Lights, Cameras, Corset

Only a few more days before Palmetto Oasis Middle Eastern Dance Troupe performs in the North Charleston Performing Arts Festival. Some of the women have marinated and subsequently created dances beginning after the 2015 show. We spend hours on the internet researching costumes and YouTubes. After my son moved out, I converted his bedroom into a small dance room. My husband thinks nothing of several parked cars and entering the house hearing jingling and exotic music. My dog, Chaz, was eager to greet dancers and hang out until he got underfoot. My cat, Hollywood, loves to get under skirts or plop into the center of the room expecting everyone to dance around him.

It isn’t unusual for other family members from husbands to children in assisting with some phase of our shows. After our dress rehearsal, we iron out the kinks– costume failures, dance step challenges or emcee adjustments (to name a few).

During Sunday’s rehearsal, I was changing into my gypsy costume which consisted of two gypsy skirts, coin scarf and corset. Time is precious when changing and I was sliding into my corset and could not figure out why it wasn’t fitting my bust. Our director was tying me up (think Scarlett O’Hara) and informing me the laces were off as well. With no time to really focus on resolving the issue, I joined my partner to run through the dance in the corset as is. Before the end of practice, we’d figured out that I’d put the corset on upside down!

I went home with all my mental notes and knew I had to re-lace the corset. My daughter and engineer son-in-law were over for Sunday dinner. I amused them with my malfunction story…holding up the corset like a show and tell moment. My son-in-law took possession and proceeded to properly lace and balance the ribbons. (Where was my camera?)

Sometimes I question the interruption of rehearsals before our final show, but this time, with the help of all our family and friends– I have this all tied up!