Raqs Hockey

The ancient and beautiful art of bellydance is known in Ararbic as "raqs sharqi" (or "raqs baladi"... or lots of other combinations depending on the style). How do I know this? Because I used to bellydance. In my past life, before goaltending, I was a fervent devotee of the art, though my passion for goaltending far eclipses my former passion for dance, which I didn't think was possible. I still keep in touch with a few of the women who were in my dance troupe, and I still have the desert rhythms in my blood. I will never lose that- it was the music that drew me to it in the first place. A quick scan of my iPod will reveal a lot of electronica, industrial, rock... and Arabic pop and classical music.

Understandably, a lot of my friends, both in the dance community and otherwise, were completely perplexed when I quit dance and then several months later started playing hockey. It's not a common or natural progression. At least... not at first glance. But I've discovered a key similarity between that jewel of the Nile and stopping pucks. Isolation. It hit me a while ago, when working with my coach on the problem that's been dogging me for about a month. In his search to find a new way to explain what I should do, he told me to think of the top half and bottom half of my body as two entirely separate parts; my hips and legs have to move one way and my shoulders and arms have to move in another, opposite, direction. When he said that I almost blurted out "It's just like bellydancing!", but wisely decided not to open that can of worms. (Though lets be real. He's a goalie coach. He's probably used to hearing weird things come out of his students' mouths.) But the fact remains, it is just like bellydancing. When you're shimmying your hips faster than a washing machine agitator while simultaneously moving your arms and hands in the graceful arcs known as "snake-arms", isolation is the key.

Perhaps that is what I need to keep in mind to work through this strange mental block I have on this one technique. I need to remember "it's just like bellydancing". That might result in some rather odd saves though.... I can just see it now. "Figure-eight-hip-save and a beaut!"