to a halt ( which is often in L . A .). Now I do that too . The Sahlala wheels are always churning : how can we be better dancers , humanitarians , and cultural ambassadors ? How can we take it up a notch ?
The future of the Sahlala Dancers is bright . Jill has a new cast of up-and-coming dancers who are taking the scene by storm . With new costumes , new choreographies , and even more styles ( fire dancing , anyone ?), plus Jill ’ s eye for stage production from her other little career as a touring contemporary dancer , the Sahlala Dancers are setting an ambitious pace for what it means to be a professional belly dancer in America . Jill is raising the bar high – higher than her dang high kicks . Just like Jillina , Jill only accepts dancers who are authentic people and take their training seriously , and the passion shows when you watch The Sahlala Dancers perform .
Thinking about how to end this story , I asked Jill about her full-circle moments – you know , those magical glimpses where you can see just how far you ’ ve come . She talked about a performance in L . A . that happened in 2022 , the Choreographer ’ s Carnival – a huge choreographer showcase featuring all genres of dance , especially commercial styles , in the heart of Hollywood .
Sahlala has only performed in Carnival twice : once when Jill was first starting out with Sahlala and another time with Jill as the director . Standing center stage , sword in hand , surrounded by “ her ” dancers , Jill could sense her 20-something-year-old self in the back line , proud to be a part of L . A . dance history . Now she was in the front , the principal dancer and director — something that dancers practice and hope for all their lives and may never taste .
Jill said , “ even though it ’ s nerve wracking performing for other professional dancers […] it was amazing to be a part of the event as the director and lead dancer ! That particular audience wasn ’ t used to watching belly dance , and it was so important for me , for the company really , to represent belly dance as something that has a place not only in the Middle Eastern community , but the commercial and concert world too . They went wild for our performance ! That feeling of appreciation and acceptance is something I ’ ll never forget . It made me feel I was taking the right steps as a director in regards to my vision of this new era of Sahlala .”
I hope every professional dancer has a moment like this , where the past and present dance together onstage , and where the culmination of years of work lights the way towards a greater tomorrow . A long career in dance can seem like an impossible dream . But it is most certainly possible when we build upon strong foundations of the dancers who came before us and put our hearts and soul into becoming
TORI KING
26 The Belly Dance Chronicles � January 2023