Text Box: Ancient celebration in the New World White Sands Full Moon Hafla celebrates Middle East tradition Alamogordo Daily News By Ron Keller, For the Daily News   On any one particular evening the glistening white sand dunes of White Sands National Monument resonate with the sounds of laughter as amazed visitors shinny up, and then run, slide or roll down the pure white sands.  However, on one particular August evening -- Saturday, Aug. 5 this year -- the sounds echoing amongst the 60-foot-tall mounds of gypsum will change to a rhythmical beat as dozens of dancers, garbed in their Middle Eastern finery, take to the dunes for a night of feasting and belly dancing. It is officially known as the annual "White Sands Full Moon Hafla" -- hafla meaning celebration.  The hafla has become an annual tradition of Middle Eastern feasting and music whose origins date back thousands of years. The local celebration is staged in a location literally tailor-made for the event, as dozens of talented dancers and musicians from all over the country, some of international renown, gather in Alamogordo to prepare.  Founded in 2003 by Alamogordo's Claudia Powell co-founder of the Shuvani Studio school of dance and members of Alamogordo's own Silver Dunes dance troupe, the local hafla hosts upwards of 150 participants each year. They include dancers, percussionists, and the support staff of boyfriends, husbands and children, not to mention the crowds of tourists whose fortunate timing allows them to witness the primal and colorful festivities upon the dunes.  "This is something you do for yourself," Powell said. "For me it's a combination of fitness and spiritual renewal. The body language expresses the way you feel unconsciously. And the dance expresses what you feel consciously."  "It's not for men," said troupe instructor, Betzi Torres, 34, of Alamogordo. "Belly dancing is not restricted by age or size. Older women don't have the same hang-ups and they make better dancers."  The age range for members at Shuvani Studio is 12 to 51, many of whom aren't in the performing troupe but participate solely for the fellowship and exercise.  When Powell, known as "Anala" to her fellow belly dancers, isn't traveling the Alamogordo area assisting her real estate customers, she often can be found at the dance studio coaching her troupe of nine performing dancers and fluctuating numbers of new students in the art of belly dancing.  "I do it because I love it," Powell said. "It's great exercise, and a wonderful way to express ourselves. To get in touch with our femininity."  Her love of belly dancing comes through the unbounded enthusiasm she exhibits while rehearsing.  "I couldn't make this happen without my instructors," Powell said, referring to her two assistants and experienced belly dancers, Torres and Mtizi Jarvis.  "They (the assistants) put in endless hours of rehearsal. And the effort to make the annual hafla happen is basically never ending.  "I could not do all this without them and my dancers," Powell said. "It's a lot of work, but we have so much fun doing it that it doesn't seem like work at all."  Two of Powell's youngest troupe members, Kim Cadwallader and Bethany Price, both recent Alamogordo High graduates, are very involved in the hafla and other troupe activities.  "I was very interested in Egyptian culture, and I found the belly dancing classes at Shuvani Studio," Price said. "It's great exercise, and it opens people's eyes to the culture and lets them experience it."  Such cultural roots run deep, and tracing the history of belly dancing will lead one to its beginnings in Middle Eastern history. It's difficult to find the precise genesis of this ancient dance form. Even acknowledged experts aren't sure.  One author, Andrea Deagon, Ph.D., writing in her book "In Search of the Origins of Dance," says that "the "movements' of this dance are all over the Middle East, North Africa, Southern Europe and India, and this has apparently been the case for a very long time."  While the love of Middle Eastern dance can be traced back thousands of years, its adoption goes back little more than a century in this hemisphere. However, considering its limited history in the West, the number of belly dancing enthusiasts in America alone is truly amazing. There are literally hundreds of thousands, with troupes and exercise belly dancing classes in practically every metropolitan area in the country.  Alamogordo's Silver Dunes troupe is frequently asked to perform for diverse events such as charity fundraisers, Mardi Gras festivals staged by members of Alamogordo's German Air Force community, and at local coffee houses.  All that effort bears fruit each August when the late summer evenings finally cool down a bit. A long caravan of cars makes its way the short 15 miles from Alamogordo to White Sands National Monument. Performers, support staff and crew unpack, make their way across the dunes to the chosen site and begin preparations.  Dishes of authentic foods and the occasional pizza are spread out. The fire is lit. Percussionists warm up their "doumbeks" and begin pounding out earthy rhythms.

See the Gallery of 06

Dancing the night away: Hafla 2006

Alamogordo Daily News
By Ron Keller, For the Daily News
DANCE ALL NIGHT -- Silver Dunes troupe members, from left, Heather Wilder, Claudia Powell and Kim Cadwallader were definitely feeling the rhythm of the doumbeks as they circled the fire. (Ron Keller/For the Daily News)

It took a lot more than the threat of a little rain to keep dancers away from this year's White Sands Full Moon Hafla, as dozens of area belly dancers took to the dunes for an evening of fellowship and celebration. The fact that said rain materialized for a scant few minutes at the beginning of the

BEST SEAT IN THE HOUSE -- As dancers circled the fire, a small group of spectators climbed to the top of a nearby dune to take in the spectacle. (Ron Keller/For the Daily News)

evening's festivities only added to the atmosphere.

"We had a good turnout," said event founder Claudia Powell. "The dancers were beautiful and really got into the rhythm of the event."

The venue was quickly established, food tables assembled, sound system tested and the fire pit lit by crew members.

The dancers circled the fire as the "doumbeks" pounded. Both dancer and spectator alike were treated to an evening of performing as the sinewy forms cast long shadows upon the dunes. Several spectators hiked up to the top of a nearby dune, perched themselves upon the silvery sand, and got the best seat in the house, taking in the entirety of the event as Venus sparkled over their heads.

"An event of this nature takes a lot more than just work," Powell said. "This takes a lot of passion. You have to really understand the culture. And appreciate the contributions it has made to our world."

When asked whether she has any plans for expanding the event, which has become a popular annual celebration, Powell said, "Absolutely. It's a lot of work. But it's so exciting to see it grow. Everyone involved helps to make this a success and I wouldn't miss this experience for anything."