"Are You Arabic?"

Note: this is cross posted from an old blog dated 07/18/05. I was a bit apprehensive to post this at first, 'cause I'm strutting like rooster 'cause I got some compliments. And I hate for anyone to read this, think I'm awesome, then see me in person and be like, "WTF?" But, I don't have time to write anything witty and entertaining, so you're just going to have to deal with a two year old post with me bragging to myself.

Now playing: everything Bellydance
Mood: Like an Egyptian

I had a great time at the Sahara workshop this weekend. I was pleasantly surprised when we got the "Tour of Egypt" on folkloric and authentic dances. Sahara is a dance ethnologist (sp) and has been studying, working, living, etc. in Egypt on and off for the past 10-15 yrs. We all got Egypt maps and followed along as we learned about the people and dances of different regions in Egypt including Hagalla, Fellahin, Fisherman along the Suez (can't remember the proper name), Melaya Luff, Shammadan and Zeffa, Saidii, Ghawazee, and Nubian. Apparently, the flyer had said she would teach a tabla, so we had to stop in the middle and learn a drum =(

I was set to go 3rd from the end in the show (which is a big deal). I was all ready to go on and the music started playing the wrong song! I went over the the sound guy trying to figure out what was wrong. I must have burned the wrong CD. I didn't recognize the music but had my backup copy in the room. So, Haleema graciously went on early while I ran down to get it. I pulled the case out of my bag, opened it and it was empty. My heart sank, because I was really looking forward to dancing that number. Backstage again and Audrey said she would have the sound guy flip through the tracks until I recognized something and I could 'ad lib' so to speak. So she went out to announce me again. The sound guy hit play on the first track, and that was it! Apparently, I burned the right CD but the tracks were shuffled. WHEW! By then I was really embarrassed for being the dancer who screwed up her music (we all have heard the horror stories and been coached on making sure you have the right music, it works, etc.)

So now I am dancing 2nd to last. Out I went to puzzled/blank stares, grinning like an idiot. I was so wound up by then that my lip was twitching from the stress of smiling. I forgot a section but faked it, but pretty much everything went off without a hitch after that. Once finished I made my way to the back of the audience to watch Shiara close the show. Jen came up to me and I told her what happened to the music. She said, "Well, you need to talk to Sahara and see what she said about you. I'm not going to tell you." She was smiling but I wasn't sure I wanted to know. When the show was over, I went and thanked Haleema for going in my spot while I was running around looking for music and tried my best to avoid Sahara. Amira H. wanted a pic of Jen and me in costume. So we went up to the stage area where Sahara was also for pics. She walked right up to me and asked, "Are you Arabic?" I was almost dumbfounded. I told her no, that I was "American Mut". She said I dance Arabic and wanted to know where I studied. I answered just by going to workshops and videos. Then we were interrupted with picture taking. I was floating high by then. I talked to some more dancers/audience before leaving. One lady said she was in awe while I danced and made the open mouth face. I joked that I wondered why everyone had such a funny look on their faces while I was dancing.

I changed and then Alia and I packed up the car and headed home. We were all excited and yapping away about the workshop when there was this terrible noise coming from her (new) car. She pulled over next to the lighted building out in BFE. I opened my door and got out to see the back passenger tire smoking. We had blown the tire and I mean BLOWN! It was so hot we couldn't hardly touch it to get it off. And the bolts were on so tight that once we had the tire iron on I had to hold on to the trunk and jump up and down on it to pop them loose. It put us home around 1:30am but no more shenanigans ensued.