Aziza of Portland, OR and Montreal, Quebec, Cananda in Winston-Salem, NC
Hosted by Ruby Scarab
Reveiwed by Johonna Gamble
After having a great workshop though not a good promoter experience earlier this year, I decided to look South for a seminar/workshop. When I received a packet of flyers from the lovely ladies of Ruby Scarab in Winston-Salem, the titles of the workshops and the teacher piqued my interest. The workshops included improvisations, drum solos, traveling steps and body conditioning with Aziza. Having known Aziza for many years, it was wonderful to see her sponsored by a group not too far from my current home and even more wonderful is to see what a terrific instructor she has become.
To give a little of my history with Aziza we have to go back to 1991. I was a very young dancer entering and placing in a dance contest sponsored by the Middle Eastern Dance and Culture Association (MED&CA) in Portland, OR. Part of the prizes I won that day was a private lesson with a newer instructor, Aziza. It was an intimate thing that took some time for us to arrange but from which we both benefited. Unfortunately as a single mom I could only afford the semi-private lessons I was already taking from Sultana, so I didn’t pursue more lessons. Then in 1999, while living in Corvallis, OR I was fortunate to take a Drum Solo Technique class she taught for the Corvallis Belly Dance Performance Guild (I still have and refer back to the bright blue handout from her class.) Then there were the classes I took from her at Rakkasah East in 2005.
Fast forward to 2007, and my boys and I hop into the car for the 2 hour drive south. Not a bad drive, except that this last week we’ve had record high temperatures for our area. When we pass the triple digits for more than 2 days here, it’s pretty horrible. Not from the heat, but from the humidity. Nothing like stepping out of the house straight into a sauna; makes it really easy to get dehydrated. With the air conditioner on we made quick time, and checked in to our hotel before the class started at 10. My boys dropped me off at Wake Forest University and headed back to the hotel for time in the swimming pool while I headed in for the body conditioning class.
I didn’t need to be outdoors to sweat. With non-stop movement involving different drills on isolations and a 20 minute shimmy set, everybody was dripping by the end of class. Lunch break had me downstairs at the eatery and my notebook in hand, jotting down as much I could remember or thought important for later. (Boy, I really miss getting handouts.) Returning from lunch we went into drum solo technique with a lovely choreography to track 7 on Layali Al Sharq as well as techniques on working with a drum solo on CD or with a live musician. A quick clean-up and change had me having dinner at a local restaurant and ice creamery with my boys and several ladies from the Gastonia, NC area including another baby in attendance, Connor, whose bright brown eyes, dimples and pre-walking chubbiness had us all cooing and talking baby.
The evening show was at a lovely venue, the Brendle Recital Hall, with stadium seating and a gorgeous wooden stage. The performances ranged from beginning dancers to the seasoned with a good cross section of dance styles, though a bit heavy on the fusion. Special mentions will be given to a traditional Kaleegi by Asali of Gastonia, NC, a Turkish Tribal Fusion by Mandara of Blackburg, VA that reminded me very much of the Dunyavi style, a stunning performance by Shayda of Charlotte, NC who used spinning fire weights (poi pots) with scarves attached to do a beautiful routine and the women of Ruby Scarab doing a routine to Hakim and James Brown wearing bright, shiny, red outfits with big hats trimmed with leopard fur and gold chain necklaces with 2 inch gold dollar bill signs on them. Everybody had a great time. Topping the evening performances was Aziza, whose floating upper body locks over smooth footwork and stage patterns as well as her clean lines of costume and positioning was a drizzle of fabulous on an already delightful evening. I also want to say that the lighting and sound guys did an excellent job and I look forward to seeing a copy of the performances on DVD.
The next morning had my boys dropping me off again for the traveling steps class. Aziza had us moving from the get go, starting with walking and moving straight into a warm-up. Continuing to focus on moving us from one side of the room to the other we went through several combos moving from corner to corner before taking a water break. Returning from the break she treated us to a requested item; how to float across the stage before moving back into her planned line-up, ending with a lovely combination for masmoodi kabir. After a light lunch I returned for the improvisation class. Starting with a lecture and any other questions that came up, we got moving again with simple combinations then alternating between improvising our own movement choices then the combos. We wound down for the finish of class with more improvisation with different focuses of attention. Nice and very applicable.
Aziza did a great job mixing humor with the very serious topics of creating space, moving inward and outward in the dance, and techniques of how to get more powerful and precise. Her sweet smile and giving attitude made her easy to approach and solicit advice from. She was gracious during all of her classes. Ruby Scarab did a wonderful job hosting. They planned ahead and offered early bird rewards (I love my new yoga mat and carry case). They chose lovely locations for the classes and the evening performances and found a reasonable rate a local inn. With attendees who traveled over 4 hours by car to attend, they, both Ruby Scarab and Aziza, made the trip well worth while. Thank you.
(http://www.shimmies-r-us.com/)
