Time has slowed down all of a sudden. Imagine that, just in time for December. Just in time for my body to say, “oh yea have a seat on that couch, drink some tea and read a book.”
The production of Inanna at Mod Club was a wonderful success, even with the surprize snow storm the day of the show. It was quite an experience to be on a stage with so many people: a full band, singer, other dancers and of course Inanna herself, played by Joanne Camilleri. The costumes by local designer Garnet Jones, were fantastic to perform in.
The buzz around the show is that people liked it and those who missed it wish it had run for more than one night. This has been an ongoing project of Ancient Rumblings so stay tuned, this is just the beginning for this production company. Being in the show makes it difficult to percieve how the show went from an audience perspective, so I look forward to viewing the production video.
In October I completed the ATS Modern Skills certification, with Carolena Nericcio –the grandmother of American Tribal Style bellydance. We learned modern combos that have expanded out of the Fat Chance style of group improvised bellydance. Having studied ATS/ITS the past few years, I was reminded of how much I’ve learned since beginnging to explore tribal fusion and ATS, a few years into my bellydance journey, going to San Francisco to see what this was all about, attending my first SF Mecca Immersion. I did ok in the tribal fusion workshops but oh man did I feel over my head in the group improv stuff. In a workshop led by Carolena, I was one of maybe three dancers completely new to this practice and I stumbled my way through, still so excited to learn from this woman and knowing I didn’t travel all that way to half ass anything. It was all so new, beginners mind was competely present.
And now maybe six years later, I have delved deeper into tribal fusion vocabulary, and enjoy exploring my own representation within music and movement. I have and continue to dance with Serpentina North Ensemble, and am engaged in the ATS/ITS community built in Toronto and beyond.
And now that the whirlwind of autumn is done, a long awaited pause. An exhale in preparation for a new year. A nod to another year come and gone, and visioning what has yet to come in 2015.
Sandy Watters 