’t want to sit there with that anxious feeling. The choreography was fun and silly, it helped me break through my tension.

After we were taught the sequence we broke up into groups of five and performed the choreography twice. I recognized one of the members in my group, from a class I took the week before. For some reason that made me feel better.

The first time I was in the front row. All I could focus on was the giant camera in front of me. Ugh. I usually don’t like being in front, because then I can’t cheat and watch someone else. Once the music came on I was able to push the camera out of my mind. And I was proud of myself because I did way better than I thought I would. And the second time, when I was in the back row, where I am usually more comfortable, I did worse. Go figure.

And then…. we were done!

Afterwards I recognized another woman I had met in a previous class so we chatted a bit and decided to stay and watch the second half of the audition. This was for anyone who wanted to show a special act/talent. There were just a handful of people who did this part. I was surprised that there weren’t more. My biggest regret is that I didn’t do this part. I should have just improvised something. There was tap, ballet, and hula hooping.

So even if I don’t get chosen to be a Meteor, it was still worth going to the audition because I met one of the tap dancers who is thinking about teaching or starting a class! How fun would that be? I’ve always wanted to learn tap. When I was little I had a pair of tap shoes, that were slightly too big, from the Goodwill. I would make all kinds of noise on my grandma’s kitchen floor.