Almost all dancers have a messy story to tell. Bloopers are almost like a right of way and there are many of us who are experienced!

Errors can occur for many reasons; as if you forgot to check your costume and make sure your snaps and hooks are sewn securely. I mean, when you dance every weekend and do 2-4 shows in one night, your costumes will start to suffer.

I had ten costumes that I went through and made sure they were ready to dance. So, I started to let the “locker room control” slide around a bit. By appearance, my costumes looked good, but hidden from the general public were a few pins here and there. And there, my friends, is where mistakes come to life.

I remember I was dancing for a recreational camp for kids and there had to be at least 200 kids ranging in age from kindergarten to teenagers, all watching me perform. Before I knew it while doing my favorite twist, the straps on my back snapped and there, for a few seconds, my breasts were exposed for all to see. The younger children did not quite understand what had happened, but the older ones did. Fortunately, I had my niece with me, who fastened the straps on my back and I went back outside to continue my performance. To my dismay, the group leaders were already leading the children out of the room and only a few stayed to watch me finish. I don’t think I really helped our community in that performance. To my knowledge, they haven’t invited any belly dancer. Moral of the story: check your snaps and hooks!

Weight fluctuation is another mistake waiting to happen. I learned the hard way that my daughter’s socks are not a good substitute for bra pads. He had lost weight and fixed one costume but not the other. I thought the socks would give me the boost I needed as long as they were hidden from view. So I decided to wear the costume that I didn’t fix first because what I had to fear, I had my daughters’ socks. But socks, as I discovered, have a mind of their own.

I was dancing for a large group of diplomats from Iran and our FBI at a local restaurant where I perform. Everyone was yelling my name and clapping when I came out ready to dance the night away. And that was exactly what I was doing until I noticed some smiles and giggles from the audience. A man pointed to my bra and from my point of view my breasts and bra looked good. But when I circled my chest there, to my horror, my daughter’s sock was dangling from my right side. So I did what any professional would do, took it out and threw it away. Everyone laughed and clapped and I kept dancing with a big breast and a small breast. When the evening was over and everyone left, I went to get my daughter’s sock. I couldn’t find it anywhere and even the waiters (who were still hysterical) helped me look for it. But it was nowhere to be found. Weeks went by and I forgot about the missing sock until the owner of the restaurant told me that my sock was given to the chief diplomat as a gift and a reminder of his stay here. So whoever took it framed it and presented it to him. Also to accompany the sock were 5 video cameras that captured the infamous sock rolling down my right side. So moral of this story: protective bras!

Long skirts can be bloopers’ best friend. I like long skirts because I am short and if my skirts reach a little above the ankles they make me look even lower. Then the bottom of my skirts get dirty and I have to wash them a lot. She had a particularly long skirt that I loved. It was separate from my belt and I loved this because I could mix and match to my heart’s content. Well one night I wore my favorite skirt to a big dinner at a nightclub where I used to dance. The family that held the dinner filled most of the club. They had asked especially for me and I was honored to dance for them.

So the night started very innocently with me dancing around tables and chairs. They even put me on the tables a couple of times. It’s amazing how much you can hook up with your skirt. There I was dancing and finishing my drum solo when I decided I wanted to finish on stage. So I jumped off the table and started walking onto the stage only to realize that my skirt didn’t want to come with me. As my audience was trying to get me to unbutton, my skirt somehow pulled down and was close to my knees. (Thank goodness she had matching underwear). Finally my skirt came loose and I gracefully lifted it up and was able to finish the last minute of my show. The family loved the little drama and said they would remember that night for a long time. The moral of this story: Stay on stage and don’t dance on the tables!

Accessories can be friend or foe. Sometimes I really think my veil, staff or sword is on the side of the bloopers. You know how it is, you practice in the studio or at home and everything is going great, but as soon as you go out and play something strange happens to your props. I have often wondered if he owned my accessories. It’s amazing how your veil hooks onto your costume or how your cane flies out of your hand. My sword behaved better but occasionally acted badly.

One night in Fort Worth I was dancing in a very busy restaurant and I was dancing with my cane. Everyone was having fun and the restaurant owner was sitting at a table not far from our little stage. I was spinning with my cane when, to my surprise, the cane flew out of my hand and landed in the lap of the restaurant owners. The whole restaurant clapped and screamed for more. So I slowly approached the owner of the restaurant and asked for my cane and he returned it to me with an amused look on his face. Fortunately for me, the music on my cane was almost over and I didn’t have to try another amazing encore with my cane. So the moral of this story: if you mess up your prop, make it look good!

The last mistakes are the hidden ones. You know, the kind that doesn’t show up until you’re on stage dancing and then you realize the stage is uneven or worse, you just stepped on something that feels really slimy. And let’s not forget the contraction stage.

Let’s face it, when we’re hired to dance at a party or event, we can’t always preview the stage. I remember when they hired me for a party and I asked them how big the space was where I was dancing and they said it was a good size space, at least half a room. So I choreographed a dance according to what they told me. Well my stage was 4 feet by 3 feet. and by a blazing fire in a fireplace with small children sitting around me. My choreography changed immediately and I was surprised not to pass out from the heat.

The uneven setting is the only bug that hides very well. I’ve been to stages that seemed even, but when I danced on them, I became an unbalanced sideshow. I remember in this restaurant that every time I turned that, slowly but surely it would turn to a table on the right side of the stage each time. I’d stop at that table right before I lose it. Finally I asked the other dancers if they did the same and they all answered yes. Thanks god! Who wants to be unbalanced alone? The slimy story gives me chills down my spine, so I think I’ll pass it on. Also I think you can visualize the scenario without giving me the details.

So these are just a few of my bug stories. The one thing that I realized throughout my 22 years in dance is that although we all live for perfection in our dance, gaffes keep us grounded. Sometimes I think about the past and have to laugh at the silly and shameful things that have happened to me. If you can laugh at yourself, then you have given yourself a wonderful gift. Laughter keeps us humble and keeps us healthy. So keep laughing and keep dancing!