Belly Dancing at Sunset – in Croatia

We all have those magical moments of travel.  Moments that can never be planned but unfold spontaneously, bringing smiles at the time, and becoming our most gleeful stories to relate back home later.

“Life is the dancer and you are the dance.” ~ Eckhart Tolle

I’m still smiling from one such moment.  It blended two of my passions and that’s always occasion for glee.  Belly dancing and travel.  Each of these pursuits, on their own merits, make me giddified. But on one balmy evening in Rab, Croatia, as the sailboat I was on bobbed under me, I was compelled to don my flowiest garb, pile on whatever travel jewelry I could muster,  apply dramatic eyeliner and place freshly plucked oleander flowers in my hair.

Smiling as I see the sun setting whilst dancing in a foreign land...

“We should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once.”  ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

We had been drinking, of course.  But only some pre-dinner cocktails and wine. I may have been intoxicated by the setting.  The sun was setting behind the narrow peninsula beyond the marina and the four ancient towers of Rab were boldly silhouetted against the peach and orange brushstrokes of a gentle summer sky. We were several days into a week-long sailing tour of the Croatian coast with Right Path Adventures, and my own adventure was about to unfold.

Sailboat belly dance after party

The need to dance had been nagging at me, having been away from home and belly dance classes for weeks now.  Our gregarious sailing

A bit o' belly dance bliss

mates seemed keen for an evening’s entertainment. And, I conveniently had a built-in dance partner/troupe in the form of Helene, my dear friend who accompanied me on this wonderful sailing trip through Croatia.  And she is a “yes” friend.

So we kicked off our flip flops, crafted a music set of essential belly dance tunes on my iPhone and plugged it into the speakers.  We commandeered the small Persian rug from the cabin and placed it on the dock where a small audience gathered from neighboring boats.  And we danced.  We had no zills for our fingers; but we had smiles on.  And I remember mumbling to Helene through my smile as we performed, “Do you see the towers?” to which she laughingly replied “No! I’m watching YOU!”

This, because we dance together with subtle cues, rather than choreography. Our synchronicity comes from a designated leader and a follower or followers.  So it allows me to spontaneously break into dance – not break dance – wherever and whenever I meet a fellow ATS style belly dancer.

The most magical moment came when boat-mate Hege proclaimed our performance to be the highlight of her trip. BIG smiles. I’ve enjoyed trip highlights before, but I can’t say I’ve ever been one.  Thank you, Hege, for such a sweet endorsement.

Evening at the Rab, Marina with a view toward the ancient towers

Dancing is like dreaming with your feet! ~ Constanze

Wishing you all many magical moments in your travels and in your everyday lives…and the chance to become someone’s highlight!

If you enjoyed this, you may also like: Belly Dancing Blessings: When “Me” Gets Lost in “We”

and Cheers and Cheerful Cherries in Cres, Croatia