I just found out a couple of hours ago and I think I screamed for about 10 minutes! After the last month i've had...man it really lifted my spirits....Thanks so much to our family, friends and supporters for the vote! It's been a year filled with alot of hard work and several years past that was filled with lots of transitions, adjustments, members coming an going and above all... old fashioned hard work!

It's not been easy, not by a long shot. As Director, I have to do the ominous but necessary task of creating rules and requirements and then along with my Co-Directors enforce those rules. I have to constantly evaluate our teaching methods, change and correct when needed and my thinking cap is constantly on. Even though I've not had the benefit of being in a resource rich area....I seek it out. Fortunately having some modern dance, jazz, ballet and dance squad (from high school) experience I've been able to apply that to the performance of Bellydance. But the most important thing that I've learned is you can't get very far if you are not firstly concentrating on technique, and constant improvement of it. So I seek out fellow dancer/teachers that have stong technique and that's what I concentrate on. Stage presence, attention to body lines, understanding staging, and having a flair for style is also important. Getting everyone in your dance troupe to come on board however is sometimes very tricky and challenging!

Like I said previously , April was a very hard month. I had neck surgery, which went fine but after being out of the hospital for only a day...I was readmitted for a high temperature and a horrendous migraine. The following 2 days were probably the worst two days of my life! I don't think I've every been that sick. Then we had car problems...and $2,000 later had to make a trip to Florida to see Ryan's very ill Grandfather! It was very emotional and sad but it was great seeing him (probably for the last time) and his grandmother is as beautiful and sweet as ever!

So now that I'm on the mend! It's back to hard work!

Thanks again to everyone that voted for us! You guys have made us very very happy!

Hope everyone has a great summer!

Hope to see you soon!

S

OH MY GOD!!! what an amazing show!!!!! I was totally blown away! I swear everytime I see Cirque du Soleil...I feel like a little kid again! everything is so large and beautiful and colorful, interesting! The costumes are magnificent! It's just truly an event! I always feel so inspired when I see performances like that and I just can't imagine how the designers/choreographers come up with such amazing imagery!

If you have not seen a Cirque du Soleil performance you just have no idea what you are missing! The last show is tonight and they are sold out but look at Nashville, TN because I know the show is going through there! You really must see this performance!

Well the show went so well. We had a great time! I bought some really cool trinkets...and I was so pleased with my troupe and their performance! Tribe Altani our second tribe was performing for their first time and everyone handled being on stage extremely well!!!! hugs and kisses to all my gals!!! I'm very proud of you! They were so professional and cool...that it just really charged the stage with lots of positive energy!

Karachi Rocket!!! Rocked it!!!! I keep expecting them to rise up and levitate off the stage and then blast off into outer space!!!! I can't wait for them to finish their CD!!!! It is going to be the bomb-B. Thanks to all of our Percussion Group for an outstanding and first class performance!

There were alot of wonderful performances! Urban Tribal, breath taking as always...I swear I just don't know how Heather does it...They are so amazing that's it's almost too much to witness!!! ...Devyani, our local belly buddies, put on their usual outstanding performance...they are so in tuned with each other that you almost can feel them sharing one brain!!!!!! Baraka Mundi did a really cool fan dance with a wonderful use of the fans accenting the music which was way cool, Andrea Perkins group, Dandasha was golden, literally!!!! Mandara, Jennifer Speiden's new group, was really cool, I could just watch them all day...actually I could go on and on..but to tell the truth...all the performances were awesome! Zi'ah did a really great job with the line up and there was alot of variety and you really didn't know what to expect next!

It was great seeing our belly buddies...Rachel and Jeremiah Soto!!! Haven't seen them in over a year!!!! They were sweet and wonderful, as always! It was weird seeing Rachel by herself...but as you can imagine...if you have ever met Rachel...she totally held her own and did a a great job! We didn't get to see Jeremiah before we left but we will send him virtual hugs!!!

So the long and short of it...really wonderful bellydance filled weekend! Can't wait to see what's planned for next year!!!