On making a DVD - Oriental Choreography with Khalida

Hello dear all,

In this post I'd like to share with you a bit of the process behind creating my latest DVD, 'Oriental Choreography with Khalida', in the form of a mini photo journal.

The finished result. See www.khalidadance.com/DVD

After teaching choreography workshop in Denmark this January, the participants (and hostess) remarked that it would be nice to have more time to practice each section of a rather complex choreography.

This sparked the idea to create a 'combination-based choreography DVD' - where the full choreography is split up into combinations, which are taught separately and then combined chronologically into a full choreo at the end.

Preparations include splitting up the dance into evenly-sized parts, each about 2-4 x 8 'beats', depending on where the music repeats.

For this particular piece the choreography structure looks like this:

AB-CDCD-E-FGHG-I

• A and B are 2 parts of an intro, which could be danced with or without a veil, or skipped completely
• CDCD is a section where 2 musical phrases/combinations repeat(the 'Shakira' and the 'Arabesque' combo in the DVD), once on the left side, and once on the right.
• E is a 30-second taxeem
• FGHG is a section where a transition/combination (F) is followed by a 'chorus' (G), then a bridge (H), and then the 'chorus' (G) repeats again.
• I is the finale

After the structure was set, all that was left to be done was to divide each section into repeating logical teaching sequences.

The DVD/Choreographical teaching structure

Theory-to-practice
With the theory completed, it was time for... dance practice. Much, much dance practice. With each section stepped and 'danced out' separately, with and without music, with and without instruction, with and without countng, and 'singing' the steps.

Paillettes and Veil - A post-practice still life composition.

Practical preparations
The morning of the DVD shoot was spent preparing filming makeup (enough, but not too much, with thanks to home-brewed coffee and natural light) and can-hold-a-full-day-hair-do (aka a wrap-snap n' go-bun for teaching, and a hopefully curly ponytail for performance) preparations!

Filming look - Lipstick to be added later

Recording Process
Recordings happened at my dance friend and student Sandra's beautiful home studio, where we were able to complete the full filming in one day (with plenty of takes) after a short warmup-session and rehearsal.

Camera and Studio setup - And also the top half of my face

Data Transfer
All of the filmed material was then carefully transferred to the main computer, and from there to a tiny USB drive (see below), which I was able to take home with me for editing the day after the shoot. Fast!

The Wonders of technology

Editing
The next step: Editification! Which means putting all the filmed clips in order, creating transitions, cutting away 'empty spaces', and adding titles or subtitles where needed.

This is one of my favorite parts of the process, as long as the software (in this case just plain WMM) is not too capricious, and providing I take time for 'movement breaks' (aka shaking out my limbs and head) regularly.

Editing - with my head in the woods.

Transfer to DVD
After all editing is completed, it's time for the DVD-ification. For this step (ie adding a main menu and basic chaptering, and creating an .iso file that can be burned to DVD) I use Pinnacle software.

This program tests my patience, quite literally, as the program likes to crash whenever I click too fast, so on DVD-ification day I tend to forego coffee in favour of tea. Patience.
Usually I create a PAL and NTSC version of a DVD, just in case.

Rendering... Tea... And Patience.

Testing and design/packaging
If rendering is succesful, I burn the first test-DVD. And after that, I test the test-DVD :) I usually create a cover design for the DVD beforehand, using Adobe Photoshop CS3, and I use simple paper sleeves for easy (light) transport.

The first Test-DVD. It worked!

Web shop, Gumroad upload and Packaging
After the official DVD-launch is done, I update the DVD web shop, start the upload to Gumroad for the downloadable/streaming version and send out the pre-ordered copies. For small batches of DVDs I've found a padded envelope works best.

The first batch of pre-ordered DVDs. N. 1 gets a sticker-heart!

Bonus packaging and Shipment
As a final step, after another good night's sleep, I get to preparing the rest of the DVD orders. All my DVDs (including the pre-ordered ones) are lovingly swaddled in a sea of colourful flyers for events, and then shipped to their (worldwide) destinations.

DVDs and flyer designs. I do like colours, and also fonts.

End result and sneak preview
So.. that's it. This is how the 'Oriental Choreography' DVD was born/created :)

To see the result in short form, check out the following youtube mini version:

If you'd like to order a copy, too, go here:

• DVD version: www.khalidadance.com/DVDs
• Downloadable/streaming version: http://gum.co/orientalchoreo

Hope you'll enjoy!

xx Khalida
www.khalidadance.com
www.inspirationnation.de

PS: A little bonus to go with the new 'oriental choreo' DVD I've created a .pdf Document with Choreography Notes, for those who like to work with them. Enjoy!

Guest article for ZeOT Zürich - Khalida's top tips for dancing with silk Fan Veils

In this blog post you'll find a link to a guest article I wrote for Aliah McKenzie of ZeOT - Zürich with my favourite tips on caring for and dancing with silk Fan Veils.

My first self-made instructional animated .gif! :)

Check out the full article at http://www.zeot.ch/blog/2017/1/12/10-tips-for-dancing-with-silk-veil-fans

Picture by Philippe Rikir (BE)

You can also find a downloadable (.pdf) version of the tips on www.inspirationnation.de/articles

Enjoy and feel free to share!

xx Khalida
www.khalidadance.com
www.inspirationnation.de

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!

Belly Dance Affirmations

I am very happy to share my latest venture with you today.


A few months ago Kyria of the Netherlands contacted me (and several other dancers) to collaborate on a great project: We were asked to each send input for a set of free(!) printable affirmation cards for belly dancers, to help inspire and motivate in dance, dance practice, and life.

Affirmation cards - download them here!

Below you can find a link to download the set of free affirmations I've created for this project:

www.khalidadance.com/affirmations


Using affirmations is a powerful and easy way to create 'positive input' for yourself, and it can have motivational effects that last throughout your day.

I used to write my affirmations down into my journal, to start my dance days 'right', but now I simply use the cards we've created physically by printing out the sheet, cutting out the individual affirmations and including them into my journal pages.

We've created a digital treasure hunt so you get to visit every dancer's page to see how they used the affirmation cards and download their PDF file. There are five sheets of affirmations waiting for you to get started!

Check out the other dancer's belly dance affirmation sheets and websites below, as well as Kyria's Blog for tips on how to create a beautiful 'card deck' out of them.

Kyria

Falling in love with the music and movements of belly dance is what got Kyria started, inspiring her students by teaching belly dance is what keeps her going. She is available for classes, workshops and performances in the Utrecht area in The Netherlands. After teaching weekly classes for over a decade she figured it was time to reach out to dancers all over the world and offer resources to students, teachers and performers on www.bellydanceresources.com. Her first Kickstarter for Belly Dance Practice Dice will go live in February 2017.

Download her affirmations here

Andalee

Andalee is an Oriental dancer and instructor from Durham, North Carolina, now based in Montpellier, France. Her dance style is based in Egyptian belly dance and American Cabaret belly dance. Her mission is to promote belly dance as a respected and valid performance art. She teaches her students that belly dance is truly accessible to anyone by exploring the different techniques and styles of belly dance. In 2013, Andalee founded Belly Dance at Any Size after learning about size-acceptance and Health at Every Size. The website is a resource for building self-esteem and a positive body image for belly dancers.

Visit Belly Dance at Any Size for Andalee’s affirmations

Khalida

Khalida is a multi-award winning professional belly dance performer and instructor, born in Belgium and living in Germany. She currently offers personal coaching, instructional dvd’s and workshops as well as high-quality performances.  In August 2017 she hosts the first Movespiration congress in Wurselen, Germany. The goal of this weekend is to share her biggest discoveries, learnings and inspirations of the past year(s) in dance and movement in the form of a 2-day movement and dance intensive, featuring guest classes/workshops from teachers from different movement disciplines/arts, as well as personalized (belly)dance technique and movement guidance.

Visit Khalida’s website for her affirmations

Mao Murakami

Mao Murakami is the founder of a DIY belly dance costume website, Sparkly Belly, where belly dancers can learn to sew and DIY their own costumes, even if they are new to sewing!

She turned her love of belly dance and costumes into one website, empowering belly dancers with sewing and DIY skills, and help them feel beautiful and confident on stage. What’s belly dancing without sparkly costumes that celebrate your uniquely beautiful body?

Check out her free tutorials (65 of them and counting!) at SparklyBelly.com.

Visit Sparkly Belly for Mao’s affirmations

Zahra Zuhair

International performer, workshop instructor, and choreographer, Zahra is world renowned for her knowledge, authenticity, and dedication to the art of Middle Eastern dance. Raised in raqs sharqi from a young age, Zahra is known for her musicality and classic, elegant style. She is the artistic director of PoNaNa Dance Theatre (loosely meaning a blend of many things) and has written and choreographed productions intertwining Arabian tales and dance, since 1997. Los Angeles, California has been Zahra’s home base since 1984, where she has been one of LA’s most esteemed teachers for many years. Her always-evolving style keeps students, old and new, coming back for more.

Visit Zahra Zuheir’s website for her affirmations

Enjoy and feel free to share!

xx Kim/Khalida

www.khalidadance.com - www.inspirationnation.de

PS: My own affirmations download link can be found here: www.khalidadance.com/affirmations

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 

Tips for shimmy practice

This is a blog post inspired by a question by Laura of UK/Ireland after working with the Shimmy Sessions DVD's, as well as by an amazing 'deep' 3/4 shimmy technique practice breakdown shared by Boženka during her Training Weekend in Würselen, DE last weekend.

Enjoy!


Tips for practising your shimmies at different speeds 

• It depends a bit on the specific kind of shimmy you are practising, but in general doing the movements at a slower speed and focusing on evenness in tempo and range of movement (left and right leg) helps to make your body (and mind!) feel more comfortable with the movement. Practising it faster every now and then is definitely also helpful to challenge shimmy dexterity, but if you notice that the shimmy goes 'rogue' then slowing the pace down until you 'refind' it during practise makes the training session most efficient.

• It is also good to keep in mind that while doing the movement slowly you can go for maximum range of movement, but when speeding up the movement becomes smaller. So for the faster practice try to focus on precision and tempo, but with a smaller range, rather than compromising the movement quality in order to keep the movement 'big'.

• To practise shimmies at different speeds you can try them without music from super slow to gradually faster and faster, then slower again, trying to keep the rhythm 'even' at different speeds. Then you might find that some 'speeds' (fast or slow!) might be easier than others, which is good to know for 'target practice'.

• When I train and/or teach 3/4 shimmies (up or down) myself, I practise slow first, then medium speed, then faster movements with breaks in between sets/steps. After a while, if the shimmy technique/sequence starts to feel easier and 'controlled' in tempo, we go for faster movements without breaks, like the build-up in the shimmysessions and shimmies DVDs/ Online Classes

• If the faster speed of a DVD/Online class/practice session is a bit too much right now you can always go for half that speed for instance, while still following the musics general down beat, this way you can follow along with me/the instructor/yourself to the music, but at a more comfortable tempo until the shimmy becomes easier (which it will, eventually! it just takes time, patience and conscious practice) 

• When I practise the 'regular' shimmies (eg egyptian shimmies and hip shimmies) I usually combine it with other tasks around the house eg folding laundry, ironing, making breakfast, brushing teeth.. that are not too mentally demanding and can be done 'upright'  This way I get some bonus practice in, which is always beneficial.

• Focusing on engaging your glutes slightly and lifting the back of your ribs to free up movement also helps to relax the hips and legs, which makes the shimmy feel less like 'work', which is the ultimate goal.

• Also remember that medium speed shimmies are usually fast enough to match most music, so having an 'even' shimmy will give you more than being able to 'warp speed' it.

• Keeping your core engaged deeply (pelvic floor, glutes, lower belly) while shimmying helps to concentrate the movement and conserve 'shimmy energy'. Deep breathing, focusing extra on the exhalation also helps to keep the shimmy relaxed even at higher speeds.

• Making sure to warmup well, and to stretch and relax your musles (and mind) before and after the training session helps tons towards having a 'high quality' shimmy practice session.

• In very short my answer would be: Yes, definitely keep practising at slower speed, but also try to go even slower, AND speed it up to beyond your comfortable speed every now and then to challenge yourself and to see if the shimmy is becoming easier/more comfortable over time.

Bonus tip: Sometimes, when a practice session feels especially uncomfortable, it can be a sign that you are learning/improving/changing your movement, even though you don't have the 'benefits' of it yet right away. I've noticed at times that about 2 days after a 'difficult' practice session my movements have made a 'quality jump' - so this is something to experiment with as well.


Good luck and happy shimmying!!

xxx K.
www.khalidadance.com 


PS: For those interested in shimmy-specific online classes and DVDs, check out the respective links!


ETA: You can download this Shimmy Tips blog post in handy .pfd format via this link.

Podcast interview for The DancePreneuring Studio

I'm Sharing my very first podcast interview, recorded this June by the fantastic Annett Bone as part of her The DancePreneuring Studio podcast series project.

In this interview I share my experiences on studying deeply with Bozenka in Crete in May 2016, as well as tips and ideas on creating and setting up online classes for dancers, plus the most important things I have learned from going back to the basics in dance, life and movement during the past year.

Enjoy!

Podcast mode!

• Full interview plus all the weblinks I refer to in this episode: http://annettbone.com/078
• Direct link to the interview (mp3): Interview Khalida
• The DancePreneuring website: http://annettbone.com/

The Beauty in the Basics - Interview with Khalida Bech

A visual representation of my week of deep dance studies with Bozenka in Crete this May 22-29th at her beautiful studio by the sea:

Greece seen from above: Sea, Mountains, Clouds

The view from my appartment balcony

Spacey the friendly Goat
She greeted me each morning on my way to the studio

The Taverna - for breakfast and morning ponderings

View on the studio (white building by the sea) from taverna

Red hibiscus - My favorite!

Bozenka's beautiful dance studio <3

Morning by the beach - the rest of me was in the shade :)

Spacey's goat friends!

Posing at the beach bar
With my performance flyer for Saturday night!

The 'bat hammock' at the Studio
To Bozenka from Samantha Emanuel

Final night at Mes Tin Ammos
Performance night and sweet goodbyes

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

‘Practice Plan’ examples

These are a few tips for using your DVD collection most effectively, and examples of how you could plan your home/studio practice sessions using your DVDs and/or Online Classes over the course of a month (or several months), depending on how much time you have  each week :)

Get a printable (.pdf) version of this blog post here.

General Tips:

• Think of what your ‘main focus’ will be for your practice month (or season) - then you can substitute those for the topics I use in the examples.
• In this particular example I reckon with 3 practice sessions per week, of about 1-2 hours each. If you have more DVDs than I mention in the example, or less time, you can spread out the contents of each week over a couple of weeks instead, thus ‘stretching’ the Practice Plan a bit.
• If you have more days where you can practice in a week than 3, but shorter time for sessions than 1-2 hours, you can tease apart the sessions from the example and split them up in shorter bouts.
• Do make sure you do a warmup - practice - cooldown ‘sandwich’ each time your do a session - it will make your practice much more effective than trying to do as much ‘material ‘ as possible in one week/month.
• You can mix the examples with other DVDs you own that cover similar topics (for instance other shimmy/arms DVDs, or certain props)
  
  

The Actual Practice Plan

Note: This practice structure is inspired by Monika Volkmar’s ‘Dance Stronger’ program, which I was lucky enough to be part of last year.
 It employs repeating blocks of material in a week while interleaving the contents 2 by 2, which maximises efficiency of practice.   

I highly recommend the DS program for anyone interested in learning to ‘move well’, getting to know their body a bit better, and becoming stronger in a safe way while practicing movement to boot! See www.dancestronger.com for more info.

• Week 1: Focus on 1 or 2 Topics/DVDs, with an emphasis on the first Topic/DVD
• Week 2: Same Topics/DVDs as in week 1, with an emphasis on the second Topic/DVD
• Week 3: Focus on 1 or 2 new Topics/DVDs, with an emphasis on the first Topic/DVD
• Week 4: Same Topics/DVDs as in week 3, with an emphasis on the second Topic/DVD

Examples

Example 1: If you have all 4 ShimmySessionDVDs/Online Classes (4 videos, 1-1,25 hours each), and the full AllAbout Arms DVD/Online Class series (4 videos of 30-45 minutes in total) you could structure your ‘Practice Month’ like this, with each week having 3 separate 1,5-2 hour practice sessions:

• Week 1: Arms1 +ShimmySession1; Arms2 + ShimmySession2; Arms1 + ShimmySession1
• Week 2: Arms2 +ShimmySession2; Arms1 + ShimmySession1; Arms2 + ShimmySession2
• Week 3: Arms3 +ShimmySession3; Arms4 + ShimmySession4; Arms3 + ShimmySession3
• Week 4: Arms4 +ShimmySession4; Arms3 + ShimmySession3; Arms4 + ShimmySession4

(You can swap ShimmySession 4 with the 20-minute Shimmy Drill from the Shimmies with Khalida DVD optionally if you own it, and you can substitute any of the AllAboutArms classes with different Arms DVDs you own)

Example 2: If you have less time per session, would like to focus mostly on Arms yet still do some Shimmies, and/or if you’d like to sneak in a different DVD/Class/Prop here and there:

• Week 1: Arms1 ; ShimmySession1; Arms2 (+ optional bonus DVD)
• Week 2: Arms2; ShimmySession2; Arms1+2
• Week 3: Arms3 ; ShimmySession3; Arms4 (+ optional bonus DVD)
• Week 4: Arms4; ShimmySession4; Arms3+4

OR

• Week 1: Arms1 ; ShimmySession1; Arms1
• Week 2: Arms2 (+ optional bonus DVD); ShimmySession2; Arms2
• Week 3: Arms3; ShimmySession3; Arms3
• Week 4: Arms4 (+ optional bonus DVD); ShimmySession4; Arms4

Example 3: If you have the Props DVDs/OnlineClasses, with contain 3 x 30 minutes of class (beginner - intermediate - advanced) for each prop, then focus on one prop per month (veil, fanveils, zills or isis wings) , and fill in the weeks of that month like so:

• Week 1: Beginner prop class (30 min) - 1-3 times that week
• Week 2: Intermediate prop class (30 min) - 1-3 times that week
• Week 3: Advanced prop class (30 min) - 1-3 times that week
• Week 4: All 3 prop classes (beginner - intermediate - advanced) - each class at least once that week

Example 4: If you have the BellydanceEssentials Online series (or some of the BDEssentialsOnline classes) you can use them as designed (one class per week) - either mixed in with your regular practice schedule/DVDs or on their own.

• Week 1: BDE1 (without props part); optional other DVD/Online class; BDE1 complete
• Week 2: BDE2 (without props part); optional other DVD/Online class; BDE2 complete
• Week 3: BDE3 (without props part); optional other DVD/Online class; BDE3 complete
• Week 4: BDE4 (without props part); optional other DVD/Online class; BDE4 complete
• Etc.. (adding more weeks depending on which BDE videos of the 10-week series you own)

Variation notes:

• If you have less time than 1,5 hour per session you can also just focus on one topic (eg Arms, Shimmies or Props) per month and then switch, using slightly shorter sessions each week than in example 1.
• You can mix any of the topics (Arms with Props, Props with Shimmies, or Arms, Props and Shimmies together, BDEssentials, other DVDs you own), but it is most effective to pick and focus on max 1-2 topics per month.

Warmup-Cooldown tips:

• If you have a foam roller at home you can use the warmup/cooldown bonus videos as a pre-warmup and post-cooldown respectively: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4N-Oew36J5GV7g5QowD8RK9vmIZ4Zqhs
• The ‘shimmies with Khalida’ DVD/download has 2 separate warmup and 2 cooldown sessions, a ‘moving’ and a ‘stretching’ one each, focusing mostly on the legs
• The ‘Isis Wings with Khalida DVD’/Download focuses the warmups and cooldowns mostly on the upper body
• Same goes for the ShimmySession series (mostly lower body focus) and All About Arms series (mostly upper body focus)
• The ‘BDEssentialsOnline’ classes have a built-in short warmup and cooldown session per class video, and so do the Props videos.
• Overtime you can mix and match the exercises that help you most to create your own warmup/cooldown routine(s)

Note: As you might have noticed, preparing your body for (and helping it recover from) practice and structuring practice sessions for optimal efficiency are topics that are very dear to me :) 

As I have mentioned before I will be recording a brand new DVD/Online Class mini series very soon (this summer) called ‘Dance Conditioning and Drills’, focusing on exercises that help increase effectiveness of your practice sessions, ways to structure your own movement preparations and warmups, and strategies for more mindfulness in movement, and then applying these to dance drills. 

I highly recommend this new DVD/Online class series if you are looking for ways to be more ‘present’ in your body in daily life as well. 

I will be posting more information on this in the blog at www.khalidadance.blogspot.com, in the KDanceOnline FB group and in my newsletter (signup form:http://eepurl.com/tu4H1) soon.


That’s it, I think. If you have any questions, let me know :)


xx Khalida Bech
www.khalidadance.com

PS: I've added this blog post as a document to the KDanceOnline FB group for easier reference. Feel free to share!