2011 is not yet over, but what a fantastic year it was for my belly dance company in Orlando. From launching a website, to a new featured billboard, to more bookings, and meeting some amazing and kind people, this year was truly spectacular. If you know me personally, you know that I never stop working on my craft or juggling the multiple roles that I play. As I look back on 2011 there were so many lessons learned, and I look forward to making 2012 not just better, but out of this world! I like any one else have my set of new years resolutions that I am determined to accomplish. I am determined more than ever to see my dreams come true, and step by step, I hope to get there. Here are my New Years Resolution in terms of a belly dancer 🙂 What are yours? Feel free to share them on my fanpage.
2012 Belly Dance New Years Resolutions
1. Improve my health! 2011 was not the best for my health, between chalazion surgeries, allergies, a sprained back and what not, 2012 I will do everything it takes to strengthen my immune sytem and body. I booked a swim suit shoot to motivate myself to do it fast too!
2. Surround Myself with Positive People– The vast majority of dancers and industry pro’s I have met are fabulous but 2011 marked the year of heightened jealousy amongst rivals, and also an unfortunate event where someone took advantage of my kindness. This year I will strive to be less oblivious to evil and more wary of who I surround myself with in my circle.
3. Bulk Up My Marketing– Last Years success fuels this years new and improved marketing strategy which will feature a newsletter to stay in touch with all my friends, fans, and clients. Some website upgrades will also be coming about, as well as some secret weapons I cannot disclose lol. So spread the word about Orlando belly dancer Jennifer or Bellydance By Jennifer Inc.!
4. Refine my Financial Goals– running a business, getting a Masters, and then technical school by day can really take a toll. Thankfully 2011 was very successful and not only was I able to churn profits, but thankfully I am credit card debt free for the first time in 4 years woo hoo! This year I want to save save save, and begin planning for the rest of my life, starting with a refined cashflow statement and maybe even open up a retirement fund.
5. Better Myself- No one is perfect and it is important to always analyze yourself inwardly from time to time. This year I hope to be more trusting, to become a better person, to do more for the less fortunate, to make more time for loved ones, and to continue to try and unite the area I live in.
6. Girls Days!– I want to make it a point to make a once a month fun day with my circle of gals. It is soo needed and such a rare treat in 2011, but in 2012 I want to make it into a bonafied “holiday” that is celebrated once a month.
Have a Happy New Years everyone and here’s to a more successful and happy New Year to us all in 2012!
Yesterday I had a great convo with a friend of mine about weight, health, and body image. As a performer, I have met tons of women in all shapes and sizes, and with all sorts of outlooks about beauty and weight (which is a popular topic in this industry). In America a lot of emphasis is placed on looks. It is a multibillion dollar industry and we have all been conditioned to think that the ideal beauty is someone that is tall, skinny, and etc… As belly dancers and performers, these ideals have really caused a lot of pressure on women who just do not fit into this mold. So deeply rooted is this ideal that some women go to dangerous lengths to try to reach this “look” even if it means destroying their health. Which brings me to two cases.
t is already November and being that tomorrow is Thanksgiving, it is only appropriate to write a little something to share my appreciation. This year has been magical to say the least. It began with my new website redesign that I put a lot of love into and has really broadened my client base and allowed me to connect with so many dancers across the world.
So this year I entered and gained a lot of wisdom in competitions. Last month I wrote a blog about the Miami Bellydance Convention, and this month I am going to tell you about my adventures at Rakstar in Miami. Rakstar is a huge event held in Miami every year by the talented Virginia Mendez. It comprises of four days of workshops, shows, fashion shows, competitions, and of course belly dance shopping and mayhem. I did not plan on competing as the competition is not fitting with my style of dance but at the last minute I was given encouragement from a very wonderful dancer and went to have fun, show Miami who I was, and learn more about this side of the belly dance business as I am still very much a newbie to belly dance competitions. To make a long story short I ended up placing fourth and danced with everything I had. I felt naked as I laid out all my emotions on the table in my routine and with that, felt like a winner for pushing my abilities a little higher. It was great seeing some old friends, hanging out with some new ones such as the fabulous Andrea from Stellar Advantage, and of course making new friends along the way. Not just that, but I left miami having gained new fans and supporters which is a wonderful feeling. The workshops were fabulous. Tito was my favorite of the bunch with his sassy style and fun personality. All the instructors were ridiculously talented and amazing in general though. Yousry of course is a legend and I had a blast learning his choreo, and Carmelia danced beautifully! I look forward to coming back again soon and all in all, this was another fabulously well done event that is ideal for the egyptian style dancer and of course is still great for dancers with different styles such as myself. Keep Rakin on, and I hope to see you again soon Rakstar!
For the first eight months I used purely bare minerals brand loose powder minerals and found out a few interesting things. First of all, if you are going to wear the foundation, you MUST wear it with the primer. I wore it for the first few months without the primer and due to how much I dance and thus sweat, I ended up breaking out all over my face 🙁 Bare minerals foundation covered blemishes wonderfully, but for really hot summer days when I had to go to workshops all day or be outside for too long, streaks would develop from where I sweat. This aspect of the foundation really turned me off. So time passed and I continued to break out even though I was using what I thought was the most harmless makeup. Thankfully a couple of weeks ago I finally had enough and went to see a specialist where I got the low down. You see, Bare Minerals foundation is nice, but it still has a few not so great ingredients that still clog pores if you don’t wear your primer or sweat it off (like me). I was advised to switch to Studio Gears great new line of mineral makeup called Dual Identity Mineral. This mineral makeup takes the refinement process a step further than bare essentials and is about the same price. The only downside is that their primer is expensive at about $24-$30 (I can’t remember at the moment). The upside is that the primer is some really high quality stuff but you must make sure to apply it after you moisturize your face as it dries it out a tiny bit. I have been using it for only a short period of time but my face has cleared up quite a bit already which makes me very happy.