Thanks! From the producer of Belly Dance Off

A huge thank you to EVERYONE for another incredible Belly Dance Off! Please know how important the involvement of each and every one of you is to this event and project. During my training in Cairo I had the opportunity to see this art form at its best -- on big stages with full orchestras. After each trip I’d return to my restaurant gigs in Seattle with recorded music, no stage, and generally no lights or announcement. Wanting more for this art form, for myself and my colleagues, and for the next generation, I created Belly Dance Off. The incredible musicians of our genre living right here in our region were also among the reasons why this project seemed urgent. I could no longer stand by passively and let the opportunity to present our dance with them languish.

By attending and participating, you have all invested in this, and you are why this event exists today, now in its 5th year. Thank you audience, volunteers and sponsors, judges, dancers, tech support, photographers and videographers, and MB Orchestra! A beautiful diversity of dancers ages 11-50 laid their heART on the stage at Round 1 -- Ashimiyat, Sunniva, Maia, Jennifer, Ava Raqs, Giselle, Rishi, Nancy, and Mellilah! Congratulations Mellilah (Pro) and Ashimiyat (Rising Star) for your win and we look forward to your performance at the Grand Championship this November! All dancers gave winning performances and are in fact winners for the personal best they achieved.

Likewise, I do my best to make each BELLY DANCE OFF better and better, based on lessons learned from the previous. I am profoundly impressed with how much has been accomplished with almost no budget and no staff. BELLY DANCE OFF receives no arts funding and has grown and thrived exclusively from your involvement and attendance! Thank you for your help as we strive to bring more and more new people to enjoy this magical dance and music!

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