an adventurous way and have some fun. We weren't sure what

would evolve, but that is the magic of the creative process. If you

must have all the answers before you start a project, you might not

start at all. What I'm always trying to instill in dancers is the

concept of being a true artist. Here's my advice: In art you must take

a risk that your idea or project might not turn out. You don't know

until you try. The simple truth is that by trying, you increase the

odds in your favor. If you are not judgmental and attached to the

way it must turn out, you will probably end up with something

better than you imagined. That's when the divine element creeps in

and you know a higher power had more to do with it than you

anyway. So trusting in God and the universe, and releasing our fear

of foolishness, we showed up on Maui in 1996 with our Clan of the

Cave Belly idea in tow.

Before anybody arrived, Steve and I make tons of preparations

for the myriad activities we engage in during our ten days of music

and dance in paradise. One more detail was a test shoot at our new

location during the early morning hours. We blocked out some

ideas, familiarized ourselves with the location, checked the lighting

and camera angles. There was only so much we could do because

the weather would be a huge variable.

Our retreat theme for 1996 was Celebrate Life! We took the

opportunity to reflect on the "Life of The Bellydance." On Day

Three we presented a theater-style show, Bellydance through the

Ages. Our show began in neolithic times and we traveled from cave

to tribe to temple, from Isis to Inquisition, across lands and seas

throughout time. We explored modern styles, from Egyptian Hotel

floorshows to American cabarets and beyond, into the budding

spiritual realizations of the New Age. Throughout the retreat we

celebrated our bodies through decoration. Meleah was our profes-

sional make up consultant, transforming our faces for every

occasion. On the earthier side we used the rich red dirt on Maui and

henna from India to inscribe temporary tattoo paintings in our flesh.

We danced into the sea, we sang, we laughed, we played very hard

and by Day Nine the time was right for our Clan of the Cave Belly

project.

Steve and I explored the site and refined our ideas as best we

could beforehand, but lighting and weather would be determined by

Nature's whim. Our adventure began with the 24 costumed dancers