Other than the rage, great weekend to dance!

[parasitegirl]

It was a good weekend for dance. This fact may have been overshadowed by OMG APARTMENT SIGNER MELTDOWN 2010 6/11.

 

And…do not doubt that I melted down and I did so without a great deal of dignity. Nothing removes grace from a flounce when you have to you run back to grab a whole box of tissues because you’re that much of a mess…or the later one when I realized that every form I needed to move on was still in my desk. The exit-return-exit wasn’t helped by the fact I had to exit with a whole suitcase packed for an after -work gig. It is hard to hold a bag, a wheely suitcase, tissues, and your head up at the same time.

 

I went home early on Friday because I needed to be somewhere I could make calls and emails and do what I had to do. My “this needs to get done!” small or large disaster mode, if inhibited by lack of access to things I can do, generally points me toward meltdown.

 

Waiting for the train I called Mrs. N, to hear a kind voice. She assured me that I had good reason for being so angry but that I also had a great many people who care for me and want me to be in the apartment and safe and happy.

 

On the train home I got an email from Melissa in Milwaukee asking if I was up for some Skyping about dating. I warned her that I looked a mess…but that helping someone else with dating questions would do me a world of good. On the walk home from the train I heard back from Kazu and Wataguy as well…possible signers. Easier to breathe.

 

I shoved an ice cream bar in my mouth, brewed some coffee, and started to unclench. Mel got me on Skype and we talked. Then it was time to put contacts in and do my face for the Mother’s Ruin gig. I had to pick up false lashes on the way to the train (as I’d planned, pre-meltdown, to get some more at lunch) and quickly applied them on the train. Fuck the manner campaign! I also grabbed some snack food, as I realized I’d had no lunch, except that ice cream bar.

 

I felt better once at Mother’s Ruin. Aztecy-goodness, giant copper lizard, Accordian/Clarinet/Tuba/Pianica, friendly faces, a home. There was nothing to stress out about with Katsura Mazurka (the band) because they are such a roll-with-it outfit that I had no large game plan.

 

“How many songs would you like to dance to.”

“As many as you let me, because I need to burn off the energy something fierce. Wear me out!”

 

Safi wanted to wrap-up early, maybe 3 songs total, and sit with a drink and enjoy the later half of the show…so it worked out great. First set were songs and songs with Safi, songs.

 

Alan and I figured out some interesting song pairings, as well as a few requests (Ruto Hato, a song for his son…love that song), and a slowed down closer listen of a song in a 7 time signature. I’d be dancing about 6 or 7 songs, I can’t remember, with one break to change.

 

As always, when dealing with music of a Balkan background, there’s gonna be fusion with the dance. I tend to toss in a tiny bit if jazz (because that’s about all I know) into the oriental with a heavy Turkish Rom influence over that. I’d brought an old-school earthy American-Cabaret costume and my gold/pink Tempest styled corset belt/my own matching halter over blingy gold Geisha Moth pants worn under a sheer pink circle skirt with slits.

 

Safi’s other style is burlesque, and she’s recently returned from a Burley-con of some sort in Vegas, so she was Burly-Carnival-tinged in her costuming choice and general attitude. We’ve got very different takes on the music but somehow it worked. Katzura Masurka has a pretty wide range within their chosen style. We all a mixed bag.

 

We changed and I threw on my giant polyester poppy cover-up. People started coming. Tof showed up and I clued him into the melt-down he’d missed earlier in the day. We got some of our work venting out. Charlie K of many photos and You Tube clips arrived…and took pictures of me ranting with Tof while wearing my cover-up. I do hope those don’t make it into an Ozma Montage.

 

I caught up with Neil. He’s backing away from the DJ scene as of late, I don’t blame him. I’ve always thought of him as the sweetest and least ego’ed of the bunch and you need a certain amount of ego/drive/even aggression to survive that scene. I’m not knocking the ego, I have a powerful one pushing me forward sometimes, but I think he’s cutting back for all the right reasons. We talked a bit about his daughters and my apartment issues. He and his wife are a possible fall-back fall-back.

 

It was a great deal of fun. Great fun. I am loving Yoko’s jam-tastic clarinetting skills more and more each time.

 

Tof had a good time, other folks had a good time, the band had a good time, the owners had a good time, Safi had a good time…I was happy. Relaxed and happy. I slept well.

 

Saturday I made a trip into Tokyo to trade in two bags of used books for book vouchers.

Then I went home to pack up for my evening gig at Konya, Ginza.

 

They’d double booked dancers, but I got there first and it was my name on the calendar. Mani, the second dancer, came back to talk to me. http://sites.google.com/site/manibelly/gallery . It was the first time I’d met her. Great English skills, btw. I told her I’d been double booked by them once before and they’d sent me home with cash for their mistake. She asked how much and I said 5,000 yen. She fumed because they’d given her 1,000. We double checked our gig fee (10,000 minimum and usually dance there once a month), traded cards, talk business, and she decided she wasn’t up for fussing on the double-booking-sorry price but that she’d demand a free meal and drinks so she could enjoy the show.

 

While waiting to go one the owner/manager asked me, oddly “Don’t you practice?” Of course I practice! I asked some follow up questions and he indicated that some dancers wait in the holding-hall with their ipods on doing last minute run throughs. I told him I know my music. I practice at home. I sometimes mentally run through it on the train with my headphones, but that I am not a last-minute listen to my music sort. I’d rather warm-up and mentally center myself. I told him not to worry, I am prepared.

 

He’s an odd bird.

 

One of the cooks asked me about my perfume. I said I wear none, it might be my shampoo. He said I smelled nice. I remembered, later, this wasn’t the first time we’d had that conversation. I bet he tells all the sexy ladies they smell nice.

 

I know some of the staff may think I am slow, because of the look of total lack of comprehension I sometimes respond to their Japanese questions with. “Don’t you practice?”/”What’s the name of that scent?”…but it’s not that I don’t understand the words they are using…I’m just slow to figure out the context of the questions. It reminds me of one of the principals at my first schools…he’d ask me things like “Can you recite the Japanese multiplication tables?” or “Why do Americans drink so much water?” and I’d look confused and he’d say it slower.

 

Hannah, a student of Sadia’s was also there to see me. Hannah is a sweet baby dancer (her own term) I met at the Shareen workshops (she’ll be attending the San Fran retreat, so Monica you may meet her). The restaurant wasn’t full, but those who were there (mostly women out with friends) enjoyed the set.

 

After I changed, I thanked Mani and I joined Hannah to talk. I felt a bit big-sister bellydancer, but not in a bad way. Soon, though, I started to fade from general exhaustion and we called it a night.

 

On Sunday morning Dean Mommy called and we talked of her Mexican cooking classes and my frustrations. Later the moving company delivered my cardboard boxes. I also I took two bags of DVD’s into Tokyo to trade in. Then I went home and slothed. I also cleaned and cooked…but I mostly slothed.