What I am up to right now - April 2017

At the moment I am home in Germany, enjoying a long weekend off, working on a mini-newsletter and mentally preparing for the upcoming events in late spring/early summer. Eschweiler woods are looking like this right now:

Spring in Eschweiler Wald, DE

I am also

• Taking classes in ballet with Constanze Janssen in Aachen at Ballettschule Renoldi as often as I can, with added pointe training by Constanze's daughter Giulia since this April (a childhood dream!) I will be blogging about this soon :)

My pointe shoes! Triumph by Grishko from Mondanse.com

As well as

• Studying TaeKwonDo, together with my husband, diligently training with Großmeister Chae Seung-Eun in our hometown Eschweiler, DE twice a week. (we've recently received our blue belt and are now working towards blue-red in the summer)

Posing with Master Seung-Eun Chae and Master Lee after the belt/kup test

Blue Belt TaeKwondo - 4th Kup!

See us in action here, performing 'taeguk sa-jang', the 4th form for the poomsae/forms portion of our belt test:

A post shared by Inspiration Nation - Kim Bech (@inspi_nation) on Mar 26, 2017 at 7:15am PDT

Next to that I am

• Updating the website (see above!) with new pictures (taken at the Japanese Garden in Hasselt, BE) by the awesome Kerstin Elster
• Adding more workshop notes to my 'other' website, over at inspirationnation.de
• Upgrading the fitness a bit from walking to jogging and biking (need to up that dance stamina for upcoming season!) at Eschweiler Wald
• Preparing for a lovely project, Nostalgia Night - a show honoring the golden Era of Egyptian dance with live music (!) at 360° Orient festival in Osnabrück this June, hosted by the lovely Delanna Dance

Nostalgia Night - with live music by Mazzikatea Europe at 360° Orient!

And also

• Teaching occasional private classes, plus offering online coaching and workshops on request
• Reading Anatomy Trains by Thomas W. Myers (see www.inspirationnation.de/books for links)
• Preparing for DancEscapade, a weekend of Dance this May in Crete, GR with the incredible Boženka - One of the most exciting projects I've been lucky enough to be part of.

DancEscapade with Bozenka featuring Khalida - this May 19-20-21st 2017!

In the near future I will be

• Preparing for all of those upcoming spring/summer events (see the Dance Calendar)
• Advertising a bit more for MoveSpiration, a unique crosstraining weekend for dancers of all levels at studio Sarossy in August 26-27th 2017 in Würselen, DE (Enrolments are now open!)
• Opening enrolments on 1st of July 2017 for a weekend of live percussion workshops and hafla(!) with the amazing Guy Schalom next summer (July 6-7-8 2018!) at Studio Sarossy.

  Latest update: April 29th, 2017 - Inspired by the Now


A brief look in the past - videos from Kouklès Show in Verviers, BE

Last month I was lucky enough to take workshops with the incredible Alex DeLora and Nika Mlakar in Verviers, hosted by the lovely Kouklès Duo, and perform at the Kouklès Show. You can find the videos below.

Enjoy!

More updates will follow soon!

xx Khalida
www.khalidadance.com

Outside, where the magic lies. Find the green.

About one year ago I made an important change.

After re-discovering my home area Eschweiler from an inliner-view last summer, and in trying to hold on as long as possible to the memories of green, green Skye in September, I decided I needed, urgently, to 'go outside' more - or at least once a week - and actively search for the green around me.

And in that year I found something I thought I had lost..  My sense of self.

Apparently my Self.. likes to be outside. Picture by the amazing Elster

Even though it had been years since working in an office full time, I still sensed lately that something had been 'missing'. Getting outside felt deeply counter-intuitive at first. After all, as an entrepreneur/dancer/professional/person, I am supposed to be dancing, training, working, reading, learning, or at least doing something 'productive' with my free time, whenever I have some, yes?

Actually, no.

As dancers, and as humans, we NEED to get outside, and we need regular movement. Actual people movement, that is. And movement variety at that. So not just training, crosstraining, working out, drilling, or even freestyling and/or 'relaxation' once or twice (or thrice) a week. We need to walk, run, climb, hang, carry, crawl, swim, roll around, and above all, get outside.

Our bodies crave it. Our brains light up when we do. Our senses need all that input from going outside, being outside, and moving about. Amidst all this, we relax. And as our body moves, while the mind is restful, creativity soars. Whatever we search, see, hear and do.. Dictates what we will perceive. Find the green.

So how to go about all that? Slowly, at first.

Find some green.

Try going there once.

Then, another time.

At first once a week.

Then maybe twice.

First walk, then run.

Then walk or run again.

Every now and then maybe, ride a bike (with helmet please!)

And after that.. walk some more.

To nearby places you used to go to by car.

Whenever the mood strikes, and you can, go.

When you can't go outside, look out a window, find the green.


Find the green.

Eat outside, if weather permits

Read outside, if you can find a space

When meeting friends, go for a walk

On a holiday.. plan for the green.

Hike, bike, jump, run, swim, or walk.

Walk some more

Then maybe run, or bike.

Or climb. Or crawl.

And while you do, sense. See, hear, smell, feel, listen.

Try it.

Try it today. And tomorrow.

Find the green.


Pictures of our tiny (but beautiful) Eschweiler wald:

And that was just last spring, summer, and fall. 
I can't wait to re-find it in winter.


See you soon too, I hope.

xx Khalida

PS: See the updated (dance) website with more pictures from our outdoor shoot:
www.khalidadance.com

And check out www.inspirationnation.de/forest for more of my 'find the green' photos.


PSPS: What I'm reading right now: The secret life of trees. 

And another great read (blog post) on going outside: Biomechanist Katy Bowman's Exercise less.


Now that your eyes (and mind) are primed.. Find the green.

How I got pain-free - part 3: A DVD

Hello again :)

Almost a full year after writing about my adventures in self-help health care via How I got pain-free - part 1 and How I got pain-free - part 2, it feels like it is high time for an update.

Since discovering (and being part of the pilot version of) Monika Volkmar's awesome Dance Stronger program last July-August, my life as a dancer (and human!) has changed for the better.

Finally pain-free, even still today(!), I have continued searching for ways to maintain my newfound healthier way of moving, dancing and training. To integrate new body awareness into my daily life and even expand it, I started experimenting with different new (to me!) physical activities over time.

These were things I had always wanted to, but was somehow unable (or afraid) to try earlier, and things I had even given up on ever learning how to do. They included:

• re-taking up inline skating (much more fun with better balance, who knew!)
• at-home kettlebell training (since learning how to do a proper TGU via Monika's Dance Stronger I dove into Pavel Tsatsouline's 'Simple and Sinister' program, an excellent kettle bell training book, very highly recommended)
• regular woodland walking and even some running (with my boo, Mr E, in our beautiful Eschweiler Wald)
• signing up for modern dance/jazz (weekly classes by my favorite ballet teacher Constanze Janssen in Aachen, DE)

Since last November I've also started studying Korean martial arts, aka Tae Kwon Do, at Sportschule Chae, with our fantastic Master Großmeister Chae Seung-Eun.

Enjoying this entirely too much :D #husbandflinging #matkissing #hosinsul #selfdefence #TKD #taekwondo #belttest #armbar #yellowgreen #gürtelprüfung

A video posted by khalidadance (@khalidadance) on Jun 18, 2016 at 2:19pm PDT

I have also made a promise to myself at the beginning of this year to continue to deepen my (belly) dance studies intensively, which has taken me to the Netherlands in June to take up Sadie's Raqs Flow program, as well as to Plakiás, Crete (Greece) in May, for a week long of private studies with one of my favorite mentors and absolute heroes in dance and life, Boženka.

Grandmaster of Dance, Boženka

(I talk about my experiences in Crete in this Podcast interview by Annett Bone)


So, what to do with all this newfound knowledge and experience?


I have pondered this for quite a while, and ultimately what would make me happiest, is to share all I have learned in these eye-opening, physically adventurous and experience-rich months, with as many people as possible.

My original plan was to write yet another epically long blog post *ahem* :) But as the topic itself is more about embodying, moving and EXPERIENCING change, I decided I might as well go 'deeper' and attempt to pour all of my learnings and experiences into an 'active style' DVD form.

Chapter 1: Awareness and relaxation

This new DVD (and downloadable/streaming class) is a gathering of all the valuable things I have learned in the past year(s), and I have done my best to highlight those exercises, movements and concepts that have brought me the most palpable and immediate change.

I have also attempted to incorporate my own experiences in applying these concepts into my personal dance training, as well as into private classes and workshops with students willing to experiment with movement and awareness with me. What you'll find in this DVD is what came out of all of that. :)

Healthy Movement - Deeper Dance - Drills and Conditioning

Below you can find a short preview video, as well as a listing of all of the chapters I've included, plus links to inspirations and resources for those who want to dive deeper into the material.


Video preview:

Healthy Movement for Deeper Dance - Drills and Conditioning with Khalida

Where to find it:

• DVD version: www.khalidadance.com/DVDs
• Downloadable/Streaming version: https://gum.co/drills

Chapters:

Healthy Movement for Deeper Dance - Drills and Conditioning with Khalida

Part 1: Relaxation and Awareness
- Breathing exercises
- Floor relaxation
- Releasing the upper body, arms, neck, head, legs, and hips
- Tips for deepening upper body movement
- Dance drill for smooth and '3D' upper body and arms

 Part 2: Martial arts-inspired Warmup
- Light cardio
- Footwork warmup
- Breathing for recovery
- Deeper stretches for hips and legs
- Anti-stress and diaphragm strenghening exercise (TKD style punching mini-tutorial)
- Shimmy drill for stronger shimmies with relaxed upper body layering

Part 3: Movement pattern progressions
- Movement sequence and strenghtening patterns
- One-legged and double-legged hip movements drill

Part 4: Feet, Ankles and 'Cogs' release
- Pre-test
- Releasing the feet, ankles and lower legs
- Hip hinge and squat technique
- Re-test
- AiM 'Cogs' in all 3 planes of motion - Dance warmup version
- Rounded movements drill


Resource list

Related/ Recommended books, articles, websites, blogs, instructors, DVDs, people, and programs:

Part 1: 

• Anatomy of breathing - A wonderfully thorough resource on all things breath
• The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook - Revised 3rd edition, highly recommended
• Stop chasing pain - Excellent, excellent blog by Dr Perry Nickleston - Pining for the book!

Part 2:

• Sportschule Chae
• Boženka's World

Part 3:  

• Monika Volkmar's Dance Stronger life-changing program, pre-warmup and core activation
• Dr Mark Chengs awesome Rehab-Prehab program (both highly recommended!)

Part 4:

• Becoming a supple leopard - Dr. Kelly Starrett - Great self-care book for healthier movement in feet, ankles, hips and legs - Also check out the Mobility WOD Youtube channel
• Finding Centre - Anatomy in Motion by Gary Ward. Also check out the book What the Foot!

That feeling of completion :) <3

I hope the resources and contents of this blog post will bring you much joy, movement, and positive changes and experciences, as they have done for me.

Dance on, move freely.

xxx Khalida
www.khalidadance.com 

Books and Articles of the month - March 2016

Hello,

Can't believe it's March already! Here are my favorite (dance and life) related book and articles of the month:

Book: The Art of Learning
by Josh Waitzkin

The Art of Learning - Josh Waitzkin

I picked up this book for the first time last month, and it is one of my favorite reads on the process of learning and developing performance skills. I am planning on re-reading it for many times to come.

From the Amazon page: 'With a narrative that combines heart-stopping martial arts wars and tense chess face-offs with life lessons that speak to all of us, The Art of Learning takes readers through Waitzkin's unique journey to excellence. He explains in clear detail how a well-thought-out, principled approach to learning is what separates success from failure. Waitzkin believes that achievement, even at the championship level, is a function of a lifestyle that fuels a creative, resilient growth process. Rather than focusing on climactic wins, Waitzkin reveals the inner workings of his everyday method, from systematically triggering intuitive breakthroughs, to honing techniques into states of remarkable potency, to mastering the art of performance psychology.'

Check out a free chapter and audio excerpt as well as a video interview with the author here: http://www.joshwaitzkin.com/the-art-of-learning

Goodreads link: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/857333.The_Art_of_Learning
Amazon.de: http://www.amazon.de/The-Art-Learning-Journey-Performance/dp/0743277465/
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Learning-Journey-Performance/dp/0743277465


Articles: 


On balance, alignment and movement dynamics:

• 'Where is your head at' by Monika Volkmar: http://danceproject.ca/wheres-your-head-at-how-to-keep-your-eyes-off-the-ground/#.VtmPO9DEZNR
• 'Restoring your movement map' by Monika Volkmar: http://danceproject.ca/restoring-your-movement-map/
  

On developing performance skills:

• By Dance Magazine:  http://dancemagazine.com/inside-dm/make-magic-onstage/

Interiew with Mahmoud Reda, living legend of Middle-Eastern dance:

• 'There is always hope' by Yasmina Ramzy: http://blog.yasminaramzy.com/blog/2015/09/there-is-always-hope-mahmoud-reda-.html
• 'What more can I ask for' by Yasmina Ramzy: http://blog.yasminaramzy.com/blog/2016/02/what-more-can-i-ask-for-mahmoud-reda.html

Music recommendation:


Check out these 2 treasures,  Simon Shaheen, The Music of Mohamed Abdel Wahab and Mercedes Nieto, Layali El Hob Vol. 2

Highly recommended for anyone who loves rich orchestral arrangements of Middle Eastern music, with special thanks to Razia Star for recommending the first CD to me, and Mercedes Nieto for producing the second:

Simon Shaheen, The Music of Mohamed Abdel Wahab

Mercedes Nieto, Layali El Hob Vol. 2

Happy reading/listening!

xx Khalida
www.khalidadance.com

Reading into December.. Books and Articles

Hello,

One of my most beloved pasttimes (next to dancing, ruminating, woodwalking, and very recently also Taekwondo!), is reading. Here are my favorite (dance and life) related book and articles of the month:

Book: Anatomy of breathing
by Blandine Calais-Germain

Anatomy of breathing

A wonderfully detailed and beautifully illustrated reference on the bio-mechanics and different variations of respiration. I especially love the preparatory and breathing exercises, and will be incorporating a few of them in my dance preparations and warmups in the future.

Chapters:
1. Initial observations about the act of breathing
2. The skeleton's role in breathing
3. Respiratory organs
4. Respiratory muscles
5. The principal forces involved in breathing
6. Forces affecting respiratory volumes
7. Relationships among anatomical structures involved in breathing
8. Analysis of the principal types of breathing
9. Practice pages

Goodreads link: Anatomy of Breathing
Amazon link (uk): Anatomy of Breathing
Amazon link (de): Anatomy of Breathing

Articles:

On movement and dance recovery:

• An ode to 'static back' by Pete Egoscue: http://www.sonima.com/fitness/static-back
• The (excellently illustrated) art of recovery by Aaron Swanson: http://www.aaronswansonpt.com/the-art-of-recovery-part-1-of-2/ 

On dance craft:

• Creating a BD routine - by BDNewEngland: http://www.bellydancenewengland.com/articles/2013/7/11/the-routine-roller-coaster.html
• Tips for dancing with confidence - by FlamencoBites: http://www.flamencobites.com/main/how-to-be-confident-when-you-dance
• Tips for remembering choreographies (I will be applying a few of these for the upcoming ballet recital December 19-20th!) by Flamencobites: http://www.flamencobites.com/main/5-tips-for-learning-and-remembering-choreography 
• More choreo-learning tips by Dance Advantage: http://www.danceadvantage.net/learn-choreography-quickly
• For balance - Tips on improvisation by Dance-Teacher: http://www.dance-teacher.com/2013/12/guiding-serious-play

Our ballet recital - 19th and 20th of December - I will report back if I survive

 On life and art in general:

• Embrace the suck - by DailyZen: http://www.thedailyzen.org/2015/06/28/embrace-the-suck

Sidenote: Embracing the suck (the article above) co-inspired me to finally take up studying Taekwondo this autumn, after years of fearing the unknown. An absolute beginning. And you know what? It is a breath (ha!) of fresh air to knowingly deeply suck at something, and at the same time enjoy the learning process. Every single class.

Our very first (half) belt grade! With huge thanks to Grandmaster Chae

Another one of life's small victories, after finally getting pain-free this summer, with help from the Dance Stronger project <3 Eternal gratitude from me to you and your work for dancers, miss Monika Volkmar!

DanceStronger - the love is still strong

As a bonus:

A podcast I heartily enjoyed - Inspiring interview with Jamie Foxx by Tim Ferris:
http://fourhourworkweek.com/2015/12/06/jamie-foxx/

Plus this lovely video of Dahlena (USA) teaching exquisitely elegant floorwork combinations:

Wishing you all a lovely remainder of the month (and year)!

x K.
www.khalidadance.com