Thread: Your dance goals for 2008?

Here are mine: Focus more on establing regular practice times, go to more workshops in my areas of interest (Egyptian Oriental, cane and Melaya) and, and, develop a plan of action for exactly when and how to go to Egypt (it's time and money issues). Also, need to plan some "field trips" to newer restaurants in area that have live Arabic music. (tired of the D.J. thing that's been going on for about a year now and it's kept me away). Notice I'm not saying the "D" word for diet - goes without saying that after holidays I can't eat anything for at least two weeks!.w.:
What are some of yours?

Attend a workshop (thinking about the Aziza one in Chicago), build a better music collection, practice more, and sincerely try to perform more.

Originally Posted by indigostars

Attend a workshop (thinking about the Aziza one in Chicago), build a better music collection, practice more, and sincerely try to perform more.

Ooh, you should go to Aziza! I'm going!!


PRACTICE more.
Take more workshops (I have at least 12 that I'm thinking about...three of them are in February!!!)

PRACTICE more. ;)
Expand my musical collection

Take more private lessons to work on techniqe.
and finally....

PRACTICE MORE!!!

I'm sure I'll think of a few more later.

1. Zills...I had a pair go flying onstage during a solo 2 years ago and have been scared of them ever since
2. Find regular classes once I move to NYC after graduation/become part of the NYC dance scene
3. Try to find a regular performance gig
4. make sure that I put in place the necessary things to make sure that my baby, my college's belly dance society, continues to thrive after I'm gone (ie, constructing a HUGE binder of the last 4 year's work)
5. Making more/more complicated costumes
6. and, as yasmindiab said, PRACTICE!

Originally Posted by najla86

1. Zills...I had a pair go flying onstage during a solo 2 years ago and have been scared of them ever since
2. Find regular classes once I move to NYC after graduation/become part of the NYC dance scene
3. Try to find a regular performance gig
4. make sure that I put in place the necessary things to make sure that my baby, my college's belly dance society, continues to thrive after I'm gone (ie, constructing a HUGE binder of the last 4 year's work)
5. Making more/more complicated costumes
6. and, as yasmindiab said, PRACTICE!

zills are one of my goals too. I want to be SO good with them!!! I'm ok right now, but I need to PRACTICE more!! ;)

That's cool that your college has a BD society!!! i'd be interested in hearing about that,if you want to PM me. (A friend of mine is involved in something simliar, and its just starting off...)

These sound familar: ..g.:

• practice more
• visit more local resturants: for just visiting and student nights
• attand as many workshops as possible
• try to make my first bra and belt set (I've done the bra, but never the set)

not sure 2008 will be the year for private lessons to beat me about the head with thechnique, but some year. That and take more ATS so I can participate in dance circles.

OK, these are my plans for 2008. A lot of this will probably spill over into 2009.

Practice More
Build a better music library
Buy more professional quality costumes
Search for a regular gig
Do A LOT of private gigs
Do two or three professional photo shoots (Pixie, Michael Baxter, and Sarah Skinner)
Get some gosh darn business cards for goodness sake already!!!
Go to Egypt (March)
Go to Egypt again (probably Dec. or Januarty of 2009)
Start group fitess certification courses (prep. for teaching)
Learn how to do a backbend
Take regular yoga classes
Be da bombest zill player ever!
Try to find a teacher that will be willing to let me do an "apprenticeship" with them (teaching)
Learn to work with veil
More in-depth learning of folkloric styles

I'll add more as I think of them :)

I'm adding more after looking at other posts...
Get a website
Get a press kit together
dance in haflas
Go to BDOC Conference (Rakgirl, I'm stealing all of your stuff)
And I know it's just a matter of luck, but I would like to dance at Rakkasah East (I won't be here or Rak West, otherwise I'd put that down too)
Dance on one of the stages at Cairo Carnivale

I'll put zills on my list. I'd also like to get good at floorwork with sword.
I would really like to perform at Rakassah, but we only know that's a matter of luck. So my goal should be - if I can perform at Rakasah, I want to be a memorable and enjoyable performance.

Oh yeah - and have a baby. I forgot about that goal, which could impact any of the above, I suppose. it will be my first.

I'm not putting Egypt - I AM going in February. Then I'm going to get pregnant, inshallah. :-)

Originally Posted by Nepenthe

I'll put zills on my list. I'd also like to get good at floorwork with sword.
I would really like to perform at Rakassah, but we only know that's a matter of luck. So my goal should be - if I can perform at Rakasah, I want to be a memorable and enjoyable performance.

Oh yeah - and have a baby. I forgot about that goal, which could impact any of the above, I suppose. it will be my first.

I'm not putting Egypt - I AM going in February. Then I'm going to get pregnant, inshallah. :-)

Yay for pregnancy! Wishing you all the best of luck Nepenthe!

I'll also add that I'd like to find my futute hubby. We don't have to get married in 08, tho. I'll put that and a baby down for 2010!!!

Kidnap Sahra and then allow her to beat me back into shape.

Practice more

Pick up more dance classes

Go to Raqs B again

Egypt is on the list. Turkey is a possibility.

More cross training - -yoga, pilates and maybe a workshop or classes in another dance form.

{{HUGS}}}

Originally Posted by ejaghana

Yay for pregnancy! Wishing you all the best of luck Nepenthe!

I'll also add that I'd like to find my futute hubby. We don't have to get married in 08, tho. I'll put that and a baby down for 2010!!!

Wait! We can put down non-dance goals?

Future hubby and the move to London. . .

{{{{HUGS}}}

i'm going to steal some of what others said.

cross train (yoga, weights, aerobics etc.)

go to a work-shop every month.

Go to Egypt (July) and do individual lessons with greats

Go to Morocco's week long

Go to Suhaila's Level I in March and Maybe Level II later in the year depending on how well I do I may repeat Level I

Go to Belly Dancers of Color Festival in DC in May

Go to Rakassah for the first time

Build a Better Music Collection- Full of Classics

Listen to More Live Music and See more Dancing to Live Music

Build a Better Instructional DVD Collection

Get a professional photo shoot done

Get Business Cards

Get a Website

Teach 2-3 times a week.

Get a Fitness Certification

Dance Monthly in Haflas and other places

Get more involved in the Chicago BD scene

Incorporate

Update my teacher's website and press kit

Buy more costumes and props

Wow it's gonna be quite a year. I better go to sleep now.

yeah the non-dance.

Get engaged already and hopefully have a fall wedding in the Bahamas.

Hm. Do totally impossible goals count? If so, I'd like to follow Tamra-henna of CA around the country and take all her workshops.

Working on her Saidi choreography has been really instructive for me: in musical interpretation, construction of a choreography, Saidi styling, timing, etc.! I'd like to find something just as meaty in a taxim beledi or a nice Oriental piece.

For now, I'm going to study my new (used) Shareen el Safy tape, and learn Habiba's Gawaher choreography.

And, my dancemates and I are developing a little show for one of the local nursing homes in January.

What a great thread!

I want to solo perform this year and with a prop, either zills or a sword.
I've never sword danced in my life, but I'm getting a sword this year for Christmas. I also need to improve my zilling a lot, since I haven't been doing it that much.

Definately get the wood floor in my dance room because dancing on carpet sucks.

Practice more-more-more-more!

Attend Spirit of the Tribes again for 2008. Great line-up of teachers this year!

Cry ALOT when my teacher moves to N.C. in the summer ..cr.:

And with my teacher moving...summon up enough energy to drive to Miami or Port Charlotte for classes.

Hopefully get rid of the remaining 40 pounds I need to lose so I can buy a killer costume (that's my weight loss reward!)

Get my buisness cards done.

Do a photoshoot with my more fusion-oriented (current Rom/Balkan fusion music inspired) look for events where that's what I'm performing.

Perform more regularly.

Become even more organized with taking and making costume orders and expenses.

Regain full strength in my left ankle and right wrist and work hard to prevent re-injury.

Side splits (although this isn't really for dance)

Help raise the bar for performances and professionalism in my area and to be inspired by others who do so and to inspire others by example.

Figure out how to get going to Turkey on my schedule.

Work with my zills more.

Dance at at least one festival.
Take as many workshops as I can manage.
Make the costume I've been planning.
Get a few paying gigs, at least once in a great while!
Check out the restaurants around here that have dancers that I haven't been to.
Start writing for belly dance publications.

I'm gunna keep mine simple so that if I suprass my goal then I'll feel like I really achieved something ..l;, my goal is to take tabla lessons. There I said it - now I gotta do it!

Try to find a Ghawazee in Luxor
Go to Abu Simbal
Balloon ride over the Valley of the Kings
Remember those choreographies
Do justice to a group cabaret dance as well as tribal
Stop buying costumes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just keep on my feet and dance.........

Finally work more with all those instructional videos that I bought and maybe watched a bit or worked through the first quarter...

Go to more festivals (something I didn't really do much in the last 2 years)

For the rest, I first need to see which of my goals for 2007 I didn't achieve, but they are posted on Tribe I think and it's down at the moment... ..c::

MEISSOUN

I can zill, and I can dance, but I still havent managed to do both.
Id like to perform a saiidi piece this year as well, in more traditional garb. Its been a looong time since Ive done that. I guess I want to go folkloric on my own a$$,

-keep on with my regular practice schedule

-keep on working on my flexibility.

-take the intro to Gumboots class that as been added just before my 2 bd classes at the school i work at. I have to find the energy for it+2 bd classes . It will be good for my coordination and cardio.

-must take classes from the krumpin teacher at the other school i work at. so much fun and will be a change from my hip hop classes.

- make business cards and a personal web site , i have been postponing this for 2 years.

-seriously work on my first tribal fusion number. i have been working on my technique for it for a year , now i have to make this number happen.

-work on a nubian number

-go back to Folktours in May.

-watch the 6 dvds that have been on my 'to watch ' pile for 3 months.

I really want/need to get to some workshops this coming year. Also I want to focus on advertising myself for more non restaurant gigs. I love restaurant dancing but the pay is so crappy. Show me the money! I need to be costumed in the manner in which I have become accustomed. ..l;,

Oooh..Plan a 2009 trip to Egypt. Improve improv skills and learn use zills through out an entire chore.

Work on arms, posture, body placement/angles (been doing that for a little while and already seeing some improvement)

Really drill shimmies so they're powerful and controlled

Develop a few solid solo sets

I'd like to work towards becoming a pro soloist, so when I feel comfortable with saying I'm pro, I want to get professional photos, a website and business card. And a promo video. I don't know if this will happen next year or not, but it would be nice to have something going by the end of next year. Not pushing myself though!

Only buy one or two costumes. This will be hard. I would like an emerald green costume, and a lycra galabeya or beladi dress. Something where I can do assaya and melaya it would be awesome if I could learn to make a costume, but I'm afraid I don't have the patience.

Oh, choreograph an assaya and melaya leff dance :D

Start teaching.
Build a dance website.
Work on some new choreographies--baladi progression, saidi pieces
Improve my drumming with more practice
Try to be a better human being
Lose 20 more pounds

Souzan

Buy a camcorder, record my practices and actually watch what I recorded.
Build a core group of 15-20 minute sets for various occasions (wedding, party, pop, classics, goth...).
Get cracking on my website.

But the biggest goal is continue the work I'm doing in figuring out what my raqs sharqi style is, and work to refine it into something that is honestly and artistically me, while keeping it general public-accessible. For example, zills are really expected of a dancer here. I am not American Classic style, so how can I incorporate zills into a set in a way that feels right to me, from music choice to the practicalities of how/when to put on and take off the zills? Those kinds of things.

Originally Posted by lizajuk

Stop buying costumes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!!



;)

just kidding. that one is impossible for me.

Get to Turkey..........................

Originally Posted by yasmindiab

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!!



;)

just kidding. that one is impossible for me.

Please note the ???????????..l;,