new pursuits: belly dance and aikido?

[kitchen_kink]

I just know my friends list will know this.

What are some recommendations for studying bellydance (maybe tribal?) and aikido in the Camberville environs?

Comments

[veek.livejournal.com]

I know lyonesse and some others do aikido at MIT. Don't know anything about bellydance, but goat would. :)

[veek.livejournal.com]

Er. The Kokikai page says it's for MIT affiliates, but Lyo had offered to let me check it out, so perhaps MIT affiliates and their guests, or something. And I'm sure you can find some MIT connection somewhere around your social scene. :)

(Smilies! They plague me!)

[goat.livejournal.com]

I actually don't know of any American Tribal Style teachers in Camberville, but it's nice to be thought of!

I do know teachers in JP or Worcester (way too far!).

Alyssum used to teach a Sunday tribal class at Green Street Studios, but I'm pretty sure that she's moved away and her classes ended a month or two ago.

American Tribal Style isn't terribly popular in this area. If you (dietrich) are actually more interested in Tribal Fusion, it might be good to just take a basic beginner class, and go from there.

[queen-of-wands.livejournal.com]

My recommendation: take me with you! I've been trying to motivate myself to go to an aikido class FOREVER and failing. There's one on the weekend (Saturday mornings I think?) at the Arlington Center which I know nothing about other than that I like the Arlington Center. lyonesse does (did?) aikido at MIT. You have to buy a day pass to the gym to get in there, but a certain MIT grad student we know might be able to sneak you in (although probably not both of us at once).

[tisana.livejournal.com]

Ooh! Ooh, ooh.
Um.
Actually, goat is right...there's not much for tribal style belly dance close by. However, there are cabaret belly dance teachers not too far away that might be earthier than what you might expect from the category.

Aepril Schaile is now in Salem, and while goth may not be your thing, her shamanic style of dance may really appeal to you. I think you'd like her--if nothing else, see her perform once, and you'd know why.
Sabrina in Quincy is also a wonderful teacher, and she's sensual and earthy, and perhaps a bit prone to mentioning goddess tie-ins in her shows.
Melina is in Newton, and while it's technically cabaret, her style has got a very Gypsy/tribal fantasy feel to it, and her energy is infectious.

Things to consider--when you say "tribal," it conjures up two things...American Tribal Style, which depends on group improv from cues, or tribal fusion, which uses elements of tribal costume and movements, but is often solitary, and less standardized. There's often heated debate about which is better or if fusion is "authentic," so be warned there may be someone willing to give you an earful if you use them interchangeably.
What sort of things are you looking for in the dance?

[dietrich.livejournal.com]

I feel that my body would be well-suited to belly dance, for whatever reason; I have a generally earthy, low-to-the-ground physicality in spite of my height, and when I dance spontaneously I tend to use arm movements and wide leg-positions that are reminiscent. I want to do a type of dance that will make me feel graceful and sexy, something that's grounded in technique and tradition. It also has resonances with Feri - the current grand master of Feri is Anaar, a great belly dancer, and I've seen her cast a circle using a dance.

There's a bunch of stuff. :)

I'm looking into Sabrina; I'm in Quincy with some frequency these days.

Aikido

[vesper2000.livejournal.com]

I've been practising Aikido for something like 12 years, and something to think about is what you want to get out of it. There are many subtle differences between teachers and you should find out which one appeals to you.

I started studying at a dojo affiliated with Reynosa Sensei at Makoto Aikido Kyokai, which is one of the "harder" styles of teaching and the one I prefer. Now, I tend to study at dojos affiliated with the USAF, specifically with sensei who have studied under Yamada Sensei. These are both lines directly associated with the Honbu Dojo in Japan.

If you're more interested in the esoteric aspects of Aikido, you should contact the Ki Society for a recommended dojo.

New England Aikikai...

[first-clark.livejournal.com]

...in Porter Sq. is the biggest and best place for Aikido in the northeast. I enjoyed my studies there. Out of curiosity, why aikido?

Re: New England Aikikai...

[pir.livejournal.com]

Strongly seconded. There are some amazing instructors there and they're large enough to have a good range of class times. I highly enjoyed my time there.

Re: New England Aikikai...

[dietrich.livejournal.com]

I've studied karate here and there, and I tried Krav Maga - that's the last martial art I studied, and found it to be too much martial, not enough art, as it were. On one hand, at the time I think I was not ready to face the amazing potential for violence in myself, and that was part of why I quit. I think I'm ready to face that now, but I want to face it in a way that's more in harmony with what I now know about subtle energies, and with a philosophy of non-violence. Aikido seems like the closest thing to a form that will allow me to defend myself if necessary, but which will avoid harming or killing as much as possible. Krav was all about berserking out on someone with the goal of "stopping" them - whether that meant knocking out, crippling, or killing. It was too much for me.

Re: New England Aikikai...

[first-clark.livejournal.com]

Aikido may be a good choice for you then. The philosophical emphasis is on personal development and moving through your life in unimpeded harmony with your surroundings, even when other (misguided) people try to impede your progress. This is exhibited in practice by dynamic rotational movements about your center of gravity that are more about taking your past others than about injuring or killing them. The latter is possible, just not the point. As a physicist, the recognition of and leveraging from the tremendous power of rotational dynamics at the heart of Aikido is the most impressive of the martial arts I know anything about. As a humanitarian, I reveled in disciplined study that was about bettering myself without disadvantaging others. I hope you find joy in it.

[hissilliness.livejournal.com]

My ex, powerfrau99, is an amazing bellydancer, who learned most of her craft while living in the area. You could probably get some good pointers from her.