New Bellydance Classes for 2013 - Greenville, SC

Equilibrium Zen Gym is moving to a new location, 207 E Antrim Dr, Greenville SC, with more spaces for classes, and I am celebrating with them by offering 2 new classes. Classes are still on Wednesday evening and will begin on Jan 16th.

Bellydance Basics - Wed 6:30-7:30pm 

Description:

Bellydance is an expressive art form based on ancient women’s dances from North Africa, and the Middle East. What we know of as Bellydance today takes on a variety of styles and goes by a variety of names, but the basis of Bellydance is rooted in body isolation and movements centered in the torso of the body. In this class we will focus on technique, alignment, and posture as we breakdown the basics forms, movements, and travelling steps that form the foundation for many different styles of bellydance. Each class will begin with a warm up that will include stretch and strengthen exercises designed with the bellydancer in mind, followed by a breakdown of several basic isolations and usually a travelling step which will be put together into a simple dance combination. Class will close with short cool down stretch series. 

Intermediate Bellydance - Wed 7:30-8:30pm

 Description:

This intermediate class will be presented in 8 week sessions that will have different focuses. Each 8 week class will build on skills learned in bellydance basics. 

The first session will start Jan 16 and ending the second week of March.

This 8 week session will focus on learning a skirt dance. The piece we will learn is an original choreography by Jaidra that combines basic bellydance isolations and travelling moves with an emphasis on spins, turns and flourish with a 25 yard skirt.

There will be a performance opportunity in March for members of this class that wish to perform, but performance is not required. Students who wish to perform must be willing to purchase or borrow specific costume items such as a black choli and a 25 yard skirt. 

Permission of the instructor or 16 weeks of bellydance basics are required before joining this class.

I am so excited to start classes in this new space! As always, your first class with me is free. After that, 10$ each for a 6,8, or 10 class card or 15$ per class drop-in. 

 

Upcoming Shows Oct, Nov 2012

Jaidra will be performing as part of Discordia Arts with Wasted Wine at the Velo Fellow on Oct 31. Be on the lookout for something different!

Next, look out for Wasted Wine and Discordia Arts with Los Meesfits at Little Kings Shuffle Club in Athens, GA on Nov 3. Discordia Arts are breaking out the theatrical dance spectacular for your viewing pleasure.

A short break will be followed by an appearance at the Handlebar as part of Outsider Arts' Holiday Market on Nov 17.

Favorite Nature Photos

I hike as often as work, gigs, and life allow me to, and I love to take pictures of what I see. Here are a few recent favorites.

A Nature Silk

This one has a home already (I painted it for my Father)

 I started with this beautiful garden spider on a background of white oak leaves.

 Then I added a ruby throated hummingbird. I took some liberties with the vine: kind of a cross between bignonia and jessamine, but I think it's beautiful.

 The far left side finished up with a dragonfly on a background of sycamore leaves and water oak leaves as a final framing piece, since I wasn't going to paint the full size of the silk. I used water and jaquard green label silk dye directly on the fabric with water to move the dye.

Finished nature silk painting

I finished with a mottled background in 4 washed of dark blue. The pictures don't do the silk justice, but I think that it turned out lovely. I am always in love with and inspired by nature.

Abstract silk paintings for Feb 2012

Winter showed up late, but it showed, and I've been cold and filled with dark emotions.

I mixed washes of grey and black with my colors to develop gradients, and I used water and salt to add texture.

I think that these abstract paintings are evocative of what I'm feeling these days. More of this style will be coming.

Multi-month update brought to you by the letter J

The letter "J" for Jaidra and for Job: as in, Jaidra's full time Job takes up all of the time that was once spent on taking and editing photos, updating websites, networking, etc.

I am still making art and dancing! It just occurs at odd times, and is in no way consistent. So, for brevity, here's the bullet point update.

• Uniq by Jaidra silk art is available at Artizan Gallery in Columbia, SC. They have been fabulous to me, so if you're in the area, go by and check them out!

• Uniq by Jaidra silk art and jewelry is available at Raspberry Moon Skin Care studio in Greenville, SC. Nicole is amazing and will help make your skin Fabulous, so definitely check her out!

• The Uniq by Jaidra Etsy store is closed temporarily. It just takes too much time to maintain. But, I still take custom orders and I always have pieces for sale. Just contact me at jaidra_art@yahoo.com

• I am a featured artist at Dharma Trading company this month! I get all of my silk painting supplies through Dharma, and LOVE them! 

• I am available for private henna body art appointments. Due to time constraints, I am limiting in house and travel appointments to a minimum of 50$ (a pretty large or detailed piece). Longer and larger appointments still run 75$ per hour. I do have a two hour minimum for parties, corporate events, and weddings.

• Dance classes continue. I always wish that I could dance more, but there's only so much time in a week. Stay tuned. I will try to be more consistent with the updates!

Joy, art, shimmies!
Jaidra

Some Pics from the Past Few Months

Uniq by Jaidra: Art Fair Booth

Uniq by Jaidra: Art Fair Booth

Uniq by Jaidra: Art Fair Booth

Custom Belly Henna

Turkish Fusion Performance

Irises Silk Painting

Taking a life break: Hiking is my relaxation

I just love this picture: Mushrooms above a mountain stream.

My Students Rock So Very Much

Bellydance Fitness and Fun Class Performance

Equilibrium Zen Gym Bellydance Class

Last night, Equilibrium Zen Gym, the home of my "Bellydance Fitness and Fun" class had their annual Christmas party. A few weeks ago, the owner, George, asked me if I would perform as part of the class demonstrations for the party.

Jaidra

I had been teaching my students some simple combos in a circle format, and I made the executive decision that I was going to choreograph a simple dance and have my students dance with me for the party. With less than a month to go, I let them know that they could perform with me. I made it clear that they didn't have to, but to my surprise, all 6 members of the class decided that they wanted to!

Jaidra Dancing with Bellydance Fitness and Fun Students

These women all started dancing four months ago, and have progressed at varying speeds, but are all amazingly beautiful, talented, kind and hard working. I have been so impressed by the work that they were willing to put in in order to join me for the Christmas party. They even surprised me by purchasing matching skirts for the performance!

In the end, I had a phenomenal time, and my students did a wonderful job. I am very proud of them, and hopeful that they have inspired others to come and join us. Bellydance is not just a beautiful art form and great exercise, but can be a truly communal experience that brings joy to the dancers and the audience, and my students prove it!

Good news, bad news, and bellydance photos

The great news is that I have a full time job. My art is my passion, but I also love science and am excited to be able to use my degree that I worked so hard for so many years to get.

The not so great news is that for the first little bit, I am cancelling Thursday night classes. I have a lot of work going on, and it's going to take some time to get used to my new schedule. I hope to be able to reintroduce advanced and intermediate level classes again in the future, but for the time being, Bellydance Fitness and Fun at Equilibrium Zen Gym happens every Wednesday night at 7:30!


Now for some fun stuff. I've had a lot of performances lately, a show in Knoxville, TN hosted by Ananda with The Lifesize Mousetrap, Jodi Waseca, and Rose Harden the last weekend in September. The first weekend in October I danced in Wasted Wine's Perpetual Spirals of Power and Pleasure CD release and dance collaboration at the Warehouse Theater in Greenville, SC. Today, I danced with two amazing ladies, Brandy and Evelyn to live drumming at Fall for Greenville. It's been a busy couple of weeks, and I'm loving it! I have tons of pics, but here are a few of my favorites.

From Knoxville Show:

Jodi Waseca, Rose Harden, and Jaidra DuRant

Jaidra with Sword

Jodi Waseca with Uniq by Jaidra hand painted veil

Rose Harden

Jaia and Amanda of Ananda

Maria and Sipi - Amazing Acrobalance Team

Claire - Poi Goddess

Teejei

From Fall For Greenville: It was a Windy Day!

Jaidra, Brandy, and Evelyn pre preformance

ATS at Fall for Greenville

Jaidra Skirt Dance at Fall for Greenville

Jaidra and Brandy Duet

Brandy Solo

Awaiting Autumn

It has been a long, hot summer, and I've found immense joy in it. Yet, even my favorite season must come to an end, and even though the temperature drop always saddens me, there are many things I love about fall...especially the colors.

Fall Fae Silk Painting

I wrote last about inspiration and how what I make changes as I move through the process of creation. The last piece I made was flowers in autumn colors. As the temperatures drop and the pulse of nature slows, the trees become beacons - golden beech and firey maple. Yesterday and today, I drew my inspiration from autumnal colors.

The temperatures outside haven't dropped significantly yet, but I feel autumn in my soul.

Autumn Dancers Silk Painting

The first piece that I worked on, I hated. I didn't do sketches for these, but just drew the designs directly onto the silks with my resist. Initially, the fae figure had too large of a head, too strangely proportioned a body, and no background. I made the head smaller, the waste larger, gave the skirt extra layers, and added abstract background lines...and filled the entire thing in with autumn colors. She sits beneath a stormy sunset, and I was so happy with the final piece that I decided to do another today.

As with the first, I put the resist directly to silk with no sketch, and as with the first, I hated this piece initially. Once I filled in the entire background with branches and leaves, I decided that it was going to turn out alright and began painting. It took hours to fill in the background, painting each leaf with multiple washes to give the fall leaves a realistic color gradation. I kept the figures super simple, dancing in the filtered golden light of autumn.


Fall.

Inspiration Evolves

Henna Lace Hands by Jaidra

I draw inspiration from a million places, and rarely is it a linear process. Sometimes, I see something, and it sparks an idea. Other times, I have a dream, read a book, listen to a piece of music, or feel an emotion that just has to be expressed on silk. I write this blog for others to view my creative process, but also as a spur for myself. Writing about my process allows me to analyze it, and draw a better understanding of why I do the things that I do.

In this instance, amazingly enough, there is a clear progression of inspiration that I managed to get photographs of. It began with a henna client sending me a photograph of a henna design that they wanted. I used that photograph as inspiration in creating a design for their henna piece.

Henna Leg by Jaidra

Some of my favorite aspects of the design were the spirals with "leaves" that I think look like fern fiddle heads.

I decided to use the fiddle heads in a larger henna piece that I did on my own leg this past Sunday.

A good friend of mine saw a photo of my leg piece on facebook and suggested that I use the design in my silks. My silk process uses water based resists that block movement of the dye on the fabric, but doesn't protect the silk. I would like to get some batik materials and try out some of my intricate designs on silk, but right now, I can't afford it. So, instead, I painted a small 11x11 silk with blue washes, went over it with stop flow, and then painted my fiddle head design on using black dye.

Fiddle Head Inspired Silk Pocket Square

I followed my small silk up with a larger 21x21 piece. The fiddle heads became less intricate, and I filled the space with these and leaves and chose a fall motif to celebrate the fact that summer is coming to an end.
I was really happy with the final piece, and even though the silks bear little in common with the original henna design, all of them evolved from the same design element. I don't think I'm done with this one yet, either - who knows where the fiddle head may take me next!

Fiddle Head Inspired Fall Silk Painting