In the Beginning

In the beginning, there was a dancer. Or maybe, in the beginning there was dance. That's a good question...which came first, the dancer or the dance? I suppose you could say the first dancer created dance, but maybe dance was just there, waiting to be discovered.

In any case, dancing is all about expression. In that regard, it's never been something I'm good at. The reason, I'm starting to realize, is not because I am spaztic (although I am, trust me) but because I'm overly self-conscious. This past year, getting up in front of the entire audience at MedFest and performing our cabaret piece with the 3 other dancers in the troup at that time...well, it was a big step for me.

You see, I never really used to dance, even at parties, for fear of looking goofy or weird. But I've come to a realization recently.

EVERYBODY LOOKS GOOFY WHEN THEY DANCE!

Now, this is not to say that dancing can't be beautiful, or emotional, or fun, or seductive, or whatever adjective you want to add here. It just means that to dance, you have to be free, and freedom, well freedom looks goofy sometimes.

This year, with the formation of our new Tribal group (tribal being more an American creation than actually being from any particular tribe) Kala Rawahney, the dancing is more about freedom than ever. Freedom and self-expression, and most importantly...FUN! This, my friends, is going to be so much fun I can hardly stand it.

That said, this journal will mostly be about dancing. There's already a page about the main group, so this will be more from a personal perspective. I want to chronicle my own journey, everything from creative ideas to keeping track of when I do and do not practice (maybe if anyone ever reads this, we can call that accountability) and eventually my experiences with performing.

Of course it will feature stories about Ajmaani, Samaar, Zha-el and Khalisa, but primarily it will be:

One Dancer's Journey