Love my Sparkly Belly

Sparkly Belly: Shorts Tutorial

Recently, I have been really getting into making my own costumes.  Being 7 months postpartum has some of my costumes not fitting me properly anymore, especially the bra area...  I'm really sad about that but I thought, "Why not make my OWN costumes?"  That way I'm not spending $400-$800 on a new costume.

I stumbled upon SparklyBelly, owned by Mao Murakami.  It's an amazing website full of inspiring ideas and tutorials!  The one I posted above is for making stretchy shorts for under costumes.

When I received feedback from the judges at Tokyo International Bellydance Competition in 2014, one comment came out at me:  wear a garment that matches the color of your costume.  My costume had a nude insert but when dancing, it can look like I have nothing there!  I had a purple costume that I was re-working, so I made shorts out of it and I still use them today!

Are you not handy with a sewing machine?  A suggestion I could give is swimsuit bottoms.  They always come in a variety of sizes and are relatively inexpensive.  You can also visit google and search for "dance shorts".  These are also lighter and thinner than bikini bottoms and still inexpensive.

I'm a firm believer in wearing the proper undergarments for dance!  Also, make sure it's not leaving a line on your costume, as that is not aesthetically pleasing either...  HOWEVER, it's important that when an audience member accidently gets a view of your underskirt, they are not thinking "OMG!  I saw underwear!"  or worse yet "OMG I saw....  nothing....."

March Shows

Aloha everyone!  I'm here to announce my March shows.

KAN ZAMAN
http://kanzamanhawaii.com/

March 29th, 2017
7:30pm - 8:00pm
Dancer: Ariyana
Reservations recommended so visit the website for details!

You can also reserve through Open Table for Kan Zaman.

I hope to see you there for The Beauty of Belly Dance!

Datura Online Review

I apologize for the long silence.  Taking care of babies is tough business.  Tougher than dance!

In Hawaii, there's a small community of bellydancers.  There's not the weekly event or workshop by master teachers and dancers like on the mainland or Japan.  So, I've finally turned to online lessons from teachers I admire to keep up with my studies.

I recently subscribe to Datura Online.  I have a dancer friend, Henna of Portland, who is a teacher on the website.  This was my first time trying online instruction.  I've done private one-on-one lessons with other teachers but nothing like this.  I'll go through several points that I found especially helpful for this review.

1.  The price is pretty amazing.  You do get one free video with signing up.  If you like the video, you can choose to pay per video you rent, pay $25 a month for unlimited access to instructional videos or pay for a whole year for $260.  Right now, I'm trying the one month.  I've competed my first month and  I'm making numerous playlists of what I would like to learn or practice.

2.   You can learn anywhere as long as you have an internet connection.  Be it a computer, iPad, or even an iPhone!  I definitely used a few videos while I recently traveled.

3.  The variety!  There's Egyptian, ATS, yoga, pilates, American Cabaret, and more.  You can dabble in ATS if you're strictly an Egyptian-style dancer or American Cabaret if you are tribal.  They also have guest teachers like Tamalyn Dallal, Sadie, and more.  It's definitely a cheaper alternative to trying that style you're just not sure about.

I've already extended my membership because I haven't tried all the videos I was interested in.  I'm definitely learning a lot more than I expected to.  So, definitely check it out if you can!

Happy Dancing!

Postpartum Bellydance

I can't believe it's already been two and a half months since my bambinos came into my world!  They are so cute!

However my postpartum body hasn't returned to a few degrees away from normal.  I know it's only been two months but I want to shrink my tummy now!  However, that's what is great about Bellydance.  No matter you body type, you can dance.

I'm looking forward to getting back out to dancing and sharing my love of this art form.  I am working on a short maternity choreography that will be free to the public!  If my two bosses sleep lob enough for me to film it, I hope to share it with you soon!

Maternity Leave for a bellydancer

I apologize for not writing more.  I spent the past 9 months pregnant with twins and my dance activities took a short break on the back burner.

The last time I danced was at Ala Moana Center stage with the fabulous Malia Delapenia and her Bellydancers in Paradise!

It's pretty amazing to dance 28 weeks pregnant and with twins.  The funny thing was, dancing was much easier than doing many day-to-day things.  Even walking!  When I entered the stage, the volume of the collective gasps were pretty awesome.  I had a friend in the audience and the lady next to her kept saying "Is she really pregnant??  That can't be real!"  To which my friend assured her it was definitely real.  It goes to show that being pregnant doesn't stop you from doing the things you love!

I'm really grateful I was able to dance for as long as I could, and I always loved surprising people with my large stomach while dancing.  I'll miss it however, I now get to wow people that my body returned to normal after having twins!  

This inspired me to start a maternity bellydance video series.  It'll be a short and simple choreography that uses simple movements to keep you feeling your best without much exertion.  I will incorporate the advice my mentor gave me when I first found out I was pregnant.  I'll post a video once a week for four weeks (I hope!  Maybe it'll go longer...).  Please check it out when it's posted!

Aloha!

Malia Delapenia website

http://www.maliadelapenia.com/

Kan Zaman

I want to thank all the guests who joined me once a month at Kan Zaman in Honolulu!  I'll be taking a brief break from Kan Zaman but plan to be back by November!

I hope to see everyone's smiling face again soon!  In the meantime, please go to enjoy the fabulous Malia and Cassandra!

I'll still be performing at local events until August!  I hope to see you there!

Kan Zaman restaurant show

I'll be dancing at Kan Zaman restaurant in Chinatown this Wednesday at 7:30p!

Kan Zaman has delicious Moroccan and Lebanese dishes in a romantic atmosphere.  Belly dance shows are complimentary!