Things change. We belly roll with the punches

The last entry was October? Wow! And now it's February. Sorry for the radio silence, all ye lurking readers.

In the last episode I excitedly described my new project for a black bedleh with leopard skirt and gauntlets. I explained it was for my drum solo duet with a troupe mate.

Well, since then, things have changed. Our troupe director was sketching the lineup for the show and realized she had too many drum solos and not enough up-beat, clap-along Arabic pop numbers. So she asked us to find a different song. Good thing, too - we probably weren't ready to choreograph a complicated drum solo and to be honest, I had been feeling anxious about it. It's been a few months now and we've finished the choreography. We successfully auditioned the piece for our director on Monday. Whew!

When she asked us to switch music, I had already ordered my skirt and gauntlets. That meant that despite a change in song, my costume for my duet would be animal print as planned. It arrived shortly afterward and I promise to write a vendor review for it shortly, complete with photos!

But troupe director also decided that we would need a pink costume for a different number in the show. And also that we would be sewing beads and sequins onto a third costume (neon green, troupe costume). And that we would be sewing and beading gauntlets for a fourth costume (purple, troupe costume, already acquired for a previous show).

Needless to say, these troupe costumes are requirements that take precedence over my black bedlah project. So the black bedlah is on hold. I have all the materials for it so I promise to make it a reality. But priorities have changed and I need to concentrate on the other projects for now. So it goes when you dance with a troupe.

My three new priorities for costuming before my show in May are:

1. Pink costume. Officially named "Bijoux Rose", which is french for "pink jewel". This is a custom-made costume designed by me. It's been a work-in-progress for three years now and it will finally be done this year. You, dear reader, will get to see my process and progress very soon!

2. Lime green troupe costume. Bought and acquired. I just need to embellish it with beads and sequins.

3. Purple gauntlets and headband. This would normally be a simple project but already there are some snags. I'll get into it more in future posts.

I'll tag my entries on these projects to keep archiving simple.

And now, a preview: my current active project, Bijoux Rose as it was when I set it aside last November.