The Twilight Zone (digression 2)

Sometimes people ask me if people are ever rude to me when I'm working as a belly dancer. I'd have to say that pretty much most people are really fun, want to be entertained and want to enjoy dancing. Since I belly dance at restaurants, shows, private parties & events for a mix of men, women & children, the atmosphere is nearly always positive and enjoyable and sometimes funky.

One private party I danced at in someone's home was for a 70th birthday party. When I began my set, dancing into the living room (crammed full of family members), the homeowner (husband) cranked up the music and turned on a large disco ball in the center of the 9 foot ceiling. I had to dodge this spinning, glittering ball as I danced.

After my initial entry song, I began my veil routine. The husband crossed the room to the fireplace and flipped a switch. Instantly, fog poured out of a machine that was built into the fireplace, flooding the room. I kept calm in the face of the spitting fire (unhappy with the wet fog) but as I got into my veil routine, the heavy fog began to saturate my veil. My veil got wetter and clumpier and I had to switch from spinning veil to framing veil. Finally I simply placed the sodden fabric around the neck of the grandfather and danced without it. My costume became damp, my hair got limper and frizzier.

he blinded me with science

I began the third song (a fast zill song,) and the husband upped the ante: laser lights that shot through the fog! Somewhat dazed, a little disoriented, very damp, and seriously planning to put this in a Blog, I began my sword routine. As I sank to the floor to do floor work I watched the family's faces disappear. I could not see anyone in the room through the fog. A child at the party later told me that she thought my routine was so cool because they could only see a sword floating around on the fog.

At the end of the sword routine, pushing wet hair off my face, I slid my zills onto my slippery fingers and started an energetic drum solo. Suddenly, there was a blinding, pulsing light! The husband had pulled out all the stops: he ignited a strobe light in this tiny room! My first thought was, OMG what if I have a seizure?

I was dancing pretty blindly, when the family all hopped up and began dancing happily and noisily. They were awesomely friendly and fun, but it took several days for my costume to dry out.

My veil still smells smokey from the fogplace.