So my mom never allows photos or video of herself ("cameras steal your soul", apparently) but I was thinking of her when this photo was snapped. (Thank you
@movement_by_sul ) Aside from, you know, life and unconditional love and all that basic stuff, dance is the greatest gift she ever accidentally gave me. I was raised in a home that was strict, conservative, and Catholic in everything but name, and I was sure she would turn me down flat when I worked up the courage to ask for dance lessons as a teen. Her response? "Oh, I was already a bellydancer by your age. Same with your grandma. Well, her thing was more flamenco"
Woman, what?
"Yeah. We'll figure out the lessons"
WHAT??
She had never mentioned this to me before, but somehow she'd passed the obsession with Arabic music through the umbilical cord, an obsession that's now carried me through Iowa, Chicago, San Juan, Cairo, and all over New York. This weekend I began teaching at the first dance studio I studied in myself when I came to NY. Musing today on cycles, heredity, tradition, and coming full circle while always moving forward.
#happymothersday all!
@bellydanceamerica @jehan_arts 
