Persian and Live Music!

Wow - so here is my annual report on things! I've got to find time to pop in here more often! :)

Another busy year and this time Student Recitals are done and went off beautifully! Both schools did amazing jobs and I'm so proud of my hardworking students!

This past weekend I had the blessed opportunity to dance at TribalCarnivale (http://www.awalim.com/awalim-brings-live-music-atlanta/) with live music! I started my dance with live music and when I began teaching and performing in the Atlanta area, I did not have access to much live music and so over the past 10 years I've come to rely on recordings. I've very grateful to all the artists who provide those recordings, but nothing tops dancing to live music! I had forgotten how much that changes things and how much it touches my soul to dance that way! All of my nervousness disappears and I float on the notes and drum beats in my own personal heaven! So I was thrilled when Majda of Awalim contacted me to be a part of this very special show. My undying thanks to Ziah and Majda for bringing this awesomeness to Atlanta!

Several of my students (Arra, Heather, Luaxanna and Marie) danced with me in our first full improv ATS piece which was just loads of fun! They did wonderfully and I had a blast. Then it was off to change for Persian.

I spent 20 years in the SCA (www.sca.org) learning, researching, publishing and performing Classical Persian dance from the 16th Century Safavid Court. It is a long time passion of mine and it's been almost 5 years since I've performed a Persian piece. It was like coming home! While I added some Qajar styling to what I performed on Saturday night, it was just beautiful to float on the awesome ney and frame drum and DANCE! I probably stopped too soon, but I got lost and couldn't tell how long I'd been dancing - not nice to hog the stage ya know! ;)

This experience has reaffirmed an old love and brought it back into my life. Persian is a beautifully flowing and graceful dance - even the modern pop dance flows! Classical always makes me feel like a fairy princess! I'm a bit past the princess stage of life - so let's go with Fairy Queen!

I'm grateful to Ziah, Majda, all the musicians, and my many Persian teachers and inspirations for Saturday! Thank you all! I'm also grateful to my students and friends who showed up in force (we filled up 4 tables of people!) to support my work and their fellow dance sisters. You should all look for Persian to show up more often!

~Halleyah, still blissed out