Baby Boomer Belly Dancer

Long lost episode. Shades of Time with Laura and Mondo. A last minute decision take a quick trip to South Padre, Tx gave Karen Barbee the opportunity to interview Shades Of Time.

Shades of Time is one of the bands who plays for Karen's Project Band dance curriculum.

Check out more about Karen Barbee and Karavan Studio:

Baby Boomer Belly Dancer vodcast: http://vodcast.karavansa.com/

Damn The Torpedoes blog: https://blog.karavansa.com/

Karavan Studio with online and live belly dance options: http://karavansa.com/

Your free trial of Karavan Online: https://freetrial.karavansa.com/

Get Karen's Top 20 Philosophies eBook: https://signup.karavansa.com

Find out about Karen's Karavan Online Masterclass: https://masterclass.karavansa.com/

https://www.facebook.com/KaravanStudio/

https://twitter.com/karavansa

https://www.youtube.com/karenbarbee

https://www.instagram.com/bellydancem...

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Host and Producer:

Gylon Jackson | VOD|POD Media | [email protected]

A quick trip to South Padre, Texas, yields a great interview with founders of the band... Shades of Time.

This is a long lost episode. Enjoy.

Check out more about Karen Barbee and Karavan Studio:

Baby Boomer Belly Dancer vodcast: http://vodcast.karavansa.com/

Damn The Torpedoes blog: https://blog.karavansa.com/

Karavan Studio with online and live belly dance options: http://karavansa.com/

Your free trial of Karavan Online: https://freetrial.karavansa.com/

Get Karen's Top 20 Philosophies eBook: https://signup.karavansa.com

Find out about Karen's Karavan Online Masterclass: https://masterclass.karavansa.com/

https://www.facebook.com/KaravanStudio/

https://twitter.com/karavansa

https://www.youtube.com/karenbarbee

https://www.instagram.com/bellydancem...

=======================================

Host and Producer:

Gylon Jackson | VOD|POD Media | [email protected]

This is the 25h anniversary of GBDAC. Janet Lease has been with Karen for all 25 years of Give Belly Dance A Change. Enjoy the podcast as these two dancers take a shimmy and a figure eight down the memory lane of GBDAC.

With over 40 years in her chosen craft of belly dancing, Karavan Studio owner and professional belly dancer, Karen Barbee Adkisson, has been teaching students the art of belly dance techniques for more than 30 years and is dedicated to keeping live music performances as part of this artful cultural dance.

Join us as Karen's inquisitive mind and unique perspective on a wide array of topics inspire, educate, and even entertain your sensibilities... because everything comes back to belly dance.

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Check out more about Karen Barbee and Karavan Studio:

Baby Boomer Belly Dancer vodcast: http://vodcast.karavansa.com/

Damn The Torpedoes blog: https://blog.karavansa.com/

Karavan Studio with online and live belly dance options: http://karavansa.com/

Your free trial of Karavan Online: https://freetrial.karavansa.com/

Get Karen's Top 20 Philosophies eBook: https://signup.karavansa.com

Find out about Karen's Karavan Online Masterclass: https://masterclass.karavansa.com/

https://www.facebook.com/KaravanStudio/

https://twitter.com/karavansa

https://www.youtube.com/karenbarbee

https://www.instagram.com/bellydancem...

=======================================

Host and Producer:

Gylon Jackson | VOD|POD Media | [email protected]

Marketing Automation and Co-Producer:

Kathy Swanson | Integrated Marketing Werx | [email protected]

Karen says hello and goodbye to two of her dancers. Shevon and Cameron are leaving the Karavan Studio family for new adventures outside of Texas. Listen to the latest podcast here or you can watch the podcast (VODCAST) on Facebook or Youtube.

https://www.facebook.com/KaravanStudiofs

We recently had Bahaia from Austin join us in the studio.Surprisingly, we found out that before becoming a belly dancer, she was a competitive Scottish Highland dancer and that her love for it waned because there was no room for expression in the dance.

Something that also came up several times was the importance of having a guide; someone with more experience or knowledge who can lead you into a richer belly dance experience.

During this episode of the Baby Boomer Belly Dancer, we talk about:

00:00How Bahaia got into belly dancing at the age of 15

07:07First solo belly dance performance in Austin

07:55When Bahaia came onto Karen's radar

12:45Great training from early instructors and making connections

15:31Bringing in a dancer from Greece to Austin and doing events/workshops

20:31Having enthusiasm and skills from outside of the dance world

21:30The rise of the Austin Belly Dance Convention

23:24Karen's CD release of "Mystery and Mastery" at the convention

24:42Taking a "back seat" to strong, definitive instructors

26:07Dancing at The Sands in Houston before 9-11

28:40The "real deal" vs fantasy... friendships and music

31:07Being a third generation "camper" and fun hosting belly dance camps

36:36Everyone was coming down to San Antonio to take Karen's classes...

38:07Belly dancing to live music and "How do I get in on that?" with Project Band

40:58When the National Arab Orchestra (NAO) Takht Ensemble came to San Antonio

44:10Having a different mindset and soaking in every bit of the music

49:50Collaborating to have belly dancers on stage with the NAO for the first time

50:20Bahaia's new project with belly dancers performing to new original compositions

57:16Who is Bahaia's "hero' in the belly dance community?

58:59Greatest pet peeve(s) and greatest benefits of the belly dance industry

Bottom Line:Just do things and get out there; knowing that getting recognition as a dancer and teacher can bring out the snarky in some folks.

We invited Debbie Smith back as our inaugural remote guest to talk with Karen about the nuances of belly dancing to live Arabic music without looking contrived.

A dear friend and Project Band member, Debbie is one of the few American belly dancers who knows Arabic and translates the words from the music as part of her process.

During this episode of the Baby Boomer Belly Dancer, we talk about:

00:00Inaugural remote guest podcast with Debbie Smith

00:56GBDAC2021 and what comes first... mastery or mystery?

03:02Expression and sincerity in a dancer's performance

07:27The opposite of effort...

09:32Letting the music tell you what to do

11:35Ways to increase your improv skills outside of class

14:25What can look ingenuine

16:28Looking for depth and reasons to do certain expressions

21:35The process of taking in the music and putting it out in the form of movement

24:24Dancers looking to deepen expression

25:56Using translations to know how to feel about the music

34:02When Westerners are mouthing the words to a song

36:12Mapping a song out

Ultimately, context is everything!

Over the last decade, Karen has been making it possible for people to learn and appreciate the art of belly dance wherever they are in the world through the power of technology.

Join us for a behind the scenes conversation with Kathy Swanson (The Marketing Maverick behind the marketing automation, Karavan Online, and everything digital) and videographer Gylon Jackson (The Tech Guru with all the toys and gadgets).

We explore Karen's journey, how she "didn't feel a thing" in her business when the pandemic hit the dance studio industry, and how dancing to live music (even remotely) has evolved with Project Band.

During this episode of the Baby Boomer Belly Dancer, we talk about:

00:00Wow!Kathy and Gylon are on this side of the studio

00:25The evolution of the technology of Karavan Studio over more than a decade

01:34How Gylon came on board with "Belly Dance Fun" and the video equipment

04:33How Kathy met Karen -- with more than "pretty spreadsheets" ; )

06:38How many times the website design and platform have been redesigned

08:03Evolving the belly dance journey with someone who loves the live music experience

09:31Realizing the possibility that anyone on (or off) planet can access learning how to belly danceon any level with Karen because of the technology

10:33Sharing Karen's love of improvisation and live music

11:03The evolution of content and creating a foundation -- beyond "YouTube learning"

12:51Learning from a guide versus idolizing instructors as a dabbler

16:18Moving forward, keeping up, and always changing with industry and technology

16:37Kathy's "why-to" book and the value of focus in the face of choices

18:30Guest instructors are students of Karen Barbee -- even with different styles

19:50Karen's favorite part of the technology

21:37Why when everything tanked last year with COVID, Karen didn't feel a thing

23:02Choosing to dance to live music for a live streamed event during a pandemic

23:48When we almost got arrested because of murky City of San Antonio ordinances

25:31In the face of adversity comes innovation -- and the dancers loved it

27:37Making it easy for dancers to schedule and show up for private lessons

28:07Having things already online and not having to educate the dancers

28:50GBDAC2020 -- figuring out what were we going to do, Project Band dancers, and live music

30:11Pulling off GBDAC202020 remotely and live across the country

38:20Now dancing remotely to live music is not a big deal and we do it regularly

40:14Now Project Band is open to people wherever they are on the planet

40:49Changing expectations during a pandemic -- clear plexiglass is not the same

42:32GBDAC2021 is looking good for October 1-3 in San Antonio and how we will do it

44:22The Road to GBDAC2021 and creating content for our audience before and during the event

47:51The tools for online marketing now are amazing, integrated, and more affordable

48:40Letting technology and automation help you be more creative and do the (im)possible

51:15A belly dancer with her own music on cassette and CD... and now on Spotify and iTunes

52:53Self-publishing a coloring book of Sara's drawings and Karen's philosophy topics

53:45The things Gylon and Kathy wish Karen would do

56:48Ranting on belly dancing... the birth of the Baby Boomer Belly Dancer video podcast

58:17A great idea for YouTube -- do you think Karen should do it?

1:03:42Being ahead of our time and the amazing tech at the UTSA Buena Vista Theater for GBDAC

Kathy thinks Karen should have a Patreon channel.What do you think?

In the meantime, on Amazon you can get a copy of Karen's coloring book "Kolor Your Perspective" illustrated by Sarah Jouett Martinez.

You can also get Kathy's why-to book "Automation Works" on Amazon.

You can also contact Gylon at VOD|POD Media [email protected].

How did we get Michael Ibrahim and the National Arab Orchestra (NAO) into Texas?

Michael recently joined us from Detroit along with Karen's cousin, Julie Scott, Former Executive Director of The Youth Orchestra of San Antonio, to talk about this incredible story.

Rest assured, we are looking at even bigger ways to instruct dancers on how to work with live music and giving them the opportunity to do it.

During this episode of the Baby Boomer Belly Dancer, we talk about:

00:00The incredible story begins with Project Band and adding instruments

02:35Finding a nay player on YouTube -- Michael Ibrahim, NAO Founder and Conductor

04:48Connecting through Naser Musa and flying dancers to Minneapolis to see Michael

05:44Going to Detroit to see the NAO Takht Ensemble

06:10Tying in to San Antonio's Dream Week with the Youth Orchestra of San Antonio

10:24Planning the concert at Incarnate Word and pulling in the Lebanese community

11:46Creating a sold out concert and an excitement for more

13:40Live Arab music -- Texas singers and musicians are coming out of the woodwork

14:54In less than a year, having the full orchestra at Trinity University

15:11Attracting support from Houston and playing there to another sold out crowd

18:21Using concerts as a catalyst to bring communities together

19:45Why Michael founded the National Arab Orchestra -- a purpose of culture

23:16The NAO's Building Bridges through Music program and "starting with ourselves"

24:50The pandemic afforded the NAO the opportunity to build a virtual community

26:06How excited Karen was when she joined the NAO Board

27:55Collaboration, education, and kids learning the music to pass along tradition

30:00Keeping the inspiring energy of live music at the forefront -- makes us human

32:02Having dancers on stage with the Takht Ensemble in January of 2020

33:03Folding dance into the music and elevating the tone of the cultural conversation

35:50Cultural dissemination vs cultural appropriation

43:31Belly dance is a huge window opportunity to curiosity and conversations

46:59The arts as a window into culture and why people do what they do

47:40Teaching dancers how to listen to the music and improvisation

55:01The NAO Takht Ensemble and Karavan Studio's weekend showcase in October 2021

"When you want to get to know someone, you invite them over for dinner; that's how life works." - Michael Ibrahim

While we had some technical difficulties, they didn't hold us back from this great conversation with Michael and Julie.

Close friends and a common love for belly dance.

Debbie Smith and Karen Barbee discuss culture, dance, and the transformative effects of falling in love with both the art and science of belly dance.

We are so pleased Debbie came in from Arkansas to San Antonio for this "performahearsal weekend" with her fellow Project Band members and our musicians.

During this episode of the Baby Boomer Belly Dancer, we talk about:

00:00This could take a while... how long Debbie has been studying belly dance

02:30When Debbie and Karen met at Mirage

04:02Hearing the music and following the breadcrumbs to experience the culture

09:48Meeting her first musician in Austin and developing cultural habits

13:34Realizing that the main thing she loved about dancing was the music

16:27The energy of the whole band, how people react to it, and feeling it

19:47When Judy invited Debbie to come to Karen's classes in San Antonio

20:49How Debbie decided to get her degree in Middle Eastern Studies

24:35Meeting Georges Lammam for the first time

27:02When Karen and Debbie took classes together at UT Austin

29:05Moving to San Francisco and meeting Amina who produced live music events

30:56Performing in local showcases and going to workshops

33:12Sincerity and dancing -- freely following and going deep into what you love

35:30Learning how to speak Arabic and Persian at UC Berkeley extension classes

37:34Starting to go to Egypt because of VHS tapes

43:32Becoming an Arts Administrator for a non-profit dance studio

46:03Joining a Palestinian Debke troupe... from MIT

47:50Producing her first annual Arab Cultural Festival to elevate Arab artists

49:53Working at the Dance Mission Theater and the Arab Cultural Center

52:04Panel of musicians at the Arab American National Museum in Detroit

54:04Decision to move to Egypt and advocating artists and musicians

55:22Being taken seriously and not having dance and professional life intersect

57:07Finding the perfect job in Egypt and how her Arabic got even better

1:04:48Debbie is not a former dancer... since Project Band is infinitely fungible for any level

Debbie's thesis was about the aesthetic values of Arabic music, including improvisation and the sacred repetition of shapes, and how oriental dance movements were perfectly suited to express the subtleties of the music.You can see why Karen and Debbie get along so well!

Virtuoso violinist, Georges Lammam from San Francisco, first met Karen in the late 80's.

Coming to San Antonio for a "performahearsal weekend", both Georges and Project Band member Debbie Smith from Arkansas joined us as we talk about knowing each other for all these years.

We also explored how belly dancers helped bring Middle Eastern music to the western ear.

During this episode of the Baby Boomer Belly Dancer, we talk about:

00:00What is a "performahearsal weekend"?

01:19Georges' journey before meeting Karen in Houston

08:37We met at Cleopatra's ... and 11 years later...

10:08Oh, and the first International Conference on Middle Eastern Dance in 1997

12:44And we haven't lost Georges since

13:40Live music and belly dance improvisation re-emergance in 2012

14:17Meeting cool musicians through Georges

17:36Working with dancers - workshops and the resonating improv experience

18:30Appreciating Middle Eastern music and touching the heart

22:34Hitting the wall with recorded music and expanding with live music

23:01Young musicians interested in this music... especially through the pandemic

24:25Performing in the room and the exchange of energy vs. plexiglass

25:43Looking for tiny nuances of the dancer on Zoom

26:30Being hungry to perform to live music in San Francisco - hidden gems

30:45Highlights of touring in the U.S.

32:38Loving the music enough to enjoy even a little Latin dance club

33:44Playing for Syrian refugees on an island in Greece

35:11Original compositions -- "Dancing Bear" will be on stage in October

37:20And we listen to Georges improvise a quick violin piece

Once again, Georges will be amongst the incredible musicians performing at Karavan's 25th annual "Give Belly Dance A Chance" weekend... the last of its kind.