I am having a funny peculiar couple of weeks where I'm cheerful and happy one day then down and almost out the next. It's partly to do with having severe financial diffculties, and partly because I'm having a bit of a work related crisis. Like many people at the moment, I'm suffering for lack of new students, and this has had a knock on effect with my earnings and having enough people to help organise and attend events. I'm trying to decide if I need to get active and creative, or look for some supplementary work, or even change directon (really don't want that option), and I really don't like being in this state of limbo. I'm trying to sit here patiently, but I'm used to acting on my gut feelings, and I'm not getting a clear mesage at the moment. Grumpyfying!
I've got lots of things I should be getting on with, but not much motivation... and damn Facebook is getting in the way, enticing me to play games and waste time! Don't do discipline very well, so I'm fighting with myself to get to grips with work.
On the plus side, I have more time to do creative things that I DO enjoy, like creating jewellery, fascinators, and costumes, and choreographing dances for next term, so all is not doom and gloom!
And I'm pleased to announce that after our techincally inept attempt at broadcasting our first independant Alternative Show last week, we are ready to unleash oursleves onto an unsuspecting world! Peter has been working away tirelessly to improve what we are doing on the technical side of things, and we are confident that we can run a show properly this Friday. In fact we are SO confident that we have invited a bunch of friends of the show around to have a mince pie or two and be interviewed...could be chaos, but a lot of fun! And the new streaming site has all sorts of interesting applications we can use, like a kind of uploaded playlist facility, a webcam, an instant chat line, and the ability to record and store programmes for listening later. All very exciting! So if you get a chance, listen in to the mayhem and chaos on Friday 2-4pm on http://www.ustream.tv/
Feels like that's all for now....to continue would be to waffle for the sake of it...and we can't have that can we?
Tuesday 14 December 2010
Sunday 5 December 2010
Late night musings
Have had a tiring and odd couple of days. I'm a bit of a control freak and don't like change at short notice...it's like I'm just one of those people who take a long time to make a 'U' turn, and then get back up to speed. So having to let go of the hafla and all the organising took a while, as well as having to justify my actions...mostly to myself!
Went to a hafla on Satruday where I had hoped to sell quite a bit of stuff but was sorely dissapointed in that I only sold just enough to cover costs. It was otherwise a fab hafla with lots of care and attention put into the decor of the room, and the organisation, but not as well attended as expected, and frankly there were too many of us traders (three crammed into a small space). It was an interesting evening of lots of highs and a few lows...I performed my baladi adequately and although I got lots of applause I wasn't sure if the audience really liked or rated it (I must admit to having a bit of a downer on my own performances at the moment, though!). There were good performances and fabulous performances. I have to admit to being slightly jealous of Claire who is obviously a wonderful teacher whose students adore her, and her dancing is very good too..damn! But she is so nice and caring it's hard to stay envious for long. And Ozgen performed. I've seen him dance before, and fankly didn't like much what I saw, but last night I was very impressed. Not only had his dancing developed dramatically, but he really entertained with drama and humour..and appeared to be a very nice person off stage to boot! Pleasantly surprised! Claire also had a young lad in her troupe called Joe who bravely performed a solo...which was really good- and all the more impressive when we later found out he has dispraxia and Aspergers. Brought a tear to my eye... and I wasn't the only one! Lynne Chapman also performed a new dance to a FABULOUS version of the Pink Panther . She was fab as usual and I had to go on after her....eeeurgh!
Anyway, spent today doing a little Christmas shopping and doing odd jobs around the house (yuk!), and am now feeling rather tired and down. But now my classes have finished I can enjoy evenings in...well after the next week or so, as I have various social engagements and Belly Dance related events coming up in the next two weeks. Some, I'm glad to say are money earners, thank God! But I have to plan already for next term and the major events like the Belly |Dance Spectacular, my 10th Anniversary hafla and Le Petit Souk.
AND it looks as if we are ready to start broadcasting The Alternative Show again on a streaming site we have found on the internet- yipeee! Watch this space!
Went to a hafla on Satruday where I had hoped to sell quite a bit of stuff but was sorely dissapointed in that I only sold just enough to cover costs. It was otherwise a fab hafla with lots of care and attention put into the decor of the room, and the organisation, but not as well attended as expected, and frankly there were too many of us traders (three crammed into a small space). It was an interesting evening of lots of highs and a few lows...I performed my baladi adequately and although I got lots of applause I wasn't sure if the audience really liked or rated it (I must admit to having a bit of a downer on my own performances at the moment, though!). There were good performances and fabulous performances. I have to admit to being slightly jealous of Claire who is obviously a wonderful teacher whose students adore her, and her dancing is very good too..damn! But she is so nice and caring it's hard to stay envious for long. And Ozgen performed. I've seen him dance before, and fankly didn't like much what I saw, but last night I was very impressed. Not only had his dancing developed dramatically, but he really entertained with drama and humour..and appeared to be a very nice person off stage to boot! Pleasantly surprised! Claire also had a young lad in her troupe called Joe who bravely performed a solo...which was really good- and all the more impressive when we later found out he has dispraxia and Aspergers. Brought a tear to my eye... and I wasn't the only one! Lynne Chapman also performed a new dance to a FABULOUS version of the Pink Panther . She was fab as usual and I had to go on after her....eeeurgh!
Anyway, spent today doing a little Christmas shopping and doing odd jobs around the house (yuk!), and am now feeling rather tired and down. But now my classes have finished I can enjoy evenings in...well after the next week or so, as I have various social engagements and Belly Dance related events coming up in the next two weeks. Some, I'm glad to say are money earners, thank God! But I have to plan already for next term and the major events like the Belly |Dance Spectacular, my 10th Anniversary hafla and Le Petit Souk.
AND it looks as if we are ready to start broadcasting The Alternative Show again on a streaming site we have found on the internet- yipeee! Watch this space!
Friday 3 December 2010
My Funny Friday
Now by funny I don't mean haha, but a bit strange.
And the reason for that is that I had to cancel the hafla we had planned for tonight. Well, we've had some snow and the organisers of the hall had to have a decision by Thursday morning, so I decided to cancel. Looking out of the window today I feel a bit of a wimp as the roads look clear and the sun is shining, but yeaterday it didn't look so good. Funnily enough the planning for this event hadn't gone quite as smoothly as before- we'd had a couple of performer cancellations, not so many people could attend as usual, and I struggled to find enough helpers..odd. And now I'm sitting here feeling a bit strange as I should be rushing around worriting about the event and getting things organised. I feel slightly guilty as if I'd done something wrong! But anyway every cloud has a silver lining as I have decided to re-schedule it on Feb 5th, and turn it into my 10th Anniversary Hafla. Oh Yes...even I am amazed that I have been teaching for TEN years next year! So I thought it would be great to invite any of my ex-students who'd like to come and do a couple of 'mass' performances of two old dances that are still popular. To make it extra special I'd also like to have some other kinds of diversion, maybe a tarot card reader or similar.
But the time off I've suddenly acquired can now be put to practical use....I can now go and do a test broadcast of The Alternative Show with Peter this afternoon on the live streaming site we've found on the internet. And.. I can go and get some display boards for my jewellery stall for tomorrows Birmingham event.
But for those of you who are new to this blog, for the last (almost) two years I have been presenting a community radio show on Stratford Community Radio, but since the end of October the station has had to temporarily go into mothballs. So Peter and I decided we wanted to carry on with our show, and have found that there are websites that host radio shows for free! It's taken a while to set up but with a bit of luck we may be ready to do our first 'independent' show next week! Yipeee! I've really missed it...looking forward to getting back behind the mike.
And the reason for that is that I had to cancel the hafla we had planned for tonight. Well, we've had some snow and the organisers of the hall had to have a decision by Thursday morning, so I decided to cancel. Looking out of the window today I feel a bit of a wimp as the roads look clear and the sun is shining, but yeaterday it didn't look so good. Funnily enough the planning for this event hadn't gone quite as smoothly as before- we'd had a couple of performer cancellations, not so many people could attend as usual, and I struggled to find enough helpers..odd. And now I'm sitting here feeling a bit strange as I should be rushing around worriting about the event and getting things organised. I feel slightly guilty as if I'd done something wrong! But anyway every cloud has a silver lining as I have decided to re-schedule it on Feb 5th, and turn it into my 10th Anniversary Hafla. Oh Yes...even I am amazed that I have been teaching for TEN years next year! So I thought it would be great to invite any of my ex-students who'd like to come and do a couple of 'mass' performances of two old dances that are still popular. To make it extra special I'd also like to have some other kinds of diversion, maybe a tarot card reader or similar.
But the time off I've suddenly acquired can now be put to practical use....I can now go and do a test broadcast of The Alternative Show with Peter this afternoon on the live streaming site we've found on the internet. And.. I can go and get some display boards for my jewellery stall for tomorrows Birmingham event.
But for those of you who are new to this blog, for the last (almost) two years I have been presenting a community radio show on Stratford Community Radio, but since the end of October the station has had to temporarily go into mothballs. So Peter and I decided we wanted to carry on with our show, and have found that there are websites that host radio shows for free! It's taken a while to set up but with a bit of luck we may be ready to do our first 'independent' show next week! Yipeee! I've really missed it...looking forward to getting back behind the mike.
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