Je'bon Fun!

Marissa-Julia

New member
Wednesday nights at Je'bon Noodle House on St. Mark's in Manhattan are filled with cheering and clapping and, of course, zaghareets for the beautiful belly dancers who get to perform!

Last night was Ranya Renee's Arabic night, which I've actually attended a few times before. The dancers are always lovely and Ranya is a funny and fantastic host. But when it comes time for that open dance floor, I would sink as much into myself as I could, crouching behind my fiance, in case someone tried to pull me up to dance. You see, I love to dance, and I love to watch others dance. I love the music and the culture and the people! But I am painfully painfully shy. Never having performed belly dance before and not knowing many people yet, I tend to turtle myself up and hide. Last night, a few girls changed that for me, including someone I met here on this forum :)

Aya attended her first show at Je'bon last night. She got to see the fabulous Ranya! And the incredible Shoshana! Who wouldn't have had fun?!

When it came time for that open dance floor, she took a chance and got up there with a few others and they danced their hearts out. They all looked beautiful. Then...she spots me. And she does that hand wave that most people do to try to get people to join. I politely shook my head no a few times and blushed. But she didn't give up. Aya danced over to me and took me up on that stage. Which was mortifying! I stood there for a few long seconds under those hot lights and started to do that awkward bob, like a buoy staying afloat in the sea. Except I felt like I was drowning. But Aya continued to encourage me. A few minutes later, I was up there undulating and shimmying and laughing. :dance:

Last night was the most fun I had at Je'bon. The performers were lovely, the food was delicious, and the music was soulful! But it was the new friends I met that made that night :)

Thank you, Aya! And everyone else who encouraged me!

As for the show...get yer butts out to Je'bon on Wednesday nights! You'll have a blast! :D
 

AyaKara

New member
I loved dancing with you too Marissa! :D like she said, it was my first time at Je'bon & it was wonderful!

My whole experience was very funny. I had one of my best friends with me whom I had brought to class earlier. We sat down at a table that said 'Sarah' (my friend's name, which is funny considering I made the reservations) & on the way, I saw Marissa! We hugged & chatted for a bit before sitting down. My friend waved Ranya over unknowingly & asked her for a menu. Ranya laughed & said that was a dancer. After she walked away I told her that she was world-famous & my friend was like :shok: it was my first time meeting her as well, so it was a funny introduction to say the least!

We sat by the band, which consisted of an oud, accordion, doumbek, & a violin. I was right by the band so we could feel a lot of the music's power. The dancers were amazing! All were very beautiful with amazing costumes & danced well. Some of them I've never heard of, but I plan on finding their websites & Youtubes now to see more of their work!

Halfway through, we had an intermission where the band played while everyone danced. I got up (& got Marissa with me :lol: ) to dance with everybody. I had never improv'd in front of others outside of class so it was a bit intimidating, but I wanted to dance. I'd just like to say -- Marissa is a beautiful dancer. You can definitely see her previous dance training in her form & movements. & she's really good at improv. I can't wait to see how she grows :dance:

There was a girl dancing with us whom was amazing. I asked her later what school she went to & after I found out, I asked her if she knew a dancer that I had seen on Youtube -- only to find out that she is that dancer, even when her uni was states away! It was very exciting for the both of us & it added to the night. :dance:

During the last performance, Shoshanna danced. When she dropped her veil & revealed her zills, Sarah was like, 'THEY DO FLAMENCO TOO?!' I was laughing so hard, it was amazing & really great. I had lots of fun at Je'bon & look forward to future nights, especially with Marissa & the other friends that I made. It is so lovely to be a part of the BD community :pray:
 
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Marissa-Julia

New member
Agreed! :D I can't wait to be even more immersed in the BD community. It's a wonderful place to be!

And yes! When Shoshana revealed those zills...definitely a "wow" moment. She was just flawless! I'm looking into the other dancers as well! There was so much talent last night! :)

Awww...Aya! I don't know what to say! :redface: Thank you, really! You are too sweet! Also, very talented :) And confident and brave, too! You have a fan in me :D
 

Mosaic

Super Moderator
Good for AyaKara:D & so lovely to hear you had so much fun, I'd certainly love to go, but unfortunately am a "little" too far away:lol:
~Mosaic
 

AndreaSTL

New member
So glad you had a good meetup! I love meeting forum friends in real life. It's kind of strange because you don't even know what they look like, but when you finally meet face to face it's like you're old friends.
 
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