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The Spell of the Dance by Tatiana Zelenetskaya Young

Najia - 610-449-7201 or email

"I still clearly remember caravans of gypsies wearing colorful skirts, singing and dancing. Their bodies moving in hypnotic motions, bestowing spells on those around them. I am certain it cast a spell on me then; and now, much later in time, and on a different continent, I still feel the power of that potion."

It is difficult to explain our fascination with dance in a simple, linear way. One can start by discussing the feminine, spiritual or self-expressive side of dance, and one can mention that most of the ancient civilizations used dance as a ritualistic tool for communicating with the divine; but I think that dance also helps us to understand our roots, the world around us, and ourselves.

I was born and raised in Kiev, capital of Ukraine. Every summer my parents took me to two places – the Black Sea and the Steps. I believe that the Steps were the first place where I noticed dancing. I still clearly remember caravans of gypsies wearing colorful skirts, singing and dancing. Their bodies moving in hypnotic motions, bestowing spells on those around them. I am certain it cast a spell on me then; and now, much later in time, and on a different continent, I still feel the power of that potion.

My second spell was delivered when I resided in Mexican pueblos, sharing houses with the native inhabitants of the land – the Maya. This spell gained strength when I wandered on the narrow streets of Cuzco in Peru. I was mesmerized by the dance of shamans with their bright costumes, and how closely their movements resembled those of animals and birds, casting an aura in the sacred space around them.

A couple of years ago, just before my trip to Bali, I made a sharp turn on my Honda Rebel motorcycle which resulted in a broken leg. I still went to Bali and collected all the necessary information for my research, but I was not able to continue my training in Kung Fu…just a step away from the black belt. It will sound strange, but that was the time when the dance of the gypsies and shamans came back to my imagination.

Cold winter breeze penetrated my clothes; my leg finally was liberated from the cast. I parked the car in the front of the dance studio; and I told myself that I would take belly dance lessons until my leg got better; and then I would go back to Kung Fu. It will be a lot of fun! How hard a dance can be?

How can I describe the experience of that day, my first belly dance class? I fell in love with it; I was hypnotized by the movements; I became possessed and determined to learn it. The discovery of my own body, the way it can sway; the discovery of the rhythm, which drives my soul to fly, made me become addicted to the belly dance. Of course, it was not, and still is not, easy to learn some of the dance movements; but it feels so rewarding when I finally get them. I believe it would be impossible to learn this dance without the support of my teacher, Najia. Her knowledge of and dedication to the dance, her deep understanding of the movements, and her mothering ability, to comfort and give hope, led me through my difficulties. There is no doubt that she showed me the way.

I remember how excited I was when Najia offered me the opportunity to join her troupe - 1001 Dreams. The name itself, as she explained it to me, implies that people are entitled to believe that their dreams can come true! I was completely frightened and delighted at the same time when she announced that I could participate with her at the local TV show the next day. The experience was unforgettable: while Najia was telling the history of belly dance, I was standing by wearing a stunning belly dance costume (which Najia brought from Egypt). I am not sure if it was the special power intervening through the costume's fabric by the magical touch of an Egyptian seamstress or the bright lights and cameras but I felt as I emerged from a well-known tale 1000 and 1 nights.

What is essential – is a constant and infinite support of the troupe members. It does not matter what you do: perform at," The Goddess Night" or worry about not getting the dancing techniques properly; "Dreams" (women of our troupe) are always there with kind words and guidance, always ready to teach you and help you. I was trembling, as an autumn leave in the cold wind, just before our performance when I heard Gretchen's warm voice saying, "I am sure you will do fine", and as simple these words sound, please believe me they had incredible power. Kristina, on the other hand, taped all our performances so that we can see our imperfections and work on them; and, where we would be without Natasha's notes, which she manages to write, while we are learning a new choreography.

"The belly dance is now intertwined with my body, my veins, and my life; I continue to grow, becoming stronger and wiser, reaching the divine within me and so can you."

If you can envision yourself in the desired belly dance costume that you choose in order to complete the story which will be conveyed through your dance. Then you can also imagine how upset I was trying to fit myself in a costume which I had failed to sew correctly. Then Shelley invited me to practice in her home together with her beautiful young daughter Helen, who we admire for her amazing dancing, and other talents. Shelley specializes in costume "engineering" – I literally had goose bumps when I saw her creations. Remember the Cinderella story, when the Godmother transformed Cinderella's dress into a ball gown - Shelley is the "One" – everything that she touches becomes enhanced by her magic. You look in the mirror and think that even you went through a metamorphosis – from the caterpillar to the butterfly. As you can witness, "Dreams" do come true!

Najia also presents everyone with the opportunity to learn from paramount teachers such as Sahra Saeeda and Jehan Kamal. Watching Sarah's and Jehan's dance will make you cry with joy, both of them unique in their own way; their dance style is pure and indigenous. Last summer we had a great opportunity to take a seminar, "Journey trough Egypt", with Sahra. We gained a great amount of knowledge about the roots of belly dance, how geographical location influences the style of dance, and about profound and mundane elements of the culture in general. It was extraordinary information which helps one to gain a new insight into the world around us, the dance and your self.

The belly dance is now intertwined with my body, my veins, and my life; I continue to grow, becoming stronger and wiser, reaching the divine within me and so can you



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