...not so lonely anymore

Another busy bellydance weekend in the 'burg - and beyond!

 After much debate on dates, we finally had our Student Hafla this past Friday night, at TAJ Indian Cuisine, a brand new restaurant in town. TAJ is actually in the OLD 'Aladins' location, which is where I did my last gigs as a restaurant dancer, about four years ago (before my hip replacement). Since TAJ has redecorated inside, dancing there again did NOT bring back any memories! That's probably a good thing, because that last Aladin gig was pretty emotional since I knew it was my last.
 Happily, since then I've moved on mentally and emotionally, and don't miss those solo performing days. I always did feel lonely doing restaurant and party work by myself. Maybe someday I'll write about The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Bellydancer, which was the story of my life for twenty years. There were no social networks then either, so it was lonely in a way most dancers today don't experience.

Getting the party started!

 Anyway, I danced a short Raks Sharki solo to get things started, then we enjoyed a handful of student solos and duets, including the lovely Souris who performed twice. After the performances we got Open Dancing going, and my students danced with their friends old and new. Even some guests joined in - notably, Richmond dancers Khalima and Heather, and the dynamic Ken Crampton, African drummer extraordinaire! Meanwhile, the TAJ staff seemed to enjoy our enjoyment, which is always a good thing at these restaurant events!

 What really pleased me about this Hafla was that it brought my students (and their families and friends) together not only from all class levels, but even from different towns. That is my real goal, creating community and sharing; taking away that lonely feeling I had as a dancer, I guess! And whenever we can get students and dancers past their inherent shyness in sharing their dance with others, it's a win. So I call this Hafla not only a wonderful social event, but a true success on that score.

 Then, up early Saturday for more! After a short ride on Jessie James, and the small beginner class I teach for my instructor at White Buffalo, it was off to the last Drum Session of the year in downtown Fredericksburg. PRISM Dancer Pixie and drummer/Buugeng artist Jasif turned up. Jasif is working on learning AND creating Drum Solos - with only about a year of drumming under his belt he's come far by studying all he can. I'm looking forward to having him play for us soon.

 Sunday brought a road trip to Richmond, our Capital City. There's nothing more fun than a road trip with my peeps!
 The plan was for me and Souris to ride with Pixie and Jasif, but Souris decided not to chance the trip south because this was the weekend Hurricane Sandy came to town. East Coast, meet global warming! So just the three of us traveled to Brett's house for Rose Ravia's special class on dancing to live music.

Pixie freestyle dancing in Ravia's class

 I have extensive experience in dancing to live music but I thoroughly enjoyed Ravia's approach; her teaching method is clear and dynamic, and she gave the students instant correction and feedback on their solos. Her class was exceptional, I'm so glad she offered it and invited me to bring my students.
 A fun bonus of Ravia's event was a free photo session with photographer Paul Murphy, of which we took full advantage, needless to say. Bellydancers love photographs of themselves almost as much as they love mirrors!

Brett in his element

 Partying at Brett's is always fun, he's the best host - and we got to visit with some of the Richmond bellydance community as well, they're such a warm and friendly group. And imagine my delight when I met Cozette, and found a new horseriding bellydancer to talk to - for me, that's the best of both worlds!

  Anthea / Kawakib
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