CST for Belly Dance Workshop

[Coach Billew]

Hello Tribe,

I just wanted to share with you all that last night I led a CST for Belly Dance Workshop with the aide of Jason(theformerone). Several members of my partner's Belly Dance Troupe attended, and they all seemed to have a great time. They were very engaged, and asked many questions. Below is an outline of what we did.

Introduction:
I had each of them work with a partner so that they could watch someone else do the movements, and begin to see form issues. So we started with a little Shadow Work to get them moving with their partner a little.

Next I talked a little about tensegrity, and the importance of joint health.

Then we went through a basic Warrior Wellness routine. I am going to follow up with a breakdown of this for them, so they can continue to practice if they want.

Then I spoke a little about fear-reactivity, and the purpose of Bodyflow. We then did a few different biomechanical exercises designed with the help of my partner to address issues they had specifically encountered in their Belly Dance Practice. I had prepped standing or wall leaning versions of all of the exercises because the potential age range of attandees was pretty broad. This turned out to be very valuable because we had an attendee who had recently fallen and badly bruised her hip and back. We then finished up with a kinetic chain using a few of the BME's we worked on.

At the end we had a brief Q & A, and I demoed a few movements with Clubbells, just to show them that side of the training.

Overall this was a great session, and hopefully a few of the people will get engaged and maybe seek out some additional coaching. We had many interesting discussions while training about the various issues they have been having, and how CST might help resolve those issues.

[Scott Sonnon]

Slade,

We should post this as a review for CST Magazine. Please contact Ryan, and include any photos.

Well done, Slade and Jason!

[Randell Waddell]

Sounds great, Slade.

Cheers
Randell. :D

[Coach Billew]

Coach,

I have talked to Ryan, and am working on it.

Randell,

Thanks!

[Robert V]

Last year, I went to a big Mid-eastern dance event.

I got to watch Mid-eastern dance(many of them do not like the term "Belly-dancing") from all over the Mid-west.

The thing that stood out to me the most was the patterns of movement. Because of my devotion in CST, I often see "movement patterns" before I see anything else, art form or sport. I noticed that every movement pattern the dancers explored where similar movement patterns I/we explore in my yoga workshop via Warrior Wellness.

This inspired me to do research in Mid-eastern dance and it's connection with Russian Cossack dancing. The relationship I found had to do with the northern migration of this dance form, which was novel at the time, from northern Africa into Europe and Asia. I found some links.

What was most interesting was the mid-eastern dance inclusion of the "whole body" in their dancing. They "recruited" more joints than most dancing forms of the time. The fact that they moved the hips and articulated the spine was seem as "blue" or "obscene" or "sexual" to some. This cause some controversy.

Think about other Western, Asian and European forms of dance. Very isolated in their use of joints and also very two dimensional.

I found that usually many primative cultures used more joint recruitment in their dancing. The more "upperclass" you were, the less you moved your joints 3-D.

I also found that the Russian dancers had more 3-D movement and joint recruitment because of the influence and representation of daily activites in their dancing. Daily life, especially if you are poor and rural, is very three dimensional, therefore their dance would represent that pattern of movement.

This may be boring to some, but it fascinates me. I wish I had more time, I'd share more of my research...scientific or not.

I was so inspired that I called up the main Mid-Eastern dance instructor in the area for lessons, but I'm so busy we could not find a good time, but I will one day. I have a library of "bellydancing" videos I study. I incorporate movement patterns in my class, yet again, because of WW. most are already there.

Finally, I've been waiting months to share some of this!

[Coach Jones]

Sounds great, Slade, but please tell me you didn't wear the outfit :lol:

[Coach Billew]

Robert,

Interesting research. The people around here actually call themselves Belly Dancers so that's what I call them.

Brandon,

Are you saying I wouldn't look cute in a skirt and halter top? :shock:

[Ryan Murdock]

Slade,

No offense, bro, but the image of you in a skirt and halter is right up there with Brandon's CST Eta sombrero and thong.

[Coach Jones]

:shock: :lol: