A Little Song & Dance

Music and Art = A Life Enchanted

Posts tagged fae

5 notes &

I’ve been searching for mermaid bellydance videos for some time now, yet somehow, I just now found this. O.O  Dude..!  I positively love this depiction, don’t you? ^_^  (And they didn’t Disney it up!  Wahoo!! XD), 

My wee company Alternate Visions is having a mermaid-themed contest (inspired by another mermie project that -might- be in the works), so now more than ever, my mind is on merfolk!  (Which is saying something, if you know me at all. ;))  So with that being said, I guess there’s only one thing left TO say:  Calling all mermaids!!  Bring out your merfolk, your selchies, your undines, your naiads, nyxies, merrow & water nymphs!  Show us your favorite mermaid-themed bellydance photos & videos, please please??

(And if you want to take part in my li’l contest, see below!)

♥

“Calling all writers, poets and mermaid fans!  Alternate Visions is looking for a mermaid poem, elucidating the differences between a plus-size mermaid and a manatee!  This is meant to be a POSITIVE, loving, fun challenge, and there will be TWO prizes for the winner, as well as a prize for the second place runner up! ^_^  

1st prize will be a new, original piece of mermaid art, as well as a new mermaid-themed necklace, and the 2nd prize will be a brand new mermaid-themed bracelet! ^_^  More details can be found at the link below, and should you need a little inspiration, check out this little tidbit, here.  :)  Mehopes y’all take part, as this should be great fun, & I can’t wait to see what people come up with! ^_^

♥

https://www.facebook.com/alternatevisions/posts/10152327677937588

Filed under mermaid mermaids merfolk undine undines naiad naiads water nymph water nymphs selkie selkies selchie selchies water creatures water fae faeries fairies fantasy mythical legend legends legendary poem poetry contest bellydance bellydancing belly dance belly dancing

4 notes &

As it’s close to Halloween and this is costume/makeup related (not to mention partially Tribal bellydance-inspired :)), I thought I’d share this w/you all. :)

So.. what you see before you is a sampling of the pics I took for my horns & ears pieces last night. :)  I’m pondering various outfits for Raven’s Night & FaerieCon coming up, n’ this was both a means for experimentation, and a way for me to show folks how they might wear my weird, crafty little bibbledybobs. :)

These shots are PURELY for fantasy’s sake, and inspired by everything from good friends who do GREAT makeup, the interpretations I’ve seen some Tribal dancers do in the spirit of more ancient, aboriginal-style face painting, shamanic and warrior designs used by various tribes of peoples around the world, & faerie-related events; like the aforementioned, fast-approaching FaerieCon. :)  

This was also my first attempt ever at doing makeup in this kind of style- so please be gentle. ;)  (It was harder and more exacting than you’d think! ;D)  And boy.. I cannot TELL you how truly & INCREDIBLY empowering this experience was.  I dunno if it was the makeup, the shirt, the accessories or a combination thereof, but I do not exaggerate when I say that for the first time in my life, I was able to look in the mirror for once and not see ANYTHING lacking.  I felt fierce, powerful, beautiful, edgy, magickal and STRONG, and I cannot relate how special that feeling is.  For once, I was -completely- in love w/image I saw staring back at me- and that’s huge. :)

I have always found beauty and exotic, powerful qualities in others, but never, EVER believe myself capable of such things.  Sure, at times I’d feel “pretty” or “well,” or “smart,” or even “strong..” but I neeeever thought I had the epic kind of “wow” that some others exhibited on stage- or elsewhere.  I freely admit that I have HUGE confidence problems, likely an inferiority complex that it’d take a bulldoser to unearth, and I wouldn’t be surprised if I needed a truckload of counselling surmount it.  But last night, I got a taste of that epic confidence, and that was amaaaaaaazing. ^_^  ..I kind of no longer feel like I entirely lack the Epic gene. ;)

If you’ve ever felt that before- like you were always wanting, but never had, or if you too have had an experience similar to this, you can imagine how powerful and transformative a moment like this can be. :)  Now that it’s over, I sure as Heaven hope the power of that realization stays w/me.. always.  ..But now that the makeup’s off, I can still feel that kind of gravitas and appreciation of my OWN beauty shining through.. so.. maybe this one’ll stick. ;)

I’m not exactly sure what or how it happened, but regardless, I am ENORMOUSLY grateful.  I guess the lessons I learned from last night were “venture outside your comfort zone once in a while,” “have faith in yourself,” and “don’t be afraid to do what truly inspires you inside.. ‘cause the end result could mean SO MUCH more to you (and others) than you’d ever POSSIBLY imagine.” *beams*

If you’d like to see more, you can find other pics from this set on my FB page here.  Mehopes you like what you see, and that you have a moment like this too sometime soon, if you haven’t already. ;) ♥

Great Big Hugs & Love,
♥♥♥
Y 

Filed under makeup make up tribal faerie fae fairy faery fusion fantasy horns ears cosplay dreaming imagining creativity exploration fun

7 notes &

So, who’s working on spooky performances for the upcoming Hallowe’en season?  It’s my favorite holiday! ^_^ I believe there’s Haflaween happening somewhere in VA again this year, and although BellyHorror has gone the way of the Dodo, the same(ish) crew will be putting on a brand new event at the same time & locale as last year (the Birchmere in Arlington- near the end of October), called Raven’s Night. :)  Is anybody making horrifically belly-able costumes, or putting together ghoulish props or accessories for the ever-approaching holiday?  Are you maybe attending a zombie walk as an undead bellydancer, or might you be performing at one?  If you’ve got any scary bellydance-related events to promo in honor of Hallowe’en, lemme know!  I’ll try to list ‘em here, as part of a Bellydancer’s Creepy Compendium! :D ♥ As for as bellydance goes, I haven’t got anything happening (-yet- ;)), but I am working on a spooky contest for my art/crafting page (inspired by faeries, no less!), which I thought some of y’all might dig- as the prize could be made into a scary stage prop, or creepy (personal or home) adornment. :D  Wanna see?  Click this link, ‘ratcheer. ^_^  (I’d put a pic of it up here, but I don’t wanna squick anyone out, so I hope the link’s okay.)   If the weirdness in the photos looks like somethin’ you’d dig (I can thread stuff onto various materials to suit all kinds of purposes, easy-peasy) then come take part in my first contest!  The prize is a handmade polymer clay tooth, or digit (like the ones in the pictures), to be custom made just for you, per your individual specifications. :D It’s free to enter, and the contest ends on Sept. 1!  So if your zombie-raising necromancer needs some scary accessories, or your cannibal needs some trophies w/a li’l character, come n’ play! ^_^ For contest rules, visit: https://www.facebook.com/alternatevisions/posts/10151832085407588, and if ya don’t have FB, don’t worry!  It’s a public entry, so -anyone- can see it and vote. :) And lastly, on a related note:  If you’d like me to try and make you something BD and/or Hallowe’en-related from scratch, feel free to ping me here, or over yonder, wherever you see fit. :)  I could try and make medallions or the like for folks- or.. ooh! maybe make a first attempt at some little faux bone hairsticks! :D  I’ve done lots of drawings involving bellydance, as well as a few li’l polyclay dancers’ faces, but recently it occurred to me that I could also make bd wearables (duhhh—can we say horns on hairsticks, or other polyclay doodads w/flower and/or feather details, or tribal-looking polymer & bead jewelry, etc.?? o.O *facepalm*)  So if you have any ideas/requests, drop me a line. :) And so saying allllll of that!  To all of you who’re prepping, good luck on your projects, too!  Here’s to a badass Hallowe’en, full of handmade magic, glorious wonder and all-around awesomeness for all! ^_^ ♥  (PS- The images used herein are the original work and sole property of Alternate Visions/Ylluria.  All rights reserved.  Thanks!)

So, who’s working on spooky performances for the upcoming Hallowe’en season?  It’s my favorite holiday! ^_^

I believe there’s Haflaween happening somewhere in VA again this year, and although BellyHorror has gone the way of the Dodo, the same(ish) crew will be putting on a brand new event at the same time & locale as last year (the Birchmere in Arlington- near the end of October), called Raven’s Night. :) 

Is anybody making horrifically belly-able costumes, or putting together ghoulish props or accessories for the ever-approaching holiday?  Are you maybe attending a zombie walk as an undead bellydancer, or might you be performing at one?  If you’ve got any scary bellydance-related events to promo in honor of Hallowe’en, lemme know!  I’ll try to list ‘em here, as part of a Bellydancer’s Creepy Compendium! :D

♥

As for as bellydance goes, I haven’t got anything happening (-yet- ;)), but I am working on a spooky contest for my art/crafting page (inspired by faeries, no less!), which I thought some of y’all might dig- as the prize could be made into a scary stage prop, or creepy (personal or home) adornment. :D  Wanna see?  Click this link, ‘ratcheer. ^_^  (I’d put a pic of it up here, but I don’t wanna squick anyone out, so I hope the link’s okay.)  

If the weirdness in the photos looks like somethin’ you’d dig (I can thread stuff onto various materials to suit all kinds of purposes, easy-peasy) then come take part in my first contest!  The prize is a handmade polymer clay tooth, or digit (like the ones in the pictures), to be custom made just for you, per your individual specifications. :D

It’s free to enter, and the contest ends on Sept. 1!  So if your zombie-raising necromancer needs some scary accessories, or your cannibal needs some trophies w/a li’l character, come n’ play! ^_^

For contest rules, visit: https://www.facebook.com/alternatevisions/posts/10151832085407588, and if ya don’t have FB, don’t worry!  It’s a public entry, so -anyone- can see it and vote. :)

And lastly, on a related note:  If you’d like me to try and make you something BD and/or Hallowe’en-related from scratch, feel free to ping me here, or over yonder, wherever you see fit. :)  I could try and make medallions or the like for folks- or.. ooh! maybe make a first attempt at some little faux bone hairsticks! :D

 I’ve done lots of drawings involving bellydance, as well as a few li’l polyclay dancers’ faces, but recently it occurred to me that I could also make bd wearables (duhhh—can we say horns on hairsticks, or other polyclay doodads w/flower and/or feather details, or tribal-looking polymer & bead jewelry, etc.?? o.O *facepalm*)  So if you have any ideas/requests, drop me a line. :)

And so saying allllll of that!  To all of you who’re prepping, good luck on your projects, too!  Here’s to a badass Hallowe’en, full of handmade magic, glorious wonder and all-around awesomeness for all! ^_^

♥ 

(PS- The images used herein are the original work and sole property of Alternate Visions/Ylluria.  All rights reserved.  Thanks!)

Filed under halloween hallowe'en samhain crafts art contesst alternate visions drawings polymer clay fingers toes faerie fae vlog video project spooky scary props horror arts handmade original fairy jenny greenteeth peg powler free giveaway photos pictures

5 notes &

Here, have a bit of folklore-rich, Irish faerie magick! ^_^

See, if you know me (or if you read this for very long), you’ll know that I am a HUGE mythology, fantasy & folklore fan.  As it happens, the story of Tam Lin is one of my absolute favorites- because it features a strong female protagonist, the fae, and a beautiful fae-enchanted lad. ^_^  

Therefore, you can imagine my delight when I heard that the awesome group Tricky Pixie had made a song of the same name.  While I’d never heard a rendition talking about our lead mistress being with child, upon hearing TP’s rendition live at a faerie convention (yes, they have those ;)), I nearly fell out of my seat in ecstasy.  Such scintillating, slithery, seductive stuff!!!  Just take a listen and see if you don’t agree. :)

For me, this song BEGS to be danced to. ^_^  Something slow, languid & sexy.. with lots of intensity & eye contact- and maybe even a touch of menace. ;D  Ooh!- and perhaps, with a sword? *beams and tries not to bounce*  

Now, go out and check out more of TP’s music!  It’s amazing stuff!
(But don’t you go stealin’ my ideers! ;P *lol*)

Filed under bellydance belly dance bellydancing belly dancing Raks Sharki raqs sharqi oriental dance middle eastern dance dance tribal fusion fantasy elven elves elf fa fae faerie fairy faery tam lin tricky pixie s. j. tucker alexander adams betsy tinney

5 notes &

As this blog’s most recent topic has been about bellydance infused with and inspired by more mystical and fantastical aspects, it occurred to me that I ought to share this little gem with you. :)  It is one of my favorite bellydance videos of all time, because not only is it hella creative & inventive (both in its subject matter as well as its execution & choreography), but it also deals with one of my favorite topics- faerie tales!  I have always been enamored with the fae, the mythical, the mysterious, and tales about such things.  And to add icing to the cake, I’ve also always loved nearly anything with a truly whimsical, wonder-filled, almost childlike element.  (But genuinely so- not just anything juvenile or silly.  There needs to be a bit of wit & intelligence in such things, too.)  ..So when I saw this, I nearly popped with delight. :)  It has all of these amazing elements, as well as this ebulient, magical feeling- similar to that of many of Jim Henson’s works- and I positively love it. ^_^

This is Desert Sin performing their take on Baba Yaga at an incredible event I’d LOVE to attend, and I dearly hope you like it too. ^_^

—-

(For those who’d like to know the whys n’ wherefores:  I found it after seeing David Tarleton’s “Dinner” years ago. After spending years trying to relocate the short film itself, after I found it I ended up doing a little research on Baba Yaga too. :)  And that’s when I cam across this, and henceforth was -instantly- enchanted. :)  Check it out, and tell me what you think! :D)

Filed under Belly Dance Belly Dancing Raks Sharki baba yaga bellydance bellydancing chicken legs dance desert sin fae faerie fairy tale fairytale fantastical fantasy folklore hut jareth labyrinth mythology oriental dance puppetry puppets raqs sharqi russian witch folktales witches akira tribal