Countdown to Under a Desert Moon

May 2, 2009 11:19 PM

On the eve before Under a Desert Moon, the Greenberg Theatre pulsated with beledi beats, the chime of zills, the clank of spoons (thanks to Raqs Caravan Folklore) and most of all, with the laughter and energy of each belly dancer. On Thursday and Friday, the Sahara Dance performance classes came together to rehearse the entire Under a Desert Moon 7 program.

“Yallah!” enthused Colleen, at the start of each tech rehearsal. Yallah means “let’s go!” in Arabic, and Colleen often uses it to call her students to order. At 6:15 each day, Colleen led the UDM cast through a series of warm-up stretches to prepare our muscles for all of those coin-tossing shimmies and help us relax before stepping into the spotlight. After warm-up, the classes were called one by one on to the stage to finalize blocking and lighting arrangements.

Returning to the stage brought back a familiar feeling I experienced one year ago during my first UDM performance: a feeling of giddiness fused with jitters. As I rehearsed the Debkeh, Scherhazade and Port Said pieces before Rachel, the Sahara Dance teachers and my fellow UDM performers, I felt my confidence increase and my nerves dissolve into a genuine smile. I definitely messed up a couple of times throughout the tech rehearsal but I had so much fun in these final hours of practice that I was able to laugh and keep dancing.

After rehearsing, I took advantage of the opportunity to watch the other classes and soloists take turns on the stage. Though I won’t give any spoilers about UDM 7, especially this close to curtain call, I will eagerly reveal how proud I am of all of the performers, teachers and crew.

By: Lauren

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