Tales from the Caravan...
Show: Gayle's 8th Annual Tea Party! August 18th, 2005
Wow, back to our beginnings. Or at least, mine! I
danced at this party last year with Ame and it was my
first paying gig. We had a fantastic time dancing and
talking with all the guests last year. So, when we
were asked to dance again, I leapt at the chance!
First, allow me to explain a little about the party:
Gayle Hoel and her family throw a tea party every
summer. Now, doesn't that sound genteel? While it is
full of good Southern hospitality, this is not your
grandmother's tea party! Gayle is a fellow
bellydancer, so she knows how to have a great time and
makes sure all of her 100+ guests do, too. Yes, I said
100+ guests! This party is an all-day,
come-and-go-as-you-please affair, with iced tea and
really cool activities for the kids and Long Island
Iced Tea and great entertainment for the adults.
Everyone in Gayle's neighborhood looks forward to this
fun themed event every year, and so do we!
When we were asked to dance again, Gayle advised us
that the theme this year was The Octopus's Garden to
celebrate the eighth year of the party. Interestingly,
The Sultan had just suggested that song by the Beatles
to us to dance to. Hmmm...Well, it looks like he got
his wish! :) With that as our theme, we went nuts with
mermaid-meets-the-dancefloor costuming and songs,
which is something we've been wanting to do for a
while now. I love it when a plan comes together. :)
So, we went into high gear pulling together AMAZING
white and blue costumes and even choreographing a new
piece. Last year, Ame and I dressed at the party as
the dancing was to be a surprise for the kids. This
year, everyone was expecting us, so we arrived in full
mermaid splendor. It was so awesome to have the guests
spot us as we walked in, break out in huge grins, and
greet us. We really felt like we were the honored
guests! What a rush!
In the Caravan, we had Mari, Candi, myself, Chris, and
Christopher (The Alchemister), and Ame. Although Ame
was unable to dance with us, she came along to support
us and videotape our performance. Thank you, Ame!
We enjoyed the party for about a half hour before
Gayle asked us to go on. In that time, we answered
alot of questions, gave out some business cards, told
people about our website and classes, and just
generally enjoyed meeting the party guests. The kids
especially seemed to be excited we were there. Because
of that, we try to make sure this is not just a
family-friendly show, but a KID-friendly show. Just
because it's PG doesn't mean that kids will find it
exciting. :)
It was time to go on, so we passed along our music,
and took the stage, which is the Hoel's gi-normous
wooden deck. The guests sit around the edge of the
deck and it makes for an intimate atmosphere. We
started with Octopus's Garden by The Beatles,
naturally, improving to this laid-back and fun song.
Then, Mari and I broke out with a choreography to
Under Da Sea from the soundtrack to Disney's The
Little Mermaid (one of my favorite Disney songs!),
with Candi acting as our Ariel. Finally, we closed
with improv to The B-52's Rock Lobster. All in all,
the show was very light-hearted and fun. The audience
had smiles the whole time and clapped along to three
familiar songs. If anyone ever wonders why Alchemy
chooses the music they do, that's why. Sometimes, as
an American audience, it's nice to know the music
you're listening to. Don't get us wrong, we love
traditional and contemporary Middle Eastern and
bellydance music as well; however, we like dancing to
fun unexpected music every chance we get! :)
After the show, Gayle invited us to enjoy the rest of
the party. She's so generous! Can I just tell you that
the food at her parties is incredible?! I swear,
Alchemy and company spent at least half our time at
the buffet tables! Just thinking about it makes me
hungry...
Gayle, thank you for inviting us to dance with you and
your terrific family and friends again. We hope you
enjoyed the show and we can come back next year.
~Jeannie
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Alchemy: Transforming the ordinary into the sublime
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