Gratitude List* and 2013 launching**********

2012 was - probably - the hardest and most amazing year of my Life (so far).  It is in times of chaos, loss, disappointment and general hopelessness that you find out which material you´re made of.
Not that Life had been easy until 2012 - it never was simply because I always chose the hardest, most challenging paths and never compromised my Consciousness, Freedom or Dignity - but seeing the country that I consider a huge part of my Soul going down the toilet through "religious" extremism was almost too unbearable to take.
Nonetheless, I prayed to see LIGHT in the middle of Darkness and so I did. 

Egypt and egyptians (not all but most of them) are focused on forgetting who they are and entering a "Dark Age" of Muslim-Political-Ignorance-Nonsense  - therefore I felt  it was time to cut the umbilical chord and spread my wings. I didn´t sacrifice to rescue Oriental Dance from Egypt in order to see it dying and buried in front of my eyes. I rescued it* so that it could LIVE and FLOURISH all over the world (Egyptian Dance belongs to the Universe´s Soul).

Having bosses and men in the dance business sexually harassing me (and punishing me for rejecting them) was something I was used to deal with and fight against but  having daily urges to kill men in the streets of Cairo during a simple walk to the grocery shop was REALLY making me - clinically - sick. 
I understood my FIGHT and MISSION was accomplished in Egypt and there was nothing else to conquer, learn and experience there. My heart was asking - crying, actually - for something HIGHER, BIGGER and BETTER (and so I follow it).

Swimming against several tides for way too long - it is TIME to FLY (taking the best of Egypt inside of me, hanging from my wings).

Always knew it: always did it. Nothing was ever given to me on a platter (quite the opposite). If there are people who receive miracles from the sky and handed an easy way to success I can assure you I´m not one of them (gladly enough, I presume). Since I decided to leave my country -Portugal - and dared to DREAM BIG (starting from Egypt and, more recently, all over the world) all I met were a series of battles, hard choices, opponents, enemies, monsters, hard - HARD - work, continuous struggles and mountains to climb all by myself. I also discovered that - in this world that is not resumed only to Egypt - a Woman is still expected to make less of herself in order to be accepted by others - specially men (and notice how I wrote the word "men": not Men).

I payed my dues - indeed; and plan on keeping up the fight and using injustice, obstacles, enemies and "im-possibles" in my favour - as I am used to do.

I noticed how so many envy the achievements I have gathered so far but VERY few envy the WORK, SACRIFICES, STRUGGLES and COURAGE needed to make it HAPPEN.
I wish I could see more WORKERS in my field - and less "wanna be´s".
It´s sad how I often receive emails of dancers who ask me about "the secret of my success"  and once I tell them the secret (COURAGE, HARD WORK, STRUGGLE, then repeat beyond exhaustion) they tend to bend their heads and presume I´m an arrogant b... who´s just trying to disappoint them.
No one seems to ask "what can I do to learn more, be a better dancer, excel myself". All seem to ask: what´s the easy, quick fix to make me a "star"?!
Stars are in the sky, honey. All I know is that Success (at least, mine) is a CONSEQUENCE of a serious commitment to my ART and DREAMS. No tempest, fire, attack or battle can stop me from MOVING ahead: MOVING=WORKING. If that is not as glamorous as you wished, I apologize (but it´s just the way REALITY is).

During 2012 I found myself totally immersed in the writing process of my own BOOK and traveling all over the world to teach and perform -sharing so much Knowledge that I´ve been gathering in 8 years of Life and Work with my orchestra in Egypt. As Oriental Dance dies in Egypt, is more and more alive all over the world (and that is how is supposed to be: the Universe KNOWS* best*).
Having rescued the "tail of the dragon" of Oriental Dance in Egypt and gone deep into the essence of this Dance and its people, I can fairly say that is an honour to spread egyptian soul through every country I visit.
It is my wish, dream and MISSION to keep doing it - more and more, bigger and bigger. It is. Amen.***

As soon as I started to see my Dancing career moving forward and spreading to different countries, I also understood how much WORK there is to be done everywhere and how much prejudice the whole world still holds on Oriental Dance.

 I often asked the generous sponsors who hired to teach and perform in their countries about the current situation of Dance in their country and how the general public responded to it and felt surprised - yet not shocked because SHOCKing was these last years of life in Egypt and the way Oriental Dance, Dancers and Women are seen and treated there  - by the accounts of ignorance, tabus and association between streap-tease and "bellydance".

I guess I´d been hidden inside my Cairo cocoon for a long time so I had no idea of how Oriental Dance is practiced and seen all over the world. Realizing IT gave me extra reasons to move ahead and do what I am SUPPOSED to DO. 

I am. BLESSED: I am.:) For everything. 
Even for the hard times, the knives stuck on my back, the disappointments, the negative side of so many things and individuals I insisted on seeing as naturally good.
Simply because I hate crying over split milk and the whole victim issue: I don´t complain. It´s true that FREEDOM and SUCCESS in a woman who doesn´t sell her body or soul to the devil are still way too expensive for most to pay but I CHOSE the challenges, the lessons, the paths, the adventures, the risks, the DREAMS and their price tag. I OWN my LIFE - therefore I am responsible for everything: for the great and for the pain that comes with the great.
From the negative I have learnt, grown, matured.
From the rocks on the paths I have made my soul´s muscles stronger; my mind thicker and lighter (at the same time). I´ve built my character out of adversity and constant shocks and realized that VICTORIES do come to the ones who are GOOD, HONEST, CONFIDENT of their own gifts and HARD WORKING.
"God helps the ones who help themselves" - I heard somewhere. Totally agree with it*.

2012 also taught me this treasure: it takes rare strength to be KIND on a constant base and specially towards the ones who were everything BUT kind to you.
Kindness is - probably - the most elegant, eloquent, doubtless and convict proof of CHARACTER and character is gorgeous-divine-the quality I most admire in people.

Yep: the cookies and all that jazz.

It´s all in the BOX - waiting for you to go and get it.

I do - a thousand times I do.
When I dance, it´s the MUSIC in my heart that I listen and follow (a kind of internal soundtrack that underlies all other music you may be listening with your "common" external ears).
I do what I LOVE; I am with the people I LOVE; I FOCUS on LOVE and discover that this is the kind of SOURCE that makes Life worth living.

My personal motto: the one I live by. The one I work by. The one I represent - to myself, mostly*.

Love has many definitions and yet no words can - truly - express it. I only know what LOVE is NOT:
Possession;
Jealousy;
Lies and games;
Ego and vanity;
Conditions that break the other person´s soul and dreams;
Cutting each other´s wings.

What it is?
Allowing and inspiring each other to FLY - knowing that we´ll be back to each other´s arms by the end of each journey (here´s one of my VERY special wishes on my 2013 dream list).

In and off - I´ve been writing and editing my own BOOK (a long term project that  HAD to be born when the Egyptian Revolution exploded on January 2011).
ACTION holds an incredible POWER (as opposed to THOUGHT which is - in my opinion - over estimated). Once you put your hands and give your word to yourself saying: "I´m gonna do THIS" a lot of energy, inspirations, lessons and mountains to be climbed rush in your direction. Writing this book started 8 years ago, in the moment I decided to move to Egypt with a BIG DREAM and a bag full of IM-POSSIBILITIES. The initial idea was to write a book about Oriental Dance from an "insider"´s perspective (therefore, I planned on living and performing in Egypt for about 2 years, maximum) and dig DEEP into this Dance´s ESSENCE, MEANING, PAST and FUTURE. Never did I imagine how far, low and high this journey would take me.

So the cake is being written or the book is being baked and taking the right time for each ingredient to settle, melt, bake and be ready to serve.
I first gathered all the ingredients of the cake (in my life, mind, heart and soul);
then I started to create the cake with no idea of how to do it;
once the ingredients were gathered in the order I felt was right, I melted them into each other and let them breath - each one at its own timing;
then I pre-heated the woven and let the cake inside - baking, baking, baking.
Now it´s baked, matured, warm (not too hot in a way that burns your tongue) and ready to serve.
All I´m doing now is the decoration of the cake (polishing here and there, adding some chocolate and "chantilly", tasting it to SEE* if it´s ready to be eaten by my guests or not).

It´s so amazing to see a BOOK-CAKE has a life of itself: its own tempo, pauses, maturing time, beginning and end. It asks to be written when it´s ready, it pushes you into unknown directions and offers a lesson or two on the way there* and then it clearly tells you when it´s finished. My own WILL has little to do with it. My book commands me - not the opposite.
So this is a gift 2011 and 2012 will offer 2013: the publishing of my BOOK. Amen to that too*.

"Morphine, please!" - says Mr. Burns ("The Simpsons" rock!) and says "me" every time I look at the country Egypt is becoming. Sad. NOT my Egypt - that´s for sure.

And Love* arrives when you least expect it: changing everything: wiping  all sand from the tired floors of your experienced kitchen: making everything BRIGHT. Is LOVE and illusion (dangerous one)?! That´s still one the mysteries I am curious about. Plan on finding it out: 2013, here we come.

Gratitude list (a MUST): 

* My health is the most precious gift God has been offering me. With It I  can recover from everything and anything and keep climbing my mountains;
* Love and Friendship (all the people I meet that bring sun and flowers to my garden);
*My family´s support and unconditional love (not so common as one might think);
*The Talents* I borrow from God - using them in the RIGHT way is my responsability. Working hard to honour them and deserve their presence in my Life;
* Doing what I love the most and being appreciated for it (HUGE blessing);
*Continuous chain of lessons, learning curves, experiences and LIFE that allow me to expand as an Artist, Teacher and Human Being;
*All the acts of KINDNESS I´ve experienced make me believe that there is so much GOOD in the world that it´s almost impossible to believe in it;
*Opportunities to accomplish my highest DREAMS;
*Travelling around the world through my work and all the wonderful people I meet on the way;
* All the kind, honest, generous, beautiful human beings whom I found in the most unexpected places - proving me that this is HOPE for the world and for Humankind. These are the ones who compensate for all the negative experiences I´ve had. It took me a long time to admit that not everybody is pure, good, fair and well intentioned. Yes: there is evil in the world (why on earth did it take me so long to FACE this fact?!). But there is also immense BEAUTY and wonderful people; feel a deep sense of GRATITUDE for having met so many of them.

*Peace - of mind, of country, of life;
*A heart that can still manage to be "naif" (not stupid though) after so many attempts to turn it into stone;
* A soul that is not corrupted after so many tempting meetings with the devil (disguised in so many alluring attires);
*LOVE: just LOVE - inside and around me.

*

May 2013 be THE year of our LIVES
(at least half of the task is in our hands).

Christmas retreat and Eilat Festival preparations.

Will I allow myself a couple of Christmas days JUST to be with my family, eat the sweets I have the right to, read, watch silly Christmas movies and chill out for a second?! That´s worth a try - simply because I deserve it and there´s a brand new season of EVENTS, CHALLENGES, new ADVENTURES and VICTORIES to achieve (lots of work and shine my way/our way - Inshah Allah*).

For now: back to the basics: some cooking with my mum will heal the most exhausted bits of my heart; having a  Christmas night at home - for the first time in many years (these last years I was always in Cairo, performing - as usual); stopping the "Dream come true" machine just for a little (very little while). A warrior needs her time to reboot, rebirth, re-breath, REBUILD herself and the map she has designed for her Journey.

Breathing in and UP...

After my two day break, WORK it is: preparing Eilat Festival material (4 different thematic workshops and performances with a very talented live orchestra: YES!) and digging - once more and for the last time - on the final phase of my BOOK´s editing. 

Life is NOW and always AHEAD.:) 

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Joana Saahirah of Cairo in Ireland

Joana Saahirah of Cairo dancing Baladi in Ireland

Joana Saahirah in Ireland - Saiidi and tabla

This may not be the highest quality video (it was actually taken by Terri with my own humble photo and video camera) but it´s still a register of the performance in Charleville Castle, Tullamore (Ireland).
Lots of the dance gets lost - even when a proper video shooting is provided - and I often feel frustrated by posting less than ideal image quality material but this is the best that can be done - for now.
What´s NOT seen in these videos? Small details, nuances and movements that are so particular to my dance style, facial expressions, the EYES*, the energy of each second, the comunication between me and the audience, the MAGIC of the moment.
Remains a little bit of it ALL. Enjoy and have yourselves a Merry Christmas*****.

Irish Love - again*.

After the show at Charleville castle, Tullamore. Terri Dale - the organizer of the event to whom I send my gratitude and tenderness - is on the extreme right side of the pic (as pregnant as the Earth):)))

Returning to Ireland was a wish of my heart - not only a work-business trip. On the itinerary there was Dublin (television interview - fun!), Athlone (for a radio interview), Tullamore (for workshop and performance at the Charleville castle) and then return to Dublin for a full day of Workshops.

In my favorite bedroom at the Charleville castle, Tullamore (only me and "them" - peaceful and warm).

Home is always where your heart is*.

Just arrived "home".

Being faithful to my Loves. Once I fall in Love, it´s for REAL. Charleville Castle is one of those* classics of my Soul that happen for no apparent reason and for all the im-possible reasons.

I had been in Ireland last May for Shakefest and the idea of returning to this ancient, complex and beautiful land made me happy as a child on a Christmas morning - just before opening the presents.
The train that took me to Athlone rocked me as I was once rocked in my baby cradle and I couldn´t stop but wonder how much of DANCE is just this journey to our childhood: the desire to be cradled once more and - peacefully - bounced by our mum or our Mother Earth.
The interview in the radio was FUN (I do love speaking about my work and my vision of Oriental Dance) and the arrival to Tullamore was filled with warmth - despite the cold weather, probably more than in London and Russia.
Being received in the room where I first chatted with my dear castle ghosts was a Joy. Yes, I know this sounds bizarre to a lot of people but speaking and seeing dead people - physically dead, that´s all - is not a scary experience but a rather pacifying one. It´s the living people who often scare me and hurt me, not the dead.

There was a dinner wonderfully cooked by Bonnie at the castle and some reading by the fire with constant knocks on my bedroom door ("they" had to make sure I knew they were there, welcoming me, protecting me); cats and Shadow, the dog which loves Dudley more than americans love McDonalds and J.F. Kennedy.
I felt at home. At last.:)

At the enchanted bedroom where I first talked with some very special "spirits" (great to know - for a fact -  that the Soul  is Eternal) and that we are surrounded by angels and people who have physically departed but still visit us to help us, guide and protect us and even JUST for a chat.:)

The workshops and the performance at the castle were lovely and unique - as they tend to be when people involved are TOTALLY present and generous.
It´s curious how the venue of each performance - as well as the country-audience I am performing to/with - influence the result of the Dance and require certain adaptations but the ESSENTIAL remains: it doesn´t matter if I´m dancing for chinese people, egyptian, irish, indian, even aliens. All of them want to be MOVED, FEEL ME through the music and FEEL the music through me. Dance is always a RELIGIOUS experience - in the true sense of the word (RE-LIGARE = reconnect).
Performing in such distinct venues and countries has polished and detailed even more that sense of what´s REALLY IMPORTANT: in Dance, as in Life.

Watching birds on my window - God is in the details.

In Dublin at a famous restaurant-pub waiting to see the FANTASTIC Irish Music and Dance show.

Happy. Period.

Early morning - my enchanted bedroom waking up by my side.

Now: teaching in Dublin was a Challenge. As usual, I focus on the POSITIVE so this is what I´m gonna do now but first here´s what I have to say (to be applied by all Dancers, including myself):

Molly Malone´s statue - a Dublin icon.

Without HUMBLENESS, TENACITY, CURIOSITY, STRENGHT OF CHARACTER (that I often refer to as having a "spinal chord") and willingness to LEARN there can be no GROWTH.

Ignorance does not shock me at all: only arrogance. And remember another one of my frequent QUOTES:

Mediocrity is the daughter of Arrogance. Indeed it is. 

The less you are opened to learn, the more mediocre and weak you will be. The more you are open to learn, the better and stronger you will be.

GREAT DANCERS are not just the carriers of steps, movements and intellectual information; they are strong willed, magnanimous, thirsty for LEARNING, willing to discover how little they know so that they can keep knowing MORE and MORE and MORE.

Just me - at the Charleville castle.

Having said the essential, I also must admit I had a great time - and hard work - at these Dublin workshops. We worked Modern Saiidi-Tahtib and Modern Oriental and I already presumed these would be two difficult subjects for most dancers. The ones who did not quit and worked relentlessly until the event was over deserve my hat off: YOU HAVE MADE MY DAY.

 The biggest pleasure in Teaching is - for me - the ability to INSPIRE, OPEN DOORS of Dance, Technique, Precious Information, Creativity, POSSIBILITIES. I love TEACHING- therefore LOVE dancers who love LEARNING. Cheers for all of them!

Small piece of the Irish Music and Dance show I watched in Dublin (how can you NOT love Irish Dance?!).

Before my performance at the castle - rejoicing with my bedroom companions who did not stop knocking on the door just to make sure I knew they were THERE with me.

Dublin last days were filled with Museums, Expos and Book hunting ( choreographer Keneth MacMillan´s biography was in my bags in the blink of an eye) and more emotions than one single life could ever bear.
Cried again over paintings (am I chronically possessed by the full moon and the hormonal-emotional-creative-spiritual grip it has over me ???) at the National Gallery and remained open mouthed with some amazing irish music and dance show (how come no one ever told me Irish Dance is SO F....G FANTASTIC?!).
Picasso´s works at the National Gallery stroke a chord with me - as they always do.
This is what I wrote on my notebook, staring in full emotion to a famous Picasso painting:

"Like a child, he goes directly to the essence of things, discarding any empty appearances, useless and distracting elements; he takes the inner reality of the painted objects and purifies them from all details that may ruin their soul´s revelation.
Wonder if that* can be done with Dance as well. What would happen if we took all superficial flourishes and empty embellishments and went directly to the heart/essence of the Dance?"

London it is, baby!

Me and Farah - The BellyDance Trophies organizer whom I thank for making my visit to London a reality - at Shakespeare´s Theatre "The Globe" at the bankside of London.

Falling in love.

From the snowy and grand Russia I landed on London: another discovery, another passion, another open mouth experience. Each place and its people is, indeed, UNIQUE and full of possibilities. Bless me and damn me - at the same time - for this endless and hungry CURIOSITY that makes me want to eat the whole world for breakfast (with a side of jam and tea, if you please).

These days I am falling in some very irritating - yet sweet - clichés; here´s one more of them:

Teaching is learning; giving is receiving. There is this hidden dynamic we´re not so familiar with, working underneath our ignorance and confirming that the more we give, the more we receive.

London was not so foggy, blue lighted and depressing after all. Is this a myth of some kind?! The sun was out - kind of ... - for a considerable time during the days, the sky of London is SUPERBLY beautiful and, although it was freezing and damp, the city is so EXCITING that it makes you forget everything.

"BellyDance Trophies" poster

 I had to run to a Theatre as soon as I arrived and so I did: "Billy Elliot" on Friday and "Top Hat" on Saturday (kind invitation of Melanie Norman, her husband and Prince Rafik). The first made me cry like a baby (the whole theme of Billy Elliot is very close to my heart for personal reasons so yeah: I was hysterical during the whole performance); "Top Hat" left me dreaming about gorgeous sets, cloths, music and that old classical Hollywood that considered Dance and Dancers as the crème de la crème of Pop Culture. Those good old days...:)


Me, excited, before crying like a baby over "Billy Elliot" Musical at Victoria Theatre.


Felt amazed at how extravagant, creative and yet conservative english people can be. Isn´t that a huge - and fascinating - contrast?! You can feel the conservative values and traditions through behaviour, moral standards and through language (I learnt that toilets are "facilities" and that you can call "negotiator of affection" to a prostitute - isn´t that delicious?!).
Then the COSMOPOLITE feeling of the whole place (with loads of pickpocket thieves - cute as they come) that allows you to be everywhere - from China to Ecuador, from India to Portugal - without leaving London. One can hear any language of the world in the streets of London and only a small amount of english: London belongs to the World (a world that fits inside the city´s pockets) as the World once belonged to London.

 

The "little" - BIG - actor, dancer, singer who played Billy Elliot in the brilliant Musical with the same name.

The Workshops I taught were stimulating, fun, challenging and DOOR OPENING to a lot of dancers who made it all worth it. There´s very few things more pleasureable than Dance lovers who are REALLY willing to LEARN, no matter how difficult that may be. The PASSION for LEARNING is one of the pillars that rises Oriental Dance standards in a country so I´m happily seeing english dancers growing - just becauuse they so well deserve it.

Browsing the streets of London (looking for "Victoria and Albert" Museum): observing people: learning from every single opportunity.

 The Competition - BellyDance Trophies - was another unexpected pleasure: lots of TALENT, willingness to IMPROVE and PERSONALITY. LOVED what I saw and felt the warmth and enthusiasm of people like an antidote to all lack of faith in the future of Oriental Dance.

This Art may be dying in Egypt, indeed; but is thriving in many places all over the world and maybe - just maybe- that´s how it´s supposed to be.

One falls in love with a place when that place is a Teacher (well, this one has always been fair and true for me). London is a great teacher!

Performing without my orchestra is the hardest thing I accept doing on stage - even when there is a local orchestra which performs with me. Still I deliver my soul on a platter simply because I know of no other way of Dancing.

No matter what: you give me eggs, I´m gonna do you the best omelette; you give me lemons, I´m gonna do you a pretty lemonade. There is always THE BEST you can do within any given circumstances so: no excuses for mediocrity or less than your best.
 One may always dance from the SOUL - in order to reach the audience´s soul.
Then again: London audiences seem to be AMAZING, despite the apparent self-restraint and less then explosive reactions to the artists on stage. Although the orchestra´s music was not the ideal, I guess I still managed to MOVE those sweet audiences and - all in all - we had a great time.

Dreams come true: you just have to DREAM them, BELIEVE in YOURSELF and take ACTUAL STEPS for their REALIZATION. Risks, faith, work, knowing that God helps the ones who help themselves. Amen*.

From a magestic stage in Barcelona to another gigantic theatre in Russia; then London with a show at a Bollywood venue (loved it!) and heading to Ireland - to perform at the enchanted castle of Charleville. Not so boring, is it?!

Goodbye, Maya´s veil.

Shannon Port © 2012 l Artist: "Veil of Illusion" by Marcia Snedecor

The Veil is thinning and many things that were once hidden from our consciousness are coming to light.

This includes things that have been hiding in our dreams and in our subconscious mind.

 

In order to be birthed into the New World we are being shown what has held us down and kept us in bondage in the lower vibration. The Truth is making itself known. In many cases this means seeing the futility of materialism and things like violence and war and the misuse of our sexuality. All of this is preparing us to become the Creators that we were born to be.

The source of our creativity is our Sexual Energy and our Heart. We have been misguided in our creations and have relied upon the Ego for survival rather that living in the Limitless Substance of the Heart. We are creators and all that we need for this life can be created with the exhaustless riches of the Heart. As we remember how to do this the Earth and our Human Culture are going to change in beautiful ways.

As the Veil grows thinner and our demons and nightmares try to shock us, we can be gentle with ourselves and use this time as an opportunity to connect with those things which bring us into our Heart. The nightmares have no power over us. They are simply helping us to love ourselves deeper. They are asking us to SEE AND FEEL what really matters. We can release them as we embrace ALL of ourself and offer forgiveness and gratitude to all who have played a role in our awakening. We have all been the sinner as well as the saint. Now we are integrating the Angel and the Demon back into one Being of Light.

Shannon Port © 2012 l Artist: "Veil of Illusion" by Marcia Snedecor

Sylvie Guillem - Evidentia

More food for the SOUL (via Melanie Norman).
The relationship between TALENT and HARD, CONSISTENT and WELL ORIENTED WORK and the relationship between INSTINCT, FEELING and INTELLECT-MIND-REASON are - probably - the most central issues in a Dancer´s Life.
Knowing when to use your head and when to use your heart; when to move and when to stop; when to sing and when to remain still and silent: those are the balances a Dancer searches for all her/his Life.
*                                                                                  *                                                                          *
I often say Oriental Dance cannot change the world but it can change PEOPLE (opening their own Consciousness and Hearts) and people can change the world. Nothing of too much importance, RIGHT*?!

Christmas present suggestion: VAGINA (upps!)

It may not be the most orthodox of all the Christmas present choices - and certainly not the kind of ribbon-cute wrapped gift you would offer your granny - but it´s a GREAT one for all the Women in your life (friends, girlfriends, mothers, sisters, wives, lovers, colleagues:  whoever you love  and wish to see Happy and Expansive).

Author NAOMI WOLF did IT again: a BOOK that shakes Women´s perceptions of their own conditions, body, mind, soul and LIVES. 

Follow the link:http://naomiwolf.org/vagina/ for more infos.

My "VAGINA" is already by the bed - ready to be devoured (in all the possible ways).

Because Irony - in the right amount, style, timing and context - is the most sophisticated form of Intelligence, here it is: my little Christmas gift to all my girl-friends and dancer fellows around the world (courtesy of Susana Fidalgo, via Facebook). Enjoy and laugh under the mistletoe:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/JZ0jRuASVEQ

Christmas Eve food for the soul*.

"Kites rise highest against the wind - not with it."

-Winston Churchill, was a British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War.

*

1. 
   "Not I, nor anyone else can travel that road for you. You must travel it by yourself. It is not far. It is within reach. Perhaps you have been on it since you were born, and did not know. Perhaps it is everywhere - on water and land."
   
   - Walt Whitman

   
   

   
   

   
   

   *

   
   

   
   

   "Your imagination is more real that then the world you see, because the world you see comes from what you imagine and believe! What you believe and feel to be true is what will be your life."

   
   

   - Rhonda Byrne, from her new book "The Power".

   
   

   
   

   *

   
   

   
   

   "The critical ingredient is getting off your butt and doing something. It's as simple as that. A lot of people have ideas, but there are few who decide to do something about them now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. But today. The true entrepreneur is a doer, not a dreamer."

   
   

   - Nolan Bushnell, founder of Atari and Chuck E. Cheese's.
   

   
   

   *

   "The strongest oak of the forest is not the one that is protected from the storm and hidden from the sun. It's the one that stands in the open where it is compelled to struggle for its existence against the winds and rains and the scorching sun.

   
   

   - Napoleon Hill, author.

   
   

   ***

   

   Wishing you all a Merry, Merry Christmas*
   
   

   
   

Simply Margot*.

"This is where her submission came in as her greatest power,´says Violette Verdy, who, in her teens, saw the original 1946 cast. " She was waiting for her turn to move, but not looking at other dancers, or interfering with them, or stealing their thunder, but waiting in the music. She would fill her ears and heart wit it, and when the time came, she was forced to start because she was so full that it overflowed out of her."
(...)

" One wasn´t watching the dancing that was going on in the centre. One was just watching that beautiful, beautiful woman on the edge of the stage. Moving the heart, but not moving in action at all. Just standing there. Motionless."

Violette Verdy speaking about Margot Fonteyn 

In: Margot Fonteyn, Meredith Daneman

21-12-2012: the Beginning*.

Opportunities for Growth are everywhere : few of us take the time, effort, risk and courage to grab them and DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

Life is a constant jump into the Unknown - so I´ve seen (so far). Daring to step into Darkness and Strange holes is what builds up a CHARACTER (that illusive quality I love and respect so much). It´s not really about the competition with others and the "winning" part - which can be totally relative and deceiving - but the gift of the DARING STEPS towards the JOURNEY, the TRYING, the ATTEMPT to go further into yourself  - and out - that you went yesterday. Time has arrived to let that ego on the shelf of antiquities - where it belongs - and start to use your Soul as the main guide of your thoughts, feelings and Actions.

Here it is: a brand new WORLD beginning: 21-12-2012 (the gate opener).

A brand new energetic frequency is invading the Earth and its sons and daughters ( us). 

No escape from EVOLUTION (you step forward or you die, as simple as that).

As a Kamikaze girl that I´ve always been, the adrenaline of the Unknown, the irresistible allure of Adventure, the conquering highs, the Curiosity - oh, the immense Curiosity and the availability to be wrong (therefore open to Learning): all of those things become more essential and urgent than they´ve ever been.

Taking the risk of sounding selfish and egocentric, I aim to focus even more on myself than I already did until now. Other people´s faults are theirs - not mine to pinpoint and criticize - and I have my own faults and dark spots to deal with so: irrigating my own Tree is the goal for now and ahead.

Wishing we all do the same ´cause a New World starts with the decision of

 NEW PERSON in each one of us.