April 2007

Tamalyn Dallal is a dream come true! An accomplished artist with perennial grace and technical prowess, she is also a sentient human being with deep-seated values and unsurmountable character. I have encountered many famous Belly Dancers and performers over the years, but in Tamalyn, I found a truly kindred spirit.

Tamalyn’s dancing is like manna, a gift from the gods. The emphasis she puts on the subtleties is, in my opinion, what makes her choreographies so hypnotic and the sincerity with which she performs is what leaves her audience breathless.

When MEDA decided to host a free workshop for our members, our Membership Secretary Shalazar suggested Tamalyn and I immediately cried out, “Yes!” Through the combined efforts of the entire MEDA board (in particular our Special Events’ Coordinator Devorah) we made it a reality.

The night before the workshop, I took Tamalyn out for dinner. We went to “Simba’s Grill”, a lovely East African restaurant in downtown Vancouver. We delighted in the eclectic decor and enjoyed practicing our Swahili with the Kenyan owner. We chatted at great length and the evening was over far too soon.

Tamalyn is as intelligent as she is sweet. She is a member of MENSA, yet a humble and approachable woman of impeccable talent and infinite wisdom. Although she has never bore children, she is indeed a mother. She fostered two Latin American girls throughout their teenaged years (one is now a professional Belly Dancer too) and years ago, she struggled to adopt Oscar, a 13 year-old street boy in Colombia. She was, however, forbidden to take him out of the country because she was “too young” and “unwed”, or so the authorities said. Oscar has since disappeared. In a country where street children are kidnapped, killed and sold for their vital organs, the thought of what might have happened to him is devastating.

Tamalyn and I are “Colombian sisters”. We both spent ample time in Colombia (particularly Bogota). Between anecdotes she shared with me and through reading accounts in her novel “They Told Me I Couldn’t”, I discovered that we have experienced many similar adventures and situations. Some include; being face-to-face with guns and mafioso, dealing with unruly men drunk on aguardiente, riding on dilapidated buses with chickens, befriending gamines (street children), having people tell us “you can’t”, but having the courage to do it anyways.

Tamalyn is the youngest of 5 children and I am the youngest of 4. We both speak several languages, we both love to Belly Dance, we both thrive on travelling, and we both want to save the world!

We also have in common trips to; Guatemala, where we scaled the Mayan ruins of Tikal; Cuba, where we unearthed the profound intelligence (and sheer desperation) of the Cuban people, and, more recently; Tanzania (Tamalyn on the island of Zanzibar and I on the mainland), where we relished the warmth of the locals, the rich diversity of their music and the wonderful taste of ugali.

The day after the workshop I took Tamalyn out to sight-see. I decided that the Capilano Suspension Bridge would be an ideal place to visit and she agreed. Whilst driving there, we chatted endlessly. I even helped her come up with the title for her next instructional dvd. (You will have to wait until it’s released to find out what it is.) She immediately called her producer and gave him the good news.

Although a brave traveler and a seasoned performer (having danced on countless occasions for celebrities and crowds in the thousands), Tamalyn was too frightened to cross the Capilano Suspension Bridge. I was suprised, but endeared. (It never even occurred to me that she might not like to cross.) It merely shows that we all have our fears, even the invincible Tamalyn Dallal!

A former Belly Dance Superstar, a writer, a linguist, a globe-trotter, and a humanitarian, Tamalyn is one person that I am extremely glad to have met. I hope that MEDA has the opportunity to bring her back to Vancouver and that she and I will be friends for many, many years to come.