LET ME REMEMBER YOU IN VERSE.

Here we are again - 7.55 in the morning and workmen all over the house. I mean, it's our own fault, we booked them to come and change our windows. The windows that came with the house are now over 20 years old, and on many of them the double glazing is compromised, and on several of them the wood surroundings are moldy and black mold is beginning to creep into our bedroom.

This was a situation that needed something doing about it even before we had the heat pump put in. But the heat pump people said that if we were going to be properly efficient with the heat pump we should make sure the windows were insulated to standard, which our rotten old windows were not. So that precipitated us to finally do something about them.

In theory therefore we are pleased that they are here and doing their thing. However, 'an Englishman's home is his castle' etc, and this always feels like an invasion. Plus there is a lot of banging going on, plaster is raining down on us, and we're afraid to go to the toilet in case they take the window away while we're in there.

They're here for four days. I wonder how we'll hold up. Our tempers got frayed very thin during the heat pump installation but we managed to hold on to them. I hope it will be like exercising a muscle - we'll do even better for the practice - and not like having Covid, where the damage mounts up.

Still, I am looking forward to windows you can see out of and window frames you can't put your hand through. Plus a new front door with stained glass panels. Worth waiting for? I hope so.

Well, all my future belly dance plans got tossed into the air and scattered. Mostly in a way that I'm happy with, but still...

So, as I wittered on about endlessly my plan was to do a new sword-dance solo to Ya Baba and also a heavy metal duet with another lady from Elizabeth's class, to Khepri - Fangs of Apep

To which end I had even bought a studded belt and decorated a black bra for a heavy metal outfit. I found a black skirt and a snakeskin patterned skirt in the charity shop and tweaked them to fit me properly. I was going to wear the black skirt for the heavy metal dance, and then use the same bra and belt with a few red items and the snakeskin patterned skirt to make a villainous Wen Yao outfit that would work for Ya Baba too.

Then of course I was like 'I don't actually like Fangs of Apep' And in browsing on YouTube I found Wolf Totem by The Hu which I fell in love with and suggested to the other lady for our dance instead. She said she loved it, so I thought that was settled.

But the best laid plans etc, because it turns out that the particular version of Ya Baba that I liked so much is not available to buy. This is the second time YouTube has done this to me! And I really don't like the other versions as much. I'm not sure I really want to do a sword dance to any of them. (And why do you even need seven different arrangements of the same tune. Argh!)

Also OL, (my partner in the duo) has a number of other suggestions for tunes which she might prefer to The Hu, so we are not decided. Some of them are not even heavy metal, so the whole outfit is called into question now... LOL! This is what I get for jumping the gun.

OTOH, if we go for one of the other tunes, then Wolf Totem by The Hu is available for me to use for my own purposes, and I will use that for a new sword solo. It's certainly thematically appropriate for a sword dance, though sadly much less Meng Yao related.

Meanwhile Elizabeth has asked me to do a sword dance solo when the group is performing at Aquafest in June. I don't know if I have time to develop and memorize a new choreography for June, so I'll have to crack open baby's first choreography and see if I can improve on my old dance.

In other words, it's all up in the air again and I have a new studded belt and decorated bra for nothing ;)

Ely Aquafest will be an interesting place to perform, that's for sure!

So, it was Louise's hafla last night, aka the 'Hob al Raqs' Hafla. I wonder if I can get a copy of the running list up here? Hm... but it's very big, so here is a link to the pdf instead.

After having been sick with nerves and dreading it for two days prior, the nerves cleared up on the day, and I gradually got ready by ironing my veil (for the Nawwarat group dance) and practicing putting on a dramatic blue eye make up look from YouTube.

(Did you know that you can use cellotape on your face to get a sharp wing to your eyeshadow? I didn't. But I do now.)( Read more... )

DH of course, who turned up with two huge cameras, (one for video and one for stills) was very popular and everyone wanted to pose and show off their sparkling outfits. There will be much excitement when he posts the finished photos to a friends-locked group on the web. I'm looking forward to that too. He is a treasure and everyone knows it :)

PS. The other lady from my class who said she might do a solo did not in fact do a solo despite being objectively much better than me. I don't understand - surely the point of practicing a dance is to perform it?

PPS. I wonder when I will feel as though I have the right to use the dance name I picked out? I mean I'm not good and I'm certainly not professional, but I am up there performing. Does that make me a dancer yet or is there another trial you have to pass first?