Janan

3:31pm: Some pics from the Hawaii trip are up now :)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mahjan/sets/72157604906104188/

It was a lot of fun, but I am glad to be home and enjoying the spring here:)

3:28pm:

Shimmy South 9 with Aisha Ali

Sponsored by Qadria and Belly Revelations

Held in Raleigh, NC

Topics: Persian Motreb, Ouled Nail, Ghawazee

 

 

Ansuya Cabaret Comprehensive Certification

Sponsored by Southern Fusion Productions

Held in Athens GA

Topics: Firecracker Openings, Scintillating Shiftitelli, Basic Beledy, Dramatic Veil, Drum Solos That Rock, Fantastic Floorwork

 

10:16pm: The making of the Fabulous FanVeilzz DVD

6:30pm: Had a blast at Shimmy South 9


I'll try to post more after I have rested :) So much fun!

3:11pm: Mahsati Janan is in Jareeda Magzine!
Hi friends!

My pictures and article have been published in the January/February 2008 Jareeda Magazine. Jareeda, the international magazine for Middle Eastern Dance, is a fantastic publication that focuses on all things belly dance related.

There are a number of theme issues per year for costuming, workshops, videos, music, and dance styles. This is the annual costume issue and I am proud to see my works appear alongside such wonderful dancers as Princess Farhana, Liora, Sarah Skinner, Dhyanis, and many more. I definitely recommend this magazine to anyone interested in belly dance around the world.

You can find my article on page 24 of the current issue. "Peacock Fairy Goddess" is the story of one of my most recent and most meaningful costume creations.

This is actually the second time my costumes have made an appearance in the annual costuming issue, so I am doubly proud!

Happy Dancing!!
Mahsati Janan
www.mahsati-janan.com

5:48pm: Preview....available soon!

10:52pm: the beautiful moon
My husband and I sat outside and watched the lunar eclipse tonight. It was absolutely gorgeous to just sit there and look at all of the stars in the darkness and see the moon's reflected light slowly filter away until it was glowing with with the diffuse shadow of the earth.

It was such a beautiful sight. I keep sneaking back out to see what has changed - I am so fascinated by the universe.

11:07am: February/March Newsletter
All the good stuff going on right now:

( Read more... )

11:41am: Wow - things have been really exciting lately for me, so I will just try to put as much as I can into a few words :)



So - there you have the quick version! Everything dance-wise has been great lately - well, everything in general has been great lately :)

My new website is also up, so feel free to visit here - More stuff to be uploaded and updated there soon!

Happy dancing, everyone!!

2:31am: Very Cool Quizzes
Ok - first try, my scores were as follows

http://tonometric.com/rhythmdeaf/
I scored 92.3% on this one

http://tonometric.com/adaptivepitch/
1.2 here

http://jakemandell.com/tonedeaf/
86.1 here

These were actually really cool and I feel like I contributed to science LOL

Now - my plan is to retake them later and see if my scores change!

9:52pm: Absolutely fabulous! Art by NikkiJ
As part of my holiday joy this year, I received custom commissioned artwork by NikkiJ  - I am now a fantastic anime-styled Egyptian dancer and Peacock Goddess!

8:57am: Learning about yourself by seeing through other's eyes
Johari and Nohari windows are ways that you can learn about yourself by having people choose 5 or 6 words to describe you.

If you would like to help me out, please answer how you perceive me at:

With words that are my positive characteristics: http://kevan.org/johari?name=mahsati_janan

With words that are my less than positive areas: http://kevan.org/nohari?name=mahsati_janan

Be totally honest :) I am interested :)

4:45pm: Belly Dance Classes with Mahsati - December 2007 Newsletter
Belly Dance Classes with Mahsati - December 2007 Newsletter( Read more... )

4:31pm: Ask me a question, get an answer :)
1 question...
1 chance...
1 honest answer...
That's all you get...

Ask me 1 question.
Any 1 question, anything,
no matter how crazy it is.
An honest answer.

No catch.
Except one. All comments will be screened so your question stays private between you and me, and only you will get to see my answer to your question.
But I dare you to repost this
and see what people ask you.

8:17pm: Howlin' at the Moon - Greenville
We went down to Greenville this weekend for the Howlin' at the Moon workshop and masquerade show sponsored by Show'leh and Southern Djinn. It was absolutely wonderful. The workshop with Liora was a lot of fun and it is always a joy to watch her slink her way around a room.

The show was exciting with lots of acts from Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina (and probably more!) Everyone did a beautiful job on their costumes and themes for the show. Since this was a masquerade, everyone's creative sides really came out. We had fairies, zombies, prisoners, witches, gothic ladies, a necromancer, and I'm not even sure what else! Liora brought down the house with her rendition of Vogue - and I think Madonna could definitely learn a few moves from her! :)

Show'leh and Southern Djinn did a great job with all of the decorations and kept everything running smoothly despite some problems with the sound system. Lots of pics from the performances are up on my flickr account linked through this group picture.

If you ever get a chance to attend one of these events - go! Show'leh, Ra'eesah, and all of the Greenville dancers are part of a beautiful community. I am always honored to take part in their events.

10:53am: Fall for Me Habibi 2007 - Greenville :)
The big update on the weekend is here :) ( Read more... )

5:32pm: Tease

In progress and to go live in 2008 -

Qamari Dance Company and Banat Al-Qamar (student troupe)


:) Exciting times over here!

9:07pm: 9/29 Greenville, SC: Fall For Me Habibi Show & Layering Workshop with Mahsati
Here is the info for the 9/29 workshop and show!

3:07pm: Night at the Oasis - Knoxville
I went to a fabulous event this weekend sponsored by Debka in Knoxville. Linda of Tennessee taught 2 hours each of workshops on belly moves and a nice choreography and then a great show.

I loved getting the chance to meet everyone - there were some absolutely gorgeous dancers. The location was incredible - a good dance floor and mirrors everywhere.

Debka's students did a beautiful job (as did Debka). I missed out on most of the second half of the show backstage, but I will get to enjoy it all on dvd. There was an Azerbaijani scarf dance that I really wanted to see. The show was great overall. I especially loved visiting with Linda - it is the first time we have met and she was both talented and a joy to be around.

I am absolutely exhausted now....getting home at 3am for work at 7am is a little more adventurous than I like in my old age, but it was definitely worth it!

Oh! And it is official now: I am teaching a 3 hour workshop on layering techniques and combinations as part of the Fall for Me Habibi celebration in Greenville next month - more details to come. :)

2:04pm: Upcoming Class Schedule/Performances/Etc.
This is certainly a busy time for me!

Upcoming Dance Classes:Recent and Upcoming Performances:2007 Belly Dancer Demographics Survey:Other misc. updates
Ok...I think that is all for now, but I'll check back in if I think of anything else!

10:00pm: Finally....the schedule for the next couple of months is ready to go!

5:18pm: A pic from the Leyla and Roland show in Georgia :)
Yay! Absolutely love the photography by this guy - he took some really great shots of all of the dancers at the Leyla and Roland show.

9:26am: The Morocco Workshop and Show
Yay! The workshop and show were a lot of fun. I danced with the fan veils from Originals by Faye and really had fun with them.

While practicing with them I noticed that you really have to treat them more like double veils than fans, though there are a few things you can do with fans that are unique. This pic is some basic hip drops while bringing the fans down from overhead. :)

Morocco was interesting as always - she has such an incredible wealth of information and experience. I was really touched that when I came off-stage after dancing she complimented both my dancing and use of the fans very highly. It definitely means a lot coming from someone who has seen so much dance over the years!

I got to visit with Ra'eesha, Sharifa, Jessica, Reyna, Asim, and lots of other friends while we were there - really nice.

Special thanks to Onca for bringing great workshops to the area - it is always greatly appreciated! :)

2:08pm: Ok...the big update now that I have a moment..
Dance Goodies..otherwise known as "what are you up to?"
So that's the dancing...what else is up?
Ok....back to work for me. Just thought I would actually get the long promised update up here.

1:08pm: A dancing week!
It has been an exciting week so far! I've been a little under the weather (folks on my private list know the details - any one else can ask if you like), but I am soldiering through. This is a pretty busy month for me, so I just have to keep on going! I still don't have my April write up on the fan workshop up yet, do I? Ok - that's next guys. First the more immediate bits :)

This week is Fabiana's Spring Showcase and the East Coast Classic. Now, I have no illusions about winning the Classic, especially right now, but I thought it would be a great fun way to meet other dancers from this general area and to have a fun dance weekend. I am really looking forward to it.

Fabiana's showcase was last night and I had a great time. The show started at 7:30 and I think I closed a little before 10, so it was a pretty full evening! As always, it is wonderful to get to see all the local instructors and students perform.

Let's see....I know I won't remember all of it because I forgot to take notes, but Fabiana's, Diana's, Nancy's, and one of Onca's students performed for sure. The student groups were all great! I loved the bollywood flavor that seemed to creep in at times. It isn't my style to perform, but I love to see that stuff in action. I missed most of the bhangra number though from Munirah's dancers - I had to get changed for mine.

Highlights for me:
* Double Veil and sword from Fabiana
* Beledi Dance Theatre number with the elements and shamadan
* 5 Part American Nightclub routine by 5 of Fabiana's dancers
* Fan veils - (I can't remember which group did it, but the silk flowing was gorgeous)

As for mine, I did a short veil and drum solo number. It is such a great feeling to be part of a great dance community - I have been very fortunate in my life that most of the dancers I have been privileged to work with have had great ethics and emphasis on community. Thanks ya'll!

Here's a pic from the show :)