what free time I had before I began my daily routine of exercise and dance classes and nightly performance into the wee hours of the morning . I would carefully venture out for window shopping , exploring the city , and even visiting the zoo . Of course , in the pre-Internet era , without the assistance of having a handy cell phone with a map feature or apps with suggested city tours , I was on my own to cautiously explore in ever-expanding circles and regions beyond my local neighborhood . It ’ s quite tiring but was necessary always to keep notes on which tram stop you started from and exited , and which streets you have traversed – so that you can retrace your steps and return home . Thus , I found myself visiting the Koln Zoo – which was an endpoint tram stop . There , I spent time at the open area that housed a wolf pack , which helped temper my homesickness for our Siberian Huskies pack at home with my husband , Carl .
a special image showing how lithe I had become – with a photo poster of me in the background .
Staying hydrated in the world of industrial chemically contaminated water was another challenge . It meant that I shopped daily for bottled water by the liter and carried my water everywhere . Chemical pollution of the water around Koln resulted in nerve damage for those who drank water from the tap – you could see the shaking limbs of this nerve disease in people – even the young teenagers .
Yet another physical challenge was foot pain . Dancing in heels , teaching , and walking everywhere – my bunions became a 24 / 7 painful physical issue . When I returned to the U . S ., the first thing I did was schedule bunionectomy surgery . I learned that bunions are the result of genetic bone structure and experienced by most of those with my Asian ancestry . Foot issues due to genetics are not something one usually considers and isn ’ t a problem until your work exacerbates a condition and results in foot pain .
Free Time and Navigating the City As I mentioned earlier – I walked everywhere , enjoying
Comedia Colognia Show Memories and Inspiration One of the highlights of my stay in Koln was a 2-woman show I planned and performed in with Sigrid Shutte , my German sponsor . Together , we produced and performed in a show – with costume changes and performances with different dance styling to a variety of Middle Eastern musical pieces . One of the haunting pieces of music which I have not been able to find again is “ Caravan ” on a record from the movie of the same title .
Fun fact , we danced to music in the show from a 33-1 / 3 record and several cassette tapes I brought with me from America . Yes , cassette recordings were the new recording technology at the time . I was from the era of carrying a record player and long-playing records to dance gigs . Small cassette music tapes and boomboxes were , at the time , novel technology .
Whereas , today , it would be so easy to compile digital music for a show accessing digital files from cloud-based resources , with technology that hadn ’ t been invented yet . Remember , no Internet , no laptops or tablets , no cell phones – only records and cassette tapes . I ’ m the dancer that today will bring along a DVD for a hafla or show – and most dancers will hand the D . J . their iPod , tablet , or cell phone .
I have several prominent memories from that Comedia Colognia “ Thousand and One Nights ” show . I was alone in my apartment in the afternoon the week before the show . I heard my name mentioned on the radio with the announcement of the “ Comedia Colognia show mit
October 2020 � The Belly Dance Chronicles 31