Dancing with Tigers
This little girl was so cute! She came to every show for 2 days straight and ran backstage every time I got off stage to change. Think she thought I was a life size Barbie doll.
In China with Fleurs d’Egypte
by Nadira
posted July 6, 2011
In September 2010, five dancers embarked on a unique adventure. Seattle’s Fleurs d’Egypte Dance Company received a contract for a month of performances in China. This sounded like fun, but wait…we only had two weeks to decide, work out a contract, get our affairs in order and head out! Talk about flying by the seat of your bedla!
Because the contract was on such short notice, some of our fabulous Fleurs couldn’t make it, so we had patient and fast learning dancers, Lisa and Ceanna, join us. They not only had the two weeks to get everything in order for travel, but that same amount of time to learn our group dances. They were troupers!
We had no idea what to expect of the actual location. However, with ticket and costumes in hand, we rode the wave. Arriving late at night, we were ushered to our rooms and straight to bed to sleep off our jet lag. We had no concept of the overwhelming size of the park and over-the-top eye-candy awaiting us the next morning!
The hotel houses live white tigers and pink flamingos (each in a different outside atrium, of course) for the dining room view; so we got to "dine" with white tigers at every meal. Anyone who knows me, knows I’m a huge fan of the big cats, and I was so excited for every meal. For some of our meals, we were met with what (we later learned) were mascots of the park: different caricature tigers. They messed with (entertained) diners during the meals! It seemed strange at first, but oddly, you got used to them and joined in the fun. There’s also had an enclosed mini zoo in the middle of the hotel to walk through or visible through the glass walls at the bar that houses solid white tigers, black and white swans and a bevy of birds. This was just the hotel; we hadn’t even seen where we would be performing.
The park is split into two main sections with the hotel in the middle. One side of the hotel hosts a massive water park where our soon to be new friends from Samoa and New Zealand performed a Tahitian show daily on a stage over the water. Our side was a theme park that housed all the rides, as well as an odd mix of shows, including a lumber jack show (Yup, real lumber jacks!), a stunt motorcycle show with crazy jumps and pyrotechnics, a Mongolian live band, a Japanese style dance, and our Bellydance show.
If you have been to China, you know that they like bright colors and lots of different kinds of shows. The park’s use of bright colors and over-sized designs are almost cartoon-like and fun. We arrived at our stage and had to laugh; it was an outdoor stage built specifically for us with an Aladdin theme and cacti on either side of the stage. Our backdrop was a massive roller coaster behind the stage. This was a new one for us, but we would rock it.
It took a few weeks to work through the cultural and language barriers, but we finalized our shows. We performed daily several times a day for hundreds of people. They loved the unique style of dance and wanted to take lots of pictures. It got so crazy during the busy days that we had to have security, holding a red rope and forming a barrier between us and the audiences, so we wouldn’t get trampled. It was overwhelming and exhilarating at the same time! Everyone was so excited and appreciative; it felt great to be a part of their positive experience and memories.
Additionally, during our time there, was the Chinese Independence celebration. We were honored to ride on a float and wave to the crowd. Now, I can say that is honestly something I never thought I’d do! Our float was like a scene from the film “Finding Nemo” and had absolutely nothing to do with Bellydance, but it was bright and cheerful! There was an over-sized octopus with lipstick, mascara, and tentacles that reached throughout the float. We each had our spot, and mine was holding onto the gloved finger pointed tentacle at the front with dolphins jumping next to me. I held on to that gloved finger for dear life! It was a blast, and definitely, a unique experience.
We learned there was also a circus and a zoo connected to the park. The circus was “Barnum & Bailey meets Cirque du Soleil”. There was no theme, just lots of animals and visual antics. It brought out the child in all of us, marveling at all that was happening. The zoo housed almost every animal out there. We were allowed to pet and feed giraffes, and of course, lots of tigers! There were newborn tigers, and a “Cub Camp” for the toddlers as well as adults. I was in big cat heaven!
All in all, this was an amazing experience. There were lots of ups and downs getting settled, and it was overwhelming, but the experience outshone it all. It was an honor for me to share this adventure with Fleurs d’Egypte, and I think we have many more to come!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Have a comment? Use or comment section at the bottom of this page or Send us a letter!
Check the "Letters to the Editor" for other possible viewpoints!
Ready for more?
- 02-14-09 My First Experience in Egypt
I have always felt a pull to visit Egypt to experience the history and culture of this dance I love so much. The chance came about just recently and it was so worth the wait. - 6-21-06 Photographic Review of the 33rd Annual Bellydancer of the Year Pageant Photos and report by Michael Baxter
This show has some wonderful traditions. - 6-12-06 Belly Dancer of the Year 2006 Photos by Susie Poulelis
Danville, Ca, Sunday May 28, 2006 BD of the Year – Finals, more photos coming! - 10-24-06 Adventures in Turkey 2006 by Michelle Joyce, photos by Michael Baxter
I am not exaggerating when I say that Sandra actually threw herself into Bella’s arms and wept when she first laid eyes on her. - 12-14-00 Troupe Tabu goes to China!
It should be noted that somewhere between passing the audition and performing, it was announced that three out of four dancers in the group (not including myself) were pregnant. - 7-5-11 Becoming the Object of Your Own Fantasy, "Perfumes of Araby" in the 1970s, Part 1
The Belly dance scene in 1970s Los Angeles: It is difficult to spotlight succinctly even one portion of a vibrant, vast and quickly growing community of Middle Eastern dancers, their enthusiasts, and the ethnic communities, musicians, festivals and supper clubs that supported the dance arts. The abundance of inspiration in that era was almost beyond understanding; yet once upon a time before the Internet, music, imagery and information was less readily available. - 7-4-11 Inaugural "Art of the Belly" Festival Rings in Spring in Style, Bellydance comes to Ocean City, Maryland
Inside the hotel, waves of positive energy radiated all around. People were not just glad to be at this festival, they were honored. If you were from Maryland, this was your belly dance festival. Dancers were representing both themselves and the elements of various fusions. They wanted this to be done right. - 6-29-11 Photos from Rakkasah West 2011, Pg 4: Sunday M-Z by Carl Sermon
Maria, Nadika, Naiya-Hayal, Onyx Moon, Oreet, Raks Al Khalil, Raks Terayz, Raks the Casbah, Reda Darwish, Ruby, Sabiba, Sassafras, Shimmy Amour, Tatseena’s Troupe, Terry, Titanya, Troupe Aneena, Yolanda, Zahara - 6-26-11 Dancer Cancer, Part One: "Hopping on One Foot
Still, I was confident that there would be no further problem and that I was letting my vanity get the best of me. By wanting to look good, I had caused all my own discomfort, I reassured myself. He said I would have the biopsy report in a few days and to call my referral doctor to hear what the UC San Francisco laboratory report said. - 6-24-11 Dancing on the Roof of the World, Community Festival in Tajikistan .
After all my many travels to Tajikistan, filled with the frantic bustle of dance lessons, rehearsals, teaching, doing trip logistics, hunting for traditional bits and bobs for costuming, and getting fitted for stage costumes, I finally decided to try being a more-or-less normal tourist in one of my favorite places on Earth, the Pamir mountains of Badakhshan, eastern Tajikistan. - 5-31-11 Serpent Tour 2011 Journal- London, Madrid and Marrakech! NEW VIDEO UPDATE-7-1-11
An experimental travel blog. Let see how it goes! The plan is to update this page frequently.
Sorry, comments for this entry are closed at this time.