Dancing debut

So I had my official bellydancing debut last night. And after last minute panics over costumes, accessories, makeup, bloodnoses, and so on, I thought it went really well.

We were the guest performers for a dance school (so maybe not quite so fun for the audience with all those little kids everywhere) and the stage manager/dance teacher they had was an absolute harridan. We were scared of her! We performed to Shakira in the first half, did a Tribal routine in the second and a shemozzle of a finale at the very end.

Backstage before Shakira, I must've looked petrified, because the other girls kept telling me it was all right, and I'd do fine etc. And I did! (*squee*) I saw Nat and mum in the second row, so grinned like a maniac, managed to get through the piece without watching the teacher, and it was over SO fast! I dropped my skirt in a few places, but accidents happen, and apparently it wasn't too noticeable. With the Tribal, we did the candle piece from Halloween first (with flashy lights, not flames), and because we had to get rid of them backstage and come on for a certain cue, we missed our timing a little, but that was the only mistake I was conscious of Charissa and I making. Others muffed different bits, but I was really happy with the Tribal one. The finale, which they sprung on us on Monday night, was an utter mess. No-one knew the choreo except the person who decided it (said scary dance teacher).

Unfortunately the organisers went off at people trying to take photos ("out of respect for the dancers" - bah, I wanted my photo taken!), so I don't know if our groupies got any shots or video at all, but we'll be getting a DVD of it next week hopefully.

It's going to be weird going to class on Monday without bags of costume!

Je suis un danseur

So. My first performance, my debut as a rakassah, a belly dancer, was on Halloween

It went.... interestingly. They left the huge spotlights on, so he whole effect of the candles was diminished, they stuffed up our music, we got ourselves out of order... I'm not terribly happy with how the photos turned out - I look petrified and watching the girl beside me out of the corner of my eye. I don't think it went as badly as I'm making it sound, though - just my usual pickiness.

My next performance is coming up at the end of next week.

I've spent the weekend making, fixing, adjusting costume pieces. Rest assured I'll never find a career as a sweatshop outworker. Skirts, harem pants, tops, belts, hair thingys, they're all slowly coming together, and what I can't make I've either bought or grovelled for people to make for me.

Now I just need to practice.

(And speaking of grovelling, it seems grovelling, glowing customer testimonials are enouh to win you stuff! Hurrah for random raffle draws!)