The tour started in L.A. with intense rehearsals under the direction of Jillina. Our first show was in San Diego and more like a dress rehearsal. We hardly knew each other then and were still getting used to the show and the management. We were all "freaking out" while we rushed into an abyss of the unknown...what would a 60 city Nationwide tour be like? Could we handle it? Husbands and boyfriends were being left behind as we stuffed our lives into two suitcases and crawled into a cramped bus.

The days on the bus are long and our bodies suffer. Our driver/assistant/helper Juan is totally understanding that we must make frequent pit stops. They mean everything to us because we can stretch our bodies and lubricate our limbs. Juan drives through the rain, sandstorms, heat and cold while we fill the time with DVDs on our little bus television. Juan doesn't get to see the movies including our favorites like "Dirty Dancing" and "Pirates of the Caribbean." We love recreating the Patrick Swayze love scenes and swooning over Johnny Depp. We sleep and eat and listen to CDs. We drive during the night stopping at hotels around 5 am for hot showers and a few hours in a normal bed. We leave just before noon and by 4 in the afternoon we all start doing our makeup. Suction cup shelves and vanity mirrors line the windows of the bus as we try diligently to attach our fake eyelashes while our driver Juan speeds around the curves of the road. We are mandated to wear fake eyelashes. Jillina, the artistic director has rules for the show and rules for us. The rules range from wearing eye lashes to "no safety pins" to "no brown lipstick" on the stage. I constantly have eyelash glue on my eye lids and have to literally peel my eyes open in the morning. This is a never ending battle with eyelash glue and I am afraid it is winning. Every day my eyes are swollen and red. Many of the dancers are losing lashes.

Most of the women on the tour are thin and beautiful. They have svelte bodies with perky breasts and bottoms. They resemble models more than across-section of dancers that the Belly Dance world represents. I am one of the only ones with flesh that shakes like Jello and weight that demands I buy size 8 pants on our Walmart runs. Most of the others buy size 1-4. There are a few exceptions, like Bozenka (who is still thin) but has shapely hips and a curvy bottom. There are also the tribal girls. Besides Rachel Brice, we have two "Glamazons" who demand attention from the most uninterested of people. Sharon and Meloldia tower over me at almost 6 feet. They are statuesque and trim but do have some supple curves and few people can take their eyes off of them.

Miles says that he wants women who are "proportionate" and he claims that he will hire bigger women and "older" women if they are physically proportionate, attractive and talented. Still, the average woman in America is supposedly 5'4" and 145 lbs. Most of the girls on this tour are at least 5"6" and below 115 lbs. This is the toughest part of the tour for me. I usually love my body, but with this company I have been made to feel that, at 125 lbs I need to lose some weight. It is refreshing when women from the audience come up to me after a show and tell me that I am "their saving grace." They shower me with compliments about my voluptuous body and tell me that I resemble a "real woman." They say that if it weren't for curvy bodies like mine, it would be more difficult to accept the show. These words comfort me. Without them I might just fall apart. The pressure to be thin on this tour is overwhelming. I am the only one who is seriously dieting. The other girls pack their pockets with Snickers bars and butter cookies...they have not gained a pound.

The producers from ARK 21 are taking turns with us. For the first two weeks we had our tour manager, Stevo on the road. He had to endure the long bus rides, truck stop dinners and venues that were below adequate. We are happy that he experienced the hardships we are going through. Stevo paid us our salaries on time (every Wednesday) and convinced us that in future tours we will have red-carpet treatment. He persuaded us to believe that we are trying to convince the "normal" public that bellydance is legitimate and exciting and can pack venues. Not all promoters believe this. ARK 21 has had a hard sell with the "Superstars of Belly Dance." This is why we have had to dance at places like the boxy "Rhythm Room" in Phoenix where we changed in power tool closets with nails sticking out of the wall and ripping at our expensive costumes. However, we have jumped for joy when arriving at theatres like the South Broadway Cultural Center in Albuquerque and the Workplay Theatre in Birmingham, Alabama. We had food and wine waiting for us on arrival and staff asking us our needs.

Our needs can be summed up in one word: "Starbucks." This is our pleasure, our delight, our fantasy as we pass through towns of pop.48 and dream of soy chai lattes. At home most of us rebel against conformity and corporate greed, driving out of our way to patronize the small town coffeehouses. But, on the road, we all love Starbucks. And, we all worship Walmart. Again, in our home towns we might go to Walmart once or twice a year, but on this tour shopping for razor blades, deodorant and eyelashes at 3 am are the norm for the Belly Dance Superstars.

Presently, our producer Miles Copeland is with us. He has an ironic reputation. People respect his power in Hollywood and the music industry. People speak of his intelligence. But people are scared. He has a fiery presence that is doesn't always seem to be focused. On a closer look, it is incredible what he absorbs in terms of conversation and interpersonal experiences. The moment you tell yourself that he hasn't heard any conversations around him, he proves you wrong and is able to repeat information that you spoke of months before that you thought he never heard and certainly wouldn't remember.

Thankfully, many of my fears have subsided. I have had real visits with Miles and heart-to-heart talks about concerns and issues with this tour. Tears have streamed down my cheeks with exasperation in my voice. Through it all he encouraged me to speak and he listened. He has given me quality time in voicing my opinions. Though he may never change his views about what a woman's beauty is and can be, I feel like I have been heard and that feeling can make the difference between me leaving the tour in anger and staying on with pride. That is what I am doing now.

Miles Copeland and ARK 21 still look for new dancers around the nation and have regular auditions in Los Angeles. At every venue we dance in there are girls/women who want to meet Miles Copeland. Since I am not only a dancer but the "host" of the show, people think I am in charge and many approach me with their tapes and photos. They ask me how they can become a "Superstar." Some wear short skirts and high heeled boots asking me where they can find Miles. When they do find him, they pour it on. Many have seasoned dance experience and some are new students of the dance. Some come prepared with DVDs and 8x10 glossies and others just smile with saccharin warmth looking at all of us with big doe eyes of hope and excitement. It spins my head. I wonder if it spins Miles' head or if he is just so used to it. I am relieved that these glamorous hopefuls don't seem to affect or impress him just because they are pretty or young. He seems to be sincerely interested in talent, skill and unique dancing, gladly accepting video tapes from dancers who want a shot at being a "Superstar "or "Desert Rose."

The dancers on the tour are Bozenka (Miami), Colleen (Los Angeles), Kaeshi(New York), Amar Gamal (Massachusetts), Rachel Brice (San Francisco), Melodia (San Diego), Jillina (Los Angeles), Sonia (Los Angeles), Petite Jamilla (Alabama), Sharon Keehara (San Francisco),Yasmin (North Carolina), Ansuya (Miami), and myself from San Diego. One dancer already left. We dropped off Julianna at the airport in Atlanta and she flew home to her established dance career in Los Angeles.

We have been hired as either a "Desert Rose" or a "Superstar" and have talked at length amongst ourselves about what the differences are. Certainly not skill. Certainly not beauty. Experience? Perhaps. Fame? Perhaps. The "Superstars" seem to have established more of a "name" for themselves and are better known in the Belly Dance world...at least before this tour began.

Before the tour began I wondered if all of the dancers had enough experience and training to be on a tour of this magnitude. All of them do. We have been told that there isn't a weak dancer in our show and I firmly believe that. I was also skeptical about these dancers as women...would we fight like cats on the road? Would we sneak into closets and cry into cell phones with loved ones back home? No. We all cry in front of each other, as well as laugh in front of each other...out loud and boldly. We are comfortable in knowing that we are accepted here and no matter how competitive we are in our "normal" dance lives, on the road we are a team. These women are incredible. They have far exceeded my expectations with their insight, intelligence and wit.

We have two "roadies." One is our male model, Keili who is Rachel Brice's boyfriend and runs around making sure we are fed and in possession of all of our props, bags and costumes. He wears sexy clothes and makes us sigh at the love and care he has for Rachel and all of us. The other is Brian or "Bunny" who is Colleen's boyfriend. With a "too long" goatee and "grunge light" way of dressing, I totally underestimated this man. I first saw him as a boy that I could disregard. He was the "merchandise boy" selling CDs and DVDs at intermissions. I sit at the back of the bus, he sits at the front, and I have had no real moments to have to get to know him. A week into the tour I realized what a fool I was for my snooty judgement. He has played manager when we haven't had a manager on the road and he has proven himself through pep talks, encouragement and overall understanding for twelve belly dancing women. We are lucky to have Kayli and Brian.

We all have found our special positions for sleeping on the bus. Ansuya does an "open lotus" position so both knees are supported on surrounding seats. Sonia "tents" herself and cocoons into her own little world. Amar makes it look so easy by simply leaning against her seat with a neck support. Keili and Rachel take turns laying down in the center aisle. The glamazons struggle with their long legs but manage to fall asleep anyway. I find solace in being 5'4"...that in two small seats I am able to curl into a fetal position and comfortably doze off. I don't know how Yasmin can sleep in her seats or "bedroom" as we call them because she has lined every empty space with bags, trays, shelves, hooks, hats and photos of her cats and troupe back home in North Carolina . The strangest of all the "sleepers" on the bus is Kaeshi who sleeps with her eyes open. I am in direct eye view of her seat and as her head gently falls back, she starts to resemble a vampire. Of course, when she awakens she is beauty and light. Then there are those who never seem to sleep like comical Colleen who's infectious laugh and pleas of, "Hey Bunny..." never seem to end.

We have very few days off. There are 67 days on the road. I think we get 7 days off. It is vague because they are not true days off. We spend them in the bus travelling hundreds of miles from one place to another, passing through different time zones, weather patterns, and geographical landscapes. We arrive in the dark of the night feeling like pretzels--barely able to straighten our legs.

It is March 8th and we are leaving Virginia. We have a night off tonight which means "no eyelashes!" We can do our laundry and get some real sleep. Last night we danced at The Norva, an old theatre with hot tubs in the dressings rooms, fresh fruit and pasta in the coolers. The Norva sees the likes of The Indigo Girls, Bob Dylan, and Train. Now it has seen the "Belly Dance Superstars." This old Civil War land that it stands on is rich with history, as is all of the South that we have been travelling in for the last week. All of our shows did well in the South with receptive audiences. In Alabama, we not only sold out, but had to send 100 people away. We are getting rave reviews about our "strong, exciting, sensual, and classy show." Dixieland has been good to us. The people are warm, friendly and well-mannered. It will be a joy to come back to the South next Fall. But, for now we are on our way to the North East and into Canada. We are watching the movie, "The Princess Bride" and sleeping. The road is bumpy (literally) and Miles Copeland sleeps in the seat behind me. I am secretly happy that Miles is enduring this 8 hour drive to Pittsburgh. He is going through what we are going through, including carrying heavy bags, hauling boxes of merchandise and working as hard as the rest of us. He does all of this as a "matter of fact." Very cool.

March 10th arrives after dancing at the Carnegie Lecture Hall in Pittsburgh which was strange. The audience was obedient and acted as if we were giving an educational lecture. We drive into Washington DC and Miles informs us that the next nights' DC performance is sold out with 500 people. He hires a massage therapist to come to the hotel for us. Plus, the local "Sahara Dancers" are putting aside their day to drive us around and get our hair, nails, and errands done. We are thrilled.

So, what is it like to be a "Superstar?" It is fun, hard, strange, meaningful, exhausting and wonderful. We have a "technical rehearsal" every single day and never stop practicing and trying to improve our show. We all have to be flexible because there are often changes in music, routines and line-ups. When dancers get sick or injured, others have to fill in their spots. Some dancers are rotating with each other (Bozenka and Jillina) and some will leave the tour early like Amar Gamal while the dancer Adori in Los Angeles takes her place. We must all be "easy going" no matter what the changes consist of until the Spring tour ends on April 18th in Los Angeles.

All of us on the tour know women who could easily be in our spots. There are beautiful, talented dancers all over America and the world who would jump at the chance that we are having. There are few dancers in the U.S. who wouldn't like to be known as "Belly Dance Superstars" even though we are all a little uncomfortable with the title. When it comes up, we often refer to women who have danced before us and who have been our mentors and "Superstars" like Morrocco, Carolena Nericcio, Sahra Saida, Cassandra and so many others. We talk to Miles about the future with ARK 21 and become overwhelmed. There will be a feature film, more CDs, DVDs, a European tour and more U.S. tours in the future. The next U.S. tour promises to be "bigger and better." There are already clothing lines and jewelry.