Venus Uprising Bellydance New York City: SNOWFLAKES AND PEARLS

Snowflakes and pearls seem to go together this month. I traveled to the snowy white north to shoot a wedding. I packed up some beading to do on the spare moments. I did not realize that there was a snowstorm was brewing. Roads were being closed all around us. Driving in white out conditions made me realized how fragile we all are. That it is not just the travelers in remote locations that end up dieing of hypothermia in a storm. I cursed that our car is not stocked with all the safely gear not usually needed in the Big Apple. Breaking down in Manhattan, well gosh, I would just walk half a block to a bodega and get myself a candy bar. But here with a town just being miles away, it represented a significant challenge.

Luckily we made it to a safe location, curled up in front of a fire and hunkered down for a couple of days until it was safe to drive again. Luckily I had a bag full of pearls to play with.

Pearlmadness When I started working on my Salome costume I researched what kind of costume to make. In the early 1900s it was sheik to wear costumes make with pearls. I only viewed using pearls as a required material. When I was in Egypt I was digging in a shop and came across a dusty bag of pearls. I asked if he could have them made into swag fringe. And there started the Salome costume. When I got back to New York I purchased bunches of more pearls. I discovered that glass pearls are not a cheap bead.

As I progress with the costume I am falling madly in love with pearls! I had no idea how much I would enjoy working with them. I sit back and admire the costume as I work on it. I enjoy they way they feel. I love the sheen of colors the candlelight colored pearl offers.

I supposed worrying about the dangers of the snowstorm and thinking about the story of Salome was somehow fitting. My hands worked their fever and I got a great deal of beading done, in front of the fire, with the snow swirling it furry outside.

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