Oops

Oh my, has it really been over a month since I last posted?

Work has been crazy recently, and although I've had time to dance, I haven't had time to write about dancing.

Soooo, where were we?

Well, the shaabi workshop was fantastic. Very high energy and very technical- Shafeek threw us right in at the deep end, and did a lot of work with us trying to capture the right attitude for the dance. It must be a thankless task trying to get twenty odd English women to show some emotion, especially the sort of sassy, come get a slice of this attitude of the piece we were learning, but I think most of us got there in the end.

The one downside was that I got injured. Shafeek had us doing a move where we dropped our hip then bounced round 180 degrees and dropped again. It was done at warp speed and we were making such a meal of it that eventually he changed the move to something simpler. I didn't realise at the time, but I wrenched my right oblique trying to make the turn in time, and this was exacerbated by the fact we didn't do any cool-down or stretching when the class ended.

I'm still dealing with pain and stiffness in my right hip, so I guess this has taught me a stern lesson. No matter what you're doing or what the teacher is doing, you ALWAYS cool down and stretch after a class!

Costume-wise I am still plugging along very slowly with the silver bedlah, and thinking how much easier and cheaper costuming must be for ladies who can use a B cup bra as more than just a pastie.

A few hundred sequins in. A few hundred thousand to go.

This week I also picked up a pretty sari off a fellow dancer, so was able to start on a project I've been craving for a while- a khaleegi thobe. It's a truly global garment this- Indian sari, made in Japan (or so the label says), turned into an Arabian dress, using a pattern from New Zealand.

Next comes the fun bit- decorating. I've just learnt how to do chain stitch (I know, I know, most people learn that in kindergarten) so I feel the need for some glitzy crochet thread.