Parading in a Parade – Bellydancing

OK, so I know that usually, in “normal” towns across America, you can expect to see Independence Day parades with the tried and true red, white and blue.  Children tugged along in Radio Flyer wagons, maybe even with the family Labrador Retriever adorned in a classic bandanna. Vintage American model convertibles and pick-up trucks, marching bands, mounted rangers and Rotary clubs, and the inevitable fire trucks and crews happily waving to the adoring approving public.  The sidelines replete with patriotic flag wavers and die-hards who staked out a good vantage point with their beach chairs early on.

Awaiting my parade moment

Well, in my town, a town of artists, artisans, musicians, dancers, philosophers, poets, yogis, yoga-ers and people who prefer a relationship with the outdoors to gadgets, my belly dance troupe was invited and welcomed to parade through the streets in our anything-but-Americana attire!  Oh, we had the quintessential features and floats of the expected 4th of July procession – even a moving bagpipe band (love those!) – but we certainly added some flavor and spice to the everything nice of this fun family event.

As in the past two years, we have been invited (no cajoling required) to join the Cafe Aroma cavalcade and we do our best to tweak our costuming to coincide with the chosen theme of this creative and fun-loving eatery and social club.  This year was Gods and Goddesses…not a stretch for seven belly dancers.  What was a real treat was that we were joined by three other students who don’t usually perform with us, and we limited our “repertoire” to basic beginner moves and with all that riotous color and movement, we had them at hula…I mean, shimmy.

Dancing in the streets

We followed another plethora of ladies in full Goddess garb in a thoroughly dolled up pick-up-truck-turned-harem-mobile.  They blasted our tunes for us and when they would stop periodically, we would wow the crowd with some turns and shimmies. (So easily wow-able) They were built in cheer-leaders and we never stopped smiling – and I don’t think I ever stopped my double shimmy. Tiring, that! I am super pleased my gimpy knee held up.

Comfy, until you hit 20 mph! :{

I think the highlight, at least the part with the adrenaline rush came when we piled – and I mean piled in layers – into the back of the pick-up “float”.  All of our skirts and yards of fabric combined with the slick and slippery satins and chiffons lining the truck made for a verryyy interesting and precarious 1 mile ride back up the hill where we started.  There was no friction to keep me and the other last climbers-on from slipping dangerously with every bump and my fellow Goddesses latched under my arms and even one handily held onto my right breast in a valiant effort to keep me from becoming Athena-splat over a bump.  I can only imagine the image we provided as my skirts were hiked up in a very un-lady-like albeit survival mode and the occupants of following cars smilingly waved!  Oh lordy.

Do you have any non-traditional Independence Day plans? Do share! I  hate feeling so alone in my unorthodoxy. 😉 However you spend it…make sure to include gratitude for your freedoms…freedom to watch parades of people on Harleys with chihuahas. Freedom to stay home and pout and poke people on Facebook. Freedom to eat nitrite laden food-type stuffs. Freedom to wear god-awful Hawaiian shirts while blasting over-played Bruce Springstein songs and flipping burgers. Freedom even to spew vitriol in the streets about what you see wrong with this country.  And yes, freedom to dress up as part of a gaggle of Goddesses, shimmy your way through town, and blog about it.

Thank you as ever for reading me…knowing you have the freedom to indulge other blogesses!