Tales from the Caravan...

Show: Practice Session, March 26, 2005

Ok, this isn't your usual Tale from the Caravan. Rarely do we have a practice session that is so unusual that it is worthy of note, O Traveler.

Yet, yesterday was different.

We all agreed to meet at the Center on Saturday morning at 10AM to get started on practicing our latest choreo which we intend to debut at our Hafla, The Southern Oasis, on April 30th. You will be there, won't you? Of course you will.

Anyway, Mari and I carpooled and got there a few minutes before Ame. We walk right through the outer door, then into our usual practice space. Now, there weren't many people around, but it was still early. We're getting warmed up and chatting when what should we see in the mirror? A State Trooper walking in the door behind us. Honestly, we really didn't think much of it.

He walks up to us and asks if we had keys to get in. We answer him: no we didn't, both doors were unlocked and we had spoken with someone earlier in the week and they mentioned no trouble in using the space. He seems a bit perplexed, and mentions that he thinks the Center is closed today. I'm sure you can imagine our surprise.

He advises us that the alarm has been going off for about fifteen minutes, and that he's going to take a look around. Ok by us, we'll just get one run-through before he comes back. Well, LO! The Center is in fact closed for the holiday weekend. We were a bit embarrassed, but the officer seemed interested in our dancing; he actually came in for the last few seconds of the new number, so got a sample of our work. We quickly gathered our belongings, gave the VERY nice officer a flyer for the Hafla and thanked him for being so understanding and nice, then giggled all the way back to Mari's house about renegade bellydancers just looking for a place to practice!

Tales from the Caravan...

Alchemy: Transforming the ordinary into the sublime