I am my mother's daughter - Loud and Proud...

I love my Mom for never telling me I was "too". I was never too quiet or too loud. Never too dressed up or dressed down. Never too serious or too silly. She of course guided me as to what was appropriate to a given occasion, but overall, she let me be me. And I grew up to be a women who was not afraid to ask for what I want, speak my mind, love and be loved, or generally mold my life into what I feel I need. I am a powerful woman, and I am a reflection of my powerful Momma.

Happy Mother's Day to my beautiful Mother.

Making Money Off of Dance = Less Love?

Sometimes I feel a little upset when people imply that because I dance as my vocation, that somehow I don't do it for the love of it. My personal take on it is that I love it SO MUCH that I rearranged my entire life, gave up a sizable income I used to make in more lucrative jobs, and passionately commit my energies to being a more knowledgeable dancer, a better teacher, and a professional and polished performer. That isn't to say that those who don't follow my same path don't love it as much as I do--the stars aligned such that I could devote my life to it as I do--but conversely it doesn't mean I only do this for the money or for what it "gets" me.


So I think it is unfair for either side to accuse the other of lack of love driving their decisions in what is or is not appropriate to be termed bellydance. But I strongly believe that lack of experience, a lack of empathy, and/or a dose of ignorance can combine to create a dancer who is unable to appreciate why people fight so hard to define bellydance, tribal bellydance, etc; and why these same dancers eschew the idea of boundaries and responsibilities which the name "bellydancer" encompasses.