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

Structured Journaling - An experiment

Hello there :)

Another blog post today, about 'structured journaling'. This one is about something that I have been experimenting with since 1st of January 2017, after reading about the benefits of daily affirmations (see my recent blog post on that here) and trying out various (dance and life) journaling methods over the years.

The format is partially inspired by the 5-minute journal (as recommended by Tim Ferris in one of his awesome podcasts), mixed with inspiration from the 'Morning Pages' practice which Julia Cameron mentions in 'The Artists' Way' (one of my favorite books for inspiration), plus my own daily note-taking habits.

It looks like a lot, but in reality it only takes me a few minutes each day to write down something in each section. I take about 5 minutes for the morning portion, and 5 minutes for the evening notes, the rest of it (top of right page) are lines I note down here and there throughout the day, which only takes a few seconds.


Every evening I prepare the page for the following day, and I make sure my (lucky!) pen is at the ready, too - It helps to make journaling in the mornings as easy and accessible as possible.

I looks something like this:

Daily Journal - Example pages

I currently use a Paperblanks lined journal, format 'ultra' (180 x 230 mm) - but whichever format you like journaling in will do.

The points I fill out over the course of the day are the following:

1. Date and time
I fill out the date the evening beforehand, and the time once I start journaling.

2. WWMTG - 'What would make today great?'
3 Things that would make me happy if they happened on that day. This could be anything (eg. receive a booking, sell a DVD, enjoy a great workout/dance practice session or class, go for a walk, etc..) 

3. 3TIATF - '3 Things I am thankful for'
These things can be very simple (eg. the pen I am writing with, fresh coffee, a bird you hear singing outside), or more abstract (a person you are happy to know, something you look forward to doing that day, your health, etc..)

Note: This section (2 and 3) is borrowed from the 5-minute journal, and they help prime you to think about the 'bigger picture' of your day and feel grateful for small and bigger things in your life, both of which will help set a positive mood and bring focus to your mind before any input (eg email, etc..) has the chance to redirect your attention for the day.

4. THOUGHTS/DREAMS
The biggest space on the left page is for this section, but on days where I am inspired to write more, I just continue on the back of the page 2 where I add the date and 'MORE THOUGHTS'

As long as I only prepare one 'Journal Day' at a time I can be flexible with the space in the rest of the journal.

- If I remember anything I dreamt that night, I start with writing that down, including any thoughts/memories/insights it might trigger. I have noticed that making space to note dreams for the past 9 days (it's January 9th today) has already helped me recall more of them, with more and more detail.
- If not, I just jot down a stream of thoughts, things I remember from the previous day that I have not written about yet, things that occupy my mind at the moment, anything that comes up is fine. This section is to 'get it on the page', so your mind is free and 'open' for the rest of the day. If, on occasion, interesting, new or fresh ideas come out of this, I make sure to note them down in a separate 'Ideas journal' (I have many journals) to use for later on.

5. TODO
This section is self-explanatory. After some experimentation I have settled on a maximum of 6 Todo-items per day - 3 work-related ones, and 3 personal ones, inspired by the Passion Planner to-do list setup, to make sure I prioritize for the day.

Note: I have CONSCIOUSLY made this section as small as possible, because otherwise it just becomes a repeated and ever-growing list of items. I do make a 'Master TODO'-list for each month at the beginning of the month, with one main focus per week, so the 'best' (ie most effective) daily Todo's can be easily deduced from that.

6. FOOD/FUEL
I note what I eat and drink during the day in this section. It might feel a bit hokey at first, but adding the word 'fuel' helps to see food as what it is: something that helps your body (and mind!) work and keeps it running happily. Water is also fuel!

7. BODYCHECK
I've added this one because it sounds badass :) And also because checking in with how my body feels helps me get grounded and can give me inspiration/direction for the following section, which is:

8. MOVEMENT LOG:
Planning/noting down what I do, physically, movement-wise per day. This is an attempt to work in more healthy movement-habits throughout the day.

Note: You can write down 'structured' movement in here (ie. a dance practice session or movement class, a workout, etc..) but in reality every bit of movement counts (ie taking the stairs, walking, doing a few TKD kicks in the hallway while you wait for your coffee, elevator shimmies, hanging from a doorway, a ghetto stretch while waiting in line, breathing deeply, etc.. etc..) 

Writing these down consciously will magically motivate you to do more, and it will help you think of new ways to sneak in healthy movement throughout your day. 

9. 3GTTHT - '3 Great things that happened today'
Here I note down 3 things that made me happy. They can be anything, great or small.



10. HCIHMTEB - 'How could I have made today even better'
Here I note 3 ideas on how I could have had/made an even better day. Simple, but very powerful.

Note: This section (9 and 10) is also inspired by the 5-minute journal, they help put the happenings of the day in a positive perspective, and the last question might even inspired ideas 'in the background' while you sleep! After filling out this final section I prepare the journal for the next day, and repeat the process the following morning.


So.. that's it. My 'structured journaling' experiment in a nutshell.

If you decide to try it out for yourself, please let me know how it works for you. And/or if you have any journaling habits/tips you'd like to share with me in the comments, please do! I would love to learn more about your own journaling processes/experiences.

Bonus note: A year-end review
Again, inspired by Mr. Tim Ferris, but this time his 'Tools of Titans book (which I highly, highly recommend), I have used the following writing prompts for a 'year end review' of 2016 at the end of my previous journal, right before starting this daily journal for 2017.

At the top of the page/journal, I wrote down the following questions:

• What did I do?
• What did I learn?
• Who did I meet?
• What did I make/create?

I filled out the answer to each of these questions for every month of the year 2016. It took me about 30-45 minutes in total (spaced out over 2 days), and it has already given me some surprisingly deep insigths, as well as an innate motivation to 'make more' in 2017, including this blog post :)

I know the year has started already, but there is still value in looking back to look forward nonetheless. Maybe even more so right before diving into a 'daily journalling experiment'. If you want, try it out and.. let me know what you think!

xx K.
www.khalidadance.com
www.inspirationnation.de

(PS: I have added a free downloadable .pdf version of this blog post on www.inspirationnation.de/articles ) Enjoy and feel free to share!

It's Alive... MoveSpiration

Hello,

In this Post you’ll find more information about the InspirationNation Project Website and Blog and the MoveSpiration Event

My goal in creating  all of this, is to share my biggest inspirations in Dance and Movement of the past few years with you.

In a fit of inspiration and joy, because I received confirmation of both of my ‘GrandMasters’ for the Event a few days ago, I believe I have finished the complete concept for MoveSpiration in one go.
All that on one coffee :)

Speaking of which, this is a bit of a longer update, so do be sure to grab a coffee (or tea) and read with me..

Cheers!


WHAT am I doing? 

As said above, the goal of creating this concept/weekend/website/event (aka InspirationNation) is to be able to share with you my biggest discoveries, deepest learnings and greatest inspirations of the past few years, in life, dance and movement.

Next to having a place to share with you my favorite forest walking pictures, movement and dance related blogs, articles, and books, I wanted to create something that gives you the EXPERIENCE of movement change and deepening your dancing.

In short, the things I want to share in this weekend (26-27th of August 2017) are those that have been helping me get the most out of my dance practice in the past year, and they have me so motivated I am able to churn out pages of information like there is no tomorrow.

All of this comes together with the recent news that my favorite dance space, Studio Sarossy in Würselen, is staying open for at least one more year, so it feels like NOW is the time to create something special.

I am pouring all of this in the practical shape of a short (2-day) Movement and Dance intensive, featuring guest classes/workshops from my 2 absolute favorite teachers and Masters in life, Constanze Janssen and Master Chae, to hopefully give you a ‘feel’ for how much a change of movement patterns, being ‘in the presence of Great’ and concentrated bouts of short, focused practice can do.

It is my wish that taking part in this MoveSpiration weekend will leave you with inspiration, joy of movement, and a buttload of ideas for dances for years to come.

WHY am I doing this?


As some of you might know, the past few years (and 2013-2015 especially) have been quite difficult ones for me, as I had been gradually struggling more and more with an old (pre-dance) pelvis injury, which messed with my general body alignment and had me stuck in all kinds of chronic neck-, back- , hip- and shoulder pain.

This made it much more difficult to dance, teach, and find daily motivation, and the daily struggles sapped my confidence as a dancer and instructor.

Going on a conscious queeste to educate and ‘help myself’, as well as being lucky enough to ‘roll into’ Monika Volkmars Dance Stronger program test group last summer (2015) kicked off a chain of hope-giving transformations and discoveries.

In those few weeks I learned tools and simple exercises which helped me improve my ‘body map’, and I was able to reset/optimize some of my basic movement patterns, which in turn freed up all kinds of lost ranges of movement, and it rendered me pain-free, even to this day. Just by breathing, moving, and thinking differently. I was amazed it could be this simple.

All of this freed me mentally (and physically) to carefully try out different dance and movement arts (amongst others: started taking modern/floor barre classes with Constanze and, after years of dreaming of it, an actual Martial Arts class (with a resident Korean Grand Master in TaeKwanDo no less :))

While I started to feel better about dance and life in general, I also got outside of the appartment more often, and in doing so I discovered two beautiful little mini-forests, right here in the middle of Eschweiler and in Würselen (the town of the studio) where I can run, bike, hop, or walk, and I occasionally take my cameraphone with me to share the gorgeous views.

WHY include Martial Arts?

Because Master Chae is totally awesome. I have learned so, so much from him in such a short time. Martial Arts gives you a way to discover movement practise outside of the pressures of dance, and it can make SUCH a difference.

Also, this blog post sums up my feelings on mixing martial arts and dance:  http://movespiration.blogspot.de/2016/10/beauty-of-martial-arts.html

What does this all MEAN?

Right now, I am feeling so inspired and thankful, that I feel I HAVE to share all I have learned and discovered with as many dancers as possible, aka with you.

So.. Long story short. It is time for some MoveSpiration.

MoveSpiration, is it for YOU?

Yes, yes it is. If you are a dancer, and/or a human, and open to movement exploration you will, hopefully, get something out of this.

So, where is the actual EVENT INFO? And where can I SIGN UP? :)


I have created a special ‘Pre-Enrollment‘ page, where you can read all about the teachers (more details will be added in the coming days), the concept, the timings, and even the full day plannings.

The price for the full weekend (10+ hours of classes) will be 185 Euros
To give you the chance to reserve a spot at MoveSpiration without having to pay right away, you can pre-sign up now via this page and pay later (either the full amount in January 2017, or 85 Euros in January and the rest at a later date)

This also gives you a chance to use a Khalida Dance Gift Voucher for the enrollment, should you happen to get one for Christmas/your birthday/a special occasion by that date.


It also gives ME the chance to see whether we can have the event take place, as we will need a minimum of about 5 participants to officially make it happen.

So.. here you go: www.inspirationnation.de/pre-enroll

WHAT NOW?

I will be awaiting your questions, and maybe biting my nails, for the rest of the coming days/weeks :)

Please feel free to ask me ANYTHING about this event, I will use the answers/info to complete the website. After January 1st all pre-enrollments will be changed to actual enrollments, and you will receive the payment information email (like for other ‘normal’ events that I host)

Please also feel free to forward this email to anyone you think might be up for sharing the experience with you/me/us.

The more participants, the bigger the inspirational stream!

Thank you for reading all of this, and thank you again for your interest!

Big huge (giant oak tree) hugs,

xxx Kim/Khalida
www.inspirationnation.de

The Oak, my Friend.

PS: A ‘normal’ Khalida Dance newsletter update with details on all Dance Events for the coming weeks/months will be sent out soon – you can sign up for it via This Link (MailChimp)


Weblinks (ALL the weblinks :))
MoveSpiration Pre-Enrollment page: inspirationnation.de/pre-enrollment
MoveSpiration FB Event page: facebook.com/events/1220700034671424
InspirationNation Forest Pictures: www.inspirationnation.de/forest
MoveSpiration Blog: movespiration.blogspot.com
InspirationNation FB page: facebook.com/movespirationnation
InspirationNation Instagram account: instagram.com/inspi_nation
Follow InspirationNation on Twitter: twitter.com/Inspi_Nation


Cheers for now,

Team MoveSpiration <3

 

www.inspirationnation.de 

Inspiration and Movement - InspirationNation

Hi there :)

Soo... Some very exciting new developments are happening at the moment @ casa Khalida.

I have just launched a new website, called InspirationNation - This is where I will be sharing my latest movement experiences and biggest inspirations, in dance, life, and martial arts, and hopefully help inspire movement improvement for dancers and non-dancers alike.

InspirationNation.de

Over time I will be sharing more updates, articles, blog posts (check out the Movespiration blog too) and most importantly, information on a new and upcoming movement and dance(-ish) event on the InspirationNation website.

Peddle and float - strength and grace <3

See the official website here: http://www.inspirationnation.de

Check out the blog here: http://movespiration.blogspot.de

Twitter page: https://twitter.com/Inspi_Nation

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/movespirationnation

Event page: ... coming up. :)


More updates to follow ... SOON!

xx K.

www.khalidadance.com - www.inspirationnation.de

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 

My Dance Practice Process

As a follow-up on my previous post on planning practice, here are some of my favorite tips on how to structure your actual practice sessions at home and/or in the studio, plus a few great articles I've found on dance practice, rehearsal and movement quality.

Enjoy and feel free to share!

How I structure my own dance practice sessions depends a bit on where I practise, and what I am currently working on.

No matter how much time I have though, I always take a few seconds (using very simple breath work) to center myself and focus before starting, and I take some time to warm up properly, making the practice itself much more productive - even if the session is short.

Same goes for cooling down. If I take one song to 'simmer down' I find that the work I have done sinks in more deeply, and if I stretch the muscles I have worked before moving on with my day- even for just a few minutes - I've noticed I have more energy and 'spunk' on the following day.

Also: I have found that whenever I get 'stuck', letting my dance rest a bit by moving it back to the pre-dance phase (see below), or working on a different piece, or just getting outside and breathing for a bit instead of stressing out about making progress always helps me get back on track easier on the next practice day. Sometimes inspiration takes time!

'outside' - the secret practice ingredient <3

So, in short (not) I usually structure my dance practice time like this:

Movement preparation
- take 3 breaths to center and focus - 30 seconds
- mini warmup: moving the joints through their respective ranges of motion to help up movement space (including 'cogs' from Anatomy in Motion) - 2-3 minutes

Dance-move preparation
- freestyle dance miniwarmup: dancing to one song in my itunes 'dance/listen' playlist that I am not currently working on, focusing on how my body feels, not on what I do per sé - 3-4 minutes

Note: The breathing and 'cogging' movement preparation help me connect with my body (something I have been working on more consciously lately) before any practice session, and it really makes a difference, so I even incorporate it now in classes that I teach (and take). 

I have also found that dancing freely to one song before practice helps me discover quickly which things to work on more during my technique sessions. I sometimes even find 'new' movement for my choreography work this way.

Actual dance pratice session
- Technique

•  I usually choose a specific movement to work on at different speeds, including in slow motion, first without music, then with music added
• Another option is to practice one or two techniques combined with music, then focusing on each movement separately without music (or with 'mind music' :) to refine and experiment a bit
• A technique DVD (or a mix of DVDs) focusing on a topic/two topics I am currently practising

Depending on how much time I have I sometimes do a mix of all 3 options, but if I am very short on time I will usually just do one movement focus, and/or 1-2 techniques with music, or a very short section of a DVD - All sandwiched between a short movement preparation, warmup and cooldown.

- Choreo work

• I start by reviewing a video of a previous choreo practice session and/or workshops I have taken/taught for inspiration
• Then I either dance the full choreo (while recording) OR I focus on a specific part I am working on (while recording the version I want to check 'in action')
• Then I check the recording of the full choreo (or of the specific part I am working on) using my dance journal as a guide to reflect (see below)
• After that I usually try out a few things to refine without music, making notes of the things I want to KEEP
• Then I dance again (while recording) etc..

Note: My dance practice sessions can be technique, or choreo, or both. If I have plenty of time then I will do technique first, then choreo work, as working on technique always inspires me. Sometimes I am working with a DVD and suddenly inspiration strikes, so I have to stop it and then test out my new choreo ideas right away. 

If I have the studio for practice I try to work on my technique at home beforehand (or on an earlier day), so I have maximum studio time for the choreography itself. I still do the breathing, and movement preparation + mini freestyle session at the studio though!)

So for me choreography is mostly an iterative process: I dance - record - reflect - refine - redance - record - etc.. Even if I am planning to improvise (or partially improvise) to a song, having this immediate feedback loop helps me to use the practice time I have to the max.

my dance - record - reflect - repeat setup at the studio :)

Using a dance journal

I always bring a notebook (I have a separate one for practice sessions) where I note the date, time, where I practise, what I work on, and what I did that day (dancing with or without music, with or without costume, with or without mirror) for each practice session.

For each 'dance loop' within the practice session I note the things I see that I like, the things that I didn't like (and ideas on how to change them if I know), the parts where I want to try out different options, and the parts that are still missing somehow.

The Little Book of Dance

Bonus dance challenges and self-coaching

If a dance is more or less 'set', or if the improvisation sessions start to feel more fluid, I challenge myself by adding more performance-like circumstances (dancing with the costume, dancing without mirror in different directions, imagining my audience and/or performance environment) and focusing more and more on how the dance 'feels' when it goes well.

So in a way I am coaching myself, much like I would coach a student who is working on her choreography or musical interpretation. It is certainly less comfortable than 'just' dancing the choreo many times, but it does make the practice time much more effective.

My 'Coachee', with #dancerfeet :)

Cooling down

I move more slowly for at least one (calming) song after a vigorous practice session, and no matter what I have worked on I try to take my time to stretch out the muscles that have been working hard, as well as reflect a bit on how I feel about the practice session and the things I have learned in the process.

Doing this gives my practice sessions a feeling of 'completion', helps restore my mental and physical energy a bit, and it makes it easier to 'stay in my body' during the rest of the day.

Sometimes I will use my foam roller routine for some extra deep upper body relaxation work


Dance prep work

BEFORE I start to choreograph (or prepare to improvise) to a song I tend to go through a preparation process for a few weeks or months, by listening to different versions of the music, watching videos of different interpretations, gathering information about the song itself, studying the lyrics, visualising dance movements that I would like to 'see' (this usually works best when I am doing something else, like work around the house, showering, walking, or driving), imagining how I would make use of a (sometimes still imaginary) costume etc..

This process can happen months (or even years!) before I start on the actual choreographing/improvisation preparation of a song, and I find it to be one of the most crucial steps in unlocking my creativity, even though it is mostly 'passive work'. It also allows me to work on several pieces at once, so they can germinate and mix in the back of my mind, intermingling with my daily dance (and life) experiences.

Sometimes inspiration hides up here!

Focusing on other non-dance activities (like TKD), or taking classes in other dance forms (like ballet, modern) while having a dance project broiling in the back ground also help to boost choreographic/improvisational creativity.

For improvisation performances this background preparation process still happens, albeit a bit more subconsciously.

Soo, that's it, my dance practice process in a (big-ish) nut shell :)

Please let me know if you have any questions/remarks, and if you are a dancer: I'm curious to learn about your practice process too!

xxx Khalida
www.khalidadance.com



PS: Check out the following articles for tips and more inspiration on the process of practice, performance and general movement. Enjoy!

Articles of the month: On movement quality and performance

How to improve your movement quality instantly by Move Better:
https://gmb.io/move-better/
  
Top 10 muscle imbalances (and how to fix them) by Stop Chasing Pain: http://www.stopchasingpain.com/free-articles/

3 Awesome articles on dance and movement by Monika Volkmar:
- Dance like a Human part 1: http://danceproject.ca/dance-like-a-human-part-1
- Dance like a Human part 2:http://danceproject.ca/dance-like-a-human-part-2-do-you-even-shift
- Dance like a Human part 3:http://danceproject.ca/movement-variability/

How to unlock smooth and free movement using self-regulation:
http://fitforreallife.com/2016/03/unlock-rigid-stiff-movement-self-regulation

Performance tips by Dance Magazine:
http://dancemagazine.com/inside-dm/make-magic-onstage/


Articles of the month: On practice and rehearsal

7 ways to practice on a busy schedule by Dance Comp Review:
http://dancecompreview.com/7-ways-practice-busy-schedule/

Journalling tips for dancers by 4 Dancers.org:
http://www.4dancers.org/2016/03/journaling-for-dancers-why-you-need-it-how-it-helps/

Tips for (mostly group) rehearsals by Dance Advantage:
http://www.danceadvantage.net/rehearsal-management-tips/
 
How to get the most out of each class by More Than Dancers:
http://www.morethandancers.com/10-mistakes-to-avoid-dancer-edition



Until next time,

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 

Fall in pictures - Happy November!

Long time no blog :) Can't believe how fast the past few months have flown by.

Below are a few impressions of my August-October autumnal adventures - inline skating, highland hiking, forest walking, mushroom hunting, moon howling, online classing, pumpkin souping, airline traveling.. And also a bit of dance <3

August through October (we'll be going for another round or two today, it's a beautiful fall day!) are for inline skating with Mr E at Eschweiler's Blausteinsee

September 12-19th - Pictures of our hiking (and boating!) adventures on Isle of Skye

Right after that - Back to more online class recordings (aka the Shimmy Sessions!) at Chandra's beautiful home studio in Stein, the Netherlands

September 28th - Watching the full super blood moon eclipse in the fields of hometown Eschweiler

October was for mushroom hunting in beautiful Aachener wald (we found some porchini and chestnut bolete, yum.)

My first attempt at soup-cooking (adventure!) happened this October as well: Thai pumpkin soup with ginger, pepper and shallots, mmm..

24-26th October - Gathering lovely dance memories at the 15th edition of Celebrating Dance in Torquay, UK - aka The English riviera

 

 

Then finally flying back home just in time for..

October 31st - Halloween party time (also a first for me!) at Luna Llena's lovely 'Pumpkins and Shimmies' event in Diepenbeek, BE (See FB for the hafla and group pictures) <3

In November it was time for more practice at our regular class studio (we'll have new Tuesday Training sessions there too!) in Würselen, DE - With notebook and camera at the ready

Nov 6-8th I was lucky enough to visit Leila of Serbia's 'Oriental Love' festival in Belgrade - a fantastic experience, inspirational on so many levels.

 

And last but not least I got to be part of Fédra's 'FDBD' dance celebration in Brussels, BE this weekend, performing a wings duet with the hostess <3

Soo.. That's what I've been up to this fall. For future adventures check out www.khalidadance.com/schedule

I'll be back with a new blog post soon - this time featuring another foam rolling youtube video for all of you who love the art of foam rolling :)

Until then,

xx K.
www.khalidadance.com