Sunday, January 25, 2009



this past fall i went on a two month long tour with an internationally renown bellydance ensemble. here are some of the highlights of my experience dancing throughout the UK, Spain, France, Belgium, Canada and the US.

rehearsal week in LA
i spent a week in Los Angeles learning the numbers that i'd perform in the show. this was also the time for me to meet the myriad of sweet and silly characters that make up the lovely ladies of BDSS.

hanging with Deo and Mona in LA
that first week was one of the hardest. rehearsal week is physically and mentally no joke for a new girl. i was missing Gianma, mom and my crew already. luckily i have some emergency crew provisions on the west coast. they took care of me.

the night before the first show
our hotel in Newcastle was hosting several weddings where the bride and groom couldn't have been older than high school age. this resulted in loud singing, fighting, running and fire alarm pulling all night long. i probably got like 3 hours of sleep.

Alan Titchmarsh show on BBC One
we got to perform on this daytime BBC One show. because Bozenka had been Shakira's teacher, they introduced us as the "women who taught Shakira to bellydance"

going shopping in Camden
i love this funky London shopping area.

Chad and Niyati
i had dinner with a dear friend and his new bride-to-be in London. this was perfect because i was starting to miss my peeps again. these were my peeps away from home for a night.

afternoon tea
a tea house nestled in a beautiful park. tea, thick and fluffy scones, jam and clotted cream.

Belgian waffles
they're magical. enough so that you'll take some stupid risks to get one.

getting cleaned in the French pay toilet
just pay the damned 30 cents. don't try to be smart and end up looking dumb.

living in a castle in france for a week
it was beautiful. it looked just like a fairy tale castle inside and out. but i'm Ebony so i was cold and...kinda frightened at night.

fresh crepes from a Parisian street vendor everyday
ham, cheese, salt and pepper. so simple, but enough to make you stop mid stride and go "daayummmm"

Crazy Horse (Paris)
a great show to see in Paris. surprisingly, there's clips of the show on their site.

getting sick and then burgled in Barcelona
they done took my wallet

NYC show
my beloved crew (Gianma, Butter, Chichi, Jen, Rachel, Yonas, Larry) came to see the show in NYC and fed me love, wine, chocolate and cookies :) :) :)

enduring the bellybus
that bus is not cute

spending quality time with mom and Becca in philly
much needed family and friend time away from the show business

stumbling into an Improv Everywhere event in Montreal
i was at a bustling shopping mall that suddenly froze in time. i knew immediately what was up and got really giddy, running around taking video. i even stopped and "froze" for a couple of seconds, too.

falling down really hard in Montreal
it was freezing out and i could barely see over my layers of winter outerwear. i tripped over a cord and slammed into the ground with the force of the jedi. i was stunned and my spirit was broken. i was surprised my arm wasn't broken. so...i started drinking.

getting super duper dissed by a hotel manager in Montreal
"they say they're the Bellydance Superstars, but they don't look anything like in the poster"

hanging with Joycie and Catherine in Boston
yay for yummy food, chocolate martini's and super sweet girlfriends

coming home :)

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