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WHAT ARE THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF BELLY DANCE ??

 This article was created by Beverly from
The Studio in Motion and included herewith  because it is good information !!

Belly Dance Helps in Losing Weight:  Belly Dance can burn up to 300 calories per hour.  This estimate will vary, of course, depending on the intensity of your dancing.  Combined with a healthy diet that involves sensible eating, belly dancing can without a doubt be part of a sound weight loss program.  It make take awhile though, so be patient. 

Back & Joint Pain is Relieved:  During the dance, the movements of hip drops, circles, figure eights, and shimmys put the joints and ligaments in the lower back and hip through a full range of gentle, repetitive motion.  This movement helps increase the flow of synovial fluid (nature’s lubricant) in these joints.  When movements are done properly, the pelvis is tipped forward, or tucked somewhat; neutral positions that can help prevent lower back problems.  Belly dancing can help relieve stress to the back, counteracting the almost constant compression of the disks that occurs from sitting and a sedentary lifestyle.  These toned muscles improve posture and help prevent back pain that can be caused by unnatural curving forward of the spine that occurs when muscle groups are weak (lordosis). 

Belly Dance Helps in Preparing for Childbirth:  The movements of Belly Dancing make an excellent pre-natal exercise regimen that strengthens the muscles used during the childbirth process.  The toned abdominal muscles and natural hip tucks, which are similar to the “pelvic rocking” taught during prenatal classes, teach the expectant mother how to move her pelvis.  For women who desire natural childbirth, this form of exercise through dance, with its emphasis on muscle control, not only facilitates natural childbirth, but also makes an excellent post-natal exercise that helps encourage abdominal tone.

 Stress Levels Become Lower:  Repetitious swaying, circular and flowing movements are likened to a state of dance-meditation.  The dancer often finds that a session of slow, graceful dancing will clear the mind and induce a state of mental relaxation.  The faster forms of belly dance are stimulating and fun and either slow or fast belly dancing can be useful in cases of anxiety or mild depression. 

Belly Dancing Boosts Self-Esteem:  The movements are artistic and feminine, creating a positive feeling of sensual expression and freedom.  With sensuality being a desirable quality of belly dancing, the dancer feels safe to explore the soft, beautiful ways the body can move.  In the act of dancing with sensuality, the dancer frees herself in physical and emotional ways.  Women with low self-image begin to honor their bodies.  Previously weight conscious participants relax and become comfortable with their bellies and hips.  Voluptuous women appreciate their ample curves.

 

 

SOME OF DRAKON’S     
     FAVORITE CDS

 

 

 

A must have album for any bellydancer, “Amir” was recorded in Egypt by the “El Masia Orchestra” and features renowned percussionist, Amir Sofi. This album contains 12  songs with styles ranging from Oriental with full orchestra, to drum solos, to taksims, to pop and tribal-fusion style.

 If you liked Amir Sofi’s “Millennium” and want more of the same, or, if you liked “Millennium” but really do not want more of the same, Amir’s newest CD  “Amir - The Middle Eastern Sound of Glory” should satisfy you either way.  Amir’s percussion work is recognizable, the orchestration sounds familiar (some numbers have vocals) and the remix songs (yes there are 3 out of 12) sound like some of the electronics were sampled in an elementary school’s boy’s restroom.  Other than that, it is a very fun CD to dance to.  I have it and I do recommend it. 

 
                      Can’t Find Locally ?      Try Peko Records      $14.99                   
             https://www.pekorecords.com/invalidProduct.php
 

 

  Yama Alou

by Nawal Al-Zoghbi (Zoughby)

YES.....it is a Pop CD
YES.....Nawal has a beautiful voice
YES.....she is one of Lebanon’s hottest female artists & definitely eye-candy
YES.....the percussionist can play more than just Saidi rhythms - 13 tracks of lively,      
             upbeat Lebanese songs & ballads (around 3:41 to 4:44 - the last one,
 a tribute to Abdel Halem Hafiz, runs 9:19)
NO.......re-mixes of tracks....
NO.......drum solos
NO...... songs I don’t like....
 

        YES....I do recommend this CD !!  Go buy it !

https://www.pekorecords.com        CD Product Code: 10147       $14.99
And to watch her in action....check this out...it’s the music for Drakon’s veil choreography that DPMEDC performs !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFVFSci2ZC8
 

*********************

Drakon loves having Female Dance Companions ! 

Contact him for an audition !

Drakon & Gabriela (1,001 Nights)
taken at Eternal Way on 6-7-08

Drakon @ Mabruka
taken at Scottish Rite Theater on 8-02-08

Note:  For the 2 duet performances at Scottish Rite Theater Drakon, Mabruka & Gabriela were presented a "Best Innovation" Award
for Dynamic Male and Female Relationships in the Dance

Drakon & Seichi
taken at Casa de Luz on 7-07-06
 

Juliana & Drakon @ Casa de Luz

Drakon & Silvia (Houston) @ Casa de Luz

All about Drakon - History !!


"DRAKON, co-producer of Desert Passion Middle Eastern Dance Theater, is set to carve a kinetic path of wonder to your soul." 
Robi Polger, The Austin Chronicle,
Vol. 24 No. 40,  Page 82, June 3, 2005

Drakon is a professional performer and entertainer known for sword work, but his wide range of dance moves leaves audiences of all ages delighted - a real crowd pleaser !

He is available for family parties, cultural events, and festivals and can work with you to make sure you get the performance you want. He can tailor shows to suit your tastes, whether you are celebrating a wedding, a birthday, a corporate event or just having a party and want something a bit different.  Plus, he can bring along a few of his female belly dance friends which makes for fantastic duets !

INTERVIEW FOR AUSTIN BELLYDANCE ASSOCIATION'S 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.