I have to be honest, when I first read this piece by Sonja I was so immensely overjoyed with its synchronicity as lately I have genuinely truly wanted to dance significantly more. The manner in which my body just wants to move upon hearing a beat, especially if the music is fusion. Why, is it after reading Sonja’s contribution to International Women’s Day, do I want to go to the desert and learn to belly dance with swords like Sonja!

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By Sonja Mabel McClure

When I hear the theme “all women count,” I can’t help but think of tempo and time signatures of dance and music. How different chords, patterns, and rhythms come together to create a song or dance number. Each note or dancer is essential to the result. In choreography, each person usually has a specific placement on the floor. All working together to render one dance. The entire group is required to make the dance happen. Each one of us has a voice/expression to share. Conveying a story through motion, similar to a scribe on a page. We simultaneously embrace and celebrate our femininity while utilizing the therapeutic aspects of movement and exercise.

Beginners often struggle with learning and memorizing the moves. Even as a seasoned dancer, I still have good and bad days during practice. At times, I’m awkward, offbeat, and I mix-up the order of the choreography. I may tire easily or suffer from body aches. When this happens, the others are quick to sympathize and offer encouragement. Their strength helps me regain and maintain my own. They keep me going and boost my energy and confidence.
When attending or performing at a festival, a wider circle of women bond on a larger scale. We are linked in solidarity, women of all walks of life, each equally important, ready to cheer one another on.

Cymbalism

The dancing
troupe
swarms
the stage

Fluid
as water,
Snake arms
slither and
hissss

Dipping
into a camel,
rising
with an arabesque

Bells, coins
and zills,
a galloping
collective
accenting
the Arabic drums

a Tribal fusion,
undulations,
shimmies;
skirts whirl—
Zaghareet!

Vigor
passion
strength;
interwoven
in sisterhood.