Just the word Rakkasah makes the pulse of any belly dancer race! Imagine immersing yourself in a world of belly dance for a full day or even the entire weekend!! I look forward to it every year and this past weekend did not disappoint.
There are always many highlights - seeing old friends and greatly admired dancers, listening to beautiful music all day, being inspired by everyone's costumes and cover-ups, shopping and browsing for belly dance essentials and of course performing too!
This year my most favorite moment was getting to be a small part of a tribute to Elaine Arneson (Zelina), a dear friend and beloved Bay Area belly dancer who passed away earlier this year. Truth be told, it was very difficult to know I would be going to my first Rakkasah without her radiant smile and matchless sense of humor to greet me. But getting to be a part of her tribute meant the world to me. I have danced with the troupe El Ashab once before, with Elaine, and it was so much fun. Here is a photo with Elaine on the left.
El Ashab - Photo by Carl Sermon
I will look forward to sharing pictures and video from her tribute as soon as I have them. In the meantime, it was wonderful to share memories of her with the other dancers yesterday. She inspired us all and the best way to honor her is to never stop dancing, because she danced all the way through her life and it was such a privilege to know her.
That's all for this time. I am working on updated the Classes page and I will post again when I have the new information ready. SSF classes start on 4/25.