Practice

12/16/2013
Two hour long classes with Sarah Jezebel Wood
30hr of warm up
Focus on layering 20min
armwork15 min
travelling hip circles, mayas. taxsims side to side with a maya or taqsim. undulations down to up. up to down--30min
25min of cooldown

12/17
10 min warm up
hip squares reps 15 min
umi reps 15 min
hip square travelling 10 min
umis traveling 10 min
one legged hip square (alternating) 10 min
one legged umis (alternating) 10 min
undulations up to down, down to up while walking
5min 4/4 hip practice. so hard to waggle relaxedly!
40 min cooldown--Extension practice from YFW

Notes: Umis are hard for me, umis while walking even harder. Today I figured out that when I squeeze a glute, the *opposite* glute instinctively wants to fire as well, thanks to three years of continuous up hip practice. This is what's causing my traveling squares to sputter out. So, I did a few reps of walking while squeezing only one glute and then alternated. It helped a bit. Bellydancing:  serious butt control business.

To doooo:
Practice hips on the down next, alternate with umis/square practice. 4/4 shimmy practice. Waggle waggle waggle.

Practice today

RB's Sinuous and Smoky Phrases 1hr and a half
Sword practice for show: 40 min
Cooldown: Practice for Neck and Shoulders from Yoga for Wellness: 30min

for good measure, post-performace (SO cold backstage)
forward bend practice from Yoga for Wellness.

8 Elements Practice Homework

It's somehow been a whole year! I've had a really good, gratifying, and eye-opening year of dance. Commited to many performances, which resulted in regular practice due to deadlines, met many new and wonderful people, got to perform in the same shows with folks I really respect and admire. Whew. Completed 8 elements: Initiation and registered for Cultivation this spring. (Arrrr elements. I left my heart in Portland.) I

t's a good time to dust off the daily practice blog, as I am to practice 3 times a week for the 3 months preceding Cultivation. I'm also really glad I chronicled my practice late last year: turns are better, flutters are happening, belly rolls can always improve.

Here we go:

Dec. 3
RB's Pinball #2 DD
Cool-down: Hips Practice from Gary's book

Dec 4
hour and a half class
focus on horizontal figure 8 with hip bump accent
one-legged hip drops with leg up, leg out variant
zils "i like chicken wings, not chicken legs)

Dec. 7
Zoe Jakes flow drills
(right glute remains rather weak--working up to arms again. flutters are happening! sporadically, but they are happening!! turns are in a decent place--better than last year)

Dec. 8th
warm-up--arm lifts, knee bends, loose hip circles
my own Daily Dose--down hips, double downs (double downs really need extra love) Today it wa easier flat-footed
practice with sword for Tues. performance (45 min)
cool-down: yoga practice for neck and hips