Tori Types Thoughts
Tori's very average blog
As a fun last-minute addition to my schedule I'm headed to the BIG ISLAND! I'm also teaching a workshop with Immersive Arts Collective.... oh and the Big Bad-Ass Belly Dance Show! Check out the THINGS! Our Annual Belly Dance Show & Latin Social Dance Party RETURNS!!!! The legendary goddess herself Myra Krien is BACK to the Orchid Isle!!!! Come enjoy a theatrical dance production celebrating the divine feminine- our show takes you through a variety of goddess myths from different cultures highlighting all the many aspects that the feminine essence can embody. Myra Krien is a talented choreographer and performer who has mentored countless dancers to refine their craft! She has made a vocation of empowering other women to create a practice of nurturing their creativity & celebrating their femininity. 13 dancers will be traveling to experience putting on this production for you- We hope you’ll enjoy seeing the women & men on this journey shine. We also know you’ll be inspired to dance yourselves so we’ll also be having a Dance party where you can social dance to Big Island’s favorite Latin Dance DJ Eyal Fitoussi! He’ll be playing a Latin mix of Salsa, Zouk, Bachata & Kizomba. So don’t forget to bring your dancing shoes! Doors Open at 7:00PM Grab a cocktail & find your seats Show starts at 7:30PM Dance Party begins at 9:00PM Venue : The Kona Elks Lodge at Hualalai Center (Old Hualalai Theater on Hualalai Road) Get tickets online at www.namaka.rsvpify.com
Starbelly School of Dance Presents: House of Secrets You do not want to miss the 12th Annual Big Bad-Ass Belly Dance Show!!! The Starbelly Dancers invite you on a journey through the secret corridors of the human spirit. House of Secrets brings together mythology, narrative, and innovative artistry to shine light upon the monsters that haunt us in the darkness… all through belly dance! House of Secrets features the Treasure Valley’s premier belly dance artists, The Starbelly Dancers, led by directors Cecilia and Chad Rinn, featuring Bayla Night and Cassandra Joan – and of course “Starbelly West” with Alyssa Kimm (Portland, OR) and Creative Director Tori King (Los Angeles, CA). Original and World Premier Music has been created by Matthew Vorhies (Boise, ID), Erik Messal (Albuquerque, NM), Sean Daly (Portland, OR), and Safar (Spokane, WA). House of Secrets will be performed at the one and only Visual Arts Collective on: Friday, April 8th from 9 pm-11 pm (doors open at 8 pm) Saturday, April 9th from 9 pm-11 pm (doors open at 8 pm) Tickets will be $15 in advance and $20 at the door – plan to get there early to enjoy the current art installation and enjoy the adult beverages. This show is 21+. Both shows will feature a silent auction to raise money for the Scholarship and Financial Aid programs run by Starbelly School of Dance. For more information, please visit starbellschoolofdance.com or contact Cecilia at 208.891.6609. Make it a point to enter the House of Secrets. Who knows what you will discover? FAQs What's the refund policy? Tickets must be refunded before doors open for the date of the show. FAQs Are there ID or minimum age requirements to enter the event? 21+ VALID ID REQUIRED Honestly, moving to LA highly disrupted my personal practices in almost everything – dance classes, workflow, I had to change therapists – that sort of stuff. I’ve gained some weight, lost a bit of flexibility (thanks reemerging ballet injuries), and in turn I’ve lost a bit of confidence.
I love it. Instead of clinging to the past or desperately trying to control my life, I am well with knowing that the process of growing and evolving is uncomfortable. For me, this phase is about discovering what doesn’t serve me anymore and recalibrating the balance of my activities. I am also noticing my strengths and passions along the way. Control is an illusion – I’m taking this momentary humility and seeing where it leads me. I don’t know where I read this thought, perhaps it was in an adroit meme, but your passions are things that you are already doing and perhaps take for granted. Those things in your life that you just do that have no question – they are things you’ve equated to eating and sleeping, you need to do them as a part of your life. Because these activities are just your essential being, you don’t see them for the strengths that they are. They seem small, and meaningless and I can guarantee you that you’ve blown someone off when they complimented that skill. Think back. Notice when you’ve brushed off a compliment for something that you just do. Going through a softening phase is sort of a way for me to look at myself through new eyes. Everything around me has changed, but what remains constant? My daily passions: I love my family and friends. I talk A LOT. I read. I dance. To me these things aren’t profound. It’s not like I’m creating amazing speeches every day or reading the latest and greatest modern classic. Every day I read some comics or make headway into a book I like, I tell some jokes to my friends, and if there is music, I am moving along to it. It’s just me. Tough times are an opportunity to see what matters, who you hold dear, and how you have placed yourself in the community. Of course, I want to get back into shape, practice my drums weekly as I was doing in the before-times (I suck now), get back into my whirlwind of many jobs/hobbies/activities, and start making an impact on my new community… but for now I am holding myself close. I’m telling my inner child that I see her, and her dance moves are rad. Why the hell would I post on time?Every year I have the same resolution: drink more water. I've been thinking a lot about water lately - symbolically, emotionally, memories, etc. Water is incredible and when I have the mind to be present, absolutely beautiful. I tie water into belly dance - I feel the sloshing of the water of my body mostly in my belly, in my guts. When I am aligned in my dance - my spirit, body, mind - I feel weightless, like I'm submerged in a pool but I can breathe. La Croix, will you sponsor me, yet?! Upcoming EventsIn addition to some one-off gigs and private events, I have some fun community events coming down the pipeline in both Boise and LA!
In this workshop, Tori is sharing two new combos that can be done completely naked (that means without any props, of course)! This workshop is in person and online - in person space is limited to only 7 spots so hurry up and smash the enroll button if you're interested in studio saidi fun times. Variations of the combos with cane and zills will be demonstrated, but the only requirement for this workshop is your presence and of course the dum tek, tek dum, tek! For clarification, this workshop will take place the evening before the Starbelly Extravaganza on Feb 18 from 6-7pm MST. February 19 - Starbelly Extravaganza Fundraiser in Boise, ID Click here to learn more See more on Facebook by Clicking Here or on the Image
April 8 and 9 - Starbelly Presents: The House of Secrets in Garden City, ID Click here to learn more and donate to the Go Fund Me Our artist extraordinaire is working on the image for this show, but it's gonna be good! I'm going to do a full post next month about the show, so watch out for it! As always, thank you for the support!Looking back, 2021 was a doozy for me: for US. For those of us who are letting the sun shine on our face in 2022, I hope that this year is filled with belly laughs, goals getting smashed, and wonderful surprises that set your spirit free.
Happy New Year! Drink water with me!
A quickie thought as I head out to my first LA belly dance gig for New Years 2022. There are many first and last dualities in this one:
First dance troupe gig in LA First gig with this particular troupe (the Sahlala dancers) Last gig of 2021 First New Years gig since 2019 Last time I try to use a straightener to curl my hair (I suck at hair) This move to LA has been filled with dualities, but I'm at the point where I want to create more dimension in my dance world. I hope to manifest more memories, more friends and more dance throughout 2022 and my deepest hope is that humanity will come together a be a bit more loving, understanding, and generous. EDIT: This is the picture I snapped at midnight - just a typical midnight at my house! Happy New Year! Something that has emerged for me from this year of change is highly thoughtful spending. I was never wasteful with my finances before and I always try and support small businesses and artisans, but recently realized that I was spending more than money on things - I have been spending my time, effort, and energy. Just like saving money, I must also save my vitality. If something in my life doesn't serve me and my community, then I have no space for it. While I have decided to take a break in having a day-job with a non profit organization, I do want to continue to make an impact on people and communities. I encourage everyone with resources to share them this holiday season... we need one another. If you have a cause you believe in, I guarantee there is a group of people who deserve a donation of time and/or finances from you, if you can. A mindful life involves mindful choices - it is hard to have that level of brain function on in every decision, but when I flex my mindful muscles I am never disappointed. I have removed many things that simply do not serve me - I have spent so much less vitality this year than I ever had... though I hear the toll of student loans down the line for sure! These thoughts have no "point" per say, they are a stream of thoughts floating on the river of my mind. I want to manifest prosperity in my life but also in yours, and for everyone we hold dear. This involves attention, care, and intent - things that I am lucky to practice every time I hit the dance floor or do a mediation. Happy Holidays! fun things but next yearIn February 2022 I'm teaming up with the fine folks from Immersive Arts Collective, LA to teach some free workshops in dance! More details to come closer to the date.
Now that Thanksgiving is over we can welcome Christmas with open arms. I made this last year to thank a Starbelly student for letting me borrow her Santa hat in my dire hour of need... I also wanted to show off my decorations. It is weird seeing my old house now!
During the end of September and the beginning of October I had the chance to dance at some WONDERFUL events with friends. As I get to know my new town and make new friends (AND GET GRAD SCHOOL STUFF DONE) my "gigs" are going to inevitably slow down. I am thrilled to capstone my "Idaho time" this year by traveling for two incredible events (described below).
BELLYFORT
Creativity, connection, cognizance - that is how I would describe my experience performing at @treefortfest. Everyone who we worked with was filled to the brim with vibrance and talent, thank you Sam and @thecolossalcollective for letting us start the dance party for Bitesy and Barry during their tumultuous dance of love! We are beyond grateful to the incredibly talented Daniel Ojeda for creating space for belly dancing bugs and being a fantastic friend to the arts. #Artfort was amazing and I was astounded by the level of fun alongside the safety accomodations. Of course, no event is complete without accordionist extraordinaire @matthewvorhies!
As always, thank you to @ceciliarinn for creating space for the satellite Starbellies to join in on all of the fun. While Cecilia and @chadrinncomics had to sit this one out, I think we did you proud with our buggy prowess. Also, thank you to the rest of the Starbelly family for always giving me time and energy, when I have creativity vomit all over you, when I am loopy from vestibular migraines, and when I hug you a little too long. I love you guys - @aly_shimmyshimmy_a @kiss.my.stardust @cassandrajoandance with special nod to accessories Phil and Tony who were very patient with me. Back to LA. See you later, Idaho! SANTA FE to Celebrate Myra
I am so flattered to be included in the celebration of/for @myramosaic and her 25 Years of Studio Ownership. Pomegranate Studios has touched so many individuals and I have been honored to have a small role in the story. The event itself featuring #BeatboxGuitar, #MosaicDanceCompany, and my girl crush @kaeshichai with the mesmerizing art of @acorso_dot_com was beautifully curated - the level of talent was astounding! It was fun to work the house with my new aesthetic muse @nicoledehavencalhoun and do rock and roll/hair/sink stuff with @list_pete and @rob_mastrianni - you are all so freaking cool.
âI had so much fun deepening my relationship with all of the stunning dancers and I cannot describe the gift that is performing to live music.The crowd was GREAT and, man oh man, Myra was channeling Terpsichore! The only sad spot on my whole experience was the lack of my dear friends in dance and life @ceciliarinn and @chadrinncomics. I will say, I finally got the fencing duel of my dreams with Myra's dashing and heroic partner, Roblair... Roblair thoroughly kicked my ass but I'll get him someday! I have so many amazing stories and fond memories of the past few days - if there is only one lesson I could impart from this trip it would be to reinforce the power that lies within human connection and creativity. Thanks for letting me bug you all and another congratulations to Myra!
Before I get to the dance part of this blog, I will say that I attended my first NFL game with my husband's parents and his aunt during the Rams season opener. The crowd was electric and the stadium was STUPENDOUS - the 5 billion dollars they spent on it were on full display and MAN was the game fun. The most fun part was seeing my husband walking around the field before the game - it was amazing to witness this catharsis. I am SO proud, and so were his parents!
Upcoming Performances
Testimonial for Legends of Belly Dance
I have actually had the opportunity to freaking dance a bit with actual PEOPLE in this city - I took every freaking workshop during the Legends of LA event put up by Dance Garden LA this year. I knew that these two days were going to be jam packed and exhausting but I could NOT pass up an opportunity to fan girl over the teaching artists AND learn a bunch AND make a bunch of friends.
To put it in a nutshell, the Legends of LA event was a hugely successful multi-modal display of incredible skill. Lauren, who co-owns DGLA with her business partner Heather, was 8.5 month pregnant during the weekend. Her expertise with administration, her patience with confused attendees (namely ME), her friendly demeanor, and her professionalism were definitely on display during the event. I didn't get to meet Heather in person, but I'm sure this dynamic duo will proceed to administer some incredible dance events during my tenure in LA - I am completely impressed. The workshops themselves were for the most part excellent. And I mean excellent. If you know me, if something is average I will call it that - there is nothing wrong with average, and I'm not afraid to air this opinion. I truly mean it when I call most of the workshops EXCELLENT. Putting aside how generous the instructors were and how I have been fans of them for, um, ever, the quality of instruction and caliber of information was mind blowing. With many of the instructors, every comment was filled with information backed with years of effort and experience. I'm sure I'll look back onto a few of the workshops down the road and continue to find new revelations and nuggets from the day. I am grateful that I had the time and resources to take every single one. I even got to help in Sahra Kent's workshop by showing some sumbati moves with her coaching (yay practicing the splitz every day)! My narcissism aside, I came away inspired to continue on my journey as a student of this incredible art form - it is SO COOL that there are so many shining stars relatively near where I live that I can learn lessons from. I cannot let this review slide without mentioning the BRILLIANT hafla that featured the workshop instructors and a few at-large LA dance troupes. Lauren told me that this year was particularly stellar - parts of my jaw are still dragging on the floor from a few of the performances. Finally, I MUST remark on how friendly the fellow participants were to me - a total dork who talked almost the ENTIRE time. Thank you new friends for being so nice to me! I hope to get to know people more and become a part of the lovely community in LA that I got a peak of during the weekend. I'm excited to continue to learn more, make new friends, and discover new professional and learning opportunities. How did I get this amazing life? The Starbelly Arabic Folkloric Celebration in one minute or less!
The ever so talented Cecilia and Chad Rinn put together this awesome gratitude clip about the Starbelly Arabic Folkloric Celebration! At least watch the first 5 seconds where I am obviously pleased with my cane bangin' skills, haha!
âFor more information about how that went, check out my previous blog post!
Special thank you to @boiseartsandhistory for granting @starbellydanceschool the opportunity to hold this day for free to the public. With a twisting and turning world (in general and in my person world) the ability to hold this event filled with family and community value is a treasure. Thank you! Thank you to @saeed_alazzawi for all of your guidance and for sharing choobi and debke with the Starbelly Dancers before the event. I'm so jealous that I didn't get to dance with you at the park for the news article! You are amazing! Also thank you to Summer Altieri at @boiseparksandrecreation for quickly finding us an amazing outdoor location to hold the event, when we decided that in order to better ensure safety we'd better head outside.
This whole thing wouldn't be possible without the amazing duo @ceciliarinn and @chadrinncomics, who created this lovely community based off of love, friendship and dance. With an incredible assist from @kiss.my.stardust and @cassandrajoandance, the Starbelly Dancers always create the highest quality productions and I am so honored to be a part of the family.
Thank you to everyone who was a part of the fun day your energy manifested - I am so grateful. Group pic from @the_dark_lovely Pic of me from @cheshire.sc #bellydancersofinstagram #bellydancer #starbellyparty #thisisboise #idahoarts #bridgingdifferences #culturalexchange #familyfriendly #familydance #dance #dancerlife #dancersofinstagram #saidi A few weeks ago (aka a lifetime ago at this point) I took a modern dance class for the first time in about 15 years from the Limon Dance Foundation. I have always admired the style of modern dance that emerged from Jose Limon's choreographies but I never had the opportunity to give myself the luxury of specific study. I paid for two classes but only took one (the life of a gigging artist) and I was struck by the feelings of joy and generosity the movement released from my body.
Hindsight is 2020... or 2021? Eh whatever, these years sorta blow. I digress - the timing could NOT have been worse as it coincided with the final week of my summer intensive for my MFA and the biggest move of my adult life.
Of course I signed up. Of course I didn't quit once I learned about my pending move. Of course I had to shuffle everything in my life around to fit this dang week in. This training was unbelievably worth it. --- The instructors, Kurt Douglas and Kristen Foote, are just amazing. I wish we could have been in person so they could better absorb my deep admiration for their knowledge, talent, and teaching styles. I typed and backspaced the private message "Can we be friends?" so many times - I had to try and keep up with the incredible cohort of students so I had to focus! Kurt and Kristen shared Limon's philosophy and movement vocabulary with precision and authenticity - I think Limon would have loved to see the attention to detail and the attention to JOY both of them portrayed. I have a deep gratitude... can we be friends?! In addition to this, the workshop had accompaniment and MAN OH MAN was that a joy, a treat, and a delight. We had a chance to ask accompanist (and PHD) Allen Fogelsanger a bit and his ENCYCLOPEDIC knowledge only bested by his love and understanding music and dance's relationship. What a cool person - if you ever see this I'm already using the playlist! The fellow students in the cohort were knowledgeable, playful, deadly serious about dance but also amazing in their artistry. If there was a moment where I MIGHT feel imposter syndrome - that would have been it. However, I never felt out of place with all of these friendly artists. I took pages and pages of notes, but I'm going to give myself a minute to digest them before I start organizing them into my final thoughts and create the connections between what I learned and my teaching practices. I will say this - Limon's philosophies and the tenants of his modern dance style loan perfectly to traditional and modern belly dance. It is amazing how things in our universe are so connected. All in all I think I gave myself a few very nice gifts with the cost of this workshop - a bunch of new friends (they may not know it yet, but I do), invigorated teaching ideas, refreshed look at modern dance, and a slew of artistic inspiration. If you haven't guessed it already, I highly recommend everything about this course. |
AuthorTori King is a belly dance artist, culture enthusiast and general weirdo. Is this a good biography? Do you like me yet? :-) Archives
April 2024
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