TRAVEL COMMENTARIES
Linda
-- Los Angeles
November, 2005
"Dear
Mesmera,
My Brazil tour
with you in November 2005 was spectacular
in every aspect and made my belly dancing experience complete.
You, our gracious hostess, the great company of many women,
our 5 star hotel accomodations with delicious food, and the best
guides, shows, Samba classes, shopping......... did I mention Shopping?
I'm ready to go again, real soon, I have traveled a lot and this is one
of the best trips ever! Thank You!"
Leela
-- Los Angeles, CA
March, 2003
"What
an ADVENTURE! From the riot of color, music and dance that is Rio, to
the rich Afro Brazilian culture and history in beautiful Bahia, to the
glittering, sizzling Luxor Bellydance festival in sophisticated Sao Paulo,
our November 2002 journey through Brazil with Mésmera was a non-stop
pleasure-fest: a thoroughly delightful sensory indulgence to treasure
forever! The accommodations, transportation, exciting and inventive itinerary
and the company were five-star deluxe, all the way. Oh, and the FOOD!
Bursting with freshness and flavor, each delicious meal rivaled the last
in sheer exotic delight. From the amazing breakfasts of european-style
pastries and native breads to the lavish dinner feasts complete with elaborate,
tropical desserts, I was completely and utterly enchanted. I have traveled
all over the world, and have never eaten food this amazing. Time cannot
pass quickly enough until our return trip there; the island breezes call
me, the Samba music beckons, and I am helpless to resist!"
Tavianna,
Peru -- 2002 "I travelled to
Peru with Mésmera last Spring. It was the trip of a lifetime, and
when you consider that I've travelled a lot that's really saying something!
When I first learned of the chance to explore the emerald forests of the
Amazon with Mésmera, I jumped at the opportunity. Mésmera
has a very unique perspective on life that you don't come across very often...
a primitive, spiritual awareness of the world that enables one to observe
subtle nuances that otherwise might be lost. This quality serves to make
her not only an incredible dance teacher, but also the perfect person alongside
which to explore the ancient mysteries of Peru! I knew that seeing this
magical environment through her eyes would be a travel experience I could
never top.
A key part of Mésmera's dance philosophy is the flow of energy between
the dancer and her audience, and radiating back energy to achieve some positive
effect. "What is the power of your dance?" is a question we hear
often in class. Never was this more true than in the small Amazon villages
we visited. Like the troupe of gypsy performers from a far-away land that
we were, we shared our gift of dance with Amazon people who had probably
never seen anything resembling belly dance in their entire lives....
We paid a visit to the tiny village of Solterito, a muddy, charming Amazon
town on the banks of the river, with one dirt road, a few huts, chickens,
and children with wide, curious eyes who follow and watch you shyly from
a distance. We set up an inpromptu performance in their one-room, concrete
schoolhouse, kicking off our muddy boots and peeling off our jungle khakis
soaked with sweat and bug-spray to reveal colorful skirts and veils. Several
of us drummed and others took turns dancing, to the rapt audience seated
with mouths gaping around three sides of the room.
At first it was hard to gage their reaction... the smiles, claps and cheers
we are accustomed to were strangely absent.... however, as the performance
went on it became evident that, while they may have not known what to make
of us at first, we were most certainly making an impact. Our Peruvian guide
explained to them that this dancing was popular in other parts of the world,
that it was done in fancy nightclubs in big cities far away, and how special
it was for them to be able to see it in their own village. As we wrapped
up our show and headed back to the boat, several children held my hands
and walked with me, and a villager asked me in Spanish "When are you
coming back?"
That night back on the boat, our guide told us that he didn't think we realized
what an incredible impact our show had made on that the village. He said
that we could probably dance the world over and probably never again find
a more appreciative audience. He said that this was a day that the village
would talk about for years to come -- we had become part of this tiny village's
history! I only like to think that perhaps the echos of our dance are still
bouncing around in the South American rainforest.... perhaps today, remembering
the visit by the strange white dancing ladies, a little jungle girl is practicing
her shimmy along the banks of the Amazon. Looking forward to dancing with
Mésmera in BRAZIL!"
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