Dancing with Your Veil – YouTube Resources

Veil Dances: YouTube Resources Featuring Acclaimed Dancers

As part of the Study Resources for the Spring: The Season of Air (Veils and Swords), this Post introduces some good YouTube clips that form great study resources for veil dancing, especially for “moving across the floor” and “creating veil patterns in space,” two of our Spring Season themes.

Anahid Sofian – Master of Veil Patterns, Spins, & Turns

Anahid Sofian, a master dancer, teacher, and choreographer in Oriental dance.

Anahid Sofian – One of the world’s most renowned Master Teachers of Oriental dance. I reference her substantially in Unveiling: The Inner Journey. See her in:
Anahid Sofian – excerpts of veil movements.

This is a compilation of snippets from three of Anahid’s live performances.

The footage of Anahid in this short montage is assembled from three of her most widely-revered performances:

Theatre of Riverside Church Dance Festival NYC (1986); the music is a taxsim by the legendary oud player, Oudi Hrant, who lived in Istanbul and was considered the greatest oud player In the world; he is still revered today as a master musician,
Town Hall NYC (1999), with musicians Haig Manoukian, Souren Baronian, Harold Hagopian, Sabah Nissan, Lee Baronian, and
Town Hall NYC (2000), with musicians Elias Sarkar, Michael Hess, John Vartan, Emanuel Mann, Amir Naoum, Seido Salifoski.

You may wish to read Chapter 26: “Unveiling: Selective Revelation,” in Unveiling: The Inner Journey, describing how I learned a crucial veil secret from Anahid:

“In my dance, I had started the way many dancers start these days; holding my veil behind me, and using it to frame myself as I moved across the floor. There is nothing wrong with this. In fact, if the music is very active and dynamic, this can be a great dance opening! However (and this is important), this approach lacks the power of mystery and suggestion.

“In the dance that Anahid showed me, she started by staying in one place, with the veil wrapped around herself. She held the veil edges in such a way that her hands were covered. She held her hands high enough so that, with the veil wrapped around her from behind, it covered her face as well.

“Slowly, hypnotically, she moved her hands in an alternating, graceful up and down pattern. She managed this in such a way that I couldn’t get a glimpse of her face, or any part of her body. She was a mystery. Later, as she “unveiled” herself, she had total control over the timing, the pacing, the very selective revelation that she offered.” [Unveiling: The Inner Journey, pp. 359-360]

Paper

Kindle

Eva Cernik – Veil Patterns: Floats and Spins

Eva Cernik in trademark spinning veil. Photo from the <a href="http://bellydancedvds.blogspot.com/2011/11/turkish-belly-dance.html">Second (Annual) Awards of Belly Dance</a>. — Eva Cernik in trademark spinning veil. Photo from the Second (Annual) Awards of Belly Dance.

Eva Cernik – Eva, a protégé of the renowned Anahid Sofian, carries on Anahid’s tradition of exquisite veil dancing. See her in:

Eva Cernik with veil – in a 2008 performance in 2008 with Rachid Halihal – there is a little veil work at about 3 min, 30 secs, but the most interesting starts at about 5 minutes and continues to the end.

I love Eva’s veil dancing! Here are two more of her veil dance vids:

Eva Cernik – Veil and Turkish Style – beautiful and hypnotic!
Eva Cernik @ Tribal Fest 15 – so supple and eloquent!

Eva is possibly one of the best to study for improvisational work with a veil – even if you have to work with VHS instead of DVD format. She works with single and double veils, and with regular rectangular as well as half-circle veils. Great study!

You are the Jewel in the Heart of the Lotus. <br>Become the Jewel! — You are the Jewel in the Heart of the Lotus.
Become the Jewel!

You study and perform belly dance (Oriental dance) because it brings forth a special aspect of who you are – the full range of your emotional expressiveness; both the sensual and sacred aspects of your being.

Join me – get the latest on how to become the jewel (a fully expressive you) in the heart of the lotus (your life, and all that surrounds you)!

Alay’nya – author of "Unveiling: The Inner Journey"

Very best wishes as you make your dances more dramatic, interesting, and exciting by including a veil!

Yours in dance –

Alay’nya
Author of Unveiling: The Inner Journey
You are the Jewel in the Heart of the Lotus. Become the Jewel!

Founder and Artistic Director, The Alay’nya Studio
Bellydance a courtesan would envy!

Check out Alay’nya’s YouTube Channel
Connect with Alay’nya on Facebook
Follow Unveiling: The Inner Journey on Facebook

Nizana el Rassan, reviewing Unveiling: The Inner Journey for iShimmy.com:

“serious and yet fascinating material … a culmination of all disciplines wise and helpful all in one place, with belly dance woven throughout … Unveiling is a fascinating read with so much wisdom and solid advice, and it’s all about improving balance in your life in a well rounded way.” – iShimmy.com.

Spring – the “Season of Air” (and Veils, Turns, Spins, and Swords)

Spring – the Season of Air (and Veils, Turns, Spins, and Swords)

Metaphysically, the Season of Spring is associated with the “element” of Air.

In fact, the “seasonal correspondences” are:

Winter – “Sign” of Pentacles, “Element” of Earth
Spring – “Sign” of Swords, “Element” of Air
Summer – “Sign” of Rods, “Element” of Fire
Autumn – “Sign” of Cups, “Element” of Water

In our Studio, we connect our dance practice (on all levels; physical, emotional, mental, energetic, and spiritual) to the various Seasons. This simply makes it simpler and easier for us to organize our focus.

Thus, during Spring, we turn our attention to topics relating to the “sign” of Swords, and the “element” of Air.

Naturally, this means that Spring is our favored time for veil dances, especially those involving movement across the floor – as if we were propelled by a strong March wind! We do “air-like” movements such as:

Movements across the Floor – various steps and movement patterns,
Veil Patterns in Space – learn a rich variety of “veil patterns,” particularly those that flow as we move,
Spins and Turns – study a wide range of spinning and turning techniques, and learn how to fit them both into “static” (in-place) choreographies as well as how they give structure and interest to “movements across the floor,” and
Transitions – how to go from static to moving, and vice versa. Lots of wonderful little insights and skills here!

In addition, of course, we also use Spring as the time for studying swords; both the practical movements (and choreographies) involving sword dances, and the psychological components – especially how to create tension and drama.

Posts during this Season of Air will include:

Music Resources – favorites for moving across the floor, with match-ups between music selections (and specific sections within the music) and suggested techniques/movements,
Technique Resources -technique notes together with links to the best YouTube links that we can find, illustrating specific kinds of spins, turns, and “movements across the floor”, along with veil and sword techniques, and
Dance Resources – both DVDs and YouTube links,

You are the Jewel in the Heart of the Lotus.
Become the Jewel!

Join me – get the latest on how to become the jewel (a fully expressive you) in the heart of the lotus (your life, and all that surrounds you)!

Very best wishes as you make your dances more sensual, interesting, and exciting by including a veil!

Yours in dance –

Alay’nya
Author of Unveiling: The Inner Journey
You are the Jewel in the Heart of the Lotus. Become the Jewel!

Founder and Artistic Director, The Alay’nya Studio
Bellydance a courtesan would envy!

Check out Alay’nya’s YouTube Channel
Connect with Alay’nya on Facebook
Follow Unveiling: The Inner Journey on Facebook

“Alay’nya brings divine sensuality to women in the ancient forum of dance. This book is delightful.” – Dr. Christiane Northrup, New York Times best-selling author of Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom and The Wisdom of Menopause.

Esoteric Belly Dance – Pre-Ascension Training

Esoteric Belly Dance (Oriental Dance) Uses Energy Work, Emotional Healing, and Spiritual Disciplines to Support “Pre-Ascension Training”

First question: What is “ascension”?

In brief, it is expanding ourselves vibrationally. It is a culmination of spiritual growth. For a reference, please check out Wanda Lasseter-Lundy’s blog. You can also read some useful material in The Soul and the Ascension by John Van Horne. You can also take a look at A Complete Ascension Manual: How to Achieve Ascension in This Lifetime (Easy-To-Read Encyclopedia of the Spiritual Path) by Joshua David Stone. For each of the books, use Amazon’s “Look Inside” feature; it will give you enough to get started.

Some of this is pretty strange; pretty weird. But definitely points the way to a form of spiritual growth.

Even the most cursory read will probably have you saying, “Really great; really cool – but so far beyond me!”

That’s ok. It’s far beyond me also.

But let’s not over-task ourselves with the whole “ascension” thing just yet. Let’s do baby steps.

In a recent blog, Static on the Brain, I pointed to – essentially – “corrosion of our spiritual/energetic selves” as causing us to function poorly; in dance and in life. I promised some resources.

Here they are. These are the ones that I’ve used to “pull myself together” after my Daddy died late this last autumn. I realized that I needed to do some pretty deep spiritual healing work. These “baby steps” worked for me (and they’re still working, and I’m still working them). They might work for you as well.

Here’s the four-point overview, freely adapted from Joshua David Stone’s book (pages 2-4).

Gratitude: Give regular love and gratitude to all levels of the spiritual realm – and invoke their transforming, ascending light for the earth,
Forgiveness: Clear out our karma, through persistently invoking the Law of Forgiveness, requesting karmic dispensation, ethical living, etc.
Meditation/Contemplation: Meditate on pure awareness or pure adoration of the Divine, and
Integration: Integrate the increasing light of God and the Soul into the body, through practices such as hatha yoga, working with energy centers, and cleansing our diet; work also with our mind through study of spiritual laws, and into our cultural/social institutions through service.

Alice (“Alicja”) Jones, in her forthcoming book, Own Your Power, similarly identifies these points. In her Jan. 12th section on “Forgiving All,” she writes:

Forgiveness is one of the three major reasons for incarnating on this planet. The other two are learning unconditional love, and learning to be of service to others.

In her January 14th section, she devotes attention to the “Law of Attraction” – which really becomes a lesson in responsibility.

So let’s do a wrap-up. And let’s keep in mind that, for each of us, the more important the lesson, the simpler we need to make the content. Let’s treat ourselves as Winnie-the-Pooh did, when he said of himself, “I am a Bear of a Very Little Brain, and long words bother me.”

Thus, here are our lessons. They are a combination of Joshua Stone’s and Alice Jones’ writings, and will undoubtedly resonate with works of every spiritual teacher/path on this planet:

Lesson 1: Forgiveness – We’re just going to have to suck it up and do this. (You know, it’s ok to pray for help if you feel that you get stuck here; I do also, and prayer helps.)
Lesson 2: Gratitude – A really good practice,
Lesson 3: Take Responsibility for Ourselves – This is very close to the “Law of Attraction,” and
Lesson 4: Give love – Practice “giving love” as much as possible; this also includes refraining from judging others.

There are a set of books that are useful for this. Those will be the subject of a near-term posting.

Very best wishes as you use Oriental dance (belly dance) as part of your own personal evolution!

Yours in dance –

Alay’nya
Author of Unveiling: The Inner Journey
You are the Jewel in the Heart of the Lotus. Become the Jewel!

Founder and Artistic Director, The Alay’nya Studio
Bellydance a courtesan would envy!

Check out Alay’nya’s YouTube Channel
Connect with Alay’nya on Facebook
Follow Unveiling: The Inner Journey on Facebook

Month: April 2013

Dancing with Your Veil – YouTube Resources

Veil Dances: YouTube Resources Featuring Acclaimed Dancers

Anahid Sofian – Master of Veil Patterns, Spins, & Turns

Eva Cernik – Veil Patterns: Floats and Spins

Related Posts: Veil Dancing

Spring – the “Season of Air” (and Veils, Turns, Spins, and Swords)

Spring – the Season of Air (and Veils, Turns, Spins, and Swords)

Related Posts: Veil Dancing

Esoteric Belly Dance – Pre-Ascension Training

Esoteric Belly Dance (Oriental Dance) Uses Energy Work, Emotional Healing, and Spiritual Disciplines to Support “Pre-Ascension Training”