What are your priorities?

So this blog post has been a long time coming - over the Christmas season I indulged and took some time away from dance to really focus on me and have some delicious "down time".

And I'm glad I did!

This year has already been a crazy year - and it's only the end of January!

I've started a new day job - working for an incredible Hospice within Fundraising, which is a blast! And really is a rewarding career. I'm buying a house with my gorgeous partner in dance, and in life, Jim, and to top it all off am teaching some amazing classes, creating some beautiful costumes and working on my yoga practice!

This got me to thinking - how on earth am I going to decide what takes priority, and how am I going to fit all this darn stuff in to my week!?
I thought I would share with you, ways to prioritise, organise, and work out your time, so that you get the most from all of your hobbies, dance activities, and your work!

1. Prioritise what you love - This is something that Amy Sigil says in one of her Datura Online classes that really stuck with me. If you LOVE dance - schedule that in to your week first. Make specific time slots in your diary, whether its an hour before work, or 15 minutes when you get home before you cook tea, make sure you schedule it in, so you get to do what you love. Same goes for other things - like if you love having a bath, schedule it in! Make time for the things you love! It may mean waking up half an hour earlier, but sometimes, it really is worth it.

2. Get rid of the things that don't make you feel excited - Is that Zumba class just a bind? Ditch it. Is trying to swim once a week just eating into precious drawing or sewing time? Ditch it. Do you resent having to sew a bellydance costume for your next show? Ditch it. Your free time is precious, don't waste it on sub par activities that don't excite you. Instead, dedicate more time to the thing you love, or find an activity that does excite you! It can feel tough, you may feel obliged to keep going to those rotary club meetings, or monthly bake sales, but if you aren't passionate about it, and it doesn't get your juices flowing - find something that does! Learn to be ruthless with your most precious commodity - time.

3. Plan Ahead - Make a point of planning things in advance. This will really help you to work out what works for you and your schedule, and also what you can fit into your year! I don't know about you, but I very often say I will do things, or go places, and at the end of the year, nothing's changed! Planning in advance will really help that - you will be more likely to stick to your plans, and it also gives you more things to look forward to!

4. Get a calendar - and use it! - It may take a bit of time to get into the habit of using a calendar, but by gum does it make life easier when planning, organising and arranging your time. I love my gmail calendar as I can sync it to my phone, laptop and emails, and can sort out nifty reminders and alerts. You should see some of the things I schedule in - sometimes stuff as mundane as taking an hour for a bath and pamper session - but if you don't plan it in somewhere, you'll never get round to it!


I hope these tips help you guys to start thinking about your own schedules and the way you organise your time, above all though - make sure you make yourself the top priority.

Final Note for the Day:

Play around with ways to plan your time - spreasdsheets, calendars, diaries - use what works for you best! I often use a mixtures of excel, diaries, and more often than not, post-its!

If you want to use this post in your e-zine, blog or newsletter, please go ahead! But make sure that you credit Louise Brooks - www.louisebellydancer.co.uk

Costume Maintenance 101

Costumes are important. They are such an investment, almost like collecting artwork. Every dancer remembers buying their first proper costume, tracing their fingers over the beadwork, running their hands through the fringing, the sparkling of the crystals, and sequined designs glittering away in a multitude of colours. You always treasure that first costume that makes you feel like a princess, and when you put it on to perform, you feel transformed into a belly dance goddess.

So after spending so much money on your precious, glittery babies, I thought I would give you some top tips on how to protect your precious cargo in between performances, and how to maintain their glamour so you can wear them with pride for many years to come!

• Sequins can lose colour when they come into contact with perfumes, deodrants and glitter sprays. I reccomend applying all these things before putting on your beautiful costume, to ensure you are not spraying anything directly onto sequins and gemstones. This will stop them from tarnishing or losing colour, and keep them shining for longer!
• After every performance, check your clasps! As soon as you get home from your performance, check the strength of each clasp and make a note of what might need restitching before your next show! This means that you are actively keeping on top of any wear and tear, aswell as preventing any costume mishaps in the future!
• After purchasing a new costume, I like to check the beadwork, rhinestones and fringing carefully. Sometimes costumes can have loose threads that can result in beads dissappearing or bits of fringing coming loose. These things are very easy to rectify, if they are caught in time! Make sure to check your costume when first purchased, and then after big performances to make sure nothing has caught or come loose. With fringing, you can paint a little bit of clear nail polish at the end of each strand which will secure any knots and prevent unravelling!
• Air out your costume after each wear. I don't often "wash" my costumes due to the fact they are so delicate, an airing is normally good enough! However if something is in dire need of a clean, I will gently hand wash in cold water in my bath with a little bit of baby shampoo. Cold water because it prevents colors running, and baby shampoo as it is usually unfragranced, and very very gentle! I then gently press out any extra moisture into a towel, and dry flat. DO NOT TUMBLE DRY OR MACHINE WASH COSTUMES.
• I like to store my costumes in laundry bags or zip up fabric bags. I try to keep any delicate fabrics away from bedlahs or very ornate costumes to prevent any runs or snags. I also keep some silica gel packets in the boxes I keep my costumes in as it prevents any moisture from getting to the costumes!
• Last but not least, if your costume is very heavy with a lot of beading, store folded and flat, do not hang. Purely because (especially with cabaret dresses) the beading is so heavy it causes the fabric to stretch! And you don't want a misshapen costume! The same goes (Suprisingly) for circle skirts, as some fabric likes to "grow" and so hems can become uneven over time! I tend to store my circle skirts, rolled up, rather than hung.

I hope this has helped you with any costume questions you may have! If you have any other top tips on how to look after your costumes, let me know in the comments! I'd love to hear!

Final Note for the Day:

When buying a costume, don't rush. Take your time. Think about where you might wear it, what pieces you might dance in it. Don't be persuaded by the sequins alone. (And I know it's hard, as they are very persuasive!) Remember, you need a costume that you will want to wear again and again, and like the little black dress, is timeless.

If you want to use this post in your e-zine, blog or newsletter, please go ahead! But make sure that you credit Louise Brooks - www.louisebellydancer.co.uk