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[ichibandasai]

In the headlines for Thursday, April 6th, 2005...

大セイコウ　だった！
私たちのパフォーマンスのため　皆がんばったぜ！

Our restaurant performances were spectacular!

Today was the restaurant performance at Gran Deseo。　I have been dreading it for the past 2-3 weeks or so, but it was a success for all of us.


I planned to wake early...but of course, I rose when I felt like it...(１０時　ごろ...) My first real restaurant performance is tonight, I haven't at all practiced, and what do I do the morning before the performance?

Why, I watch several episodes of Naruto before I get ready. I also update a few private entries.


Chanel and I were instructed by Rie sensei to get to Gran Deseo at four o'clock for practice. I had planned to leave a little less that 2 hours before, due to the fact that I have a penchant for being late whenever I leave on time. I had planned to halt my Naruto dosages at around 1:30 or so in order to have anough time to prepare potential wasuremonos and such...Stopped at 97, Naruto's Seamy Vacation ^^

Getting ready was not much of a hassle. I'd put on the required makeup beforehand, and try to ...do something to the hair, at least. It was upon my decision to defy my mother and not go to a salon, as the rough, dry hair serves to help my balance of the cane (or so I wrongly percieved). I also do not feel like paying the money...Rose here is saving up for a new notebook computer.


Anyhow, I practiced none at all before my departure. I made sure to extract all of the necessary items from my little lonely puppy bag to lighten my load a bit, and carefully stuffed in bellydance shoes, jewelry bags and such. My two wing veils, and my cane was carefully sealed away in my Wings of Isis bag (What a convenient thing it has become!). 

I recieved a phone at about 2:30 from Chanel who had attmpted earlier, but only recieved a response from me when she acknowledged herslf by leaving a message. She was about to leave herself, and wanted to decided upon where we would meet (had no idea we had to). She was also suprised that i was leaving so early...since I live a bit closer to Hachioji.

I left about 15 minutes later, and reached Hachioji around 3:30. I stayed and waited. No Chanel. I was there much earlier than planned, so I waited. Yet, a few minutes after meeting tmie, i began to worry. Chanel would never be late (after cursing me so many time for the same reason).  I then saw her familiar form right IN FRONT of me, waiting, with her back completely turned to me. Turned out that she had arived at the same time as I, and we somehow failed to see each other.

We  headed to Gran Deseo to see that Sensei and the three students were already on stage, practicing...and for some strange reason, my song was blasting throughout the restaurant >o<


And we practiced a bit after them, our duet and solos.


After our practice, we decided to run to the nearby family mart ebfore heading to sensei's apartment. I took a great time to decide on what I wanted, and since Chanel was pressuring me a bit ("They're waiting for us"!), so I decided upon my favourite onigiri, and left. I knew I7D regret it later, and did. I went for a second time with the students, and we all headed togetehr to sensei's apartment (without sensei, who would join later).

Fr the rest of the time, everyone prettied themselves. Sensei was greatly shocked when she saw that Chanel and I had only planned to go without a massive amount of makeup as the others....(sono mama de??)

She handed us a bit of makeup. Didnt use much. And then there was the eyebrow thing...( Sensei...Kesshou no tsukaikata wa amari wakarimasen...Nanka....kimochi warui kanji shiteimasu...)

And ther next prblem. I saw everybody dressing. I had no idea that we had to dress there as well. i had left my costume at the restaurant. Threfore, due to Chanel's slight annoyance, we both had to return, by cab, to the restaurant.

And I dressed there, and we waited for a bit until the rest followed. By the time we arrived, the restaurant was already packed, and we had to run immediately to the staff room so that no one would see us.

The staff room is tiny. It is cramped, and about the size of a toilet. Chanel and I stayed there, pinning each other with safety pins, and soon enough, it was time for th show to begin.

The three students were on first. Quite a long dance...I could not help from being a bit nervous. Chanel would be next, and then I.

When it was time for Chanel to appear, she danced up to the stage to the flamenco-ish background music. When she came out, the crowd went wild, shouting, "Kawaiiiiiii!", and such.

Then, her performance. She did a wonderful job, as usual, making no mistakes, I believe.

It was then time for mine.

During my intro music, I did not come out as gracefully as Chanel. I was not sure when the intro music that separated our dances would stop, so I hurriedly danced my way on to the stage, and began to fix the cane upon my head. 

Then, my music started. I spun around with the cane perfectly balanced, but when it came time to do the chest slides, I was in trouble.  To my horrow, I felt the cane beginning to slip, I shifted my body a bit to the right to catch it, but it was of no use. What I feared would happen, happened. The cane fell off of my head - the first time ever, in practice or performance. In a split second that seemed like 20, I put the cane back on my head, and everything else went fine, I believe, from there. I was greatly embarassed.


At the end of my dance, I rose from the floor slowly, and exited the stage.  I heard hardly any applause.....and I knew that it was a good thing. To my surprise, someone waved out to me. There was Yuko-san. Talk about shock! I had no ida that she would have made it, especially since we merely left a message late last night on her answering machine with the name of the place. She came as she said she wanted...I was greatly surprised. Beside her was th other Yuko-san...Kitazawa Yuko. The two of them together to watch the performance, and Yuko-san there to support me. They showered praise upon praise, and attempted converstaion, but I had to get out of the way for the entrance of the absolutely beautiful Rie Sensei.

Her performacne was the longest, and due the fact that I was in the back, I could not see much of it. We were already lined up for the aisatsu at the end.   It took a great while of waiting before we finally got up on the stage along with the teacher....two students and Chanel in the back, and the eldest student and I on each side of the Sensei at the front. Lively egyptian music played as we bowed, and exited in the tent-style way that we were instructed to, and left with Sensei stilll on stage.


From then on, we got ready for the second part. I removed my panels from my pants, changed into Sensei's club-like shirt, and then waited until 9:15, the start of part 2, by fixing each other's clothes. Chanel and I pinned each other up more than evn before, even though wearing a shirt, tight black pants and hipscarf. I would have no idea how many safety pins I had all over me until later the night.

Our duet was second this time, following the students and their candle dance. That took a consdierable amount of time, but of course, we do not mind the least.

It was time for us to go on. We danced as we usually do. My shirt fell back into place from being tucked into my brassiere, and my bracelet unlatched during the dance. However, when it was over...

We recieved such a large applause. The largest I've ever heard from any of the performances.

It is a funny thing, but it seems that the dancer does not recognize her own praises when on stage. I did not hear much appause during my dance, nor the comments shouted out, and Chanel did not seem to have noticed hers, nor the comments such as, kawaii being thrown at her, either.

After the performance, Chanel and I waited at the back. While I fixed my bracelt, a mn on his way to the bathroom smiled at me, and threw in a few praises before he went to the bathroom. He asked if we would dance again. I said no, forgetting that we had 'Free Time' that chanel reminded me of.

 
Free time itself was fun. After Rie Sensei's performance, wearing an even glitzier costume than before,  and a finale with herself and her three students, we all came out, and danced withthe guests. A student and I got a 1000 yen tip from a man at the front ^^   I tried to pull the two Yuko's up, but only Kitazawa came to the stage. i then danced with another young woman who was attempting to mimic my movements. I did a backbend, so on , and so forth.

Afterwards, we chatted with guests, and Chanel and I recived presents from Emi adn Kitazawa Yuko. The best gift was from Yuko-San...we both recieved bellydance hand breacelets and nexklaces...beautiful. Afterwards, she offered for us to go home together. She waited in the empty space behind the curtain nutil we were dressed and ready. A man in  s uit came out of nowhere (perhaps the one who tipped me), and handed small glasses to Chanel and I, and to my disappointment, poured wine into our glasses. I hate alcohol... I sipped it a bit out of courtesy, and when I was asked to take a picture with the smiling man from earlier, I rested the wine upon a nearby small table, and it was forgotten from then.

Afterwards, I had a long converstaion with him, mainly forcused around Japan and Jamaica's history and racial makeups.  this lasted for quite a while, untl my conversation with the young woman fromt eh stage. Yuko-san tapped me, and reminded me that she was waitiing. I haven't changed as yet, so i had to rush.

I rushed to the staff room,a nd attempted to chage as fast as possible. Unfortunately, the safety pins bonded my clothes in so many palces, it seemed impossible to change. 

I then caused a humourous episode for the others but coming out with the shirt hanging from the inside under my main shirt by one pin, maknig it look liek a tail. I asked Chanel for help.


We then left,  the three of us, and a bit on the way to thte station, i realized that I forgot my cane. Chanel, havign no time to wait, went on ahead, and I ran to get my cane, as Yuko-san kept an eye on my belongings.

Wehn we reached the station, Chanel was still there. We rode the train together, and went on home.