غازية - Ghaziya

Bohemian Spirited, Geeky, Gothy, Witchy, A Belly Dansah, hopeless romantic, fantasy driven kinda girl. I have a certain kind of astetic... this blog was created to show magic in things I enjoy. Welcome to my world!

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21st Apr 2013✧19:08153 notes

Belly Dance bellydance rachel brice tribal fusion

Gorgeous.

1st Sep 2012✧11:45343 notes

rachel brice Belly Dancing bellydance tribal fusion

Stunning. I love these two.

15th Aug 2012✧22:3085 notes

Rachel Brice Illan Belly Dance BellyDance tribal fusion

I never thought I would make a text post longer than a few words in fear of it messing up my Tumblr “flow”, and because I never really wanted to poor my heart on the page for a bunch of strangers that would never read it. However, I feel this needs to be shared as I got a “ask me” as to why I have so many photographs of Rachel Brice in my archive. Though, I realize I owe no one an explaination as to why, I just thought I would clarify.

No. I’m not obsessed with her. No. I’m not one of those crazies that want to imulate her every move. Yes. I am an admirer. Yes. I look up to her - not only as a teacher, but a human being. It is a dream to attend at least one class of hers at Elevations 2013 - as humble as that dream may be to some.

For a long time, I have been extreamly unhappy with who I am as a person. I’m not talking about waking up and not being happy with my life, I’m talking about not being happy with me. I was at a spot in my life where I felt I needed to burry who I was - to make myself something I felt someone wanted me to be. So I put myself away in the back of my mind, only to visit the real me when they weren’t present. I gave up drawing and painting. I gave up singing. I gave up other crafts. Worst of all, I gave up dancing.

Eventually, I stopped visiting me in the back of my mind. I would wake up in the morning and really not recognize the person stairing back at me in the mirror. I had become someone I didn’t know. Wearing things the person in the back of my mind would never wear. Listening to music that I hated. I gained weight - and fast. The stretch marks were there to prove it. In a year alone, I gained a whole entire person in weight. I had manic depression. How did it happen? How did I let this happen to myself?!

One day, I visited a few of the things I had kept from the me that I locked away and hald almost forgotten about. I pulled from a box that I kept under the bed a beautiful black sheer veil with beautiful teal stitching and sequins. My dad brought it back to me when he came home from Iraq. I used to Belly Dance with this scarf wraped around my hair. It sparked me to go to my computer and look up “belly dancing” on YouTube. Suddenly - I felt somewhat familiar to myself again. Then, over on the right hand side, an name for whatever reason caight my eye. “Rachel Brice - Return to the Stars” I clicked it, and immediately was entranced. I was pulled in and couldn’t tear my eyes away from the beautiful goddess, slithering and snaking across my screen with a sense of power and sensuality just dripping from her. I longed to recapture that for myself.

Over the next few months, I found myself beginning to tear up with joy when I watched her videos. Over the next few months, I tried out my dancing skills here and there - even trying this amazing new style I had learned was called “Tribal Fusion” - moving slowly, feeling each muscle contract and release as I sent the movements through my body. I felt like me again. I was becoming happier again. I felt a sense of joy and empowerment I hadn’t felt in years. I kept watching these videos, kept emulating the movements, kept discovering new music that woke parts of myself back up. I watched countless interviews, discovered new dancers like Mardi Love, Zoe Jakes, Sharon Kihara learned the origins of Tribal Fusion and fell more in love with the art form - and through it found a new control that I had over myself. I found me again.

I was lucky enough to meet the infamous Ms. Brice at a Belly Dance convention in Golden, Colorado in 2012. I was affraid I wouldn’t be able to even see her close up, much less meet her. I didn’t want to “get close” to satisfy a bragging right of “I’ve met her” - It was to give her a humble gift. A ring that I found in my Henna shop I freqented that was made in Nepal. I’m sure she had prettier more exotic rings she would rather wear than my meager offering, but I really wanted to thank her and present her with something small - especailly after what she did for me, even if unknowingly. I asked the host of the event - “Do you know if Ms. Brice is still here?” I had butterflies in my stomach and my throat was tight. She turned to look at me sweetly, even if she did have a “Hunny, everyone here wants to meet her” look under the smile, and answered “I don’t think so.” I just kind of smiled and nodded and asked “Well, if you get to see her tomorrow, do you think you could give this to her for me? I just wanted her to have it.” Sudden realization hit her that this wasn’t just a want to meet her and she held her index finger up and told me to wait here. She disappered for about a minute or so and emerged from the back stage and motioned me to her. “Wait right out here…” she said as she pushed open the side exit. It hit me what was about to happen at that point. The butterflies started flapping harder. I scrambled for my pen - I had brought the Serpentine DVD for her to sign should she get the chance.

Then, I glanced over my shoulder and she was slowly poking her head around the door with the sweetest smile I had ever seen - she looked just as neverous as I had. I was shaking with excitement. I was going to tell her thank you. I was going to tell her my story of my self rediscovery through her and her artform. None of that came out. I was a bundle of nerves. “I just wanted to say hello, and give you this.” I shoved my hand forward, extending the gold and red ring to her. She smiled really big and with a suprised and barely audible gasp she asked “You’re giving this to me?!” I thought it spoke volumes that she would be so appreciative and honored by the gift I had given her. She slipped the ring on, we spoke a little about an interview that I had watched with her and she even remembered me from the Facebook comment that I had left right before the Gala Show that I was attending that night. The night was late after the show and she had classes to teach in the morning. Before she left she happily signed my DVD and stopped for a picture. She said good bye and I walked away on cloud nine. Still, nearly 4 months later I think to myself on my way home from work or what have you “Holy cow - I MET Rachel Brice…” and it puts me right back on that cloud.

I never got to thank her. So here it is. A public thank you to Ms. Brice and a love letter to Belly Dance. You have restored something in me I feared was lost forever. You helped me over come depression, border line diabeties from my weight issues, and most of all you brought me back to dance. Something I will never let go of as long as I can still move. I can never repay you for what you have done for me through something as simple as doing what you love to do, and what makes you happy.

Thank You.
~Naomi

18th Jul 2012✧03:0927 notes

Rachel brice Belly Dance BellyDance Tribal Fusion A Love Letter Rediscovery

18th Jul 2012✧02:2392 notes

rachel brice tribal fusion Belly Dance bellydance

17th Jul 2012✧23:0826 notes

rachel brice bellydance tribal fusion

13th Jul 2012✧22:58680 notes

Rachel Brice Bellydance Belly Dance Tribal Tribal Fusion

2nd Jul 2012✧23:5452 notes

Datura Rachel Brice Tribal Fest tribal fusion 2012 BellyDance Belly Dance

Zoe Jakes.. no… really.. its Zoe Jakes..

2nd Jul 2012✧23:5234 notes

Zoe Jakes Belly Dance BellyDance Everyday No Costume

14th Jun 2012✧22:5464 notes

rachel brice Belly Dance bellydance tribal fusion

Opaque by andbamnan

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