A Passion for Parasols

When I was a kid, my grandma gave me the coolest little parasol. It was green, and it doubled as an umbrella. She bought it from this wonderful lady in Dahlonega, Georgia, who would paint your name and fanciful little designs on your parasol. (As of two years ago, she was still doing them at Gold Rush Days.)

Years later, my class made a field trip to something called the "China Exhibit" at the High Museum of Art, and I bought myself a beautiful waterproofed paper parasol (green again, as it happens), and I toted that thing around until it eventually disappeared.

Well, I'm fair-skinned and burn easily. Make that really, really fair-skinned, and really, really prone to sunburn. Despite having a decided goth streak, I love the sun, and I love to be outside in it. (I've relegated my inner goth to a part of my soul that mainly gets to play with my wardrobe and Halloween.) For years I've relied on hats and sunscreen, but I hate sunscreen. I hate putting it on, and I don't trust most sunscreen after doing a bit of research.

Last year, I remembered my beloved parasols from my childhood. Why wasn't I using a parasol anymore? I've always loved how they look, and I see them all the time around where I work, carried by the Hispanic and Asian women who walk everywhere. And hey, it's certainly an environmentally friendly approach to sun protection!

So began my hunt for the perfect parasol. My first acquisition, after much research, came from Luna Bazaar, who have the most amazing assortment of paper parasols! (Their main clients are brides and event planners, so they have a rainbow of colors. There are even a few nylon parasols, and they've announced that they'll be adding lace parasols.) I settled on the henna design painted paper umbrella, one of only two waterproof parasols. It stands up to rain quite well, though I wouldn't use it in high winds. (That's only because I'm protective of it, not because I've had a single problem with it.)

As a result of my parasol hunt, I found several examples of belly dance routines with parasols. Since I have a bit of an addiction to props in belly dance, that's just up my alley! I also saw one example of a paper parasol breaking during a routine, so I knew I needed a regular parasol for dance.

I found it this year at the Georgia Renaissance Festival. It's a beautiful red lace parasol, with a sturdy black wood handle and metal ribs. (I found an identical one on sale online.) I had seen several black ones at various conventions, marketed to the steampunk set (yay steampunk!), but this was the first red one! I love that it's so unusual. I hope to have a dance solo worked up in time for my troupe's December show.

Now I'm buying a couple more paper parasols. I'm feeling the lure of the unusually shaped ones, so I've looked at the grass green scalloped parasol and the powder blue star parasol, both from Luna Bazaar. Then again, the gilded blue parasol is gorgeous... (That's also from Luna Bazaar. Have I mentioned how much I love them? And that most of their parasols use sustainably grown wood for the handles and finials?) Eventually I'm going to get the butterflies and flowers parasol or maiden oiled paper parasol, both very Asian designs from Asian Ideas. They also have a lovely square parasol, which is certainly distinctive.

Apparently the recent appreciation for multicultural designs has been having its effect. I've found some other sources, too.

Oiled paper parasols from Japanese Style
Very elegant fabric pagoda parasol-umbrellas from Bella Umbrella
Paper parasols from Asian Import Store
A wide range of distincive parasols from Pamela's Parasols
Asian-style parasols and umbrellas from Oriental Decor
Silk, nylon, lace, paper, and oiled paper parasols from Asian Ideas

Photo by Michael Connell on Flickr

Choreography obviously isn't my thing

I've been listening to Dargaard's Takhisis Dance over and over, and I'm still having problems. HOW AM I GOING TO CHOREOGRAPH THIS? I really need to get it finished by the end of next week, if I'm going to do this solo.

Can I do it? I really don't know.

To Solo, or Not to Solo...

I happened to catch just a few minutes of Dancing with the Stars earlier this week...just enough to see Heather Mills do a front walkover. Now, I haven't followed the show. In fact, I don't particularly like it, just as I don't like any of the other shows that are always picking a worst. And don't get me started on the suggestive choreography and skimpy costumes! (end rant)

However, I have watched a couple of the Heather Mills numbers...because that woman flat-out blows my mind. I didn't know who she was before this, but I'm so impressed by her spirit. She has a prosthetic leg, and she's doing Dancing with the Stars! Can you believe it? THAT is guts!

And now the dilemma. I've been considering a solo for dance for probably six months now. I have considered doing one in June, but I'm hesitant. I found a song I like, Takhisis Dance, and a style: double veil. So when I saw Heather Mills dance, I told myself, "If Heather Mills can do a front walkover with a prosthetic leg, I can do a solo!"

Except I can't choreograph. At all. I tried, and my mind goes blank after "Enter wrapped in veils." Yeah. The song is almost four minutes long! I can't just SPIN for four minutes! And I'm already fighting my choreography for the Seshambeh number...

What do I do?

Postscript: Please excuse my limited editing and any errors that surface. And the lack of links. I seemed to have misplaced my handwarmers. Well, I can find one. Just one. Even though they come in a pair. So I'm typing wearing my satin over-the-elbow Rogue gloves. It's not as easy to do as one might think.

Behind the veils...

I think the average person would be so surprised if they were a fly on the wall at a dance rehearsal! Every single woman in my dance company has been dancing for years; Ghala and I have been dancing for over a decade, with the same troupe! But you wouldn't have known it if you had seen us practicing last night.

We're working on double veil right now, and boy is it a challenge! And it's not just any double veil combinations; I would swear Saroya has searched for the most mind-bogglingly complicated moves in existence! We snagged the veils on our jewelry and hip wraps, tangled them around our arms and legs, caught them on our skirts, and generally became ensnared. One set of evil veils were dubbed "the veils that ate Atlanta." Not our most shining moment.

On the bright side, I did come up with a way to gracefully transition the veil out of a front butterfly wrap through a spin. So it wasn't a total loss.

Moral of the story: Next time you see a dancer performing, give her some credit. That stuff is hard work and takes months of practice!

Why I had to defend Middle Eastern Dance

Someone out there is bound to have read my "Defense of Middle Eastern Dance" (posted back in August). Here's the story behind that post, my reason for writing. Sorry it's so long.

Before I post Tezra's letter, understand this: this isn't a "friend-of-a-friend" story; I have known this dancer for a few years. She studies with the same instructor I do, and we have danced together in the past.

If you were to ask around in the Atlanta ME dance community, you would find plenty of people who know Tezra and are familiar with her story. I bet you would find that many of them will not do business with Jenny Pruitt and Associates now. We're a supportive group, as many restaurant and venue owners have discovered. Mistreat a dancer and most other dancers won't have a thing to do with you!

So here's Tezra's story, in her words.


Hi everyone.

It has been a while and I hope you remember me. I am the dancer that faced losing her job over dance. First, I want to say thank you again to everyone who responded. I received literally hundreds of e-mails from dancers around the world. Technology is amazing, but even more amazing is the incredible community of Middle Eastern dancers and musicians we are a part of.

It has taken a long time for the final result, but here is the situation and how it played out:

For those who didn't know, I am a Realtor. My problem came up when I attempted to change offices, leaving my current office and moving to the new office opening near my home. I was very excited to find out my friend (ha ha) Rhonda would be the new broker. It wasn't until I sat down for my interview that she stated she could not interview me because I dance. You see, because I thought she was friend, and before I knew she would be the new broker, I sent her a donation letter for a Cystic Fibrosis fundraiser being planned by a local dancer in Atlanta. I always kept dance and work separate; this was not a company-wide mailing. It only went to a handful of people who I thought were appropriate.

Well, quite simply I was speechless. All I could say was "what?" and "huh?". I just simply couldn't comprehend what she had said! Although I pled my case, Rhonda would hear none of it. She said at that point she could not hire me and would take the matter to our CEO.

Some weeks later our CEO, Jenny, (a compassionate open minded person by all accounts) phoned me and basically took me apart. I have been deemed unacceptable. This is what she said...

"I don't care if you call it Israeli Folk dance, Ethnic dance, Middle Eastern dance or Belly Dance. It is all the same. And although it may be acceptable at other companies, it is completely unacceptable in my company! I will not make Rhonda hire you, but since you have been here almost two years I will not make John (my current broker) fire you. I will leave that up to him. However, in the future, if my company name is ever associated with you and this dance, I will fire at that time!"

Well, I was dumbstruck again! It took me another three weeks to get up the courage to face my broker, John. John knew from the day he hired me that I danced and he had no problem with it. He asked me repeatedly to stay with him. He said the whole thing was ridiculous and that he supported me completely. He also couldn't understand what the issue was.

Unfortunately, after the shock wore off, I came to the realization that, since the money rolls uphill, I could not stay with the company. I would not knowingly or willingly put another dime in Miss Jenny's pocket. Because I am of Sephardic Jewish heritage, some of the dance I participate in is part of my culture, and I am totally insulted that someone would call me unacceptable in this day and age in the U.S. Can you imagine? I was floored.

Meanwhile, I am now ready to give out my ex-company info so you know who not to do business with in the future. I can't tell anyone what to do with this information, but I can tell you there is very minimal diversity within the company.

Some of the e-mails I received in response to my original mailing suggested I may have violated policies at my company which may have prompted this. I was not "moonlighting", dance has been just exercise and love for the past several years. I did not violate any company policies, nor was this stated as reason for this action.

Anyway, thank you all again for your overwhelming support. I will let you know where I land when the dust settles.

Sincerely yours,

Tezra


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A Defense of Middle Eastern Dance

This is a bit different from my usual fare, but I wrote this for a fellow dancer. She has been told that her hobby is "inappropriate" and has to do a presentation to the owner of the company to convince her it isn't. This popular view of Middle Eastern dance is one of my pet peeves. Tomorrow I will return to my regularly scheduled programming. ;)

A Defense of Middle Eastern Dance

I first began studying Middle Eastern dance at the age of twenty-one, almost eleven years ago. The impact on my life has been considerable. I have improved my grace, control, flexibility, balance, and strength; I have met many wonderful, interesting people; I have learned a new form of expression.

My first performance was at the Festival of Trees, a venue where my troupe and others performed for several years. Later I performed with several other dancers for a one hundred and tenth birthday celebration, held at the Jewish Nursing Home. I danced at the Decatur Arts Festival at least three years; my troupe has also performed at Stockbridge Days and the Atlanta Folks Dance Festival, as well as many other events. We have even danced as part of the DeKalb International Choir Festival, which was held at a church. All of these events are family-friendly, and I have performed at very few venues where families weren't a significant presence.

Like most dancers, I hold a full-time job and have a college degree. All my coworkers know I dance; at least half have seen me perform, and the owners of the company brought their six-year-old daughter to our recent charity fundraiser. However, only two or three clients know I am a dancer, because it's not relevant to the work I do for them as a graphic designer.

I have been an active member of a Southern Baptist church for longer than I have been dancing. Though I don't run around announcing my hobby, I have never made a secret of it–even though my husband is a church employee. I have myself taught art classes through my church, as well as volunteering in the children's department at all three churches I have attended since I began dancing. Twice I have worn one of my costumes for church productions; I even used my knowledge of Middle Eastern dance to choreograph a number for one of them. Our music ministry directory even lists "Middle Eastern Dance" as one of my interests!

As dancers, we are a varied group. Most of us are college-educated, as I am, some with advanced degrees. Many of us bring our families to events. None of us have found that Middle Eastern dance interferes with our professional lives. Would anyone think twice if a women were a Latin dancer? Yet many of these dances can be quite provocative–and are performed with a male partner. Middle Eastern dance, on the other hand, is performed almost exclusively solo or in all-female troupes.

We are moms and grandmothers, wives and daughters. We are not strippers; we are not prostitutes. We are dancers.