Alf Leila Wa Leila Choreography

I've always wanted to choreograph classic Egyptian music. I've always veered toward Turkish or Egyptian pop for my classes, mainly because it's easier to choreograph and easier for students to memorize. Pop is, well, predictable: 32 counts here, 32 counts there, chorus, rinse and repeat.

Classic Egyptian music is unpredictable. You don't know when the beat will change, when the instruments will come in, when it's going to speed up or slow down.

And that's exactly what makes it beautiful.

It might be difficult for my memory, but seeing it all come together makes it worth it.



Anyway, it's been a crazy month. With all the shows for Christmas parties, I am glad to have the time to update. I'll update more when I have a chance to grab pics. Until then :)

Waka Waka Choreography

I know, I know. The World Cup fever has died down like a month ago. But still, this is one fun dance. Shakira does another "dance-able-can't-stop-moving-to-the-beat" hit again.

Canon Pixma Launch - September 2, 2010 - Establishment, The Fort

4 bellydancers plus 6 printers. We thought we were all that...until the Ms. Earth pageant titlists showed up. Hmp. :p

Bellydance Superstar Visits Manila!

I got so excited the first time I heard that someone was bringing in the Bellydance Superstars in Manila. World famous bellydancers don't usually come to Manila. This is precisely why a lot of us Manila-based dancers travel to Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and China to attend workshops. So when That's D Pointe announced that Moria and Petite Jamilla were coming over, I immediately thought of all the money I will save -- no more airplane rides to enjoy a workshop.

So on August 6, we booked Moria for a private workshop (my first time to book someone for a private workshop. I usually attend the public classes). Petite Jamilla wasn't able to make it because of a family emergency. That's ok though, one teacher is better than none at all!

Moria taught us a tribal fusion choreography. The muscle work was difficult, but it's learn-able with a lot of patience and strength training.

On August 8, we attended a hafla with the workshop participants, with of course, Moria as the special guest.

Habibi Ya Eini and Tabel Ya Issam - Choreography

Another choreography completed by my lovely students. Two songs this time!

Bellydancing with KC Concepcion - July 1, 2010

So during my birthday, I got the rare treat to do a shoot with KC Concepcion for her morning show "Simply KC". The guest for the day was Vina Morales, and the topic was motherhood. So you ask me, what the hell does motherhood have to do with belly dancing?

Well, easy! Fitness is something moms forget because they get too caught up in daily errands. So a fun way to keep fit is by engaging in sports and other activities. In this case, belly dancing was the activity of choice. Yay!

Drama Queen, Veil Dance - Complete Choreography

We've finally completed the Drama Queen choreography! A big round of applause to my students, who executed the choreography well. Those eight sessions of sweat, body pain, and sore muscles were worth it after seeing this. Until the next choreography!

Turkce Yer Belly Dance Night - May 20 '10

Another show at Turkce Yer, this time with another enigmatic dancer - Kim Kong. We decided to do a spontaneous number together, using Tabel Ya Issam, a song we've both used for previous performances. Oh, we had so much fun! Here is the outcome:



It was my lucky night -- a talented photographer, Bert Aricheta, was taking pictures that night.

Drama Queen, Veil Dance Choreography

Here we are again with our dance class videos! My students are starting to hate me for posting videos publicly. But ladies, there is nothing to be ashamed of, I mean, look at your progress!

For this workshop, we're doing a veil choreography, by special request. The students wanted to use props, and I think the veil is perfect for their first exposure to belly dance props. This is us at the 5th lesson for this workshop, the choreography is about 2/3 done. Stay tuned for the complete dance, I should be posting that within 2 weeks.

Turkce Yer Belly Dance Night - April 30 '10

This was a special show, as there were 3 soloists performing - all with different styles. Aside from myself, there was Jill and Rosanna. Here's hoping we all dance together again soon.

Rajiv's 25th Birthday, March 20, Manila Yacht Club

This guy knows how to celebrate "quarter life" with a "splash". His secretary called me to ask about my availability, then passed the phone to Rajiv. We talked for a few minutes, he promised to call back soonest, and after 5 minutes, the phone rings -- and voila! I'm booked! Efficient, decisive and as he calls himself -- "obsessive compulsive".

I met him over coffee a few days before the party to discuss the event. He briefed on what will be happening (party at a yacht with a Mediterranean theme, catering by Persia grill, he hired a DJ, fireworks, etc.), something that a lot of clients don't immediately discuss with me unless I ask. Like I said, this guy is efficient, and I'm liking it.

Fun party overall. My show finished before the yacht sailed around the bay, so I wasn't able to witness how much fun they had. Happy Birthday Rajiv!

Tabi Tabi Choreography - Complete choreography

Here it is finally! After one cycle of the workshop (8 sessions), we have finally completed the choreography. However, the minute the students found out that I was filming this, they conveniently moved away from the camera ;P. Doesn't matter if you're camera shy or not, but bravo to my students for having enough storage in their memory banks to execute a 5-minute dance. :)

By request, I will be teaching a veil dance for the next workshop. Till then!

Tabi Tabi Choreography - the first half

My New Year's resolution was to keep a video archive of my choreographies. It's such a shame not to record them, because I completely forget each choreography after a month or so. I wish I had done this sooner! It would've been great to see how sucky my previous choreographies were. :p

This is especially useful if I want to re-use or re-hash these for future use. It's also great for students, because they're able to see and monitor their progress (this works for my technique for the same reason too!).

So here's the first half of Tabi-Tabi. Watch out for the complete choreography in the coming weeks.

*Note: This class is a mixed level class. Some have been taking my class for years, and some have been taking my class for 4 sessions. So you might notice that some are more comfortable with the movements than others. But like I always say, we'll all get there!

Erica Honrado Debut - February 27 - Blue Leaf, Taguig

Oh Erica. How do I begin to describe her?
Vibrant. Not quite.
Enigmatic. Hmmm.
Explosive. Tsk.

It's difficult to describe her, you have to EXPERIENCE her. I was lucky enough to be given a chance to teach her a choreography for her 18th coming out party. Erica and I got along the first time we met. She immediately got the choreography after 1 session (because she has dance experience, hence the quick pick-up), and we continued on with 3 more sessions for polishing and memory work.

And she did wonderfully during her big day. I'm so proud!

University Week at DLSU - February 19 - Taft Ave, Manila

The student council of DLSU invited me to dance for an afternoon show during their University Week. It was an outdoor show, the stage was set up in the middle of the field. There were rides, booths, and a bazaar happening that day.

The outdoor stage killed me though. Summer in Manila is blazing hot. And the stage absorbed the heat. Ouch, my toes. My feet. I was getting crossed-eyed. I felt the blisters forming. It hurt, but alas, the show must go on. It was fun nevertheless, but next time, I will bring dance sandals!

Maya Kitchen Mediterranean Party

The Maya Kitchen at Pasay Road, Makati, introduced their Mediterranean cuisine cooking classes to the press and some VIPs. Overall good show with a very appreciative (but shy) audience. Only the men were persuaded to dance!

This costume has been sitting in my closet for 3 years now. I bought it during my trip to Bali, but I hadn't had the chance to alter it. I'm glad I finally did, and it finally makes its debut.

Ringga Ringga Choreography

From the movie soundtrack of "Slum Dog Millionaire". The students loved the music!

Elizabeth Gilbert, author of "Eat, Pray, Love", speaks about the creative process. I'm pretty much sure that everybody who has created anything in his life has felt this anxiety. That feeling of being squeezed dry from trying to give birth to an idea that desperately needed to be translated to reality.

I am reminded of all those moments when I dreaded going to class or to a show, because I felt the choreography I prepared wasn't good enough. But yet, I promise that I will keep showing up.



"This is hard. This is one of the most painful reconciliations to make in a creative life. But maybe it doesn't have to be quite so full of anguish. If you never happened to believe in the first place that the most extraordinary aspects of your being came from you -- maybe if you just believed that they were on loan to you, from some unimaginable source for some exquisite portion of your life, to be passed along when you're finished with somebody else. If we think about it this way, it starts to change everything."

"Don't be afraid. Don't be daunted. Just do your job. Continue to show up for your piece of it, whatever that might be. If your job is to dance, do your dance. If the divine, cockeyed genius assigned to your case decides to let some sort of wonderment be glimpsed for just one moment through your efforts, then ole. And if not, do your dance anyhow. And ole to you nonetheless. I believe this and I feel we must teach it. Ole to you nonetheless, just for having the sheer human love and stuborness to keep showing up."

Turkce Yer Bar and Restaurant Opening, December 10 '09, Timog Q.C.

Leigh and Zeyne Tatli manage and own the newest Turkish restaurant at 35 Timog Avenue, QC -- Turkce Yer Bar and Restaurant.

The grand opening was graced by the presence of the Ambassador to Turkey, among other special guests. Try it out, the food is good and the prices are reasonable. I danced three sets, which was good fun, because the crowd was very appreciative. There might be regular bellydance nights there in the near future, so watch out for further announcements.