Spiral Skies Bellydance

Get to know "RaLynn"

Tue, 01 May 2012 17:00:00 +0000

In 2011 I began taking classes from Urban Sands Bellydance. The confidence, fluidity of motion, and tension with intention, that my teachers shared with the class held an undeniable draw to be a part of that community. Women communicating through dance and interpretation, I was hooked! I wanted as much as I could get and began co-op the same week with the teachers of Bindi Bellydance, and started attending their classes. Again, I was mesmerized by these women finding so much beauty in music, telling me stories with their body movements, sharing it through their expression. I wanted to be a part of that, so I began this journey with belly dance and mold my hoop dancing to mirror its form.

The expression and interpretation are my favorite things in belly dance. I am able to completely let go of the ego and just be in the moment with my muscle memory and the music. The moves that have been taught to me and I have drilled while practicing seem to flow out and into the audience. The moves dance with you and you cannot fight expressing yourself and interpreting the feeling of your inner being in that very moment. Seeing this in a fellow dancer is what can bring me to the foundation of all my senses.

Trying to pinpoint favorite moves is a challenge. I am in love with them all,it depends on who is executing it. I do have some that I could watch over and over, and they are my favorite personal practice challenges. Hip Circles/chest circles/anything circles:-) I love the way it stirs the energy in the room, pushing out and pulling it in. Downs - in any form to me are such a contradiction to what is normal that I am drawn to do them, watch them and am locked on anyone who can do them. Sustained Spinning - blows my mind, I love the precision of this move. Back bends - want to marry them, need to practice them more. Pops & Ticks - give me as many as you can. Love Love Love!

My artistic expression comes from many places. My teachers play a huge part in this because they are the people who will expose you to new things, and challenge you to try new boundaries. I think I have only begun to scratch the surface of belly dance. I love music so I find a lot of expression comes from there. I am determined to be a better hooper and fire spinner and find my drive in that. I was pleasantly surprised when I started belly dance to help better express myself with my hoops, that I felt love with belly dance on its own and it is where I look for artistic expression.

COSTUMING! COSTUMING! COSTUMING! I cannot get enough of costumes, and I love the women who make them for me! I love the concept of layering motion. Making all the sounds and shines that will go with the music, the lighting, and the other dancers. Using that to draw in the eye, and not letting you go until it is completely out of sight! Getting ready for a performance, or just playing alone with the costuming, I love transforming from the outer being to the inner “Oo la la” being and it is one of the best things ever! The textures and tucking things in places you would never have dreamed to add to the allure of your dance is, to me, like blowing bubbles -you never know how big or small they maybe or how far the will go. Where will they land? Who cares? They are all beautiful when they float in their own path.

The journey of belly dance has taken me to the next level. It has raised the bar in my life and will always keep me setting new goals and challenging me to grow. Now, my goal is to continue educating myself in Bellydance/HoopDance/Fire Spinning. I want to absorb all I can, find my expression and interpretation in what I learn, and then apply that to tell my stories. Giving back to all my fabulous belly/hoop/fire sisters and brothers with the same precision, intension, and love that they so kindly and bravely give to all of us.

RaLynn Hoop

When in Rome

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 14:00:00 +0000

When in Rome…

Have you ever wondered why hosting troupes have certain guidelines for dancers to follow? As another open dance floor event approaches, we would like to offer a brief explanation along with some fun facts. Have you ever heard the saying, “When in Rome, do as the Romans”?

Interestingly, that saying has direct relevance to us as bellydancers here in Billings, MT. In Egypt only licensed dancers may perform publicly. Here, we have no restrictions placed on who can or can’t dance. In order for an Egyptian dancer to get a license, the dancer must perform in front of a group of commissioners. If the dance is viewed to be lewd or provocative, a license will not be issued. Furthermore, bellydancers are forbidden to show their stomachs.

Ninety percent of Egyptians view belly dance negatively, a sentiment echoed in many other parts of the world. Billings, to a point, is no exception. Many people in our area have no idea what belly dance is, confusing it with a variation of exotic dancing often done in topless nightclubs. Most people aren’t even aware that there’s such an active and burgeoning belly dance community here in the Magic City. Nor that at its base there is a strong community of women—all ages.

The way a belly dancer looks and the costume he or she wears also differs in acceptability from place to place. On one extreme we have Egypt, where it is a criminal offense to expose your belly. On the other side of the spectrum is Las Vegas—Sin City. As the name implies, anything goes. People flock to Vegas every year to be shocked and awed. Billings, however, is more of a midline between these two extremes, though leaning toward conservative. And, while area residents don’t expect us to cover up from headto toe, our family-oriented audiences don’t expect to see any parts of a woman’s body that they would travel to “Planet Lockwood” or “Shotgun Willie’s” to see. They like dancers to dress in a way that won’t cause their 90-year-old mother to suffer a stroke, or little Johnny to ask unexpected anatomy questions.

Layers and modesty still allow us to be creative and entertain our fellow Montanans. Fact is, they don’t mind being awed with our colorful costumes, ethnic music or lots of sparkles, but they don’t want to be shocked by low cut tops, high slit skirts and songs belting out profanity. Modesty is the key.

This brings us to choosing music, which can also cause headaches for us at times. But we do have more choices than some. Did you know that Greece, back in the 1930’s, outlawed all Turkish music? If you were a belly dancer you could only dance to Greek inspired tunes. Today in Turkey, most of their music is played by people of Romani descent, which perfectly suits the athletic, energetic style of Turkish dancers. In Vegas, as with costuming, almost anything seems to go. Here in Billings, the conservative nature of the community dictates that the music we perform to not contain words that may be seen as morally offensive. In public, family friendly lyrics are essential.

We are so fortunate that we don’t have laws inhibiting us like those in Egypt, or in Greece from decades ago, but there are moral codes that we follow out of common courtesy and respect for our patrons. Only 12-years-ago, even in Billings, belly dance was taboo. We all want to see belly dance continue to grow and thrive; we’ve come a long way since those taboos, working hard to find acceptance amongst our conservative, fun-loving Montanans. We don’t want to lose the progress we’ve made. So if you’re wondering what costume to wear or what music to dance to, remember that old saying, “When in Rome…” or in this case, “When in Billings …”

Get to know "Bellashebah"

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 17:05:00 +0000

The music starts and I close my eyes, swept up in the movement of notes my body follows suit. I unfold slow slithery arms and undulate into a belly roll. As I mingle with the music, and the rhythms change, I transition to a series of sharp angled hip beats into a full shimmy. I pause, look up at the reflection in front of me, and marvel that a piece of bellydancer can be seen as I move. She certainly isn’t Zoe, or Rachel, or Sadie, but the woman that glances back has grown into a more confident dancer and performer—a far cry from her first bellydance class about 5 years ago.

It has been a long journey filled with thrills and spills and continues ever forward. Bellydance has provided me a way to challenge and express myself, such as overcoming fears of performing and learning group choreography. I’ve always loved to dance and adding bellydance to the mix has been an extraordinary experience. Who knew I would love it so much, the twists and turns, the undulations and shimmies, the training needed to isolate my body parts in ways I had no idea were possible—some of which are still not possible : )

Then alongside the joy of dance is my love of color and costume. It’s a sheer delight to pull out a bunch of separate elements from my cupboard and start designing a complete costume, from head to toe, with a mix and match of colors, creating textures, and adding a combination of layers. During the past couple of years I’ve also started exploring the art of a head dress, the final costume touch that helps build an ‘atmosphere’ for the audience, creating the illusion of another time and place.

Being a part of Spiral Skies bellydance troupe has added another whole layer of color, texture, and experience to my life which now includes 9 belly sisters. We truly are sisters, and share joy, laughter, encouragement, and inspiration. Like sisters, we also disagree, talk over each other at times, and we can argue. But, usually the heart wins through. The heart within each of us that steps forward to make it better. The heart that joins us in sisterhood to make our dance-world a better place. The heart that joins us all in our passion for dance.

Indeed, our bellydance community has grown, spreading across our sister states, connecting us as we transform, often through struggles and lack of confidence into women of beauty and women of wisdom. We become women who can accept that we are a myriad of shapes, sizes, and ages, who can capture imaginations, entertain, and uplift an audience or family alike. The world IS a better place with our shimmies, our smiles, our sparkles, beads, and coins, our fabulous fabrics, and exciting music.

And for me, I am so much richer for the experience of bellydance and the women who share it with me.

False Eyelashes!

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 21:50:00 +0000

Hi, I'm Indaya, one of Spiral Skies bellydance troupe sisters. I love to dance and we perform often, as a result I've learned a few things about preparing for a belly dance performance. In this case I'm going to discuss an aspect of costuming. Belly dance costuming of course includes hair, head pieces, make-up and so on. And, adding a good pair of false eyelashes to your belly dance costume can add a little more drama!

In this article I would like to address how to properly apply and remove false eyelashes. I feel that using eye lashes while performing your belly dance routine adds a lot of drama to your facial expressions. Depending on the type of lash you use to perform, you can achieve many different looks from just having full lashes to having a very wide eyed elaborate look. Since we are belly dancers you are free to be as elaborate as you want! Performing with Spiral Skies Belly Dance Troupe has really given me the confidence to be more creative in my costuming than I was doing before and I think it would be awesome to see all the belly dancers in the community be more elaborate too! Plus it's fun :)

False Eyelashes Application & Removal:

If you are new to fake lashes I would start with a light pair and work my way up to the big full long ones. Eyelashes can be very uncomfortable if you are not used to them or if not applied correctly. My preferred product is "Proclaim" Super Bond Professional Formula Dark." (Small bottle with a red lid.) Also, purchase "Weave Bonding Glue in Black" from Sally's (always test for allergic reaction before applying this glue to your skin.)

1. Carefully take them out of the package and place them on your eye. If they are longer than your eye trim them to a good fit. You don't want the edge of the lash at the corner of your eye as it can be pokey and very irritating.

2. I use "weave bonding glue" in black from Sally's. It is far less messy, very tacky and sets fast so you are not messing with sloppy eye lash glue that gets in your eyes and takes forever to set. Test the glue on your arm for allergic reaction.

3. Holding the lash in your fingertips in the middle of where it will be on your eye.....use a toothpick and apply a thin layer of bonding glue the whole length of the lash.

4. Immediately and carefully set the eyelash in the center of your eye along the lash line but not on the eyelashes themselves.

5. Take a clean toothpick and lightly tap the length of the lash against your eyelid until the whole lash is in place.....sometimes you have to remove and do over until you get the hang of it.

6. Wait about a minute for the glue to adhere completely then lightly use an eyelash curler...this mixes your eyelashes into the false lashes.

7. I use a light layer of mascara to keep my own lashes mixed in with the false lashes.

8. To remove....DO NOT just pull them off! This can lead to you pulling out your natural lashes! Use soap and water in a downward motion and they will remove. After you get them off carefully peel the glue off the fake lashes and use a dry cloth over the fake lashes to straighten them back out and remove the water and place back into the lash tray....you should be able to use a pair numerous times if handled correctly.

Bindi Application:

I find eyelash glue annoying and messy! I apply Bindi's using Flexible/Stretchable fabric glue. It sticks really well, adhere's fast, easily removed and holds like a charm! (As I stated before, always test for allergic reaction before applying this glue to your skin.)

This glue also works great for applying individual rhinestones for those that are really ambitious!

Have fun & Shimmy On!

Indaya

Get to know "Lapis"

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 02:05:00 +0000

My name is Kim, but my dance name is Lapis. I was blessed to be able to be a stay-at-home mom for as long as I wanted. I am currently a case manager for people with developmental disabilities and traumatic brain injuries in northern Wyoming. In the fall of 2010 our last of four daughters left for college, and I found myself with an empty nest. I decided to make some changes in my life. I started painting again, hired a personal trainer to help me lose a lot of weight, started working out at the gym, taking a Zumba class, started scuba diving and passed my Open Water Diver certification, and in the fall of 2010 I started going to a belly dance class with a friend. This is surprising since I had a misconceived notion of what belly dance was all about. At that time, I was only going to go once, just to try it. Billie Smith was my first instructor, here in Powell. She gave me a good foundation and provided a fun environment for class.

I attended the 2011 Yellowstone Bellydance Festival in August, and loved learning with so many dancers. I had no idea that there were so many of us!

This fall I started going to Billings on the weekends for class at Urban Sands Bellydance Studio, with Tessa Thompson and Kyla Proffitt as instructors. I am amazed at how much I learn every week! My life is changed forever. My artistic inspiration comes from these two instructors, Spiral Skies Bellydance Troupe, and my belly dance sisters.

I love choreography, snake arms, undulations, pops, locks, and shimmies. I enjoy dancing to all kinds of music: Arabic, Egyptian, Indian, African, Celtic, bluegrass, rock, pop, hip-hop, rap, jazz, blues, etc. I prefer dramatic or complex pieces of music that move me from the core of my soul. Belly dance makes me feel free, and offers me a new way of artistic expression.

I am grateful that I have met some amazing seamstresses. They can create the most beautiful costumes! As for me, I got out the old sewing machine and started to dabble with costuming. I plan to create a few tops, belts and headpieces. I find myself going to thrift stores to shop for costume pieces, or items that I can cut up and turn into a costume. I have some great costuming ideas; the challenge is making them as beautiful as they are in my head! I do love to watch other dancers, and see how they have pieced together costumes, jewelry, hair styles, and makeup. As an artist, I adore the colors, layers, textures, richness, and most importantly the story behind each costume.

I am drawn to tribal and tribal fusion styles of dance. My goal is to learn and polish more skills, choreograph dances, perform in public, and evolve as a dancer should.

I have always wanted to live for a hundred years. Well, this year I made it halfway there, and also celebrated my 30th wedding anniversary! I am planning for my next fifty years to be filled with belly dancing in one way or another. That’s for certain.

I am truly thankful for the acceptance, encouragement, inspiration, and friendships from the sisterhood of belly dancers.

Evelyn Couch: I’m too young to be old, and I’m too old to be young.

- fried green tomatoes