The King and I

I've heard Harry Fong mention more than once how impressed he was when he saw the full production of the musical The King and I at District 75 Conference in Cebu when he was the Council Governor in Taiwan. Coincidentally, Incumbent IP Johnny Uy named the same show in his viewpoint "When 1+1=3" in Toastmaster Magazine February issue 2007.

Every Toastmaster knows it takes more than thirty hours of preparation for a three minutes speech in public. That's exactly what it took us to put on the belly dance show of three minutes and fifty-eight seconds at Legacy's 10th Anniversary Party, if not more.

Immediately after the Chinese New Year, Michelle proposed golden ladies clogging Toastmasters perform something exceptional and sensational at Legacy's 10th Anniversary Party. An intensive weekly training course was in place promptly. Trini, Irene, Michelle, and Sherry learned tap dancing for a while, but Kate and Lydia were beginners. It was hard for Kate and Lydia to catch up with the rest golden ladies technically and emotionally in the beginning. But their learning attitude prevailed.

Lydia volunteered to take charge of costumes. She went to different shops all over Taipei to look for the proper costumes and accessories. Finally we eyed upon dangling and dazzling handmade belly dance costumes in six different colors with matching veils. Lydia borrowed three tambourines from her church to add more acoustic effect to our dance. Wait a minute! Can you imagine how painstaking it was to settle upon what to wear under those two tiny pieces of stunning and striking costumes in order for golden ladies to cover their middle-aged bellies?

With the stage time approaching, every dancer became anxious and apprehensive. Some worried about the exposure of their bellies, some struggled with the steps, some forgot the dance sequence. Michelle was not sure if she could come back from her business trip abroad. Kate was preoccupied with her Peking Opera performance at the Convention Party Night. Irene mother suffered stroke the night before the show. It was simply chaotic!

On the night of ToMoDaChi, when the light dimmed, six dancers stood by one another. There was a moment of silence. It was the moment of camaraderie. No sooner than later, the more than familiar Arabian music started rolling in the air, every dancer squeezed every drop of the happy and fun time to emit the beauty, passion, and excitement of the belly dance show.

Be King Harry's Harem a production of much smaller scale than The King and I, I am proud that we did it, and I just couldn't help display that smug expression on my face. Golden ladies earned a sense of achievement, we learned new communication skills, dancing, acting, and smiling in public.

People stay in Toastmasters for different reasons. What are yours to stay? I stay in Toastmasters simply because there are many rivals I can emulate and I wish I could become as good as they are one day. Sherry