Category: Rockin’ the Casbah

All about the Bellydance and Big Band show that took place March 19th, 2011 at the Yukon Arts Centre.

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Brought to you by the letter Z for Jazz, baby!

Zap! …I really can’t believe the month is over and this is the last A-Z challenge post! No more daily Nita in your inbox!

I love the letter Z. There are a lot of great things I could have written about that actually start with a z, but I found out just a few minutes ago that today, April 30th, is actually International Jazz Day!

Jazz hands, everyone!  Yeah!
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Today I’m going to show you a couple of original fusion pieces I choreographed for the dancers to perform to LIVE Big Band music back in 2011. Bellydance meets Big Band!

OMG it’s the most amazing feeling to be on the big stage with a full 18-piece big band behind you. Amazing! I wish every dancer could experience it.

First, here is a new one that hasn’t hit my website yet (because I only uploaded it to YouTube about 10 minutes ago). Orange Colored Sky!

And here they are again, dancing to another great big band standard: Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps.

And last but not least…and entirely appropriate for the very last post of the A-Z in April challenge: our Rockin’ the Casbah FINALE done to New York, New York.

Phew! Can’t believe it’s over.  It’s over, baby!

I hope you had as much fun this month as I did!

I’d love to hear from you…which post was your favourite?

ZI’m participating in the Blogging From A-Z challenge.  One blog post for each letter of the alphabet, each day of April (except Sunday).

…but don’t go away! I’ll still be blogging, just not every day, regular as clockwork!

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a De-lovely Dream!

It’s delightful, it’s delicious, it’s delectable, it’s delirious, it’s dilemma, it’s de limit, it’s deluxe, it’s de-lovely! Am I dreaming?

Today’s post is brought to you by the letter D!

Here are Colin Donnell and Laura Osnes singing “Its De-Lovely” from the 2011 revival of the Cole Porter musical, “Anything Goes,” which made its Broadway debut in 1934.  Cole Porter wrote both the music and the lyrics for the musical.

From the liner notes:

IT’S DE-LOVELY was born when Cole Porter was taking a cruise. While watching the sun rise over Rio, from the ships deck, Cole remarked ….”It’s Delightful” ; his wife, Linda, responded with….”It’s Delicious” and their friend, actor, Monty Woolley threw in ….”It’s De-Lovely” . Porter used all three comments in the song.

And if you love Big Band music the way I do, here’s the 1936 version done by Eddy Duchin & his Orchestra with Jerry Cooper on vocals (vocals start after the one minute mark).

Another great Cole Porter song is Dream Dancing, originally recorded by the great Ella Fitzgerald in 1978.  Here it is performed by Gabrielle Stravelli at the Metropolitan Room July 31, 2014. Wish I had been there!

D is also for Dance, right? Here is Saba Middle Eastern Dance Ensemble performing to Dream a Little Dream of Me, which was written by  Fabian Andre, Wilbur Schwandt and gus Kahn in 1931. This dance is the dream sequence from the opening of act II, Rockin’ the Casbah, April 2011 in Whitehorse, Yukon. Fawn Fritzen on vocals.

DI’m participating in the Blogging From A-Z challenge.  One blog post for each letter of the alphabet, each day of April (except Sunday).

 

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Throwback Thursday: Bellydance & Big Band

Two of the things I miss the most all wrapped up into one pretty package!

I miss the creative expression that choreographing for the troupe allowed me to indulge in. And DAMN I miss playing that big band music!

From 2011: Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps: a cane dance, choreographed by me and performed by Saba Middle Eastern Dance Ensemble & The Big Band.

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In the Spirit of Play (or how I spent my April allowance)

Last January I posted my about word for the year: PLAY!

So, in the spirit of that resolution, I spent almost my entire April allowance on playful inspiration: books!

013I want to knit something bigger than a sock or a hat, but I know myself…I will make the front of something, or a sleeve, and then put the project away. Why? Because I just hate sewing the seams. I actually have an entire knitted sweater – front, back and two sleeves sitting in my basket. It’s been sitting in my basket since…um…gah! I am embarrassed to say it: about 1998. Needless to say, it no longer fits. But the yarn is good! It was expensive! So I’m in the process of unraveling the entire thing so that I can make something lovely with it. Knitted tops with no side seams! Yay!

012Prairie Children and their Quilts because I love anything to do with history and story-telling, and I’ve also become fascinated with miniature quilts. AND Mastering Quilt Marking because I want to expand my hand quilting beyond using purchased templates. I’d love to quilt some of the beautiful, intricate feathers & fans etc. I have the skill to do the hand quilting, but lack the technique of how to get the markings onto the quilt top. Maybe I can practice on a miniature quilt! Boo yah!

014Bread from Sourdough to Rye because I’ve been given the wonderful gift of heritage Yukon sourdough starter (read all about it here – it’s a cool story!) and I’ve been experimenting with baking bread. This book also has breads from all over the world, from challah to chapatti! And The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook by Jaden Hair because I follow her blog, which is all about yummy Asian-style cooking. (And Jaden is also a quilter, so duh….)

015And then BONUS! Look what my extraordinarily fabulous son of mine sent me for Mother’s Day!

All the indoor rainy-day bases are covered! Over the next couple of months I’ll be saving my allowance for outside play…new hiking boots and a day pack.

A spending allowance is built into our retirement budget.. I’ll post about it soon!

How did you spend your allowance last month?

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Happy International Dance Day!

In honour of today being the International Day of Dance, I’m going to share some of my previous dance life with you! You can find more here and here.

…if you’re on a device, you’ll need to view this in your browser to see the video. Click HERE to go directly to the website.

I call this dance the “Kitchen Baladi.” This performance is from Rockin’ the Casbah,  March 19, 2011.

And since last weekend was Saqra’s Showcase (25th edition!), here is a dance I did at her Showcase in 2009:

And because I am just a little bit silly (okay, more than a little bit), I’ll leave you with this combination of my two loves: big band and bellydance.

Have YOU danced yet today?