Volume 3, Issue 2
High Desert Hip Fest Retires in a Blaze of Glory
Chris and I got home from Saqra's Showcase,
just days before High Desert Hip Fest. We had to hit the deck running,
but thanks to our wonderful Stars the weekend was a massive hit. We,
the Two Old Bags, had discussed retiring High Desert Hip Fest all the way
up and all the way back from Portland and finally decided -- Yes it would
be retired. It never grew as fast as Wiggles of the West. Our
lives had changed so much since we started Hip Fest (and before that sponsoring
workshops). Thankfully Designs by Janie is growing like a weed and
demanding much of my time. Chris wants to spend more time with her
parents and they can't drive over the mountain anymore. Plus the Reno
Belly Dance community has grown and many others are now interested in putting
on events. It was time to retire our beloved Hip Fest.
We were more relaxed knowing that this was the last one. We had our wonderful friends Suzanna del Vecchio and Mezdulene as our instructors. And the ladies of the Elko/ Winnemucca area of Nevada were once again joining us. The weekend was perfect. Especially for Designs by Janie/Veils by Bill and Simply Stylish, we were the only venders this year ..... and the ladies came to shop!!!
I was the Mistress of Ceremonies of the Evening Gala Show. What an easy job when you are surrounded by good friends. David Ventura of California was our official photographer, once again. He took so many photos we could have put them together as a video. Bill Of Veils by Bill was on sound as usual. And the dancers owned the stage.
Rabia and Yalla Habibi of Reno opened our show with a lovely Moroccan Folk Dance.
Elko/Winnemucca area instructors: Sahidar (left) and Samira Masati (right) performed lovely solos
Sister Jewels of the Sierra also from Winnemucca performed a beautiful Troupe number with lots of variations.
For many of them, this was the first stage performance -- they were wonderful! And they brought most of the town with them.
The energy from the audience was fabulous!!!
Triseeya (left) and Roseasia (center) both of California and Yasmina La Roche (right) of Reno also performed unique and lovely solos.
Troupe Ahlam of Reno which is directed by Nahlah gave us three lively variations of their talents, two of which are shown above.
It was quite clear they were having a great time.
Shadha who is an instructor in South Lake Tahoe took us to Bollywood.
She also wrote a fabulous review of the Hip Fest weekend for Jareeda magazine.
Our Stars took the stage twice. In the first act they both did wonderful veil dances.
To end our show the ladies pulled out all the stops.
Mezdulene did a Gypsy Fusion Skirt Dance, which she also taught on Sunday.
And Suzanna del Vecchio brought down the house with her signature Sword Dance.
We were more relaxed knowing that this was the last one. We had our wonderful friends Suzanna del Vecchio and Mezdulene as our instructors. And the ladies of the Elko/ Winnemucca area of Nevada were once again joining us. The weekend was perfect. Especially for Designs by Janie/Veils by Bill and Simply Stylish, we were the only venders this year ..... and the ladies came to shop!!!
I was the Mistress of Ceremonies of the Evening Gala Show. What an easy job when you are surrounded by good friends. David Ventura of California was our official photographer, once again. He took so many photos we could have put them together as a video. Bill Of Veils by Bill was on sound as usual. And the dancers owned the stage.
Rabia and Yalla Habibi of Reno opened our show with a lovely Moroccan Folk Dance.
Elko/Winnemucca area instructors: Sahidar (left) and Samira Masati (right) performed lovely solos
Sister Jewels of the Sierra also from Winnemucca performed a beautiful Troupe number with lots of variations.
For many of them, this was the first stage performance -- they were wonderful! And they brought most of the town with them.
The energy from the audience was fabulous!!!
Triseeya (left) and Roseasia (center) both of California and Yasmina La Roche (right) of Reno also performed unique and lovely solos.
Troupe Ahlam of Reno which is directed by Nahlah gave us three lively variations of their talents, two of which are shown above.
It was quite clear they were having a great time.
Shadha who is an instructor in South Lake Tahoe took us to Bollywood.
She also wrote a fabulous review of the Hip Fest weekend for Jareeda magazine.
Our Stars took the stage twice. In the first act they both did wonderful veil dances.
To end our show the ladies pulled out all the stops.
Mezdulene did a Gypsy Fusion Skirt Dance, which she also taught on Sunday.
And Suzanna del Vecchio brought down the house with her signature Sword Dance.
Just looking at the photos of the show
and knowing the high caliber of workshops that both Mezdulene and Suzanna
del Vecchio teach, I think you will agree with me that High Desert Hip Fest
retired in high style!!! By the way, if any of you want to sponsor either
of these ladies, I can guarantee you will also have a lovely experience. They
are well worth the money and they are both easy to work with. A real
joy. Suzanna del Vecchio is one of the instructors found in my "How
to Put on a Belly dance Workshop ... Without Going Crazy" book and Mezdulene
will be in there very soon.
Originally Imzahdi of Colorado was going to teach at this event. She had to bow out due to medical reasons, but we are happy to say she is well and getting back to dance. Mezdulene, dear friend that she is, stepped in and did a great job.
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Originally Imzahdi of Colorado was going to teach at this event. She had to bow out due to medical reasons, but we are happy to say she is well and getting back to dance. Mezdulene, dear friend that she is, stepped in and did a great job.
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The Silks of Veils by Bill
It is not his intention to run competition
with any other silk veil merchant. Oh no, Bill prefers to do one of
a kind veils. You won't find standardized colors and patterns with
copyrighted names at www.veilsbybill.com
. He tried that at first, but found it far too restrictive. He
wants to do, what moves him at the moment. If this sounds terribly
independent, there is a reason ... it is not his main job. This is
his relaxation. It is fun and it shows in his veils.
Bill works long hours at his 'real job', sometimes as
much as 12 hours a day. So he drafted his wife to help with the dying
-- yes that is me (like I didn't have my hands full with Designs). It
was a natural progression considering Janie is the one that makes up the
blanks for Bill to dye. So now she does some of the dying too.
Bill comes up with fabulous ideas for veils. Sometimes
he dyes them, sometimes Janie dyes them, and sometimes they do it together.
They suffer for the art outside in their dyeing tent (which took a
lot of damage in the monster snow storm). It can be very cold in winter
and extremely hot in summer.
The dry air of Nevada and the altitude of the Reno suburb gives these veils their uniqueness too. So if you are looking for something different, this is the place to come ---- www.veilsbybill.com You won't see another dancer with your veil, maybe something similar, but never exactly the same veil.
The dry air of Nevada and the altitude of the Reno suburb gives these veils their uniqueness too. So if you are looking for something different, this is the place to come ---- www.veilsbybill.com You won't see another dancer with your veil, maybe something similar, but never exactly the same veil.
The veils of Veils by Bill can also
be purchased at www.designsbyjanie.com
or at the shop - by appointment. You will always find more of the veils
offered at the Veils by Bill web site, then at the Designs by Janie web site,
after all they are his. And it is a great place to find Silk Butterfly
Wings, Burnout Silk Jackets, and LOTS of Rhinestone Jewelry!!!!!
Editor's note: All
the veils in this article have been sold, but you can find more at the web
site.