I wanted to write a bit about the belly dance journey and to let you all know that every once in awhile the rose colored glasses come off and reality starts to set in even for us belly dancers. Sometimes women think that self fulfillment will happen magically with this dance and to be honest with you it takes work. But it’s the kind of work that feels more like an entrepreneurial quest. We make the journey what it is, a success or a spiraling drama. At times they kind of go hand in hand but how much really depends on you.

Just remember that you are the same person years later in the dance and the only changes are the levels of success you have with your dance and with yourself. It seems like it’s easy to forget our purpose in this particular dance field especially if you have professional aspirations and you have been at it awhile. Even women who take belly dance classes for self fulfillment reasons only can get caught up in expectations in what type of fulfillment will happen. We really are in charge of our own outcome but more times then not we forget we are our own leader and we start following someone else’s path. This is a major problem for many women because with any type of art we really have to create our own masterpiece. Even dancers who are apart of a troupe bring in their own artistry. With this type of  visual art in front of audiences it is easy to see why belly dance  has an occult like following.

As with any dancer, I started out with dreams and aspirations and they have never left me but the brutal reality of life as an entertainer and performer has tarnished my naive sensibilities.   But in saying this I also  have to admit  that I am a stronger and more focused person because  of what I have experienced. The constant drama of the stage will make any woman a seasoned performer but the important thing to remember is not to lose yourself in the lessons.

The key to the belly dance journey is to stay true to your path and follow your own gut instincts. Did you all know that gut means “God” in Scandinavian? So we just have to remember that God talks to us constantly through our gut feelings. And the gut feelings are apart of us being our own leader but of course with some help. Oh and by the way, this reminds me, sometimes you can feel alone in dance but creativity is really like a life time partner………she’ll never leave you alone and the best part of all is you will always have her by your side.

If we focus on our own gut feelings and creativity the lessons of the stage seem less dubias and  more satisfying. At the end of the day it really is about fulfilling the promises that we make to ourselves even if they were made long ago. The journey is about “you” and how you live life. The journey isn’t about  about who did what or what somebody said because ultimately it’s about what you think of yourself. Friends or no friends you will always be the one walking your path.

Last thought; it occured to me that part of the journey is being the kind of friend to ourselves that we search for in our community. It’s all in the company we keep  so with my gut, creativity and inner knowing of who I am I guess I really am not alone. It’s a good feeling!

This past weekend I was able to do a workshop with my students and at the same time showcase  the curriculum that I have been  working on for a better part of a year.  What is so exciting about  this new curriculum is that it is the end result of students understanding choreography in a way that makes sense to them.

What I mean by this is students are learning  to understand their own choreography. The curriculum shows them how to connect the dots.

The one thing that I have noticed especially with the emails Daniel and I have received through out this last year is that many dancers don’t understand how to interpret movement to music or they don’t even know why they move a certain way to the music, they just follow their teacher. Some dancers have said that they learn the same moves over and over again but  the reason behind the move is not talked about.

I think as teachers we have to take a good look at our own curriculum and than stand back so we can take a good look at what we are teaching.

Connecting the dots never made more sense to me than it does now. We can’t just give students a glimpse of something and than hope they get it, we have to show them what happens when the dots are connected. What is so exciting right now is that the end result of my curriculum is showing itself in each and every dancer that I have.  I have beginner students who I started with this curriculum and they are advancing in leaps and bounds. I have students that have come back to me that are amazed at the changes and they can see the difference in what they had already learned to what they are learning now.

The online classes have really helped evolve this curriculum and my teaching ability. I have many students and dancers to thank for helping me understand that when a student is learning how to dance she has to be taught in a way so that she can enjoy and understand the process.

The formula is simple; opposition hips and understanding how they work together or apart. Layering with opposition hips and understanding when to work in your right and left sides. Transition steps and transition moves used to change with the phrasing in the music.

If students are given a repertoire of moves and combinations and they are taught how to use them than eventually the body will relax and take over. Once the body relaxes and takes over than accents,exaggerated moves or pauses along with level changes, lines and angles can be used in the dancers own unique way. The end result will be a dancer that is confident and well trained.

So for all you teachers out there think about how you train your students because once a student understands how to connect the dots,  the dancer in her will emerge before your very eyes and it is a beautiful sight indeed!

The other day I was talking to my students Julie and Amy and I told them that this one combination came to me in the shower of all places. But another student Judy inspired the combination but why the heck did it evolve in the shower? Another group of dynamic turns came to me in a dream but I woke up before I figured out how I did them. I remember saying to myself  in the dream that I had to remember the turns and I woke up actually talking to myself.

That was a little creepy having a conversation with myself and than answering myself!  The other morning lying in bed I worked out a 6 week course curriculum and figured out how to make each class lead into the next.  Is creativity possessing me through choreography?  If so it is the kind of possession that never leaves you alone and can turn you into an eccentric old dancer who toots her own horn even if nobody is listening.

A wonderful quote says:

“Everything in the universe has rhythm. Everything dances.”-Maya Angelou
So maybe what is happening is that when we open the mind to inspiration it’s like opening the flood gates to creativity that rushes in with the power of the ages. I suppose that it would be easier if creativity came at the same time everyday but than wouldn’t that be a stagnant way of creating?  So creativity comes visiting  in my dreams, in the shower, in the car, when I’m dancing with students or without . And since creativity is directly from the Universe than this explains why there is a constant stream of ideas and moves coming my way.

How many of you feel this kind of divine unrest? It’s almost as if everything you look at has the beginnings of a movement. The tree branches blowing in the wind can be  either slow and sinuous  or fast and powerful movements. It’s all in the eyes of the dancer and how the tree is talking to her.  Students do this to me all the time. The best combinations I have ever come up with have been the inspiration of dance students who inspire me with their talent!

“One must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star.” -Friedrich Nietzsche

So a choreography state of mind is what keeps the dancer alive and in her element.  I didn’t understand this years ago because I didn’t see movement anywhere I went. I think when a dancer finally embraces her own individuality she can finally see what was hidden from her. It’s almost like being in a magical land that at first appears barren and devoid of life than all of a sudden things appear before you that you never saw before. Maybe the possession creativity has on us just keeps us seeing the magic in life and than we see her rhythm and than we dance to her melody.

“We dance for laughter, we dance for tears, we dance for madness, we dance for fears, we dance for hopes, we dance for screams, we are the dancers, we create the dreams.” -Anonymous

So for now my students crack up laughing at my madness and I keep on tooting my own horn but the best part of all is my students hear me and they don’t mind listening!

For the last 8 years there has been a huge change not just in my dance career but also in my view of the world. There is one man responsible for this and he is my husband Daniel. Now you can only imagine what it’s like to be married to a belly dancer who has occasional outbursts or  rant and raves over the littlest things.  But Daniel watches me sometimes in amusement and other times with a blank look on his face that says, “Not again!”

One thing for sure Daniel is a trouper with a seasoned belly dance husband attitude. I often wonder what our husbands really think of our dancing which includes the drama that goes into each production, performance or dance class. They sit in the audience watching us perform knowing what we have put into our dance and than the first thing out of our mouth after the show is over is, “How did I do?” Now this really is not a fair question and it is pretty much a set up. They know this if they are seasoned and if they are not, they learn very quickly what not to say. Of course we want honesty but than we also want praise mixed in for good measure.  I remember one performance I asked Daniel how did I do and he said, “How do you feel you did?”  We looked at each other, me of course frowning and Daniel with a blurry eyed look because it was midnight.  He told me I danced beautifully as always and had a distraught look on his face pleading with me for us to go because it was so late and his back was hurting. So off we went and I realized as we were walking to our hotel room that there were no complaints from him the whole night. Sometimes we can forget that even for our husbands the dancing can become a blur. And we can also forget how good we have it with them.

Recently  Daniel came back stage after watching  a show I produced with my dear friend Rozana al Jinan and he gave me a big hug and told me what a great job we had done. He almost seemed amazed that we pulled off the show because it was not an easy show to produce.  For the belly dance husband when his wife does a good job it some how  validates  his hard work making sure she stays sane. Sanity leaves at an alarming rate towards the end of most productions. Daniel seems to understand my insane chatter during shows and performances so because of this I am able to focus on whatever I’m doing. Not many husbands  can do this so it takes a special man to be a belly dance husband.

Drama in belly dance is a given and if we don’t  have our sanctuaries at home than the stress of our dance could really take a toll on us. So I am always grateful that Daniel understands this as well. Sometimes I’ve come home on cloud nine and other times I’ve crawled in with a battle weary look on my face. Either way Daniel greets me with a hug and understands. This is the whole point about being a belly dance husband, they understand what we go through.

Since Daniel has put so much of his time into my belly dancing we both agree that it’s about time everyone who comes to the website  read about his viewpoints of belly dancing. So I’m excited that Daniel has agreed to put more of his time into writing to all of you. And if any of you have husbands who need advice Daniel is here to help. As women it is so important to understand that our husbands go  through belly dance stress too. Since Daniel is a seasoned belly dance husband he’s here to help. So look for more articles, advice and tips from my husband and I will be here as well to help all of you with your dancing. So you all have a belly dance team to help you out and I am blessed that my husband is the other half of me.

Through out the year there have been many experiences and lessons that have taken me to places I never expected. There were roads less traveled that caught my attention. Walking down them made me realize that we can’t always learn our lessons from conventional methods. And I also learned that I can say no to a lesson that keeps coming back.

An African Priestess who mentored me years ago told me that we can always say no to the Universe and that our request will be honored. I know what some of you may be thinking; how can I say no especially if it is a lesson that is necessary for my growth? Sometimes in our gut we know when there is a lesson that comes around that just isn’t necessary. Realizing this can release the chains of “society expectations” that we carry around with us on our journey through life.

Our American heritage seemed to be added to the melting pot of the dance world. In many ways our lives are intermingled with each other to the benefit of us all and to our detriment.   This leads me to new insights gained from this year, insights that surprised even me. With each step I took with my yearly path of my dance education I realized that years from now maybe none of this will matter. Because I realized that in the end all that really matters is how I create my dance for myself. Does my dance end with me or will it live long past my dieing breath? Does my mark on the belly dance world even matter?

Is life like a catalogue where we can pick and choose what we want just as long as we intend the right things? This can become so vague because everyone has their own agendas. What is right for one person might not be right for another. How each dancer walks her path to me is a big deal. I usually will look at a dancers portrayal of how she views dance because it is a good indication on how she lives life. And one of my surprises for this year was that just because someone has been in this business for years doesn’t mean that they don’t carry insecurities with them all the way through their journey.

It is as if the insecurity in itself is a precious bundle that she carries along with her to insure that in the end it will all validate why she walked her journey the way she did. Is she “me” as well? Do I carry my insecurities with me only to make sure I intend things just  to validate why I carry them around? I found the answer to be yes and this was the biggest surprise of all!

Walking still further I realized that there will be those who come after me who will hear the whisperings of my name and wonder who I was. So early in the year starting in March I made a solemn vow to myself to bring solutions to various problems that dancers come across on their path. I heard the complaints even from my own mouth and realized that the answers have always been visible and accessible. I just was so busy complaining I couldn’t see the answers that were right in front of me. My surprise was how easy the answers are to see once one is willing to look. Adding to this I noticed there are those who will not look under any circumstances because to see would invalidate their complaints. It is amazing to see that those who complain help the rest of us find the solutions and in doing so we walk our paths with greater ease.

So this is one of the aspects of the melting pot we are all apart of and this is what makes walking the American Silk Road the greatest lesson of all. How we walk says a lot about how we live and how we live says a lot about who we are.

So if you are wondering what lesson it was that kept coming around the corner; well lets just say that I realized my place in my community has a lot to do with how I feel about myself. I paid my dues along time ago and those who were trying to remind me of my place did me a favor. I finally looked down the road I have traveled and realized I have come a long ways. And as the saying goes, “I may not be there yet, but I’m closer than I was yesterday.”

Happy New Year and may your journey on the Silk Road be everything you can imagine and more. As Henry Ford once said “You can’t build a reputation on what you’re going to do,” so make this year count and just do it!

Blessings,

Leyla Najma

Many students/ dancers who write in to me and tell me a little about themselves are doing so because there is a need and desire to connect with someone who understands. And I am here to let all of you who write me know that I do understand.

In the beginning of my belly dance travels I couldn’t find a teacher for at least two years. I traveled working cattle so that meant I lived in remote areas. So I started to buy videos and practice when I had the chance. But like many of you I longed to connect with someone who could show me how to dance and become the belly dancer of my dreams.

After searching for a long time I found a wonderful dancer who took me in and started to teach me the foundation movements. As most beginners I was hungry for every move she taught and I had such enthusiasm that at times she felt a little overwhelmed. My first teacher was not so much a teacher as she was a performer. Her heart was on the stage and after about 4 months of dance class one day she told me she was no longer teaching me. No explanation was given and as my heart dropped I knew this meant I was again in a position where I had to find another dance teacher. My next teacher was a great inspiration but she let me know that she was already an accomplished dancer and that most probably I would not become her caliber for many, many years. This didn’t deter me at all.
What I did find with my second teacher was a disconnect between her and me that made me realize that if I am learning from someone who thinks only of herself than there isn’t much of a relationship. If a teacher doesn’t look out for you than you know you have someone that sees the world that revolves around only them and there is no room for you.

When we get a move or we accomplish a choreography, we want someone there who understands and claps and yells with us. There is no better feeling in the world than to be with people who understand what it takes to belly dance. Sometimes our families can be happy for us but they don’t always understand either.

I remember one time I finally was able to do a group of combinations and there was nobody around except for my horses, goats, geese and chickens. I was actually outside practicing in front of them. As I was yelling and jumping up and down the horses started to run, the chickens and geese ran around me and my goats were kicking up in the air. It was pretty funny and I will always remember that moment.
Another time when I was practicing outside my big draft horses thought it was time to get their heads scratched. So they would come right up to me and stick their big heads in my way. So as I said before our families don’t always understand what we are going through especially if they are the four legged kind.

Standing and looking down our belly dance path can be pretty daunting at times especially if we can’t see the forest for the trees. It can all become a blur and this is why a teacher is so important to most students. She can take those rose colored glasses off and give a student a different way of looking at movement, music and choreography. But like some of you I had to look for the right teacher. In the end I was very lucky because I have studied with amazing and talented dancers/choreographers/teachers through out my travels.

So as I have said before I understand how most of you feel. I have been there and the one thing that I would like for all of you to know is that I do read what you write. Some of you make me smile because I remember similar experiences that you write about. I remember the years without a teacher and this is one thing that I would like to change for anyone who is experiencing this now.

Most of you who are beginners are going through your own rights of passage. We all have done this especially those dancers who have been dancing for years like myself. Know that you are not alone and that as I progress with my 0n-line videos and get them out to each and every one of you, I think of the emails you send me and hope that I can create solutions to some of your problems.

As my favorite saying goes;

“A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle”

The Belly Dance Agenda
The Feminine Symbol

For most dancers walking into a dance studio is refreshing, enlightening and therapeutic. Since women today have so much on their plates, it is important to find something for themselves so they can find their own identity besides the mother, wife, and co-worker identities. In todays society we need to make sure that we keep our sanity.

There are many reasons why women dance and there are even more reasons why women want to express life and its meaning through dance. With the history of dance and what it represents for so many there can be no denying that a woman dancing in ways where she is undulating forward and back like a snake or moving her hips side to side is a powerful feminine symbol.

Is there not a question that is under the breath of each admirer or fellow dancer which is, “Does the dancer know what she represents?” Do we represent that which is most important to us or do we represent what people want to see in our dance. Is it even possible to separate the two since for most performers our job is to entertain the masses and this means being that which is in the eyes of the beholder? This is why belly dancing is so magical for so many, we become the symbol for each and every admirers imagined heroine.

Whether we be the temptress, virtuous dancer or wanton woman there is no other dance that signifies all three together. There can be the chance that we become “idols of perversity” only because women have been misunderstood for so long. And having so many students come to me in class made me aware that even we are not sure how to see ourselves as women.

Isn’t it amazing that we have created such a history that would be nothing without us. And yet if you talk to young women today they don’t know much about women of the past such as Hatshepsut, Empress Theodora, Elizabeth 1 of England just to name a few. And what is heart breaking is much of the records kept on many influential women through out history is incomplete because women were not thought worthy of mention. What of the women of dance who we don’t know because of the times in which they lived.

When we dance at any given time we must look at what happens to our state of being in the moment of each move, step and turn. Learning dance is one thing but than you must take it into you and create your own voice through your movements. This is how each dancer stands out because she voices her dance from how she lives her life which comes through in her movements. Even still perhaps this is why we have been apart of history for so long because women can create a voice that not only is heard but captures the attention of all who are watching her. Today we are noted and we have taken a stand to be appreciated within our time and to be written into history.

This dance itself can be a huge part in your history and how you have lived your life. Look at the women of today who have paved the way for us to be able to learn this ancient dance form. This means look at your teachers and appreciate what they are passing on to you. Remember that this dance is passed down from generation to generation and think of which generation you are apart of. The belly dance symbol includes how each generation treats each other, how we remember our past and what kind of future we are creating for our new generations. The belly dance agenda is the same for all of us. We all must keep the fires burning so that history shows what we really symbolize.

And this symbol is different for every woman so think about what you want to symbolize in this dance and what you stand for. In a way you will be creating your own history that is worth remembering.

My husband Daniel, looked up at me from his desk today and said, “Why don’t you write about dancers performing from who they are instead of performing from who they want to be?” He is always thinking about cool stuff for me to write and this one was a gem! So ladies thank my husband on this one.

Before Daniel suggested this short article I was giving him photographs of myself to copy that were taken years ago. I wanted to show you guys who I am besides Leyla Najma, the belly dancer. One photo is me praying in my medicine dress in the desert around Tombstone, Arizona. The other was me on my Clydesdale mare, Maggie who was doing a curtsy pose. I was dressed in my gypsy outfit riding Maggie for fans who were taking pictures.

These are both still me today but the belly dancer has taken precedence for many years. I often wonder how much the medicine woman comes out it me. I am still a gypsy and always will be……..so where is she in my dancing? A while back I wrote an article talking about “Life is a Stage” and this actually coincides with that article.

When I was studying with medicine men and women years ago, I learned to live each day as a rebirthing. My teepee always faced east because we believe that the sun coming up each day is a rebirth. The doors to the teepees are oval in shape so they make you feel like you are stepping out of a womb. This way each day stands on its own and the day before is in the eternal circle of life that has gone back into the Universe. I remember so clearly that I didn’t look forward to the weekends because each day was celebrated and many times I couldn’t tell what day it was. I was actually on “Indian time.”

I feel this celebration when I am on stage performing. Time stands still and doesn’t exist which in many ways is so liberating. This is where I write my script and keep my life lessons alive in my dance. If I live in the moment, than I can keep the memories alive in my heart with vivid details that never fade.

My days as a cowgirl and living in gypsy wagons, Bedouin tents and covered wagons are treasured memories but there are times when I relive those adrenalin moments especially just before I go on stage.
I remember on one particular road trip I was hauling my horses and following another truck in front that was hauling my gypsy wagon. Little did I know that the road was a two lane highway in the middle of nowhere that was down hill for at least 15 miles. I wasn’t told that the truck I was driving had brake problems.

The side I was driving on also happened to be on the side of the road that had no railing and a drop of over 30 feet. Half way on the downward incline my brakes gave out and all I could do was to shift into grandma gear and pray. I had to actually turn the truck sideways at the end so the momentum of the horse trailer and my truck going down hill would be at a minimum if I couldn’t stop. Burning brakes, smoke and a few curse words ended the white knuckle experience. I traveled every six months plus or minus a month and that was only “one” of me seeing my life pass before my eyes experiences that I had.
The first time I taught and danced in a workshop show……my life passed before my eyes. So as you can see there are a lot of similarities…kind of.

Years ago I was lucky enough to experience a spring and fall round up with one of the last working ranches in the Big Bend part of Texas. I was working with some of the best cowboys around, a dying breed.
On one particular brisk morning during the fall round up, we were taking a large herd of Mexican Steers to another part of the ranch. The cattle were skittish and the horses were nervous. You could feel electricity in the air and you could sense something was about to happen. With no warning the cattle took off in a dead run and we were all caught off guard. Within seconds we were all caught in a stampede.

My mare was keeping up but she was dodging bushes and jumping ravines at a dead run. If she tripped or if I fell off it would have been all she wrote! You could feel the ground shaking and the amount of focus it took to hold the cattle together was mind shattering. There could be no mistakes or the cattle would have scattered apart and it would have taken hours to get them back together. Fortunately the lead cowboys were able to get in front of the herd and we finally slowed them down keeping them all together. It ended just as quickly as it had begun. The adrenalin rush was coursing through my veins and my horse was shaking from head to hooves from her dead run. We all just looked at each other realizing at that moment that we experienced something that happens maybe once in a life time.

Is this not the feeling we feel just after a great performance. We know when we are on stage all eyes are upon us and that our timing has to be perfect with no mistakes. Our hearts beat at an uncontrollable rate and afterwards we stand in amazement that we’re apart of something that was incredible.
So……yes I guess I do bring in all of me when I dance. My script includes all my experiences but than I like to create a different persona now and than just to mix it all up. That’s a woman for you…….we stir the pot for no other reason than just because we can. And you know something…..I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Lights, camera, and oh yeah…….for a minute I forgot where I was. Isn’t it amazing what a stage can do to you? I mean for most of us who have been dancing for years, we have had the pleasure and displeasure of dancing on a variety of dance floors in odd spaces. I’ve danced on grass, tables (don’t recommend them) chairs (definitely don’t recommend them) gooey floors (don’t ask)and brick patios with little pebbles (my toes wouldn’t speak to me for weeks). Carpet is great for carpet burn and sloping hills can really challenge your sense of equilibrium!!

Once we find ourselves on a “real” stage we have a sense of making it.

So imagine with me a black stage shaped like a diamond with white tape to show the diamond design with seats positioned at an angle on either side. Sounds pretty amazing and to tell you the truth it was………………
Veils floating in the air in a sunset orange and yellow filled the stage as my friend Rozana al Jinan and her students danced with rhythmic grace and elegance. As the rush of bodies came back into the dressing room a laughing Rozana said “Watch your point of reference because you might get lost.”

“Oh no, another stage to contend with,” I thought to myself. So off I went walking to my place on the stage where I was to start. The Music started and so good so far that was until I started to do a head spin….uh oh….where’s the front from the back? Once I stopped I was facing the back wall and not the audience.

Thank God for spontaneous choreography and the fact that I am an old veteran of the occasional blooper. This is what makes dance so enticing for us because it has to do with the moment and life doesn’t always tell us what’s around the corner or how we’ll end up after we spin. As in life a stage can become something you never expected.

What is it that we want people to see and remember when we are on stage versus how we are in everyday life? Do we become a wonderwoman by performing and the average woman by day? As a dancer of many years I often wonder what happens to us when we believe too much in our wonderwoman persona. I have seen dancers forget that they are just “people”. It’s almost as if the stage seduces the senses and after a while of embracing the intoxicating allure of the lights, sound and applause dancers become the Hyde version of their Jekyll personas. Is the stage our friend I ask you? Sometimes I wonder because I have witnessed men and women lose their humility at the first sight of a stage. It’s almost as if the only way they can prove their worth is by the stage.

So is the stage a “fix” for some dancers? What our dance means to us is expressed through our performances which just happens to be on stages. But how we express our dance when we aren’t on stage is just as important, probably more so than ever. The stage is not my escape from reality but a way that I can express the reality in which I live. So the diamond stage didn’t really work out like I thought it would but sometimes life doesn’t either. The difference is that my life isn’t defined by the stage but defined by what I do on and off the stage.

Maybe life is really one, gigantic stage and everywhere we go we perform our lives. I like this because than life becomes my “fix” and it’s allure is having those around me that I love. So life for me is one big stage and whether I’m on a black stage shaped like a diamond or sitting in my living room, I know who I am…….sometimes but than each day is a new script and turning the page is the best part.

Our dance is changing and there’s nothing we can do about it. Whether it changes the way you like it or not we have to go with the flow and change with it. Sometimes when I see the changes I want to scream and yell, “What was wrong with the old ways”? But there are new dancers who bring with them a new sense of style and a new modern vision of how they want belly dance to be. I like this but because I am an old fart in this dance, well I would of liked them to ask me first!

Yeah, right but there’s a part of me that wishes the changes in our dance were more subtle. I think when you put in so many years training to be your best it is disconcerting when a dancer who has been dancing only a fraction of your years makes it big and brings with her “change”. Sometimes I feel like where the Hell have I been all these years and was my head in the sand for too long? I remember I asked a belly dance magazine editor about what it takes to be on the cover of her magazine. She told me you have to make a difference in your community and have enough years of experience under your belt. So I’ve been dancing for over 24 years now and have done charity events, benefits, put on benefits etc. I was wondering is this not enough? The next cover of her magazine that I saw kind of blew me away because she had a dancer on the cover who had been dancing fraction of the years than most of my contemporaries. Oh alright……..maybe I was a little jealous but I was also a bit perturbed. Maybe there are many dancers………let me rephrase this there are many dancers like me out there who have worked in their communities for years and aren’t recognized for their contributions. Don’t feel too sorry for me because “The Chronicles” belly dance magazine has put my photo on their cover twice. And Jareeda even put me on their back page.
Down the line when you been dancing as long as I have there comes a point in time when you say, “Have I made it”? I don’t know and to tell you the truth I may never know because my dance is a work in progress. But it finally donned on me that I have to make the changes I want to see. So does getting on the cover of a belly dance magazine make a difference……..you bet it does! It doesn’t mean you have arrived, it means that you are appreciated. There’s no belly dance law that says if you have been dancing less years and are the end all in belly dance that you can’t be on a cover of a magazine. It’s just there are so many dancers who are hidden for one reason or another but who are their communities power houses. But I am wondering with this new renaissance of today if the new dancers want older dancers like myself out of the way? Sometimes I don’t see the same appreciation that I gave my former teachers in some of my new students of today. I would never of thought of being late or not showing up at all with no phone call. As a matter of fact I had one student who had family issues that she would talk to me about. A few months later she was at a show that I was dancing at and she was talking during my performance. I put my finger to my mouth and insinuated for her to be quiet but I did it with a smile on my face. Also after the show I was teasing her about not returning my phone calls (which she didn’t) but I did it in a humorous fashion. The next day I got a phone call with her yelling at me. I thought it was funny myself and told her it was her issue and that I was putting it back on her lap. She’s gone now but I wonder if this is the new renaissance happening today? I just recently had another student not show up for class or return phone calls. Is this also the new Renaissance? The issues with the students in the past 5 years has been the same just different faces. What is our future in belly dance if some of the dancers and students of today have no etiquette? From where I stand it doesn’t look good but than this is why I am still here. And this is why I don’t just linger in my dance anymore, I am making a way into a new Renaissance of my choosing. I stand for what I feel is important in dance. And my job is to make sure that each student that I am coaching understands her dance. It’s obvious that sometimes I hit home runs and other times I strike out with my students. But in the end because I am apart of this new renaissance than I’m going to make sure that dancers remember the old ways as they create their own unique path. And instead of my (you know what) up in the air I’ve got my head out of the sand. New Renaissance here I come!