"If you want something with all of your heart, the entire universe will conspire for you to get it" -Om Prakash from the movie Om Shanti Om (Namaste Farah Khan) I have been taking dance classes since the age of 4. From ballet to bellydance! My biggest mentor is Suhaila Salimpour! Currently I have I have had workshops with with Suhaila, Artemis Mourat, and Laurel Victoria Gray. I love my three kids when they aren't driving me insane Nyx, Cloey, and Siahez (their nicknames) I have five wonderful Indian exchange students RamaKrishna, Krishna (my best friend too), Ganesh, Kiran, and my sweet little Devi. Siamese cats are my favorite especially "The Tink". The second princess kitty is "Silky" or Silkworth, some of you online friends know how she got her name! Our family also has 5 other cats! A lot of people know me for my cooking and baking too! I am a die-hard Steeler fan! My grandparents came from old- country and started working in coal mines and Steel mills to get started in this country. Pittsburgh is my homeland and there is not a better city in this entire country, Illinois is is not as friendly and many people are very closed minded.
Tribal fusion rules!!!!!!! My biggest vice has to be Diet Pepsi or tea (none of that herbal crap, black or chai only!), you never see me without one or the other. My husband is a computer god but he drives me nuts have the time and I drive him crazy the other half of the time. He's really hot though!!!!! We have been together for over 20 years.
In November of 2008 I fell in love with Bollywood! I have been taking Bollywood classes since May of 2009. I would love to study more of the classical Indian dance too. In July 2009 I did A "Balletwood" fusion solo mixing my ballet backround with some Bollywood, dancing to the "Om Shanti Om" theme song and "Ajab Si". I'm still a little shy about performing Bollywood as it is new to me, I would like my hand movements to be good.
I am very grateful to the Hindu religion for my recovery from a near fatal car accident. I has a seizure on my way to a 12 step meeting. My seizure medication had been lowered, I hadn't been eating well, I took a strong triptan, and tramadol for a migraine that day. The doctors believe that is what caused the seizure. I had no alcohol, sedatives or narcotics in my system. My right ankle had a complex fractue, my tibia was split. My left foot was also fractured slightly but it had been done before the accident (um.. Yes I did drop the sword on it.)
Since I was stuck on the couch for several months and couldn't bear to watch bellydance, I ordered the Bollywood channel. The first movie I watched was "Om Shanti Om". The Main character Om, had so much faith in God, he went through so much, incuding death but was rewarded with a wonderful rebirth. I start watching more movies and India programming on an International channel. I was so inspired by the faith and spirituality of the Hindu people. Soon I started copying some of the arm movements in Bollywood numbers and dancing with the parts of me that didn't hurt. I dragged myself with a walker across the SIUC for an Artemis Mourat workshop. I was also praying more.
Thanks also to Suhaila who also had a bad car accident and truly understood what I was going through. As busy as she is, the most demanded instructor and performer in the world, but she emailed me with advice and support. She is an amazing woman who has been through so much. Yes, she is tough on her students so we can be at our best. She also has a personal life and has been through a lot there too. She holds her head up high, cries when she has to, and she is an amazing mom. Namaste to my teacher and mentor.
Laila
