Wow this has been an amazing tour I don’t know where to begin to state the praise, but with three shows left I feel a bittersweetness in my belly knowing I will miss the dancers deeply and look forward to the next journey with them on tour.

Due to the ways we constantly uplifted each other on this tour the show as a result gleamed continuously from the very first show until now, the comments that were received from fellow dancers and audience members was that this show in particular had a noted connectedness between dancers not seen in a long time.

One very real part of touring is being with the same friends day in day out, working, living, eating, shopping, conversing and resting together for 6 weeks or more, showed me that it is not just talent and strength that gets us here but love and consideration for each other in the same way you would look over a member of your family.

I’m often asked questions like “so do you girls get in fights all the time?” “are there problems?” “Do you have a diva?” the worst and most humorous comparison is when folks ask if our lives are something like that dreadful movie “Showgirls” HAHA! well… I’d hate to bum out the tabloid munchers but it’s really not that bad at all, actually it’s better than most families I know.

This last tour (Club Bellydance) has been a wonderful 6 weeks, outside of the passion for the show we’ve focused mainly on protecting each other, making sure we get enough water, are warm enough, have gotten enough to eat or have their hotel arrival hot chocolate etc etc etc it’s a beautiful thing…

I’ve learned how important it is to have a community disposition, it’s okay not to be right all the time, or developing the ability within oneself to to listen and accept a critique without making it personal, to trust and act as if everyone is really there to help you to become your best. I wont lie I have witnessed the ugly side at one point or another, only to learn the silver lining of that dark cloud is that it is just not worth it to sweat the small stuff to prove a point, or elevate oneself.

In the end it is the love you hold for eachother that is the most important thing to fight for, would you really want to risk your last word to someone being a fight over a good seat in a dressing room, or missing a mark on stage? If so you wont go very far in any arena especially showbiz, if you are a “diva” type I promise you will eventually find yourself on the outside of the pack, or in the middle of a very vast abyss.

Self awareness, consideration, tollerance and acceptance are our greatest “talents” in an artistic community. Also, the ability to see beyond your own vision as the only vision, and finding it in yourself to encourage another to realize their own visions first as a true teacher would. creating a system of love and trust that can only strengthen each other and the entire community as it grows.

Club Bellydance: We are 5 dancers that have created a beautiful show just by the method of love trust and support with a creative vision shared and encouraged, we were fortunate enough to share this vision with countless dancers over the course of 6 wonderful weeks.  No matter what we do it’s how much we love and support each other that makes it worth while, it is not just about one it is about us all as dancers. If there is an aspect we cannot change in another then it is absolutely up to us to find the ability accept and love those differences in another, or else how could we expect to be loved for all that we are?

Who we are as artists is reflected in the works of those we love and support.

Ahhhhhahahahaaa! We are in the home stretch. Only 3 shows left of a 6 week, 36 show run that started in Vancouver, traversed the width of Canada, spiraled down through the mid-west via Graceland, Lincoln’s house, and The Alamo. We have met and performed with hundreds of bellydancers and drunk a Starbuck’s from every state in the union. We did it. And just in time. It’s come to that time in tour when food doesn’t taste interesting anymore. You have a strong sense of craving, but nothing seems to satisfy. Salt is too salty, sugar is too sweet, caffeine is too strong, yet you are always tired and somehow high strung at the same time. Our jokes have all run out and we’ve told the same ones so many times that there isn’t a need to laugh at them anymore, yet out of habit they still need to be said. It’s come to us staring at each other and periodically making angry camel noises when the time seems to be ticking in reverse. I’ve felt this way towards the end of every tour. Sad to leave all our fellow dancers who seem to be the only people on the planet who really get you, yet so hungry for new stimulus that a half hour shopping stop at Target seems like a wondrous journey to Wonka’s magical chocolate factory. When sleep has become boring and staying awake arduous, it’s time for a trip home.
So now the planning of all the amazing things I will do when I get home. This list becomes longer and more fantastical as the future planning of all the experiences I will manifest with all this pent up energy grows! Such ideas as buying a house, turning the basement into an ancient Indian temple with faux stone walls, “vine” shaped shelving, murals on the ceiling mimicking the jungle’s open sky full of stars and monkeys, and grand silks hanging from every corner; traveling to Portand to find NagaSita and make her build me lovely crowns with all the bits of Mata Hari like jewelry I’ve collected over the years; travel to Seattle and find my Odissi guru and renew my training; plan a trip to Java, Bali, Thailand, Cambodia, and Samoa after our tour in Australia next spring. Find dance schools there who will teach me the quirky arms and ultra flexed mudras of Indonesia’s ancient court dances. And then such mundane things as building a new website, up dating all my workshop descriptions, and posting all the new photo shoots I did this summer. And then just when all of these grand ideas have run through and I feel scattered and over-whelmed, tour will begin again with it’s sweet regularity, beautiful venues, concrete schedule, happy laughy daffy friends, and simple unarguable joyful dancing! Ahhh, I look forward to the next tour already ☺

This tour has been scooper fun. Besides meeting beautiful dancers from all over the US, and sharing the stage with them. I have enjoyed so many fun adventures along the way. As this last week winds down I am thinking back on all the fun times that took place off the stage. The first night we got a little down time was in Pittsburg with the lovely ladies of Safira. That place had great music, delicious food and just enough room for some free style dancing. In Kansas City, MO we got to experience an incredible band Calamity Cube. If you don’t know, then you best get with it because the they blew off the tin roof. Sabrina and I meet one of my favorite friends from High school there Evan. I love it when I pass through Kansas because I know the funnest people in Kansas and I am guaranteed good times. But let’s just say the absolute tip top extra curricular activity was the night we all meet up with Beats Antique and watched their show. Zoe is a lion, beautifully and courageously representing the strength of women a man’s cave. Kami dose a great job backing her up, dancing like a queen and looking good and the whole show was unforgettable. Thanks guys. Then tonight was went out to a very nice joint in Houston called the Flat with Bahai and the girls.

So with dancing six nights a week for a total of six weeks I think we did well for our self. We danced our buts off, traveled more then thirty-five hundred, and had some fun in between. I loved this tour. I will miss you tour…

The second half of tour week five has come and we have ventured into my home state of Texas! The instant we crossed into the state, our Starbucks stop made it loud and clear that we were definitely in Texas. In each direction white washed jeans, ranch boots, large leather belts, and teased up hair were prominent. The hotel in Dallas was definitely a reminder as well. Large competitive soccer teams took over the breakfast area with the parents decked out in team gear and the kids in uniforms, soccer socks, and Addidas sandals. I remember this sight well from my childhood soccer years. With all the familiarities of Texas, comes one more amazing thing, the belly dancing.

Sa'diyya, her troupe, & me

I was very blessed to grow up in the Texas belly dance community. Knowledge, dedication, and excitement are plentiful here. Isis & Sa’diyya really demonstrated this during our Dallas Club Bellydance show. Never expect anything short of isis wings, fan veils, canes, swords, capes, and crowns when you come to Dallas. The area loves to put on a full show anytime there is a chance and I adore thisabout Dallas dancers. They are so excited to put out their best and entertain the audience. Isis & Del pulled together a great venue and line up of dancers. We actually got the chance to tour Isis’s studio and it was absolutely amazing. There were a countless number of rooms, dancers, teachers, and dance supplies. I especially loved the drum class with six little children. It was simply wonderful and exciting to see children getting exposure to this great community at such a young age. Sa’diyya always amazes me with not only with her ability to dance but to fuse new ideas together. Her students were extremely kind and I could see such an eagerness to dance and learn in their eyes.

Austin has always had a plethora of talented dancers, each with a new take on the dance form. Bahaia and Sabaya Bellydance Collective put together another great Texas show. The staging, lighting, and costuming was impeccable. The Austin dance community is a fun, wild, and crazy scene that any belly dancer should experience at least once.  I can’t wait to perform with them in Houston

After the Austin Show

and San Antonio.

I’m excited for the Houston show. We will get to see Bahaia and Sabaya Bellydance Collective again along with Silvia Salamanca, who is always a pleasure to watch.  Karen Barbee and the Karavan company with be exciting to watch in San Antonio. Then it is off to El Paso for our last Texas show.

We have longer drives ahead, especially to El Paso, however visiting this familiar place is comforting. I haven’t made the drive to El Paso in almost six years. Lots of flat land and sand ahead. But it is all worth it because the dance community in El Paso is extremely lively and puts a wonderful flair into their pieces.  This week is surely to be amazing and full of excellent performing.

Pics during our show brought to you by our new BDSS flip camera that takes both pics and video

Ballet fusion with Serbian pop

Sabah, Victoria, Stefanya

Tribal/Cabaret Balkan fusion

My solo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFpLsCTJr30

Odissi is a multi-thousand year old art form that nearly came to extinction as a result of war and commerce. Through the courage and rebellion of a brave woman who kept the dance alive despite the laws and taboos she was breaking, this incredible dance survived. If not for her and her son, the dance may have been lost forever. Certainly the flesh and blood link would have perished. As it is there is still a way to participate in the direct lineage from ancient temple dancers to modern performers. I’ve traveled to India over the last four years pursuing a passion for this dance that began ten years ago when I first beheld it. Throughout India I looked for the connection between women and their living goddess. Not everywhere in the world is the goddess as alive as through the dances of ancient India. As I’ve brought this nugget of knowledge back to America and begun teaching even the most basic of Odissi stepping and mudras, I see the same light that I felt brighten my students’ eyes–a glimmer of strength, rebellion, and connection. While the shapes are foreign, the stepping strenuous, the mudras perhaps confusing, and the eyes exaggerated, the feeling is very much the same. Joy welling up from a depth unknown, throwing off the expectation of a modern sense of beauty, rebellion against conflict and commerce, an underground expression of sensuality and spirit. There is a familiarity that bonds us as women, as dancers, as revolutionaries and as artists. I am so happy to share this work with all my fellow bellydancers. I think we have an important roll in the expansion and recognition of this ancient art. It has a lot to offer us too

Yesterday was a day full of excitement, new experiences, and fun. It started off with a nice short drive, a Starbucks stop, and then off to Moria’s two workshops: Odessi Temple Dance & Serpentine. I was lucky enough to attend both. The workshops definitely pushed me out of my cabaret element. I really enjoyed getting to try something new. I am fascinated by the years of culture behind the

Moria & her workshop students

Odessi dance. The Serpentine workshop helped me really understand belly dance movements from another perspective. It was great getting to see how others think about the body’s movements. Not only were the topics interesting, but Moria’s teaching style and personality really made the workshops. She is so excited to share all her knowledge with her students.

With sore muscles and an empty stomach, it was off to find lunch and the venue. We filled our stomachs with some burgers and ventured into the maze-like venue. It had a great industrial. The building had three floors, each filled with a variety of entertainment. The third floor held the evening’s stage. A winding hallway led us past a small stage and bar into a larger room with another stage. The interior décor complimented the industrial building. Then we were off to put on our makeup and do our hair.

The most unforgettable part of the day was the sponsors and participants in the show. The dancers were so excited and antsy to start off the show. The show involved a variety of styles, some including modern fusion and bollywood. The audience gave us great feedback with zagareets, clapping, and screaming. We really love when we can hear the audience’s excitement. After the show, we had a great time talking with the dancers, taking photos, and meeting the audience. For me, this is the best part of the Club Bellydance tour. I’ve gotten a chance to really see exactly how many wonderful bellydance communities the US has. After a meet & greet, we had a small feast after the show with the sponsors.  They had decked out the dressing room with fruit, vegetables, hummus, chocolate, and more. Today we also looked through our little goody bags they gave us and found all sorts of makeup and body products. I was elated. They really took care of us. We couldn’t have asked for any more.

I truly enjoyed our day in Des Moines, Iowa!