Wiggles of the West Belly Dance Competition
LAS VEGAS, NV * Produced by The Two Old Bags
Section 4:  Competitive Side of Middle Eastern Dance
By Masala

 
Kellie Marie
Winner:  2009 Headliner of the Year

Competition, what does it take and just who are we competing against?  Other dancers?  Ourselves?  And why should we want to put ourselves through anything that would require so much work and nerve?  I have heard many different views on the subject, “it's fixed”, “only the well-know dancers, students of judges, etc. will win”...  Nonetheless it continued to intrigue me so when Wiggles of the West came to Las Vegas I did too. 

I couldn't convince any of my local dance friends to attend so I came on this journey alone, but not for long.  I knew that Zaina and Oberon would be there as well as my Las Vegas friends.  Most of them would be teaching and judging and their time was limited.  I have always found that our art form, Middle Eastern Dance, connects us not only as dancers but as women.  In my 20+ years of dancing I have made more friends, and kept them, then in any other area of my life.  Wiggles of the West 2009 confirmed my belief.

During my first Thursday class I met some wonderful, talented women. Susan and Megan were best friends who traveled from New Mexico to cheer each other on during competition, one in the Headliner and one in the Entertainer category.  I later met Megan's husband Matt, the ever-impressive fan/cheerleader for both.  This man sat in the audience with stars in his eyes as he watched his wife take the stage.  It was evident that he couldn't be prouder if she had won the entire competition.  Another woman I met was Kelli Marie, a striking 5'3” redhead from Missoula, Montana.  Kelli Marie would be competing for Alternative Wiggles and Headliner of the Year.  This was her first competition and I could tell she was a little nervous.  She admitted that her worst fear was the fear of the unknown.   Since my primary objective was to learn about competing, I asked Kelli Marie if she would share her thoughts and experiences with me as the weekend progressed.  She graciously agreed and we became fast friends.

Kelli Marie has been dancing for ten years. Elizabeth Dennis, an interpretive dancer from Seattle, inspires her.  After her first class she fell in love with Middle Eastern Dance.  It was “part of what I was”.  It is a sensual dance. “If we don't embrace the sensual side of who we are, we do a disservice to women.  Belly dance helps us touch that side.”  The dance also has a spiritual side to her.  “I find belly dance to be spiritually uplifting, when I teach I always end my classes with an energy circle to maintain that spiritual connection with my students.  I need that in my life and I feel it helps them as well.  I believe in a spiritual path and this dance helps me stay connected to that journey.”  Kellie Marie went on to receive the National Association for Teachers Certification for Middle Eastern Dancing in Texas and is a dance instructor for the University of Montana.

Kellie Marie
Floating - Ethereal

When she signed up to compete in July, she practiced 1 hour per day, 5-6 days a week for several months.  She found music that inspired her and came up with her own choreography.  A veil number began her dance, followed by a medium tempo for fluidity and a drum solo “for fun”. 

She considered her hardest task finding a bright, glitzy costume in silk.   What many don't realize is that Kelli Marie faced the greatest challenge two days before she arrived in Las Vegas.  Her mother Doris, 76, was in a cycling accident during an outing with her sister Cheryl.  The hospital discovered three broken ribs and a nicked lung.  Kelli Marie considered staying home from the competition when her mother was unable to get up the stairs to her third story apartment.  Neighborhood boys helped Doris get up to her apartment and get settled in.  Doris urged Kellie Marie to go and off she went to Vegas.

The evening I saw Kelli Marie compete for Headliner I had no idea what had transpired in her personal life.  She took the stage with grace and beauty.  Her dance was indeed, fluid and sensual.  She had the audiences and judge’s complete attention.  When they placed the crown on her head, composure finally eluded her.  Through tears she claimed the crown for her mother, explaining to the unknowing crowd why.  I did this interview with Kellie Marie Saturday night while waiting for the Ensemble competition to begin.  She was still on an emotional high.  She had spoken with her mother and shared the good news.  Her final thoughts about this entire experience were that she had a “wonderful time” and met “many wonderful people”.  To her Middle Eastern Dance is a “sisterhood”.  I, for one, am blessed to call those beautiful women I have met “sister” too.

So, what did I learn from Wiggles?   You get what you put into your performance.  Hard work does pay off.  Not all have the talent to win but all have the right to compete.   I believe that the judges I saw were fair and just.  I was making my own predictions in my program as the competition progressed and in the end my choices matched theirs very closely.  I saw some of the most talented, brave people compete, saw winners cry, saw women who didn't place hug and congratulate those who did.  The only losers were those who felt that they should have won and couldn't accept the decisions made.  I believe that if you really want a reason to compete, it should be to make a better dancer out of you.  Don't go into it competing against your sister dancers....compete against yourself.  Look at the judge’s scoresheets with open eyes and an open heart and fix what's wrong.  See you next year.