Bellydance Figure Skating?

Ok, so this really isn't bellydance, but a clip of the very first and only Turkish figure skater, Tugba Karademir. This isn't from the Olympics, but it's the same music, routine, and costume she used in Vancouver. She skates to traditional Turkish music (which sounds familiar but I can't place it).



If you look closely at her choreography, she adds a few Turkish dance movements in her arms and torso. It may not be bellydance, but this may be the closest thing to bellydance figure skating fusion...(and combining two dance styles I never dreamed to see combined. My inner fangirl is enraptured!)

From what the commentators said during her Olympic skate, she placed at the bottom of the competition because she really doesn't have anyone she can compete with at home. While the U.S. and Japanese girls are antagonizing each other in their own national competitions (*cough Nancy & Tanya cough*), Tugba is all by herself.

Even without the pressure of a league of backstabbing Turkish ice princesses (hey, that sounds like a fun concept for a dance flick!) she still shines on the ice. Zaghareet for Tugba!

Playlist: February 24, 2010

Playlist: February 24, 2010

7:00
Hossam Ramzy - Shimmers in the Sand (Eternal Egypt)
Om Kholtoum - El Atlal

7:34
Suhaila Salimpour featuring Susu and the Cairo Cats - Stamina (Fate)
Nourhan Sharif - El Marouge (Cairo)

8:18
Ravi Shankar with Yehudi Menuhin - Raga Ananda Bhairava (West Meets East: The Historic Shankar/Menuhin Sessions)
James Asher - The Astrologer's Seat (Tigers of the Raj)
Roman Chowdhury - Part Time Guru (You & Me)
Karsh Kale (Redesign)

Playlist: February 17, 2010

Playlist: February 17, 2010

7:00
Omar Faruk Tekbilek & Brian Keane - Desert Twilight (Firedance)
Chiftetelli - Macar Chiftetelli
Zarbang - Zarbi-e Raast

7:40
Tim Rayborn - Veselba (Veils of Light)
Divahn - Yodukha Rayonai
Sirocco - Tribal Dance (Volume II)

8:04
Simon Shaheen - Bosphorus Scenes Under the Moonlight (Blue Flame)
Om Kholtoum - Fakaroni (Live recording)
Zerrin Ozer - Beni Hor Gorme (Ve Boyle Bir Shey...)
Groove Alla Turka - Gene Gel
Orion Prophesy - Waterchild (Waterbone)
Omar Faruk Tekbilek & Brian Keane - Ask (Firedance)

The Bolly-Dollys of Springfield!

A few dancers from my old bellydance troupe have put together a Bollywood dance video in celebration of the new Shah Rukh Khan movie, My Name Is Khan:



The juxtaposition of honoring both posters of Lakshmi and Shah Rukh is possibly my favorite part of the video. ;-)


Watch on YouTube

Playlist: February 10, 2010

Playlist: February 10, 2010

7:00
Knossos - Black Bedouin, Basm II(Dark Light in the Wake of Silence)
The Shroud - Black (Strange Flesh)
Tim Rayborn - Cask of Alban
Collide - Pandora's Box
Solace - Nataraja (Satya)

7:36
Raquy & the Cavemen - Axarai (Bewitched)
Zachary J. Mechlem - Bedouins (Sameera)
Loreena McKennitt - Marco Polo
Natacha Atlas - I Put a Spell on You (The Very Best of Natacha Atlas)
Samsara Sound System - Gatha (Arabian Travels II)

8:06
Said Mrad - En Aranjuez ton tu amor (Esmerim)
Cheb i Sabbah - (La Ghriba)
Big Noise (Mambo Inn Compilation)

8:32
Habib Koite & Bamada (Afriki)
Amadou & Miriam - Politic Amagni
Miriam Makeba - Pata Pata
Ubaka Hill - Can't Hold Back the Dawning (Beyond the Wind)

Technical Difficulties

You may have noticed that The Eastern Hemisphere was not on the air last Wednesday. Well, that is, you may have noticed if you were listening. Which maybe you weren't. Anyway...

Five minutes before air time, I found out my computer's audio driver was no longer working. After much frantic troubleshooting, I called the station and the kindly DJ whose show comes before mine set the station's computer to Simian, which is our computer-generated, random-classic-rock-playing Automaton DJ. After a little more fruitless troubleshooting, I called DJ Ms Lisa and she thankfully covered the rest of my air time with actual world music.

The bad news (which is actually good news) is that I'm getting a new computer. This is something I've been wanting to do for the past two years anyway, since my old computer was fitted with a new motherboard and a REALLY LOUD fan. (Have you been wondering what that buzzing noise was in the background when I've been speaking into my mic? Yes, that was the computer. Thppt.)

So I'm getting a new desktop with Windows 7! And it *should* still be able to communicate with the station's computer! (Something that would have been impossible with Vista.) Dell's website offered 48-hour shipping, so when I bought it Wednesday evening I thought I would have plenty of time to download all the necessary installations and connect the new PC to the station in time for next week's show.

Actually, Dell sent me an email Thursday morning to say that the order had been processed, and I could expect to receive it by Monday. Hmm. Apparently 48-hour shipping does not include weekends, or 24-hour processing time.

So as of Monday morning I still haven't received it, and I'm wondering what state the machine will be in when I get home from work tonight in freezing weather, IF it gets delivered today at all.

This gives me Tuesday evening to get everything installed and set up. It's not the wide window of time I would have liked, in case there are other contingencies or little fires to put out, to ensure that I have a workable computer in time to broadcast this week.

Wish me luck! If all else fails, it may be another week for Simian to run my show.

Photo credit: CC-licensed photo via Flickr, prefade glow, by noii.