and about 3 prerecorded classes per week. Some students are not comfortable doing the live classes, and some don’t have the
internet strength to stream classes. It has been rough and we have suffered financially. As a nonprofit, I have been applying
for grants, sometimes to finish typing out answers and then be told applications are no longer being accepted. I am hopeful,
though, that Aalim will power through. We plan on being closed throughout June, but will continue monitoring the number
of cases to determine when it might be safe to open again with precautionary procedures in place. I never expected the studio
to be closed for so long, and some days it hurts because I really miss everyone, but I know this is for the best.
DeVilla
Los Angeles, California
www.devillaraks.com
Hi Everyone! It’s DeVilla, your bellydancing make-up lady from Los Angeles, California.
As many of you know, I am a full-time Make-Up Artist for television and film as well as a
professional dancer, dance teacher and artistic Director of Sekhmet Dance Company.
This COVID-19 shutdown has devastated my industry; now 3 months into this we have no
idea when we will be returning to set. I touch people for a living - that’s a problem!
It’s been devastating for us as performers too. With live performances and all major festivals
canceled, our incomes vanished. (I was contracted for 3 upcoming / all canceled.)
Always seeing the glass half-full, I learned to navigate the #Zoomaverse very quickly and began studying to get my
Pilates certification. I had been trying to do this for some time, but 16-hour days on set didn’t allow me the time or energy to
get it done.
I also began teaching theatrical make-up for dancers via Zoom and have continued my dance classes virtually through
Dance Garden LA studio.
I’m rehearsing the Dance Co. through Zoom too. It’s been a life-line and a life saver. Just being able to all join and see
the faces of friends and family, to be able to dance and laugh together is such a blessing, especially for my single friends
sequestered at home alone.
These are hard times. My heart is breaking not only because of COVID-19, but now the civil unrest in our WORLD!
I’ve tried posting about my dogs and my Mrs. Roper caftans to add some humor here and there on social media. I hope
they have given some of you a chuckle!
My goal is to come out of this with the ability to help and heal through the art of make-up, pilates and dance.
I’m holding it together and staying as positive as I can, putting my oxygen mask on first, so that when we emerge I can
help others.
Stay safe and sane everyone!
Love and Blessings,
DeVilla
Greyson von Trapp
Denton, Texas
Director of Choreography, Mustache Envy Collective
Professional Bellydancer
www.greysonvontrapp.dance
The places Mustache Envy (ME) and my own personal performance practice operate out of were
all shut down, of course. For ME, we have so far produced one show on Facebook Live where the
performers in our collective sent in videos of themselves performing, and we streamed them with
live emceeing in between, similar to what would happen at a live show. For myself, I’ve focused
more on my asynchronous online offerings, but am dipping my toes into synchronous Facebook Live classes soon. My
performances have been booked for a couple of different online haflas, but in general my performance volume has been
reduced to about 90% of what it normally would be.
28 The Belly Dance Chronicles � July 2020