the
HAPPENINGS by mecda
march 2011
issue no. 3
Welcome to the March edition of the mecda Happenings
mecda news • events • articles • stories • poetry • imagery
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Blume Bauer editor in chief/ design coordinator contributors our very own mystery gypsy, shuvani author/poet, jacqui lalita author/ travel afficionado, kat hosler dancer, dawn devine instructor, jennifer michelle author, shuvanic, the mystery gypsy photography, richard lowe photography, pixie vision
this issue’s theme is spring green!
Have a fun Spring editorial inquiries, happeings@mecda.org advertising inquiries, president@mecda.org membership/subscription, membership@mecda.org general inquiries, president@mecda.org published by mecda middle eastern culture and dance associationa 2 | MECDA
the
HAPPENINGS February 2011 11
kat’s morocco
8
moments alive
features on the cover
8 moments alive a poem by jacqui lalita 11 kat’s morocco a story from morocco by kat hasler 15 body image by jennifer michelle
nasila www.laraqs.com/nasila 3 | MECDA
21 it’s in the bag by dawn devine
contents
21
it’s in the bag
15
body image
in every issue
5 letter from the editor a note from blume bauer 9 ask shuvani advice from our mystery gypsy 13 belly wares must haves for belly dancers 33 member resources announcements & info for members 4 | MECDA
letter from the editor March
is a month for renewal, rebirth, and spring cleaning. I hope that you are holding on to your goals that you set at the beginning of the year and are pursuing new ideas as they come along. Spring really is a month to reflect on what is important, what should be kept and nurtured, and what can be pursued at another time. March is also the month for belly dance events to crop up all over the country and the world! There are so many great new events happening this year and our same favorites on the horizon. Make sure to start planning and saving for the trips that you just can’t miss. Check out our MECDA Website Calendar for a comprehensive listing of events occuring all over the globe. Lastly, March is a month for renewing the Earth. When going to your favorite workshops, festivals, and classes, please remember to think of our fragile environment. Use reusable bottles for water rather than waste plastic. Carpool in as many situations as possible by posting on event pages looking for carpool mates. Bring cloth sacks for impromptu purchases and forego the plastic “vendor� bag. With all the belly dancers in the world, we can make a HUGE difference. Happy Spring! ~Blume Bauer www.blumebauer.com
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moments alive Curl by curl she enters wearing the dawn on her face smiling as she slides across the room into your heart, and you know how it is when someone sneaks in there Her spirit walks through walls and sometimes, through the fine armor of the human heart Finger by tiny finger she dances unwrapping seven veils to reveal a windy curving road to Eden, the way home lit with a single smile. She soars into the room with blessings the floor brightens, walls awaken stones yearn to leap through windows to spin into non-existence at her side When she comes to kiss you be ready to sit erect and receive Her lessons are greater than the day’s chores Her moments most alive. When she comes to you curl by curl wearing the dawn on her face, spark that warrior candle you’ve been waiting to burn and stay awake with her Don’t sleep tonight.
~ Jacqui Lalita danceofthedivine.org 8 | MECDA
ask shuvani question:
Belly dancing looks so simple and easy, why would anybody want to spend their time fritzing around in a sparkly costume and getting dollars in their belts?
answer:
Well, my dear, you try playing finger cymbals and dancing at the same time for a few minutes someday and see how you do. Then add a veil dance and see how much effort it takes to control a few ounces of chiffon for a lyrical dance. Actually balance a sword, cane, tray, basket and/or shamadan on your head and see how far you get just moving along the floor, let alone going down on one knee or doing floow work. Put yourself in a belly dance costume, in public, and see if you feel as confident and beautiful as you wish to. Belly dance is a stellar combination of physical athletics, musical interpretation, musical accompaniment, props mastery, stage presence and audience accessibility. The good ones make it look so easy, Shuvani must tolerate dumb questions like yours all the time.
question:
I am 60 years old. Is that too late to start dancing?
answer:
It is never too late to begin dancing! Even ladies with some level of physical limitation practice belly dancing and enjoy every minute. Even though the stereotypical image is that of a young, blonde, thin girl, the reality is that outside of the restaurant venues, there are belly dancers of every
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body type and age enjoying classes, recitals, socializing, adventure and yes, even earning money in belly dancing—perhaps as a vendor, writer, stage manager or teacher’s aid, if not a performer—and there are plenty of those out there too. Remember, you’re only young once but you can be immature forever! Belly dance brings out the playful child.
question:
Aren’t belly dancers a bunch of oversexed nymphomaniacs dancing half naked all the time?
answer:
A dancer did a study once and found that the ratio of sexually abused women was somewhat high in the belly-dancing world. When young children are abused, they come to see themselves as sexual objects rather than human beings. Many of these women suffer from defensive weight gain, become prostitutes or strippers, or manifest other forms of acting out their early painful traumas. Belly dancing is the most beautiful healing way of coming to accept our bodies, dance with them, enjoy the nourishment of other women, and overcome much of this early horrible imprinting in a safe environment
send your question to shuvani at mysterygypsy@cox.net
kats morocco
A snowstorm of historic proportions,
had closed New York to all incoming and outgoing flights, including my flight from Los Angeles to Morocco, via JFK. After spending Friday night on the floor of the Atlanta airport and running around to the various terminals begging to get on a flight to New York, luck was with me and I was soon on my way to LGA. I might just make my Saturday connection to Morocco! I did have a passing thought about where my luggage would end up since I was confirmed to JFK for Monday, but like a wise old man told me once, either it will or it won’t. Either my luggage is with me or it is not and I’ll deal with it later. I had never been to LGA but heard it was relatively easy to get to JFK from there. I was making good time as I got off the plane and was actually going to make my connecting flight to Morocco! I had planned to arrive for my tour a day early so I had time to recover from the long flight over. I had lost a day with the snowstorm, but at least I would meet up with my tour, so I was happy about that. Just as I walked through the LGA baggage claim toward 11 | MECDA
the cab stand, low and behold, what should be sitting right out there where I nearly tripped over it, but my beautiful leopard print suitcase! I guess this AI stuff is more advanced than I thought, since my bag was savvy enough to get an earlier flight to LGA in order to meet me at baggage claim! So with all my bits and pieces in hand, I trudge out into the deep snow with my sandals, gauze skirt, tank and light jacket. Good thing I love cold weather and I wasn’t going to be in it for long dressed like I thought I was in, well, I don’t know…Morocco? I managed to pal up with a couple of other people so we shared the cab ride to JFK. I arrived with the required two hours lead time to make my flight to Morocco. I can not believe my good fortune! Elation over my success was to be short lived. While I couldn’t fly into New York, no one could fly out either. All the passengers that didn’t fly out to Morocco Friday, pretty much filled the plane Saturday and all remaining seats had already been assigned. Rats, stuck again! I heard the Friday
flight (my original flight) sat loaded and on the runway for thirteen hours before the runway was officially closed and there was an available terminal where they came back to deplane. I am very happy to have missed that flight! Another of those silver linings I referenced in my previous article! This time the airline put us up in a hotel. I immediately found the local pizza delivery and got myself an authentic New York “pie”. I ordered a couple of Newcastle’s from the bar and had a terrific evening before crashing for the night. Life was good and I was POOPED! As I woke up Sunday morning, I came to the realization I was going to have to do some research before arriving in Morocco. My tour group would be leaving Casa early Monday morning for Fes, before I made it in country and I had to figure out how to catch up with them. I had befriended a couple the day before who were in the same predicament with their tour group, so we would work this thing out together. Many of us who were stranded by circumstances, formed brief friendships to help get through the twenty four hours until we were on our way. I’d been on trips before where passengers had to catch up to the tour and they made it, so it couldn’t be that tough. I was questioning how conservative I’d actually been about my packing. Hauling a fifty pound roll around suitcase and a thirty pound hand carry bag is a bit unwieldy when you don’t know the conditions you will be facing. I had brought along a few country guide books and found there was a train system that ran to Fes from Casa, great, no problem. I’ll figure out how to get money to pay for it when I get there. Morocco has very strict regulations concerning their currency and it is not allowed out of country. With few exceptions, you can not get their local currency, Dirhams (MAD), until you get into country. When exchanging USD, all bills must be in good condition with no tears, missing corners or graffiti or they are not accepted. There are ATM type machines to get cash and during business hours, there is a currency exchange in the airport train station.
better by the fact I had a chance to rest before this leg of my journey. We landed and I waited for my bags. The other passengers I had been with managed to make contact with their tour groups and made arrangements to meet up with them. I had advised my tour group of my circumstances and said I would meet them at the hotel in Fes. I was looking forward to the challenge I had set for myself. Could I successfully manage to navigate through a country I was unfamiliar with and where I did not speak the language? The terminal was small, but clean and easy to navigate. Once I passed through the baggage claim doors though, it was a different story! As I recall the morning arrival now, things are kind of a blur. There was so much activity, strange languages, surroundings and faces. I was stoked with excitement, I had made it! I easily found the currency exchange and immediately exchanged USD for MAD to get me around the country. The exchange rate at the time was about 1 USD to .0822 Morocco Dirham (MAD). There are many men standing around offering “assistance”. For 50 MAD, I hired myself an assistant. He spoke enough English and I understood enough through expressions, for us to communicate. He immediately took my bag and led me down this long flight of stairs toward the train ticket window and platform. I was glad he took my bags. I hadn’t been as conservative in my packing as I thought. After two days of dragging my bags around through airports, snow and cabs, it was becoming tiresome. I will have to work much harder on my ultimate goal; to travel with a small hygiene and make-up bag and a pair of underwear.
The flight into Morocco was uneventful and made 12 | MECDA
belly wares
must haves for every belly dancer
green assymetrical costume by Dancing Rahana
green appliques by Angel Trim
peacock bra by Sajeela Design
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green tribal dance pants by Belly Queen
green afghani ring by Ali Baba
“of belly dancers & star gazers� by Ron Perovich
fuse magazine
green feather & silver bobby pin by I Am Joolienn 14 | MECDA
body image
by Jennifer Michelle, www.poleskivvies.com
I first saw belly dancing – authentic, Egyptian, Cabaret-style (although I didn’t know that then) – when I was nineteen. I was at a Renaissance Festival and they were having Middle Eastern Weekend, which brought in dozens of the region’s top belly dancers to perform, including Cassandra, whom I was to study under for over a decade. It’s hard to explain the impact this dance had on me. Maybe on all of us. Yes, it was beautiful, but, more than that, it was womanly. There was such presence to these dancers, as if they put their womanliness right up front for all to see. It wasn’t femininity, and it was too empowered for any conventional notion of sexiness. These were women who knew what their bodies could do, and who knew the impact their slightest movement could have on people. I was entranced, and oh-so-envious. I wanted so much to be one of them. On stage, with an audience paying rapt attention, admiring every nuance of motion. Beautiful, glamorous, strong, and so very, very precise and graceful. That just amazed me – I felt like such a klutz then. If you’d asked me to cross the room, I’d have fallen over. How could I ever become one of this elite cadre of women who moved their bodies in such an exotic, sensual way? I couldn’t resist – I signed up for a class. I was so painfully shy, just the warm up exercises made me blush (good girls don’t move their rib cages like that!). I was absolutely not coordinated. And I had no hips! How could I ever belly dance if I had no hips?
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Worse, I learned that to make the dance a true artistic expression, I had to really start to feel it in my hips – not just move them. In doing so, I could feel old hurts that had long-ago been buried finally getting release through the dance. I started feeling the difference in my body. In how I felt when I moved. I became less frightened to show what I was feeling to the audience – after all, I’d already danced the pain out. Underneath it all, I found what was truly me. A me I didn’t get to reveal any other place in my life. A me that was passionate and confident. And gloriously, wonderfully beautiful.
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it's in the bag
by dawn devine, www.devina.us
One of the ways that time management professionals recommend reducing stress is to build activity kits that are complete and ready to go when you have the time. For a student of dance, that means keeping a bag packed and ready with class essentials. Below is a checklist of items that many dancers feel are essentials. While you may not need every item on this list for your dance practice, consider including these items in your kit. Zills – an extra set in a smaller size and gauge for quieter zilling during your classes will help keep noise levels down in large groups. Keeping a louder or professional-grade pair in your performance bag means you never accidentally leave your only pair in one place. Veil(s) – Classes can be murder on veils. It can be handy to keep a couple of older, well-loved veils in your class bag for those sudden veil intensives. A half-circle, poly-chiffon rectangle and silk rectangle are good basics to have packed at all times. Practice Shoes – While some dance instructors encourage bare-foot dancing, it’s nice to keep a pair of practice shoes in your class bag to protect the bottoms of your feet from stray beads and other debris. If you perform regularly in heels – your practice shoes should be heels. Practice Skirt – For some styles of dance, a skirt is essential. Head Wrap – Keep your hair (and sweat) out of your eyes during lessons with a fun and festive head-wrap. 2 Hip Wrap – Although you probably only have one
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pair of hips, it’s nice to have two hip wraps, one silent and one jingly, to have available for classes. Some instructors do not like jingly hip wraps in a class setting, while others encourage jingles because it helps them evaluate your movement. Having both means always being prepared! Notebook and Pencil – Need to write down that bit of choreography? Making a note about a concept, event, or even contact information for fellow students is easy if you have a notebook and a pen or pencil. Business Cards – When I’m away at workshops, I like to have a stack of business cards with me to share my contact info with new friends. Bottle of Water and Snacks – Stay hydrated and keep your energy from flagging with beverages and snacks for before and after class. Always have a bottle of water available during class and drink when you need to keep your body in tip-top condition. Mini First-aid kit – For bisters, cuts and scrapes, a mini first-aid kit stocked with bandaids, ointments and painkillers will help you care of your favorite instrument – your body! Clean-Up Kit – While some would call this over-kill, I’ve found havin a miniature set of body-care products to be handy. I small makeup bag stocked with deodorant, toothbrush and paste, breath mints, perfume, wet-wipes and other products you find essential for that quick after-class clean-up. Small Towel – If you find that you have gone beyond glowing a small hand towel will help mop up!
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CENTRAL COAST MECDA Dance Festival Sunday March 27, 2011 Anacapa Middle School 100 South Mills Rd. Ventura, CA Open to the Public- Continuous Music & Dancing 窶天endors Entrance Donation $7.00* This annual fund r aiser by t he C entral Coast Chapter o f MECDA is proud to donate funds this year t o the Central Asia I nstitute (CAI) to h elp provide educational and health c are opportunities t o women and girls of s everal Asian countries. More info available. Vendor set up at 10:00am. Dancing from 11:45am to 5:4 5pm. Video sign up at the door. Vendors contact Jorjana jorjanasglitterworld@hotmail.com 805-498-5274
Performers contact Janet belladonza@verizon.net 805-985-1217
General information and volunteer information contact Janet belladonza@verizon.net 805-985-1217 Volunteers are guaranteed a dance time.
member resources
mecda events • member news • announcements • help wanted • contacts • calendar
mecda events
announcements
Cairo Caravan 2011 June 3rd to 5th, Long Beach, CA 3 Days, 3 Floors, so many surprises under one roof! Charity events: braVo! & Shimmython Workshops Galore! Evening shows, vendors, and free lectures. See you there!
MECDA Chapter Officers, send in your announcements for meetings, fundraisers, and general notices to happenings@mecda.org
Workshops with Ariellah, Anaheed, Ansuya, DeVilla, Frank Farinaro, Kajira Djoumahna, Paulina, Raquy Danziger, and more! March Madness presented by IE MECDA March 6th, 2011 - see calendar for more details. May 1st, Festival of Dancing Colors presented by Inland Empire MECDA See calendar for more details. July 24th, Fundraiser & Luau presented by IE MECDA - see calendar for more details. October 22nd, Masquerade Ball presented by IE MECDA See calendar for more details November 12th, Anniversary Party presented by IE MECDA See calendar for more details.
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help wanted @ mecda Lectures Coordinator at Cairo Caravan Would you love to work at Cairo Caravan in a larger capacity? Are you organized? Do you love to meet people? Join our Cairo Caravan team! We are looking for someone to manage the Lectures throughout the weekend at Cairo Caravan. This is a volunteer position with perks during the festival. Interested? Please email president@mecda. org. Press Relations for Cairo Caravan We are looking for a team of enthusiastic, and energetic volunteers to help us spread the word about Cairo Caravan all over the world! If you are interested, we would love to hear from you. Email us at president@mecda.org. Ethics Committee Chair, Central Board Are you interested in the future of MECDA? We are looking for someone who is organized and a self starter to chair the Ethics Committee for MECDA. We have bylaws that are out of date and need to be re-written. We also need to write new documents for our current goals and path. If you are good at getting a team to work together, get out information to them, and able to attend meetings via teleconference (on Skype), please contact the President, Blume Bauer, at president@mecda.org.
advertising Advertise with MECDA! The Happenings is dristributed to over 400 members each month across the country. Rates: Full Page Ad: $40 Members/ $60 non-members Half Page Ad: $30 Members/ $50 non-members Dimensions: Full Page: 8.5” x 11” Half Page: 8.5” x 5.5” OR 4.25” x 11” Calendar Submissions Chapter Events - complimentary Member Postings - up to 5 events, complimentary (after 5 events, $5 per event) Non-member Postings - $10 per event
mecda contacts
President: Blume Bauer, president@mecda.org Vice President: Lia Kamminga, vicepresident@mecda.org Secretary, secretary@mecda.org Treasurer, Donna Lindbloom, treasurer@mecda.org Membership, Raven Sumner, membership@mecda.org Happenings, Blume Bauer, happenings@mecda.org Website Admin, webmaster@mecda.org Cairo Caravan Vendor Coordinator, Amy Harway, ccvendors@mecda.org Cairo Caravan Performance Coordiantor, Julia Lopez, ccperformers@mecda.org Cairo Caravan Volunteer Coordinator, Trish Wilson, volunteers@mecda.org
click on the calendar to view events, workshops, and showcases across the world! 28 | MECDA
middle eastern culture and dance association
www.mecda.org