The Heart of Selena

Where do I begin, it’s like this past weekend was a blur; my life passing before my eyes. Life as a belly dancer is really amazing because each workshop presents new adventures, friendships and opportunities. It’s almost like dance is a flower that opens up unfolding her pedals, fragrance and beauty with each of us. The more experiences we have, the more layers are shared becoming visible for the first time. Imagine being with Isis in all her glory and women becoming empowered in their own femininity meaning to remember ourselves and to know what it’s like to be in the company of women! Workshops help us remember what it was like to be amongst our own gender and relish within the synergy we create by only being together; this is unique and rare now, it is called magic.

The Goddess herself was apart of our celebration this my daughter and I experienced on the way to Floralia by way of 70 mile hour gusts of wind while driving there!! The Goddess came riding on Mother Natures winds so she could be apart of Floralia. She made her presence known! Such is the life of a belly dancer and why as dancers we can live no other life.

The weekend started off with the film “Belly” a documentary about belly dancing and being women in an ancient art form. It’s about recovery from illness and reclaiming your own individuality in dance while living in a modern world. I loved the film and highly recommend everyone watch it! The producers are a husband and belly dance wife team, Cecilia and Chad Rinn. On Friday we were able to dance to live music by James Yousif. I have not danced to live music for awhile and I have to tell you that there is nothing like an accomplished musician who knows how to play for dancers. That evening James played for his wife Nadia and I must say her grace to his melody was like seeing the Yin and Yang of belly dance. My surprise of the weekend was being in the company of Helena Vlahos who blew me away not only with her dancing but with her vast knowledge of our dance form. She has the grace, beauty and presence of Isis herself!

Friday, Saturday and Sunday classes were full of dancers bustling around the dance floor learning choreographies and movement and props. There was another evening show on Saturday and it was full of dancers from all walks of life performing one right after another either doing solos or troupe performances. My student Mariposa Azul did her dance début and I was so proud of her. She worked for months on a choreography I created just for her and she shined like the star I knew she was.

Belly dance made a statement that night, she said she is here to stay and she is alive and well in every dancer who graces the dance floors and stages with their artistry and talent. Every step, turn, hip movement tells the story of how old our dance form is. It’s wonderful to see how each dancer individually reminds us that dance is about our life stories and who we are as women, mothers, daughters, wives, sisters and aunts.

In saying all of this I cannot forget to mention the one woman who made it all possible and she is Selena Kareena. To have a vision and desire for something is one thing but to make it into a reality and share it with others is another. This just means one thing, only a Goddess could have made this happen. There was a presence to Floralia from the start and this presence was the heart of Selena. Her heart has no boundaries, conditions, limitations; she loves just for the sake of loving. She is a rare find in a friend and one I will always treasure! So from my heart to yours Selena, thank you so much for inviting me to your vision of the divine!