Last summer after a show with the live band at Mezzo Mezzo, I was approached by a woman who wanted to know if I was available to perform an hour-long concert at the Flushing Library. After some conversation, I explained to her that my dancing for an hour was really not a viable option, but that I could contact other dancers and put together an hour-long concert format show for her. While I knew this would be a lot of work and stress, it was a very inviting opportunity for me to expand my nightclub format, multi-dancer shows to a much larger stage and venue. The Flushing Library Auditorium is a great space with a large raised wooden stage, theater lighting, sound booth, green room and 223 seats. Ultimately I undertook the challenge, and the project came to fruition last Saturday afternoon.
When I realized that last Saturday was the first day of Passover I had some concerns about attendance, but the library program director Gina assured me that all the promotional materials for the concert had been taken within the first week or so of being placed out for the public, which apparently was a very good sign. She was proved quite right! Since the concert was free I guess it can't be termed a sell-out, but maximum capacity was quickly reached and people were turned away at the door. Unfortunately, the success of the show did lead to some unintended drama when one woman refused to accept her dismissal and decided to strike the security guard and enter anyway! The performers were unaware of this until our emcee, Andy Troy, came backstage to tell us that two police officers had entered the auditorium and were trying to remove this woman. Well, the show must go on and that is exactly what we did. New York's Finest sometimes get a bad rap, but I must say these were two of the nicest, most patient and diplomatic officers I have ever encountered (not to mention young and extremely good-looking!). They kept the situation as unobtrusive as possible, and the woman, plus the officers, remained in the auditorium until well after we finished the concert.
The feedback from the audience was really great, and I was not surprised because I had hand-picked some top notch dancers to participate in the concert. My goal was to showcase the varied styles that co-exist under the heading of "bellydance", and we definitely succeeded. Shahira, one of my most favorite NYC dancers, did a very varied set that incorporated classical and modern Egyptian music plus wings and sword. As an additional surprise, her lovely little daughter Athena joined her onstage, and was a huge hit with the audience. Another of my favorites, Rayhana, exemplified the classic American Cabaret style of dance complete with her signature floorwork and veilwork. Her sultry "come hither" projected easily to the back of the auditorium! For the final big number of the show I was so fortunate as to have Manhattan Tribal . Co-directed by Mimi Fontana, these girls are NYC's first American Tribal Style bellydance company. Swirling and swaying in their bright, full-skirted costumes they made full use of the stage as they performed pieces from their new repetoire. Last, but certainly not least, our emcee Andy Troy was a great help to the smooth running of the show, and another big hit with the audience. Drawing on his background as a stand-up comic, he quickly had the audience eating out of his hand with his quips and asides. One of my hugest pre-show stresses was finding someone to run the sound booth, so I must give a very special thanks to my co-worker Angela who volunteered to handle this.
At the end of the show the performers were slightly mobbed by the crowd, asking questions, wanting literature, and wanting to take pictures of and with the dancers. It was fun, but a little overwhelming. The most frequent question was "When are you doing this show again?", and we could not seem to make it clear that this was a one-time joining of artists, and not an ongoing revue. Still, it bodes well for the future, and I am hopeful this was just the first concert that I will be organizing for the library system.
The Queens Botanical Garden is about 12 blocks from the Flushing Library and I had promised myself that if I survived this concert (did I mention there was a great deal of pre-show stress?!) I would reward myself by taking pictures of the beautiful blossoming trees. So, since I do not yet have any photos from the concert itself, I am posting instead a picture of my slightly exhausted and very relieved self under such a tree. Brace yourselves, because you know in the near future I will be posting a selection from the dozens of close-up flower shots that I took at the same time!
I acquired white veils. Seeing the white white next to the opalescent color of the rich creamy pearls of my Salome costume, I could not bear it. I became determined that I needed off white veils. I went on the message boards and sent emails to dye companies asking how does one dye off white. Many responded by saying I needed to do a complicated mix of different dye color chemicals that would then vary on how much I was dying to achieve an off white color. Somehow, I got the idea to use tea. What better way to bring my costume back in time by using a natural old school way of dyeing. I spent the other day dyeing my veils as well as another skirt option for the costume. As I sat there for hours steeping and dipping my silk to just the right color I questioned my sanity. Who cares what color white my veil is? Is it really worth hours and hours of my time? And I suppose if I purely looked at the project as cost and effect, the hours devoted to the perfect shade of silk would not be economical. But as an artist, the perfect candle light cream veil will compliment the glory of my pearl encrusted costume.
