time for a new aziza thread!

[Khalida]

And drink plenty of water on beforehand
And go pee

[Khalida]

Originally Posted by elisagamal

I'm going to be matron of honor in her wedding this summer... :)

Aaawwww.. take pictures!! And hug her from us fangirls over here

Originally Posted by elisagamal

(if you get a chance, ask her about tractor ballet or the time the family pygmy goats went mistletoe hunting on christmas eve)

Yay, she talked about tractor ballet in Duisburg last year. I'll certainly ask about mistletoe-hunting pygmy goats next time

Originally Posted by elisagamal

for the on fire dvd, aziza did not get a choice in the music. when taping, she had to do the whole dvd in one day. it was exhausting. there weren't really any chances for retakes, and she didn't have any control over the final cut (or the still photos lifted to put on the cover). isn't that crazy??

Ugh.. thats just nuts.. they just have no idea what magic they were wasting there

Sigh..
Aziza threads always make me want to use many many smilies
She's just so awesomely awesome.. and very nice to boot

[Vasha_Hatal]

Ive seen her live a few times, the first of which was when I was 13 and just starting out. My first reaction, which I voiced to another dancer next to me, was 'I bet I could do everything shes doing someday... better than she does it'. The dancer I was talking to pretty much told me to shut up and that I couldnt possibly. Why? There werent any moves that looked like she took years to master, shes just very good at all of the standard moves.

I appreciate her training, beauty, and personality but I honestly see nothing really special about her.

Thank you for replying though, its always interesting to hear why people are drawn to certain dancers. To each her own :3

[artemisia_danst]

i'm needing a couple of years to get that flutter down though. i'm still debating giving up on belly rolls :-( but sometimes something moves, so maybe i should just keep at it!!

i finally got the tail spin, sometimes. and the float is even getting easy! (my students hate me for that one though, i make 'em practice it for like ever!!). working on combining it with hip movements now, pfew!!

teaching aziza inspired advanced veil this sunday, with some of my own inventions thrown in. really looking forward to that.

[Khalida]

I'd keep on trucking on the bellyroll if I were you Artemisia If somethings moving sometimes then the battles already half won.

I'm still flutter-frustrated. I understand the theory of the move, but when I follow the instructions most of the times I see nothing happen, and other times a whole lot happens and it looks kinda cool but it doesn't look like a flutter

[Bellybabe]

Aziza is getting married this summer? Very cool. I loved the story of how she met Eric.

Next question is . . . will she dance at her own wedding . . . ?

[donnadiva]

Originally Posted by laura 2

Oh, sh*t.

If I don't make it, bury me in my blue and green Pharonics! Seriously though, that's why I'm going - I need a good old fashioned butt kicking.

Hey, if this old Diva could hang in there (last year in Chicago), you sure as heck can do it. Of course, I was shooting the stink eye in Aziza's direction and thinking if I survived the day, I would be putting the itching powder in her costume that night. But then I realized at the ripe old age of 60 -- I WAS DOING IT!!! When some younger and more fit were dropping like flies! Thank you, Aziza, for kicking this old butt into overdrive and proving that you're never too old to shake your bootay!!

[elisagamal]

Originally Posted by Vasha_Hatal

Ive seen her live a few times, the first of which was when I was 13 and just starting out. My first reaction, which I voiced to another dancer next to me, was 'I bet I could do everything shes doing someday... better than she does it'. The dancer I was talking to pretty much told me to shut up and that I couldnt possibly. Why? There werent any moves that looked like she took years to master, shes just very good at all of the standard moves.

my dear, there is so much more to being an excellent dancer than what moves you can do. if that's all you're looking for, you will entirely miss the breadth and depth of what she has to offer. perhaps when you get a little older and you've been around longer you'll understand what the fuss is all about.

[indigostars]

Aziza's greatest strengths, IMO, are that she has terrific stage presence and grace. Her arm fluidity and the gracefulness of her hands is stunning to see. While some of this is good genes (she has probably one of the most beautiful smiles ever), there is definitely something about her that makes people watch.

I don't feel like she's in a category by herself, per se, but she manages to stand out in that category, similar to how not all tribal fusion types are Rachel Brice, even among her own troupe. I'm sorry if that made no sense.

Although this is the Aziza thread, I think it's fine to dislike a dancer's style; I don't care for Dondi's style, for instance. However, I gladly admit I can see why others like her and that she is indeed important to the community. It's kind of like how some people don't like The Beatles.

[Bellydancingcaroline]

I would like to add that her Scotland workshops sold out completely, and the feedback from the students was great from the event. Aziza was a nice person & pleasure to spend time with.

[laura 2]

I lived through the 21 minute shimmy drill!!!!!

I'm still processing what I learned and experienced at the workshops. Aziza is truly one of the most inspiring and challenging instructors I've *ever* taken from. I was impressed with her one day of workshops that I took back in 2006, but taking the whole weekend and getting to know her a bit at the show/afterparty, combined with being at a level where I really *get* some of the higher level things she has to offer... It was both wonderful and completely overwhelming at the same time. I got a little teary eyed more than once, and I know I'm not the only one.

I've never had a workshop instructor so compassionate before. When we were all getting fried during the last hour of the weekend full of workshops, she stopped to say how she realized how long and hard we'd been working, and how she knew that we could dig deep and find the energy and focus to finish the choreo we were working on. She also made mention of the vendors in the next room, and encouraged us to make sure we supported them by purchasing anything that we had our eye on before they had to pack up everything and go home. It's kind of hard to put into words, but I just really felt like she was emotionally *there* for every single person she came in contact with. I've known a lot of down to earth instructors, but she's really in a class by herself. When she offered individual correction (which I was the very necessary recipient of a couple of times), you came away not feeling embarrassed or put on the spot, but doggone lucky for being able to have one-on-one attention from her. I don't know how she manages to just give and give and give like she does, but we're certainly blessed that she manages to do it somehow.

I could probably go on for pages, but maybe I'll just leave it that I'm her devoted fan/slave for life. I could imagine taking workshops from her many, many times and always learning something new and inspiring from her. I hope she comes back to the Midwest many more times!