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Workshops are great places to get new music. I always like to buy the CD of music used by the visiting instructor. I’ve never bought one that didn’t make me want to jump up and dance.  A couple of years ago I attended a workshop with Tito of Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt. He taught a… Continue reading Rockin’ the Casbah Notes: Dust & Feathers

I went through a lot of Big Band music before settling on Orange Coloured Sky, including a Count Basie piece called “Hayburner“. I actually spent a fair number of hours working with Hayburner before abandoning it.  I kept a piece of paper in my music folder, and at Monday night band rehearsals I would scribble quick notes… Continue reading Rockin’ the Casbah Notes: Orange Coloured Sky

A picture speaks a thousand words. Look at those gorgeous girls dancing out in front of a live 15-piece swing band! As you see, I had fun with costuming this dance. I told all the girls to buy the little black dress of their dreams. Some already had one hanging in their closets. Others went shopping and had… Continue reading Rockin’ the Casbah Notes: perhaps, perhaps, perhaps

In Tuesday’s posting I talked about finding the music for Baba Mama on a cd that I purchased at a workshop. What joy! And more joy – the music for Habibity was on the same CD. Again, the artist was not listed. When I heard this music I was instantly transported away into movement. Sometimes you… Continue reading Rockin’ the Casbah Notes: habibity

In some ways this dance came together very easily and in other ways it was very difficult. The basic bones of the dance came out early on and made a consistent solid spine to build the dance on. Fleshing it out took a little more effort. Sometimes I have a choreography finished and then only… Continue reading Rockin’ the Casbah Notes: women’s gulf dance

I thought it would be fun to write about some of the pieces that you saw in Rockin the Casbah last week. I haven’t been able to say much about them for fear of spoiling the surprise. But now I have lots of material for lots of posts! yay! Every choreography has a story. Here… Continue reading Rockin’ the Casbah Notes: Baba Mama