Music, Dance, Culture and Travel

February 27, 2009 12:09 PM

How do you combine music, dance, culture and travel on a shoestring budget? You sign up for a belly dance class! And sometimes you go on the road to travel. Last weekend members of Raqs Caravan East and West performed at the Adventures in Travel Expo at the DC Convention Center, where they brought cabaret and tribal style belly dance to the Global Beats stage. The student companies showcased sets with sword, cane, double veil and zills. Quite impressive! The audience was standing room only and some were swept away by the moment and danced along in the aisles.

The Global Beats Stage performers were extraordinary. We saw what quad strength really means as The Ukraine Cultural Dancers hopped, high kicked and spun from a squatted position. We were exhausted just watching! Also we learned dancing runs in the family when a high energy Ethiopian dancer engaged the daughters of Raqs Caravan East member Ramona in a traditional country dance.

The Expo exhibitors came from near and far, including as close as local vacation spots like Williamsburg, VA, and the historic areas of PA to as far away as Australia and Indonesia. As for those of us who can’t get away often enough to those exotic places, we have our own oasis in Sahara Dance.

-Janella and Melinda

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