I forgot to turn on my heat so it was cold in my studio when I got there this morning. On top of the cold my body was humming with an uncomfortable buzz.
I thought of the Tribal Workout video that my Bellydancing teacher Julz made for the class last Thursday. I didn’t get to it then, but today it would be just the thing to warm me up and dull the buzz.
In the first video Julz made for us, she was uncomfortable talking to the camera. But in the few weeks she’s been making the dance videos she’s become a natural. She talks to us as if we’re all in the same room together and I find myself talking back (or when things get too difficult yelling back).
She’s made us videos giving lessons on specific dance moves and practicing Zilling (those small cymbals we play on our fingers while dancing) along with dancing and workouts.
This afternoon I was transported back to puberty as I followed Julz dancing to “Freak Out” and “Stayin Alive“. There’s always a new playlist with Julz and when she goes back to the “oldies” it always makes me laugh.
As one song wound down, and before the next one began, Julz lifted her arms in a muscle-woman pose and gave us that “Look at me! I am wonderful ” stare. It’s that attitude that made me want to learn to Bellydance the first time I saw it.
There have been so many days in these past weeks when it feels like Bellydancing has helped keep me sane. It’s like when I don’t do yoga for a few days and my body aches to move and stretch in certain ways. Now it’s the same with Bellydancing. It moves my body in ways it now craves.
I don’t know what happens, but when I Bellydance it not only makes my body feel good but it helps me emotionally. I feel settled and grounded after dancing. I don’t know, but I’m convinced it has something to do with the way the dance moves my body.
For the past few days I’ve been trying to think of the perfect potholder I could make for Julz as a thank you gift for all the videos. Then she did that muscle-woman pose at the end of the dance and I knew what I wanted to do.
I froze the frame of the video and took a photo of it with my iPhone. Then I drew it and stitched it.
Tomorrow I’ll make it into a potholder and get it in the mail to Julz.
Just a suggestion, but I really like your drawing you did of Bedlam farm for the Mansion residents. Would you consider making them Maria and selling them to the rest of us? I for one would love to purchase them!
Thanks Marsha, I’ve had few people request it. I’m going to try and see if I can figure out how to sell them digitally on Etsy. For now I’m going to post the one I made for the Mansion and maybe you can just copy it from my blog.