I wanted to share this interview/article from several years ago in which Paulette was interviewed by a local NW dancer, Oberon, on iShimmy.com


There was always a fateful connection for me with Paulette...a reason why I was drawn to her, that was not simply geographical proximity. And those who know me will see how much we speak with the same voice on so many issues. I have always been inspired by how she has found such articulate, positive ways to channel her passion for bellydance, and all the nuances of artistic ethics and community building. She has always been, and continues to be, a mentor to me on so many levels, and I loved re-visiting this article and be reminded again why I am so proud to call her my original tribal bellydance "Momma". I hope you enjoy it, too!

I'm tired of debating and defending and arguing and considering and tempering and...I'm tired. Today. Tomorrow I may catch a 35th wind. But for today, I am tired.
I feel like I have to defend tribal on two fronts sometimes. From the "outside" with people who would say that tribal isn't even bellydance, and from the "inside" for those would would make it anything and everything you feel on a whim and make sure it never codifies or defines itself on any level.

Bleh.

In other news, I can't stop knitting. Somebody bind my fingers! I got about 1/3 of a way through one project and realized I didn't like the yarn for that project, so I stopped and continued work on project 2, which I was working on simultaneously. I am about 1/2 way through that one, and love it. Then yesterday I started, and essentially finished, another project with a new technique I learned yesterday afternoon from one of Amy's knitting books, which just so happened to be mirrored on the packaging of the yarn I already had! It looks really cool but I am considering unraveling it and trying it again, as I added several rows of knitting by accident near the beginning, so I continued that, and ran out of yarn before it was as long as I wanted/the project claimed it would be. I also used a somewhat smaller needle than it called for, which surely had an effect. So pulling it out seems a good idea. And it only took me about 3.5 hours to make it!!

This week has been Amy-centric! She is on break from school, so we're hangin' out while she has actual free time. On Friday we had a crafty day. On Sunday we went to Canada. I wanted to do a pre-trip for our troupe trip in January, and was disappointed to find very little of interest. But I got a years' stash of bindis, a few saris, and Indian food. We also made a run by Lush, with much rigamarole trying to get just enough Candian currency to park for 20 minutes. In the pouring rain! Today we are trying a water-exercise class, and I will sport a swim cap for the first time in my life. Tomorrow is punk rock yoga before I teach class.