Dress to Bedlah

A while back an American dancer, Ezma, sent me a package full of  beaded dresses for me to slaughter. Sure, she was bribing me for dibs on my reconstruction abilities because she has an amazing vintage costume that doesn't fit her right and will need some major work... but it was a lovely, random, bribe. I've often complained that Japan doesn't have much in the way of used thrift stores...so tacky-dress to costume conversion projects are only possible when I've hit America.
( long photo-heavy story, torsy at the end )

Dress to Bedlah

A while back an American dancer, Ezma, sent me a package full of  beaded dresses for me to slaughter. Sure, she was bribing me for dibs on my reconstruction abilities because she has an amazing vintage costume that doesn't fit her right and will need some major work... but it was a lovely, random, bribe. I've often complained that Japan doesn't have much in the way of used thrift stores...so tacky-dress to costume conversion projects are only possible when I've hit America.
( long photo-heavy story, torsy at the end )

OMG 9 minute train ride!

Buisness is slow at Anatolia and in the rainy windy weather, cancelations have been frequent. Last week the owner asked if I would be ok with taking this Friday off...so I said no problem. I'm hoping it doesn't sprawl into somehting that happens more than once or twice a year but I now dance at least two Saturdays a month as well as the every Friday at Anatolia...so...I won't sweat it and if it sprawls I'll just take my ass to a restaurant I can get more money like I've been planning to.

While getting groceries I got a call on my cell...Ramses! The Egyptian/Russian place 9 minutes by train in my hood. They apologized, saying they knew I have a Friday gig but were desperate...so I told them they were in luck...so I am now off to burn a mostly Egyptian set for tonight!

OMG 9 minute train ride!

Buisness is slow at Anatolia and in the rainy windy weather, cancelations have been frequent. Last week the owner asked if I would be ok with taking this Friday off...so I said no problem. I'm hoping it doesn't sprawl into somehting that happens more than once or twice a year but I now dance at least two Saturdays a month as well as the every Friday at Anatolia...so...I won't sweat it and if it sprawls I'll just take my ass to a restaurant I can get more money like I've been planning to.

While getting groceries I got a call on my cell...Ramses! The Egyptian/Russian place 9 minutes by train in my hood. They apologized, saying they knew I have a Friday gig but were desperate...so I told them they were in luck...so I am now off to burn a mostly Egyptian set for tonight!

Ramses!

I'm home before 10:30 on a performance night! Increeeedible!

Ramses was a lot of fun. It had the potential to bomb though...

Only 6 people were there. They are still trying to figure out the best schedule for dancers and they only have dancers a few times a month right now..I explained if they gave me, say, more than 4 hours warning, I might also be able to invite people (the sports club Zumba and Latin Dance classes want to see me perform but don't want to go into Tokyo...)..

It seems like the reason they needed me was for an impromptu birthday party of a Russian boy/ friend of the restaurant family. The Egyptians were out for the night so it was the Russian wife/co-owner/cook and the Japanese waiter running the show.
The birthday party was for a young Russian guy (whose mother is friends with the wife) his mom, the owner's 15 year old daughter and her Japanese friend. Luckily two Japanese women also stumbled into the tiny place before I started.

I give props to the restaurant for wanting me to start at 8 and not asking that I kill a bunch of time in case someone else showed up.

The set was 15 minuets total (including dance with people time) and that really was the perfect length for a place that small. Both tables enjoyed it and Russian mommy ran around taking pictures, the wife came out and joined in the dancing at the end to the mortification of her daughter.

I'd hoped to have a bit more time to choose an Egyptian set, as I have been exclusively Turkish Turkish Turkish for my restaurant sets over the last year...but all restaurant sets prior to this year were 80%-100% and I used to practice practice practice for my sporatic gigs...so I have a nice collection of songs I know backwards and forwards which I could layer the new skills over (and it was nice to apply some of what I learned in the two days of Karim Nagi workshops).

I did veil, zills, and the cane...and no one got hurt. My cane skills are not great, but I am a solid performer so I think it went fine. The costume behaved itself and we all good. The space was small but triangular, so I had more room to move side to side and make (small) floor shapes than I usually get on Fridays.

And, damn, it was pretty relaxing to do Egyptian again. I'll be back to full-throttle Turkish tomorrow night. I also like the crowds in suburbia a bit better than Tokyo proper...they are less jaded and more "yay! Wow! Dancer! YAAAAY!"

Afterwards I had a drink with the birthday party. I think the Russians and the owner's daughter loving me bodes well. And then I headed home...and was home in under 20 minutes, walk from station included! Yaaaaaaay!

Ramses!

I'm home before 10:30 on a performance night! Increeeedible!

Ramses was a lot of fun. It had the potential to bomb though...

Only 6 people were there. They are still trying to figure out the best schedule for dancers and they only have dancers a few times a month right now..I explained if they gave me, say, more than 4 hours warning, I might also be able to invite people (the sports club Zumba and Latin Dance classes want to see me perform but don't want to go into Tokyo...)..

It seems like the reason they needed me was for an impromptu birthday party of a Russian boy/ friend of the restaurant family. The Egyptians were out for the night so it was the Russian wife/co-owner/cook and the Japanese waiter running the show.
The birthday party was for a young Russian guy (whose mother is friends with the wife) his mom, the owner's 15 year old daughter and her Japanese friend. Luckily two Japanese women also stumbled into the tiny place before I started.

I give props to the restaurant for wanting me to start at 8 and not asking that I kill a bunch of time in case someone else showed up.

The set was 15 minuets total (including dance with people time) and that really was the perfect length for a place that small. Both tables enjoyed it and Russian mommy ran around taking pictures, the wife came out and joined in the dancing at the end to the mortification of her daughter.

I'd hoped to have a bit more time to choose an Egyptian set, as I have been exclusively Turkish Turkish Turkish for my restaurant sets over the last year...but all restaurant sets prior to this year were 80%-100% and I used to practice practice practice for my sporatic gigs...so I have a nice collection of songs I know backwards and forwards which I could layer the new skills over (and it was nice to apply some of what I learned in the two days of Karim Nagi workshops).

I did veil, zills, and the cane...and no one got hurt. My cane skills are not great, but I am a solid performer so I think it went fine. The costume behaved itself and we all good. The space was small but triangular, so I had more room to move side to side and make (small) floor shapes than I usually get on Fridays.

And, damn, it was pretty relaxing to do Egyptian again. I'll be back to full-throttle Turkish tomorrow night. I also like the crowds in suburbia a bit better than Tokyo proper...they are less jaded and more "yay! Wow! Dancer! YAAAAY!"

Afterwards I had a drink with the birthday party. I think the Russians and the owner's daughter loving me bodes well. And then I headed home...and was home in under 20 minutes, walk from station included! Yaaaaaaay!