When I entered through the door of the local community event center, I suddenly felt like Alice falling down the rabbit hole into Wonderland. The aromas of coriander, cumin and cardamon filled the air and made my mouth water. Rhymical pulsing music set the mood. The palpable excitement of the women around me heightened my anticipation for the afternoon activities. My first Belly Dance Hafla was about to unfold.
The gauntlet of vender stalls before me was my initial challenge. My eyes feasted on beautiful hip scarves and veils. Such dazzling colors and flowing fabrics. Chiffon and silk in purple, red, yellow, blue. All the colors of the rainbow. I carefully ran my hand over several. Touching them made me smile and dream of the costume possibilities.
Hip belts with gold coins, beads, tiny bells and pearls woven together were spread over tables, begging to be wrapped around hips. Beaded headpieces and jeweled and embroidered tops were displayed by enthusiastic vendors who enticed you to purchase them. The bold jewelry at other stalls included intricate dangling earrings, thin golden bracelets and bangles or wide arm bands. Necklaces and collars worthy of Cleopatra herself were also on display.
I held a golden collar to my neck, feeling its weight and thinking about the drama it would add to a costume. I couldn’t resist wrapping a hip belt with what seemed like hundreds of tiny bells attached around my hips. I did some hip bumps just to hear the music of the bells, smiling to myself.
The costume enhancing goodies all around had me daydreaming of Arabian nights and dancing with my friends. My peripheral vision caught the movement of a troupe of dancers moving through the crowd to the stage area in the middle of the event center. The music in the air shifted and the beat picked up. The dancers’ eyes flashed as they walked by with purpose. You knew beneath the veils revealing only dramatically made-up eyes,, that smiles were bright with eager anticipation. The colorful, flowing costumes and hip belt coins and bells singing their happy song drew the attention of all.
The drumbeat caused the audience’s hips to start moving in time with the rhythm. The dance troupe stepped onto the stage and began their dance routine of percussive staccato movements of the hips, punctuating the music or accenting a beat. Hip belt coins jingled and sparkled. Scarves fluttered and the flowing graceful movements intensified the beauty of the moment.When the troupe finished their routine, the appreciation of the audience was immediate. With arms raised high and hands fluttering or clapping, women cried out their guttural calls of approval. Several other troupes shared their dance routines. Enthusiasm was contagious, everyone smiling and laughing with impromptu movements of their own to the music during the breaks between acts. I found myself practicing movements from my belly dance class.
I took a moment to grab a bite of chicken curry and a chickpea falafel. The middle eastern food tasted foreign and exotic and totally delicious. I had no idea I would get so caught up in this wonderful happy event.
Suddenly the lights inside the building dimmed and then spotlights lit up the star solo dancer on stage. The rhythmic sound of dance music filled the air. She lifted veils from her face and began to move her arms slowly holding the fluttering chiffon. With her hips accenting each beat and shoulders shimmying she moved around the stage. The sparkle and musical sound of the hip belt coins adding pure happiness to the moment.
Changes in the music rhythm had the dancer doing rib cage lifts and drops or shoulder shimmies and hip rocks and twists. At one point she even flipped a quarter over and over as she did belly rolls. All to the rhythm of the music, of course.
The dance music came to an end. We all stood there mesmerized. Then the place erupted with a final explosion of guttural approval calls, hands waving or clapping with extended arms, smiles and laughter. It had been quite an eventful and exhausting day.
I walked out the door by which I had entered the festivities. Poof! Wonderland was gone and reality was right there once again. I got in my car to drive home and glanced over at my bag of treasures. Inside it contained a new golden coin laden hip belt and a purple chiffon veil. I smiled with delight. I knew I was going to enjoy wearing them at my belly dance class next week.
Author: Evelyn Panfili
Comments