Costume by Drakon & M'lilah


costume by Drakon & M'lilah

Costume by M'lilah




Costume by Taryn Kennard (San Antonio)
Altered by M'lilah

The above costume had to be changed because it was sent to the dry cleaners and all the gold came off the front panels and vest.  Here's its new look !

And since M'lilah can make costumes, she gets involved in altering many of Drakon's students new costumes....

She recently learned that she can change bra cup from smaller to larger.......

Before - A Cup

After - C Cup

So, for alterations, contact M'lilah !

INTERVIEW FOR AUSTIN BELLYDANCE ASSOCIATION'S MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

DID YOU HAVE ANOTHER CAREER BEFORE BECOMING INVOLVED WITH DANCE , OR WAS DANCING A CAREER GOAL FROM CHILDHOOD?
Oh no, I’ve never had a career goal of any sort actually, it would probably be best to classify me as a professional student…I never could make up my mind,  but always throughout my whole life there was this artistic urge.  I always wanted to be involved in art of some sort….music, drawing or painting, movement.   My earliest image from childhood was of music.  My father was a fairly accomplished amateur musician playing in several bands when he was in college.  So music was always a part of the household, and whenever music was on I was always moving.   I couldn’t seem to sit still when music was playing.  Probably another influencing factor was being the 2^nd child in the family.  My older brother resented me greatly.  After my little sister, Randi, was born, it was more pleasant to spend time with her than with my older brother.  We played together a lot and most of my memories were of us playing ballet.  My Mother did take my sister to ballet classes for awhile.  Of course, I wasn’t allowed to go, but we would play together and pretend we were doing great ballet productions.

WHO GAVE YOU  OUR FIRST bellydance lesson, and why did you decide to try this form of dance ?
Lucila was my 1^st instructor.  I can’t really take credit for choosing to take classes, M’lilah was the one that wanted to take them.  I went along only because she wanted companionship while she went.  We had been to aerobic classes together for a long time, and it seemed like it would be helpful for me to have another movement form to add to my exercise program, but at that time, it never even occurred to me that I might ever want to perform that type of dance.

IT HAS BEEN 8 YEARS, WHAT MADE YOU STICK WITH IT ?  Why do you, a man, WANT TO bellydance ?   
What  ? Why ?  The music?  Maybe. The sensual way it makes me feel?   I really can’t say why for sure, but, because I was in good shape, I was eventually able to do most of the moves and after a few classes, I found I really liked it.  M’lilah’s practically deaf, and that deficiency interferes so much with her musical appreciation she has pretty much quit trying.   Mostly, I just like the music. Middle Eastern music makes me feel good - the rhythms, the lyrics, the melodies…whether classical, modern or techno pop.  The type of music we listen to is so very important because of the way it affects us, mentally and physically.  When the sound waves touch the body’s aura, they set up a harmonic resonation within the body that affects every system, every nerve, and every organ.  Our entire physical body responds.  Music affects our entire life – either positively or negatively. My left brain works well, but in order to reach the balance necessary for healthy living,  I honor my right brain’s strong female aspects as well.  In all I do, I strive to maintain a balance between the two.  I do not strengthen one aspect without the other.  I allow my female aspect the freedom to express itself.  I harm nothing.  I nurture all.  I am an accomplished artist; I practice Reiki and The Art of Ascension (a meditation).  To take care of my body - I dance. I cannot dance enough.   And I know that I have been gifted with a love for this dance form that’s deeply embedded in my soul.  .  My diverse performances of classical Egyptian “Raks Sharki” along with folkloric dances, particularly Nubian, Gawazee and Saide combines with my masterful use of a Scimitar sword to create a unique and powerfully intense personal style.   And whether I’m dancing with a silk veil or a sword…when my body moves to the rhythm of the music…my passionate, sacred and sensual feelings are sometimes almost overpowering.  

ARE THERE OTHER MALE BELLY DANCERS ?
Definitely !  Sunday, I drove up to Irving and took a workshop with Jim Boz from San Diago.  To name a few others……..there’s Horacio Cifuentes (Germany); Kamaal (California); Aziz (Utah) and his student, Raffa; Farnoush (California); Bert Balladine of the past few decades; John Compton of Habi Ru (California); Momo Kadou who also dances with his beautiful wife; Hassan Deeb (California);  How many have I left out...?   I am one of the few male Middle Eastern (Raqs Sharki) Dancer in Central Texas who performs publicly.  Other men who take classes.  I have had several male students in my Monday night class.

HOW DID YOUR UNIQUE STYLE DEVELOP?
I think all of us are unique.  Our life experiences and especially the way we perceive those and work with them makes each one of us a very unique individual and when we express ourselves, the expression is a unique expression.  I study with a lot of different teachers and try to learn as many different ways of moving as possible, so that I have a large pallet of movements from which to choose when trying to interpret music and present my perception of it.  

IS THERE A PARTICULAR TEACHER WHO HAS INFLUENCED YOU THE MOST ?
It would be hard to say there was one particular teacher that influenced me the most. Lucila was the one who instilled the love of the dance and the music in me to start with, but it wasn’t until I had a chance to study with Dee Ann Adams that I got the notion that maybe performing might be a thing I would want to do.   Since then, Jahan Jamal, Sahra and Aziza have probably been the most influential in developing my style as it is now.

YOU TEACH BELLY DANCE CLASSES, …..WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT TEACHING ?
I do benefit personally from teaching and having to think carefully about the moves, and define them more accurately, and perform them more precisely.  I think the thing that I enjoy most is seeing people new to the dance form become excited about it and want to make it a part of their life.  Second to that, I have noticed some of my students having increased health benefits, so that certainly is a reward also.

YOU AND M’LILAH CURRENTLY PRODUCE THE MONTHLY “DESERT PASSION MIDDLE EASTERN DANCE THEATER” -  WHAT WAS THE REASON YOU BEGAN THE SHOWS ?
There comes a point in every dancer’s progression, when the only thing that is going to really help them improve is to perform.  In August 2000, when we established DPMEDT, it seemed that there really weren’t enough performance opportunities and so, we wanted to provide that.  Also, this dance is such a beautiful art form, we wanted to introduce more of the community to it in a setting where families could bring their children if they wish.  We choose Casa de Luz Macrobiotic Community Center because it is so beautiful, and because they strictly maintain a no-smoke and no-alcohol rule.  It is located at 1701 Toomey Road in Austin, Texas.    Toomey Road makes a loop between South Lamar and Barton Springs Road, 1 block south of the Colorado River.  The auditorium is actually behind the Parkside Community School on the south side of the street.   For this one night, we literally transform the Auditorium into a beautiful stage.  The lineup’s different for each show, but consistently, whether the dancers are beginners or professionals, whether they’re from Austin and the surrounding area, or from somewhere else around the State, all of the dancers are very high-quality with diverse tastes in music and with unique-personal styles. We have not actually counted, but it is probably safe to say, there are a 50 or so different dancers gracing Casa’s stage each year and with that many, we create great opportunities for dancers who may never have a chance to perform in one of the larger shows or land a gig of their own.