Three dozen people gathered at St. Alban’s Church hall on June 25 to watch a year-end performance by the seven members of the Desert Moon (for older participants) and Desert Dawn (for youth) bellydancing group. Led by founder and instructor Denise Tapia, the dancers performed 13 numbers which they choreographed themselves. These ranged from traditional to free-form, and were set to a variety of different musical styles.
Wendy Wiebe, the event’s MC, noted that bellydancing “expressed female empowerment”, and said that Tapia has put “so much passion” into the group, which changes in size as dancers leave and new ones come on board. The group, which is now on hiatus until the fall, is always looking for new members; for more information contact Tapia at damodarpriya@gmail.com.