Joining the conversation is Project Band student Victoria Cruz who has a Master's degree in Dance Movement Therapy.

We talked about introducing new behaviors and removing habitual behaviors using movement, especially in belly dance improvisation.

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

00:00 Our guest, Victoria Kinsey Cruz

02:15 Before it was Project Band...

03:45 What exactly is Dance Movement Therapy?

05:52 Movement spectrums and how we show up in movement patterns

10:04 Use of movement as a therapy tool

11:30 Self-regulation and music as an organizing factor

15:17 Gaining access to better relationships and cognitive function

17:47 Willingness to try new things when you want accolades from the audience

20:05 Seeing courage, taking risks, and giving yourself space vs control

27:02 Mindset about the audience

29:04 Where each person is at and how to encourage small shifts

33:35 Navigating life through mirroring belly dance movements

40:49 Belly dancing with other Project Banders

47:00  The deep work and how small changes are profound and long-lasting

53:16  Another COVID silver lining

Bottom Line: Project Band is deep self-reflective work... and much cheaper than therapy!

Two of Karen's students joined us in the studio to talk about the intriguing world of belly dance costumes. Everyone can agree that when a costume looks good, it allows the dancer to feel free, beautiful, and strong as they step on the stage.

We even talk about some embarrassing costume fails (Karen has like at least 135 of them!)

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

00:00 Margret and Shevon's belly dance costume journeys

02:41 How important costumes are and looking the part

07:32 Matching your costume to different styles of dancing

10:22 Technical precision, soulful innovation, and cultural respect

12:25 What works for you and your body and the way you feel at that time

13:54 Our current "go-to" costumes

17:20 Our first costumes

22:10 Where we get most of our costumes

24:25 Our favorite costumes - ready-made, making now, and custom-made

28:44 The most outlandish costumes we have seen over the years

33:57 Keeping the costumes interesting (for yourself and others)

35:26 Costume mishaps and how to prevent them

42:40 Being attracted to belly dance because of the beauty of the costumes

For the most part, it all comes down to having the right bra.

We take a walk down memory lane as two of Karen's siblings, Barbara and Herb, discuss Karen's early years and journey as a belly dancer, performer, and business owner.

Explore a truly vulnerable and intimate view of Karen's sibling dynamics and why there is no rivalry amongst her siblings.

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

00:00 Meet two of Karen's siblings -- Barbara and Herb

01:39 We find out when Herb has actually belly danced

04:49 Where it all started with Barbara learning hula and belly dancing

10:37 When Barbara started teaching and Karen started taking belly dance

13:47 When Herb started doing karate

17:40 How they all fit into the family and how live music played a part

22:20 When Karen stepped out of her comfort zone

25:15 It's funny what you remember about what people say

28:26 Being the "baby of the family"

31:26 The dynamics of two sisters and loving every minute of it

34:13 How Mom and Dad felt about Karen's dancing and business

41:36 Why Herb was bullied in high school and ended up loving karate classes

46:40 "Don't chase the rank, chase the skill" -- what makes a great instructor

49:20 Being excellent vs. mediocre -- when people are compromising

51:57 Improvisation -- what it takes to prepare for the unexpected

53:35 Creating mastery through repetition

When you understand Karen's family history, you truly see how her talent, expertise, and belly dancing philosophies have emerged over the years.

We can't wait to have Mary join in on an upcoming episode to tell her part of the story.

If you haven't heard, San Antonio was gripped with snow and low temperatures not seen in decades, days worth of power outages, as well as neighbors and communities coming together to help each other out all across Texas.

Join Karen and two of her students as they talk about how, when things get tough, you improvise to keep moving forward. Texas had a tough week. Take a moment, sit back, relax and laugh a little as we talk belly dance and how most everyone in Texas had to improvise to stay sane.

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

00:00 Improvising (aka surviving) this last week with guests Margret and Lisa

01:40 Where were you when you realized things were going to get weird?

10:00 When did you know this was getting real?

13:27 So, we had to improvise!

14:10 What the improvisor truly needs

15:00 How we survived

16:40 Coming back into the studio and "squiggling"

21:30 Revving up for the new semester and Project Band

22:30 The last of its kind -- our 25th GBDAC anniversary

23:32 You never know what life is going to throw at you

25:10 Finding something positive that will work in the face of adversity

26:32 Headspace and being able to flip focus

30:20 Imagination, intuition, and improvisation

32:11 Patterns, trends, commonalities, and what happens on the other side

33:40 Being more prepared and how Project Band helps us make those tweaks

39:00 Life is improve -- since everything is in constant change

Let's just say that belly dancing to live music and learning how to improvise through the Project Band experience helps each of us navigate through the bumps in life.

How do you improvise when things become interesting?

Thank you Debbie Smith for this week's amazing topic based upon the Harvard Business Review article "Why Asking for Advice Is More Effective Than Asking for Feedback".

Which one do you usually ask for?

Listen to Karen's perspective on the upsides and downsides of both feedback and advice.

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

00:25 Karen's focus and why this article was intriguing

01:20 "Please ask questions, because I have probably thought about it"

02:30 Asking for feedback vs advice

05:15 Looking backwards and looking forwards

08:11 Intentional focus and getting more of what you are paying attention to

11:13 How Project Band and live music fits in when improvising to improvisation

13:40 What went well and getting more specific about what was "cool"

15:50 Delivering advice and the value of preliminary Project Band meetings

17:40 The kinds of advice Karen has received

20:00 Considerations for looking for advice, support, and validation

24:29 When does an opinion become advice?

27:05 When people give too much feedback... what is really going on?

35:40 Formal and informal advice... go for the learning

38:06 Project Band... as a means for growth

42:10 Karen's own growth on taking advice and feedback

Find out what Karen is drinking during this podcast as the weather gets surprisingly cold here in San Antonio.

What feedback or advice would you like to give on what topics we chat about next?

How many belly dance workshops are too many? Karen sits down with Cindy and Carmita to discuss the ins and outs of live and virtual workshops.

We are also excited about going to Yaa Halla, Y'all in July and that the National Arab Orchestra is part of our annual "Give Belly Dance a Chance" (GBDAC) performance weekend in October.

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

00:00  Let's meet Cindy and Carmita

01:16  Workshops defined in the belly dance world

02:46  How Karen started her workshop journey and then teaching workshops

06:50  Cindy, the "Workshop Junkie"

08:39  Standard workshop weekend format and how it has changed with the shows

10:49  Carmita's first workshop as a new belly dancer

12:03  The benefits of one instructor vs a variety of expert styles

13:11  When there were now too many workshops, how could they compete?

16:29  Navigating the smorgasbord - live and online workshops

22:11  Learning with different levels of students - live and virtually

26:58  Let's talk about retention, investing in workshops, and focus

31:10  Perspectives of instructors vs sponsors

32:21  Self-identifying -- years of experience and natural talent

35:40  The experience -- assimilation, discipline, and intention

37:45  The spectrum of workshop experiences -- what do you take away?

43:11  Headspace of a learner and how Project Band propels you

46:29  Upcoming live and virtual workshops

49:04  The additional benefits of the workshop experience

50:59  Finding depth and feeling moved

Guess how many live workshops Carmita has done compared to how many virtual ones throughout the world in the last four years -- it's more than just one ; )

All of us had to pivot in 2020 and COVID-19 really screwed up in-person learning for dance studios as well as live music.

Karen and two of her students, Lisa and Suzanne, took some time to discuss the joy and the challenges of online vs. in-person belly dance lessons and performances.

Bottom line, Karen's focus, dedication, and passion remains all about the live music component of belly dance.

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

00:00  What is a "baby boomer" - with Karen, Suzanne, and Lisa

00:31  Comparing online vs live in the class and performance

00:46  This is the future... and now Karavan Online is over 10 years old

02:43  The "struggle" to learn online and camera angles

04:23  Suzanne's and Lisa's experience with online workshops

08:01  Practicing versus performing -- the power of anonymity

10:36  Let's talk virtual performing - where are the nuances?

13:43  Cutting edge - dancing to live music in Houston with Project Band

16:17  Participating remotely online from around the U.S. (and world)

17:05  No substitute for performing in front of a live audience

18:00  Seeing things from a different perspective

21:50  Preparing for a production and your headspace

24:23  The energy and expectation - no strength without resistance

27:00  Instantaneous, immediate, and back and forth audience feedback

29:11  Where is the "on switch"?

30:23  Love of live music - imperfection is part of the fun - so go for it

34:57  Coming out of being locked down and being a COVID hermit

36:58  We were having fun; we weren't even "Breaking the Law"

39:33  How it all worked out in Houston with the virtual performances

41:01  How it all changed Project Band forever and now the world is watching

42:44  What's changed and what will remain the same

46:20  Sincere presentation of improv vs playing the script

As for dancing in the face of a pandemic.... well, people were having f****** fun!

We are still working out the kinks and may need a better way for Gylon to throw a comment or two out from the booth.

People talk about how I am so "lucky" to have started out at such an early age as the key to what has made me a successful belly dancer and studio owner.

Yet there are so many things that have been key to my longevity.

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

1:38 How this is cathartic like musically relevant interpretation

3:55 The High School reunion effect

6:10 The other side of "lucky"

7:39 The subconscious reinforcement of the audience

9:56 Becoming aware and deliberately replacing habits

11:12 What "eats my brain"

15:12 Emulating a deeper understanding of the music

16:41 Key to staying interested - going deeper into the culture, music, and dance

18:48 The object of Project Band games like "improvised torso syllablization"

21:30 Belly dancing to rock 'n roll music

24:18 Compliments, competitiveness, and another chance

30:17 The parallel tracks of being a nightclub performer and a studio owner

31:56 Letting go and changing while you are in it

34:17 Winning with Project Band and the opportunity to perform to live music

38:27 The lost art of dancing to live music

39:40 The art, science, and philosophy of belly dance

41:11 Extrapolating improvisation

46:05 Depth and finding musicians that help you go wider

48:14 Living the dream

51:31 Thinking about the future of this podcast and improvisation

Yes, I did drop the "B" word and there are still some hiccups in the production; but we are working through it.

I'm Karen Barbee Adkisson, The Baby Boomer Belly Dancer.

I've been in a dance studio since five years of age; and once upon a time, I worked in the corporate world in information systems for 12 years then finally quit to belly dance full time in 1996.

Welcome to my journey! During this episode you can find out:

00:00 I'm Karen Barbee, The Baby Boomer Belly Dancer

01:19 When I quit the corporate world

03:00 My first belly dance job at 16

03:57 First started teaching belly dance at 18... thanks to my sister

05:19 The bumpy birth of Karavan Studio and being a studio owner

10:22 Success is being invited to the workshop circuit... even overseas

10:54 Public speaking, improvisation to live music, and growth spurts

15:15 How to become a better artist? Dig into the culture and community

17:30 When the National Arab Orchestra came to San Antonio

19:17 Bringing live music and belly dancing together every year

21:57 Bringing fluency to your dance form and appreciation of live music

26:06 The secret to what keeps all of us interested after all these years

29:37 Being a drilling maniac and how it helps your brain

Yep I said that and that oh yeah and THAT. There are moments that I sound like I'm talking to myself 🤪... ask Gylon why his mic was not on (thought he was a tech guru).

With that said, excuse the dust, we are working out the kinks. Enjoy.