Not trying to get too excited - the pandemic continues, to a lesser degree, but some things have not fully recovered. I did my first in person dance class (as a student) in February and March and it was followed by a small, in person, private Hafla performance. We wore masks and danced outside, but it was wonderful. Even though I'm a teacher, I also love being a student. Dancing with friends is so much better than dancing alone. I did a sword routine I choreographed and two troupe routines with friends.
In May, I gathered up my Shimmy Mob Team and we danced in the park all day for World Bellydance Day, which was fun, but it was not what I imagined I would be doing. I had planned to have my own Hafla, including Shimmy Mob dances, and solo performances. We actually had a couple of Covid scares around that time, and so plans changed. I was able to get the team together though to perform, so I can't complain. Here is my Shimmy Mob playlist of songs that have been used as dances in the past.
Jessikah's Spotify Shimmy Mob Playlist
This past weekend was the large bellydance festival, Cairo ShimmyQuake, which has been virtual the past two years. I was happy to return to the big stage and the in person event. I got to see friends and people I admire. I danced on stage twice, once during an improvisation to live music and once to my own pre-recorded choreography. It's very challenging dancing to live music, because you never know what they are going to play. It was a fast set for a full 7-8 minutes, no slow parts.
I was hoping to bring my zoom class troupe to CSQ to perform. They were not ready. So I did my solos and I will continue to work towards troupe in person performances. Hopefully coning up in July. My classes were supposed to return this summer, but only time will tell.
