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Blyth started her
bellydancing career late in life, but caught up fast. It goes to
show you that it is never to late to get started. She has been
dancing in Corpus Christi for over a decade. She has competed in
three competitions in her bellydance career, the Jewel of the
Concho in San Angelo Texas were she and her partner took first
place in Duets. She has also taken The Texas Gypsys, to the
Middle Eastern Choreography Project in Austin Texas where they
placed first in Large Troupe Competition twice. She has and
still frequently travels about the state of Texas to continue
her studies and bring the best of the bellydance world to her
students in Corpus Christi, Texas. |
Her recent seminars include Mira Betz, Rose
Harden, Unmata, Bellanatana, Urban Gypsy, Z-Helene, Brandy Bolin
of Tribal Evolution, L'imprev, and Arabic Folkdance Intensive by Karim
Nagi. When she travels she frequently attends other classes and
instructors as well. These instructors have included Karen Barbee,
Zymirrah of Urban Gypsy, and Isis and the Star Dancers. Her travels
allow her to see the latest trends in bellydance and share these with
her students. In addition to being the Director of The Texas Gypsys
and Veiled Intentions, she is also a has been a member of the Austin
Bellydance Association for many years. She was co-director of PURE
Bellydance in Houston. She is one of the founders of the Texas Coastal
Bend Bellydance Association and has served as President of the
organization.
Her philosophy of bellydance is simple. It is
for everyone, people and dancers come in all shapes and sizes, if you
want to play, come on in, the water's fine. Her instruction focuses on
creating a strong structural foundation. Movements are broken down into
fundamental components and she is happy to answer specific questions
that any student may need in order to master the movement or
combination. It is all about helping you become the best bellydancer you
can be.
She is well versed in many of the different
styles of bellydance. She prefers and teaches following the group
fusion format, basically the difference is a group of dancers working
together. The difference for the beginning dancer is really not
noticeable. The foundation movements and combinations are relatively
similar with just slight variations in stylization. When students have
reached performance ability she offers two options, The Texas Gypsys
and/or Veiled Intentions. The Texas Gypsys are a stylized tribal-gypsy
bellydance fusion performance troupe -drawing on group created
choreography and offers solo opportunities. Veiled Intentions is based
totally on tribal style group improvisation bellydance (ITS) , which
relies on the members to have a distinct dance language that is shared.
Each member participates in leading and following, and never creates the
same dance twice.
She has students that participate in both
groups.
About the Name
Why a Viking dance name? I get this question
all the time so I thought this the best place to post an explanation.
For those that know me well, I am fascinated by history and mythology.
There is substantial proof that the Vikings were living and trading in
Constantinople as early as the X century. So on a technicality there
could have been Viking belly dancers.
The legends and stories of the Vikings have
always fascinated me. There is the story of the 12 Valkyries, one of my
favorites, in which they are charged by Odin to bring those who are
slain in battle to reside with him in Valhalla. Valhalla is the Viking
equivalent of heaven. There are however thirteen Valkyries, the
thirteenth Valkyrie is named Myst, her distinct job is to descend upon
the battlefield as a fog or mist, to confuse armies and to keep a
battle from happening, in essence a peace keeper. Her story is one of my
favorite in all mythology. When I dance with others, I feel as if a mist
descends around the audience and the dancers. We are blanketed in a
moment of time which offer others a glimmer of the beauty, grace,
strength, and peace of the feminine spirit. |
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