Lynna, Layla, Aimee
by Layla Hassam
Lynna, Layla, Aimee
Sometimes the best things in life come about by pure chance, and that's certainly how I ended up being a part of Bab's Bellydance Fashion Show and Gala. En route to Bab's (Shelly’s) store to pick up some fringe for a new costume, I overheard a friend saying that Shelly still needed a few models for the upcoming show. Soon, the prospective models Aimee, Linna, and I were busily trying on an array of costumes like three children playing a sequined and beaded game of dress-up. Thirty minutes later, we'd each been assigned four costumes to model, some of them yet to be made, and a spot in the Oct 1 show.
Bab's Bellydance Fashion Show and Gala marked the fifth anniversary of Bab's Designs, a local business owned and run by Shelly Baboolall that provides dancers with high quality, custom-made Middle Eastern dance costumes. The event was also a fundraiser for Crohn's and colitis research, two diseases that afflict the digestive tract, and for which there is currently no cure. Shelly's husband -- Kevin -- unfortunately suffers from Crohn's disease, and this is not the first time that Shelly has used bellydance as a means of raising funds and awareness for research. The show would consist of a fashion show featuring more than thirty costumes designed and made by Shelly, followed by a fabulous gala performance starring professional soloists and dance troupes from across Southern Ontario.
But before all this could occur, rehearsals must come first. Our first dress rehearsal took place a week later on September 29, 2005. The amount of work Shelly had put into costume-making in the intervening time was simply astounding. Beads and fringe had been added to the beledi dresses, countless minor alterations had been made to make the costumes fit better and whole new bedlah had appeared as though they'd simply materialized out of thin air.
Now that the dazzling costumes were ready, it was our turn to show them off to their best advantage. For each of our four trips across the stage, we needed to dance our way to center stage, pose, dance to the corner of stage right, pose, then make one last trip across the stage and strike a final pose before exiting gracefully and dashing backstage for a costume change. All of this should take about 45 seconds, and during our first run-throughs, we discovered just how daunting each of those seconds can be when you’re improvising alone on a big, empty stage.
Spurred on by a combination of excitement and panic, I went home and immediately practiced improvising my way through the entire soundtrack for our fashion show. Twice. I even drew little diagrams of the route I had to take across the stage, labeled with traveling steps to use for particular segments and songs. Two days later, the date of the show and our final dress rehearsal had arrived, and it looked like everyone else had been doing the exact same thing. All the models were now dancing across the stage with poise and confidence and, more importantly, we were enjoying our time out there.
In between dress rehearsal and doors opening there was the usual backstage mayhem as we got ready. Makeup was applied, warm-up stretches performed, mug shots were taken, and all important last-minute questions such as “Can you pin me up?”, “Is my eye shadow even?”, and “Does this costume make me look like a dominatrix?” were resolved. Finally, we were ready to go in our first costumes and blue rubber “Got Guts” bracelets in support of Crohn’s and colitis research, and showtime was upon us. Braving bad weather and the traffic problems, our wonderful audience had gathered at the Marquee for the event. Patricia gave a brief overview of Crohn's and colitis, Madihah opened the fashion show with a fabulous dance performance, and then we were on. As the first model on stage, I was enormously relieved when the audience began clapping as I finished my first 45 second journey across the stage. And they kept clapping for every single model and throughout the entire show. For the next half hour, we glided and undulated to Sting’s “Desert Rose”, shimmied through Shakira’s “Whenever, Wherever,” and experienced that intoxicating mix of fear, excitement, and wild joy which only a live performance can bring. All too soon, the last song -- Right Said Fred’s “I’m Too Sexy” – had come on, and it was time for all of us to gather on stage, strut our stuff one last time, and take a bow.
After a brief intermission, it was time for the gala performances to begin. Katy opened the show with a beautiful and elegant veil piece. Fellow models Laurie and Sonja of the Temple of Isis dancers performed a lovely dance to Loreena McKennitt’s “Marco Polo” in honour of the memory of Laurie’s mother. Ioana wowed the audience with a classical Egyptian choreography by Momo Kadous, and Troupe Naditu performed a sassy number that fused Middle Eastern dance with the passion of flamenco. Hannan ended the first half of the show with an incredible performance that showcased her trademark poise and elegance. After a short intermission in which raffle winners for the fund-raising gift baskets were determined, we were treated to more fabulous dancing. Hiba performed an amazing drum solo, and followed it up with an impromptu bellydance lesson. In less than a minute, she had the entire audience on their feet, and a good number of bellydancers and other brave souls up on stage. Then she gave the audience a crash course on hip shimmies, shoulder shimmies, and hip circles, and had us all dancing and laughing along as she led us through a quick improvised drum solo. My fellow models Stacey and Tara of Zephyr Bellydance performed a fantastic drum solo, and Madihah dazzled us with a second performance. This beautiful evening ended with Mayada taking the stage, and blowing us away with her exuberant and joyful dancing.
The following day, Shelly reassured us that the show was an all-around success. We had raised $500.00 for the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of Canada, and the audience had loved the performances and the fashion show. Currently, plans are underway to air the performance and Crohn’s and colitis segments of the event on Rogers TV early this year.
Looking back, not only do I treasure the incredible dance performances I witnessed and my own chance to be a bellydance model, but also the sense of community that such events always create. I finally got the chance to see certain dancers whom I had only known by name, some of the models I met through the show are now my bellydance classmates, and Shelly is no longer just the proprietor of a cool costume boutique, but an amazing woman whom I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and working with. For me, the best and most enduring part of events like Bab’s Bellydance Fashion Show and Gala is the chance it gives us to build, recognize, and celebrate the community we have found in dance and in each other.