I feel that I need to clarify my wants and thoughts as a local Bellydancer in Buffalo. As we all know, our scene here is small and intimate compared to others. In turn, anything that happens, both positive and negative, gets magnified, sometimes beyond capacity. Here is my deal....

I fell in love with this art form about 7 years ago. And the love of the dance has grown so much, that it has not only become an outlet of creativity, but rather a lifestyle. I know that others can sympathize.... some more than others.

Bella Dea has been through a lot in the past few years. Many know of our history, and unfortunately, it has caused deep pain for the three of us. I know that others have dealt with similar circumstances, and ill feelings between people in our dance community aspired. We have been on a hiatus for the past year, and rightfully so.... we needed time to regroup and heal, Patty has since given birth and blessed us with Lil' Raina, Donna has joined us full force and I personally have come to terms with the pain that has been with me since the days of Gaia Tribe.

Bella Dea has made remarkable progress over a short period of time. We meet about 1-2 times a week. We do what we need to do to keep truckin' on.... whether it’s rearranging furniture at each others houses or converting spare bedrooms and space into a make-shift dance studio. We have choreographed about 7 or 8 new dances and have kept ourselves busy with new costuming. Even since the beginning of Bella Dea, we have always been aware of what was going on in our community. We made amends with people we felt we need to and admitted to our faults. Although we were a bit apprehensive about stepping back into the bellydance world, women we didn’t really know and was welcomed with open arms embraced us. It was just what we needed... such perfect timing.

It's pretty amazing what one sees as an outsider looking in, as Bella Dea has been doing until now. It turns out that there is this poison that keeps creeping into our scene.... I don't know if it bothers anyone else, but I feel that it’s very unnecessary. I work with kids.... and kids don't always like each other, or their best friends one day and enemies the next... as a teacher, you have to let them work out their problems and guide them and give them tools to be problem solvers and come to a consensus that what they chose to do about their behavior is the right choice... If I have to fix all these little problems, our kids wouldn't learn anything... they wouldn't learn how to function in a world that making good choices is what get you farther in life.

Bella Dea wants to make good choices. Not only for self-driven reasons, but also for all the local bellydancers in Buffalo. We are hosting our first "Parfla". It's going to be not so much like a hafla, but more of a party to celebrate our successes as a troupe and yours as well. We decided that for our party, we wanted to not seclude any dancer. We feel that this open invite is a good choice because it allows everyone in the community to finally come together, despite animosity between folks. In order for Bella Dea to keep doing what we are doing, we need you.... your love and support and would love to, and feel that we have been doing the same for you.

People like to through around "No Drama, just Dance".... sounds good, right? Well, please, practice what you preach.... We would love to see everyone come out to our parfla, dance, and support each other. Bella Dea has put the past behind us, and we hope that you have it in your heart to do the same. We love you all and invite you to be a part of our night. If you would like to dance, please contact one of us and let us know.... if you said that you are coming to the show and are not down to dance.... please, please, please???? With sugar on top??? Dance with us???? (It'll be fun, I promise!)

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us.

We love ya all..... Shimmy on!

*****PLEASE DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS POST..... THIS IS JUST MY THOUGHTS AND IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD SOMETHING OR CHAT ABOUT IT, EMAIL ME. I DON'T WANT TO INFECT THIS POST WITH COMMENTS*****