From the Photo Shoot

I recently had a photo shoot with Dina Farmer Photography. It was a really fun experience, despite the fact that it was outdoors on a hot, windy day. I was worried about it, but the wind actually added a fun element to a lot of the images -- I particularly like this one, it makes me feel like a fae creature who has just walked up out of the lake, bringing the storm with me.

Shooting outdoors in the Summer is tricky -- our original scheduled shoot had to be postponed when the first monsoon of the season blew into town and dumped a bunch of rain on the city. But I like the natural backdrop.

Dina was really nice to work with, she has a great attitude and some wonderful ideas of poses. She got some very cute shots of me with my parasol, and some of my feathers blowing in the wind. She's also captured some beautiful images of other local dancers -- you should really go visit her Facebook fan page to see them.

I'm really happy to have some nice photos to use for promotional materials, blog posts, and my Facebook page. So many of my current images have the door to The Luxor's kitchen as the background, which is a little distracting!

New costume!

This is a horrible picture, but hey look, I have a new costume!!! It's a hundred times prettier in person, the green is so rich and both the black and the green have gold sparkles. It's going to shimmer wonderfully under the stage lights at -- oh wait, I can't tell you yet what performance I intend to debut it at. Official announcement later ;)

I have been wanting some new costumes for the last month or so. A local photographer was offering free sessions because she had a special project to work on (more on that later, too), so I took her up on it, but then I realized I had NO idea what to wear! Most of my costuming has been for troupes, and the rest is a rather mismatched jumble. Not only that, but most of what I have is student-quality. Nice student quality, but not flashy. As I am working towards becoming a professional dancer, I need to have professional costumes. Especially now that the trend in tribal fusion is moving more and more towards luxurious layers with vintage touches. I was able to put together one nice look, but I wanted more.

However, I couldn't really justify spending a lot of money on costuming right now. I already spend a lot on classes, and on things required for my troupe costume, and on new makeup so I look good on stage. So I shelved my plans, but figured if my jewelry business picked up, I could start buying some things. Then a funny thing happened -- my jewelry business picked up! So I ordered this lovely, and if sales keep up at their current pace, I'll be ordering a custom skirt next, and then maybe a new, nicer skirt for my troupe costume. I'm so excited!

Loving what I do

Duke Standberry snapped this picture of the ladies of Skirt Full of Fire and Fire & Gold Belly Dance* after filming for Walk on the Wild Side with Cat, a show that airs on the local Access TV channel. We're not sure yet when it will air, and then when it will be available on-line, but I'll keep you all updated on that.

Saturday was a hugely busy day. First I went to the Community Class, then my husband and I grabbed a delicious lunch (this is my usual Saturday now, as I really want to support the merchants on 4th Avenue during the construction that is going on downtown). Once we got home I had to get ready for my outdoor photo shoot! It was 100+ degrees and windy, so it was challenging to stay glamorous. Then I had to change into my troupe costume in the park bathroom (yuck!) and touch up my makeup and hair in the car (don't worry, my husband was driving) so I could be ready to be on TV with the troupe! The whole TV filming thing took a couple of hours. All told, I put in the equivalent of a full day's work into my dance career!

It was a great day, though. I am excited about the photos and the show, I had a wonderful time working with SFOF and F&G (as always), and I got to wear some exciting new makeup and hair accessories. I'm feeling more and more like a professional. I may not be making a living at this, but I treat it like my job and do my best to present a professional image, and demonstrate an admirable work ethic. Dance is one of those things where you get back what you put into it. I am pouring my heart, soul, and hours of my time into it, and in return I am gaining respect, happiness, and new opportunities.

*I personally feel that when we work together, we should be called Skirt Full of Fire and Gold. I'm pretty sure such a skirt would have to be made of Kevlar.