Here is video II from Orlando Belly Dance artist Jennifer of Bellydance By Jennifer Inc. from the "How to Make More Money as Belly Dancer "series. I hope you enjoy it, it is full of easy and effective tips to boost your money making skills. love you all and happy holidays!Please post your comments below or on Youtube. Video 2 covers1. the importance of developing showmanship/how to make more tips at restaurants2. making the most of workshops and events for your business  If you missed part I please watch it now and as always please leave your comments on Youtube or below. I love reading you feedback and video 1.5 will be posted in the next couple of days. Sorry for the delay, the holidays took all the time out this past week....

What a year it has been for this Orlando Belly Dancer! When I look back on 2012 I get a bit emotional. It was by far the most work I had ever done in my life and it all paid off. From competition wins, to teaching workshops and private classes regularly, to winning the Yallah Fest Scholarship and going to Puerto Rico, to being featured on major tv stations, magazines, and a whole lot more…2012 was the best year yet. What I really enjoyed the most was the ability to meet and interact with so many people from around the world. It is amazing how all these belly dance events and online mediums have allowed human beings to connect with each other. Hearing and reading your comments on these blogs, Facebook, YouTube, via email or in-person has been such a treat! It is through community that we grow stronger. There were definitely many challenges and times of stress as usual, but no matter what, one must...

“Hi Jen, do you ever not like a performance you've danced before? How do you recover from it without beating yourself up for it”?I received this question from an Orlando Belly Dancer on Facebook the other day, and it really got me thinking. Many of us go through our videos with a very critical eye, and not all performances are created equal. There are times when I LOVE a performance of mine and there are times when I absolutely hate segments of a performance I have done. I am guilty of wanting to be a improv perfectionist which is one whole can of worms I won’t even go into lol!In the times when we examine ourselves dancing on video and find things that we are not so happy with our performance, it can be easy to beat ourselves down to the point of utter sadness. But although we are not 100% happy with a performance that does not mean that there is nothing good to recognize...

Every wonder about hiring an elegant, fun, and dynamic belly dancer for your Orlando Wedding Reception Entertainment? Entertainment choices can mean the difference between a boring wedding reception and an exciting one. With so many options out there, choosing a belly dancer can be a unique and family-friendly experience guests will rave about for years to come. A belly dancer from Bellydance By Jennifer Inc. is the best choice for couples who seek classy, engaging, and fun Wedding Reception Entertainment. A high caliber show the whole family can enjoy is ideal for any wedding. From the impressive props, to the flow of silks, to balancing acts with sword or candles, to a funny belly dance persona, a belly dancer such as Jennifer can create funny and exciting moments at your Orlando Wedding Reception. As many of my couples know, not all belly dancers are created equal, so examining the belly dancers resume is essential to finding the right one. The belly dancer should be the most...

As a Professional Belly Dancer and designer in Orlando with Bellydance By Jennifer Inc., the subject of costuming is huge when it comes to performance.   There are some common costuming mistakes that occur more often than it should and the resulting mishaps are not worth it. So this blog is to inform other belly dancers out there on the steps to go through before performing to ensure your belly dance costume is held sturdily in place and is appropriate for any venue.   1. Before you ever buy or decide on a costume there is one HUGE question you should ask yourself...."what kind of environment will I be performing in"?   Is it a raised stage? Outside? At eye level? Floor level? What type of floor?   If on a raised stage you will want to ensure you wear the proper undergarments (shorts, spanks, tights) in matching or skin tone colors so that audience members below do not see an inappropriate display (so embarrassing). This...

Ok everyone I wrote this blog because there are still a large volume of dancers who do not know how to cut their own music and thus becoming frustrated with having to rely on someone else to do it for them, or not being able to use the music at all if there is a time limit.  I highly highly recommend a free open source program called Audacity. I have been using this for as long as I have been belly dancing because 1. It is free, 2. It is very intuitive and easy to use, 3. It has all the capabilities we need.   Below I am going to lay out the basic steps, some tips from personal experience and explain  on how to utilize this program to cut your belly dance music so that you can create mixes, intro’s, compilations and so much more. Your creativity is the only thing that can hold you back.   Step 1. Go to http://audacity.sourceforge.net/  Step 2. On the...

As the elections have come to a close and America has chosen to once again vote for Obama, what a triumph it is to have a black president elected for not one, but two terms. This has become a reality when not too many decades ago, the idea of such an occurrence was deemed as an impossible dream by many. I too have a dream. I think about it every day, yell it out to myself when I need to push myself harder, when I feel despair, when I have to keep myself motivated no matter what… I dream of being famous; of being one of those dancers that people post videos of on the fan forum on Bhuz. I dream of being one of those dancers who has millions of hits on YouTube and who is invited to travel and teach in exotic places all around the world. I dream of being a household name in the belly dance community, where I am able...

I don’t know about you, but Bellydance By Jennifer Inc. has had ENOUGH with inappropriate comments via cyber space. The internet is a wonderful thing; one can market and promote their abilities via forums, social networking sites, blogs, and video to name a few. There is a very dark side though, the side that does not appear publicly for others to see by way of inappropriate pm’s (Bhuz), DM’s (Twitter), inbox (Facebook), email, text, and Youtube Messages. While the vast majority of private messages I have received have been overwhelmingly positive (and at times made me tear up with happiness), there is a small percentage that have been made by men and cyber stalkers who send sexualized, offensive and inappropriate comments. Just one of these is enough to throw one over the edge, and as a belly dancer it seems that my profession attracts these perverts.No matter how classy and sweet one portrays themselves online, being a woman and a belly dancer seems to call the...

After numerous messages and discussions here is a nice blog post with video to go over this challenging approach to a belly roll down... Bellydance By Jennifer Inc. style! It is not something that once can learn in a day it takes a lot of time and patience and no matter what size you are, with determination, the muscle control necessary can be developed. The first section of the video goes over drill #1 which covers isolating the top half from the lower half of the abdomen. Drill #2 follows showing a 6 step approach to the roll down with the tightening of the ab muscles one section at a time from upper abs to lower abs, and finally a pelvic squeeze. Drill #3 goes over my stylistic choice of pushing out the ab muscles from top to bottom and finally the ab muscle are reeled in from top to bottom in a much more gooey and relaxed fashion. This roll down is about dynamic muscle...

Part I: Semi-Rant (Part II below) I wrote this blog because I firmly have an issue when a) I or my friends buy high priced designer costumes $550+ and the sew on stones and chain used are the most low grade rhinestones. Note: I am a designer. I understand that companies need to churn profits but if you are going to sell costumes in the above price range there is wiggle room to pay a little extra and get your clients Swarovski or other high quality lead crystal alternatives, especially if your overseas and materials and the cost of labor and supplies is much less than the U.S. That being said I will refer to case A) said friend paid $750 for a custom designer costume. Wore it a few times, i bought it after and when it arrived after three or four uses crystals looked like the photo provided! Now then....being a designer I did the math without any supplier discounts and the costume still churned a...

   I feel so guilty for not writing sooner but this month as many of you have seen has been quite busy for this Orlando belly dancer. Between school, my internship, several costume commissions, training for competitions, private parties, shows, traveling and tons more in my personal life, this has been one challenging yet rewarding month.   I write today to talk about this whole competition things and answer many of my friends and colleagues questions on what competitions entail, why I decided to do them and the good and bad. So here it goes...   Let us begin by saying that competitions are not for the weak of heart. It takes time, training, heart and soul, and mucho mula$$ to succeed and do well.   The biggest tips for future competitors (coming from someone who learned the hard way the first couple of times):   1. Choose a competition in your dance style. If your American Cab, go to an Am Cab competition not to an...

I finally had the pleasure of belly dancing at a wedding in Kissimmee that was of Colombian heritage a few weeks ago! I am of Colombian descent, and it is no secret that belly dance is not as popular in my country as it is in others.This wedding featured a lovely bride names Maricel who wanted to surprise her new husband with a fun and elegant belly dance performance for their wedding reception.Of course, true to my style, the bride loved how my shows are custom designed to fit the wedding colors, my impeccable taste in music that fits the event and the heritage of the crowd (I ended it with one of our countries fiery romantic favorites “Fruta Fresca”) and my sense of humor and dance style.The show was a huge hit at the Kissimmee wedding reception and it was such a treat to finally get a request from a fellow Colombian as it is not the norm by any stretch of the imagination in...

I hope this does not cause too much of a stir but as an Orlando belly dancer I know if I am feeling the discomfort then others might too... The belly dance community is growing stronger and becoming more popular offering more opportunities for events and workshops where this art form can be enjoyed by the masses. On this point I commend the large increase of workshops becoming available. On the other hand with soooo many new belly dance events springing up and SOME promoters not working with other event hosts, there is a big discord on workshop dates. As a dancer and regular attendee of events/workshops this creates a stressful issue. Realistic/Stressful Belly Dance Workshop Dilemma For example: say I know my favorite dancer is coming for a workshop in May, then my second favorite is coming two weeks later at another event, and then there is a competition/workshop weekend the week after, there is a big problem here! Why? Because of this: A: These...

The other day I read an article written by on the subject on fusion and confusion and whether it was deemed to be belly dance or not. There are some very strong feelings on this matter and while I will share my own on the subject, there is no right or wrong, and all thoughts are respected.That being said, there are a few schools of thought on fusion. Fusion is where you combine the art and discipline of belly dance with another dance style.    In this blog I will be referring to three main belly dance styles: American belly dance, Egyptian style, and tribal. These three will serve as the base point in my logic.   Let us begin by discussing Egyptian belly dance briefly. In this particular style the dancer attempts to emulate the Egyptian belly dancers from the golden era and a little beyond. Dancers such as Dina, Nagwa Fouad and others come to mind. This style  can be inward at times and...

Hi Everyone! I have been busy busy busy working on costumes for dancers and here is one issue that is common pertaining to bra size and fit that I think will help some dancers and aspiring costume makers out there who are looking to make or buy a great fitting costume bra.This is my first Vlog and will be uploading more on a regular basis. Please post your comments, question, and if you need any explanations comment directly onto this post. Thanks and talk to you all soon!For reference here at photos taken from BHUZ on how to measure your bra CUP appropriately. Here is the link to the thread and the photoagrphs by Bhuz user Jewels.  If you a are a member of BHUZ you can view the thread by clicking on the link....

A week and a half ago I belly danced for a birthday party in Orlando that changed me forever. It was a typical Saturday night; I had just finished dancing at a couple parties and arrived at the last house ready to be snuck in by the host to get prepared for the last show of the night. The host was a wonderful woman throwing a birthday party for her husband…nothing seemed unusual, and the family was so warm, and the energy was electrifying. After my show I took a couple photos with the host, her husband, family and guests. The husband was so happy and thanked me again and again. We talked, we laughed, and after a few more photographs I went back to change into regular clothes and pack.        Ten minutes later came a knock and the host entered and we started to chat. Long story short, she told me that this could possibly be the last birthday celebration she and her husband...

Today is a wonderful day for this photograph loving Orlando belly dancer, I just received pictures from the wonderful Thirteenth Moon Photography who captured the magic at a wedding I performed in last month. The Hafley wedding was set in the gorgeous Metro West Country Club in Orlando,FL and what a delight to combine the bride and grooms cultural backgrounds of American and Spanish (from Spain) into the show. The maid of honor wanted to surprise the bride and groom and surprised they were! Mixing  flamenco and belly dance is such a joy of mine and the family loved every second of it. Thank you for choosing me to perform at your wedding!I wanted to extend a huge thank you to Thirteenth Moon photography who not only captured these gorgeous, dynamic photographs, but were such a pleasure to work with. They are extremely talented and if you are a bride here in Orlando I highly recommend them. They are down to earth, talented, and easy to...

 This is for all of my friends and fellow dancers who have felt the wrath of belly dance haters. Like many, I have worked hard, and continued to push forward to achieve success. Along the journey several bumps have come along from “mysterious” people who are so jealous, that they band together and try to create negative situations. These people are what we call “Haters”.  Haters are jealous of others success and happiness, and rather than congratulate, try to knock others down on their road to success.        A dear friend of mine inspired me to write this because she is undergoing bouts with haters, and she is letting it get to her, which is a big NO-NO. If you are a talented dancer out there, with a lot to offer, and you love what you do, DO NOT let these haters bring you down or keep you from achieving the success you have worked hard for. This friend of mine will barely perform...

Hello everyone, I ampleased to announce that I will be teaching a workshop series in Jacksonville from May 26-27th at the Anais Belly Dance studio in Jacksonvill, FL. Saturday will be strictly for private lesson requests, and Sunday will be a jam packed workshop day with 2 workshops. The first workshop focuses on my unique style and approach to belly dance as well as explosive combinations. The second workshop will be an upbeat and dynamic choreography to Shik Shak Shok. To reserve your spot in the workshops please visit the following link: Purchase Workshops and Hafla TicketsWhihc brings me to the last fun component. I will be performing at the Hafla Celebration at the studio at the conclusion of the workshops so please buy your ticket and bring your loved ones. See you there!...