Yael Nehama

There are times when the darkness surrounding me seems all too much. When I dare to watch or read the news I become more than convinced that we are going to hell in a hand basket complete with rocket boosters. As far as the media and, it appears, the majority opinion is concerned, it is completely hopeless. Couple that with all the apocalyptic movies, the sensationalism of Mayan 2012 and of course let us not forget the zombie apocalypse, I am not sure why we all aren't  curled up in a fetal position in the corner rocking frantically waiting for the end to finish us. I think of darkness. Dark moonless nights. Late nights in Maine where there is no ambient light and the copious stars in the sky give me a feeling of being swallowed up completely. Even there, when the porch light is out, it is not utterly dark. I think of myself. When the dark cloud of despair covers me like a heavy, uncomfortable blanket threatening to suffocate me between my sobs. Even then, w...

I have finally begun to enjoy my Pesach/Passover celebrations. Prior to this enjoyment I was an angry, resentful, and none to eager participant in the preparation let alone the celebration. All ofthe preparations and cleaning and turning upside down one's home to search for chometz has been working my nerves for the past couple of years, and even more so this year. Now mind you, we are not near as "in depth" as many people, following a more letter of the law practice than all the extra chumras that some of my Tribe take on, but feeling the time constraints and attention to detail that this holiday demands was, nonetheless, beginning to wear at me. Finally, with the couldn't-been-done-without-her daughter doing cleaning over the week, we finished on Sunday and were actually ready for the holiday the earliest we have ever been. I had decided earlier, since I only have one child at home and wasn't sure who actually would be present, to make plans to celebrate the...

Well, Philadelphia has been hit with 16" of snow and that means a SNOW DAY for me! Hooray! I happened to start my day off quite pleasantly with three hours of my morning spent talking on the phone with my two sisters and my newly married daughter. How lovely it was to just chat on the phone instead of through text, email or some other electronic medium or network. I haven't done that in quite some time, so even though I am not really a phone person, it was a fun change of pace. I really do love snowy days and have no objections to winter spreading her white mantle upon the earth, I mean, it is winter after all. If I didn't like the seasons I would be planning my move to the southern states. No, the biggest challenge is to spend my day wisely and not fritter it away online. This has become terribly easy for me during the past few years and I have to say, I don't like it. What I have decided is the best thing to do, is to compose "To do" lists. I did this the l...

Last night my troupe and I danced at a ridiculously awesome Hafla hosted by Tribalbellies studio. Hipnosis opened the show and we (Tribal Spirit) closed the first half. Unmata was the headliner and well, I couldn't possibly explain their awesomeness so just take a peak here to have a look see. To say it was an amazing show would be such an understatement. Once we get the videos up I will try and share them here with you. I can't even begin to explain to you the mad love I have for my tribal sisters, let's just say they remind me to not take myself so damn seriously and they keep a very silly smile on my face and dance in my step. This morning, I stumbled upon a anarchist youtube channel. (!?) You know how that goes, you click on and this that leads to that, then all of a sudden I am on some anarchist youtube channel. I thought to myself, "Well some of my best beloved and dearest to my heart are anarchists so why don't I have myself a listen." I'll tel...

1.) Had a super duper rehearsal and we are feeling really great about our upcoming performance. Just so you understand a little about Tribal Style Bellydance, the way we dance is totally improvisational. We do not choreograph our dances. What we have is a vocabulary of moves and cues that signal those moves. So when we rehearse we are simply dancing with each other, developing chemistry and trust. Yes, trust because you have to trust your leader to guide you clearly. We all have a turn being a leader and that is also part of the dance. You never know when it will happen. Makes for an exciting and fun way to dance together. 2.) I did not get the shawl finished but I did work on it and am committed to working on it every day next week. 3.)I have the belt just about done and should have it completed tomorrow...which means the bra may get done too. 4.) I made the elderberry syrup for our sore throats and not only is it good for us it is yummy too! I also had the pleasure of talking to some...