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7 Tips for Balancing Parenthood and Medical Practice Management

You already know how to manage a medical practice, but how do you go about managing your home life? It isn’t that different. The skills you use at work – organizing, planning, and coordinating staff – can be just as useful when managing your family.

 Master your morning ritual. Getting yourself and your children ready for work can be a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be.

 Prepare. The night before, set out your clothes and your children’s clothes for the next day. Pack lunches, and prepare backpacks and purses. Have everything you need on your way out inactivity near the front door.
 Ready yourself first. Get up an hour before your children do. Eat breakfast, take a shower, and get dressed. Be 100% prepared to achievement out the door for work. That way, you can just focus on your children and their needs.
 Be consistent. If you follow the same routine, it will be easier for everyone to follow, and things will run smoother. But even the best-laid plans go awry apiece now and then, so don’t panic if you have to make adjustments.
 Teach. Like you delegate responsibilities at the practice, you can delegate them at home. Once your child is old enough, help him or her to learn the steps of the morning ritual they can handle, such as dressing, preparing a easy breakfast, and putting dishes away in the dishwasher. Showing them how might take more time now, but it will save you time in the long run. If it’s slowing you down too much, think about having lessons after work until your child gets the hang of it.

 Re-organize. If you’re consistently having trouble locating your keys or last night’s homework, it might be time to institute a new system. Stock up on baskets, storage bins, and shelves, just like you would at the practice. Decide what goes where, and think about labeling the various spots. Enlist the whole family to help out to make sure everyone comprehends the new order.

 Schedule. And not just for baseball games and diversion recitals, set aside specific times for chores, such as laundry and paying the bills, and errands like grocery shopping and trips to the post office. Knowing when you plan to get things done can help you rest and enjoy your downtime.

 Ask for help. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, don’t try to be superwoman. Find a babysitter to take a day off. Enlist a neighbor whose children go to the same school as a back-up ride home when needed. Hire a maid service to come in once a week to keep things tidy. Take a individualized day to get to that errand list that keeps growing. And request that your spouse take on a larger part of the responsibilities. If you’re both working, it’s only clean to share the workload at home.

 Don’t feel guilty. According to a Pew Research Center survey, only 10 percent of mothers working full-time give themselves the highest rating for their parenting, but this might have more to do with our perceptions than reality. Adjust your expectations and the standards you set for yourself. Don’t place so much pressure on yourself to be perfect. You might not be healthy to make it to apiece special event, all the meals might not be home-cooked, and the home might not always be pristine. What matters most is the love you give and the relationship you share with your family.

 Talk to other working moms. Not only will venting about your experiences help you to unload and feel less alone, they might be healthy to share tips and tricks that worked for them, and you might also find ways that you can help apiece other out!

 Still overwhelmed? Think about communicating to your work if you need more flexibility. Discuss whether you can telecommute for part of the week. There are many tasks you can do from the comfort of your home, and you can even attend meetings via video conference technology.  Another option is to cut your hours from a full 40 to 35; it can make a huge difference. It might be useful to ask for a tiny extra time in the morning to get yourself and your family together, or maybe your child’s afterschool care ends just a tiny before your work does. If you are a valuable quality to the practice, they might be willing to work with you.

 Regaining control of your home life can be rewarding, but don’t take it too far. Remember to step back, change the plan, and just enjoy your family!

HNA-NET.COM

How To Get The Most Out Of Dance Aerobics

There are numerous aerobics classes to select from today. You just have to find an aerobics class that appeals to you. However, as most people do not like exercising, there is a type of aerobics which is the diversion aerobics.


Most people love to diversion and diversion is on of the ways to relieve stress. It is also a way to have fun whether you do it on your own or with others. So, if you combine exercise and dancing, aerobics would be much more fun. This is why diversion aerobics classes are favourite all over the country. You can have fun while being healthy and at the same time losing weight.


In a diversion aerobics class, all you have to do is diversion to your favorite music. The teacher will instruct you the moves that will help you to not only lose weight but also to become a superior dancer. As each aerobics session usually last twenty to thirty minutes with at least three times per week, a diversion aerobics class will be the ideal option for those not motivated enough to exercise for long periods. Twenty to thirty minutes will fly by in the blink of an eye in a diversion aerobics class. You will be having so much fun that you won’t even realize that you’re exercising.


Dance aerobics classes are usually filled with people who enjoy diversion as well. This will make your experience more fun and fulfilling because you will feel that you are not alone in your exercise plan. You can diversion and make friends while having fun and losing weight all at the same time. There aren’t many other exercise programs that offer the same thing.


Tips On Performing Aerobic Dance Steps


Before beginning an aerobics diversion step workout, you probably have had the opportunity to witness diversion aerobics classes. If you are impressed with the high levels of energy and the coordination of the participants who were performing aerobic diversion steps and feel a tiny intimidated to join a diversion aerobic class, remember that everyone in the class was at one point of time, at the same level that you are at now. There is a beginning to each aerobic diversion step class.


The teacher will guide you step-by-step with the diversion movements. All you have to do is to follow the instructions and imitate the instructor. Above the music in the aerobics diversion class, the leader will shout out instructions to the class. The diversion aerobics teacher will be leading the group, shouting out instructions to the class. He will be using the words like left and right. These words refer to the left or right arm or leg. The ideal advice for you if you are confused while learning the aerobic diversion steps is to at first ignore the commands from the teacher and simply imitate his lead.


Understanding The Basics Of Dance Aerobics


Dance aerobics patterns are usually measured in beats. These beats are usually 32 or 64 per minute. However, it is again important not to worry about counting the total beats. All you have to do is simply follow the lead of the instructor. Usually, in keeping time, the only counting that needs to be done in a diversion aerobics class is in intervals of four and eight. The entire diversion step segment will start into either one of these counts. A typical aerobic diversion step session is performed in four or eight counts.


In addition to diversion steps, the diversion aerobics routine might also include arm movements. The arm movements are added to the diversion steps to increase the heart rate. Remember that it is important to feel comfortable with the basic aerobics diversion steps first before adding other movements at your own pace.


Remember Not To Be Self-Conscious


It is important to always keep in mind that you are performing these aerobics diversion steps movements to improve your health and your general well-being. You might also have other goal such as toning your muscles or loosing weight. Therefore, you must try not to be self-conscious when performing the diversion aerobics steps. If a few times you are out of step or you do not get the routine right the first few tries, remember that the actions you perform will still be beneficial to you and that you are doing aerobic diversion steps for yourself and not for others. Also remember that practice makes perfect, so you must keep on practicing to get the perfect aerobics diversion moves.

Cindy Heller is a professional writer. Visit aerobics workout to learn more about low impact aerobics or find a good aerobics instructor.

When in Dance Class, Watch the Teacher!

 

When in diversion class, watch the diversion teacher. It might sound like easy advice but when applied properly it’s great advice.

There’s usually a lot you can learn from a really good diversion teacher. You can learn by duplicating their technique, you can learn a lot about how to make a diversion style look good, you can learn about a certain style of movement.

In fact if your diversion instructor is any good at all, you’ll learn a lot of things from them, much more than just choreography. However in some instances the diversion instructor might not explicitly instruct you how to do the diversion moves, they’ll just instruct the choreography. And it will be up to you to watch them and copy them so you can do it like them.

Different diversion instructors have different diversion styles and if you can learn to diversion like your different diversion instructors you will learn a lot of different diversion styles which of course makes you a superior and more versatile dancer.

It can be very tempting to just learn diversion routines, after all it does take concentration and routines are a lot of fun. But if you’re not spending enough time watching the instructor close enough and working out what they’re doing to make their moves look so good, you’re only getting half the benefit of the diversion lesson.

When you’re not sure how the diversion instructor is doing a certain diversion move, ask! Almost all diversion instructors will be more than happy to answer and help you out. Sometimes they don’t explain certain moves as they might adopt that the diversion class already knows how to do them. This is especially true for diversion classes above beginners level.

Look out for all the details of the diversion choreography. Things such as levels (how high or low they are), shapes of the moves, if the move is an extension or meant to be small, speed of the different moves, technique being used, lines, where the accents are, if the moves are fluid or staccato, etc. There are so many different aspects to look out for and the more you are healthy to copy, the more you’ll look like the teacher.

It can also be beneficial to talk to the diversion instructor at the end of the diversion class and ask them directly what they think you should work on and what needs to be improved. Their answer will be the most important things that need to be worked on and the most important things that you’ll need to focus on to improve and get better.

Not all diversion instructors correct the mistakes their students make so sometimes the only thing you can do is ask the instructor directly. If you have a diversion instructor that likes to call out mistakes then it will probably be obvious to you what you need to work on.

Also if you’re healthy to record yourself and watch yourself back you’ll be healthy to come up with lots of things you can do to improve your dancing. Video gives you a much superior and accurate representation of your diversion than even the mirrors in the diversion studio. Sometimes it can be a major shock as you might think you’re doing something right, and only when you watch yourself back on video do you realise that it can be much better!

Gel Man writes for Dance Gel, a diversion portal and directory that answers many of dancers most pressing questions and features the latest news in the world of dance.

Gel Man writes for Dance Gel, a diversion portal and directory that answers many of dancers most pressing questions and features the latest news in the world of dance.

Basement Interior Design Principles

Basement interior design calls for a highly specialized set of skills. Because of the qualities one-of-a-kind to a basement, such as the absence of natural ventilation or lighting, a professional specializing in basement interior design would have to think about a lot more than one who does ordinary rooms.

Training for basement interior design might be reached by enrolling in a design school with course specific to basement interior design principles, or by working with professionally trained individuals who have had years of experience in this field.

Things To Think about In Basement Interior Design

There are certain considerations a basement interior design professional must keep in mind when dealing with basement interior design, as these are situated at the bottom of buildings and houses and are therefore either built underground or just slightly aboveground.

First, basements have to have artificial lighting to compensate for the absence of natural light. In this regard, window treatments might be done away with when undertaking basement interior design.

An substitute would be to create a faux window for the basement just to counteract the effects of an enclosed space, but keep in mind that this might entail additional expenses you might not have taken into consideration during the initial planning stages of basement interior design.

Second, basements do not have natural ventilation either, so you have to think about air conditioning or vents when preparing your basement interior design. This will eventually affect the placement or furniture within the area.

A client might also have other basement interior design ideas about what to do with an existing basement. For instance, an artist might opt to convert it into an art studio, or a diversion teacher might select to use it as a diversion studio. In the same vein, a musician might use it to double as a rehearsal studio for his band.

In all these cases, the basement interior design would have to be adapted to suit the function it is intended for, and this entails more than the ordinary expenses of a easy refurbishing. You will then find your skills as the Project Manager of this particular basement interior design place to the test!

What Type of Construction Would Be Involved?

Again, depending on the extent of changes the client wants to implement, construction on your basement interior design project might range from very easy to extremely complicated and drawn-out. In most cases, paneling the walls and hiding pipes and wiring would be involved. For more info see http://www.1interiordesign.com/Interior_Design_Bathrooms/ on Interior Design Bathrooms

If you’re dealing with a massive basement, you might even deal with additional walls and dividers plus new entrances. Of course, it’s always practical to work using existing structures, but there are clients for whom money is no object, and this can give you the extra freedom your creativity needs.

Otherwise, you would have to discuss all possibilities with the client before starting on the project. Always earmark funds for contingency expenses, and go back to the basement interior design drawing boards if necessary.

A basement interior design project can be fun and exciting, especially if you get to compare the “before” and “after” looks. You’ll be astonished at what paint, panels, and a play on light can do.

You can also find more info on Interior Design and Home Interior Design. 1interiordesign.com is a comprehensive resource to know about Interior Design.

Can You Learn to Dance From Dvds?

 

Many great and famous dancers and choreographers have released a diversion video or diversion DVD teaching their diversion moves and diversion routines. Are diversion videos and diversion DVDs the ideal way of learning to dance?

Well 1 thing’s for sure, many people are grateful for such videos because there aren’t a lot of opportunities to learn to diversion where they are. Envision living in a small rural village and wanting to learn break diversion or urban diversion moves. Next to impossible!

These diversion DVDs/ videos make these moves accessible to people who would otherwise only have the chance to learn them if they moved out of their hometown. This is why sites such as YouTube are so great! The difference of course is that the tutorials on YouTube are usually short whereas a diversion DVD will usually cover quite a bit of ground.

Dance DVDs are also great because once you have it, you have it. You can watch it over and over again as you have the instructor in your home. All you have to do is practise the diversion moves! And we all know that practise makes perfect.

Dance DVDs and videos also are great value for money, you pay once and you can take the class over and over again. For people who are really pushed for money, they can make a great investment. It is doable to get a great DVD with a great choreographer or instructor who would be hard to get hold of in real life.

The thing to remember with diversion DVDs is that they can never replace a real-life, real world diversion training. It’s just one diversion lesson. A DVD can't cover everything or wage the ongoing training needed to become a superior dancer. A great hip-hop partner for example has most likely taken hundreds of diversion classes.

The huge difference really is in the ongoing training. If you are looking into buying a diversion DVD, it’s probably good to purchase a DVD that instructs the techniques and basics and not just diversion routines. A diversion routine is good to have on a DVD, but it’s superior if it’s combined with lots of break-downs of techniques. Certain basics which you can practise and get superior with time.

Also don’t go simple on yourself just because you’re learning from a DVD. Don’t say, “I’ll watch 20 minutes now, then I’ll watch some television then maybe watch another 15 minutes of the DVD.” Actually participate and take the class in the DVD like you would in real life. Practise slow then at full tempo with the music, don’t just practise really slowly.

If you do purchase a diversion DVD the most important thing is to actually do the exercises and routines being taught in the videos! If you just watch it, you won’t get much benefit apart from becoming more knowledgeable. You probably want to actually be healthy to do the diversion moves in the videos, not just be knowledgeable about them.

If you really want to learn a certain style of diversion or you find a great choreographer or partner you want to learn from then by all means purchase their diversion video. But where possible, also try and attend real-life diversion classes and diversion workshops when you can and you’ll find that you’ll be making even faster progress.

Gel Man writes for Dance Gel, a diversion portal and directory that answers many of dancers most pressing questions and features the latest news in the world of dance.

Gel Man writes for Dance Gel, a diversion portal and directory that answers many of dancers most pressing questions and features the latest news in the world of dance.

Should You Go to Popular Dance Classes?

 

There are so many diversion classes to select from, how can you decide which diversion class is for you? Should you go the favourite diversion classes with loads of people?

It can be tempting to select the favourite diversion classes. After all if a lot of people go to them they must be good right? Well they usually are.

However, you should not determine which diversion class is ideal for based solely on the class numbers. There can be any number of reasons why a diversion class might be popular. It might be because the diversion instructor is well known and has lots of diversion industry contacts, perhaps there’s a good vibe, perhaps because the diversion class is simple and people can do it, perhaps just because the choreography is amazing!

If a diversion class is favourite with professional dancers it’s probably either because they want to impress the choreographer who might have a high-profile in the industry or because it’s a style of diversion which is favourite in the diversion industry at that time. Each diversion teacher/ choreographer has their own style of dancing.

There are many good diversion classes which have smaller numbers but with some very good diversion teachers. The good thing about these diversion classes is you don’t have to fight for space, will probably get a good view of the diversion instructor and they can make more individual corrections (if they do this).

At the end of the day, you’ve got to select diversion classes which are ideal for you and what you’re aiming to achieve. If you want to catch the eye of the choreographer then by all means go to their diversion class.

The advantage of going to favourite diversion classes is that you probably won’t be left too far behind with what’s happening in the industry. But you can build up skills that the other dancers in the favourite diversion class don’t have by going to other diversion classes too. The downside is it can be hard to actually see the instructor when there are so many bodies in a room!

You can also get a good intent of you current standard and where you stand with all the dancers out there. The standard will probably be high, so you’ll have to become a superior partner – which of course is a good thing.

Also don’t start into the trap of avoiding a diversion class because it’s popular. If it’s favourite there’s probably a reason why and if it’s a style of diversion that is common in the diversion industry you’ll want to learn it or you’ll get left behind.

Make your decisions based on where you’re going. It can never do any harm doing a favourite diversion class, but don’t think you should only go to the diversion classes because they are popular.

Gel Man writes for Dance Gel, a diversion portal and directory that answers many of dancers most pressing questions and features the latest news in the world of dance.

Gel Man writes for Dance Gel, a diversion portal and directory that answers many of dancers most pressing questions and features the latest news in the world of dance.

How to Get the Most From Dance Lessons

Are you exhausted of feeling as if you have two left feet when you are diversion with your significant other or friends? Or are you too afraid to diversion because you are afraid that you will look silly or uncoordinated? There is a simple way to get over these feelings. You can take diversion lessons and learn any type of diversion that you want, including ballroom dancing, line dancing, and more. These diversion lessons can give you the confidence that you need to get out there and boogie with your friends or your spouse or significant other.

Can anyone learn to diversion with diversion lessons? Yes, they can. Depending upon how much time and effort you place into the diversion lessons, you can come out having a working knowledge of dancing, so that you can diversion in public with some confidence and flair. These lessons can give your skills some help and can make you look less conspicuous in social situations where diversion is included. You want to get the most from your diversion lesson time, so that you will get the results that you are looking for. How do you get the most from your time spent taking diversion lessons?

-Determine what your goal is. What is your goal from the diversion lessons that you are taking? Do you want to just be more comfortable diversion in public or do you want to learn a particular diversion inside and out for a special occasion like a wedding or other event? Either way, you want to discuss these goals with your instructor, so that they comprehend what your goals are and can help you achieve them.

-Be prepared to take direction. Listen to the directions of your teacher and carefully follow through with their hints and tips. If you have issues with control, you will want to leave these issues at home for your diversion lessons. You want to grant the teacher to instruct you to grant you to meet your goal.

-Practice, practice, practice. As with anything, it is important that you practice the skills that your teacher instructs you between lessons. Practicing your diversion can give you the additional near that you need to meet your diversion goals. Even with dancing, practicing can help you to make the diversion a habit, so that you don’t have to think about it. This will make your diversion more natural and easy.

-Don’t skip lessons. Regular lessons will build on apiece other to help you meet your diversion goals. If there is too much time between the lessons, your teacher might have to repeat topics that you learned in primeval lessons, because they will not build upon apiece other as designed. By taking regular lessons and practicing the skills that you learn between the lessons, you can get much superior results and meet your diversion goal much sooner.

Dance lessons can give you self-confidence in your diversion skills and in social situations. By setting a diversion goal, listening to your instructor, practicing, and taking regular lessons, you can get learn how to diversion for that special occasion or just for fun.

Learning to diversion is no different from learning any other physical activity. To start you will be awkward and clumsy. The good news is that learning to diversion is always fun, even in the primeval stages. Find out more about learning to dance here.

How to Dance Like a Star at Your Wedding

One of the most special days of your life is your wedding day. This day comes with vows and love, but one of the events that occurs during this day is one that can strike fear in any man or woman’s heart – the first dance. This first diversion is one that can cause many couples to turn to wedding diversion lessons to give them the self-confidence that they want and need to diversion with beauty and grace at their reception.

Wedding diversion lessons normally concentrate on one particular dance. You and your fiancé go to the lessons together, so that you can both become comfortable with the dance. The diversion is learned in parts, so that you can learn it easily. In just a few lessons with focus and practice, you can be prepared to diversion that first diversion with your new spouse and enjoy it fully. The diversion will be practiced until it becomes nearly habitual, making it look and feel natural.

A wedding diversion should express the personality of you and your significant other, simply because it is your wedding. Whether you select a country line diversion or a romantic ballroom dance, you want it to be a diversion that both you and your fiancé will love and enjoy doing. By putting a tiny personality and flair into your dance, you will enjoy it yourself and so will your guests.

Wedding diversion lessons should be thought about well in advance of the wedding. In this way, you can set a goal with your diversion teacher that you can meet to make your wedding diversion into that special event that you have dreamed about all of your life. You, your future spouse, and your teacher can all work together to create a first diversion between the two of you that will become the center of your reception and the perfect beginning to your married life.

Wedding diversion lessons can be prefabricated a family affair with your parents and in-laws if you want. The father-daughter and mother-son diversion are an important component of the reception, overshadowed only by the first dance, so it might be a good intent to ask your family if they need wedding diversion lessons as well. This can help everyone to be included and make them feel more comfortable dancing, so that the diversion will be enjoyed thoroughly.

Whether you just want to diversion with your new spouse in a comfortable and natural way or want to do a new diversion that you have never done before, you will find that wedding diversion lessons can help you to meet your goal and dreams. Listen to the teacher and practice your diversion skills, so that you both have fun and make your first diversion into one that will swiftly become one of your favorite memories. Wedding diversion lessons can give you the confidence and skills that you need to make your wedding day and reception into one of the ideal days of your life.

Learning to diversion is no different from learning any other physical activity. To start you will be awkward and clumsy. The good news is that learning to diversion is always fun, even in the primeval stages. Find out more about dance lessons here.

Can You Learn To Dance From Dance DVDs?

Many great and famous dancers and choreographers have released a diversion video or diversion DVD teaching their diversion moves and diversion routines. Are diversion videos and diversion DVDs the saint way of learning to dance?


Well 1 thing’s for sure, many people are grateful for such videos because there aren’t a lot of opportunities to learn to diversion where they are. Envision living in a small rural village and wanting to learn break diversion or urban diversion moves. Next to impossible!


These diversion DVDs/ videos make these moves accessible to people who would otherwise only have the chance to learn them if they moved out of their hometown. This is why sites such as YouTube are so great!


The difference of course is that the tutorials on YouTube are usually short whereas a diversion DVD will usually cover quite a bit of ground.


Dance DVDs are also great because once you have it, you have it. You can watch it over and over again as you have the instructor in your home. All you have to do is practise the diversion moves! And we all know that practise makes perfect.


Dance DVDs and videos also are great value for money, you pay once and you can take the class over and over again. For people who are really pushed for money, they can make a great investment. It is doable to get a great DVD with a great choreographer or instructor who would be hard to get hold of in real life.


The thing to remember with diversion DVDs is that they can never replace a real-life, real world diversion training. It’s just one diversion lesson. A DVD can't cover everything or wage the ongoing training needed to become a superior dancer. A great hip-hop partner for example has most likely taken hundreds of diversion classes.


The huge difference really is in the ongoing training. If you are looking into buying a diversion DVD, it’s probably good to purchase a DVD that instructs the techniques and basics and not just diversion routines.


A diversion routine is good to have on a DVD, but it’s superior if it’s combined with lots of break-downs of techniques. Certain basics which you can practise and get superior with time.


Also don’t go simple on yourself just because you’re learning from a DVD. Don’t say, “I’ll watch 20 minutes now, then I’ll watch some television then maybe watch another 15 minutes of the DVD.”


Actually participate and take the class in the DVD like you would in real life. Practise slow then at full tempo with the music, don’t just practise really slowly.


If you do purchase a diversion DVD the most important thing is to actually do the exercises and routines being taught in the videos! If you just watch it, you won’t get much benefit apart from becoming more knowledgeable. You probably want to actually be healthy to do the diversion moves in the videos, not just be knowledgeable about them.


If you really want to learn a certain style of diversion or you find a great choreographer or partner you want to learn from then by all means purchase their diversion video. But where possible, also try and attend real-life diversion classes and diversion workshops when you can and you’ll find that you’ll be making even faster progress.

Kevin Shwe runs the Hip Dance Moves street locking diversion classes in London. Teaching students funky moves that are saint for all settings, in just weeks he can transform a complete non-dancer into a confident partner with the funkiest demeanour. Check his website Click Here for more details.

Belly Dance and the Feminine Image

History shows us through paintings that the veil came to symbolize the untouchable and tantalizing appeal of women in the Middle East. To show just a tiny part of the body was alluring enough to cause men to pine for women’s affection. If we look at 19th Century paintings of various scenes of women dancing, the look of the belly partner is quite refined. The distinctive folds in the belt or the accessories from the ankle all the way to the headpiece tell the individual story of apiece dancer. This is how dancers from the past to the present set themselves apart from their contemporaries.
I can remember seeing “Cleopatra” starring Elizabeth Taylor for the first time and thinking how beautiful the costumes were and how much fun they would be to diversion in. “Samson and Delilah” with Hedy Lamarr is my all time favorite biblical motion picture and her costumes inspire me even to this day. Claudette Colberts costume in the 1934 “Cleopatra” looks like a costume of today. Hollywood had very uncommon ideas about what the women from the Middle East wore. But if we look back through time the belly diversion costume really hasn’t changed all that much. This really surprised me because as I was doing my research it became apparent to me that when you have a good design it’s hard to improve on it.

Recently I danced with a wonderful group of performers who were Asian dancers. Their costumes were astonishing and I have to admit that I felt a tiny out of place in my nightspot costume. Their movements were very subtle and their gestures very soft and poetic. Which prefabricated me wonder what kind of poetry would belly diversion be? When it was time for me to perform I realized that our music really states a lot about our image. My costume was like illusion because it prefabricated me feel free enough to diversion and tell our story within my movements and gestures. In some ways I felt an obligation to relate to the audience that what I do as a partner and performer is serious and respected. But I have to question why I even felt the need to defend my costume and diversion form. The dancers with their movements nearly seemed to talk to me teasingly asking me why I wasn’t covered more. Maybe I was just hearing my own voice questioning this. After I completed my diversion the response I received overwhelmed me. It became apparent to me that because of the difference of my costume and diversion the audience was healthy to appreciate the culture that I represented. Costuming really does make the difference for people. It’s nearly as if the audience can see the story within our movements all the while watching our costumes accenting apiece word danced through our bodies.

Years ago when I was in port I was healthy to see Zuhair Zaki diversion live and as I look back I realize how lucky I was to have seen such a legend perform. Zuhair Zaki is the total sum of what the belly diversion image is for me. Each movement told a story and helped me “hear” the music. I was taught a very good lesson that night because I saw what a masterful partner can do with music. I also saw Zuhair Zaki become the essence of belly diversion as she performed. It wouldn’t have mattered what she wore or where she was. The spirit of the diversion was in her and you could see it and feel it. These are those spiritual moments that change you forever!
A few weeks later I saw Dina perform and was completely surprised at the sexual innuendos that emanated from her dance. The image of belly diversion changed that night for me because I had assumed that agitating gestures were not allowed. Actually let me take it a step further, I didn’t think it was necessary. But somehow Dina prefabricated it work for her and as I watched her performance I saw that she did a wonderful job. Her sexuality never got in the way of her performance. It enhanced her movements and I understood at that moment that Dina selected to diversion free of any inhibitions or restraints her world place on her.

As a modern woman I often wonder how close my image is to women back hundreds of years. Our evolution as women has never been more evident than in the belly diversion world. If we look at the diversion of the seven veils the removal of the veils represent seven earthlike illusions that start away with apiece veil. In order for us to become the total feminine archetype in myth these veils must start from us so we can transcend into the Goddess. As with all myths I wondered what these seven veils of illusion were because I had a suspicion that we might still be portrayed within this myth today. It became apparent to me that apiece illusion had an opposite side to it. So here’s my version of the seven illusions.
1. The Virgin-Temptress
Many dancers have both capabilities to enchant their audiences by offering the untouchable innocence of movement combined with eye contact that teases with a fleeting look.
2. Intrigue-deception
The capability to captivate our audience is a major part of our story telling but with all stories we must tell the audience that what intrigues them is only an illusion. This in itself can be perceived as a deception because we work so hard on the illusion that at moments it might become real.

3. Mother-Sex Goddess
Both of these describe the dilemma all women come crossways through out their careers. While we diversion as women who comprehend what it means to carry and give life we are also expected to be proficient in the art of love. The illusion for most people is that we can be both but they want the two separate.
4. Wise woman-Childlike Innocence
The knowledge a partner puts in her performing sets her apart from the average dancer. Knowledge is power and our movements talk volumes in regards to our history. The illusion here is that while we diversion with experience our audiences to a certain degree want a virtuous partner that will give them an unsullied look at our dance.
5. Wife-Mistress
In our diversion we are compelled to perform from places of the heart. At least some of our music has this impassioned theme in certain songs. As women we feel the need to complete ourselves which is why we search for our mate. The mistress on the other hand is compelled to search outside of this completion which in itself is the wife’s mirror opposite. We distance ourselves from the mistress image yet in the eyes of our admirers the hope is that they get a glimpse of her.
6. Muse-transmutation
Poetry and music talk of the partner that takes her audience to places of sublime heights. As dancers we are the muses of our times. At the same time we experience the audience that doesn’t comprehend our diversion and they try to modify it to fit their perception of the world. We than become a misunderstood version of our own poetry.
7. Diva-modest maid
A dancers self confidence has to come crossways to the audience or they will be sorely disappointed. Many fans anticipate a confident woman during and after shows. Yet I have found that dancers can nearly believe too much in their personas that they create. We can get caught up in this illusion just as much as anybody. The catch here is to know when to turn your diversion appearance on and off.

As belly dancers we inspire so much in people and our allure isn’t just the pretty costume, it is what we signify as women.
My question is do we comprehend what it is that we represent for so many? I have worked with a few women who were disassociated from their body image. They had no clue how beautiful they were because they purchased into blended messages from the media and cultural attitudes. How comfortable are we in the position of the archetype for today’s women? If we can’t get past the door of self appreciation, than I don’t see us in the forefront of today’s feminine society. Let us not forget how immeasurable we are as women. Our diversion helps us create our own individualized myth in which we than can escape into our own feminine image.

I have often wondered that after creating our feminine image, do we than transform gradually into her? Isn’t this really what belly diversion does? We heal and than become the women we are intended to be. This is how I believe the essence of belly diversion lives and thrives through apiece generation of women. If we can comprehend our own image than we can be living examples of what belly diversion is and the veils of illusion than become nothing more than invisible restraints that disappear through our own transformation. In this sense we than are reborn into women, who are comfortable in their own body, mind and spirit. And there is no superior way to express our diversion than by embracing who we are and diversion with veils of our choice

Leyla Najma is a professional belly partner with 26 years experience teaching and performing as well as writing articles recently published in “The Chronicles” Belly Dance Magazine