Monday, November 15, 2021

The Sons of Fez are here!

Dear readers, It has been ages since I was in here writing. In the meantime, my second novel came out. It is titled The Sons of Fez: A Moroccan Time Travel Adventure. It's set in the old city (medina) of Fez in Morocco. The official description is below:

Moroccan tour guide Ibrahim brings a busload of students from a summer Arabic program to stay in the medina (old city) of Fez, right next door to a newly-opened time portal. When a student goes missing, Ibrahim looks for him and slips into the past, where they find themselves in a fight to save the city. Along the way they come face to face with the mysteries of the medina, where history lives around every corner. 

 This is meant to be a fun book, the ultimate cultural immersion excursion.

You can find it worldwide at on-line retailers, and in 'real' bookstores. Bookstores may not have them in stock, but they will certainly order them for you. Sherman's books in Maine carries them, since I'm a Maine author. Here is the link to it on amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Sons-Fez-Moroccan-Travel-Adventure-ebook/dp/B095178N4Q

Here is the cover, designed by Andy Bridge.


These last two years have been upside down and inside out - my hope is that this book will take you away from all that for a few hours of fun.


Tuesday, March 12, 2019

Introduction to NIA with Ines Altemose

Discover the joy of fabulously fun NIA in Midcoast Maine! 


Ines Altemose of Bradley Beach, NJ will teach a special "Introduction to NIA" class in Jefferson, Maine on June 4, 2019. Ines is a Colby College alumna who will be visiting Maine for a 'big' college reunion. This provides us with a perfect opportunity to explore the fabulously fun movement practice of NIA with her. She's even a certified 'Black Belt' Instructor in NIA! Read more about Ines below 


June 4, 2019 - 6:30-8:00 PM
Treehouse Studio, Jefferson, Maine
Fee: $15 in advance, $20 at the door.

See below for details and payment link.



What is NIA?



Drawing on the wisdom of dance, martial arts, and healing arts, Nia is a fabulously fun workout for the body, mind, and spirit.  A network of certified teachers bring these moves to students around the world. Usually done barefoot to soul-stirring music, Nia is perfect for anyone who wants to dance to stay fit.  Nia has been around since 1982 and all Nia teachers are certified.  Nia classes leave you energized, refreshed, and with a smile on your face!  Good for your brain, too!  No experience necessary.  All fitness levels welcome!
To learn more about NIA: www.nianow.com

NIA Class
What will Ines teach?
Ines will lead us through a “Classic Nia” routine danced to beautiful music.  This will be followed by “Nia 5 Stages” a separate practice taking us through human development: Embryonic, Creeping, Crawling, Standing and Walking.  Consciously moving through these stages as an adult re-integrates the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual elements in such a way that after just five minutes of practice, participants notice improvements in power, range of motion, and ease in their bodies other forms of exercise do not affect.  The process of realignment allows the body to do what it is designed to do:  explore its potential, self-heal and grow.


About Ines:   Ines hails from New Jersey where she regularly teaches NIA. She has been interested in movement and dance for over 40 years.  She studied Middle Eastern Dance and Flamenco and performed and taught Middle Eastern Dance for many years. Upon her first experience with Nia, Ines was “hooked.”  The joy and expressiveness of Nia “spoke” to her and lead to a deepening of her Nia practice and deciding to obtain a White Belt in 2011 (the first level of training required for a Nia instructor). 

In addition to becoming certified to teach Nia 5 Stages (a separate movement practice) in 2013, she subsequently earned a Blue Belt in 2014, a Green Belt in 2015, a Brown Belt in 2016, and a Black Belt in 2018.  Ines has also been trained in the Nia 52 Moves which are the foundation of the classic Nia routine.

In the Spring of 2015, Ines completed training in Nia Wise Moves, a certification program for working with Seniors offered by Nia Technique in conjunction with the JCC of Manhattan.  In 2016 she attended Moving to Heal (M2H) training to add to her repertoire of offerings.  M2H is a gentler form of the classic Nia routine which can be adapted to the practitioner’s capability of movement whether in a chair or standing up.

For more information on Nia, please visit www.nianow.com.
To contact Ines, email ialtemose@gmail.com


June 4, 2019 - 6:30 - 8:00pm

Registration in Advance: $15.00 - by check or credit card (use link below for credit card)



To pay by check: Make the check out to Kay Campbell and mail to: Kay Campbell, P.O. Box 413 Jefferson, ME 04348.  Any questions about the class please e-mail kayhardycampbell@gmail.com or call 617-512-8122. 

Registration at the Door: $20.00 - cash or check - Even if you are paying at the door, please secure your spot by e-mailing kayhardycampbell@gmail.com.


Class Location: Treehouse Studio, off  No. Mountain Rd. in Jefferson, Maine. Conveniently located between Rte. 17 and Rte. 32. For directions: e-mail kayhardycampbell@gmail.com or call 617-512-8122.

What to wear to class:  Comfortable clothes - and you can dance barefoot if you like.

Monday, May 21, 2018

Soul Searching - Review of Midnight at the Crossroads


Midnight at the Crossroads: Has belly dance sold its soul? by Alia Thabit

(purchase it on amazon here)
This intriguing work explores a wide range of ideas and issues about the history and current practice of ‘Belly Dance’, more correctly translated from Arabic as “Eastern Dance” ( Raqs Sharqi).
Author Alia Thabit is an educator, dancer, artist, and musician who shares her story as a thinking dance artist in the world of Eastern Dance. Her book, which includes more than 40 of her own charming illustrations, sometimes reads like a memoir, other times like a friendly conversation. Then it becomes call to arms for dancers to look again at what brought them into the unique artistic world of Eastern Dance, and to perhaps approach it differently.

An Arab-American from New York, Thabit watched professional dancers perform in the once thriving Arab nightclub scene in New York. She learned how the dancers interacted with both the live musicians playing behind them as well as the adoring patrons in the audience. The dancers were flirtatious, yes, but they also brought joy and happiness to the audience. Thabit studied with the leading lights of the dance world, and went on to perform and teach.  As a flute and nay (Middle Eastern end-blown flute) player, she delved into the music of the Arab world that creates the drama and passion that fuels the dance.

Over the years, Thabit has thought deeply about the essence of the dances of the Arab world, and about belly dance in particular.  Considering her art from many angles, she sought out new teachers, new aspects of what makes this art unique, and this book is a result of her years of work.

Like many other seasoned performers, Thabit has grown frustrated with the world of belly dance performance outside the Arab world.  Most all of the clubs in the U.S. closed after 9/11. With few venues in which to perform, dancers and their students organized festivals and shows, typically using recorded music. Choreographies supplanted improvisation. Competitions became popular. Some performers veered away from the music of the Middle East and used more amorphously ‘eastern’ sounding fusion music.

Thabit decries the loss of live performances and the improvisational aspect of Eastern Dance. She asks the dance community to step back, think about the dance they are performing, and reach back to its roots to deepen their art. She explores how belly dance can help heal trauma. She advocates for the work and ideas of Dunya McPherson of Dancemeditation. She invites the reader to explore improvisation, ‘slow movement’, and the benefits of a regular practice. Most of all, she challenges practitioners to bring the dance not only back to its improvisational roots, but to focus on its celebratory and healing powers.

This book is rich and generous, and must be savored. Each chapter could be a book in itself and should be read with as much consideration as the author put into writing it. I can imagine Thabit teaching workshops on some of the chapters. I would love to discuss the book’s many assessments, assertions and ideas with my friends involved in the dance. The book has many links for the reader to follow up on these possible paths of exploration and deepening, and the author has added a page for additional resources on her own website aliathabit.com.

I recommend this book to anyone involved in Eastern Dance – as a student, performer and/or teacher. The dance form is at a crossroads now, and in Thabit’s view, dancers should revive its old soul and put it to use for the good of humanity.

- Kay  Hardy Campbell