Safiya MIA...where have I been?....

I have been MIA from my Blog, and so many other things I usually like to keep up with.

I am constantly amazed at how time seems to just fly by! Life is like a roller coaster, as we zoom through it, with loop'd'loops, slow clanking and ponderous climbs to the highest heights and then amazingly fast plunges to the bottom, before it all starts over again.

It has been literally months since I have written a blog and so many things have happened, both good, bad, beautiful and ugly....I look back and can't figure out where the time went! It would take pages and pages of me rambling on in order for me to share with you all that I have seen and done over the last 6 months. I will try in earnest to catch up on some of my gigging adventures, share some of my childhood reflections and family dynamics and also hopefully share a bit of wisdom with other belly dancers who are trying to wend their way through the roller coaster of professionalism in this crazy hectic world.

I guess you could say this blog entry today is more of a teaser on things to come. Just a small taste of what I want to write about and an invitation to start following my blog (sign up and you can get notifications when something new is added!).

You won't get much out of me today. I am right now sitting at a little bistro table in the new studio "Arabesque World Dance", using my iPad and taking a moment to check emails and my FaceBook pages. My fingers are tender from plying a needle for the last hour or two repairing costumes, man it is crazy how much stuff gets torn or falls off when I am out gigging (another blog subject...lol). I can't use the PC on my desk, something is not working with the Internet connection....urg!

Anyway....what have I been doing for the last many months!? I will tell you what I have been doing, I have been putting my blood, sweat and tears into making a dream come true....I have opened a dance studio! It isn't your ordinary dance studio, we are making it a place for dancers both young and old, new and experienced to come learn، hang out and just have some time to relax and unwind. It is my childhood dream clubhouse! My Oasis of calm and contemplation! My place to dance and dream....and I built it all with the thought of sharing it with others.

 

Oh my، the plans I have!
~Safiya <3

Being a better Teacher and Student......

This Blog is meant as advice for dance students, but it is also a great bit of advice for those students out there who have ambitions to become a teacher.


I have not taken classes in HOW to teach, or taken teacher training, but I have spent many, many years as a student and have formed opinions of how I like to learn. I have taken classes from teachers who were very poor teachers and amazing dancers, and teachers who were very poor dancers and amazing teachers. One thing I have always thought is important, is that the teachers pay attention to their students needs, and every student is different, especially when it comes to belly dance students. Belly Dance tends to be an adult dance, not that it is inappropriate for children, but most parents (at least where I am from here in the USA) don't understand what and where belly dance comes from, and therefore believe it is only for adults. Because of these beliefs, most students who walk into my classroom are college students, housewives and career women (or men), all adults who have never before stepped foot into a dance studio, anywhere, ever! That puts these women and men at a severe disadvantage. Even a Belly Dance Basics Class doesn't usually cover simple dance basics that I as a lifetime dancer learned at the age of 3 or 4 years old. If you've ever watched a children's class in session at a dance studio, then I am sure you have seen all the little ones lined up and waiting their turn to travel one by one or two by two across the classroom, repeating the same step or movement over and over again. This method, for me feels so boring and slow, and well, repetitive...lol.....but that IS the point. That is what a beginner dance student needs. Repetition and a chance to learn to walk before they run (or dance). I think many belly dance students move too fast through their education, because they want to hurry up and learn a choreography and get to perform. They skip or speed through all the basics and their technique truly suffers for it. Then there are those students who hover in the basics class almost indefinitely; some because they never take their lessons home with them and practice, and others because they don't speak up and ask for help or clarification when they don't understand how to do something. Of course there are also teachers out there, who really just don't know how to teach, or are just trying to hurry their students through one choreography after another without ever breaking down the movements.


One thing that I have learned, is that my students make me a better teacher. I have been a teacher of one sort or another for more than 20 years. My first experience with teaching was as a riding instructor for small children. I love to teach. I love it when one of my students works hard, practices and then finally GETS something they have been trying to do. I really really love when my teaching has helped them to do so. My favorite students are those who truly engage themselves in their lessons, ask questions, and take their lessons home to practice. I can see their progress almost on a weekly basis and it is very fulfilling!


So, by now you must be asking, HOW do my students make me a better teacher!? I have found, that since I have such a long and varied dance history there are many things that I do with my body that have become second nature to me. I don't have to think about how I stand or how I breath, or what I do with my feet, hands and arms for balance and poise, or even the small tilt of my chin or drop of a shoulder to express certain emotions. These things are as normal to me as breathing or walking. As a teacher though, I NEED to know how to do these things, how to break them down and explain them. I am truly blessed to have students who WANT to really learn how to do things correctly, they ask questions and discuss how their muscles and body feel when they dance, and together we are able to figure out how to teach their bodies to do the movements. Everyone has a unique way of learning, and as a teacher I have to figure out which method works best for each student. My students make me a better teacher because they are better students.


So, how can YOU be a better student? Here are some tips that should help both you, and through you, also help your teacher tremendously.


1) Be on time to class. Walking in late is disruptive to the class and disrespectful to your teacher. (Sure, this seems simple enough, but I think as adults we tend to forget that a teacher is a teacher and they deserve your respect. If you can't show them respect, then you shouldn't be in their classroom.)


2) Get clarification. Ask questions when you are confused or having trouble. (Most teachers will give you a chance to ask questions, take advantage of it!) One thing I have always said, "there is NO such thing as a stupid question", and it is very possible that the quiet girl at the back of the room has the same question as you. So you won't just be helping yourself, you will be helping her too.


3) Take Notes! Buy a spiral notebook, or a three ring binder and some loose leaf paper and take it with you to class EVERY TIME! Take notes even if you wait till after class to jot down a few things.


4) Pay attention in class. A little bit of joking and such is okay sometimes, but it is not social hour, it is time to learn. You are paying someone to teach you, so get your monies worth. Save the chatting and gossip for after class.


5) Practice at home everyday! Even if you only practice for 5 or 10 minutes, it will help. Repetition! If something feels awkward, doing it over and over again, slowly and correctly, WILL make it feel less awkward. Just give yourself time and keep practicing.


6) Take things in small steps. If your teacher shows you how to do a movement with several layers and you just can't get it in class, take it home and start with one layer and then add the next and then the next. For instance, practice the foot pattern, repeat it till it is comfortable, then add the next layer of a shimmy or undulation or whatever and practice that till it is comfortable, then add the arms and practice all the layers together. (oops, I guess #5 is just another version of #4)


7) Don't give up and don't say "I can't"! Give it time, be patient and try to have fun. It is okay to laugh at yourself and feel silly and it is okay to do things the wrong way. Making mistakes is just another way to learn.


If you do all these things you will find yourself improving and growing as a dancer. 

Best of luck to you on your journey. For me, it has become one of the most fulfilling and enlightening parts of my life.


Remember that life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, it is about learning to dance in the rain!
Safiya

Practice, practice, practice..........

Here in North Central Kentucky, in the Bluegrass area we are having our first real snow storm of the season. Winter is finally and truly upon us. One of the things that happens every winter that just drives me nuts, is that classes get cancelled.

Of course, they need to be cancelled! I would hate for someone to drive in dangerous conditions to go to class and possibly risk being in a horrific car accident. Anyone living up North is used to the drill, anyone with kids dread those county wide 'Snow Days' when all the schools close and all of a sudden you are scrambling to find safe childcare so you can go to work. Snow and ice on the roadways are no fun and sliding into a ditch after hitting a patch of black ice can easily become life threatening.

This all brings up the subject of what to do if you miss your dance class or classes because of inclement weather.  One thing I have observed myself and I am sure many of you would agree; extra/fun activities like dance classes, art classes and other hobbies, no matter how much you LOVE them and feel awesome after participating in them, they can sometimes be really hard to just plain GET TO. We all have busy lives and if you are like me in the past, you go to work 9 hours then you have a family to care for, cooking, cleaning, homework, PTA meetings, band concerts, doctors appointments....life is full of busy things that MUST be done. Well what I have noticed about myself and many other people, if you get into a habit of attending your classes or activities (no matter what) you will keep going even when you feel like just kicking up your feet and taking a breather or you have no energy and just do not feel like going, once you get there you realize how much fun it is and you are VERY glad you forced yourself to go. 

Those little bits of 'ME TIME' are incredibly important for our own self preservation. Believe me, those house chores and bills and stuff will still be there when you get home a couple hours later, BUT you will feel much better about tackling them because you have had time to renew yourself! I digress...LOL....anyway, what I have noticed is that if you get 'OUT OF HABIT' and start missing your classes due to illness, work, family obligations or bad weather, it is VERY VERY hard to get back into the habit of going. We forget how much we LOVE our hobbies and how we feel rejuvenated and ready to take on the world after our little bit of fun time and then we just stop going permanently.

So, back to the bad weather and missed classes.....

I always tell my students how very important it is to practice their dance at home between classes. If you really want to improve your abilities and grow as a dancer, you must put some time aside to practice regularly. Again we are met with all the obstacles that life throws at us, time is at a premium but as I tell my students, even 10 to 15 minutes a day makes a huge difference. This is even more important when you have cancelled classes or if you have to miss a class due to life getting in the way. My philosophy is if your class gets cancelled and you were planning to go, then you have that time set aside already so use it! If you yourself had to cancel going and time is an issue, at least do 10 minutes. 

Do not let yourself get out of the habit of dancing, do not let your body forget how great it feels to dance!

Here are a few tips for practicing at home and a few things I do for my practice time (I think you'll get a giggle out of a couple of these)

1) It goes without saying, but I will say it anyway. You need music, in this modern age it is so easy to obtain music for very little money. I post links for songs that I use in my classes and advise my students on what to buy and where, but I also suggest being adventurous and finding their own music. Even if you only buy a few songs at 99 cents a piece you will have 10 minutes of dance music to use. A few great place to buy MP3 songs are www.Amazon.com, www.cdbaby.com, www.maqam.com but there are tons of others!

2) You only need a little bit of space, the size of your movements are not nearly as important as the quality and control. A great belly dancer can dance a whole performance on a tile. If you are practicing traveling steps, just make them smaller, space is relative.

Some 'spaces' I use to practice my moves? While in the Shower. In front of my bathroom mirror. My kitchen (while cooking or doing dishes). Sitting at my desk while online (I am practicing flutters right now...lol). The checkout line at the grocery store (especially when I have an Extreme Couponer in front of me). Plus so many other places.  I do use my living room quite often, but I end up dancing with my three year old son in my arms, which DOES hinder movement...lol.

                     Here is a cute example of dancing in the kitchen :)

3) Any time, any where is a great rule to follow. A few minutes of Omis or Shimmying several times a day can really improve your skills fast! It takes lots and lots of repetition to build muscle memory (make sure your doing it right though so you do not build muscle memory the wrong way). What is muscle memory?

4) Some people are planners and need to have a set rule of what they are going to do before they do it. Some are spontaneous and do what feels good at that particular time. I like to use both methods. One thing that is really important though; you will never get better if you do not practice those particular moves that are too hard for you, you know those ones you don't like to do because you feel awkward and weird! Those awkward, weird movements are the MOST important to practice. That being said, it helps tremendously to write out a plan of what you are going to practice so you don't only practice that which is fun. take a few minutes to make an outline of what you have been doing in class recently and make a list of things you really need to work on.

5) Practice both directions, or both sides of your body...if you have one side that is easier than the other (most of us do) practice more on the harder side.

6) When you DO take class, take notes to use as study/practice guides when you are at home. I ask all my students to keep a notebook and take notes and I pass out handouts occasionally with extra info. I can tell who takes notes and practices and who doesn't. The note takers excel and learn faster and are always prepared for the nest challenge.  How to take and organize great notes.

All I can say is hopefully if you have the sad experience of missing your awesome, rejuvenating, and incredibly fun dance classes due to weather or life in general, that you can practice at home, keep the love of dance flowing through your veins and not become a dance class drop out :)

(of course this goes for any extra activity that brings you joy)

Blessings and Happy Shimmies, Safiya

Improvisation Pt1.....Dancing with Passion....

Improvisational Dance- The heart of Middle Eastern Dance:

This Topic is one very close to my heart......

I have been a dancer all my life. Since I could walk, I danced. I was very fortunate to be raised in a loving family environment, and was encouraged to express myself through dance, song, music and acting. My family has always been loud and boisterous, has always expressed to the world their thoughts and feelings without inhibition. I believe this has given me a much better understanding of the art of expression than the average Western woman.

It is very sad to see how many people, through their need to fit into society’s strictures, develop an inability to express deep emotions. “Don't cry in public”, “Don't laugh too loudly”, “Don't bring attention to yourself”; This societal mindset has made it very difficult for many to be able to just let go, and dance with abandon.

I have seen many dancers who are so very talented, and can do wondrous things with their bodies, yet are absolutely terrified of Improvisational dance. The thought of movement without thought, without knowing what your music is going to do next, without thinking about what step to take, what emotion to act out.....it boggles the mind of some of the most gifted dancers I've ever met.

So, I am dedicating this Blog to Improvisational dance. In the days and weeks that follow, I will add tips, and lesson plans that I use for my students; methods to help get rid of your inhibitions and teach you to, hopefully, find the emotion in the music and live it through your dance.

I can tell you from personal experience, there is nothing in dance that will take you to the heights of ecstasy, than to dance in the moment and move through the music as one.

For I say to you ladies and gentleman......

"The heart of Middle Eastern Dance lies in the heart of the Middle Eastern Dancer".

First and foremost, I'd like to draw your attention to the history of dance. Before it was a performance, show or presentation, it was simply a means for human expression. Since the beginning of time, revelations of joy, excitement, grief and pain have been dramatically communicated through dance. It has been used in celebrations as a hallmark for births, weddings and victories of battles won. As well, dance was frequently performed in ceremonies to cleanse oneself and others of grief, illness, and bad humors, not to mention the eclectic art of dance used in prayer and worship throughout the world.

Dance in its rawest form is human emotion, transformed into a human in motion.

Ultimately, I believe in order to truly appreciate Middle Eastern dance, it should be performed in its original state....in a form unspoiled by the constraints set forth through choreographed movement. You must learn to feel the music and understand the emotions portrayed in the songs you wish to dance to, and this is something that can only be achieved by dedicating years of study to dance and its basic movements, and by learning about the cultures whose music you wish to dance to. For some, this also means studying the languages of those same cultures.

Since belly dance has become so westernized, and dance schools have become the norm, the dance form itself has had to evolve to some degree to meet the needs of the students and beginner dancers. Where once it was simply learned from 'the cradle' so to speak, as part of the normal social lives of the people from these Middle Eastern countries, now there are many adults and teens who wish to learn 'Belly Dance', who know nothing about the cultures from whence they originated. Unfortunately, many Westerners have skewed ideas of these cultures and their dances due to Hollywood’s, often times, unfair and illusory portrayal of what they really are, so teachers of Middle Eastern dance are left with not only teaching the movements of the body, but are also saddled with the task of bringing to light some of the background of the countries of origin in order to keep the dance forms true to their nature.

Unfortunately, this type of dance education is unregulated, and there are many teachers out there who are unqualified to teach…some only taking classes for a year or two before going out and beginning to teach themselves, and others unable to impart even the most basic of knowledge in regards to the origin of the dances they are teaching.. This, I believe, is one of the reasons for many dancers being unable to improvise…for lack of the proper training and education of where and why the dance originated, and how the people of these countries used it to express themselves.

Another problem that Westerners learning Middle Eastern dance face is the huge difference in the type of body movements used. While belly dance is composed of movements that are natural and complimentary to the human anatomy, they are unlike anything that most westerners are used to doing. Beginner dancers need to spend a great deal of time just learning to control muscles they didn’t even know they had, and this is where choreography plays it’s important part. Teachers create dance arrangements, or ‘works’, with repetitive movements to help their students build 'muscle memory', and in the early days of a dancer’s education these choreographies are definitely an essential step in the growth and development of a dance student.

Unfortunately, there seems to be a growing trend in Modern Middle Eastern dancers (aka:Belly Dancers), that many have become dependent upon the choreography and have either lost touch with or never been taught the art form of improvisation.

I have seen many wonderfully talented performers who are obviously dancing a choreographed piece. Just like actors on a stage, they are quite capable of 'acting out' and showing the emotions of the song, but sadly they still do not have the quality of natural fluid grace and expression found in the performance of a dancer who is simply letting the music move them freely through heart and soul… to live in 'that moment' through the music. While choreographed dance itself can be a wonderful thing used for group dances, and theatrical pieces, it can never touch the dancer and audience as wholly or deeply, and certainly can’t emotionally move them as much as improvised dance does.

Looking back at the fact that one of a teachers greatest tools in teaching dance is to use a simple, short choreography, we must not forget that at some point in a dancers education they should learn to connect with their music emotionally and stop dancing by numbers.

Once a student is comfortable with the basic movements and has built sufficient muscle memory to move comfortably through a choreographed dance, and then the student should be encouraged to experiment in self expression. This does not mean that these students should be pushed into performing an improvisational piece at this time. There are many ways to have group exercises and games that encourage movement through emotion, which can be handled in a classroom setting. Each person needs to move along at their own pace, and some will have no interest at all in learning improvisation.

I must stress that it is very important that a dancer already has a comfortable grasp of basic steps and movements, as well as an understanding of how to flow from one movement to the next before attempting to learn to 'free' dance, without pre-choreographed steps.

One of the exercises I use for my students that has worked really well....

1st. I will play a small piece of music that we will dance to.
2nd. I will ask for suggestions of some steps or movements my students think would go well with the music (example: one student might say a hip circle, another may say hip drops, another maybe step touch step)
3rd. I take these steps and put them together for 2/ 8 count sequences ( example: step together step to the right 4 cnts, left hip drop 2 x's 4 cnts, big hip circle to left ending facing another direction 8 cnts )
4th. We will repeat this sequence 4 times facing a different direction each time.
5th. Then I have students take turns sitting out and watching, so they can see the difference in how it looks when the dancers are facing different directions.
6th. We discuss how the movements flowed one into the other, the dynamics of directional changes, etc.
7th. Then we repeat the whole exercise, but use different steps.

(This exercise is great to help students learn to put steps together to form a flowing pattern, and what steps feel and look good with what music, it teaches about directional changes, and forming choreographies)

New Years Resolutions....or Bust.........

Did you know that 40 to 45% of American adults make one or more resolutions each year? Did you know that the MOST Popular resolutions are about weight loss, exercising more and to stop smoking!? Studies show that after 6 months over 50% of the people who made a New Year Resolution have stopped maintaining their goal.

While a lot of people who make new years resolutions do break them, research shows that making resolutions is useful. People who explicitly make resolutions are 10 times more likely to attain their goals than people who don't explicitly make resolutions. Resolution Statistics.

We are 4 weeks away from the New Year! 2012 is right around the corner, and a lot of people are thinking about how they can improve themselves for the future. I don't know about you, but I personally think about self improvement and self development on a regular basis, NOT just once a year! New Years Eve though (or the approach of it) always brings my thoughts zeroing in again on how I can be the best that I can be. I find my BIGGEST challenge is not what I want as a resolution, but keeping true to that resolution and reaching the goals I have set for myself as time goes on. All of us (the 40-45% of peeps who make resolutions...lol) have grand ideas of stepping off the new year on the right foot, we are full of enthusiasm and hope for a new start, but it can be difficult making changes and even more difficult to keep true to those changes.  The sad part is that, year after year the same thing happens, after a while all the enthusiasm starts to fizzle out and we become disheartened and feel like we have let ourselves and/or our loved ones down by breaking our promises to ourselves. Take heart....there is a way to take on those resolutions and make them stick! You might not be able to meet all the goals you have set, but you CAN achieve enough to feel accomplished.

I am sure you have heard of being a person who sees ,"the Glass is Half Full", vs. "the Glass is Half Empty"! Well I have found a great book, that can guide you towards being the person who looks at the glass as being Half Full! Life can be difficult, things do not always turn out the way we want them to and it can be really hard to keep on trucking along when things do not go the way we expect them to.

Try this book for free: Download the PDF eBook, readable on any computer. Note: It takes a moment for the PDF to fully download.

Resolutions That Work addresses what to do when you’re not able to keep your resolutions.

It challenges you to learn to deal with all of yourself: The part of you that wants to change... as well as the part that is resisting change.

As you get into this process, you’ll find it has the potential to free up tremendous energy toward reaching your goals.

I personally have a lot of things I want to improve! My resolutions list for this year is long and complicated...but most important to me, and at the top of my list is to be a better Human Being, I want to give more to others, love with all my heart, and be a friend to everyone in my life. I also want to be a better wife, mother, sister and daughter.  This year I also plan to make a list of short term, easy goals, that I know I can reach and I am going to start on them NOW! I am not waiting till January 1st! Why put off till later what you can do today, that is my motto!

Dancing for the love of it..........

There are many times in my life when I wonder why I am doing what I do.  The stress of being self employed and not having a regular weekly paycheck, that money that I can depend upon to keep my electricity on and a roof over my head, can sometimes seem overwhelming.

I got my first job at the age of fourteen, working part time for a professional photographer. I was enrolled in a homeschooling program that allowed me to make my own schedule and correspond with my teachers through the mail. So having a job in the mornings every weekday was no hardship on my education. The photographer I worked for owned his own business. We traveled to day care centers throughout the state of Florida and did 'Pony Portraits'. I took my job seriously and did everything that was expected of me and went above and beyond my responsibilities.  I worked for that Pony Portrait company for over 5 years, by the time I left I was a full fledged photographer myself and was what they called a crew chief. At 19 years old, I had a lot more going on in my life than most 19 years old do.

That first job taught me a lot about self esteem, accomplishment and reliability. Since then, I have NEVER been unemployed. I am one of those people who likes to find a place in life and set down roots. I don't like change, I don't like moving. Don't get me wrong, I AM adaptable, but would prefer to avoid change if I can help it.

So back to why I do what I do. There was a very smart person who once told me, "If you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life," basically what he meant was, if you love your job, it isn't work, it's doing what you love to do. I have had a lot of jobs that I have LOVED to do, I can attest to those wise words. Sometimes it's hard to find just what fits your personality, sometimes people have such adaptive personalities that just about anything will fit. I am very lucky to be pretty darn adaptive. What I need most from my job is a sense of accomplishment.  I like my work to be challenging, to push me to the limits, whether it is physically, mentally or artistically or all three. I also like people, I love meeting new people, making friends and helping others.

I currently have two aspects to my self employed 'job'. I teach dance and I perform. I have also started a new aspect which is to be an event organizer.

I have found such joy as a teacher. Granted, there are always troublesome or bothersome students to deal with. Sometimes there are conflicting personalities. Sometimes there are those whom think they already know everything or at least are unwilling to hear any suggestions or criticisms offered by the teacher....which makes me wonder why they even bother taking a class. All in all though, teaching can be a very fulfilling and rewarding job. Watching a new student accomplish a new movement or connect to their body in a new way. Seeing the joy on a student's face as she moves around the classroom performing a choreography she created herself after months of study and dedication, or watching a student perform improv for the first time to the applause and cheers of her classmates. I feel each of their accomplishments as if they were my own. I love to dance and I love to share the exhilaration and joy of dance with others.

Performing is by far my most favorite thing to do. Who wouldn't like to dress up in jewels and silks and be the center of attention at special events? LOL....okay, so maybe LOTS of people would NOT want to be the center of attention, but I do. I feel so free and feminine when I dance. To me it is the embodiment of who I am. I dance just simply for the love of the dance. The music speaks to me and I express how it makes me feel through the movement of my body. At the heart of the dance, the most important thing to me, is that the dancer is the music, that dance is emotion in motion. It is not about dancing by numbers, or perfecting a choreography, it is about dancing "in the moment".  When a person performs with abandon and feeling, it transcends the ordinary and becomes extraordinary, and that is when the audience is truly captured and enraptured by the performance.My goal as a performer is to be that dancer.

I have found that job that isn't a job, that special something that makes it 'not working', but boy is it a lot of work. Sometimes it can be really thankless too. I never truly have a day off, I don't get year end bonuses, or paid vacations.  Perhaps with a lot of hard work and dedication there will come a day when I can depend on a regular income from doing what I love, but until that time, I will just smile and accept my spot with pride and joy as a member of the Starving Artists from around the world. I will teach and perform and dance....for the love of it!

WHAT is she wearing?!....Costuming Do-s and Don't-s....Part 3

I honestly do not know what is worse, to flash a little something up top accidentally, or flash a little something down below....I think they are both equally embarrassing. Being a belly dancer is challenging enough without having incredibly embarrassing things happen to you while you are on stage. I have seen some doozies! I have also sadly had a couple of those moments myself that will go down in history (for me at least) as some of my worst costume faux pas' in my life! Thank goodness I learn from my mistakes and I will share my knowledge to prevent these things (hopefully) from happening to others. (LOL....please note, not all the things I will mention below have happened to ME...phew...only a couple)


Part 3 of Costuming Do-s and Don't-s...Keeping the undercarriage "clean"......


Imagine you are at a belly dance show, it has been toted as a "professional show", and dancers are there performing by invitation only with a live band playing. How exciting! A beautiful, young and vibrant dancer comes out on stage, she is dressed in a beaded Bedlah (a bra and belt set) and layers of colorful skirts. She is just enchanting, her movements serpentine and strong. As she dances you notice her skirts fly up pretty high when she spins. The next thing you know, your getting a flash of BOTH her butt cheeks.....eeekkk! This show is supposed to be family friendly, and this dancer is supposed to be a professional! What the heck!?


Ladies, here are some very important rules you SHOULD follow, at least if you are performing in public, for a family friendly audience....


1) Know your dance space. If you are dancing on an elevated stage, then the audience will be sitting with their eyes at knee or even foot level. Which means, yes, they can see your bare legs under your skirts and often even higher if your skirts have enough weight to them to fly up when you dance. You can do things to prevent flashing something offensive!


Do not wear a G-string, or T-back undies....please! There are a lot of options out there for presentable full coverage, hot pants or cheerleader shorts are a great option, you can buy them to match the color of your costume and then you can flash them all you want. Skin toned undies and hot pants are NOT a good idea, you will just have your audience wondering if you even have ANYTHING on underneath there! Which by the way, many of us belly dance ladies ARE free spirits and I have met a few who never wear underwear...lol....but when on stage they make sure they are not going to flash their audience.


2) Know how your costume, skirts, etc. are going to move and react to your dancing.  I love, love, love Floorwork, but when I am kneeling or sitting or laying down on the floor, my skirts WILL and DO move around me very differently than they do when I am standing up. There are many positions on the floor that can very easily show large portions of your upper and inner thighs as well as...ahem....other areas. It is a really good idea to try out your floor routines in your costume and have a friend be 'the audience' while you practice.


Some of the rules I follow for shows with floorwork......

• I never wear mermaid skirts, or close fitting lycra skirts with high slits.
• I WILL wear chiffon or silk skirts with high slits, but try to wear a few layers and do some strategic tucking of the skirts to show just enough thigh without flashing more private bits. 
• Harem pants are a great way to keep modest, even a pair of see through ones with the whole side slit open will cover up the areas most in need of covering. I have several pairs of harem pants that cannot be worn alone, but under a skirt are perfect replacements for the hot pants.

3) Some skirts have just enough weight to them that they can twist around on your waist as you shimmy and twist while dancing. A perfectly safe and sexy skirt with a high slit on the thigh can become a very embarrassing skirt with a high slit right in the middle if you aren't careful! A great way to prevent the twist effect is to attach your skirt to your underwear or hot pants. A lot of costumers are now selling that style of costume with the undies already attached. (Again, make sure you wear something that the color matches your costume, so it looks like it is part of the costume, then even if they get a little flash of it, they will think nothing of it.)


4) Match your underthings to your overthings...lol....I once saw a really impressive dancer, just beautiful, vibrant and exciting on the stage, and I got to see her Tuesday underpants under her skirts as she spun around the floor. Yes, Tuesday was printed in big bold block letters of Purple across a pair of Hot Pink full coverage panties. Her costume was baby blue and pink and yellow....lol...the rest of her performance was kinda forgotten after that. Maybe she forgot her performance pants at home, maybe she didn't know her skirts flew up so high, maybe she didn't care, but it was a major distraction. I know I wasn't the only one who saw them, I heard talk of it for two days afterward at the workshop classes that followed that Friday night show.




In conclusion, I would just like to remind you that it is important to present a full package. You should be a performer from the top of your head to the tips of your toes, and even though you do not plan to flip up your skirts and show what you've got underneath, you should make sure even that area is presentable to the GP.

Happy Dancing,  
Safiya

WHAT is she wearing?!....Costuming Do-s and Don't-s....Part 2

The music starts to play and a young woman glides across the dance floor swaying and twirling, enveloped in a swirl of silken veils. The audience is enthralled by the artistry and beauty of the movements and colors as she executes an intricate set of undulations and snaky arm movements. Then as the music changes, the dancer removes the veils covering her rhinestone encrusted costume and briefly dances with the veils, manipulating them with elegance and finesse, making them dance through the air with a life of their own then, she arches into a deep backbend as the  music changes and tosses the veils aside with a flourish as she rises to strike a pose. All of a sudden everyone's eyes are riveted on her chest, whispers are exchanged behind hands, a nervous giggle rises and abruptly stops in the back of the room. Unbeknownst to the dancer, part of her right breast has popped up over the edge of her costume and the audience is getting a glimpse of more than they had expected to see. The next song starts and the dancer just keeps on dancing, playing her zills and shimmying....completely unaware of the incredibly embarrassing costume malfunction that she has become victim to.

I have heard similar stories and warnings of what 'could' happen from friends and teachers alike, the titillating conversations spoken in hushed tones in dressing rooms and during intermission at big shows. I have witnessed a few near disasters myself. I feel terrible for the poor women who have had things like that happen to them. I would imagine it is something you can never truly forget. For those who have had things like this happen, take heart you are NOT alone. For those lucky ladies whom have not had such a horrible experience, or are new to the dance and just learning....here is some advice to help you prevent and/or deal with it the best you can. (Part 2 of costuming do-s and don't-s)

2) What is wrong with her top?

    a) First off...and it should go without saying, yet I see these mistakes ALL the time....make sure your top FITS you properly!! Here are some things I have seen that just blow my mind that a woman would go out in public and dance like this.....

            1) Cups that are too big for your breasts....ladies if you put your performance bra on and you do not fill it up and there is empty space between the top of the bra and your chest, it it too big. I call them 'floating cups'....it looks much to me like a 5 year old little girl trying on her mommies bra.

             There are ways to fix this! You can buy a bra that fits. You can also do what a lot of dancers do and put pads inside the cup (often called cookies) to push your chest up to fill it in. (IF you put pads in....PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE attache them to your bra...I have seen pads slip up and out while someone was performing.)

            2) Bra straps that are too long or slip off your shoulders. Just shorten them or crisscross them behind your back. You should not have to worry about them slipping off while you dance, and constantly reaching up to adjust them is very distracting to your audience. (This goes back to my rule of always trying on your costume and dancing BEFORE wearing it to perform somewhere).

            3) Underboobage! You know what I am talking about don't you? That bit of flesh that flashes under your bra in front....because the bra is too loose around the ribcage. Again, a good fit is really important, while you dance you raise your arms and move around a lot. Make sure you aren't at risk of slipping out the bottom.

            4) Cups that are too small for your breast...like the poor young lady in my story above. If you are wearing a bra that barely covers you, you are at risk of popping out the top. If you are dancing at a public event that is family friendly, NO ONE is going to want to see nipples! When you try on a bra, bend forward and backward and do shoulder shimmys and anything else you might do while wearing that bra. If you are in the slightest doubt that you might expose something don't wear it.

What do You think everyone will remember about this Wedding? The beautiful service? The obvious love of the couple? Or the brides overexposed Breasts?

  On the other hand...I know plenty of ladies who wear their bras small and tape themselves to the bra to prevent slippage. You must take into consideration though, the fact that your audience will not know you are taped into your bra and might spend your entire performance on the edge of their seats just waiting for it to happen. If you want them to notice your DANCING then I would suggest covering up a bit more. If you want them to stare at your nearly exposed chest...well, that is your business.

            My personal rule is, my bra cups must cover at least 75% of my chest (I do like cleavage), but if I am going to a community event, outside, and during the day, I cover up even more.

    b) The same rules above for a choli top or gypsy top. Make sure it fits you well and will not slip up or down or sideways and expose your private bits to your audience. You also need to make sure if you are wearing a top instead of a bra, that you have proper support! It is incredibly distracting to see a well endowed lady flopping about inside her shirt while performing. A performance bra (even those worn under other clothing) should be supportive and sturdy.

      I recently witnessed one young lady bust a bra strap while vigorously shimmying her shoulders at an event....it was very obvious because her chest started to move a lot more afterward and she nearly did pop out of the top of her dress. Sure enough it was the one thing EVERYONE remembered most about her performance afterward.

    c) Another common mistake I have seen, make sure that before you wear any top in a performance you have checked the clasps, hooks and other hardware used on it. It should all be tightly and securely attached. One of our 'troupe moms' had a rule she told all us girls...."sew it till you can't see the shine of metal anymore," except the actual hook itself of course. :)

      Here is an example of what can happen......One of my troupe mates several years back had purchased a lovely bra and belt set. When it arrived at her house she tried it on and amazingly the hooks on both pieces were set JUST where she needed them and she did not need to make any adjustments. Sadly, no one in our troupe (including the two teachers) had thought to warn her about sewing everything on tight and securely. The first time she wore the set was at a Workshop where we were representing our teacher by performing the choreography she had taught earlier that day. At one point in the dance we all do a deep forward bend while throwing our hair and rise up rolling our shoulders. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my troupe mate dash off stage, arms clutched around her chest. Evidently as she had bent forward the hook on the back strap had ripped free....and her bra had started to slip off the front of her. Thank goodness she caught it and left the stage with most of her dignity intact and nothing having actually been exposed to the audience. She had safety pinned it, but the safety pins could not handle the pressure of her ribcage and vertebrae as she did the deep bend forward.

    d) One last thing that really just drives me and most professional dancers I ask crazy. The obvious 'Bra bought at the local department store' bra. There is absolutely nothing wrong with buying a bra locally and turning it into a costume bra, but PLEASE cover it and cover or replace the straps and cover or replace the elastic and make it LOOK like a REAL costume bra, not something you just picked up at a local store an hour before you performance!

So, in conclusion, considering what your top or bra is covering, it is incredibly important to make sure it fits properly and is in proper repair. Put it on, dance while wearing it, check it for loose threads and tears. Ask a friend or teacher if it fits well, or if they have any concerns. Be aware of how you present yourself in what you are wearing.

We all want our dancing to be remembered, not our costuming disasters!

WHAT is she wearing?!....Costuming Do-s and Don't-s....Part 1

If you are a regular attendee at the local Hafla or dance party, or you participate in shows presented at workshops, you have most likely seen or even sadly been the victim of a costume Faux Pas. It happens to the best of us, but more often then not it happens to the newbies....those oh so lovely and eager students who jump wholeheartedly into performing (but without all the information they need). Sometimes the lack of information is their own fault and sometimes the blame lies solely in the hands of their teachers.

I have seen so many Costume Faux Pas and Blunders over the years, some that make me cringe in sympathy and others that are more of an annoyance. Hopefully this Blog will give some people a second thought before they 'suit up' for a show and wake up those teachers out there who have been remiss in teaching proper costuming. Hopefully. ;o)

You might be asking....Why are costume Faux pas and Blunders such a big deal!? 

When you are on stage performing, everything is under scrutiny by your audience. If something goes awry with your costume, or looks like it is going to go awry, that is all the audience will pay attention to or remember about your performance. (Think along the lines of 'traffic creepers', you know what I am talking about....those people who snail past an auto accident in the morbid hope of seeing something titillating or gory?!) Well that is just part of human nature, we want that bit of excitement, that OMG moment to whisper about behind our hands. As a performer you have to make sure YOU do not give them that! It doesn't matter how awesome of a dancer you are, if you have distracting things happening while you dance, that is all the audience will be paying attention to, they will not remember anything else you did.

I think perhaps the best thing to do, is start from the top and work our way down (for fear of writing an incredibly long Blog I am going to break this subject into several parts - this is Part 1 - The Head).......

1)What is she wearing on her head?

    a) Road Kill -There was a really fun fad that came out several years back in the ATS genre, these colorful and fluffy 'hair extensions' made from fuzzy yarn and ribbons, sometime with beads, shells or coins woven into them. I am not sure what the originator of this bit of whimsy had named these 'hair pieces', but down in Florida where I was a student at the time, we fondly called them 'road kill'.....lol....now if you are like most belly dancers I have met, one of the things about us is we ALL love our bits of sparkle and jingle and all the really cool and pretty things we can wear when we perform. 'Road Kill' was/is an incredibly cute and fun bit of something to wear when performing. There is a point though where a person needs to draw a line....if you are dancing Traditional Middle Eastern dances or American Caberete....please DO NOT wear 'road kill'! It is not proper costuming for those styles.

    b) Hair Ornaments - Flowers, sparkles, and other doodads are all awesome and pretty things to wear in your hair when performing! BUT, please make sure they are Properly attached and that they will not get in the way of your performance. If I have said it once, I have said it a thousand times...before you perform in something, try on your WHOLE costume (that means hair ornaments, jewelry, shoes, everything) and DANCE with it on. I have seen it so many times, it DRIVES me nuts! A beautiful and talented girl on stage dancing her heart out and everyone is staring at the flower in her hair that is bouncing and bobbing wildly as she dances, wondering just when it is going to let loose and go flying across the stage. Or another girl who is obviously new to performing, but valiantly doing a lovely job of following the steps of a choreography with her troupe, who keeps getting her veil wrapped up and stuck on the rhinestone hair clips she is wearing. Another thing that can happen with those lovely ornaments in your hair...your hair can get wrapped up in it and stuck and you end up with some funky poof of hair sticking out the side of your head....which YOU will not even know about till after you are done performing and get a gander at the pictures or video. (Because 99% of the time, none of your friends are going to tell you about it for fear of making you feel bad...lol)

    c) Hair - yes, I do mean Hair...lol...there are two parts to this complaint. Many professional dancers wear hair pieces, wigs and extensions...if they are high quality you really can't tell they are fake and they are a beautiful addition to your performance attire. Nothing says 'feminine goddess' like long flowing locks of hair. Many of us (yours truly included) have not been blessed with naturally thick, luscious and fast growing hair...and we live in a time when short and spunky hairdos is the IN thing. Just make sure if you are going to wear extensions or a wig that it matches your hair color (or totally covers your natural hair) and that it is well attached and doesn't look like you shaved all of your daughters Barbie dolls to attach the plastic strands to your head! Cheap wigs are so easily identified, especially under stage lights...do you want the audience to ooh and ahh over your beautiful dancing? Or snicker over the huge mass of fake hair you have on your head that is SO obviously fake? (I personally would rather see a dancer with short natural hair that one that has enough fake, plastic-y looking hair on her head for three women...just my opinion though.)

      The other big Hair blunder that drives me crazy? Those dancers that constantly pet, rearrange and fiddle with their hair while they are dancing! There is nothing wrong with reaching up and removing that annoying lock of hair that is stuck in your mouth, but PLEASE stop fiddling with your hair already! It is incredibly distracting and gets to the point where I just want the performance to end so I do not have to watch the hair rearranging any more! 

    d) Head Scarf - last but not least, the head scarf...a MUST for dancing many styles of Folkloric dance. I love head scarves. My biggest pet peeve with head scarves is that dancers just tie them on their head and think they will stay! Sorry, that is NOT how it works. You are dancing, not just walking along at the local market....even Arabic women who are not dancing and wear head scarves pin them! Use Hair pins and Hat pins (the long, straight, sharp and pointy type - Hatpins) to attache it properly to your head/hair. AGAIN, having a piece of your costume wobble and wiggle and start to fall off is a huge distraction to your audience. Even if you handle it with finesse and smoothly remove it the rest of the way and toss it aside, it has already caused a distraction that is hard to recover from.

I am sure there are other bits of head gear blunders I will recall after I post this, but those four above are the most distracting I can think of.

Next installment.....Keeping things covered up top.....lol...........

Prepairing for gigs....How to Prevent Unpleasant Surprises....

No one likes those little unexpected surprises that can happen at a performance! It is so much worse if you are supposed to be a professional, who is being paid for your dancing.

I am sure you have heard the horror stories....a costume piece missing or even worse breaking and possibly falling off while you are performing. Your music not playing, or crackling, popping and pausing as your trying to perform, or you forget your zills or your veil, or you didn't bring shoes and then you find out your dance floor is potentially a mine field of broken glass and muck.

You can save yourself from having these problems, it just takes a bit of preparation and foresight on your part. Of course, you cannot  foresee every possible problem that could arise, but taking time to prepare can help to prevent MOST of these debilitating events from happening.

First and foremost, when you are auditioning for or booking a gig, make sure to ask lots of questions. You need to know what type of dance space you will have, how high are the ceilings, what type of floor, will there be a place for you to use as 'back stage', will you have  a changing room. Find out all you can. Once you have all that info, then it is time to prepare.

Second, make sure to prepare a few days ahead of time.

Pick your music, organize your set/s and burn your CD or download it on your Ipod or what ever you use (this is all assuming you have confirmed what sort of sound system is available for you at your gig). Make sure to test play your music....ALL THE WAY THROUGH!

Pack your costume/s, and make sure you have packed every piece you plan to wear (don't forget your jewelry). I often pack extra costuming to wear (See What's in My Gig Bag). Check for tears, stains and loose clasps and hooks NOW, before you pack them. Even if they were fine the last time you wore them. Make sure it fits you properly! (There is enough to say about costume fit to fill another blog!)  (o;

Make sure you have all your props together and make sure they are ready to use. Veils ironed, sword polished, zill elastic fits you properly, etc, etc, etc.

Check out your gig location, print your Mapquest directions or whatever it is you do (I have a GPS machine, and have GPS on my Blackberry, but I always print up directions anyway....because you never know what might happen). Check for how long it will take to get there and give yourself extra time to get there early!

Pack your shoes and your cover up! Don't forget your make-up and hair accessories if you use them.

Getting all these things ready a few days ahead of time will make you feel calmer and more prepared to perform with elegance and confidence.

Embarrassing 'Uncle Bob'....adventures in gig-land....Part 2

That moment when you step onstage can be so very important, it can easily influence what happens to your entire performance.  

Let me paint a picture for you, of my surroundings and audience. It is 10:30 PM and the bar where the birthday party is being held is dark and very smokey, the whole city is having a blackout and the electricity has been off for hours. The temperature outside is hovering somewhere around 18 degrees Fahrenheit, clumps of ice and snow everywhere, the cold is slowly beginning to permeate the inside of the bar as well, which of course makes everyone smoke more to help warm up. Lit candles are on all the tables and the wink of burning embers from cigarettes are glowing all around the room. My audience is an eclectic group of friends and family, some in jeans and cowboy boots, some in biker leathers with shaggy beards and tattoos, some dressed up a bit more. You can hear the chink of glasses and beer bottles and the murmur of raspy voices. The people in the bar have all bravely sat around for hours in the cold and dark waiting for me to arrive (unbeknownst to the birthday boy, who when the blackout started urged everyone to go home).

So it was time for me to perform....there I was, my music is playing, the audience is clapping and cheering, I sail toward the dance floor with my veil floating behind me and......What!?... Candles....on the dance floor (there is a first for me)...my skirts would surely brush across them and catch on fire....and the birthday boy is sitting in a chair, smack dab in the middle of MY stage! Oh crap what to do, what to do........

So what did I do? I danced right past the dance floor and into the audience. I danced my entire veil routine in the 4 foot wide and 15 foot long space between the dance floor and the tables, thankfully I always perform improv at my gigs, so I didn't have to worry about forgetting my choreography. I spent at least half of the time with my back to the tables so the birthday boy could enjoy the performance, but I didn't get up onto the slightly raised stage. Also, I'd like to mention again, all the tables had open candles flames on them too, a serious fire hazard with a veil floating around in the air. Just to make things more interesting (another for my list of gig firsts) there were two burly bikers standing on chairs at either end of the dance stage with giant flashlights in their hands, shining the lights over my head like spotlights...lol....very ingenious I must say!

I finished my veil dance with a flair, then instead of tossing my veil to an audience member like I usually do, I decided to give them all a laugh and the birthday boy a blush. As my next song, a Chiftitelli, began....I gathered my veil up and danced onto the raised floor and wrapped my veil around his head like a turban. 

Yes I know, kinda tacky, but I had to do something about him being in the middle of the floor and didn't want to treat him like he had the plague! I also know my veil was going to be in need of a washing when I got home, but actually, everything was, because my costume had to be completely saturated in cigarette smoke within 5 minutes of walking into the place.

My veil taken care of, my next order of business was to deal with the candles...so I danced over and picked them up and performed a slow candle dance (instead of the planned sword dance, to my Chifti). As my music drew to the end of the song, I brought my candles out into the audience and placed them on a table out of harms way. Now I had two more songs left...a fast Beledi with Zils and a drum solo, so I started my Beledi and urged the birthday boy to stand up and dance with me and as we danced I drew him out toward the audience and his wife (and got him a seat). I finished my Beledi on stage (alone...yay) and then ended the whole performance with a drum solo...mostly on stage and some in amongst the crowd.

I think all in all I handled things quite well, everyone loved the show and I didn't catch fire. We had a quick round of pictures, lots of compliments and questions about lessons (woohoo) and several individuals from the audience slipped tips into my hand (another woohoo). The birthday boys wife didn't want me to walk out into the dark alone (they didn't know my hubby was outside waiting for me) so she assigned one of my spotlight fellas to accompany me out to my car, whom evidently had already planned on doing so anyway. (It wasn't safe for such a pretty young lady to be walking around alone this late at night). He was a big tough looking guy, with a long grisly 'ZZ Top' style beard, wearing jeans, big black biker boots and a leather vest....I think his name was 'Tiny'....and what a gentleman he was, he held my elbow as we crossed the parking lot so I wouldn't slip in the ice patches and made sure I was in the my vehicle and that it started before he went back inside.

I am so glad I took the gig! I was treated with respect, paid my full price (no questions asked) as well as given a hefty tip (plus all the extra tips from the audience) and had a fun and interesting experience to remember, that will always bring a giggle to my lips and a twinkle to my eye....and Tiny if you ever read this....thanks so much for your kindness and care. Gentlemen like you are rare nowadays, you are a true treasure.

As for all you ladies out there who are interested in gigging, remember to never judge a book by its cover. I have found that the average, working class clients I get are always the best. They respect what I do and know I too need to make a living. They never try to nickle and dime me and talk my rates down and always tip me afterward. Granted we sometimes have misunderstandings (culturally) about what a Belly Dancer does, but once they see a performance they understand. They see the artistry, the elegance and the sensuality and love it for what it is!

Embarrassing 'Uncle Bob'....adventures in gig-land......Part 1

Okay, 'Uncle Bob' isn't a real person...well he is actually many real people, but they are not all named Bob. Uncle Bob is that poor schmuck whose wife or brother or some other 'dear' friend or relative, thinks it would be a great joke (all in good fun) to hire a dancer to writhe and gyrate around Uncle Bob at his birthday party. All for kicks and giggles of course. You Belly Dancers out there who have been hired for Birthday Gigs know what I am referring to. For those who just love Belly Dance, or aspire to become a professional dancer....here is an interesting look into what the future can hold for you.

Let me paint a picture for you, in all it's scandalous details and hilarious memories. :)

For those of you who do not know me, I live in Kentucky, in the Heart of the Bluegrass region. Horse Farms, Cowboys and Rednecks abound.  The countryside is beautiful and wild and our Bourbon Distilleries are honored with pride.

I received a phone call for a last minute gig.  This ladies husband was turning 40 and they wanted me to dance at his party. (First thought in my lil' head was, uh ohhhh) The Kentucky twang was coming through loud and clear over my cell phone. I asked my usual list of questions, the lady was really very nice and polite. 


One of the things I sometime hear from prospective birthday party clients is, "We wanted to hire a stripper, BUT there are gonna be kids there, so we decided to hire you." I try really hard to not lecture people on exactly what I do, and how it is NOT sexual and that comparing ME to a cleaner version of a Stripper is actual quite insulting....but I do try to get the message across.

Well, happily I did NOT get the stripper comparison, of course, there weren't going to be any kids at this party, because it was being held at a bar. Yep, a bar. I did seriously consider not taking the gig. The thing is, the bar owner was the birthday boys brother, and the bar was actually going to be closed to the GP for the party. I was told it was just their close friends and mixed genders. Again, I repeat, the client was sweet and polite, and concerned about whether or not I would be comfortable dancing at a bar. I explained how I dance at Restaurant/Bars and Hookah Lounges and that I would be fine as long as everyone was respectful. She assured me we would have no problems.


So at this point you are probably thinking...oh no, don't do it! Not to worry, really, everyone was real polite and everything went pretty darn smoothly....considering.

The night of the party arrives, I decide since it is only a 12 minute drive from my house, and only a 15 minute gig, that I shall bring my husband with as bodyguard muscle (since it IS at a bar after all...lol) We leave out from the house and head to our destination...this is when the true fun begins. As we are approaching the address we notice there are no lights on any where, no street lights, no stop lights, and there are cars all over the place driving around. I call the client to see if everything is okay, it ends up the entire City of Frankfort was having a blackout. Luckily I had my portable CD player with and they still wanted me to come dance.

The bar was in darkness, filled wall to wall with all these people (who knew I was coming and even though they had been without electricity for hours, stayed to wait) candles sat on all the tables, a cloud of cigarette smoke floated through the air. Everyone shouted with enthusiasm and delight that the entertainment had finally arrived. My audience was a motley crew of Bikers and laborers (and their wives...phew).

I found that I couldn't go into the ladies room to take off my cover up. I seriously dislike uncovering my costume where the audience can see. My client graciously took me to a dark little nook at the back of the bar to help me. My music was ready, a gentleman with a ZZ Top beard and leather vest waited patiently to press play, and I was ready to go. The music starts to play and I gracefully make my way to the designated dance floor. Well guess what? They had, sneakily might I add, put a chair out in the middle of the dance floor and seated the birthday boy on it. They also thought it would be really helpful to place a few candles around the dance floor, so everyone could see me better. So here I was, in 'performance' mode, music playing, ready to perform and I had all these things that were NOT supposed to be there, on the dance floor.

1. a hot seat for 'Uncle Bob'
2. and open flames at ankle level


Yikes.......to be cont.