Good-bye, 2013!

Blowing 2013 a good-bye kiss!

Good bye, 2013! You've been a pretty good year for me, and I'm sure I'll look back at you with general fondness. We had some great times together. Sure, there were a few bumps in the road but over all, I think you did right by me. I hope that 2014 takes a page from your book and treats me right.

Some highlights of the year:

-I went to Tribal Fest and the Las Vegas Bellydance Intensive for the first time.

-Vegas was also my first time performing out-of-state!

-This was also the first year for the Beat the Heat Retreat down in Bisbee, which was so much fun.

-Tons of great performances with my troupe and as a soloist.

-Lots of new costumes in my wardrobe!

-New dance friends, and good times with old friends too.

-I took over co-hosting Open Stage.

-I started Beauty Blogging for Bellydancers.

-I wrote some blog posts that got people talking.

-That spiked bracelet in the picture above. I've wanted one for so long!

-Finished my tattoo!

-Added fan veils to my repertoire. I may have started working with them at the end of 2012, but I don't think I performed with them until 2013.

-Started taking ballet classes.

Some good non-dance life stuff, too:

-I attended two great weddings!

-When my cat got sick in September I was super worried but it turned out to be something easy to manage.

-My husband is doing great in school.

-I read so many good books. Tons of books! Geez.

-I did some beadwork that I'm pretty proud of.

But let's face it, it was mostly all about the dance and 2014 is going to be even more of that.

Beauty Blogging for Bellydancers Year-End Top Ten!

 Since I started Beauty Blogging for Bellydancers in January 2013, it seems only fitting that the last Friday of the year should be a retrospective of a few of my favorite products, ending with a couple that I haven't reviewed yet! Now, I'm not really good at ranking the things I love, so don't think of this as a "Top 10 Best Products" but more of a "the first ten things I thought of that I love and happen to have pictures of."

#1. Urban Decay Build-your-Own Palettes. While it's true that the colors in the palette I featured above had a "meh" pay-off, I really like the 6-pan build your own palette box they came in, and I also love my 4-pan with "Rock" in it. I also like that more and more companies are developing their own build-your own, because anything that makes it easier for me to take all my favorite colors in one easy package is OK with me.

 #2. BLAST FLIPSTICK! It is possible that I included these just because I love the name, but honestly, I do get a ton of use out of the berry-hued one.

#3. Lip Tar by Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics. I can't get enough of this stuff and I recommend it to everyone, I've even got my mom and my mother-in-law wearing it.

#4. Shiny, iridescent, color-shifting nail polish colors. This one is part of Maybelline's Color Show line but I like other brands, too.

#5. THE WONDER PENCIL! Another product where I love the name, but this unassuming, affordable product really does come in handy and I use it all the time. 

#6. Spellbinding Eyeshadow Book. I haven't used this as much as I would like but I am really in love with the colors.

#7. Imperialis Facial Moisturizer by Lush Cosmetics. I LOVE this stuff. It makes my face smell like orange blossoms. It's a light, creamy moisturizer which keeps my skin from drying out in the desert air.

#8 and #9. Zoya brand nail polish and Jamberry nail wraps. I love Zoya for their unusual colors which tend to hold up well. Here I'm wearing Seraphina with a Black Friday exclusive Winter Morning nail wrap for a lovely, wintery nail look. Jamberry lets me have the fancy nail designs I'd never be able to master myself, without having to carve out time to go to the salon.

#10. e.l.f Lashes. They're affordable. They're available in a variety of styles. They're easy to buy at Target. And while I've been told the glue isn't great, it is latex-free. I honestly don't know why I've never reviewed these, as they're definitely perfect for bellydancers. I mean, at this price, you can even occasionally wear them for date-night or a party and not feel guilty.

Last Troupe Practice of the Year.

Tableau of bellydancers from our Tucson Meet Yourself set.

Tonight is our last troupe practice of 2013, since Christmas falls on a Wednesday -- what the heck? And then New Years Day is ALSO a Wednesday, so we have two weeks off of practice. Man, holidays are just so inconvenient sometimes.

It's also our last practice with Jolie as a director. When we meet back up in 2014 we will be a self-governing collective. It's going to be weird! We've already been discussing who is going to handle what, and some vague ideas for future choreographies.

We've poured a lot of love and work into this student troupe, from going to classes and rehearsals, to practicing hard at home, to putting literal blood, sweat and tears into our handmade costumes. I think we've got a good foundation to build on! 

Looking forward...

Staring off into the future...

2013 is working its way towards a close and I'm already thinking ahead to 2014. I've seen some dancers posting their goals for next year and while I'm not ready to do that yet, I am already making plans in my head. Since Open Stage is Jan 2nd, I have to start preparing for that. And I purchased a new dayplanner weeks ago so I could write down all of the events I was already committed to.

2014 is going to be a crazy year for me. This is the year where I dance full-time, throwing my all into my dance career. It's the year where I don't have a bellydance teacher (at least to start with, who knows what the future will bring). It's the year where I'll have to really govern myself to make sure I don't give in to my natural tendencies towards laziness and self-sabotage.

I'm excited and nervous and honestly, a little impatient. I always feel like the end of the year is a waiting game, just biding time until the holidays are over and I can be truly productive again. 

100 Days Challenge 2013

I grabbed Gina's graphic for this challenge so you would know to go to raksgina.com and get in on it!

Today marks the start of the last 100 days of 2013. Wow! How is the year already almost over? It's flown by. Anyway, for the second year in a row, Gina is hosting a 100 Day Challenge to end the year on a powerful note, and I'm once again participating.

In case you didn't go read Gina's post, I'll do a quick summation: The 100 day challenge is where you set a certain number of goals (Gina recommends 10) that you want to hit by the end of the year. It could be developing a new habit, breaking a bad habit, or getting certain tasks done. It's kind of like New Years Resolutions, but with a time limit. It can be a little difficult, of course, because Halloween, Thanksgiving and WinterHolidayOfYourChoice all fall within that 100 days, which can throw off your mojo on whatever you're trying to do, but over all I found it pretty helpful last year.

My 10 goals for the last 100 days of 2013:

1. Write in my dance journal every day, even on days that I don't dance.

2. Build up to practicing 2 hours per day 4 days a week at a minimum, plus classes.

3. Make the sparkly bra and belt set for my next troupe costume.

4. Create and post a video tutorial for wood elf makeup.

5. Build a database for tracking my bead collection.

6. Make at least one fabulous beaded holiday gift for somebody (I know what I want to make and for who, but I can't say in case they read this post!).

7. Make plans to host/organize at least one small dance event here in Tucson (I've started getting event ideas, and I've been encouraged to make them happen).

8. Get braces on my face. It's gonna happen.

9. Stretch every day, even days that I don't dance.

10. Reorganize the costume closet. *gulp* I might not survive that last one!

Goals for 2013

What does a mask have to do with my goals? Well, as soon as my Mom gave me this handmade polymer clay raven mask last night, I knew that I wanted to find the perfect situation to wear it for a dance performance. It's really awesome!

Anyway, now that I am not quite as hyper as yesterday, let's see if I can focus on writing down a few goals.

1. I am going to Tribal Fest and I am going to make the most of it! I need to develop some good note-taking habits so I can really get the best out of the workshops I'll be taking. I will also try to be smart about my shopping and buy things that will really round out my costume wardrobe, and not just every awesome green thing I see (note to self: you do not need another green tribal belt).

2. I am going to get back to healthy practice habits. I have been a real slacker lately. If I want to grow as a dancer and be a professional, I need to put the work into it, and not just go to classes and then practice choreos furiously in the days leading up to a show. I need to drill my basics. I need to challenge myself with new things. And I need to work on my strength and flexibility, no matter how much it sucks.

3. I am going to take full advantage of my Datura Online subscription. It will not languish unused like so many of my bellydance DVDs.

4. I am going to play. I tend to get focused on drilling and preparing performances, and I rarely let myself just have fun. My practice needs to include just dancing to music for the heck of it. I need to set aside time to play with my makeup when I'm not rushing to get ready for a gig. I need to work on costumes just because I have an idea, not because I need a bra for a troupe costume.

5. I am going to be nice to myself. Jolie says I am too hard on myself, and even in this post you can see that I am talking about all of the things that I do wrong and need to do better. I am going to remember the things I do well, and tell myself about them, and occasionally tell the world, too.

6. I am going to learn to sew. I keep saying that. I need to actually do it.

7. I am going to be a professional. Even if I am not getting a lot of paid gigs, I will act like a professional. I will be on-time to my gigs. I will wear the best costumes available to me. I will be well-made-up. I will be friendly and courteous with the organizer, the audience, my fellow dancers.

8. I am going to continue to be a good troupe-mate. I will practice my choreographies. I will help my fellow dancers with costuming needs, extra practices, and encouraging words. I will promote the events that we are dancing at, share the videos of us performing, and continue to speak well of all we do, because I am proud of my troupe.

9. I am going to keep a dance journal. I will record my progress and my deep thoughts, I will say nice things about myself and I will occasionally gripe. At the same time, I am going to work to make this blog less about the minutia of my practice, and more about upcoming gigs, performance videos, vendor recommendations, product reviews and other fun things.

10. I am going to cross-train. Yoga. Jogging. Other styles of dance. Whatever I can do to improve my health and my dance instead of staying so focused on bellydance. I will get out there and do it.

2013 is going to be awesome!

What lies ahead?

I couldn't resist posting this silly image! After spending my teenage and early 20 years being relatively skinny, I have really embraced the curves that I developed in adulthood. I don't look quite as good as this vintage lady, though!

So here we are in 2013! To say that I'm excited is an understatement. I mean, after all, this is the year when I finally go to TRIBAL FEST and if all goes well, I'll also pop up to Vegas for a quick visit to the Intensive in September. I'm so happy to finally be able to travel to some of the larger belly dance events, and happy at the thought of all the long-distance friends I'll get to see, new-to-me teachers I'll study with, and oh yes, the shopping! I'm already saving up.

After spending the end of 2012 laying the groundwork for being a semi-professional soloist (setting up a website, ordering business cards, investing in some nicer costumes), I am ready to start seeking a few paying gigs here and there.

This is also the year when I will finally sit down with my sewing machine and learn what is what, and start sewing some costumes! I am already signed up for a costuming workshop with Dusty Paik of Snake Church. It was one of my must-haves for Tribal Fest. If my initial forays into costume construction go well, I may even look into taking some college classes on fashion design and garment construction. We'll see.

I'm really looking forward to classes and troupe practice starting back up at the new studio. It sounds like we'll be getting some new troupe members, and we're working on a new choreography, and there are so many gigs coming up in January alone... I LOVE being part of Fire & Gold Bellydance! We're always working on something awesome.

I feel like 2013 is going to be the best year yet for me as a dancer, which is saying something because 2012 was pretty amazing, too. I've made so many new dance friends, progressed so much in my skills, and had some wonderful performance opportunities. 2012 gave me so much to work with to make the future even brighter.

(This was going to be a post about goals for the new year, but then I got hyper on tea and glurged, so I guess tomorrow will be goals. Happy New Year!)