This project has been germinating in the underground realms of my mind since 1997 when I first discovered Tori Amos' Little Earthquakes album. I've been gathering the footage for it since 2017. Then last spring, just as the flowers exploded into bloom, we got a freak snowstorm that destroyed them all in a landscape of wondrous, frozen beauty. That storm gave me the final pieces I needed to finally finish this project. This piece is about all the things I thought I could never tell my dad, and about how confiding in him healed so many things--not only in our relationship, but also in me. It's also about the way that trauma gets frozen inside the body, and about a bunch of things that I do to get everything moving again: Play... connection... nature... dance... martial arts... storytelling... making art... and of course, love and trust. Trusting my loved ones and trusting myself. Most of all, it's about learning how to love myself as I am. Music: Winter by Tori Amos All is Wonder by Cast of Characters I write a lot about the tales underlying this dance in my memoirs on my blog. You can find them under the categories of: --Healing --Sex, Love & Violence --Trauma & Self-Defense https://www.hartebeast.com/blog https://www.hartebeast.com This is really the only place I dance anymore, between the pandemic and Dain Bramage. Like what I do? Consider becoming a patron, or keep up to date on all my videos, writing and projects here: https://ko-fi.com/hartebeast

The first dance edited from a huge project whereby I got all excited about dancing in costumes I haven't worn in over 20 years - my old SCA costumes. I've been drafting those tales for the memoir blog (link below). That got me listening to the music, which of course made me want to dance. And that reminded me how much I loved these costumes. Since hardly anybody has ever seen them - one doesn't walk around with a video camera at SCA campfires (at least they didn't back in myyyyy day) - I figured it was time they were enjoyed by others besides me and my closet. Behind the Scenes video log: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgEjHhDjdZI More behind the scenes stuff in the WIP Danceylicious Photo Gallery: https://ko-fi.com/album/Danceyliciousness-C0C31KSLE Music: Jordan by Raquy & the Cavemen You can follow more of my adventures here: https://www.hartebeast.com/blog https://www.hartebeast.com https://www.facebook.com/BellaNtheBeastie/

This dance was over 2 years in the making. I had plotted it over the winter of 2019, intending to film the Springtime Persephone once the azaleas bloomed. Alas. Just as I was about to shoot, I re-tore my meniscus and couldn't walk for a week. So I had to wait. I filmed the Blossomtime footage last spring, and then had to lie in wait again. When this winter provided a gorgeous, hefty snowfall, I jumped! And thus, do we have it. My dance tale of blooming, not only after harsh winters, but of learning to find the glimmers in the gray, and of dancing in the asphodels while trapped in the Underworld. I've also written about it over on the blog: https://www.hartebeast.com/post/joy-as-a-weed-it-s-everywhere I don't really dance onstage anymore (covid closures or not). You can find all the Dain Bramagey reasons for that on the blog as well. So if you enjoy these dance performances, the instruction I post here, and my writing, and want to be an artistic patron, here is my Ko-Fi account: https://ko-fi.com/hartebeast Music: Blossom by Kerli Lyrics: A frozen heart beat under the snow I've been waiting, ready to grow Shivering and weathering storms Dreaming of some other place warm While my roots dig deeper inside And my leaves stay bundled up tight I felt my face get bigger than life Not only did I survive... I learned to blossom Finding sunlight in the grey Knowing I will be okay I learned to blossom Finding sunlight in the grey Flowing lifeline with no rain I blossom Winter's voice is ghostly in the wind Whispering "this could be the end" Why are they forgetting me not? Can't they see I'm hurting enough? While my roots dig deeper inside And my leaves stay bundled up tight I felt my face get bigger than life Not only did I survive... I learned to blossom Finding sunlight in the grey Knowing I will be okay I learned to blossom Finding sunlight in the grey Flowing lifeline with no rain I blossom And I would And I would And I Could You can follow more of my adventures here: https://www.hartebeast.com/blog https://www.hartebeast.com https://www.facebook.com/BellaNtheBeastie/

"...In the rolling of my shoulders, like two gears on a clock rewriting time, I throw open my chest, stand tall and gain the strength to rise beneath my burdens. Although others placed them upon my shoulders, I built a comfy shelf and magnified them until my spine bowed and my ribs caved from the weight. You're not good enough. You're too this and that. You're ugly. You're so duuuumb. You don't do it right. You don't deserve to be loved if you're like this. These rolling gears propel me out from under those burdens and into the truth of self-knowledge. I learn who I really am. I learn that I am Love..." Made for a post I wrote on Medium: https://medium.com/@thehartebeast/drawing-room-21fab7221242?source=friends_link&sk=b7f9d3a8056ddf0c8e999716e1017a69 Music: Sahan by Pentaphobe The Healer by Music for Makers Photos: Kirk Lanier Like the stuff I do? Buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/hartebeast You can follow more of my adventures here: https://www.hartebeast.com/blog https://www.hartebeast.com https://www.facebook.com/BellaNtheBeastie/

In memory of the dancers, the singers, the drummers, the dreamers, all who have come before. In honor of those who have paved the way, allowing me to dance the way I dance, speak what's in my heart and mind, worship the Divine the way I choose to worship, and be whoever I decide to be, as many times as I wish. 🙏🥰☠️🥰🙏 Music: All Souls Night by Loreena McKennitt Reawakening by Music for Makers Like to support the arts? You can buy me a coffee here: https://ko-fi.com/hartebeast You can follow more of my adventures here: https://www.hartebeast.com/blog https://www.hartebeast.com https://www.facebook.com/BellaNtheBeastie/

I had my backdrop up one night after filming some of my Elements course, but I needed to get out onto my deck and change the hummingbird water, so the heavy blinds were open as the sun started to set. I came back upstairs and inspiration struck. "Hmmm...I wonder if I could make a silhouette dance if I tweaked the filter of the video." And voila. A new dance was born. My Dance of Elemental Alchemy is a blend of belly dance, modern dance, ecstatic dance, martial arts, and the whole kitchen sink of the gazillion other movement and meditative forms I've studied. If you want to learn it, I am building the online school. In the meanwhile, there's always covid-friendly coaching: https://www.hartebeast.com/online-classes Like what I do? Well, I certainly can't perform live right now, and even without a pandemic, TBI makes it difficult for me to travel regularly or perform onstage anymore, so I've been experimenting with being primarily a video performing artist. If you'd like to see me make more of these videos and want to help speed up the creation of the online school, here is my Ko-fi account: https://ko-fi.com/hartebeast Music: Angels Among Us & 21st Century Priestess by Jehan Planetary Beings by Music for Makers You can follow more of my adventures here: https://www.hartebeast.com/blog https://www.hartebeast.com https://www.facebook.com/BellaNtheBeastie/

Ohhhh geez! I'd forgotten about this dance until putting together my latest blog posts, all about my days in Jazz, Tap, and Swing Dance, and how they...infiltrated my belly dancing. Or was that the other way around? This was a swing/belly fusion piece I did to James Horner's "Sing, Sing, Sing" at the Runyon Theater back in 2005. The smart-aleck is strong with this one. You can follow more of my adventures here: https://www.hartebeast.com/blog https://www.hartebeast.com https://www.facebook.com/BellaNtheBeastie/

Another dance I made to accompany a post on my blog. This one was shot in my home dancey-writey-fighty studio, an improvisation inspired by one of my greatest learning curves. The blog post on Medium: https://medium.com/@thehartebeast/the-base-solid-gold-rebel-29507e53a16d?source=friends_link&sk=cc26bcef940d138c4512888c5d635bfc Like what I do? Buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/hartebeast Music: Still Learning by Halsey Dandelion Theory by Music for Makers You can follow more of my adventures here: https://www.hartebeast.com/blog https://www.hartebeast.com https://www.facebook.com/BellaNtheBeastie/

Dreams don't always turn out to be as great as we thought they would be. When we make them come true, sometimes they turn out to be nightmares. It's the people who love us and the strength of our foundation that get us through. In honor of Thanksgiving Month. Another dance I just found in the vault--I had forgotten that one of the takes was actually shot with my phone. Filmed in Pea Ridge, Arkansas, in 2017, on the demolition site of a home that had gotten burned down. How sweet of the wind to oblige me for such a tumultuous piece! :D Music: Mother by Tori Amos Videography: Shonn Jones You can follow more of my adventures here: https://www.hartebeast.com/blog https://www.hartebeast.com https://www.facebook.com/BellaNtheBeastie/

My 30 second video submission for the virtual talent show being hosted by The Momentary, our brandy-new arts extravaganza complex that they constructed from an old Kraft plant. This place had just opened before they had to shut it down, so they're finding ways to connect with us in the meanwhile. This is one. Winners will have their videos blasted all over Momentary's social media and across the front of the ginormous Tower. Here's hoping they like mine! Enjoy! Music: Begin At the End by The Culprit You can follow more of my adventures here: https://www.hartebeast.com/blog https://www.hartebeast.com https://www.facebook.com/BellaNtheBeastie/

Music: Times of Peace by CJ Music Dig what I do? You can buy me a Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/hartebeast You can follow more of my adventures here: https://www.hartebeast.com/blog https://www.hartebeast.com https://www.facebook.com/BellaNtheBeastie/

Circles and infinities...breath and inspiration...release and relax...let it come and let it be... Music: Let It Be by Blackmill (feat. Veela) What is EMDR? https://www.emdr.com/what-is-emdr/ Like to support the arts? Like to help the disabled? Like to support performing artists amidst a pandemic? https://ko-fi.com/hartebeast You can follow more of my adventures here: https://www.hartebeast.com/blog https://www.hartebeast.com https://www.facebook.com/BellaNtheBeastie/

In our obscure community, there lives a police officer and a poet, a nurse and a bohemian barista, two very different army sergeants, a tattoo artist and a mother of two...just to name a few. We are of varied age, gender, nationality, religion, social position, shape and temperament, yet there is one element that connects and unites us all: the language we choose to speak... Created for Pangea Day. http://www.pangeaday.org/ Oodles of thanks to everyone who helped me bust this thing out after finding out about such an extraordinary project two weeks before the deadline--but most of all, to my awesome bud Lyman who created the music for it. Check out his stuff at: www.myspace.com/ArtofElectricBass Izzy's Website: http://www.izzydancer.com/

The Hartebeast System signature dance style: Dance of Elemental Alchemy. Instruction and performances, live and online. Come dance 5 elements of nature with me! Amidst a pandemic, we're only online for now. Private Coaching: https://www.hartebeast.com/online-classes The Level 2 Weekly Workouts online course: https://hartebeast.teachable.com/p/dance-of-elemental-alchemy-l2 Not a student but want to help me fund the startup of the school I wasn't quite ready to do when Covid hit? Here's my Ko-Fi page: https://ko-fi.com/hartebeast Special thanks to: --Mona N'wal who asked the question, "Have you ever thought about using the Elements as a metaphor for movement?" --My Tejedoras, Sahirrnees and Silky Lionesses --All my students, far and wide, who let me guinea pig them in the development of this project --The myriad people who have saved my tasseled tushie and allowed me the space to recover, rejuvenate, and create Music: Akhenaten by Moments Does Not Compute by Music for Makers You can follow more of my adventures here: https://www.hartebeast.com/blog https://www.hartebeast.com https://www.facebook.com/BellaNtheBeastie/

Izzy dancing with the interactive fountain at Pueblo's Historic AK Riverwalk - a purely improvisational conversation with water & wind. Filmed by Scott Bolton. Izzy's Website: http://www.izzydancer.com/

The dance and music companion to my latest post on Medium: https://medium.com/@thehartebeast/more-presents-from-a-drunk-driver-traumatic-brain-injury-scoliosis-694a924bd4bb Or my blog: https://www.hartebeast.com/single-post/2020/01/02/More-Presents-from-a-Drunk-Driver-Traumatic-Brain-Injury-Scoliosis “What happened?” he asked, as I lurch my way into his taxi and wrangle the seatbelt around me. “Drunk driver rammed me on the freeway.” His eyes fly open. "By Uintah?" "Yeah." “That was you?” “Yeah.” “And you’re WALKING?” I shrug. Talking, walking...I'm not fully there as I answer, “Yeah. They say I’m fine...” You can follow more of my adventures here: https://www.hartebeast.com/blog https://www.hartebeast.com https://www.facebook.com/BellaNtheBeastie/

This is the song that was playing in my car when a drunk driver rammed me on the freeway on Winter Solstice 2000. I lost that CD to the totaled wreck of my vehicle, and reacquired it many years later. I created this video to accompany the blog post I wrote about that night. If you'd like to support me and my writing, here is the tale on Medium: https://medium.com/@thehartebeast/blam-merry-christmas-from-a-drunk-driver-fbd6bf3c636f?source=friends_link&sk=8240caa46246d989f58fe6036f825739 Or on my website: https://www.hartebeast.com/single-post/2019/12/29/BLAM-Merry-Christmas-from-a-Drunk-Driver Music: Magic Shadow Show by ZaZa, Nights One and A Thousand Unlearning by Music for Makers The Tarot: A Keeper of Words, The Arthurian Tarot Written & Illustrated by Anna-Marie Ferguson My Readings: I consult my cards with the understanding that they are not going to tell me anything I don’t already know. It may be buried deep within me and come as an epiphany, it may confirm something obvious, or it may poke me in the forehead about something I haven’t wanted to hear, admit, or acknowledge. This Reading: Celtic Cross This is a common placement of the cards, with the majority in a cross position around the central cards, and the final four in a vertical line to the righthand side. This deck utilizes different meanings depending on if the card was laid upright or in its reversed position. I often ask myself what I would need to do or change in order to draw in the positive interpretation of the card. If the querent desires a clarification, additional card(s) may be drawn. 1) The Querent: THE FOOL The beginning of an adventure; establishing a path. Unaware of the pitfalls, one embraces the future with great optimism. Enthusiasm…innocence… 2) Querent’s relationship to the question: STRENGTH Having the courage and vitality to realize one’s goals. Ambition tempered with serenity—a gentle strength. Discipline; drawing on resources of inner strength… 3) Crossing - positive assets or obstacles that hinder the path: 8 OF SWORDS Feeling bound and trapped. Inability to free one’s self from a difficult situation. 4) Above - message from the “higher self” THE HANGED MAN Restriction; self-sacrifice. Suspension of plans. In many decks, the man is represented as hanging upside-down, indicating the need to look at things from another perspective. 5) Below - preoccupation of the subconscious, emotional undercurrent 2 OF SPEARS Executive responsibilities. Proving one’s self capable of managing a large project. Using all of one’s talents to achieve a communal vision. 6) Behind (left) - recent past 8 OF SPEARS Excitement. A rapidly approaching opportunity to prove one’s self. Events unfolding at great speed. A journey or experience which tests one’s limits and entails a spiritual lesson. 7) Ahead (right) - relationships with others (often interpreted as near future) 3 OF SHIELDS Skill and growth. Making progress in one’s vocation. Meaningful, constructive use of talents. Pursuing a dream with the advice and cooperation of others. Laying the foundation for the success of future ventures. 8) Psychological state and attitudes THE PRIESTESS A deep stirring within the self. A subtle but powerful connection with the collective unconscious. Seclusion and self-reliance. Meditation brings new solutions to light. An inspired state of being. 9) Environment and unseen forces 4 OF SWORDS Recuperation. Healing. Convalescing. Retreating to a calm, safe environment. Gentle soul-searching. 10) Hopes and fears THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE - REVERSED Upright: Change of fortune; karma. Beginning or end of a cycle. Good luck. Reversed: An unforeseen bad turn of events forces one to ride out the storm. Feeling frustrated with the inability to influence a difficult situation. 11) Ultimate outcome THE TOWER Unexpected trauma and financial losses. Revolutionary change and anxiety. The breakdown of a belief system under pressure. Destruction of the old paves the way for the new. 12) Clarification DEATH Death and rebirth. Transformation. The end of an era or relationship. The illusion of death, separating the self from the past in order to begin anew. 13) Additional clarification THE STAR Hope; a good omen and inspiration. Rejuvenation of the spirit after a trying and traumatic time. It is only in the darkest of nights that stars are the most visible. You can follow more of my adventures here: https://www.hartebeast.com/blog https://www.hartebeast.com https://www.facebook.com/BellaNtheBeastie/

The Great Sand Dunes in Colorado, that is. Dunes: 1 Izzy: Zilch This is the other video and photo shoot L.V. Bell and I did when I went back to play in my old stompin' grounds two years ago. It was...um...a bit windy that day. There was no shimmying. There was no footwork. Nay. This was an afternoon of just trying to stay upright and keep from being blown away. Yes, we nearly lost a veil. I had to take my contacts out a few steps up the slope. We were shedding grit for weeks. Come to think of it, I still never put my laptop port-side-down because the magnet in the plug-in will snag the sand that I have never been able to fully get out of my backpack. Bwahahahaha! So...enjoy the first attempt shenaniganry to shoot in a location I have drooled over since I first moved to Colorado. The day I tried to dance in a sandstorm! Music: Sandstorm by Mera

A trial-run photo and video montage from an afternoon playing at the columned pavilion at Cheeseman Park in Denver, CO. L.V. Bell and I went there with her husband's Go-Pro. Now...filming at the Sand Dunes with that thing was phenomenal. What we did not realize was how far away and fish-eyed the thing would capture these columns. Many of the shots made it look like we were standing in a Greek Circus Funhouse. Hahahaha! After tons of cropping and zooming in, we can start to see just how breathtaking this location is and the fun we had (fuzzy and pixellated as it may be). Ah well, that's what trials are for. Now that we've taken this first stab at it, we have a much better idea of what to use in the future. I may be driving there next time, so I will be able to bring my tripods, too. Hope you enjoy this first glimpse of a project I've been wanting to do since my earliest years of living in CO when I learned of this pavilion's existence. XXXOOO Izzy www.Hartebeast.com Music for the montage: --Song of the Pharaohs by Brian Keene Background music of original footage: --Song of Sheherazade by David Arkenstone --Path to Goa by Issam Houshan

A dance-tale about re-learning to fly, over and over and once again. My second performance from the Memphis 2019 show with Mystic River Dance, Nature's Rhythms: Life's A Dance. When I first conceptualized the piece for this show, I had envisioned telling the tale of my two decades being derailed by traumatic injuries by going down to the ground and rising from the proverbial ashes, multiple times throughout the song. A torn meniscus changed all that, forcing me to live this dance as I created it. But ohhhh, what was born of it! I never would have experimented with the wings this way without that detour, proving the story into truth. Music: Phoenix by Lindsey Stirling Videography: Darell LaRiviere Photography: Kirk Lanier and Candy Prudhomme