In early June, Bill and I packed our bags and merchandise and headed north to Canyonville, Oregon for the Belly Dancer USA contest sponsored by Mezdulene, owner of Jareeda magazine..  This was our first time at this contest.  We left a couple of days early to make this a working VACATION.  Yes, it has been a while.  Let me tell you one thing for sure, you can not get lost finding the Seven Feathers Hotel & Casino.  It sits right off the I-5 freeway, between Medford and Eugene.  So don't be afraid to fly into one of Oregon's airports and rent a car -- the drive is gorgeous!  I had never stayed at an Indian Casino before, but if they are all as nice as Seven Feathers .... sign me up!  The hotel is pure class, but still has a relaxed feel.  The rooms are good sized and clean with lots of amenities ... even china cups and saucers for your in-room coffee, not the usual mugs or plastic.  The staff is very friendly and helpful and when you say you are there for the Belly Dance Contest they tell you how pleased they are to have the Belly Dancers.  This is a very nice feeling, let me tell you.
    Gambling in an Indian Casino is a little different than a Nevada Casino.  First they don't serve alcohol, except in the bars & restaurants.  Beverage servers will bring you anything non-alcoholic to the table or slot machine.  The slots aren't quite as fancy as the Nevada ones, if Nevada has A version of a slot, then these are the A- or B versions.  Just as fun, but the graphics aren't as grand.  They had 'ticket out' cash outs on the slots, but no ticket in (they are working on that).  For all you Poker buffs, Seven Feathers has a lovely Poker Room which is separated from the rest of the casino and its noise by a glass wall.  Bill loved it!
    Mezdulene has her venders set up the night before, Friday.  This is quite lovely for the venders, because there is no rush and we all get to visit.  It is not often we get to do that.  Contrary to what you may thing most venders are friends or at least friendly with each other.  It also means that we got to shop each others booths before the Real shopping began.  Now that is a perk.

    Saturday morning started off with a workshop taught by the Mater Teacher and Coach Halima.  She taught the old stuff, the stuff she and I were taught when we were baby dancers.  I sat and watched from the side line and remembered more than learned.  There was a lot of "Oh I remember that move" on my part.  The contest started at Noonish with Beginners and then Intermediates.  There was an audience Competition Shimmy.  Then Hobbyist category, which is for dancers of an advanced level who do not dance for money.  Alternative Music Professional category was followed by Dance of the 7 Veils , which is a category  where each dancer does her interpretation of the dance of the 7 veils - using of course 7 veils.  It was quite interesting.  The contest portion ended with the Duet category and an audience competition Snake Arms.  But our day was far from over, that night was a Gala show with live music by Americaistan and many of the local troupes and dancers, including past winners.

Sunday the morning workshop was taught by Claudia, Belly Dancer USA 2004. Then around Noon the contest started with the Alternative Music category, this one for non-professionals.  Mezdulene tells me that her Alternative Music categories are always very popular.  Next was the Goddess category for dancers over 45 and an audience competition Veil.  Then came a lively Troupe category and finally the Professional category for the next Belly Dancer USA.  An audience competition Turban was held while the scores were tallied and the awards readied.

    Green silk could you ask for more in rich color and fabulous feel!?  Here I took two matching Silk Burnout Scarves in a bamboo pattern with long silk fringe ($25 each) and tied them into a top and matching hip sash (just as I did in an earlier issue with the pink coin sashes).  They are layered over a green 30" Fringe Skirt ( $36.00) and Cream on Cream Harem Pants ($45.00).  The whole ensemble (left & center) can be put together for $131.00 plus shipping.  Not only would this be a great easy to pack dance costume, but it would also look wonderful at a Luau or BBQ!  
    Now add one of Veils by Bill's Silk Velvet Burn-out Jackets , this one is called Spring Leaves ($50.00) - colors of green, turquoise, & yellow; and you have a dance cover-up and a jacket for partying or clubbing!  The whole ensemble then costs only $181.00 plus shipping.