Anniversary, Dance Show, a Light at the End of the Tunnel

[dawn_felagund]

I was so busy this week with graduation that I didn't get to post about last weekend. Friday was Bobby's and my seventeenth anniversary. (We celebrate in years together, not in years married; I was fourteen and he'd just turned fifteen when we started dating

Comments

[tarion_anarore]

Huzzah! Seventeen years is quite an accomplishment!

The Saturday afternoon show, they reacted a little more warmly while we were performing, which always makes it easier.

This is interesting, because I never had any awareness of the audience back in the days of musical performance. It could be ten people or a thousand, I couldn't have told you what was going on!

As it stands now, I could finish my papers a week before they're due and start my summer a week early.

Yes, but will you? ;)

[dawn_felagund]

This performance was different even from my skating shows in terms of my awareness of the audience. Since we were on a stage, and there are only three of us so we were always at the front of the stage, then I could see the first few rows pretty clearly: lots of people with their hands in their laps and silence. I was never aware of the audience when I was skating, but we were all aware at this performance.

Of course, we were all also hyper-cognizant of how we would be perceived, this being our first year at this studio and in this show. Lots of people have either never seen bellydance before or have weird ideas over what it is. When we danced at the rehearsal, quite a few dancers stayed back to watch us and cheered throughout our performance, but being dancers, they were curious about this new style of dance going on at the studio. That made the first show's audience seem all the more lifeless.

Yes, but will you? ;)

Lol! I'm going to try! The idea of an extra week off is pretty motivating at this point. :D

[tarion_anarore]

I guess that makes sense! I could still see myself going, "Hey, look, people in the front row... Wait, what am I doing? Where am I? I don't remember what set/measure/step/note I'm on...Crap." ;) But then, all of my performances have seen me fully clothed! I'm sure I'd be much more aware* of how I looked if I were dancing.

*Maybe not, as it would probably mean I had consumed more than one alcoholic beverage.

I suppose in the audience's defence, maybe they weren't sure how to react during a bellydancing performance. Do we be quiet and serious like a ballet recital? Do we clap along? Is my wife going to be annoyed with how interesting I find this? ;)

The idea of an extra week off is pretty motivating at this point. :D

Fingers crossed! I'm a master procrastinator, so sending good work-ethic vibes!

[dawn_felagund]

Our feeling was that they didn't know how to respond. It was the first year for bellydancing in the show. It's not something that a lot of people have seen, or people have a mistaken idea of what it is. At the second show, my teacher and another bellydancer were in the audience, so they got the clapping and cheering going a little bit.

I'm a master procrastinator, so sending good work-ethic vibes!

Thanks! To add to the likelihood that I'll make my goal, I checked my syllabus and discovered that the paper has to be half of what I thought it had to be. \0/ So if I get the ten pages written I wanted? It's done!! \0/ \0/ \0/

[spiced_wine]

You look absolutely stunning! I would love to have seen a video of you!

I did bellydancing some years ago, but couldn't afford the classes on a regular basis when they stopped being free. Now that they are free for me again (at the moment) I would like to do it again, as I loved it. And it was also good for my IBS and menstrual cramps.

I still practice at home every week or so, mainly because it genuinely has a positive effect on my IBS. I went to a couple of weekend workshops which were the most fun I've ever had with other people, and the teacher also gave us 'history' talks on the origin of bellydancing, which was very interesting, then had us dress one another up.

I didn't know any of the women, and I am incredibly shy, but I loved the whole experience. I did end up getting a teaching DVD so at least I could practice while watching.

Anyhow, never mind that; you look superb! And I bet your routine was wonderful!

[dawn_felagund]

My teacher ordered the DVD of the show made by the studio and is going to make copies for all of us. If I can pull out my dance from the rest using my rudimentary video-editing skillz, then I will definitely post a video! :)

I have only been bellydancing since last September, but I have loved it so far. I have loved the camaraderie with my dance buddies and the community's genuine celebration of diversity, whether size, shape, age, or ethnicity. We even have some local dancers who are men. Extreme introvert that I am, my work takes most of my energy for socializing, but I look forward to going to classes because my dance friends are That Cool. :D We laugh ourselves silly more often than not! One of them is also a special-ed teacher and the other is also a writer, and we all love books and nerdy things, so it's like a trio made in heaven. :)

I had no idea that you danced too! That is really cool. I hope you can get back into regular classes. The social aspect of it really is great.

[spiced_wine]

If I can pull out my dance from the rest using my rudimentary video-editing skillz, then I will definitely post a video! :)

Oh, I hope you can. I could watch bellydancing for ages. I find it so fascinating and beautiful.

I have loved the camaraderie with my dance buddies and the community's genuine celebration of diversity, whether size, shape, age, or ethnicity

I loved that too; it was genuinely empowering, as well as being so much fun. I have seen videos of male bellydancers. Some-one on my f-list posted one last year; lovely man too, with very long hair.

I had no idea that you danced too!

Not in a group unfortunately, but I still have the coin scarf to tie round my hips. It's just a lot more fun when you're in a group, and of course you have the teachers rather than a dvd.

[ellynn_ithilwen]

Happy anniversary! :)

[dawn_felagund]

Thank you! :)

[rhapsody11]

wtf? three people threatened bitchy teacher? Makes one wonder what she actually thinks of belly dancing.

Too many of these were tearing around the room and constantly thundering up and down the steps I was sitting on.

Yeah, the tension. As an adult you have learnt to internalise it, but for them it is hopping around. I bet that even as a child you'd be moving something while you anxiously awaited your stage time :)

And happy 17th! We're close to 19. :)

[dawn_felagund]

Makes one wonder what she actually thinks of belly dancing.

I wondered about that. I don't know that I can make that accusation at this point ... she didn't seem to like or be happy about anything. One of those people whose natural face looks like she swallowed a lemon! The thing is, I could relate to what she was saying; the adult room was too small for 13 dancers (especially on a hot day without AC!) and, apparently, some of the kids had been in and out earlier. I'm sure she was stressed and frustrated, but there is a way to handle things, and how she did it? Not it! :)

Yeah, the tension. As an adult you have learnt to internalise it, but for them it is hopping around. I bet that even as a child you'd be moving something while you anxiously awaited your stage time :)I don't know. When I was skating, the kids' groups were specifically told to bring activities and were not allowed to tear around. I'm not talking hopping around; I'm talking running full speed from one side of the room to the other, up the stairs (the room was a

[rhapsody11]

Oh know what kind of running you do mean here, I have a 7 year old who likes to do that to dull his sense and stimuli around him. The downside is that he's growing tall and his arms hit stuff quite frequently.

Two hours backstage is way too long for kids, imho. 15 min is even too long. I think the expected too much from them. It is just asking for trouble.

As for missss Bitchy: well your county is conservative, so yeah :) Three very exotic and good looking ladies might have been that straw that broke the camel's back, s to speak. But still very unprofessional.

Oh and I'll try to pop up on your tumblr feed once a while ;c)

[dreamflower02]

Y'all look so cute!

I was first exposed to bellydancing in the SCA; I didn't think I was very good at it, and preferred the Renaissance dances so I didn't keep it up, but our founding baroness, Mistress I. had her Laurel in dance, and I could watch her doing Middle-eastern dance for ages at a time! It's very beautiful and almost hypnotic to watch!

[dawn_felagund]

Thank you! It is mesmerizing and fun to watch a really great dancer. A member of our local barony is also very active and a teacher in the bellydance community--good friends with my teacher, actually! :)