I was up in Lowell, Ma. yesterday, April 5th, watching my adorable niece and her adorable friend, participate in the "American Dance Awards" competition.

They have both grown so much in dance, showed such poise and presence, I was thrilled. By the way, she does not do Middle Eastern, but you should see her amazing headslides!!

It was a wonderful spectacle of solos and group numbers, wonderful talent, vitality and just the sheer joy of dance!

The second to last performance was a solo, that just took my breath away. She must have been 9-12 years old. How can I describe this vision? She wore sheer brown chiffon harem pants with slits on the sides, a matching vest and little sash, each with a single row of gold coins. " The music I was later told, is called "Shadow Dancing". She did some beautiful Pharaonic arm poses and demonstrated amazing control and skill. That, along with the wonderful choreography of Dina ... (forgot her last name!) instantly reminded me of the Oriental Dance number from Tchaikovsky's, "Nutcracker" ballet. She actually won a special award for that amazing control!