On Saturday, I recorded the Florida Derby while I was off at Shimmies for a Cure. The favorite, Big Brown, was a very striking horse despite the plain name. In the pre-race commentary, it was noted that Big Brown suffered from regular foot problems, whereupon I declared him my favorite (as did M, who will watch the occasional race with me). Lo and behold, he took off from the gate like a powerhouse and never let up until the finish line, winning in beautiful style, clean as a whistle and ears up, ready for more. He'll almost certainly be aimed at the Kentucky Derby. The track at Churchill Downs is notoriously hard and thus will pose challenges for a horse with problem feet, but if he's in the race, you can believe I'll be rooting for him.

My weekend was pretty similar to the horse's, though I undoubtedly ate fewer oats. Walked out the door for Shimmies for a Cure on Saturday not even sure if my foot would get me there, let alone dance, but walking loosened up the inflammation a bit to where the foot worked, albeit painfully. I was on late in the show, so I had the chance to see much of the lovely dancing--particular highlights for me were seeing Jemileh dancing to El Hantour in her stunning new Sahar, Lilya's breath-taking veil poi, Nikki's fluid acrobatic sword balancing, Ela's beautiful clockwork dolly (and perfect save when the music cut out), the look of pure love on Zehara's face when she lifted up her dance partner Inanna and above all Najmat dancing to Leylet Hob, Taht il Shubbak and a nice long drum solo. There are very few dancers who can do a five minute drum solo without losing audience interest, but she could have kept on going as far as I was concerned. I feel so privileged to have her as a teacher. The whole event was wonderful. Samantha and Baseema put on such a well-coordinated show; they truly are treasures of the Boston belly dance scene. It was all a benefit for Dana Farber, to make everybody feel even happier.

I was pretty happy with my own performance; once I was on stage, the endorphins kept the pain at bay (I'm suffering from the after-effects of a cortisone shot), and I felt happy and relaxed. Once my zar began, my feet were about the last thing I was thinking about. I don't choreograph my zar any more; it's a lot more intense that way. There's an incredible feeling of pulling all the energy in the room, holding it and then exploding it, for lack of any better terms. There was video taken, so I suppose I'll be able to see how it all went.