Brain Drops de Boheme

Aside from being a stellar dancer and joyful soul, Monica is also a super cool mom, with super cool kids!  Take a look at what her oldest daughter, Meaghan, is up to and see if you can lend a hand!

Hello everyone~ My name is Meaghan Harris, and I’m a zoology, environmental science and French student at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. For quite some time now, conservation and field research has struck a resonating chord with me. As I’ve progressed through my academics, I’ve been seeking, exploring and participating in experiences that interest me with the goal of eventually leaving a tangible impact.

This upcoming 2012 summer will mark a significant milestone in my journey. I will be traveling to Borneo, Malaysia from approximately June 3^rd to July 28^th to aid in field research occurring at the Danau Girang Field Centre. Furthermore, I will be taking on the responsibility of an acting field contact for the iSaveSpecies campaign, a nationwide zoological effort geared towards conservation education and outreach.

Read more and help out at:

http://www.fundageek.com/project/detail/310/Clouded-Leopard-Expedition

Holy mole', do we have a ton to catch up on!  We've already been tremendously busy over here in the Boheme kitchens this spring and things are only going to heat up more as the weather does! 

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We just returned from Chicago, where Christina King hosted a weekend long event with Deb Rubin!  I was only able to take one workshop with Deb, but man oh man, did she pretzel twist my brain!  Like a lot of belly dancers, I do not have training in classical Western forms and this workshop focused on elements from ballet, modern and other technique, not to mention a lovely yoga/pilates based warm up. She covered soooo much in the two hours we were alotted. I plan to write a longer review on the event, so look forward to that! Saturday's evening show was a great time!  I think Mercury Retrograde wreaked havoc on the electronics, but otherwise everything was perfect! Christina always puts on well-planned events, paying attention to those details that make it a smooth ride for everyone involved. We got to see lots of goooood new-to-us dancers and feel really pretty great about our own performance. We did "Regimental", which is performed to "Kassar Army" by Pete List. It involves lots of formation changes and tight, almost rigid, execution. Add combat boots to the mix, and you get some intimidating percussion!  This number will be a rare treat, as it requires eight dancers and it's tough to herd that many cats out of town very often! However, we did order a video and will get it online as soon as we receive it!  And *everyone* is waiting in excruciating agony for the show photos from Carrie Meyer of The Dancer's Eye! We'll be happy to post them once she's worked her magic! And most important to mention, the whole weekend was a fundraiser for the Prune Belly Syndrome Network and roughly $1200 was raised! 

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Looking forward to the oncoming weekend, Boheme is hosting our 3rd annual April Fool's comedy showcase! As I put together the show program and music line up, I'm so very anxious to see what goofs everyone has up their sleeves! I promise there will be glitter farts, giant toothbrushes and big bootays involved... maybe even more than once in the evening!  We have fun games and prizes planned and what I'm pretty sure will be my favorite part of the evening:  the usual suspects are doing impersonations of each other!  It's going to be a night you won't. want. to. miss!  I don't believe there will be video footage (to protect the guilty), so the evening will be all about the art of impermanence!  Please remember, the show is adults only!  We get kinda bawdy sometimes and while there is no nudity, our sense of humor is of the 18 & up variety.  With that being said, hope to see you all there!

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Jumping ahead a few weeks (April 26th) and I'll be turning 35!!! On a THURSDAY. Which means we'll be performing at the Blue Dolphin!  Even with as fun as a job as I have, working on my birthday should be MORE FUN, so we've decided to make a whole evening of it and invite some friends to join us!  There is no cover charge, so come and enjoy some moussaka (yumbo!) and lots of great music and dance!

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That following weekend, April 28th, Celeste will be hosting Sherri Wheatley in Indianapolis!  If my memory serves correct, this is her first time teaching in the Midwest, so it's an event not to be missed!  I'm actually planning a solo number (What? Choreographed and everything!) and am planning a lovely new costume to celebrate my 20lbs lost since Xmas! It's especially special to me that I am doing this at Celeste's event, as she's been hugely supportive in my weight loss journey <3  For more info on the event, visit: http://www.celestebellydance.com/

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The last two weekends in May, Boheme Tribal will be performing multiple shows per day at the Mayfaire renfest in Marshall, Michigan! We'll be pulling out all the stops (and all the props!) and maybe even have a few guest musicians and dancers with us on occasion!  And, it is a great possibility that Pal (the mini pony) and his vardo, will be part of our act!

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We have oh so many events planned well through the end of the year, but I'm only going to demand your attention long enough to get us through June ;)

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June 20th, for one night only, Boheme is hosting Tempest in Kalamazoo! She'll be on her way through to Tribal Rev and so we said, "Why not take advantage of her (and her proximity) and tap her fabulous brain for a coupla hours?"  She'll be teaching her "Tempest's Guide to Style" workshop, which is a lecture style discussion on creating YOUR OWN facade and persona. IMHO, style is Tempest's strongest suit, and she's inspired so many other dancers through out the past decade and a half that I've known her. You will want to hear what she has to say!!!  Registration is uber-limited, so be sure to sign up immediately. We're already more than half full!!! Just visit our website and follow the link on the main page :)

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The following day, we'll be riding Tempest's bumper to Tribal Rev in Chicago! The event runs Thursday, June 21st through Sunday June 24th. It's the event all of us Midwest Tribal dancers live for!  Rachel Brice, Amy Sigil, Elizabeth Strong, Tempest and tons more huge icons of Tribal belly dance will be on hand, kicking our arses and overwhelming us with their inspiration and knowledge!  We plan to be there all four days and will be performing in the Friday evening showcase. Only our core group will be dancing, but we have a cheeky surprise for you all. You'll hate it. If you're not familiar with Tribal Rev, it's hosted by Blue Lotus Tribe every year in the Chicagoland area. This year, it'll be at a brand new and far larger location, so I'm super excited to see what new shenanigans we can get ourselves into!

Happy Valentine's Day to all of our friends, fans, students, and fambly!  I've taken the liberty of dubbing 2012 the year of Self Care, so take some time today to love yourself! I've already attained some of my goals, including scheduling a weekly massage appointment, getting my hair and eyebrows done, and joining a gym!  Your "you time" doesn't have to be as big of a commitment as mine... brew a cup of tea and curl up with a good book.  Make a body scrub with sugar and honey and hop into the tubbo. Or it could even be as simple as taking a nap! And if you have a Valentine to share your time with, I'm willing to bet any one of the ideas above could prove to be a romantic moment ;)

This week sees Boheme on our toes quite a bit!  We've put together a new set for our 7:30 show at The Blue Dolphin this week. It's a rare chance to catch a full set of some of our gothier numbers. We'll be doing our more traditional set at 9pm :)

Saturday, we'll be workshoppin' with The Mezmer Society and Kelly Holder in Ann Arbor and then performing in the evening's gala show. We're performing our new number, "Regimental", with eight members of the troupe. Come see how Boheme has become "Bigger, stronger, better than ever before!"  Details at http://www.unveiledbellydance.com/annarbor/workshops/index.html

Here's an awesome poster for the event!

This winter season has surely been a productive one here in the Boheme studio!  We now have 11 troupe members, 2 of them soloists and 9 active group members!  We've been burrowed away, choreographing and refining two new numbers, both of which connect with our collective inner badass :)  One is a one is a Tribal Fusion number in combat boots and the other, a sword routine fit for a warrior goddess.  We plan to show these numbers, back to back, at two of our upcoming performances.  Be sure to catch us in Ann Arbor and Chicago in February and March to see what I'm talking about!

February 18th - Ann Arbor, Michigan - Unveiled hosts Mezmer Society and Kelly Holder

March 31st - Chicago, Illinois - RaksChristina hosts Joseph's Labrynth fundraiser, feat. Deb Rubin

We've also been busy with our weekly shows at the Blue Dolphin restaurant! It's been so much fun doing Improv Tribal Style in such a setting. Be sure to come out and see us!  We're bumping the times up a little earlier, to accomodate everyone's busy weekday schedule. You can now catch us at 7:30pm and 9pm.  We hope to use these shows to promote some of the region's best belly dancers as well, so keep your eyes on the schedule. This week's 7:30 show will feature Sabrina. Boheme will do both shows every 3rd Thursday. The restaurant runs a 10% off special on everything Greek (except their staff, they are quick to quip).  I must say their baklava is *the best*!!!  Bring a friend and come out to see us!  Make a reservation at: 269.343.4993

Blue Dolphin Restaurant - 502 South Burdick (downtown Kalamazoo, Michigan)

We'd like to thank Silk Road Gallery for hosting our photo shoot!  Photos by Hans van Neer.

From the void I am born and on to the stage I arrive. Whatever was before me, has now gone and whatever is before me has not come. I arrive, I hear my music and I awaken.

I move to my music, brighter than those before me. I embrace the stage and illuminate it with my fire for all to see. I burn with every second and shine a candle through a window in to my world.

Fluid in my movements I dance. Every move is smooth and flowing with purpose and intent. Like a river winding its way through land to accent the view but never distract, I move with my music. My music gives in to me and I give in to it.

I move across the stage with ease. I glide across like a wind blown leaf dancing across the field. Every step floats me to the next. Without warning I change my direction and move.

My body shows its strength within the moves. Like a naturally sculpted rock face, my body flexes and moves. My feet are sure and planted, solid in their knowledge of where to go.

To the void I go, my dance is done. I have burned my light and my river has run dry. The wind no longer blows and the earth has given way. I leave the stage for I have gone and whatever is after me has now come.

Written by Boheme member, Erik Koning