Bellydance solo El Hob Kollu for the Guild of Oriental Dance at the Jawaahir Dance Company

Here I am performing "El Hob Kollu" at the 19th Annual Guild of Oriental Dance Show, titled "Midnight at the Oasis" at the Jawaahir Dance Company Space April 18, 2009.

Being "on" CNN and Oprah via Twitter

Twitter has been interesting so far!

After unexpectedly getting a hug and kiss from Rick Sanchez of CNN (and getting my picture in CNN's technology section, ...

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Susan Austin photos of Jawaahir dance performance Sparkle

Susan Austin of Austin Images Photography took these photos of me and my fellow Jawaahir dance members recently (that's me in the first pic!) You can see many more on the Jawaahir Flickr page. And there is a short, fun documentary that was done about the making of this show, Sparkle.

Susan is a wonderful photographer—obviously!—in the Twin Cities area that we met through Twitter, where she is @SusanAustin.

Behind the scenes of a sold-out show: The rehearsal for "Sparkle"

Jawaahir's rehearsal for the sold-out "Sparkle" show (dance photos from the show are now up!) on 3-minute egg:

This show was a lot of fun to do! The Company members choreographed for each other this time, and the video offers a wonderful glimpse of our creative process.

My favorite Tweeple on Twitter! #whoandwhyIfollow

It all started when I asked people on Twitter who they followed and why.

@David_N_Wilson responded “That would take an entire blog entry (maybe several?) Maybe we should organize a day for tweeting about who to follow & why,” and I wrote back  “You know, I think that's a GREAT idea. We SHOULD write blog posts about who we follow and why. You're a genius!”

What is #whoandwhyIfollow ??

We came up with the hashtag #whoandwhyIfollow to track everyone's posts and tweets (just add #whoandwhyIfollow to any tweet about this topic so others can find it easily). David thought we should set a day for everyone to tweet, and started with some wonderful profiles. Most cool of all, he started Tweepleblog to profile people! (Here's his mission statement.)

Unfortunately, just as we were getting underway I had to leave town suddenly, and my free time disappeared—I hold down two radio jobs, besides teaching and performing dance and voiceover. So, keeping in mind the deadline David suggested and my lack of time, I'm going to start with a list of folks instead of individual profiles (initially the idea was to profile three people). I'm going ahead and posting this first, and adding to the descriptions later. Otherwise I'll never get it done!

The worst part of this is of course all the people I'm leaving off just to try to make it a manageable size! If you want the big list of my favorite people, start here.

Right up front are David and Mr. Tweet, since Mr. Tweet's mission is to help you find people to follow, I thought it would be appropriate to include him. Next are my family and close friends (My husband is also named David!), and following that are some Tweeple I think are special folks.

How did I choose who to mention?

Basically, these are all special people to me! But I've concentrated on mentioning people I've known the longest on Twitter, for the most part. I'm leaving off some great people that I've met only recently, since I haven't had that much time to get to know them yet.

Some are people who've done something special for me. Others I've been touched by reading their blog, or just really enjoy chatting with, on or off Twitter.

I know I'm leaving a LOT of great people off this list. Possibly I only just discovered you and there hasn't been that much time to get to know you. Or maybe it's my fault—I haven't taken the time to get to know some obviously awesome people.

Oh, and at the very bottom are my favorite funny folks!

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How can you get a better job, better friends and a better life? One word: Twitter

If you were to meet people who appreciate who you are, what you do and what you love, and can help you do more of it and get paid for it, would that be a bad thing?

BEGIN: Find people in two or more of these 5 categories:

1. People who have needs or interests you can help them with; 
2. Supportive people you enjoy being around;
3. People who work doing something you love;
4. People who work doing something you are good at;
5. People who work doing something that you could (or do) get paid to do.

...Read more

Another Twitter “who’s who” becomes popular

Twitter Grader claims to measure the “relative power of a Twitter user.”

If you're trying to find people by topic, Twellow.com is a great place to start. (Results are sorted by whoever has the most followers first.) And TwinInfluence.com claims to measure the combined influence of twitterers and their followers, as does Twitterank.com. But if you're looking for more of a “Who's who,” TwitterGrader.com seems to be a good place to start.

One of the nice things on TwitterGrader.com is their suggestions of who to follow. Just enter your own twitter ID in to get graded, and a list of suggestions is automatically generated. Refresh the page for more suggestions.

New Blog on Love 105

I'm blogging on the the Love-105 website now!

I'm sharing some fun links and short notes from my show and day at the station, as well as some pics from my life (and an occasional link back to this blog). Click the L-O-V-E to see it! (You can also catch other daily updates from me as @SarahJL on Twitter.)

—♫♪♥

Cats and Kittens: Pictures, facts, videos, funny stuff and websites.

http://is.gd/2QJC
Here are some of my favorite recently discovered places about cats!

Our homegrrl sisters Stasha and Ruby practice night and day for the next Olympics (the power lounging event). My husband Dave is our resident photographer.

If you want to see more cool stuff about cats, I put up links as I find them (a few a week) on Twitter as @CatMom. Send me your links to share!

• The magical, mysterious cat purr 
  
• Do cats adapt to their owners? 
• Try this if your cat isn't feeling well
• Iris and Fern demonstrate how to assemble and decorate a Christmas tree 
• How can you not love the hidden kitten attack?
• Open wide and say ahhhh!
• Cute kittens -- the highest rated photos
• Too much time watching the humans watch TV (Can't you just see a little remote in that outstretched hand?)
• Cats 'n' Kittens virtual postcards (scroll down for photographic ones)
• Free PDF issue of I love cats magazine
• Cat TV! 
• The best of the cute!
• Attack!
• A new cat tale every week "What a good cat!"
• Fascinating cat facts 

... and a few quotes:

• All I know I learned from a cat: When you're hungry, eat. When you're tired, nap. When you go to the vet, pee on your owner. 
• Climb your way to the top. That's why the drapes are there. 
  
• When your cat falls asleep on your lap and looks utterly content & adorable, you will suddenly have to go to the bathroom.
• I can't use Windows. My cat ate my mouse.
  
• You don't have to tell your cat you love it - it knows you do.

You might also like to read Understanding cats: the short course, or Do's, Don'ts, Tips and Worries for Cat Owners.

Stasha resting on a favorite pillow.

Ruby checking for twilight critters.


Lounging practice is essential when the
Olympics are never more than four years away!

 And of course, we must not ignore Ninja Cat!

One of the coolest people I know: Ethnomusicologist, Drummer, photographer and Fulbright recipient Nicole Lecorgne

My friend Nicole Lecorgne (at left) is one of the coolest people I know!

How we met

We first met about fifteen years ago when we both were fairly new to the Cassandra School in Minneapolis. (Nicole is originally from New Orleans.)

Nicole took dance classes and traded with Cassandra, drumming in exchange for her lessons. One day after Level 3 class, she suggested to me that we do a piece together in the upcoming Annual Guild Show. She said, “let’s ask Cassandra for a drum solo that’s simple enough that I could learn it and that you could dance to.” We did, and Cassandra suggested one for us, and we began rehearsing together.

We put together our piece, performed it (all of about 90 seconds of heart-stopping excitement!!!) I made myself a costume for the occasion: black and gold foil harem pants and a matching tietop-- over a leotard, with a hip wrap. (We’ve both come a long way since then.)

What an education—what a teacher!

While she was here she received a B.A. in World Music and Dance from the University of Minnesota. She got her Masters Degree in Ethnomusicology from Wesleyan University. Beyond her education and skills though, Nicole is a fantastic and dedicated teacher.

She has tons of experience in special education, classroom instruction and conducting workshops for both children and adults of all levels. She has given workshops and lecture demonstrations at William and Mary College, Brown and Harvard universities.

Minneapolis to San Francisco to New York

From here she moved to San Francisco to study with the amazing Susu Pampanim. Then she began to play with the Georges Lammam Ensemble. With the group, she returns to Minneapolis each year to play for Jawaahir Dance Company. After a few years, she decided to earn her Masters in Ethnomusicology and moved to Connecticut to go to Wellesley. After that, she moved to Queens, New York and made fairly frequent trips to the Arab World to study music and play.

She has been the Camp Drummer for Oasis Dance Camps for many years, playing in the States—and Morocco!

Drumming and photography

With the writer, Kay Hardy Campbell, Nicole traveled to Saudi Arabia as staff photographer for Aramco World Magazine. Nicole is a very fine photographer, too—her first degree was in visual art. Here's some proof from her site:

© Nicole LeCorgne

She started as a visual artist in New Orleans, became a puppet maker with In The Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theater in Minneapolis, switched to Arabic drumming in Minneapolis, which took her to San Francisco (and all over the Arab World) and circle back to photography.

Moving to Egypt on a Fulbright!

I haven't really done justice to Nicole in this short post, so if you really want to learn more about her you can read her bio or visit her percussion or photography sites. Nicole recently moved all her things to her mother’s home near Birmingham, AL—and from there is going to Egypt to live in Cairo for a year on a Fulbright.

I hope that I get to visit Nicole this year!! I love her very much—plus I really need some new costumes!!!

All images in this article ©Nicole LeCorgne

Wandrei-Tlusty Wedding Pics!

I had a great time dancing at the wedding of my friend and fellow Jawaahir company member Rebecca's wedding! (She: Wandrei He: Tlusty).

If you were there, send me some pics! Our camera died almost as soon as we got there, and all we got was a handful of photos before the battery died.

I'll update this with more details a little later, but here are my fellow dancers and a pic from my solo:

One of my favorite belly dance students turns 89 next week .. and he's a great GUY!

My newest, oldest private belly dance student, Nels, will be 89 on Aug 12!!! A Swedish immigrant, he decided he wanted to learn how to belly dance after seeing it on TV several times. (I wonder if he’s seeing Guild of Oriental Dance videos on cable access?)

Keeping the first meeting safe (and secret)

He suggested a coffee shop for our first meeting. I assume he wanted to be sure I was who I said I was—but I also realized he wanted to keep this temporarily a secret from his daughter, with whom he shares a duplex.

After our meeting at a Panera bread, he decided to break the news to his daughter, and we’d do our lessons at 10am (his best time of day for him) on either Saturdays or Sundays, depending on both our schedules, at his home.

I was a bit nervous at first about his health, and always keep a very close on him. While he a 45-minute lesson is about as long as he can take, otherwise, I started him off quite similarly to how I teach all beginners. Some loosening exercises, and into isolations. He actually struggles no more than most of my beginning students! We don’t have benefit of mirrors, so just as I do with other beginners I’ve taught without mirrors, sometimes I demonstrate for him both the right way, and the way he’s doing the movement differently.

While his balance isn’t perfect, we do Egyptian Basic slowly, and he does it just fine!

He has a great shimmy!

I guess he shimmied sometimes when he was ice dancing when he was much younger. He does it very well. He even used to coach ice dancing! I don’t try to get him to shimmy JUST his shoulders or JUST his hips as I would with a more typically-aged student (I guess I pick my battles as it were. ) It seems good just to get him to move! Last Saturday, I did get him to do his all-over shimmy while shifting his weight from foot to foot, but never picking up the feet entirely.

He’s a fun guy: The first 2 lessons he wore shorts and a golf shirt, and the coin hipwrap I sold him. The 3rd week he opened the door wearing the shorts and a sleeveless undershirt; he said he’d discovered he could see the movement better that way. (He has a small mirror.) The 4th week, he wore a pair of black, hiphugger, stretch, bellbottom pants with the undershirt. I said, “I see you’ve got yourself some dance pants” at which he burst out laughing and told me he’d gone to 10 stores to find them. And he has also turned out to be a real rabble-rouser! He wants to surprise some of his friends with a belly dance performance one day.

The recital approaches ... 

I suggested we have as a goal dancing in the Guild of Oriental Dance Recital (in April, I believe.) He loves the idea, saying, He’d like to do something else before he goes. (He ice-danced, and played the trumpet in a band in years past.) I told him he’d live to 130 because he’s always doing fun things that are good for his body, mind, and heart. He continually asks about costuming for the show, so the other day I suggested he get someone to sew him a sparkly shirt and a small turban; with the pants and coin wrap,  voila! He said the woman at the store where he found the pants sews a lot, and he thought he’d engage her to sew such a shirt.

He asked me to bring him some music, and I had Mr. L copy the practice CD I was using for his lessons. But he told me doesn’t like that one. The other day he revealed to me (every week he reveals something new!) that he has a recording of himself playing the Sheik of Araby with a drum machine backing him up. He loves this recording, and I said I thought people would be extremely charmed if he danced to his own recording in the Guild Show. So that seems to be the direction we are currently headed!

It's not the chest, it's the ribs ...

Every time we are doing isolations, and we do rib cage movement, he says “I don’t have much of a ‘shest.’” I always say we are not concerned with the chest, but the ribs!

He came to see the Friday night show during Cassandra’s Weeklong. Cassandra had Monique solo this time, she was FANTASTIC!!!!!!! And Nels loved her so the other day I told him she is dancing at Mairin’s Table in August. He’ll call the restaurant to find out when. He has also engaged me to dance at a party at his home in late August. (I strongly suspect he wishes to freak out the widows who will come to this gathering!)

Finally met his wonderful daughter

I met his daughter the 3rd time I went. We bonded pretty well, because she is the assistant mgr at East Side Co-op and I had recently read about their artists call for murals there. She seemed to be at first concerned about her dad’s latest crazy pursuit, but relaxed when I seemed like her kind of people. (Co-op shopper!)

All in all, one of my favorite students!

(Added to the DanceAdvantage teach-a-thon)

Tough day?

My husband Dave is often one of the last people to get mad or frustrated at another person. He will say something like "There's no way to tell what they're going through."

Although he certainly does sometimes get frustrated, it's more common that he finds himself wondering what might actually be happening for that person that he has no way of knowing about and treats them with good will instead. (He usually denies he's as forgiving as I say he is, but the tougher things get, the more understanding he seems to get.) Here's a video that shows a similar viewpoint:

Stand-up comedy at Bryant Lake Bowl Tuesday, July 29 7 PM

I'll be performing some of my new comedy with the Last Laugh crew at Bryant Lake Bowl this Tuesday 7 PM, July 29! This show does sell out at times, so reserve tickets early: $10/advance, $12 day of show. Tickets· FAQ · Map · Directions · Review

From the website: “Last Laugh is a hilarious evening of hysterical stand up comedy and outrageous Improv featuring some of the best and brightest comedy performers on the rise: a night not to be missed!”

A wonderful and funny guy I know from Clear Channel Radio, Jason Schommer, is one of the co-founders of LaVie theater, and will be "headlining" the stand-up comedy portion of the show. He's fantastically funny! (And I hope your shoulder is feeling better, Jason!) Some of his stories remind me a little of David Sedaris, only he's bigger and funnier!

Funniest Person Contest at Acme Comedy Co.!

This follows my going onstage June 12 (my wedding anniversary) at Acme Comedy Co. in downtown Minneapolis. I recommend you don't miss the Monday night free show at Acme every week--it's is often better than some other paid shows around town, in my opinion; they have visiting comics from around the country and locally trying out new material Monday nights.


Restaurant, Theater, Bar and Bowling!

If you're unfamiliar with Bryant Lake Bowl, it's a cool place with a theater, restaurant, bar and bowling lanes. It's an eclectic hangout where you can get fine food, beer, espresso.. and see a play, dance performance, or comedy show--and bowl!

You also might catch a glimpse of some of Minnesota's Hollywood-connected people like Winona Ryder, Josh Hartnett (once sighted there with Scarlett Johansson), or the Gyllenhaals. It's also extremely pleasant since Minneapolis did away with smoking in restaurants a couple of years ago!! The BLB's "Theater Happy Hour" includes appetizer deals and drink specials from 3 pm-6 pm M - F.

I'll post a clip from the performance here after the show.

Last Laugh with Sarah at Bryant Lake Bowl
Tuesday, July, $10 in advance, $12 day of show.
Buy tickets · Directions and FAQ · Map · Review

Understanding cats: the short course

That's amazing: Brooke McEldowney has written (to date) 189 comic strips,
each identifying a different hallmark of Felinity. And if you're looking for tips on HOW to BE a cat, here's a great list. But if you just want to understand cats better, read on and check out the videos below.

"Cats aren't clean, they're just covered in cat spit." -Anonymous

Cats are not crazy about vet appointments:

We've got two cats. Photographic proof: That's Stasha at left sorting laundry, and Ruby dreaming of tuna at right. Below that you can see them following their rigorous lounge training schedule:

"Thousands of years ago, cats were worshiped as gods. Cats have never forgotten this." - Anonymous

"Cats are smarter than dogs. You can't get eight cats to pull a sled through snow." -Jeff Valdez 

When we're not around, like all cats, they talk to each other:
  

Also, something my husband noticed: 

Dogs and people form gangs, but cats don’t. Why? 

Because the nicknames are all wrong: 

"Word up, Cuddles ... Mr. Pitter Patter ... You take down Fluffy and Pumpkin, but leave Mr. Buttons to me." 

Cats are not known to enjoy obedience training:

"There are many intelligent species in the universe. They are all owned by cats." -Anonymous

With proper motivation, cats can imagine
themselves doing almost anything:

The physics of cats:

First Law of Energy Conservation
 

Cats know that energy can neither be created nor destroyed and will, therefore, use as little energy as possible.

Law of Cat Composition

A cat is composed of Matter + Anti-Matter + It Doesn't Matter.

Law of Rug Configuration

No rug may remain in its naturally flat state for very long.

The engineer's introduction to cat ownership:

Ruby demonstrates how cats stay limber by stretching:

What is the difference between a cat and a comma? One has the paws before the claws and the other has the clause before the pause. 

It's important to realize that cats, while cute, are also natural predators:

Rules for cats: HAMPERING

If one of your humans is engaged in some activity and the other is idle, stay with the busy one. This is called "helping," otherwise known as "hampering." Following are the rules for "hampering:"

1. When supervising cooking, sit just behind the left heel of the cook. You cannot be seen and thereby stand a better chance of being stepped on and then picked up and comforted.
2. For book readers, get in close under the chin, between eyes and book, unless you can lie across the book itself.
3. For paperwork, lie on the paper in the most appropriate manner so as to obscure as much of the work as possible. Or pretend to doze, but occasionally reach out and slap the pencil or pen.
4. For people paying bills or working on income taxes or Christmas cards, keep in mind the aim: to hamper! First, sit on the paper being worked on. When dislodged, watch sadly from the side of the table. When activity proceeds nicely, roll around on the papers, scattering them to the best of your ability. When being removed for the second time, make all four legs flail around wildly in order to push pens, pencils, and erasers off the table.
5. When a human is holding the newspaper in front of him/her, be sure to jump on the back of the paper. Humans love surprises.
6. When a human is working at the computer, jump up on the desk, walk across the keyboard, bat at the mouse pointer on the screen and then lay in the human's lap across arms if possible to hamper typing in progress.

Cats generally believe they are smarter than you:

Most cats love to help you wake up in the morning:

Multiple cats can be difficult to herd:

A Cat Workout Program:

Cat fitness really can be fun. However, it is important to start any fitness program only when you feel like it. Don't let a few extra pounds intimidate you into becoming more active.

The most important aspect of fitness is: when to start the program. The best time is at about 2 a.m. The house is quiet; there are no distractions. The warm-up is critical. Cats are experts at stretching, so this won't be a problem.

Start with a few wind sprints, full speed, toenails clicking on the tile or linoleum floors. A few low but loud growls will help you feel charged up. Now it is time to add some eye-paw coordination work. Find a marble (the big steelies work even better) and roll that down the floor as the sprints continue. See how many times you can ricochet it off the wallboards before it disappears under the fridge.

Finally, work on that upper body strength. Climbing is a great exercise. Use draperies, macramé plant hangers, or clothing on hangers. You can even find some carpeting on some basement walls. Backs of chairs work well, too.

Now put it all together. A speed sprint to the end of the hall! A race around the living room! Leap to the back of the rocking chair! Let the rebound launch you to the top of the swinging planter! Rock that baby! Feel those muscles work.

Just as the hook pulls loose from the ceiling, dash to the bedroom and dive under the covers. Establish your alibi just in time to hear the crash of the plant to the floor below.

Have a good Work-Out!

Cats love to play. Here's Stasha going after a feather:

Cats like tuna:

The only thing cats like more than tuna is catnip:

But they don't like water, generally:

I gave my cat a bath the other day ... they love it. He sat there, he enjoyed it, it was fun for me.
The fur would stick to my tongue, but other than that ..

- Steve Martin

If you let cats outdoors, there will be less birds in the world: 

more cat pictures

Excerpts from a Cat's Diary:

Day 983 of my captivity.

My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength. The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.

Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a "good little hunter" I am. Bastards!

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of "allergies." I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow -- but at the top of the stairs.

I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released - and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded. The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicate with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe. For now ....

In our house, Ruby is often protective of her sister:

Other cat articles you might like

• Do's, Don'ts, Tips and Worries for Cat Owners
• Cats and Kittens: Pictures, facts, videos, funny stuff and sites 
• Never criticize an architect for forgetting to let the cat in 
• Cat helps loved ones gather before patients die
  
• Incredible synchronicity: Movie "Born Free" frees another Lion. Handkerchief ready?