I recently had the incredible opportunity to travel and share my love of belly dance with an international audience. During the summer of 2006, I was hired to travel to Bali, Indonesia; Tasmania, Australia; Taipei, Taiwan; and Cairo, Egypt to teach and perform Egyptian and Tribal Style dance. What an adventure! It was an experience in itself to visit each of these beautiful and totally unique countries... and on top of that to be a part of the spread of this incredible art form to the far-reaches of the planet. The entire journey was one of wonder, joy, and plenty of introspection (amazing what those 10+ hour flights alone will do to your brain!) I felt an immediate bond with all of my students - my global sisters in dance. I would like to take this opportunity to share with you some photos and thoughts from my trip, and to thank those who shared the dance with me.
The only downside to all this incredible international travel? The amount of pollution I am personally responsible for over the past three months. Air travel, while wonderful and incredibly convenient, is a huge source of polluting emissions, including CO2 - a greenhouse gas. During the course of my 2006 World Tour, I have so far traveled over 48,000 miles by plane. According to NativeEnergy.com, this is equal to about 19 tons of CO2 pollution! While I can't take back what I've been responsible for putting in our air, I can help offset these emissions - which I have done by investing in projects: energy efficiency, renewable energy, sequestration, etc. that will reduce carbon dioxide emissions worldwide. To learn more about what my donation is helping accomplish and find out how you can reduce your personal ecological footprint, visit Carbonfund.org.
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The palace in Ubud. Bali dance shows there nightly.May 7th, 2006:
I embark on what is sure to be one of my greatest adventure ever...my first world tour of belly dance! Three whirlwind weeks and over a dozen workshops in three different countries.First stop: BALI, INDONESIA (MAY 10-17)
I arrive in Bali after one three-hour flight to LA, a 9 hour layover there, a 15-hour flight to Melbourne, a 23-hour layover there, and another 4-hour flight into Nagurah Rai International Airport via Sydney (with a two-hour layover there),a total of over two full days of travel. I am greeted by the heat, beautiful architecture, local gamelan music (a small orchestra with several xylophone-type instruments) and large signs reading "Death Penalty to Any Who Bring Drugs to Indonesia". It's a 1.5 hour wait to get through customs, but I am finally here! And my host and the resort driver are waiting for me at the gate - so we're on our way to Bhanuswari Resort and Spa in Ubud.
A typical Bali intersection...
Incredible statues and architecture everywhere
Agung and me at the rice terracesThe resort is gorgeous! It is set in the middle of a rice field in what feels like an incredibly remote area of Bali. We drove a long, bumpy, and at some points, scary little road to get there. The staff is unbelievably welcoming - I receive a welcome drink of lime, lemongrass and ginger (incredible!) and a cold towel for my face. I check in, get the mini-tour, take a long-awaited shower, and fall dead asleep at 8pm (or 7am according to my body's clock).
Classes are small, but challenging. Varying levels of students (from absolute beginners to instructors) as well as three languages (Balinese, Chinese, and English) make for a workshop first for me!
The food at the resort is wonderful - a nice combination of western and Indonesian food. I've eaten everything from French Toast, to Indonesian Rice Porridge to satay, to vegetable curry. We've had Balinese tea service twice - tea served with milk and sugar and many small gelatinous fruit sweets - yum!
Tea with my Taiwanese students
Joged - the dance of friendshipFriday night we are treated to a traditional Bali dance at the Palace - Legong and Barong. My tour guide and friend, Agung, is one of the performers. I have never seen a dance like it - the movements are squatty and fast, though fluid - the dancers remind me at times of little birds. And the costumes are gorgeous. I look forward to my dance lesson that weekend...
On Saturday night we have the Belly Dance meets Bali Dance performance at the hotel. What an amazing show! I have never performed for a more enthusiastic audience... The highlight of the night was when my Taiwanese students jumped on stage to perform Arabian Spices with me. No rehearsal, but they had been studying with my video for many months - it was quite a success. We end the show with me attempting my first Bali dance, the Joged.
I had the honor of being the first belly dancer many had seen!
Arabian Spices - US Meets Taiwan in Bali!
My Bali familyThe rest of the weekend was all about touring the country. I saw acres of rice terraces, a volcano, two temples, including the famous cliff-temple Uluwatu, a coffee plantation (I even got to help roast and grind the coffee the traditional Bali way.) We visit woodworkers, silversmiths, and a Batik workshop and then do LOTS of shopping! Lunch is at a fabulous little seafood place on the ocean - we pick our meal nearly still wiggling from baskets at the front counter and they grill it up.
Donning our new sarongs, the locals guide us through the monkey-ruled forest to Uluwatu as the sun sets. Along the way we make friends with the fattest little monkey I've ever met. He even lets us pat his belly!
Traditional coffee processing
The Temple of the Holy Spring Water
Uluwatu
MONKEY!
Me teaching in BaliMonday and Tuesday brought the last couple days of classes at Bhanuswari. Wednesday was spent at a beautiful art park in Ubud where I had the unique pleasure of watching groups of small boys and girls learning a traditional Bali dance. Before heading to the airport, I was taken to a luxurious Bali spa, where I was treated to a 3-hour treatment: massage, body scrub, facial, and flower bath. I fell asleep the moment I got on the plane...
NEXT STOP: TASMANIA, AUSTRALIA
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