Ho Chin Mihn City

HO CHIN MIHN CITY (Saigon) I didn't have as many days to spend in HCMC as I did in Hanoi. My schedule was also less intensive, so I had more time to rest, do a little shopping, and hang out with my kind hostess, Sandrine and her family who had just arrived from an extended holiday in their home country of Switzerland. They have a lovely small mansion in HCMC and her husband and teenage sons were also very patient and generous in sharing her time with me during my stay at their home. They also treated me like a member of the family and even invited me for an evening at some friends' house, where I tried to test my French listening skills and see how much I could understand -- not much. I was also invited by Donald and Lauren with an invitation extended to Sandrine, who accompanied me to their fantastic Lebanese restaurant named Byblos. If you visit HCMC, you must go there. The food is delicious and authentic, the atmosphere very inviting (especially upstairs) and they feature Belly Dancers. I patronize anyone who supports dancers and our beloved art form. Plus Donald and Lauren are extremely friendly and warm. We enjoyed the performance of two of Ngan's (a local BD teacher) students. They were lovely young dancers and very energetic. They used traditional music and were very enthusiastic in their renditions. I really enjoyed the evening. Then, we had a bit of audience participation and we all got up to dance. Sandrine is the Oriental Dance instructor at DanCenter where I conducted my workshops, and she is now also teaching with Ngan at another location. Belly Dance is very new in Saigon, but there is a huge interest and some students are pursuing this art very seriously.

Whereas in Hanoi the majority of the participants in class and workshops were Vietnamese, the majority of participants in HCMC were from other parts of the world, either living there or passing through. It was very interesting for me to teach students from Eastern Europe, which was a new experience. It always amazes me how dancers from all over the world can get together and share this beautiful dance as a common bond. One of the highlights of my cultural experiences in HCMC was the night that Sandrine and I went to see a show of water puppets. I have a fascination for puppets and seriously pursue the art of Shadow Puppetry (after visiting Bali several times), but I had never heard of Water Puppets. This art is also popular in Hanoi, but I didn't have time to go see a show there, so I was as delighted as a child when I got a chance to see it after all. I even took pictures with the lifesize puppets outside. I totally enjoyed the show and was amazed at how precisely the puppeteers can manipulate the puppets on the surface of the water and standing in water out of sight of the audience. Finally the day arrived that I had to leave Saigon and say good bye to Vietnam. My sweet memories and gratitude to all will always remain. I was now on my way back to Malaysia, where I would again stay at Esther's house (she deserves so many thanks from me), and teach workshops at her son's studio named Outcast located in the greater Kuala Lumpur area. My next blog will be about those incredibly intensive two days. My flight back to Malaysia was calm, but my heart was stormy due to the news of my puppy back home being very ill.

Belly Dancing in Hanoi

Hanoi : I will never forget it.

Everything was nearly perfect during my whole stay of 8 days!
The gracious owner of Apsara Studio (An) allowed me to stay in the studio complex, in a beautiful room overlooking a cozy tropical garden. Apsara Studio is also home of the project Hidden Hanoi. There, they offer cooking classes and basic Vietnamese language for tourists as well as an assortment of dance classes. The whole complex is beautifully decorated and welcoming. An designed the studio and came up with the concept.

The whole staff was so friendly and helpful that I can't describe in words. They simply treated me like a member of the family. Since Ara (the Belly Dance teacher) was in France during the month preceding my arrival, Giang ( a member of the troupe Bastet Douat) did a lot of the organizing of the workshops in conjunction with An and the Apsara studio staff. Their level of professionalism is just amazing! Ara arrived the day after I did and she is a delight to hang out with, plus a great teacher and dancer

The workshops and group private lessons were a lot of fun and I hope that they had as good a time as I had. Everyone also kept me busy in the evenings, finding great places to go eat, or inviting me to their own homes!!! The generosity and hospitality of the Vietnamese people is unforgettable and humbling, really. I felt totally pampered. Also in Hanoi I had the best massage ritual ever!

I could go on forever about how much I loved Hanoi. You just must go and experience it yourself. It is a very unique city with a rich history and culture and one of the most wonderful people on earth. They are getting ready to celebrate the 1000 year anniversary next year, I believe, so it will be a party!

The only regret I have is that I didn't have more time to travel around the area since I was happily busy involved in dance lessons, workshops and the Hafla, but I did get to spend two days at Ha Long Bay-- a MUST SEE for everyone. It is a bit overcrowded with tourists, I agree, but its beauty is worth it and that is why we all want to go there. I will always have a bit space in my heart for Hanoi and all the people who made it such a wonderful experience.

First Stop in Asia Tour 2009

It has been a long time since I posted in this blog. Since I can't go back in time to share all the exciting things that happened since my last post, the direction to go is forward. Thus, I will start with my recent trip to Malaysia and Vietnam to do what I love so much: teach dance

First stops: Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh, Malaysia.

Arriving in Kuala Lumpur is like arriving home away from home. Although it is on the opposite side of the globe, the palm trees visible from the train that runs 28 minutes from the KLIA airport to the Central is familiar and soothing. My dear friend Esther Tan recruited her friend and manager of her son's Outcast Dance studio to meet me and take me to her home. They brought a big van for my luggage. But to our disappointment, my luggage did not arrive with me and it took 3 days for it to be delivered to me in Ipoh, Malaysia.

After spending a very tired night at the comfortable home where I was welcomed by Esther, I rode the bus to Ipoh the next day. There, I had 3 days scheduled for workshops and private lessons hosted by Wendy at Dance Vogue Studio. Wendy is a very dynamic dancer and very friendly person. This was her first time hosting Belly Dance workshops at her studio. She had been traveling, and August was a vacation month. I was busy however, with small group workshops and private lessons. The most challenging workshop to teach was the scheduled double veil choreography because the level of participants was so different. Some dancers had never held a veil, while others were ready for the choreography. As usual, I explained that one gets from a workshop all they can, and the higher the level, the more they absorb because many of the concepts they hear in one workshop, they will have again at another and with time it gets easier. I hope that everyone got at least a new move or combination.

I really enjoyed teaching a 9 year old a new choreography with use of finger cymbals. She had never used them before, and still she got most of the choregraphy in a 2 hr lesson.

One of the highlights of my stay in Ipoh was to spend time with my dear friend Annie Ong who came from Alor Star to support Wendy's event and spend time together with me. I love to be with Annie because she is a true friend who tells you like it is, but also supports her friends with all her heart. We always laugh a lot and this time was no different. We got "invited" to crash a birthday party for a 21 year old by his Indian family. Wow, what a party that was! They insisted for us to come in and we finally did, and before we realized it we were dancing with the family, and I ended up on stage with the birthday boy... Really hilarious. Annie arranged this feat, but sat quietly taking a video as an excuse to not be dragged up with me.

Wendy and her family took Annie and I to an incredible seafood restaurant. The food in Ipoh is famous for its flavor and its thick, crunchy bean sprouts. Yummy, I always put on a few pounds in Malaysia.

After the workshops in Malaysia I had to tell everyone a sad good bye and return to KL by train. Again, Esther picked me up at the train station and took me to her house ( I can't express enough how sweet and kind Esther is). The following morning, I had to return to the airport to fly to Hanoi. Esther asked her nephew to take me to the Central and soon I was in the train along the palm trees on my way to my next adventure. I had never been to Vietnam and my heart was racing with excitement.

SAMRA'S Summer Schedule

CALENDAR OF CLASSES AND EVENTS

JULY

Summer Schedule: Traditional Middle Eastern Belly Dance (Raks Sharqi) 6 week sessions. BEGINS JULY 12 (ongoing and begins each 6 weeks) $50 each both $75
Thursdays: 6:45-7:45 - Beginners (Introduction to Technique, Isolations, Toning)
7:45-8:45 - Combinations, Choreography, Introduction to Props

AUGUST – DECEMBER 2007

THURSDAY EVENINGS: Same Schedule as above.

TUESDAYS 5:00-5:45 - WORLD DANCE SAMPLER FOR ALL AGES: Hawaiian, Tahitian, African, Brazilian, Classical Persian (Similar to the exercise class, but focus will be less on exercise and more on proper technique—only 2 styles per class, rotating) $25 per month

TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS: Private lessons by appointment in: Free style Latin/Brazilian (no partner), Polynesian, Middle Eastern, Turkish, Beginning Persian, and North African. $30 per hr. ($20 for each additional consecutive hour - Packages available)

LUNCHTIME MONTHLY CLASSES:
Tuesdays: 12:00-12:45 PM - ShimmyRobics (Shimmy into Shape) $25 per month
Thursday: 12:00-12:45 PM - World Dancercise ( Hawaiian, Tahitian, African, Brazilian, Bhangra, Persian) $25 per month. ($40 if doing both)

Special DanceCamp for Youth - Middle Eastern Dance Intensive
August 6-10, 10:00am-12:00
$100 includes: 10 hrs instruction, Music Cd, hip scarf and dance scarf if registered no later than 2 weeks before. $80 for late registration without the extras.

Each day will begin with a warm-up and end with a cool down. All classes will contain cultural information about the dances.

Day 1 – Posture, Alignment, Isolations, Rhythmic Walks, Basic steps and arm positions
Day 2 - Muscular control of movements, Shimmies of hip and shoulders, Start choregraphy to a POP Arabic song.
Day 3 - Steps and Turns, Drill of previous material, Introduction to dance with scarf, Middle of choreography
Day 4 - A Lebanese Folk Dance to warm-up, Review all of the above and complete the choreography
Day 5 - Review all material and refine the choreography. Presentation of Certificates.

Performance of the choreography will be presented at a place TBA. (optional)

SPECIAL SATURDAYS WITH SAMRA

MINI- WORKSHOP SERIES ON SATURDAYS - 2:00-4:00. Please, see dates and topics. Each workshop $30 at the door, $25 if paid no later than 2 weeks prior. Teachers submitting advanced registration with 6 students in one transaction receives complimentary pass. Purchase 4 workshops for a total of $80!!!! Pre-registration recommended. Notes provided. Bring water, and lots of positive energy!
All wokshops include warm-up, cool down and a fun interactive activity to reinforce the topic.

8/4/07 - “SHAKE IT WITH RHYTHM” - Combinations to 8 popular Middle Eastern Song Rhythms: Beledi, Maksum, Saidi, Masmoudi, Ayub, Malfuf, Felahi and Karachi.

9/8/07 - “ADD RHYTHM TO YOUR SHAKE” - Fear-Free Finger Cymbals Fiddling. Combinations to various style of music and for making your own music. Your finger cymbals and you will become best friends and dance partners! Guaranteed FUN.

TO BE CONTINUED WITH MORE EXCITING EVENTS AND GUEST INSTRUCTORS!!!! Keep checking for updates.