News
Trisha’s Birthday Hafla-Hosted by the Mahira Tribe
First Presbyterian Church, Vineland
December 5, 2009
A Hafla is better than just ice cream and cake
When I spotted the announcement for a Birthday hafla on Tribe.net, I couldn’t resist replying to it. I love the idea of a birthday hafla as a party. It is definitely something different and an idea I would consider for the future. My birthday is February 10 (this is not a plug to get gifts-it is relevant for this review) and I have never had a birthday party because 1) February is the coldest month during winter and there is always snow storms and, 2) most people have scheduled plans that they don’t want to break because of Valentine’s day. So the idea of a birthday hafla grabbed my attention. The hafla was well organized, the performers were excellent and despite bad weather (which led to several cancellations), Trisha did an amazing job.
The line-up for the hafla was very impressive. As Trisha stated during our phone interview, she is blessed to be friends with such greats dancers and musicians who was clearly evident by the outstanding performances. I had seen several of the acts perform at Rakkasah, but there were a few that I had to look-up on Tribe and YouTube. I anticipated seeing some kick ass performances. Zahirah and I made our official debut performance as Radiant Moontrance. We liked the idea of performing at a hafla instead of a much larger event for our first performance together. We were both so excited and somewhat intimidated by the other dancers. When we looked at the performance order, we were so relieved that we were the last dancers in our set. We were hoping to practice a few more times and calm down We were bouncing around like two 5 year olds with 12 ounces of Mountain Dew in their system. The hyperactivity was brief as soon as Trisha handed out a revised version of the line-up, which showed that 4 acts cancelled so we were going onstage sooner than we previously thought. I was really disappointed because I wouldn’t get a chance to see some of the performances. In addition, we were performing after Friga, which made us more nervous. But we were there to dance and after 12 months of injuries, we were determined to prove that we were ready to dance again. We tried to block out all unnecessary thoughts and practiced our routine one last time from beginning to end.
I had my digital recorder with me backstage which was good because I was able to watch some of the performances and record notes. Instead of Trisha performing first, Anka-Kusu started the show. I had the pleasure of meeting the ladies backstage in one of the 3 dressing rooms (yes 3 dressing rooms!). I loved the music they danced too and the chemistry within the troupe. I would love to travel with a live band every time I performed. I am so envious. Devi’Ance took the stage after Anka-Kusu. I also had the pleasure of talking to these ladies prior to their performance. Lorraine and Michelle are students of Ak’Ana. I think they’re teachers should be very proud of them. They danced very well. When they returned backstage, they both seemed so happy and relieved.
Next up was Friga. And son of a Biscuit-I missed it because I was getting ready to go on after her. I have been waiting for the chance to meet her and see her perform live. We chatted briefly prior to her performance and she is really nice and I wish had the chance to talk to her more before she went on stage. Luckily, my Dan was in the audience and he gave me some notes he took on Friga’s performance. He was impressed by how fluid her movements were and they all the moves were in sync with the music. As a musician, he always notices when the dancer is off beat from their music and it drives him insane.
Since Jessikah was unable to perform due to the weather, Zahirah and I were up next. We were seriously nervous we didn’t talk to each other at all just nervous glances. We chose ‘Disturbia’ by Rihanna because we liked the song and it was easy to choreograph with our nagging injuries. After Trisha read our introduction, the music started and I smiled at Zahirah (who was entering from stage right) and she smiled back. Just like our practice sessions, we were in tune with the music and with each other. By the middle of the song, we were both relaxed. The routine wasn’t perfect-I was unable to grab one of the ends of my veil during our exchange, but overall, I really liked the way the routine turned out. When got back stage, we were so pumped and we just went on and on about the routine and other stuff. By the time we finished changing, we already talking about the next routine.
Because of the cancellations, the intermission was skipped and Dharma Tribal Bellydance took the stage. Chemistry is a necessity when dancing in a group and you could see that these ladies had good chemistry. I spoke with the ladies after they performed and posed for a picture for me, when they informed me that belly dance is a family affair: 3 of the 4 dancers were related. I would love the opportunity to dance with my mother and her seniors troupe (called the old betties’). I was not able to see Basha’s performance but Dan said it was good and I respect his opinion. Both Dan and I enjoyed the performance by the duo Ak’Ana’s, but we differ on what we liked the most: I was vibing off their improv to Corvous Corax (by Avanti) because I enjoy the excitement of improv and it was obvious that Christiane and Jaz have been dancing together for quite awhile based on their onstage chemistry. Dan favored their choreographed routine. Danielle Flowers from Philadelphia, who despite cutting herself during her sword piece put together a nice finish, closed out the show.
Kelebek’s Spotlight
This will be the first time that I’ve spotlighted everyone in a review and all the performers deserve it. I could go on and on, but Anka-Kusu is having a Belly Jam on January 9, 2010, so I will have the opportunity to see many of these ladies again and include them in one of my January reviews. All of us braved the icy weather; line up changes, and one injury to put together a fabulous show. Again, the brightest spotlight belongs to the host, Trisha for a great event and for allowing us to share in her special day.
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