Dance Web

just a reminder for anyone that’s still on the fence – the big all-day photoshoot and swap sale is this sunday. there are only a couple slots left, so this is the last call…

details here.

see you sunday!

Roj – looks like I missed the belly dance on stilts fusion boat. http://www.gildedserpent.com/art29/bdssauditions.htm

welcome to the world, dc tribal….

congratulations on the first hafla, hopefully of many.

If you’re a regular visitor, by the time you see this, you’ll probably have noticed that there are major changes here… I just wanted to give you a quick rundown…

* The “dance around the web” (formerly “news around the web”) aggregator is now pulling several more groups, including, perhaps most interestingly, the DC Tribal Tribe.net feed. You can see that here. This system is now pulling material from almost 100 sites around the web so they’re available here in one place for quick browsing. If you’re not familiar with how the aggregator works, I definitely suggest checking it out. Of course, if you know of something out there that you’d like to see brought in here, let me know where it is, and I’ll get it set up.

* Location information is now consistent across the entire site. For most kinds of material you can put here, you can now tag it with the general geographic location. This is an upgrade from the Events Calendar system. If you’re posting something that is relevant to a specific place, I strongly suggest you tag it where possible. What this lets us do is break down all the content on the site into categories. That means if you’re only interested in your own neighborhood, you can skip right to the stuff you care about – virginia or charities.

* We’re now using a two-column format and the aggregated feeds are off the front page. Hopefully this will make the front-page less confusing for people when they come in new.

* If you’ve created an account here, you can tailor the material you see on the front page, just visit “my account” and then “edit” – you’ll see a section called “Block configuration” – from there, just check the stuff you want to see (and uncheck the stuff you don’t want to see).

* I’ve removed the performance photography samples and link from the front page. It’s a step in the direction of making this site more about you and less about me. If you’re interested in my stuff in the business of dance, it’s still available from my profile – and for all of you that have a website, jump in there and fill out a profile and make sure all the relevant links are included.

* For advanced users, syndication from this site now includes several options – see the “more” link next to the XML button for details.

* There is still a lot to do – so suggestions always welcome!

lots of mechanical dancing going on lately (and i’m not talking about people doing the robot) – today’s blip comes from yahoo uk.

Japanese researchers said they had turned a humanoid industrial machine into a master of Japanese traditional dance in a bid to use a robot as a guardian of cultural heritage.

they’re using motion-capture and robots to preserve dance forms – so, is this really preserving the form, or is it just “going through the motions”?

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1516&ncid=1516&e=1&u=/afp/20050112/od_afp/afplifestylejapanrobotoffbeat_050112123936

calling baltimore-area dancers, baltimore bellydance needs your help.

i’m doing this for nerissa, and because i can’t in good conscience, commit to a full year working with them… the last thing i want to do is get into something as important as this and then have to abandon it in a few months.

Currently, I am seeking one or two other people to help me run Baltimore Bellydance, both the newsletter and website, for at least the next year or so. There is no pay, this is and always has been a labor of love. If the newsletter breaks even, it’s a good issue. If you are interested and have the time to invest, there are lots of jobs that get done all the time to keep Baltimore Bellydance going.

Design skills are a plus, web skills are a big plus. Love of dance, creatvity & accountability are essential, as is an understanding of working on deadline. The newsletter is produced on a MAC platform in Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator. What you’ll get in return — the satisfaction of being part of an organization that helps unite dancers and inform the Balto and DC communities of all that is going on with our art form.

baltimore’s local dance scene is making great progress in the past couple years, and nerissa needs your help. so, if you’ve got the skills, please consider stepping up and helping baltimore bellydance not just keep going, but reach the next level.

nerissa is good people. she needs you now.

i wanted to push this one a little, and direct your attention as early as possible… please join artemis, yasmin, lucy, mark balahadia, jami jones, samira shuruk and more [to be determined] at the dc-area dance from the heart.

details are here on this site and here on samira’s.

an interesting idea…

Nadiyah’s presents The Sportsmanship Awards

other than kitiera appearing decidedly sportswomanly, i think it’s a great idea…

I am a serious artist and athlete. I don’t have time for petty dramas and nasty politics.

from monique monet via the guilded serpent, a no-tongue-bitten up-front commentary on the bellydance superstars and their role in this middle eastern dance culture.

update: more here from livejournal, with a sort of survey on the superstars.