October 2008
Before I walked through the door of my first belly dancing class, I wondered, would the women be wearing yoga pants like me or would they be splashed out in vivid costumes with jangling doo-dads? I discovered most of the dancers dressed the part. And they invited me to join in! Instructor Hilary Giovale pointed to a basket of accessories where a ruby chiffon hip scarf fringed with clinking coins caught my eye. Just that fast, I was ready to shimmy and swivel. Continue reading “Moving the Midriff”
The couples talked intimately, tenderly. They touched one another in the same way as they moved around the room’s mock labor stations. Backs were kneaded and acupressure applied, utilizing tennis balls in tube socks and paint roller covers. The group progressed from wariness to confidence in the third session of the class “Preparing for Baby.” A Registered Nurse at Flagstaff Medical Center rocked and swiveled atop a birth ball–a rubbery ball about 30 inches in diameter–reassuring the parents-to-be with her friendly voice. It’s about information allaying fear. 
Emerging photographer Dawn Kish’s style, with pigtails and jade Thai wrap-trousers, balanced her soft-spoken passion. Spanish guitar music played while she clicked on her computer, showing me photographs. The 36-year-old Kish has repelled from an arch in Canyonlands, run the Colorado River as a boatman and found herself the unexpected guest at an Oaxacan funeral. “That is the serendipity of my job.”
A man with a salt-and-pepper beard and hair bunching out from under a ballcap walked into Mountain Home Game Room and Spa. After a quick decision about chemicals for his hot tub, he lingered by a case displaying pool balls. The customer struck up a conversation with Jeff Waldheim, General Manager. “I used to be an intramural champ at college,” the man said, “but I need to practice more. It’s not the eyes, it’s the hands.”