Bellydance is blossoming, and blossoming profusely, here in the Triangle area of North Carolina (Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill and several other towns). There are many teachers now, but when I arrived in this area six years ago, they were few and far between. What is warmly wonderful about our area is the sense of community. We are very fortunate to be a well-connected and affectionate community of women. (Mostly women so far, guys, but your time is coming.) We use our complementary skills and talents, both individually and as troupes, to make a space for the influx of newcomers as well as for each other.
We support each others' efforts in a sisterly manner by attending classes, workshops, and performances as often as possible. We refer our students to each other, particularly when another's area of expertise is requested. We let our students know that the more teachers you can learn from, the better your dance will be. It is the same as in any area of life -- knowledge is power.
In the short history of our troupe, Belly Revelations, we have presented three weekend workshops and a one-day workshop featuring Aneena, Kajira Djoumahna, Donna Thornberry & Asim. We are now working on our Fourth Annual Early Spring Workshop and Performance for February 22-23, 2003, featuring internationally recognized Amaya of New Mexico. [http://www.BellyRevelations.com for information]
Belly Revs' first paying gig was at the opening of a new art gallery. Fortunately for us it was summer, because the gallery was very open: no floor, as in dirt and construction debris; no windows, as in reaching out to shake hands; and no roof, as in open to the heavens. It was hot, too -- North Carolina August hot. But, hey, it was exposure (to the elements, anyway). Since then we've danced at parties, festivals, wedding receptions and showers, and two book-signing events for Snake Hips. I even danced at the pre-ordination party for a new minister!
Our regular monthly presence is at Silk Road Tea House in Chapel Hill, which is a bellydancer's dream -- a laid-back non-yuppy ambience, friends and bellydance groupies, good food and drink. We just celebrated our third anniversary dancing there and despite the fact that we work for tips, we love it. Silk Road is an exception to many rules, and waiving our standard fee is one of those exceptions. In every other case, we either dance for love (charities and some festivals) or we charge the going rate in our community. At Silk Road, we pass the basket after each set, which is part of the fun and performance, then we invite the audience to dance with us. That's great fun as well as a wonderful way to introduce hesitant people to the dance.
I teach at the YWCA in Raleigh. I didn't know when I asked to teach there that the mission of the YWCA is "the empowerment of women and the elimination of racism by any means necessary." It was one of those "ding!" moments when an angel presents you with an opportunity and you are actually paying attention. Bellydance is my means, and it is necessary. My sentiment about bellydance is that it is the perfect vehicle for encouraging an aura of "strong women in community," as well as a respect for other cultures, most especially for the Rom (Gypsy) people who are primarily responsible for spreading this art form world wide.
My original teacher, Betsy Bickel, offered bellydance to us as a means of empowerment, and I am delighted to have the opportunity to pass it along to an ever-widening circle of women (and by March 22, 2003, men also). I teach only beginners, as I see myself as doing outreach into the community. One of my students explained:
I just need to share with you a couple of things that I got out of the experience. First off, I found that I LOVE this dance and all of the components of it, the music, the dance, the rhythm, the spirit; and a big part was being with a group of women sharing our talents, our spirit, and our beauty with each other. And finally, one thing that I really got out of this experience was a sense of a comfort with who I am and with my body. I was never really comfortable with myself, especially my body and outward appearance. But this experience gave me a sense of pride or satisfaction of who I am inside and out, which has certainly been a long-term struggle. Thank you for EVERYTHING, I am so glad that I got to know you and share dancing with you and learn from you!
Having spent nearly 20 years teaching middle school, I can safely say that getting a thank you like that is the reason that teachers of any subject get out of bed in the morning.
Here's a quick summary of Belly Revelations' sister troupes in the Triangle:
Blue Moon Belly Dance is our newest troupe, and has already made a name for itself as our local authority on World Fusion Tribal. They are much in demand for their distinctive classes and workshops. They presented their first hafla last October and received rave reviews for atmosphere, quality of performance (both dancers and musicians), and just plain fun.
A few months ago, Blue Moon asked us -- us, not the management of Silk Road Tea House -- about the possibility of their dancing at Silk Road. How sisterly can you be? We set up an evening in which Belly Revelations danced one set and Blue Moon danced the second set. They were very well received and it was rockin' good fun, leading to a bi-monthly performance of their own. [Silk Road has since closed, much to our regret. Ed.] Meet them at their website.
Moondulations is a Raleigh group, also lucky enough to have musicians, who meet to dance "just for fun." They are the essence of earth mother-ness and captivate their viewers with their joyful expression of connectedness with each other, with their musicians, and with their audience.
Orientale Expressions is a troupe with a long and colorful presence in the Triangle. Among them, they know a few dozen styles and can perform, fully costumed, in any of those styles at the drop of a hat, or veil, or just about any conceivable prop. They are also well known for their light-hearted and occasionally very humorous use of bellydance when it's "just us dancers." They are at http://www.Orientaleexpressions.com
Shahzaadee, of Colorful Waves Bazaar and Eternal Oasis dance troupe, has been in the Triangle for only a few years, but she is respected for her depth of knowledge of many international dance styles. She is the owner of Colorful Waves and brings us many lovely wares from Turkey, among other places. Gozde is the other half of Eternal Oasis, and together they present beautifully artistic renditions of their own choreography, both here in the Triangle and in the larger bellydance community as well. Write to Shahzaadee at shahzaadee@yahoo.com
Aziza Fadwa is another longstanding (or dancing) presence in the Triangle area of North Carolina. Also a teacher and performer of many styles, Aziza recently established a new troupe, Flowers of the Desert, of which she is the director and choreographer. Visit her at http://azizafadwa.com
There are student troupelets now and then, too, who come to haflas and surprise us with the choreography they've been working on. They are another part of the community spirit very much in evidence here, a spirit which adds dimension to an art form already conducive to community building.
Each dancer and troupe has found a way to add to our savory stew without losing individual identities or being locked into any particular way of being. It is an exciting time to be part of the bellydance community, and the Triangle area of North Carolina is a particularly magical place to be a part of it. If you'd like to know more about us, write to me at qadria@mindspring.com or visit our website (click on "Qadria's site" for my student-oriented website). Belly Rev troupe sister Haala is webmistress of http://www.ncbellydance.org, which posts listings for the Triangle and also for most of North Carolina. We're well connected, and we invite you to connect with us, too.
Namaste.
This article was originally published in the September/October 2002 issue of Zaghareet! and is reprinted here by permission.
About the author: Qadria, Linda Stratford in her mundane existence, delights in bringing
the fun of bellydance to the Triangle area of North Carolina. Her
expression of bellydance is of strong women in community, soon to
include strong men as well. Her ever-supportive spouse Jeffery works
the day shift to support both of their evening arts -- his guitar and
her dance. Their grown children, Steven and Valerie Waters, are as
proud of their mom as Jeff is. Qadria is making a video, "Warm Ups &
Cool Downs for Bellydancers," which should be on the market in May.
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