809 Yup. Rain Dance!

Late Saturday night, July 22, 2006

I went to the hafla. There was a mid-eastern caterer, and the food was very good. There was a pool, and I was very tempted to go in, in my clothes. A few of the dancers and vendors didn't show up because of the chance of rain. It was a small crowd. Very small, actually. But there was very little space for parking, so there couldn't have been many more people, anyway.

The band had set up on the lawn, where the dancers were to perform. The show area was ringed with citronella torches, and it was kind of pretty.

Serpentessa danced first, and then suddenly, almost the instant she finished, the sky turned black. A few drops of rain fell, and the oud player said that he couldn't have the amplifier out there in the rain, and someone said "Oh, it's just a few drops", and then the sky fell down. Very heavy rain. So sudden that most people got soaked running for the carport.

As it turned out, a large three-car carport is not a bad venue, except that the only light was a motion-detector, outside the carport shining in. The audience was arranged around the sides and back, so mostly they watched silhouettes. I stood at the outer opening, so I could see the costumes, which meant I was half under the eaves, and the rain was pouring off the roof. I had my biggest golf umbrella, but it got so wet that it didn't "umber" any more. The water ran down the shaft and down my left arm. What I didn't realize was that it was dripping off the point of my 3/4 sleeve, right into my purse. Bleck.

The light kept going off, until some little kids in bathing suits ran back and forth in the downpour in front of the light.

I left about 9, when they started open dance. The Gypsy, The Pixie, and The Dark Prince were leaving then, too, and although I did know a few others there, I didn't know them well. I was soaked and cold. There was supposed to be a fire dance later, and I love the fire dance, but I couldn't see that happening in the carport, and although the rain did taper off a bit it didn't look like it was going to quit.

What's a fire dance? Have you ever seen the Hawaiian dance with the puff balls on cords, where they whirl them around every which way while they dance? Like that, only the balls are on fire. Pretty cool in the dark.

Photos tomorrow. (Well, given the time, later today.)