Tales from the Caravan...
Show: Iliana's quinceañera, November 13, 2004
Click here for (gallery)
We anticipated performing at this show greatly. My house was set as the
rendezvous point for our getting ready. There, we warmed up, did a quick
run-through of some numbers, poofed hair, slathered on makeup, and put on
layer after layer after layer of clothing :D
I was fairly nervous before this show, though I'm usually not anymore before
performances. I think it was because of the expected age range of our
audience. It was mainly early to mid teens. Maybe it was just high school
flashbacks, but I seem to remember kids of that age range being hard to
please.
The show turned out awesomely though. Audience participation was way beyond
what we expected. It seemed half the audience came up and danced with us at
some points. Hip scarves were loaned out and Tribal Group Improv was in full
force. We showed a decent variety of props, veils, zills, fan, and skirt
numbers. We are working on adding more props to our repertoire.
All in all, even though some of us were sick, and some unable to come to the
show entirely, a good time was had by all and I believe that the audience
thoroughly enjoyed it. I know we did!
-Mari-
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Hi all, Ame here with another feel good reaction to
Saturday night! I had a
blast, and I could tell the participants did too,
with half of the party
getting up to dance with us! Even some guys got up
and shook their stuff.
All in all I was exhausted afterwards because the 30
min show actually
turned into more like an hour! But, with a crowd
like that it is kinda hard
not to dance. Thanks to Mari's mom for being such a
good "manager", helping
us promote, and keep track of our things. I can't
wait for the next one.
If anyone's got pictures of that performance please
email them to the site
so we can get them up!
Namaste,
Ame
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Hello, all!! Jeannie here to talk about our latest
performance. For those who were there, I wore purple
again last night. :) We were trying to keep with the
theme and color scheme. Akantha had other
obligations this weekend so, sadly, she couldn't dance with us.
We missed her and the sultan. I hope you both had a
great time. See you both soon!
One word will summarize my experience last night
dancing at that huge celebration: YAY!!!
First, though, let me give you an idea of what goes
into preparing for one half-hour show, with no
costume
changes. Those of you who dance, you know what this
is
like, so skip this part if it's too boring for you.
:) For myself, the whole day is dedicated to dance.
I
get up in the morning and run through the show to be
sure I have all the kinks worked out (plus, dancing
is
a great way to wake up!)
Then, after breakfast and spending some time with my
family, I start to gather the pieces of my outfit
together. For last night that included two
full-length
skirts, a panel skirt, a tassel belt, harem pants,
gypsy top, coin top, and a Turkish vest. Remember, I
wore this all at one time! Truthfully, this isn't
uncommon and I know some people wear even more
pieces.
After my clothes are all in the garment bag, it's
time
to decide on hair, make-up and jewelry so when I
start
to actually get ready, everything is easy to find
and
where I need it to be. Usually, I've practiced my
make-up the day before just to make sure I get the
look I want. Thankfully, Ame is always willing to
help
with hair, which I think is the hardest part of the
whole look! Jewelry is a cinch because I make most
of
my own. Then, while waiting to leave, I do little
things: paint my nails, wash and moisturize my face,
brush my teeth, take a shower, make sure I eat
something and drink plenty of water.
Alright, everything is together and ready to go.
Last
night, we all met at Mari's house to get ready
together so we were sure our looks all worked
together
on stage. This also gives us a couple of pairs of
hands to help pin everything in place. We start
getting ready TWO HOURS before we are set to leave.
Why? Well, first of all, there's alot to do.
Secondly,
we won't have to rush with that much time. Finally,
if
something doesn't work out like we planned, there's
time to figure out a Plan B.
Even with all that preparation and time set aside,
sometimes we are still racing to get in the car to
rush to the show on time! We wouldn't trade it,
though. Getting to play dress-up with some of your
best friends is so much fun! It's cool to see how
Mari
and Ame look after they put their outfits and
make-up
on. And I love showing off what I've come up with to
them, too.
Last night, all that effort was really worth it: The
crowd was AMAZING! They were so much fun, so ready
to
participate either by getting up with us and
dancing,
clapping along, or learning to zaghareet. I felt so
comfortable dancing for everyone there that even
when
I messed up a song I've been dancing for almost two
years, I didn't feel like I was going to get a
rotten
tomato in the back of the head but could just keep
going with a laugh and an oops.
We danced for a bit more than a half hour with no
break because the energy was so high. And, it was a
jam-packed show! Here is what we danced: Arabian
Nights (all), We Are Siamese (Ame & I), I Dream of
Jeannie Theme and Remix (all, Tribal Improv), City
of
Dreams (Mari solo with Ame & I on musical
accompaniment), Blessings (Tribal Improv with at
least
half of the crowd joining in!! It was awesome!), I
Wanna See You Bellydance (Ame & I), Waady (all), and
finally Gabe's Cat(all).
When we took our final bow, the audience roared and
clapped. We felt great that they had liked our show
so
much and seemed so interested in the dance. Thank
you
for asking us to be a part of your special day!!
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Alchemy: Transforming the ordinary into the sublime
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