For a period of about a year, I got into dance a little more -
belly dance to be exact. There were a couple of reasons, one being to
free up the pelvis. After a few lessons with some local young women,
I attended a week-long Middle Eastern dance class in Omega, NY.
This class was in the summer of 2002. It was given by a woman
named Morocco - another no nonsense, no bullshit great teacher,
storyteller and dancer, she is a master of her trade.
Her stories of experiences and travel in the Middle East and being
taking in by the women there, seeing and learning many of the dances and
where they came from, are fascinating. She really got into the actual
folk dance of what we here commonly call “belly” dance. She knows the
differences of the dances in the various regions in the Middle East
and Turkey, and the origins of the dances.
It was good week up there on the beautiful campus in Omega.
At the end of that week we all had to perform ...that was an
experience.
I attended another week-long class with her in New York City in
January 2003. That was an experience too..:).
A week later, and already in the works, I bought a computer and
started video gaming.
While I passed on the dance moves I had learned to a couple of
friends during the summer of 2003, giving free classes, ....the
gaming moved me into another direction.
It is even possible that the intention I originally had, opening
the pelvis, worked so well that some of the effects experienced in
online gaming were related to that ...who knows.
To this day I am grateful for the opportunity to learn to move in
certain ways and to learn from Morocco.
If you are interested in “Belly Dance” and also in authenticity
of the true art-form: I can recommend Morocco without hesitation.
Take a class while you still can.
Here is the only video I found of her. She is almost 70 there.
MOROCCO of New York City is one of the world's best known Oriental Dancers. Here she performs at the Lafayette Grill in New York City, August 2006