Susan Senator

Now that I have a navy blue velvet costume top and scarf, I am building an entire navy blue velvet ensemble. Look what I found on EBay! At first I was not sure what to think of the navy blue thing; especially because I did not like the yellow gold coins. So I’m exchanging it for navy blue with silver coins, which I think will be perfect for me. Yellow gold is not my favorite. So it will be kind of a whole midnight-sky-with-stars theme. (You will notice I did not make the obvious connection to Midnight at the Oasis, a song that I detest.) I am thinking that this outfit will be the one I wear when I am ready to perform publicly for friends (at my friend B’s house, whom I mentioned in a previous post) because this is the best-fitting costume I’ve had yet, more conservative than the rest, very comfortable because it is velvet. Did I mention the dark blue veil I will have? That alone makes me feel supremely happy! After months of pinks, this is a welcome and refreshing change. Not that I’ll ever be through with pink.

The song I will debut with is the Misirlou (of course). It is hands-down my favorite. I like the version that Flames of Araby has recorded on a CD called Oriental. It has also been recorded by Arabic bands, Greek bands, and Jewish Klezmer bands. It sounds like something out of Arabian Nights, or Aladdin! Here is the way I would break down the dance:

There is an obvious veil segment at the beginning, the clarinet solo: you should always start wrapped up in your veil, where you go around and greet your guests, slowly removing bits of it, and eventually shedding the whole thing in a swirl on your favorite gentleman.

Then you would use your zills (finger cymbals) when the initial rhythm starts up. Zills, along with some simple traveling steps, like a grapevine.

Then you shed the zills when the first main theme starts up. I’ve been driving around listening to this for days, and the choreography I imagine here would be walking forward doing hip eights, and then reversing backward and doing Mayas.

Next, when the most passionate central theme begins, you would do camels (full body undulations that travel all the way from chest to a stepping forward in the leg, one hand extended upward, moving down the face).

Then when the bells and rhythm parts start up, you would do the “feeding the unicorn a golden apple” dance step, also known as “you want me, you can’t have me,” a kind of stepping in and then stepping out back and forth movement.

Then when the clarinet comes back, you stand still and do some chest slides and genie arms, some shoulder shimmies.

Then, turn with your back to the audience, as the last of the rhythm comes on, and do shimmies in time with the rhythm, moving from one side and then to the other.

Your assignment is to listen to the Misirlou so that you know what I’m talking about. Picture your favorite belly dancer dancing in midnight blue velvet (someone like me, preferably)