Ahh, England again and having a wonderful time. But I am finding it hard to  get my work done, writing, blogging, emailing, etc. when access to a computer and internet are not to be had. So after a week of no access, I am back on my computer at my lovely friend Louisa’s home, preparing dinner, and sipping celebratory champagne, toasting to my lovely hostess and host for having my in their delightful home, and she is sponsoring my Collective Soul Level 2 that starts tomorrow.

We had a fabulous weekend at the Majma Festival in Glastonbury, my first time to that magical little town where the historically mystical Chalice Well is, and so funny to be driving to Glastonbury and right in front of us on the highway was Stonehenge. Oh my…just right there. Well then, I have now seen it, driven by it, and viewed it under the stars on our way back home after the festival. So much I don’t know about the magical history of these places. I so enjoy driving through all of these very old, crumbly farming towns, sheep covering the hillsides, as we wind our way to our destination, laughing often, and comfortably silent as we view the countryside through the windows.

Glastonbury, a town full of magic shops, fairie wings, soul readers, and of course, our bellydance festival. My workshops were great fun, sold out, and we laughed (as always), danced, swirled shawls, played zils, experimented with dance concepts, tranced, and more. The shows were packed with performers of all genres, the crowd was great and enthusiastic and I was honored to be a part of the event.

~~~~~~~~~~~

and now, while I am on the computer, I think it is time for a monthly CD giveaway!

Gypsy Caravan’s Awakening

I love this CD, recorded by Jeff Rees and Bruce Beaton of Gypsy Caravan, with special guests, Jeremiah Soto and Wayne Gilbertson. Some slow and fast and in between danceable pieces, tribal-ly. I can’t sit still when I play this CD, it has memories that I cherish, and the music makes me groove.

**Write a comment here, on this blog, and tell me what kind of music makes you move, groove, and dance; and why. Short, long, or in between, send me your words by March 20th to have your name put in the turban to be the lucky winner of  that CD, Awakening, and include your email address. I look forward to reading your words to share.

Tribal Bellydance Intensives with Paulette of Gypsy Caravan–

Collective Soul Levels One and Two,

in April (CS1 April 8-10, CS2 April 11-13) in Hungtingdon Valley, PA, near Philly. last Call!

email dance@gypsycaravan.us

Can you join us? I would love to dance with you…

www.gypsycaravan.us

Back on the farm and good to be home! 6:30 am, and it is getting light now, very happy about that. Frosty ground, not the sunny warm weather of Australia, but I love it! Visiting with all my little and big animals, and celebrate my man’s birthday while I dive back into the piles of work waiting for me. Unfortunately that does not go away while I do. Ah well…

paulette in brisbane

Now I have time to reflect back on my fabulous trip down under, and finish telling you about it! I am sorting through the tons of photos I took on my journey.

After the delicious CS1 intensive, I gathered with my three Level One Teacher Trainees, Becky from Albany, Sienna from Cairns, and Christine from Auckland, New Zealand. They have been dancing and teaching for the past year, working with my training program while refining their teaching skills. So after a year since we started that program together, last February when I was in Adelaide, we were able to come together in person, review the processes, and I am happy to certify them into the small school of graduates! I am proud and they have been doing great work!

so turbans off to them…

Teacher trainee grads!

I then continued on with Collective Soul Level 2, still in Brisbane. Another great 3 days of intensive dancing and talking. What a joyful, and painful process sometimes too. We stretch ourselves, with tired bodies, excited minds, and emotional feelings, it is a lot to take in in three days. And as always, sometimes three days is not long enough. We must honor our individual processes while we continue our work, and enjoy the journey before we get to the end result. But it does feel good to get to the root of the dance, what it means, how it works, and where we can go from there as dancers and artists, and I so thrive on being part of every dancer’s journey.

Congratulations to the Collective Soul Level Two dancers and grads:

Collective Soul Level Two dancers!

Sienna, Dee,Becky, Christine, Nina, and  Heidi–thank you for your hard work, your dedication, and your beautiful dance! what an honor to dance with you all…

and lastly!

Congratulations to Nina for getting certified in my Teacher Training Level 2 course.

We worked  one on one and she has made me proud! great work Nina! And so glad you will be joining the Gypsy Caravan and the Caravan Dance Collective in Portland, with Hilary and Amanda from Caravan Soul Collective International, and also at Tribal Fest in California this May!

Nina and Paulette

woo hoo!

What a journey this has been, the last few weeks in Australia. I have had the opportunity to meet and dance with some beautiful women, who have undertook intensive study with me. Congratulations to them for getting their certification, both in Collective Soul Level One and Teacher Training Level One. And not without a few giggles!

Collective Soul Level One grads...

Back row: Kelly, Colleen, myself, Shanne, Kate, Julie, and Dee

Front row: Margart, Heidi, and Becky

Heidi, Becky, and Dee did the course as a refresher, to get ready for the next intensive that immediatly followed, Collective Soul Level 2, testing today!

Lately I’ve been discussing how the dance is empowering to the women, on so many levels. Appropriately on Chris Guillebeau’s blog today, he writes:

Empowerment, as I think of it, is all about the beautiful principle of transferring knowledge and helping people consider possibilities that previously seemed out of reach.

This was a perfect read for today:

http://chrisguillebeau.com/3×5/the-small-man-builds-cages-for-everyone/

Fulfilling, rewarding, with sweat, tears, and joy… we reach for what we desire, experience our own journey along the way, and listen and share with the other’s we are joined with. Trust and community building: that is beautiful. I am constantly awed and rewarded by the women I dance with.

Thank you gals for giving me you trust, your time, and your dance! andhere is to the next step on your dance path.

Celebration!

Good work Teacher Trainees: Becky, Christine, and Sienna (photos to follow!)

Friday, a day to rest, a day to reflect, and basically, a day off! We finished up Collective Soul Level Two Certification yesterday with five tired but elated dancers in Lewes, England, near the southern sea shore. What a fantastic journey it was for all of us.

But let me go back to last week, first arriving in England and being swept away to the sweet little town of Aylesbury, about an hour north of London, where I have taught on several occasions over the past nine years.  Starting with a long walk on a gorgeous hilltop, Steffi showed me the view, we took her dog and daughter so I could get some air after the long plane ride, and I really wanted to get my time zones switched, otherwise I would have fallen dead asleep and it was the middle of the afternoon!

Starting right in the next day with Collective Soul Level One, I had 3 five-hour, full on dance days with six delightful women from all over England and Scotland. Undertaking this tribal journey is different for every woman, but we come together for gathering and collecting tools and knowledge toward achieving a more thorough personal knowledge of technique, history, ethics, artistry, sisterhood, and more—each person so unique in what they desire, but yet collectively coming together to understand the mechanics of Tribal Bellydance, the basics, the roots. A great start to learning how to really be an artist, a dancer in your own body, mind, and soul.

We had good, sweaty, body-driving days, many many laughs, and some great coffees, food, and wine after hard days! And all six dancers received their certification straight on after the anxiety of testing (I’m not too much of a task master!) I am so proud, and to see the Collective Soul experience be so positive and rewarding for all of us, as the dancers gained new insights as well as joined hands to strengthen their dancing sisterhood bonds, knowing they have more friends around the world to meet and dance with. How cool!

Moving right on with only two hours to spare, I only changed locations to teach at Steffi’s Tribe Vibe festival, teaching Tribal Trance, a nice way to start off the festival. Her third festival, my second time to teach at it, I met up with the familiar faces of her troupe, Barefoot Bellydance, along with many others I have danced with before, as well as many new tribal influenced dancers.

Congratulations to the new CS 1 graduates:

Sharon,  Sarah,  Kay, Sandra, Chris, and Kay!

More to come about Tribe Vibe, CS2, and my tribal journeys….

Just what is Collective Soul? Or more pointedly, what is the Collective Soul certification course put on by me, Paulette Rees-Denis from Gypsy Caravan Dance Company?
Many of you ask me that, and I have given short descriptions, and I have given longer descriptions, but let me try to be more succinct. Or for those of you who have heard my diatribes, maybe not so succinct, but at least descriptively unfettered!

First, my role is as the teacher, coach, director, hostess, and instigator for you to be the best dancer you can be. Plain and simple. The rest is a bit more involved and complex. I have been teaching Tribal Style Belly Dance for eighteen years and dancing it for over twenty-two. My assorted professional, semi-professional, and student troupes have been performing for that many years, in many formations large and small, but it is the dance itself that I am focusing on here. Over the years, from the needs of my students I have developed six levels of classes—Beginning Levels One and Two, Intermediate Levels One and Two, Advanced, and Performance Preparatory—before getting into the performing groups.

Most importantly, however, is to recognize that Tribal does not have to be about performing. There is nothing like the magic of dancing Tribal, as some of you have experienced. There is the synchronistic group energy of dancing improvisationally together, of creating in the moment, of feeling the music within your soul, of connecting with your dancing sisters through eyes and bodies, of feeling the glistening sweat on your skin as you dance hard. There is a pulsing energy when you really allow yourself to dance, not just memorize the steps, or just mindlessly follow your leader, but to truly dance, and take the lead. Your dance is your gift to yourself, for so many of these reasons, and more. This dance can be a meditation and a prayer, a spiritual awakening. Dancing can be an aerobic workout, a way to tone up the body and lose weight. Tribal can be a way of meeting and connecting with people of all ages and backgrounds, because you are feeling disconnected from any community and have the desire to find one. A big part of that includes lots of laughter along with confidence building. And the dance steps are just great fun to execute, some physically challenging, others a breeze, while you get reacquainted with different muscles and parts of your body! An incredible component of tribal is the costuming. Dancing tribal can be about making yourself beautiful, looking at yourself in the mirror, wearing assorted gorgeously vibrant costumes and hunks of delicious jewelry, elaborate glittery makeup, fanciful head wraps and hair adornments. That is the icing on the cake.

The meat (unless you are vegetarian like me) is most importantly getting to know the steps, feeling them in your muscles and your bones, and being comfortable dancing them. Tribal can be intimidating for some dancers, with the idea of using improvisation versus choreography. To dance Tribal includes understanding how to use your body, how to take care of and take pride in your body as a dancer, being able to identify rhythms so that you can move with the music, and later on adding zil (finger cymbals) playing, and dancing with props as other exciting layers of your dance.

Giving you helpful information, extensive drilling, body and movement corrections, more discussions, and even more drilling, is what I do for you, as a dancer in my Collective Soul certification courses. I find it necessary that you have some tribal belly dance experience before you start my course. Either that or be a fast learner and study my first few technique DVDs intently. I also do not mean it be a course to take so you can chalk one up on your tassel belt, where anyone can just take the course and get certified. That does not cut it for me, and doesn’t do you any favors, either. The intensive classes are small, usually from two to ten dancers, so that you get as much personal attention as possible. In addition, you are tested at the end. We both need to feel confident that you understand the movements, the history, the ideas behind what makes tribal Tribal. Some dancers freak a bit at the idea of being tested. I may be a taskmaster, but I am also a loving teacher! And no sweat if you do not pass right away, there is always another chance. I honor the fact that you might need more time to study and work on your steps. That is so not a problem! You just redo and review what you need to do, by taking the course again, or by testing again, or by sending me a DVD if you live far away. But you need to do it! You need to understand and be able to dance and move with grace, integrity, and confidence, and be that beautiful dancer that I am here to make you be.

Obviously, we start at the beginning, with Level One. But it is not just about re-learning
or reviewing the basic steps, because we spend time talking with each other, as learning not just from me, but from your peers is an invaluable learning situation. We study the body, the moves, and the music, along with talking about tribal and its evolution and revolution! We talk about artistic integrity and being an artist, not just a dancer that follows the trends. I don’t want you to look like every other dancer out there, tribal, fusion, or whatever is the new gimmick. I want you to be your own artist. We find out what it means to support each other. Mostly, it has to be fun. And we probably share a glass of wine or two!

Then we continue on with the next levels. There is so much more to learn, and as I dancer, I never quit studying and learning. That is why I love to dance, and why I love this dance specifically. It is constantly growing, being a living, breathing art form! And Tribal has an ever-growing repertoire of dance moves, using levels of dancer ability and knowledge. Good, fun stuff!

Collective Soul is also a pre-requisite for those who want to continue to study with me and take my Teacher Training intensives too. Collective Soul got started because there were dancers who wanted to teach but were not ready to. There is so much to learn about being a teacher, including marketing, teaching skills, and business plans, besides the logical ideas of running a dance class.

Now also, the Caravan Soul Collective International is growing, and that is certified dancers who are being able to perform together with me, if performing is your path!

I want to support you, and guide you on your tribal path. No, you do not need to get certified to dance tribal, but it is a way for you to study with me intensively to understand the roots and to get it in your body. And your reward for being certified is saying that you have done the work and you know the foundations of Tribal. For most, tribal becomes a lifestyle because of the invaluable lessons it has to give. Collective Soul has been a way for dancers from around the world to connect with Tribal Belly Dance, and with each other. My reward is to see you truly blossom as that dancer that you want to be. As the numbers of certified dancers grow, the worldwide connections grow. Way cool.

TESTIMONIALS!
From Dee, Tribal Blossoms, in Adelaide, Australia, Feb. 2009:
Going to Adelaide for studies with Paulette was amazing, firstly we had three days of Collective Soul – intensive training with Paulette going over moves, rhythms, zills and technique. I swear its changed me for workshops forever!! It was so inspiring AND exhausting! By the time the test came around I wondered if I’d have any more energy in reserve….but passed thankfully! Paulettes a great teacher. I totally recommend anyone wanting to really experience being a student to get themselves along to the program…..for me it was also a humbling experience – learning that I hadnt gotten it all right, but this was my chance to really learn…its hard to put it into words. She makes me want to be a better dancer and a better teacher.

I love being on the road, and teaching  our dance sisters around the globe. I feel like I’m pulling a thread that is bringing so many of us closer to each other as well as to ourselves, through our dance. I usually take Collective Soul and Teacher Training on the road, so I’m excited to be having it at home again this July, in Portland, and in my little town of Clatskanie! I get to share my farm and my home dancers with these women from other places, so we all get to experience each other, and they get to take classes here with my dancers. We have dancers coming from the UK, Florida, Canada, and several from right here in Portland.

After taking my courses this June in Philadelphia, one of my certified CS1 and TT1 dancers  wrote me with exciting and inspiring news:

“Since leaving the workshop I have been overwhelmed with new purpose and drive to succeed. I have quit my job and decided to teach, dance, vend, and do henna as my primary income. It has been a long time coming to this realization. I have known this is what I wanted to do for a while but hadn’t had the confidence until now. I have had many inspirations and hope I can be an inspiration to others to follow their dreams and make their passion their reality.”

That just makes my work so meaningful and fills me with even great aspirations as well.

I look forward to sharing my home dance space with those coming, and then I take it on the road again this fall, to Milwaukee, England, and Italy, then to Australia in February, and I hope Bali next summer! I hope you can join me on the quest for deeper roots and meaning in our tribal bellydance. I want you all to dance with me and each other!

Alrighty then,

Back from Philly after four wonderful workshops with our lovely sponsor Vikki, and two 3-day intensives! Those girls know how to work it, and me!

CJ Callaghan- PA

Susan Ricciardi- PA

Laura Wilson- DE

Rose “Roma” MacGregor- MA

Shannon Bishop-PA

And when that was done, we went right into Teacher Training Level One!

Congrats to those ladies who worked so hard to acquire teaching skills, how proud I am of you all!

Bonnie Reese- PA

Chrtianne Truelove- PA

Rose “Roma” MacGregor- MA

Jaz parilo- PA

Susan Ricciardi- PA

Also, all of you CS graduates, I have finally updated the website to list all of you, so please check and make sure you are on that ever-growing fabulous list of CS dancers!!!

Collective Soul graduates

Greetings from Huntingdon Valley, PA! What a lovely area of the country this is outside of Philadephia!

I have just finished up three days of Collective Soul Level One Certification—congratulations goes out to Roma, Susan, CJ, Laura, and Shannon, who came here together to dance and study hard with me, took the test and passed yesterday! Getting down to the basics, again, or in a new way, these women took the course to get to the roots of their tribal bellydance, to give themselves the time to better themselves as dancers and as artists. And to be a part of the growing worldwide community!

Today I start the next course of the three day intensive Teacher Training Level One, here, with five women who have been certified in CS1. And I also will teach four workshops over the weekend for a variety of tribal bellydancers! So looking forward to it. More on this, with photos, when I get back home next week!

**But one of the things that came up in our many discussions about dance and about life, is the state of the world, a common topic of conversation in my life these days. With frustration at how many people still do not pay attention to recycling, reusing, and taking care of the earth, I try to do my part on a daily basis. WE can all do a little to help, and every little bit does help, but it is not enough.

I thought, One more thing.

We can all do one more thing. Whether it be helping our neighbor recycle, or not using weed killer on our lawn, or…..

So the Collective Soul dancers and I decided to start here, on this blog, every Monday to write in with what one more thing the can do or have done that week to help educate the public or what they have done in their own world. And I want you to participate!

Beautiful Rima suggests never buying a plastic bottle of water again. Get your refillable bottle and use it, or go thirsty that moment. I think that is a brilliant way to start!

Let’s hear it, starting this Monday…What one more thing can you do?

Bring it on, and remember, it all counts.