Creative Practice: 30 Years of Joyous Laughter
Michelle al Farfesha, Guest Writer
Michelle al Farfesha, Founder and Director of Farfesha Belly Dance
The 1995 Superbowl was a nail-biting, intense match between—oh who am I kidding? I didn’t watch it. Instead I was with a group of friends who’d been coming to a free belly dance class I’d started. We all gathered what makeup, scarves, and jewelry we had and watched the VHS tape of FatChanceBellyDance’s stage makeup tutorial. We then proceeded to try and recreate that old school ATS look, complete with turban, bindis and red lips. Though the former accessories have rightly fallen out of favor, the red lips were a classic. I was the only one who had a dark red lipstick—a drugstore brand called Plum Brulee. Amazingly, it looked good on all our varied complexions!
A few weeks later when we had our first performance, the emcee asked for our group’s name. We were still too new to have thought that far ahead, so for that performance (and thankfully only that performance) we were Plum Brulee.
A few months later, Egyptian musicology George Sawa was at the University of New Mexico presenting a lecture. We learned that his flight itinerary meant he was stuck in town over the weekend with no transportation and not knowing anyone else. We bundled him up and took him to a show in Santa Fe featuring Diane Eger, Travis Jarrell, Deborah Newberg, Amaya, and others. George made us laugh at terrible jokes about Egyptian politicians, but mostly we laughed because the dance delighted us and we couldn’t help it.
By the end of the evening, he had given us all Arabic names and declared our troupe should be called Farfesha—Joyous Laughter. It has been a motto, a goal, and a lifestyle ever since. Years later, we were performing in a show with Egyptian dance star Lucy who told us that in her Egyptian hometown, Farfesha meant to have fun. You would call to your friends, “Yalla Farfesha!” Let’s go have a good time! We decided that worked too!
Throughout the years, Farfesha has grown and shrunk and grown again in number of members, but that joyous desire to have fun with our girlfriends has remained constant. Really liking one another has been the number one requirement when inviting in a new troupe member. We have a rule that we’ll first travel with someone to a dance workshop out of state; if we can have fun even under the stress of travel and the nerves of performing, then we’re a good fit. This true sisterhood comes across on stage as it’s easy to smile at and engage with your audience when you are in the company of your best friends.
Ultimately, I think that’s been the secret to Farfesha’s longevity. The dance is an expression of the love we have for one another. Yes, it sometimes means that we talk more than dance during rehearsal, but it’s also proof that this dance form is so powerful in its ability to bring women together, to build them up, and to let them shine in their own unique beauty.
