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.

DTBD Newsletter - May

Happy spring everyone! Here is the latest from Double Take Bellydance:

Performance Opportunities!

This summer holds two performance opportunities in July, and we want you to be a part of it. YES YOU!!  Students of all levels are invited to join in the fun.  And for one event, even your friends and family can get involved!  If you are interested in participating, contact Shay immediately to receive information on rehearsals, costuming, and other details.
Med Fest - July 16 or 17 (day/time TBA)
ALL LEVELS
Join Nomaditude on stage at the Mediterranean Fantasy Festival (Med Fest)--Seattle's longest running celebration of bellydance!  All day shopping, schmoozing, and performances on two stages.
Greenwood Seafair Parade - July 27th, 6pm
ALL LEVELS + PARADE PALS
Everyone is invited to take part in a performance with Nomaditude in the Greenwood Seafair Parade, even your non-dance friends and family!   This is a completely playful, exhilarating opportunity to get dressed up and spread the joy in this annual tradition.

Student Spotlight - Jeni Bonano

Name:  Jeni Bonanno
Age: 45
Profession:  Legal Assistant/Paralegal
Hobbies:  Movies, tattoos, art, music, fashion, traveling, shopping, and bellydancing

When did you first see bellydance? What were your first impressions?

I first saw it on TV and thought it was beautiful and sensual.

What motivated you to finally take your first bellydance class?

I saw a listing on My Ballard blog for a bellydance class and thought that it would be a fun and challenging thing to try…. and it certainly is challenging!

Shame Free Blogging Day!

The lovely Arya over on Style Trumps Fashion, a student and friend of mine, is starting a new tradition this year: Shame Free Blogging.  After a recent incident of downright inappropriate and personal commenting on her blog, she was inspired to stand up and say "NO WAY will I allow you to shame me"--particularly when it comes to our bodies, and our confidence in it and love for it, it is too easy to fall prey to cruel intentions of others.  The internet (and the "blogosphere") is filled with trolls--thoughtless and insecure people who find some sense of power in their life by trying to bring others down or stir the shit.  And today, on Shame Free Blogging Day, I am saying:

We don't buy that crazy here. Peddle that shit elsewhere.

A little bit from Arya's blog about it:

"I am not ashamed of my body.  My body is strong, supple, and graceful.  It is firm in some places, and soft in others.  It rises to my demands (almost) without fail, whether I want to participate in a four-hour yoga workshop, make it through boot camp and two war zones, shimmy for two hours straight, make love with my husband, run for three miles, or stay up through the night with a woman in labor.  My body is shaped in a way that screams "WOMAN!", and I'm finally, blessedly, okay with enjoying that.

I will not be shamed."


If you have a blog, or even a Facebook page, where you would like to show solidarity for a shame-free experience on the internet, join us today by posting one of Arya's lovely badges on your blog, site, or page.

Live in the layers...

The Layers

Stanley Kunitz
I have walked through many lives,
some of them my own,
and I am not who I was,
though some principle of being
abides, from which I struggle
not to stray.
When I look behind,
as I am compelled to look
before I can gather strenth
to proceed on my journey,
I see the milestones dwindling
toward the horizon
and the slow fires trailing
from the abandoned camp-sites,
over which scavenger angels
wheel on heavy wings.


Oh, I have made myself a tribe
out of my true affections,
and my tribe is scattered!