dancers expected to tour Alice in Wonderland in Morocco and China . This is when I realized what I had created was special and even beyond me at this point . I realized my dance companies had taken on a life of their own and I had trained them well enough to trust their vision until I recovered . Every one of my dancers and friends truly rose to the occasion and exceeded my wildest expectations of what support and love look like .
This was transformational for me because I realized that the dance lives beyond my physical being . It is with me intellectually , spiritually , and emotionally . I finally was able to get over the fear of being replaced or forgotten and instead focused on supporting and trusting my team to carry on for the sake of the show and future of the company .
Looking back on your life and thinking about “ key transitions ” identify easy transitions that were not difficult but set you on a different path .
Transitions are Transformative Challenges
I don ’ t believe there are many “ easy transitions ”, since all changes I ’ ve experienced has some sort of challenge to embrace . A transformative moment for me personally and in my career was finally owning my own touring dance company Bellydance Evolution .
The jump from Artistic Director of Bellydance Superstars was extremely daunting , but the need for growth and change was too powerful — my decision was made . I was ready no matter how scary it seemed , and all signs pointed to me finding my way . I was ready to risk the comfort I had felt under Miles ’ direction , for a very uncomfortable , unknown path with potentially huge rewards . I didn ’ t know if I could be as successful , but I knew I had to try .
One of the most challenging parts was adapting my style of management from Art Directing to now being responsible for funding , and advertising , and everything else that came along with large productions . With my small-yetdetermined team , headed by my colleague Heather Aued , we took on all the new challenges of production and overcame incredible obstacles to continue producing and expanding shows year after year .
Can you identify tough transitions that were difficult to navigate that threw you for a loop ? What was the result ?
Pandemic impacts global performance plans
I think the biggest and hardest loop is happening right now . I don ’ t think anyone was expecting this Global Pandemic to come and cancel 2020 ! I had bookings in 15 different countries between my solo workshops , Bellydance Evolution ’ s newest tour of The Jungle Book , and my BDExperience bookings for The Wizard of Oz ! My dance studio had to close , and I had to do the unimaginable by letting go of some of my team who I desperately wanted to help .
I truly became insecure about my future for the first time , in a long time . But as I started postponing events , I was surprised and touched by how many people chose to keep their applications open even without a new date to announce . It was so heartwarming and opened my eyes to all of the beauty around me .
# 2getherWeMove
I now have the opportunity to connect with dancers around the globe all at the same time from my home . I ’ m proud that we were able to take something as tragic as this pandemic - and come out on the other side with a whole new community in # 2getherWeMove . I am continuously amazed at the responses this simple idea has received and how far it has taken me in these times of uncertainty .
In the wake of the Global Pandemic , now more than ever , our community needs to come together in support of one another through this unexpected change of and sudden transition of classes online . I saw many of my colleagues making the difficult shift and were at risk of losing their studio and students . I decided to create 8 weeks of classes to donate to studios / teachers to help them thru this transition and give incentive for students to continue their memberships and training with their local teachers . To be honest , I was feeling a little insecure about filming myself , it had been many years , pounds and wrinkles since my last DVD . LOL !! but once I let go of my ego and focused on how I could be of service to the dance community I found my groove .
I was astounded at the overwhelming response !
I intentionally created an application process so that these
October 2020 � The Belly Dance Chronicles 19