Bellydancing in Kimono

Haha! I'm baaaaack...

2006-08-27T10:59:00.000-04:00

It's been a crazy couple of months, but Middlebury was fantastic.　日本語が話せます！ w00t and all that good stuff. Lots of pics, lots of kimono, some bellydance ga arimasu yo!

My psychadelic rooster obi to the rescue!

and last but not least:

blurry, but a decent action shot- I'm isolating so well my head and torso are moving and anything from my hips down isn't (yeah I'm humble, I know :P)

A bad week on ebay....

2006-04-13T21:58:00.001-04:00

I'm a horrible person.
Of course, I say this every time I have an ebay binge. It's not a real binge because I'm not going nuts and buying everything I think is remotely cute, but still, I feel a little crazy spending money at all.

I am so happy because my kitsuke book finally arrived here. It's Hiromi Ichida's book. My mom is so wonderful and said she will help me try my otaiko knot again this weekend and we can take some fancy pictures. I also promise to take a photo of my latest self-made bedlah.

What I bought this week was a haori for $9.96 (shipping included) which seems to be a cute dyed komon material made with a stencil. It's green and sweet.

Then I bought the most expensive book I've ever bought (aside from my Biology textbooks from college *shudder*). The book itself wasn't that expensive, but it's being shipped from Japan and it weighs 3000g. You get the idea. I had to have it because it's an art book about a Japanese woman artist who I had never heard of before. From the seller:

Uemura Shoen (b Kyoto, 23 April 1875; d Nara Prefect., 27 Aug 1949) became a member of the Imperial Art Academy in 1941, and in 1948. She was the first woman to receive the Order of Cultural Merit.

Maybe it was that feminist part of me that thought it was totally awesome that a woman in Japan actually received that high an honor. Or, it could just be also that she is a spectacular painter/printer (I'm not sure what she worked in yet).

OMG.

Ummm...

2006-04-07T23:27:00.000-04:00

It's been brought to my attention that people actually read my blog once in a while.
Eek!
I've finally finished a bedlah I've been working on for about a year. I still need to make some accessories, but I think it is way hot.
I promise I will post pics soon. Maybe even with my Isis wings (although there's not enough room for me to really even dance with them).
I've kind of been in a dancing rut lately. This damned winter has slowed me down. My weight never fluctuates, but I think I've gained a pound or two- at least I'm slightly softer than I was.I guess it's just more to shimmy with!
The dance community here is so annoying. They invite me to class, but then act like they are this big established group and imediately make me feel like an outsider. Then I'm invited to a day of workshops where I have to pay $60 for all the classes if I actually want to dance in the gala show that night. There is no f-ing way I am taking some crazy lady's "Goddess Dance" workshop or taking technique classes from lame dancers (I've seen them dance- I don't want them telling me how to "polish my performance"). Sorry about the rant. It's just such a small community, but it still feels exclusive and annoying. The event organizer made me feel like she only wanted my money too. >_< No one was outright mean or anything, but when you say "I'm not interested in paying for classes I don't have any desire to take" the response that I should come and pay more money to them so I could sell stuff to other dancers was less than exciting...

My latest kimono experiment:

Argh!

2006-01-16T18:52:00.000-05:00

I've been trying to finish my pink and orange bedlah, but it's taking longer than I would like. I just wish I could finish it, line it, and focus on the skirt and accessories.
I did score some perfect rhinestones oddly enough at Express. They had a huge sale and I found a crushed velvet vest with two strands of rhinestones edging the entire vest so about 4 or 5 feet of rhinestones!! All for $9. *drool*
My Isis wings have arrived but I need to get some plastic dowels to fit into the sides to make them gawgeous!
Pictures to come when I finish them.

Oooh! And I have a workshop I'm teaching at a nearby college. I'm nervous but excited at the same time.

My baby!

2005-12-24T21:07:00.000-05:00

Not my best kitsuke experience ever (there's no pic of my obi for a reason- I had to do a taiko musubi since I couldn't figure out any decent bows for fukuro obi) but I am proud of my low collar. I put a chukara nuno (sp?) on the juban which makes it sooooo easy to get a nice girly low neckline (that and a collar stiffiner). I also made my own han eri. I used Fraise's instructions for both on her webpage (Fraise you are a goddess!).
I love love love love my furisode. Can you see the shibori accents on the black flowers?! The rinzu weave?!
**sigh**

My furisode is here!!!

2005-12-23T21:34:00.000-05:00

I want to put her on now!!! I don't have a furisode juban so I might have to go all ghetto and use a regular juban. I also need to learn how to tie my fukuro obi!
It is gorgeous. There's gold embroidery, gold foil or resin, yuzen, and shibori. I am in love. It works with my obi and it even fits. How can this be??
**Runs off to grab kitsuke stuff**

I'm a horrible person.

2005-12-16T22:39:00.000-05:00

I won a furisode off ebay (very reasonable I might add). Of course this means I'll need a furisode juban. At least I have a fukuro obi that should work (have to learn to tie that too). Spending money on kimono begets more money spending. Dammit.

Sewing Projects

2005-12-12T21:17:00.000-05:00

I've made friends with my serger and my sewing machine. Right now I'm working on a baby blanket for my coworker's new grandson. I bought this lovely fleece fabric that is kinda patchworked (with a serger)together with blue, green, and yellow squares. I added batting between two layers and quilted the blanket and now I just have to serge the edges to finish it. I think it wil look pretty cute.
My mom is giving me three serger feet for Christmas so I can do fancy ruffles and those pretty lettuce leaf hems using a rolled hem and fishing line. Like this dress' hems: http://www.rpmerleon.com/ishop/product_info.php/products_id/703?osCsid=3887cfb90a61db3f53578fbd5d1d1fb5

I bought some lovely moderately heaving microsuede-ish fabric that has a lovely japanese inspired print on it (flowing water and flowers on a black background). It has a nice drape and I think I'll make a skirt out of it.
I also found a really pretty color blue of stretch velvet and I bought a ton of it (can't beat $1.50/yard...) so I can make another belly dance outfit (maybe even a dress). I want to pair it with silver fringe which I think I'll actually purchase this time instead of taking months to string it myself.

I have some action shots of myself in my new egyptian bedlah which I want to put up sometime soon. I'm hoping my uncle can perform his Photoshop magic on it and give the pictures a new background instead of a view of his daughter's play-room (hey, you dance where you can...).

And, my last silly thing is that I pre-ordered silver Isis wings from Akai Silks. They won't get here til January or February, but they were very reasonable and I know the quality is very good.

Sewing Machine Madness

2005-11-27T19:09:00.000-05:00

I am now the proud owner of a Viking/Husqavarna mechanical sewing machine and a Baby-Lock serger. The possibilities are endless! Now I just have to figure out how they work.
Muahahahahaha!

ps. I want a furisode sooo badly...

A fangirl outburst....

2005-10-31T21:47:00.000-05:00

It's been a while, but I had to share. I went to an anime con a few weeks ago (the days and weeks are flying by lately) and had the fantastic opportunity to see Final Fantasy Advent Children on a big (but not theater big) screen! Let me just say that I was rather entertained and enjoyed it immensely. The only problems I had were not recognizing all of the characters (I didn't play all the games) and the scene with Sephiroth was a little bit of a letdown because he never stood still enough for me to appreciate his hotness! The animation was superior- utterly fantastical. From what I've heard, the film was helped along with some very complex motion capture from a large cast of models (the credits listed a whole bunch of people whose sole job was providing that footage). The bodies and the movements were very realistic- so much so my little fangirl heart was racing, but more in a real human being kinda aesthetic rather than an anime way. With the absence of Sephiroth eye candy, I found Reno to be topping off the hotness scale with Vincent coming a close second. Ridiculous isn't it?
That film made me want to have the FF victory song on my cellphone even more horribly than I wanted it before!

Hafla pics

2005-10-09T21:03:00.000-04:00

Here are a few pictures from the hafla. It was surprising well attended- 18 acts in total and a nearly full audience. This is another of my self-made costumes.

Evil speakers... getting in the way of a clean shot.

I love when they're absolutely transfixed.

Then they dance...

Great workshop and show and new costume!!!!

2005-10-03T21:10:00.000-04:00

I had a great time at the workshop and at the show. I tried to post a nice long entry about it but it kept getting demolished since Blogger was buggy yesterday. Suffice it to say that I learned about turning, balance, and breathing and have lots to practice. The show was a success and I received many compliments about my costume and my performance. One lovely dancer said everyone was asking "Who is that girl! She's so good. Where did she come from?" I met some very nice women and had a great time. I was very badly behaved and bought a new costume from Egypt. It was pricey, but actually quite reasonable for the fabulous beadwork on it. It fit almost perfectly when I put it on and I didn't want to take it off. I'll post pictures soon, when I get a chance. I have a hafla next week, but I'm wearing another self-made costume. I'm just gonna have to wait til I have a paid gig to wear the new egyptian cossie (pardon the Bhuz.com ism).

I also found a reasonable juban and a lined synthetic kimono on ebay. I'm planning on dressing in kimono for the upcoming anime convention (also dressing up my sister, hence the need for another juban). You don't get too many excuses to wear kimono in public so I have to take what opportunities I can get. Plus, I have nothing to cosplay in...

Dance dress pics

2005-09-26T16:37:00.000-04:00

These are some pictures that I'm considering using for my business cards. This dress was originally a prom dress, but I added the sequins and the beaded fringe and removed some of the lining to expose the stomach area. I also added new straps for better support. Which one would make the best business card? Opinions welcome.

Cool kimono accesories! w00t

2005-09-24T13:09:00.000-04:00

I'm amazed. My package came already! What I thought were two datejime and a padding belt were actually one datejime, an obi ita that velcros shut, and a padding belt that looks to be washable and has removable pads. I am more than happy. I can't wait to try everything on. But, my first order of business is to take pictures for my business cards. I have to finish up my dance dress first so I'd best be off! I get to watch a documentary about regional japanese cuisine while sewing...
Also, I won a juban off of ebay last night. It's lined and a light pink, which might harmonize better with some of my other kimono.

Kimono pics

2005-09-22T20:25:00.000-04:00

I think it's probably not hitoe season anymore, but one last hurrah before Fall starts officially. This is my purple hitoe kimono and my tsuke obi. I need another obiage baaaad, but I like the rest of the ensemble. I like my collars :)

Paypal disaster averted- I think...

2005-09-22T12:13:00.000-04:00

I think everything is cleared up so hopefully I can get my datejime soon! They are the velcro stretchy kind and one even has padding so I don't have to make one out of a towel. I'm very excited. I'm hoping to take some belly dance pictures today for my business cards. I have a workshop and a hafla coming up next month and I want to be able to hand out business cards if there is an interest (maybe I can take on some beginner students ). If I have the energy, I also want to put on a kimono so I'm not tempted to buy another one online... It sucks. I'm trying to save up for a new pair of nice tabi, a book about kitsuke, another juban, and maybe another fukuro obi that would match better with my houmongi.

Paypal crap

2005-09-21T14:07:00.000-04:00

I'm in the middle of paypal drama. I hope it gets resolved quick! Bleh! I just want my datejime...

Fun at a hafla and other stuff

2005-09-11T22:52:00.000-04:00

Hafla or hafli is the arabic word for party. I went to one last night downtown and had a pretty nice time. My parents came with me which was cool since I've always wanted them to see that there are other weirdos like me who love this dance (that and convincing my mom she could dance if she wanted to- some of the ladies are so old and so large but they pull it off and since mom is neither...). It was good my family came since it was not a well-attended event. But it was nice b/c there were some live musicians playing the dumbek, tabla, oud, mizmar, etc.
I dressed up in a cabaret fantasy sort of thing because I was worried my bedlah would be too dressy and it was a pretty good call because all the ladies were wearing ghwazhee type clothing or galabia, etc. More folkloric or tribal as you can see in these photos. Kudos to my dad for being the photographer.

Me mugging for the camera. I shoulda taken off my glasses...

Playing "follow the dancer" with Pacita.

More playing around.

Requisite action shot.

And last, but not least, my lovely mom and sis.

A weekend with my relatives

2005-09-05T20:07:00.000-04:00

I always get irritated when people chalk my dancing up to my syrian heritage (I'm only a 1/4 sryian, mind you). But over the weekend, I went and visited with my aunt who just moved near my grandmother (my sitou) and my great aunt (we call her GG) who are both full syrian 1st generation. I remember my grandmother talking about bellydancing when I was younger, but I think it was just a fad for her like it was for many women in the 70s. Since I started dancing, I had heard whispers from my grandmother and my great aunt about how they were never allowed to move anything below the waist (no hip movements, etc) when they danced with family and friends and that all they did was debke. What was amazing was when I came over this past weekend, my great aunt gave me a bunch of old tapes she had from a long time ago. When I looked at them I almost fell over: the tapes had handwritten jackets with "Port Said," "Sultan of Baghdad,"Najwa Fouad: Belly Dance," "Super Belly Dance!" and "Maya Yazbek"! The latter has the best version of "Ya habibi ya aini" I've ever heard that even ends in a drum solo. I told GG that these were classic albums and she said "Oh really?" It was hysterical. I made her listen to some of the music I had on my computer and although she never remembered the names for the songs, she would say "that's a very old song" or "that's familiar" (she said that about oum kalthoum). I actually did a full routine complete with costuming for my family before dinner. My grandmother and GG said my dancing was great and "really modern." It was so much fun. When I told them I was going to a hafla at the end of the month, GG got all excited. She said "A hafli?!" (apparently syrians say hafli too) Then she said the greatest thing I heard all day: "I went to a hafli when I was little. I saw a man eat glass!"

AAAAAAaaaaaagh@!!!!!

2005-09-01T20:56:00.000-04:00

Today was one of the crappiest days I've had in a while. It's better now, but I went on the job hunt today (one interview and to get an application from a bakery). The bakery job did not exist even though it was in the latest weekly newspaper- go figure.

Things went from bad to worse when I got to the interview. The lady sat me down and was immediately irritated at me and told me I had to fill out a desired salary. I said it was negotiable but she insisted saying that she had to find out my "specific needs", etc. (My resume says I'm planning on going back to grad school in the near future HINT HINT) Then she told me that I needed to fill out more of the application that I had left blank because I had appended a resume. Her dog barked really loudly at me. The lady shushed her dog and she resumed barking at me. She said my resume was too generic and said I had to fill out the form, which mostly included details about my starting and ending salaries, starting and ending dates of employment, and my reasons for leaving the job. It seemed so irrelevant since my last three jobs were two NSF-sponsored scientific interships with stipends and my graduate assistantship (the job I was applying for is in a cheese and wine shop, mind you) and I also didn't want to write that I left my last job because of sexual harrassment and verbal abuse. She told me we couldn't have a "meaningful" discussion until I filled out the form. Then, in a moment that sealed the deal for me, her dog BIT ME. It didn't break the skin or anything, but the damned thing BIT ME! I hadn't done anything but pet the dog and let it sit next to me. I don't even remember her saying sorry, but instead asking if it bit me (DUH!). She then asked the dog what was wrong with it and told it that she would take it outside. Then she pushed a clip board at me and told me to fill out the rest of the form outside the shop- she wouldn't even let me fill it out in her office. The entire interview occurred in the span of about three minutes. I ran outside with the clipboard, got into my car, flipped out, ran back and deposited the clipboard on the bench outside the shop and got back into my car and drove away. F*** that!

I cried on the way home- I just couldn't believe that someone could dish out so much crap in three minutes. Even if her dog hadn't bitten me, I would have been upset and probably not taken the job even if it were offered to me. I was completely stunned. My mom said the lady was a control freak and that I wouldn't have wanted her for a boss anyway. I think agree since she was gonna be damned if I didn't fill out that crap form. I would have never expected someone to prefer a hand-scrawled record of dates and salaries and addresses to a formal resume with essentially the same info (minus $- not her business :P). It didn't say anything about what kind of an employee I am or what I could add to her company. I'm still job-hunting, but hopefully I don't meet anymore crazies or be attacked by anymore hell-hounds...
Stick a fork in me... I'm done.

No "Forum" for me...

2005-08-28T12:00:00.000-04:00

I decided not to take the part they offered me in "Forum." I would have been a nameless courtesan (mind you there are 8 courtesans and only 2 lack names). I can't understand why they wouldn't want me in a name role with some solo dance time and I don't think I ever will. Yesterday I kept wondering why they even bothered to cast me in any role if my special skill as a bellydancer would not be utilized at all! I mean, the general public is mystified by the concept of a belly dancer and it would certainly add to the exotic atmosphere of the musical. I dunno. People are dumb sometimes. My parents tried to console me saying that the choreographer had probably promised roles to her students or something like that. I dunno. I don't care. On to greener pastures and better dancing. I have a workshop and a hafla in October so that will be a full month. Weeeee!

More photos!

2005-08-26T23:20:00.000-04:00

This is another ebay conquest! This kimono came with 4 obis, but I like this obi best with the colors. I'm not sure if the kimono is synthetic or silk, but it is one of the few lined kimonos I own. I really love it...

Yay for casual kimono!

I found these shoes a few years ago at a DSW- they're not actually geta, they're a kinda foam shoe that looks like geta, but I think they're pretty cute.
I tried padding my waist again with some success (I have no chest now) and this is the first time I've ever used eri shin (collar stiffener)- I just cheated and slid in up underneath the white date eri. Maybe that's how you're supposed to do it, I have no idea (although I did read Fraise's page on how to sew it on with the date eri). But there was space to slide it up underneath the layer so I did! :P It makes the kimono look so much better! I'm still battling with my ohashori (Misuchi- I tried your trick, which helped a little, but I realized I'm tying the himo too low around my hips) and this kimono's collar did not have snaps on it but it was not pre-folded so I just folded it and prayed it stayed in place (haha...). Now I know why I was tying my ohashori too low- when I first learned kitsuke, it was when I was in a kyogen play as a male character. I didn't practice kitsuke for a long time after that play so when I did remember what I had learned, I think I was applying my male kitsuke skills. If I remember, you put the himo lower around the hips, especially under the belly (we had a portly actor who really needed it or the kimono wouldn't have stayed in place at all...) plus we were wearing hakama, which might have had something to do with it.
On a random note, I love when the actresses who come on Iron Chef wear kimono. I get all happy...
Anyway, my kitsuke today wasn't the neatest ever, but I just wanted to put on a kimono and feel pretty (a kimono hime hehe) after the insane day I had today.

I had two job interviews and I met with a prospective advisor at the University. One interview went very well and looks like a lot of fun if I get the job - it entails working at a really popular (read: busy) gourmet chocolate shop and also giving tours of the factory and lecturing about chocolate. The professor at the University seems like a great guy and he'd probably make a great advisor. He doesn't have room for a grad student now, but next year he'll probably have a spot, which is good because I can't apply for this year and they are moving their lab to another building in the spring which will be a major headache and not fun to work during...
It was also a crazy day because we had to fire a man who was supposed to do some tile work for us- he was drinking on the job yesterday and was really creepy. Our plumber who hired him took care of everything, but he did tell us that the tile guy wouldn't have been able to come in to work today anyway since he wrecked his truck last night (presumably in an alcohol-related accident that left him unhurt but his truck totalled). >_<

Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum!

2005-08-24T11:45:00.000-04:00

I auditioned for local theater show of "Forum" last night and I had a blast! I think I showed some people some decent dancing and maybe even exploded some heads with my solo. I hope I get a part- I think I will since I did pretty well on my vocal audition and my reading and the choreographer wanted to chat me up after I danced. Anyway, I'll know by Friday or Saturday if I am cast or not. So excited!

Spam comment???

2005-08-17T21:57:00.000-04:00

Has anyone ever gotten a spam comment? It sucks. I just deleted it. I hope more aren't in store...
Does anyone know how to keep it from happening?

pictures! w00t!

2005-08-16T21:34:00.000-04:00

I finally have some pictures of the white houmongi from Yamatoku! Weee! Pardon my mild disheveledness because it was another battle to get the obi to submit! It's looks ok in my opinion, but it's not my best work by any means hehe. I love this kimono! I think I need a slate grey obi (maybe a payne's grey) or something because the obi is a little too pink for pairing with the pretty cream and black ensemble. I need another obiage, too...

I love the sleeve! It's just too cool. Thumbs up to whoever did the yuzen.

My collar is not as low as it should be in the back and my ohashori is weird. I have this pokey part by my right hip that I couldn't get to lay flat even when I stuck my hands inside the kimono to pull the fold over the himo at my hips. I experimented with padding myself this time: I wrapped a hand towel around my middle (went from underbust to hips) and actually held it in place with an old tube top (so ghetto!). I think it worked out ok- the obi fit a little better and I don't look like a skinny tube with hips and a chest. I wish I had some ready-made padding with velcro or something because it was a pain. It was rough today- I sweated so much that I think I actually stained my juban despite airing it out after I finished taking pictures. I wore a shirt and a slip under the juban, but maybe I need a real hadajuban.
Mo' kimono, mo' problems...

Argh.

2005-08-11T22:45:00.000-04:00

I just spent an hour dressing up in full makeup and taking some pictures in my new bedlah I made and now I find out the files weren't pictures, they were videos! The damned camera was in video mode so the images are useless! That pisses me off because the thumbnails are pretty nice looking. Maybe I can get a single frame from the pictures to use instead, but that will involve editing...

Still no pictures plus ramblings

2005-08-10T01:21:00.000-04:00

I haven't had time to take or post pictures of my completed bedlah. Stuff has just been too crazy around here. The time I have had has been spent enjoying the korean historical drama called "Jewel in the Palace" or "The Great Jang-Geum " I've become addicted to. It's awesome because it is about the first and only female personal physician to the king of Korea who started out as a palace cook. The costumes are great and I enjoy the plot immensely, plus there's some nice eye candy (Sir Min is way hot and a sweet character).

I've been thinking a lot about school. I can't go back to school this semester since it's too late, but I'm planning on taking at least one course with continuing education (Japanese of course :P ). I'm still pretty mad about what happened when I started the phd program last year, but I read in a livejournal that belongs to someone I don't know who went to my college that they experienced a similar, miserable time. In an awful way, it was comforting to know that bad things happen to everyone and the whole giddiness I saw from everyone who initially gushed at how they loved their graduate program was not always a true indicator for the future.
I felt as though I had failed when I decided to leave my program after only one semester, but at least I know of another human being who went through the same thing (though perhaps they stayed the whole year). If in their leaving, I cannot find that they have failed, then I cannot really have failed either (if that logic makes any sense).
What makes me angry is that my confidence is so badly shaken (although not where kimono or bellydancing applies :P hehe ). But enough livejournal talk...

New costume!

2005-08-07T13:17:00.000-04:00

I've finally finished the bedlah I've been working on for the past 4 months. No more fringe made of seed beads for me! I'm a bugle bead girl from now on!
I need to get some nice shots with make-up to post, so hopefully I can do that soon. I also need to try my new kimono and some obi and post those too.
I know.... the suspense is terrible....

I hope it will last....

I'm baaaaack....

2005-08-03T22:25:00.000-04:00

Good to be here! I haven't had internet access for almost a week and it darn near killed me!
It's crazy....
The house is great, settling in is going very well. It was a good week for kimono, too. I received my houmongi and my casual kimono and multiple obi from the two ebay auctions. Let's just say I am good for a while. The obis are fantastic as is the casual kimono- everything is silk (or mostly) and so cute and funky. There are three hoso or hanhaba obi (including two reversible and one hakata) and a tsuke obi that is not sewn- I will have to learn how to tie one after all... The houmongi is gorgeous and a real treat- I will have to play dress up and post some more pictures when I have a chance.

Plus, I have to gloat- they picked my photo for the Yamatoku photo contest for yukata! I didn't actually win anything other than the pleasure of being on their homepage for a few days (waah! no free stuff) but it is awesome nonetheless. My kitsuke skills must be at least adequate to be permitted to grace the front page.

I've missed scouring ebay for fun stuff and pouring over the Gaijin Geisha forums.
It's good to be back...

Almost there...

2005-07-29T10:37:00.000-04:00

We get the house today and move in tomorrow- soon I might actually be able to stay on the topics of my blog!
I want to put on some comfy pants or a skirt, throw on a hipscarf and a tummy baring top and dance my heart out.

Man, I just saw the Shakira music video for "La Tortura." Her chest circles are WEIRD!! She does them so violently that it doesn't look very good. I would have prefered rib cage lifts and drops for accents rather than a super-fast ribcage circle. Eeesh!
She does do some nice isolations in her stomach and hips, but that freaky chest roll was creeping me out!

Home, almost....

2005-07-27T08:58:00.000-04:00

We're here, but we don't close on our house til Friday, so we're stuck here in a hotel for a few days. We let the cats out last night and went to dinner at 10pm. Luckily a few places were open. The whole time I was worrying about my kimonos, since I'd opened the boxes to let them air out. I was having nightmares that while we were at the restaurant, the cats were busy peeing on them. They didn't thankfully, but one did pee in the bathtub - there are worse things...
I can't wait to be organized and set up my room again. It would be nice to find a job soon that would work with me taking some classes at the university and still allow me time to take some dance classes. I have to meet some people from the local bellydance scene so I can find out what's up around here and find out if there are any dancing gigs around. It would be nice if one of my interests could financially support another, except that it would never work. Bellydance costumes are too expensive to buy or make (although much less to make) and if I'm not doing many gigs, I doubt I'd even come close to breaking even, much less fund my kimono exploits with those funds. I guess that's what a fulltime "gig" is for...

Bleh

2005-07-25T20:22:00.000-04:00

We're finally out of the house. The movers managed to get everything out and packed into the moving truck (they were ferrying stuff using a smaller truck which was the one that broke down). I worry about my kimono since they are probably in the back of one of our cars- I wasn't about to let them bake in the moving truck! I just hope they don't bake in the car...
After we close tomorrow, we'll drive up to our new town- it takes 8 hours and we don't close on the new house til Friday, so we're in a hotel til then. I only hope our kitties are ok with all the travelling. Tabi, my fluffy cat, seems to be taking it ok (we didn't name her after the socks, but it works). Zena (her sister) is still holed up in her cat carrier (Sherpa bags rock- they are so cozy) but she did let me rub her tummy and yawned- a very happy gesture. I'm mildly tipsy off of some champagne my uncle provided at dinner (hence my crappy sentence structure) and all I want to do is bellydance. I should have kept one hipscarf with me for emergencies! :P

Oh, and I am evil and bought one kimono and 4 or 5 obi on ebay for a total of $30 so I will have many things to play with when I get settled into my new house.

Argh...

2005-07-25T15:14:00.000-04:00

Thanks, Misuchi, for you comment about tsuke obi. I still haven't decided if I'll ever make a tsuke obi or not. Ichiroya did have some neat pictures of tsuke obi, especially the ones of how you put them on. I'm just hoping I'll meet someone who can show me how to tie a fukuro obi, then it will be unnecessary.
The move is going less than stellar. Yesterday we took my cats to my aunt's house to keep them away from the moving chaos and one of them flipped out and managed to unzip her carrier and tried to escape. My mom had to pin her to the ground and in the struggle to get her back in the carrier, the cat bit my mother's hand several times. She's been given a shot and antibiotics and should be fine, but it was nuts.
Also, the moving truck's starter died and all the moving guys were stuck at our house overnight. It was a nightmare but it's almost over. I have to go run my mom over to the house no, so I gotta go!

Weeeeee!

2005-07-23T00:33:00.000-04:00

I couldn't help myself- it was just too lovely. Man, I have a problem.... As my brother put it, it is "a testament to negative space." He's an artist, so it's cool. ; )

(image courtesy of Yamatoku)
Now I just have to make sure it will arrive after we move in...

Packing

2005-07-21T21:25:00.000-04:00

I actually packed my kimono and obi and all my kitsuke stuff. At first glance, I thought, "Man, I've got a lot of stuff." Then I thought, "You can never have too many kimono and obi..." Seriously, I wish I could convince my family of the necessity of purchasing seasonally appropriate kimono and obi. Maybe they wouldn't give me such a hard time. I jest- they only tease me. Beside, my father has a collection of trumpet mouthpieces larger than -insert some really big thing- and he doesn't wear them hehe.

I missed out on a nice synthetic kimono last night- made me mad. But I have plans for another obi or two. I really only have one hanhaba and one nagoya and the nagoya is too fancy for daily wear. I don't really count the fukuro because I doubt I could tie it myself.
Which reminds me....
Anybody our there have any experience making tsuke obi (pre-tied obi)??? I figure I might have to sink to that since I'm the only kitsuke-inclined person around, plus I don't think most other people have the patience for deciphering kitsuke directions that come mainly from photos.

I got a question for the kitsuke masters out there...

2005-07-18T16:17:00.000-04:00

So what exactly is the small object tucked into a woman's kimono in the fold where the edges of the of the collar overlap, just above the obi? I saw it in a couple pictures- I don't know if it is a fan or a handkerchief or some other symbolic object that I haven't encountered in my reading. Anyone out there know??

In other news, my dark blue bedlah is almost finished. I need about 2 more inches of fringe for the belt part, but I realized I have to add more beading to the bra because it is looking unfinished.

Moving sucks. I can't wait to get out of here and settled into our new house. I'm also looking forward to taking a class or two this upcoming semester. Japanese would be a blast to take and maybe I would stop being silly and running around saying "Ne?" (the equivalent of "huh?" or "isn't it?" in japanese) all the time to my sister.

Let's get this show on the road...

2005-07-16T14:10:00.000-04:00

I'm bored waiting and also panicky because we haven't started packing. Sure, the moving company is packing everything for us, but isn't there something I can do now?

I've spent nearly all day on my computer since I woke up, trying to keep myself busy for a while. I looked up various websites about modern ways women are wearing kimono/yukata. I also looked up various kimono accessories ad nauseum. I want to try on a yukata with my juban and use my nice new accessories (the 3 untouched obijime and 1 obiage), but the thought of cleaning up is making me hesitant. Maybe I should just clean up some stuff in my room so I don't feel as chaotic.

Time to move on

2005-07-15T21:19:00.000-04:00

I think our old house is trying to tell us something. Everything keeps breaking or needing fixing or in general not working. Today, the garage door decided to fall off its track and get messed up. I give up, honestly. The house is mad at us for leaving and is seeking revenge.
In other news, I am coveting ebay listings I can't pursue since we are moving. I'm soooo tempted on one in particular. Maybe I can get expidited shipping to make sure it arrives.

Less than 2 weeks til the move

2005-07-14T18:05:00.000-04:00

I can't wait to get out of here. I think packing will begin in earnest tomorrow. I went to Bethany Beach this week with my mother. My grandmother (my sitou in arabic) wanted to go to a "Japanese import store" near the boardwalk an I tagged along although I was pessimistic, thinking it would probably be chinese since (pardon my apparent rudeness) Sitou isn't always the most culturally aware person despite her attempts to the contrary. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that "Japanesque," as the store is called, was indeed a Japanese import store and I was able to acquire two new obijime. They are very thin and different shades of red, but I think they coordinate well together and would look great together on an obi. They were also reasonable ($16 for both- yay for no shipping charges!). The store had a small selection of haoris, obis, and one kimono, but it was nice to see some of the textiles that I have studied online and in books finally in person. I really liked what kasuri looks like in person. It seems a bit stiff and not soft, but it looks lovely and I can see how easily it must have been to wear it casually on a daily basis. I also like the sakiori obis I saw. The texture is fantastic and it would look great with a casual kimono. On the whole, their prices were too high (wouldn't be cheaper than buying from Japan), but the haoris they had were pretty nice. I was not expecting to find kimono in Bethany Beach, but there they were... Now I just have to find a place like that in my new state of residence (not telling :P ) that has more kimono, of course.

My quote for the day

2005-07-11T21:26:00.000-04:00

Dance is not in your blood-it's from your heart.
-Me

Possible future projects

2005-07-11T18:27:00.000-04:00

This is a post to remind myself of the crack-brained schemes I've come up with in case I forget them over the next two weeks.

I was thinking about making my own han eri using Fraise's directions. I need to find nice fabric though.
Buying a karinui and finishing it myself. Gotta read up on lining or just skip that part hehe.
Finishing up my bedlah and taking some pictures of the darned thing for Bhuz.
Working on my pink bedlah some more to go with the plain beledi dress I made.
Checking out my local chado chapter- maybe someone knows kitsuke or I could just learn chado...
Finally making a veil and skirt out of my blue chiffon fabric - same for my pink sparkly fabric.
Starting on my sister's cosplay outfit- a character from Chobits (a dark-haired persocon with a pleatherish outfit whose name escapes me).
Too many projects!!!!

Still coveting hakata obis and I want a copy of Kimono Hime magazine!!!

Yukata Photoshoot

2005-07-11T08:23:00.000-04:00

My sister is going to camp for two weeks and during the last week, they are heading to a Japanese tea house. She was so excited when she found out, she told me she wanted to wear her yukata, so I taught her how to put it on. Hopefully she'll be ok putting it on herself, but anyway, here are some pictures from our kitsuke experience:

From the front. My yukata is courtesy of an exboyfriend, but it was probably the nicest thing he ever did for me and I could never give it away because it's kimono- duh!

This is a nice view of our obis. My sis did a great job on hers. The contrasting pink of her obi looks awesome. Also, note the tabi and geta (socks and shoes). It just adds a nice touch, I think. It's funny, the geta came from my trip to Viet Nam- I pad something like $6 a pair and they look just as nice as Japanese geta. Viet Nam gets boatloads of Japanese tourists no doubt due to its proximity and ridiculously cheap goods so I bet they were for Japanese export.

In other news, I have been lusting over Hakata obis. I did some reading on the textiles and they were originally reserved for nobility and the weavers were highly regulated. I love the look of them and I also would love to try the old geisha trick of pairing them (they have a more informal status now) with fancier kimono.
http://kimonoandkitsuke.blogspot.com// used a hakata obi with a yukata in a recent post, which only added to my enthusiasm. I like the idea of dressing up a yukata with juban and obi accessories.
So many ways to spend money....

The waiting begins

2005-07-07T08:55:00.000-04:00

It's frustrating because I'll be moving so soon, I can't make any purchases for fear they'll never make it to me before I move. Why do people have to list nice kimono while my hands are thus tied??

I worked like a mad woman on the train so I finished about 8 inches of my 4 inch beaded fringe (for anyone keeping score, that was about 8 hours of work...). I'm almost done! Hopefully I can work on that today, but I have a bazillion things to do and calls to make. I have to have my wisdom teeth follow-up visit and maybe a hair appointment. I have to deal with some change of address issues and help get my sister packed up for her summer camp experience. It's gonna be so quiet around here when she's gone, but we're going to be packing this house up so it won't be too quiet. I want to be able to find time for practicing kitsuke. I want to put up more pictures or at least have an informative post about kimono or textiles or something.
Well, here is one pictures I can post: my obiage.

As you can see it is silk with shibori. I looooove shibori! I hope it looks nice with my other stuff. I really do.
It's so pretty thatI can't understand why no one bid on it other than me. Sometimes the stuff that gets heavily bid on is such a mystery. Some unremarkable items go for way too much and other lovely items are ignored. If I had a dollar for every kimono that's lovely and fits me and I wouldn't be ashamed to wear that wasn't bid on, I'd be able to afford one!

Obijime, how I love thee!

2005-07-06T00:42:00.000-04:00

I just got home after a horrendous 13+ hour train ride from my new home state. A freight train derailed and hence the delay but it sucked. We sat next to two awful moms who had no clue what to do wth their kids on the train ride- screaming infants and satanic toddlers are not hours of fun... They were actually yelling at their kids because they got bored and one threatened to shut her kid up in the train's bathroom!
Anyway, when i got home, I found my obijime with the rest of the new mail. It is PERFECT!!!! It matches so well with my pink tsukesage I wanted to cry. It's also bigger than I thought. I only hope the obiage I snagged isn't too bright or overwhelming. I will post pictures soon when I have time to play dress-up...

OOh! I almost forgot. My new house has a nice room with a lovely and smooth wooden floor and plenty of space- I'm going to install mirrors and have myself a proper little dance studio! Maybe when I'm ready to teach my own class I can use that space for a small class (that'll be a few years yet hehe).

Moving soon!

2005-07-03T14:20:00.000-04:00

We bought a house and everything. Now I get to move my mountian of kimono stuff and I might even have my own room to display all the kimono craziness. Yay! Today it occured to me that I'll need to find what I really am looking for in terms of furisode, etc. before Memoirs of a Geisha comes out because I think new fangirls wil be born and will drive the prices of everything up. Argh.

Fangirlness and other thoughts

2005-06-28T12:07:00.000-04:00

I cannot wait to see FF Advent Children! It looks so hot. I especially cannot wait since I'm afraid that my sister will watch too many trailers and will spoil the movie for me. I've seen at least two of the trailers (she made me watch part of the one shown at E3 this morning) and -pardon the fangirl escaping- Vincent Valentine is a total bishonen! Wooo!
Please excuse the outburst...

In other news, the obijime I bought was sent yesterday, but the lady screwed up and sent it 1st class when I paid for priority mail. No huge deal. She already gave me positive feedback since she screwed up and offered me free shipping on my next purchase, but I don't know if I'll buy from her again as she mostly deals in fabric from kimonos and obis. Nice stuff, but I want the whole shebang! I noticed that she listed a few more obijime today after her first three listed were snatched up within a day. I also noticed she's raised her prices. They're still better deals than the other obijimes, but I think she realized how sought after they are and how she might have undersold. Plus I didn't like them as much as the one I bought. ^_^

Silly people on ebay

2005-06-27T16:51:00.000-04:00

People on ebay can be pretty obtuse, but this one is priceless:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=29452&item=3983164587&rd=1

The seller thinks it's a kimono and hakama- yes they did add a question mark, but still it is ridiculous. The item in question is most probably a hanbok- the korean traditional garment I mentiones in an earlier post. There is nothing resembling hakama in this outfit. Hanbok have a skirt that comes up to an empire waitline and also have a very short jacket that starts at the empire waist. In this one, there appears to be an under-dress because the outer layer is chiffony and thus kinda transparent. Come on, people! If you at least know the word hakama, you can at least recognize one or look up pictures. I realize not too many people know about korean traditional dress, but this falls into the "they all look alike" catagory and irks me to no end. I can't tell you how many chi bao (the fitted chinese dresses) are listed as kimono. They look nothing alike!!!

I also love it when people list bath robes and try to pass them off as kimono. Most western bath robes are designed with little ties to keep them shut that force you to put the right side of the robe over the left which is the way japanese dress their dead for burial/cremation. I guess you could call me superstitious because I won't do right over left. When I was in a japanese theater production, we had to teach the inexperienced kids not to "kill themselves" when they got dressed. We would say "Look what you did! You're dead!"

So yeah, lesson of the day: Do your homework and don't throw around the word kimono, because even though hanbok and kimono are related garments historically (china -> korea -> japan), they haven't ever been interchangeable terms or looked similar for hundreds, maybe a thousand years! I'd have to check my sources so don't quote me on the period of time- just know that it's a frickin' long time.

No time for obi, Dr Jones

2005-06-26T14:15:00.000-04:00

I gave up on the obi. I'll find another I love some other time. I'm going to be moving soon, so I think it would be better to not buy any more heavy purchases. That includes obi, kimono, fabric (for bellydance projects), and any other silly things. But I was able to find an obijime that will work well with the kimono and obi for a mere $11 total (shipping included). Sure it's $4 more than my yukata and is only a 60" silk cord, but it will look nicer than the obijime I have that are pre-tied and it's much cheaper than other ones I've seen and not liked as well. And, I get the practice of tying one - the pretied ones are fancy, but they take up so much room and hide my pretty cranes on that obi. This one is nice because it's purple on one side and cream on the other, so I can flip it over if I don't like one of the colors. Versatility!
Here's the pic from the auction:

I'm happy. Hopefully it will arrive before I leave for a short trip on Thursday.

Bleh.. not much dance and not much kimono

2005-06-25T12:30:00.000-04:00

I officially have two dry sockets form my lower wisdom teeth, which sucks, but the medicine is fabulous. It's also nice to know I'm not a whiner and a hypochondriac. The taste of the medicine is not so great, but it's better than not sleeping and feeling like I wanted to cut my face off.

I am currently coveting an obi on Ebay. It would be nice to have two since my crane obi is so fancy I worry about getting it dirty. I would able to practice more since I wouldn't be so worried about damaging it. I really want this one... Hopefully no one will snipe me AGAIN!

Hidden Fortress and Dancing with the Stars

2005-06-22T20:56:00.000-04:00

Further proof (as if you needed any) that George Lucas isn't very creative:
I just finished The Hidden Fortress by Kurosawa and I had heard that Lucas borrowed some imagery but I had no idea how much or even how the characters are almost stright from that film. There's a Luke/Leia character (Hime Yuki), a Han/Obi Wan character (Mifune), a Lando(Mifune's friend), a C3PO combo (both peasants), and even a Chewbacca (the peasant girl from the princess' clan). Some of the shots were ridiculously similar. Sure, we all know Georgie Boy likes to borrow, but blech! I even realized that a shot from Episode III was taken from Warcraft 3- I watched my sister play the one of the last missions in the Human Campaign where a prince is driven insane by an evil sword and returns to his kingdom and promptly kills his own father. As he walks through the palace to the throne room, there is an aerial shot of him and his troops strolling through a large hall and his cape billows behind him. Compare Anakin going to the Jedi temple and you will not find a better match. I would have thought Lucas would be more careful since gamers make up a good deal of his audience. Some would argue it is homage, but I say : P

Oh, and Joey needed to be booted off this week, not Rachel. I like Dancing with the Stars, but sometimes the judges are a bit nutty. Plus I think the female host is an airhead.

w00t!

2005-06-22T17:39:00.000-04:00

Hehe. Yamatoku is selling a shibori yukata almost exactly like mine for $55 (plus shipping).
http://www.yamatoku.jp/classic/description.asp?tno=80540731
I don't think it's as pretty as mine either- mine has yellow flowers as well as pink.
I'm one smug kimono addict right now. : P

I'm so bored. I can't dance because of my lack of wisdom teeth and it sucks. My face hurts and I can't shimmy into oblivion.

Ebay Argh!

2005-06-21T09:22:00.000-04:00

Rcenetly I posted on how awesome it was to find a yukata ( an indigo shibori yukata probably from the narumi region as my research has indicated!) for a steal, but since then, every single obiage/obijime set I bid on is sniped. It's ridiculous! The first set I bid on was sniped but the other sets that people had bid on that were similar were untouched, save by the winning bidder. This last time, there were at least three sets offered by the same seller and I was the only person to bid on any of them. Then someone sniped me at one minute before the end of the auction and the rest of the sets remianed unsold. I had read about "groupthink" in Ebay, the concept that people bid on items that others have bid on even if there are other equivalent items for sale for the same price, simply because if someone bid on that item, it must be better. If that is the case for what happened in the auction last night, I am going to be so pissed because I picked out that set because it would coordinate with my obi and kimono. I tell ya- it ain't fair! I had my wisdom teeth taken out yesterday and my whole face hurts and I just wanted the satisfaction of knowing I had the final piece of my whole ensemble. But no!!! Bleh.

My sister's yukata

2005-06-18T20:09:00.000-04:00

This is my sister's first time dressing herself in yukata. I talked her through the whole thing and helped her a little, but she did most of it by herself. Makes me proud. I bought her the yukata and obi for Christmas- it was my big present to her.
First pic:

Geta and tabi complete the outfit.

Nice bow, eh?

Awwww... She's too cute.

I'm a proud big sis!

Another experiment

2005-06-14T15:30:00.000-04:00

I tried on my hitoe (unlined) purple kimono (I have no idea what kind of textile it is) and gave the otaiko obi another shot. I looove my obi makura and my obiita, but I'm not sold on the kohlin belt. It's possible I'm just using it incorrectly, but it seemed kinda useless- nothing a koshihimo can't do. My taiko obi was better, but the part wrapped around my body got loose and still looked squished despite the lovely obiita action :P I'm still trying, learning more each time I give it a shot. I can't imagine how people wore lined kimonos when it was hot before it was the time of year to wear hitoe- I was boiling and I had a fan going....

Shibori Yukata!!!!

2005-06-13T12:51:00.000-04:00

What are the odds?? My shibori yukata arrived here today along with the obi accessories! Of course, this means I'll have to try everything on...
Let me just say, it is GORGEOUS! It's actually really long. The seller said it was only 5' long from nape to hem, but it would probably fit someone 5'6", 5'7" probably. The fabric is amazing- I've never worn anything shibori (except my himo, but that hardly counts) and it is quite a texture. I used my new obi ita and the results were great. The obi looks so crisp and pretty. That one piece of equipment will make my obis look so much more elegant. I always see people with the classic squished obi, especialy when there is an obijime involved and I always thought it looked unfinished. I haven't tried out the obi makura or the kohlin belt, but I must say, they look really useful.

The pictures I took are crappy- I only had my webcam to take them with so they are kinda fuzzy. I am really proud of the nape of my neck- I actually had some showing this time. I'm not sure this came out in the pictures, but hopefully it did.

Here you can see how nice and smooth the obi looks.

My collar is happy!

And further proof that I am getting so much better at arranging the collar. :)

It's funny how conical my body became after using the obiita. My ohashori (the fold of the kimono below the obi) is really large. I don't know if that is a huge blunder, but it probably really can't be helped since the yukata is so long. I'm so happy, it makes me feel stupid. Maybe later I'll try on another kimono and try my hand at a taiko musubi with my new-found friends/helpers courtesy of Kyoto Kimono. Their obi accessory set is ridiculously reasonable and they were very nice and, as you can see, they sell good quality stuff. Bravo!

Back from Greek dance

2005-06-11T20:47:00.000-04:00

It went pretty well. I learned a new dance called the Kritiko (from Crete :P ) which reminded me of a drunken person with a big attitude. There's a lot of kicking and swinging the feet around in a sort of circle and a lot of back and forth steps (almost stumbling but a little more dignified hehe). At first it was crazy because you start on the left. When I learned the kalamatiano and the hasaposerviko, I was taught that "all greek dances start to the right" so it was an eye-opener. Then we learned the dance you do to Zorba the Greek, but I was having spatial issues (the teacher was opposite from me) so I kept getting confused as to which foot was the one I was supposed to be stepping with. It was a bit of a train wreck for me. I doubt I will remember it unless someone reteaches me soon. Eh. It was fun though. I impressed them with my awesome kalamatiano variations. One of the old ladies yelled "Opa" and asked if I were Greek. That was a nice compliment.

Want a gig?

2005-06-09T16:29:00.000-04:00

Class tonight. Hopefully I can eat early enough this time.
My old teacher surprised me today with an email offering her new gig referral service. I had to pick myself up off the floor. I feel silly, since I know I am capable of doing gigs since my debut went pretty well, but it is quite a compliment that my teacher would offer me a paying gig. Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
I need to go eat!

Thoughts on geisha and bellydancers

2005-06-08T15:39:00.000-04:00

I hope I do not come off as sounding stupid or completely naive, but here goes.
I was looking at some pictures from a trip to Kyoto on the Rising Sun Imports webpage and one long sequence involved being visited by a maiko (I'm assuming since her kimono is really colorful and "gaudy" although I personally don't think it gaudy- rather than the more sedate or "elegant" colors a geiko would wear) who pours a few drinks and later dances for the guests.
http://photos2.risingsunimports.com/album06?page=9

What occurred to me was that maybe geisha are a cultural analog to bellydancers. Many people have the misconception that geisha are well-dressed prostitutes and bellydancers also suffer a bad image problem. Some people cannot differentiate bellydancers from strippers (although they may share some of the same roots- read a bit about "hootchi-coochi" shows or Mata Hari), others think they provide "extra" services for an extra fee. I think in both cases, something I heard a professional bellydancer once say rings true: "we pay a lot for our costumes- why would we want to take them off??"

I think both groups are artists who really suffer from exotic harem fantasies. This is not to say that not all geisha or bellydancers feel this way. I read a comment in an article about geisha quoting a former geisha as saying that she tried to be the ideal woman for her male clients, that she fullfiled her clients' fantasies about women (but not in a physical sense, she was quick to add). That may or may not be journalistic license, which I see all to often in written articles about bellydancers ("writhing voluptuous bodies," etc). Bellydancers also have to contend with the odd bird who doesn't feel it is inappropriate to shimmy their breasts in a man's face or those who wear costuming that leaves nothing (and I mean nothing) to the imagination, especially during spins and turns :P. Don't get me wrong, I have no issues with cut-outs, side-slit skirts, etc, but one has to draw the line before we literally expose ourselves to the general public. Certaily in the bellydance community we have a long-standing argument of "bd is sexy" vs "bd is not sexy, it's sensual." In the case of the sensual argument, many believe that once you head down the "sexy" path, it means you are catering to men and you aren't powerful or expressive, etc. I don't agree with that in the slightest. I dance for myself, but I also dance to entertain everyone- all this nonsense about dancing just for men gets my goat. Do people think that half the audience disappears for me when I get on stage?? There's also a debate whether or not "bellydance" is a term we should use to refer to the artform, but I won't get into that. It's a big ugly fight.

But I digress. Clearly geisha also inhabit this narrow world of sexy/powerful/sophisticated- check out the nape of the neck on a geisha/maiko. I think at the bottom of it all, we both serve the same purpose. We entertain. Bellydancers don't need to be as well-versed in conversation and politics, but we are both there to set a mood and create an atmosphere.

Back to what inspired these thoughts in the first place. As I looked at the pictures of the maiko's face while she performed, I saw the concentration and the artfulness. Looking at the way she held her mouth with its exaggerated lipstick, I could see more and more of her persona; that she becomes someone else when she is dressed in her furisode and her makeup is applied. Even though I wasn't seeing it in real-time, I could see how she held the audience with her facial expressions and her gestures. I'm only speculating of course, but looking at her performing, I thought of myself when I perform. Sure, we're doing radically different dance steps, but I think the feelings underneath remain the same.

Kimono Nightmare

2005-06-08T13:46:00.000-04:00

I think I have a serious problem. Last night I had a nightmare about my shibori yukata. In the dream, it was polyester and the shibori wasn't real shibori- it was just textured to look like shibori. (I actually saw a real kimono like this- it must have contributed to the nightmare) I think it's pretty funny that I had that dream. When I woke up this morning, I checked my email and the seller wrote that they sent it parcel post because it was too heavy for priority. It will be here in 5 days. I must have sensed the disturbance in the force...

Oh yeah! Plus some greek dancing

2005-06-06T21:00:00.000-04:00

w00t! They replied. I paid. It should be out sometime tomorrow. Yay shibori yukata! {does the shibori dance} (I wish there were a folk dance associated with kimono production- that would be cool). Maybe there's an element of that sort of thing in bon odori. I only tried it once and managed to learn a "shovel, shovel" step and other stuff that I forgot.

Speaking of folk dances, I have a greek dance workshop this week. My dance teacher is a fabulous little Greek lady and it's nice how she includes greek music in her bellydance classes. I'm a big fan of greek music, especially the Greek-via-Sweden band Antique, who sing such favorites as "Dinata Dinata" and "Opa Opa" (and no, not all their songs have the same repetition in the title). Trust me, they are really fun- not classical chiftitelli, but excellent pop mixed with traditional instrumentation (my personal fav).

I know two greek folkdances from college: the hasaposerviko and kalamatiano (please forgive me if I butchered the spellings). I think we're learning some kind of sailor dance at this workshop. All I do know is that Greek dance is a hardcore cardio workout- seriously butt-kicking stuff! It's great fun, but since I performed a bit doing the above mentioned dances at a school dance performance, I get kinda irritated with the odd goofball who joins the line and refuses to keep up and pulls everyone all over the place (mostly because they don't know the steps and are just bouncing around). Last year I went to a Greek festival on Oahu (apparently there are lots of Greek people in Hawaii) and I had a great time joining the dancers and helping out people who wanted to give it a shot. I highly recommend social dances like Greek dance because if you learn the basic steps, its all repetition and variation and anyone can join in!

I love ebay

2005-06-06T10:05:00.000-04:00

I just won a shibori yukata for a grand total of $7- can I say that again? 7 US dollars! Including shipping. Woohoo! Nobody noticed the auction because the page said nothing about shibori or even that it was a yukata and the picture was tiny. But, I knew shibori when I saw it.

If all goes well, I should have it by the end of the week. And there will be pictures. I almost feel guilty...
Almost...

I wrote them earlier to confirm the amount I was to pay to paypal, but no response yet. I hope they are not pissed since they probably lost money in the sale. Dunno. They are in Texas, so it's probably just a time zone issue.

On an evil note....

2005-06-04T23:21:00.000-04:00

Excuse my Livejournal moment (I promised myself I would keep this blog free from petty personal crap), but it is the most deliciously satisfying moment to know that other people realize how much of a crazy jerk someone is- something you've know for a looong time. Hehe. Sometimes it takes people a long time to reveal how messed up they really are, but boy, do I feel vindicated!

At least I was good and sewed my torn seam on both the kurotomesode and the haori. I had forgotten about the haori's open seam, but it is all better now. I really would like to find a book about sewing kimono. I think my next big project might include buying a really neat karinui (basted, but unfinished garment) and finishing it. I am concerned about the lining part, though. I got all inspired from another blog I was reading:
http://kimonoandkitsuke.blogspot.com/
Man, she really makes kitsuke look easy. I wanna be like her when I grow up hehe.

Argh!

2005-06-04T13:22:00.000-04:00

I tried to put on my kurotomesode and it was nearly a complete disaster. Again, the biggest issues arose while I was trying to put on the obi (notice I said trying because it looked awful). I need a real obi makura (my makeshift one out of a rolled up towel and an old pair of tights ain't cutting it). >_< I also managed to tear the seam of one of the sleeve while walking through a doorway and catching it on a handle. That'll be fun to sew back together.... I got so mad at the nagoya obi, I took it off without taking any pictures (believe me it's better this way). But I decided that it shouldn't be a complete loss and threw on my yukata obi and put on my fun haori.

Please excuse the crazy hair- it felt like an epic battle with the nagoya obi, so no surprise. So again, this is a kurotomesode: silk with ryozuma (mirror image) yuzen work with some embroidery accents. No, I should not be wearing it given my marital status (kurotomesode is the most formal kimono for married women), but I felt like putting it on. The haori I believe is also silk and may be ro. I think so because it has a striated texture with lines that are more solid and others that are a more open weave, plus it is very light and is hitoe (unlined).

I was lucky enough to find these two, along with another haori, the plover kimono from earlier, and another informal kimono at the University I used to attend. The costume/fashion department was getting rid of a lot of old examples they had in storage and I was lucky enough to stumble upon the sale. They also had one of the traditional Korean dresses (hanbok) and I almost bought it- I really regret not getting that one. It was purple and it was neat to see how the dress works. It's actually a top that ends at an empire waist and you were a kind of apron underneath- straps go over each shoulder and fabric falls from where the top ends. Here's a link: http://www.koreaaward.com/korea/image01.htm
The one I found wasn't as poofy as those shown on that site, but then again, there's probably a crinoline or something under them.

On a silly note, I was so please with the yukata obi that I had my sister take a picture of that too. It's the best knot I ever did!

Yeah, I'm a dork, but I wanted it for posterity's sake :P
More like for my own reference and proof to myself that I can tie at least one obi musubi....
Ah man! The crest (mon) is totally not centered- or maybe it's the obi... Argh!

Things to get:
Obi makura, obijime, obiage, maybe a more sedate jyuban, real kitsuke lessons!!!

First Attempt

2005-06-03T22:27:00.000-04:00

Please be kind- it is my first attempt at tying an otaiko musubi and as such it took me about an hour to do it and I also pulled at my kimono while trying to tie the knot so things aren't as aligned as I wished they would be.
So, again, Here goes:

I am in looooove with this combination! The whole ensemble was my present to myself for getting a few science papers published (in obscure journals albeit, but now I am in print, baby!). I had the tsukesage (courtesy of ebay seller ryujapan-99 who has the most awesome stuff ever!! although usually his stuff is too small for me) for a few months before I found the perfect obi (courtesy of yamatoku- see the link). It was really hard to find something light pink that wasn't too loud or ostentatious and I snapped that baby up right after it was listed (it was insanely reasonable too). For those who care, the tsukesage is a rinzu silk with gorgeous yuzen designs (hime, taiko, rose motifs). The obi is also silk with dyed crane with some additional embroidery.
View number 2:

Don't get me started on the wrinkles and the fact that the obi is too low and slightly angled, I was just happy it looked something like an otaiko! I used the Japan Culture Club website as well as Rising Sun Imports page http://www.risingsunimports.com/articles/howtotieobi/ to help me figure it out. You can see my cute blue-greenish juban - also rinzu silk and according to Ichiroya, it's from mid-Showa period (1950's or so).
Last view:

I really need a smaller obijime and a real obiage - the cranes on the front panel are almost completely obscured by the obijime (a really neat pre-tied one I found in an antique shop in Hawai'i). Despite having my collars out of whack, etc. I am so happy with this ensemble. Weeeeeeeeeeeee!!
I think ebay is calling- I have to go windowshop now....

Lots of shimmies

2005-06-03T12:11:00.000-04:00

Last night in class, we worked on a lot of shimmies. One of the interesting things Amina said was that she viewed the dance as a reflection of the universe; how everything is actually vibrating and nothing is solid (which is definately true on a subatomic level), hence we shimmy to convey the energy in the universe. It's kinda NewAgey to me, but at the same time, when you imagine it and listen to the vibrations in the music, it makes the shimmy come naturally and easier. Amina really has a knack for getting me to focus on relaxing my muscles- it is pretty crazy how much we tense up while trying to work hard and get things right. She's definately up there on the "amazing teachers" scale. I only hope I can find someone as fabulous when I move up north.

Hopefully I will be able to post my first attempt at an otaiko musubi later today (the master of the photo card will be coming home later).

There were so many drool-worthy kimono on ebay last night and since I've had to put a moratorium on my spending, I keep getting upset when so many people are getting awesome kimonos for a steal! Argh! But I'm still on the lookout for The One: the furisode of my dreams (and pocketbook :P ).

Off to class

2005-06-02T19:49:00.000-04:00

This is why you don't eat a lot before you go to dance class: I feel like I'm gonna lose my cookies.
My teacher's name is Amina Salah and she specializes in Egyptian technique. She's the real deal too- I've had teachers before who had a real mishmash of styles, but I think I'm an egyptian girl myself. I've been lucky enough to study with Willow Chang as well- she's also an awesome egyptian technique-focused dancer. I noticed myself even picking up the whole "hand on my forehead" pose when I was trying really hard to figure a move out in class (kinda a "ya habibi" moment). At least that will come in handy if I ever have a rough time pulling off a move in a performance- maybe my hands will look nice and egyptian while I'm fudging it!
Bleh.
Gotta go get my bum over to class.

Here goes....

2005-06-01T19:22:00.000-04:00

Something has compelled me to start this thing. Hopefully it will be interesting to someone other than me. I just wish I could get my profile photo to show up... Ahh. There it is. Success!

So, essentially, I am a bellydancing kimono addict. I couldn't have picked more expensive addictions except if I were into equestrian stuff (although have been there, done that too) or illegal narcotics or scuba diving (have not tried either of those heh). I hope to post my attempts at kitsuke (kimono dressing) and my various homemade and purchased bedlah (arabic word for "suit" which is the term used for a bellydancing outfit- the professional uniform as it were).

Here's my first kimono-related pic:

I am wearing a vintage sha hitoe kimono with little plovers (chidori) decorating it - I need a close-up for them to be really visible. I showed it to an old professor of mine who lived in kyoto for a while and she said that it was possibly a geisha's kimono since the plover was the "mascot" for the geisha district near her. I dunno if it is true or not, but it would be nice. I cheated with the obi since I didn't have anything other than a hanhaba obi really only suited for yukata at the time. I've since purchased a gorgeous green fukuro obi and a pink nagoya obi with a simple crane motif-more on these in later posts I'm sure. I used the butterfly obi musubi since it was the only one I knew (hence the front only pose). I'm still practicing my otaiko knot and will post a picture of that soon (I still haven't figured out the whole digital camera card transfer yet).

And here is my first BD related pic:

It's from my first real gig. It was my friend from high school's graduation from law school, so it was my present to him. Everyone, except for a few cranky older ladies, seemed to be having a good time, although it was hard to get anyone up to dance with me. Apparently, one of the older men had just had a bypass in the last month and everyone was worried I was going to give him a heart attack. Luckily nothing happened, and besides, there were a few EMT's and police officers in the family.

I bought this turkish bedlah (not a homemade, although I did make the underskirt which you can barely see) and it worked well, except the fringe covered my stomach up too much and nobody could see my belly roll. Also, I think it gave me bad posture (you can kinda see it in this picture), but that may be because I'm doing sword or I'm really nervous. :P

I had a great time and I improvised the whole performance. The funniest thing was this small boy who was playing his gameboy advance the entire time I was dancing. I asked afterwards if he actually looked up at all, but he didn't. Poor kid probably didn't even know I had been dancing at all.

Alright, enough for now. Maybe I'm gonna need to break up this blog into two pieces...

Frenchies

2005-06-01T18:00:00.000-04:00

So yeah, my big bro is in Paris, living it up. He apparently saw Billy Idol in the airport and remarked, "He looked entirely too much like Billy Idol."