Whirlwind
So far, my 30′s have started off with a bang! I got a new (part-time) job!! I’ll be starting at the veeeery end of August. Soon, I’ll be splitting my time at work between my current responsibilities and my new payroll/staff scheduler role! I may even get to go to Baltimore for some training in mid-September! This prospect is very exciting, I’ve never been on a business trip before. For that matter, I’ve never been on a plane all by myself! Anyway, I think it would be a wonderful experience to see an east coast store and learn about my new duties from an outside source with a different perspective.
Beyond that, the amazing ladies at TNT seem to want me to join their tribal belly dance group! I WANT to, but I feel like I need to put work first right now and get a handle on my new job. If I’m feeling more comfortable with my new responsibilities and schedule come October, I’ll definitely be getting in contact with them! I miss dancing with a group a lot – my college dance team days were some of the best – so I’m really hoping TNT will still be interested in me someday in the future!
As for now, I have the second half of my vacation to relax and get caught up around the house before starting my new adventure!
First Open Rehearsal
I got to do the most amazing thing last night! Totally Northern Tribal, a tribal group improv style belly dance troupe, had their first night of open rehearsal! The ladies I got to meet were all SO friendly and welcoming, I can’t wait to go back next week. The group improv style is fascinating. It’s like learning a new language! One dancer leads the others through a series of cues and they move as a cohesive unit. I think I prefer it to choreography because it allows for so much freedom. Once you know the cues and steps, you can dance to anything!
I’m a rather kinesthetic person, so it’s ridiculously nice to have an outlet for my energy. I’m so glad I gave belly dance a shot, and that my bestest girl friend Mara went along with me in the beginning to help get me started. It’s one of the best things I’ve ever done and I hope I can make it a part of my life for a looooong time!
Well it’s safe to da-ance!
Belly Dance class tonight was fun! We now know the entire drum solo. Well, sort of. *smirk* The good news is that my teacher gave us a print out of all the steps. And the other good news is that I used Acid Music Studio to slow down the music so I can practice at a more reasonable speed until I have all the steps figured out. The real music is fast! Now, I have to practice like a maniac so I don’t fall on my bottom during the performance, and also figure out what I’m wearing. It’s not a very formal show, so it’s OK that I don’t own any costume stuff other than hip scarves. I would like to wear a skirt or something though.
Anyway, if you’re in desperate need of something to do next Friday, come watch me dance! It’s free! (Free entertainment is good, right?) Come early though, the last show filled up pretty quickly!
Zils of doom!
My second level 3 class was a bit more challenging, even though I’d been working on my zil patterns all week. My fingers just don’t go that fast yet! I’m also getting really frustrated by my lack of flexibility. So! I have a beginner yoga DVD coming from Netflix tomorrow. *grin* I’m thinking I may have to flip my DDR pad upside down to use as a yoga mat. It should work… hopefully… Or maybe I can use my socks with the grippy things on the bottoms… I should probably go back to my daily ab/back strengthening routine as well. *dreams and plans*
She went easy on us.
My first level three class wasn’t quite as big of a leap as my first level two class was, but my instructor, Sarah, aka Toha, was going easy on us because there were so many newbies. We worked on some new finger cymbal patterns (so hard!), and did some slightly more complex steps with our 3/4 shimmy (so fun!). I can’t wait to start layering movements, heh, that’ll be super hard but so exciting! I’m also very excited about the drum solo we’ll be learning for the class showings on Dec. 19th.
In other news, I officially caught Jon’s cold. My head is all stuffy and hurty. Jon’s cold progressed to viral bronchitis due to being a smoker, but he went to a Minute Clinic and got an inhaler so he should be ok. They told him to come back once he’s well so they can prescribe a smoking cessation medicine! Yay! It’d be so amazing if it worked for him! I know how much he’d like to improve his health, and I’d sure like to have him around for a loooong time.
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