Last night the Squirrel Girls had a belly dance show at Union Pool in
Williamsburg. The show was put on by some fusion dancers who had
brought in Zoe Jakes of The Indigo for some workshops. The venue
looked pretty cool, so I decided to schlep out there for the evening.
Thanks to a complicated mass transit route I arrived a little late and
missed the Squirrels' set, but I was at least able to see this:
He was amazing! His costume, the dancing, the weird mix of traditional
ethnic vibe with drag show coquettishness... I was blown away!
Zoe was good too, but the set I saw was a lot like cabaret in tribal
fusion costume. She made it cute by throwing in some burlesquey-style
attitude, but still...cabaret solos are just not my thing. Mad props
to the gals (and guys) who do it, but I just enjoy a group effort
more. Even so, Zoe was gorgeous! In grand tradition of The Indigo she
sported some seriously ruffly pants, a fluffy overskirt, and what must
have been forty pounds of hip jewelry. I was a little surprised, with
all that stuff on the bottom, to see her head simply done in pigtails
and a small floral headband, but it worked together really well. It's
always nice to see dancers who costume really well, especially when
they surprise you with something you would never have thought of.
Afterward Mama Squirrel took me to her neighborhood bar, the Boulevard
Tavern. It is the BEST little spot! Harold, one of the owners, runs a
$5 all you can eat barbecue that's set up picnic style on the
courtyard. I happily paid my dues, grabbed a veggie dog off the grill,
and noshed away while chatting with the locals. Mama Squirrel and I
drank tall fizzy cranberry concoctions and chatted away about dancing
and money and aging and the world and dancing.
We hung out til 2:30, and then she instructed me on the finer points
of dealing with car services. I smoothed my dress underneath me as I
slid into the black Lincoln and promptly nodded off, sleeping until I
was almost home.
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