orchestra from Michigan . Live music is not going to be the same , yet stay true to your convictions . I want to stay as traditional as possible . I ’ m not interested in compromising . I ’ m trying to do as much as I can with live music . I wore a mask on the plane and the venues determined if all were vaxed . Some people may think I ’ m being careless , some say I ’ m being overly cautious - I don ’ t care . People seem to be easy with it .
“ I was only teaching on Zoom until January ( 2022 ), then confidently advertised one in-person class on a Saturday and invited four people , vaxed and masked . We did not want to go unmasked due to close quarters indoors . Next were two back-to-back beginner classes limiting three students at one time with vax cards and masks , then slowly no mask , yet most chose to remain masked . It is still like that , one class with six people , yet I know them all . I ’ ve turned away people who were not interested in learning the culture . I ’ m now teaching Monday , Wednesday and Saturday in person , Tuesdays and Thursdays on Zoom . After class , some stay and dance in the mood lights , this was without masks . It just depends on the situation . I really do believe that everything is different now , even attention span . How do we rebuild and reclaim ourselves ? Post-pandemic will not be going back to what was before . Having a dance studio in my home keeps me economically stable , and allows me to teach in the manner I wish . I don ’ t have to worry about making a living from it . I ’ m only going to do what I want to do .”
Susu and Amina
If you read about her in the last issue of Belly Dance Chronicles ( vol 20 , issue 3 ) Snake Dancing article , you know Asia is a very busy teacher , dancer and educator .
“ I ’ m reaching out to alternative event spaces . For
Asia example , I ’ ve collaborated with an Art and Wellness Yoga Studio to feature “ A Night in the Casbah ” with Middle Eastern snacks , live music , a free mini dance class , and a performance by Asia & Company . Tickets are $ 10 , purchased online through the Art Studio , and benefit the Art Studio . The artwork is beautiful , with women artists , ceramics and a space to rehearse for my band , with room to dance . A previous band rehearsal for the High Sierra Hafla show was like a glorified dress rehearsal my students got to watch . This was posted to the studio ’ s Instagram page , and that interested the owner in creating this “ A Night in the Casbah ” event . The owner is very community minded . I hope it ’ s successful and then I ’ ll go for other things .”
“ I kept waiting for other stuff to come back , and those venues have not come back . It ’ s a brave new world . I don ’ t want to make money so much as not to lose money . It ’ s a joy to dance ; you bring connection to the people you dance with . I always feel so elevated after that .”
Perhaps Petra Pino and her Tribal styled troupe House of Inanna have a super power : reaching out to non-Middle Eastern audiences by performing in public spaces . “ We did not stop performing during pandemic . Dance is my medicine ; many can relate to this . Our first pandemic performance was the Rose White & Blue Parade and Festival , San Jose ’ s 4th of July tradition celebrating our cultural diversity . For 2020 it had moved online , so me and my dance partner Stacy filmed a dance in the Rose Garden for the online event . One of the things we noticed working with someone on Zoom is we only use our eyes ; when dancing live there is much more fullness of the senses . The first in-person event for us was 2021 Siren ’ s Fest . Every festival had sad things like many less people . People can ’ t put this on if people don ’ t attend , yet Covid drove so much online and there ’ s only so much you can do online . Now it ’ s hard to get people to come in person , and even to stick with it .”
January 2023 � The Belly Dance Chronicles 41