Musings
an Online Journal of Sorts

By Alyce Wilson

Salome performing at Bryn Mawr

While I can no longer take a belly dancing class, due to my current work schedule, I see my former belly dancing instructor, Salome, on a regular basis working out in the YMCA gym.

She told me about an event at Bryn Mawr College this past weekend, where she would be performing along with several other acts. It was an event called Illumination and was part of their alumni weekend but was open to the public.

Since my digital camera is being serviced by Canon for an electrical communications problem, I took the point-and-shoot 35mm camera that I haven't used for about four or five years. I knew the camera wouldn't be ideal, since there's no zoom and you can't turn off the flash, but it was better than nothing.

We arrived just as the event was starting and heard them announce Salome as we were walking across the green area of campus to the event. Finally, we saw a little grove of trees, with chairs set up facing a small stage that was illuminated by multiple tiers of paper lanterns.

Salome was in the midst of her performance, accompanied by music by the Feztones, who perform Middle Eastern music. She was using a veil I'd never seen before, which includes small sticks inside that extend to either side like wings. It was truly beautiful.

The performance was a little different from what I'd seen Salome do before, since she was really far from the audience members. Usually bellydancing is more up close and personal. She did invite women to join her, and a few of us followed her lead. How could I not? I'm in brown on the far right, next to Salome.

Salome performed for about 20 minutes, and afterwards, as the next act was getting ready, I greeted her offstage and told her how well I thought she'd done. She thanked me for coming, because none of her other students had made it. I did notice later, though, that a fellow bellydancer, Najia, who is one of Salome's best friends, did attend. She got up and danced later to the other acts.

Next up was the Dunya Performing Arts Company, run by Jeannine Osayande, who teaches African dance at Bryn Mawr. She and an assistant got rolling with the help of some musicians.

Then, after showing us a couple African dance moves, Jeannine invited everyone to join them in front of the stage to learn some moves ourselves. A large circle formed of about 40 to 50 people, most of them women, many of them barefoot, having kicked off their shoes.

Jeannine taught us some simple moves and had us perform them to the drum beat. First was a set that involved throwing first the right and then the left leg out and then stepping four times in the center, while clasping the hands together and rolling your shoulders.

We got that down easily, so she taught us a new move, which involved moving four times to the right, throwing a leg out behind and throwing our arms up, first touching our shoulders, then reaching for the sky. When we traveled back the other way, we made the movement more smooth, with our left elbow pointed in the direction we were moving.

Some people had more trouble than others, but it was easy to pick out those Bryn Mawr students who had taken her class. They picked up the moves easily and threw everything into it.

Our final move was a simple one, which involved tapping the foot forward on first one side and then the other while making wide circles with our arms.

After she'd taught them all, we tried them together, and she brought a group of children and Bryn Mawr students into the circle to perform them for us.

Next she divided the circle into three parts and taught each of us a different movement, which we performed as we danced into the circle towards the dancers on the other side. I happened to be standing near a lot of the Bryn Mawr students who had taken her class, so she gave us a more difficult move, a spinning circle with our bodies bent over and our arms out. You can just barely see me, to the right of the instructor, who is in the foreground wearing a blue and white skirt.

Jeannine asked us to reform the circle then and had us do the movements she'd taught us as we moved around the circle. Although the people on either side of me weren't holding their arms like I am, I swear to you that the instructor was!

At the close of their performance, Jeannine, invited individual dancers to come into the circle and do a move. First, someone passed you a scarf, and then you showed respect to the drummers by facing them and touching your heart. You showed respect for the earth by touching the earth. Then you'd dance.

I wasn't asking for it, but I was the only person in my part of the circle who didn't run away when a dancer came up to me with the scarf, so I took it and went in. Jeannine kindly walked me threw it, showing me a move that involved throwing your arms out in front from the chest area while leaning over and moving your feet. I danced with her for a little while, touched the earth again at her direction, and gave the scarf to some Bryn Mawr students I'd seen dancing exuberantly earlier. They took it readily.

After the Dunya Performing Arts Company ended their performance, The Gryphon and I went looking for water. We found, much to our relief, that they were giving away bottles of water at a nearby table. We thanked them profusely. I really needed it.

The final performance was by Jimmy Jorge and the Latin Express, who specialize in salsa, merenge, bolero and latin jazz. We didn't get any photos of them, but here's one from their web page of the entire group.

For the first couple of numbers, the only people who were dancing were couples. It was fun watching them, but The Gryphon and I didn't feel up to joining them. But then they played a merenge and invited everyone onto the floor. The lead singer urged us, saying that "all you have to do is move your hips" and offering to have one of the band members, an older woman, come down and teach us.

So I joined the Bryn Mawr students and alumni as we got a little lesson in merengue, which was, indeed simple. As soon as people had the basic movements down, they swiveled around the floor, swinging their hips and moving their feet. It was a great time, and I stayed up, dancing, for the rest of the performance.

Jimmy Jorge had a few interested quirks. For example, he would point to women in the crowd and say, "This is for you, baby," which never failed to elicit a response of the woman pointing at herself, confused, mouthing, "Me?" I must say, though, he was great at getting people to dance, and I think everyone had fun.

Several times I caught women who were close to my age looking me in the eyes as if trying to place my face. I certainly blended in with the Bryn Mawr alumni, who for the most part looked like career women with an artistic streak. I kept waiting for someone to ask me, point blank, who I was and when I graduated, but it never came to that. I'm sure that at least one or two women went home, puzzled, thinking, "She looked so familiar. I could swear I had an English class with her once."

Not wanting the evening to end, I suggested that I treat The Gryphon to some ice cream. We had to drive around to several places, though, before we found one that was both open and serving good ice cream: The Tom Jones Diner, where he used to go frequently as a Widener University undergrad. The sweet taste of chocolate and cream was a great way to end a fun evening.

Copyright 2006 by Alyce Wilson

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