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 | gylon@vodpodmedia.com

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:

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

07:07 First solo belly dance performance in Austin

07:55 When Bahaia came onto Karen's radar

12:45 Great training from early instructors and making connections

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

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

21:30 The rise of the Austin Belly Dance Convention

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

58:59 Greatest 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:

00:00 Inaugural remote guest podcast with Debbie Smith

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

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

07:27 The opposite of effort...

09:32 Letting the music tell you what to do

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

14:25 What can look ingenuine

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

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

24:24 Dancers looking to deepen expression

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

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

36:12 Mapping 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:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

19:50 Karen's favorite part of the technology 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1:03:42 Being 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 gylon@vodpodmedia.com.

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:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

35:50 Cultural dissemination vs cultural appropriation

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

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

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

55:01 The 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:

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

02:30 When Debbie and Karen met at Mirage

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

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

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

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

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

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

24:35 Meeting Georges Lammam for the first time

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

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

30:56 Performing in local showcases and going to workshops

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1:04:48 Debbie 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!