Everything went so well, from setting up the chairs and tables, to arranging props and equipment onstage, taking care of the guest dancers as they arrived, helping the new performers backstage, to the performing itself!
What really made a difference (from my point of view anyway) was that each one of my students stepped up and helped in some way - often unasked - and I was just amazed at what a team effort it turned out to be. And not only that, but the mood was relaxed (well, I thought so!), happy, joyous, and fun. We only had one little snag when one of the students didn't get changed in time for her entrance in Tribal Veil (which I wrote about in this TOBD blog post), but from the audience's point of view nothing was wrong. The students were a bit flustered but recovered well and carried on!
I did get a surprise though when our drummer Jasif came to me during the show and told me "I've got your 4 guest dancers backstage, they just arrived" and I had no idea who he was talking about! I hustled backstage and found the Richmond RaqStars in the dressing room, poring over the posted lineup. In the run up to the show I'd missed their confirmation email so thought they couldn't make it. But here they were, in costume and ready to go! I ran back to the sound system (the one area I had no helper) and checked the progress of the current number; looked at the lineup and saw a good spot in the show just a couple of numbers away, so ran back to the DR. These lovely ladies (several of whom teach in the Bellydance School of Richmond) are PRO all the way, and able to "bring it" onstage with only a few minutes notice. They'd been stuck in traffic on I-95, but thank goodness were in costume so they could come in, dance, change, and relax. I know that's how I'd want to do it myself so I was happy to accommodate!
Another pleasant surprise was meeting a photographer sent by the Free Lance Star newspaper; amazing me by getting some gorgeous photos published instantly (it seemed!) complete with captions and names! What inspiring work, to meet a deadline so quickly and so well. I was impressed! Many people mentioned seeing the photos in the paper too, so I loved that! Bob Martin's photos.
My helpful PRISM dancer Pixie arranged for the well-known Richmond photographer, Paul Murphy, to come shoot us, before and during the show. Well, chalk up another victim to I-95 traffic - we missed the chance for our individual photo sessions, but he did arrive in time to shoot the show, which I'm so grateful for because his photos are always a treat to see. Here's a taste of the wonderful memories he captured for me:
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| A moment in bellydance time... |
So we're done for another year, and my dancers and I have lots of stories to share and laugh about - that's one of the many blessings bellydancing brings into our lives. I guess that's why people say perfection is boring... then what would we talk about!?
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