Tori Types Thoughts
Tori's very average blog
In this pandemic world, these uncertain times, these important times, the thing that is keeping me in reality is walking my dogs, bothering my husband, and dance. Sometimes I feel like I live in a zoom meeting, so those moments where Desmond nudges me, or I laugh at my husbands antics, or my body reacts to moments of dance - that's when I know that I am not a series of 1s and 0s.
However, I am proud to be a 1 or a 0 if I can be associated with beautiful and incredible dancers. I don't have the heart for graphics, only for gratitude - Starbelly School of Dance and Mosiac Dance company have given me so many performance opportunities filled with JOY and MEANING during this time. Words are not enough - so I hope my dance is! Thank you Myra and Cecilia and all of the beautiful dancers who have joined me on these digital journeys. What is on my mind... I'm happy you asked!
It's witching season at Starbelly! Above is a video promo we made for the 10th Annual Big Bad-Ass Belly Dance Show, Medusa Head and the Witches of Rak! I am the director/producer/camera man/editor/bossy person for this promo and I am incredibly grateful that I could get four beautiful and fabulous women to do what I told them to for over 2 minutes!
This is a weird show, friends - and it is NOT to be missed! I don't want to spoil the surprises we have in store, but I will say that we have carried through a lot of the energy from 2019 and we are putting it to creative use. Click on the button below to snag your tickets!
There are even more weirdly wonderful promos happening on our Facebook Page - go and see how Medusa's vengeful spirit has been a part of history all along!
So my December post was lame... why have I been so busy?
Creative Lab in Santa Fe
Cecilia and I did a thing earlier this month where we went to Santa Fe to immerse ourselves in art! Hosted by Myra Krein, Kaeshi Chai from NYC led a Creative Lab -a weekend where we created two pieces which will be a part of Myra's annual show, Invaders of the Heart. This year, Starbelly will be a part of that show and Cecilia and I could not resist the opportunity to interact with the beautiful dancers at Pomegranate Studios and take part in some of Santa Fe's culture (I could write about 500 blog posts on Meow Wolf alone). All in all, this trip was very important for me, but not in the ways I was anticipating! I have a lot to learn and as I process the information I received perhaps I'll share all of my lessons eloquently and succinctly (yeah right).
Thank you to everyone that made my time in Santa Fe so special. I cannot wait to go back and hang out with all of my new friends and show the everyone what the dancers from Boise have to bring to the table! Back to the future: What ELSE is coming up in February?!
Cecilia, Bayla and I are joining several wonderful performers for Seas The Day, A Sofishticated Fantasea presented by Frankly Burlesque at the Visual Arts Collective from 9pm to 11pm. This event benefits Immigrant Justice Idaho, an amazing non profit that does vital work in the Treasure Valley. Find out more information here!
TL:DR - I AM SO FREAKING GRATEFUL GUYSI cannot believe that November is already greeting its final days and December is ready to rock my world. A lot has happened since my last post - I apologize if this isn't written very beautifully but more like a summary. Part of the value of this blog for me is capturing some of my favorite moments and analyzing them so that when I'm older and wiser and more forgetful, I can both relive a fun experience and see how much I've grown spiritually, emotionally, physically, mentally, and bellydancerally. #technicalterm The Art of Belly Dance: Emotion - RECAP TIMEThe Art of Belly dance show was not even 6 weeks ago but feels far away from me. I think I'm the type of person that doesn't experience all of the emotions in the moment, but rather I store them for processing later and I haven't taken it off the shelf yet. Something that I am incredibly certain of is that I am so grateful for my friends in dance and the amazing audience members that joined us for this one. In Raqs Sharki there is a balance between being an artist and an entertainer and often times dancers get to wear the "entertainer" hat and the "artist" hat gathers dust in a corner (though I look upon it longingly). The Art Belly Dance at the Sapphire Room and the Big Bad-Ass Belly Dance Show at the Visual Arts Collective are two of the very, and I mean very, few times where I get to reveal my real heart and the emotions that I want to express. I hope I was still entertaining as I performed for everyone, for that is a HUGE value of mine as a performer, but I am so privileged and grateful that I had a chance to dance out my emotions and not pray that my inner musings are "good enough" or "interesting enough." I always feel whole when my friends are in the room and you all showed up for me and gave me a huge gift - I hope you liked what I left on the stage for you. The emotions I danced a solo to were "regret" and "attraction" - two words that inspire me immensely. Which piece from the show (didn't have to be mine) inspired your emotions? Travels to Twin Falls - Mini Tours are a THINGWe had so much fun getting to know the wonderful people of Twin Falls and connect with our friends that live there! We can't wait to get back there (as part of our 2020 Vision - haha) and hopefully even more of these mini-Idaho-tours will materialize as Raqs Sharki takes over the Gem State! Starbelly Student Salons are AMAZING - they are more than just a great student event, they are a great event PERIODI think my weirdly long title says it all! I love the Student Salons because all of the amazing people involved with Starbelly School of Dance (including... ME) get to strut our stuff and show off all of our hard work. I love seeing everyone in their beautiful costumes with their heads held high and their finger cymbals twinkling enthusiastically. Here are some pictures that were nabbed of me during the last salon and a few of the beauteous women that allow me to dance with them. Scorps are Choice - You're choice too!
Transformation - Revelation - Tussication
With this in mind, and a receding head cold, Cecilia, Chad, Bayla, Alyssa (my long-distance love) and I attended some amazing workshops put on by our collective inspiration, Myra Krien. "Is this the point where you talk about your girl crush?!" you scoff at your screen - but Myra isn't the type of woman that you have a girl crush on. She is so deeply wise, inspiring and generous, I couldn't pigeon-hole her into someone I have a "crush" on or someone that anyone has that sort of ownership over. Myra is like a force - can you have a crush on the feeling of sunshine? That about sums up how I felt about Myra in my heart as I walked in the door of the workshop. Physically though, I felt like CRAP. I was over the worst of the cold and I could breathe, but I was just exhausted. Why does this matter? I think that my physical ailment actually let me tap into the workshops in a more emotional way - I didn't have the actual energy to maintain my walls and barriers and I just let things happen to me in a way that I wouldn't necessarily do normally. That in itself is a huge lesson for me - and I haven't even said anything about the series of discoveries I had during the three workshops Myra held. I'm still absorbing it all and processing it through my body so that things will stick, but I did want to share the testimonial I wrote for these workshops with you all so you can capture a glimpse of the magic from my perspective.
AND ON TOP OF THAT WE GOT TO DANCE WITH RITIM EGZOTIK AN AMAZING BAND BASED IN PORTLAND AND YES, I AM IN FACT YELLING. The guys in the band are all warm and talented and I had the opportunity to dance to Luxor Baladna with a sub woofer (yassss) and I hope I did justice to a bitchin' electric guitar taqsim. I am addicted. I hope it goes without saying that I am so grateful to Myra Krien for making these workshops happen. Additionally, thank you to Ritim Egzotik and the wonderful crowd that attended the show after a long day of glory. Finally, thank you to team Starbelly for joining my on wonderful adventures and especially to our wonderful hostess, Alyssa, who definitely has a tea addiction. There should be some video in my gallery from this in a few weeks. We got some stuff coming, and then it's 2020!Below are some promos for our up and coming shows! We will be doing our usual spot at Taj Mahal but December means that it is time for our annual holiday bonanza at Sofia's Greek Bistro! Reserve your spots because it WILL fill up. Additionally I will be joining the Starbelly Student Troupe (SST) at the Festival of Trees this Sunday. Follow the Starbelly Dancer Facebook Page to keep up with our last minute gigs and special events (New Years Eve is looking to be pretty awesome, just saying).
Proud to announce that Starbelly is the recipient of grant from the Boise City Department of Arts and History!As summer draws to a close we love to look back at all of our performances and remember the smiling faces of our beautiful audience: you. Thank you for supporting us and know that we are doing our best to make high-quality art for you to enjoy. This summer we have made new friends and worked harder than ever before. We truly look forward to further cementing Starbelly into the Treasure Valley community. If you missed the announcement, Starbelly School of Dance received a large grant from the Boise City Department of Arts and History in order to create the first-ever Arabic Folkloric Dance Celebration event at The Gem Center for the Arts, which will be administered by Cecilia, Chad and Tori and the entire StarBelly Family. We can’t wait to share our plan with you in the up and coming months, but first… we dance! Our annual show at The Sapphire Room, Starbelly presents The Art of Belly Dance: eMotion, is based on the idea of setting emotions to Arabic dance, and we are ready to share our love with you in dance form. We are also excited to be featuring the high-level students from Starbelly School of Dance during Hyde Park Street Fair, one of our favorite traditions! Beyond this, there is even more dance in the future, but the part we are looking forward to the most is the time we get to spend with you. Love – The Starbelly Dancers
As the StarBelly Dancers ramp up for GoddessFest, the 3rd annual MaraTHONG (at the Visual Arts Collective) and other incredible local events, I am really heartened by the joy that belly dance brings. From what I have seen, everyone appreciates someone dancing their hearts out and once you learn to shimmy, there is no going back! More promo stuff from me coming soon, but I wanted to share some thoughts with my favorites!
This month hasn't quite gone the way I thought it would... and it's not over yet! Nothing negative has happened, but the universe has given me some lessons in humility when it comes to energy management and patience. I have a lot of ambitions, a lot to practice, and minimal time and zesty creative yummy greatness. My biggest realization came when I gazed upon myself in the mirror as I taught my workshop for Chad's knee (my first time teaching a dance workshop based in raqs sharki woo). I decided to become a dance teacher that can teach more than just moves and combos. I have a long way to go to reach this goal, but that means it is a goal worth having... and more time/work on my part. The effort is just endless, but for me it is worth it. Keep your eyes on this page for the inevitable Saidi workshop that will emerge from my eager and loving (and unfunded thus far by grants) heart and more workshops that will include theatre exercises, history lessons, and pontificating on the importance of music choice! I will always be grateful to work with my amazing troupe, the StarBelly Dancers. We have come a long way together and the level of artistic energy fills me with life (zesty creative yummy greatness). The StarBelly Performance Team, the StarBelly Student Troupe and the students at StarBelly School of Dance also continue to inspire me to continue to learn, grow, and try my best to be humble (even though it is not my instinct). Even when I'm running low on whatever it is human beings run on, I am filled with love for and from this group of amazing ladies and gentlemen. And now for a dose of promotionsYes, this post is AFTER the Taj event, but Jess and I match too well not to be documented.
I think these happy snapshots above say it all - the Big Bad-Ass Belly Dance Show: Elemental was a huge success. Many factors led to this but I think the most important one is our amazing teamwork. Chad injured himself pretty badly and the StarBelly Dancers and the StarBelly family rallied together to make this huge work of art happen. I'm so lucky to be a part of this specific dance troupe in this specific community. Wow. This post is long, but it needs to be. I want to be deliberate in my gratitude and thorough in my thanks. There is the saying that it takes a "village" to raise a child, and this baby needed every single member of the StarBelly village. The work showed and the reward has been tremendous. Wow. Again. First off, our guest performers were amazing! FUSE Dance Collaboration, LLC (Shannon Keightley, Danielle Siegel, Pariss Beymer, Tiera Greene, Lexi Feldman, Arielle Sierra, Brittany Ison) electrified the stage performing hip hop to mahraganat music and Shannon Keightley created a beautiful lyrical interpretation to raqs sharki classic "Jamillah." We love your spirit, the mission of your organization, and your beautiful team work. Alyssa Kimm (our Satellite Starbelly) performed two beautiful solos as our Ice Queen and an incredible taqsim as an ethereal creature. Wish her safe travels as she heads back to Portland (but know that she'll forever be in our hearts). Keep your eyes on this page for when we kidnap her again! This list would not be complete without the incredibly talented local musician Matthew Vorhies who played his original composition and dodged our huge skirts as we circled him during the show. Matt is a member of Fleet Street Klezmer Band and is a true professional and joy to be around. We are obsessed with you, Matt! Thank you all for taking our show to new heights and creating so much beauty for our community to enjoy. We love you! We hope it goes without saying that we LOVE the Visual Arts Collective (the location of the Big Bad-Ass Belly Dance Show). This venue continues to set the bar when it comes to sharing, creating, and displaying exciting art. Thank you to our "VAC Guy" Samuel for having us in your amazing space - we are BEYOND grateful! If you came to the show on Saturday night, you may have seen Miguel Arteaga Photography working his magic behind the camera. Miguel donated this shoot to Starbelly School of Dance because he believes in our mission and he is undeniably awesome. Thank you so much for capturing the energy and creating beauty, Miguel! The full gallery will be available soon, but here (above) is a sneak peak of Miguel's work from Elemental (and a few of me are in my slideshow at the top of this post). In middle eastern dance there is the concept of "tarab," which is the perfect marriage of music and art in order to create a trance-like experience of ecstasy. Our show had two "tarab technicians" in Chaz Gentry and Blake K Green, who crafted the spiritual atmosphere where our show took place. Thank you both for creating our world to dance in! We'd also like to thank the beautiful Tracy Lay who designed our program, which translated the work of the stage to our audience! The picture of me to the side is an example of the creative and beautiful lighting... I now require orange lights always. This year's silent auction was the most successful yet -- if you read our post featuring some of our donors you KNOW that we had quite the dragon's hoard (#incharacter). The heart and soul poured into the auction and the raffle was beautiful and inspiring. Thank you to Sue Risner, Tina Olson Schilling, Laura Wike, Heather, Bailey Peery, Linda Cates, Kevin Hansen and a very special thank you to JazminnSkyes Dances and Cassandra J Artukovich who had the additional job of MC/announcing during the show! You guys are making dance possible for so many people - you are wonderful. As always, thank you to the incredible students at Starbelly School of Dance for going above and beyond for our school! We love you! Finally, thank YOU. Thank you Treasure Valley for always supporting our dance troupe, the Big Bad-Ass Belly Dance Show and arts in our beautiful state. Our love for you has no bounds - thank you for making the magic possible! Pictured: You being beautiful
"It depends" is the short, and most correct, answer!
What I am is a dancer that has experience in multiple genres of art and I like to think that Fusion isn't limited to just dance but open to all art forms. Last summer while I participated in the site-specific play, small matters, I combined movement with theatre in urban spaces that blurred the lines between dance, theatre, reality, and absurdity. I like these grey areas and I think artists need to seek them out in order to grow and speak through art. When a dancer speaks, it takes my breath away. When a singer makes paints or molds something gently as she performs, it is incredible. These moments are Fusion to me, too.
Last night during one point in the show, my friend turned to me and asked, "was that any good?" about a specific number. I am not an expert in all forms of dance, but in this case I was well versed in the style. Instead of saying yes or no, I asked her, "Did you feel like it was good? Did it evoke a feeling within you?" Not everything is "good" for everyone. Not every "fusion" works for everyone - but I still believe that intent, artistry, and professionalism can be present even if the art form is a bit inaccessible itself. We may have different styles, tastes, desires, and dreams, but I do think that the only thing Fusion really needs to be is a labor of love by someone who has poured their heart into their art and is making strong choices on how to portray their message. If "Fusion" doesn't have that, then I'm not really sure it's anything at all. We had the opportunity to work with a wonderful photographer named Kevin Shultz (more from him here) who reminded me how much fun it is to be a part of a professional photo shoot. While Kevin would say he didn't have everything he would have liked, the StarBelly Dancers have never worked with such a good light and backdrop set up. What Kevin allowed us to do is simply dance while he captured moments of blissful movement. I have a lot of feelings about how dancers, especially folkloric dancers, should be shot (photographed) and portrayed in marketing, but for now I purely want to express my delight in expressing myself through another avenue. Hopefully the photos will allow me and my dance friends to further our reach and spread joy to new audience members all over Idaho and beyond! |
AuthorTori King is a belly dance artist, culture enthusiast and general weirdo. Is this a good biography? Do you like me yet? :-) Archives
July 2023
Categories |