Rakkasah 2009
Rakkasah 2009
It always takes me time to “come down” after Rakkasah. Each year brings a new revelation. And then Monday morning hits and the day gets longer and longer with “the letdown”. Of course I day dream about all my friends that I was able to see. It is truly like a family reunion with all that people that I make my rounds to catch up with. It isn’t much time that we spend together, but just checking in makes a difference. In the last 2 years I have felt so much love and support from my dance community that I can say with my heart and soul that it is family.
Shukria and Michelle do an amazing job with both Rakkasahs and now the East Coast Spring Caravan. This family has dedicated so much to try and always find us the best venues and circumstances for performance and for this event. We all miss the old location in Richmond, but the new location in Vallejo is full of growth potential. We will get use to it once I figure out where all my friends booths are. The stage area and floor plan was very smooth this year and with vendors representing many styles it made it very difficult for me not to shop.
I adored the Middle Eastern family that had their booth right next to mine. Not only did they have wonderful goodies from Morocco (and yes I bought quite a few things for my home), but they brought their own Turkish coffee with them and we had coffee together – which kept me going. We had our booths circle outside so the inside could be our little den. Oh and the coffee was so good! I think it helped me out a little extra during the show too! This year our booth had a different look as well, thanks to Brittney. It felt fresh and inviting. I have so much information that it was starting to explode off the tables. And each of my dancers pitched in working on a rotation behind the booth. Now that is community. I sat and watched all these great women feel proud to represent the Salimpour Legacy, and I felt proud of them.
Now to explain our performance on Sunday is difficult. Not because the music, costumes, and choreography isn’t explainable, but the energy on that stage blew my mind. I have never seen my dance company so full of life. I was so proud and felt that the stage was getting eaten up. It had been years since I have performed with my dance company and this year I decided to dance with my girls. Of course we rehearse like crazy, but truly if you are not totally ecstatic on stage it doesn’t shoot to the back of the room. And can I tell you… we were shooting all over the place. 20 dancers entered the stage and from the first second Isabella opened our show the audience was silent. The weird part for me was looking at mini me onstage. Wow is she growing up fast!
So is all the hard work worth it? Yes! Did Vashti’s choreography rock? Yes! Was Rashid and his harem luscious? Yes! Did Brittney’s chair dance explode? Yes! And did we blow it out with our finger cymbal drum solo? Yes! So I feel all warm and fuzzy inside and can’t stop myself from thinking “what am I gonna do next year?” as I slap myself. I want to enjoy this year a bit long before starting to plan next year. But not too much longer…
