the plan: travel till the money runs out or the trip is done

by Kristine Adams

as told by Julie Rea Taylor

The Basics:

Today launches my blog: www.fromthebellyofatraveler.com

This marks the one year point till my exploration begins.

The Plan:

In exactly 365 days I plan to leave San Francisco, the birth place of ATS™, and journey south beginning with Mexico. I will travel around the world, stopping in each county, in every ATS™ studio, and in every town I can find with an ATS™ dancer.

The rough sketch of my journey looks something like this:

"Now, this is just a rough outline of the territory I'd like to cover. Bear with me, I am a Gemini and rarely travel with a plan, so this is quite accurate at the moment!"

The Why:

To observe how ATS™ has created a global community.

The Process:

I plan to travel for at least a year or two, taking photographs, interviewing dancers, making videos of ATS™ around the globe so that after my travels I can produce a book and DVD about the international ATS™ community. And all of this will be found right here on this blog.

The Essentials:

It’ll be me, a camera, a backpack, a costume, my wanderlust, and that’s pretty much it.

The Blog:

Over the next 365 days I will collect my thoughts and figure out what it is that I need to do to start this trip. This is uncharted territory. I have no idea what I’m in store for and I will document it every step of the way.

My Qualifications:
I've been in FatChanceBellyDance (FCBD™) troupe member since 2005 and have trained with Carolena Nericcio, the creator of American Tribal Style belly dance, since 2003. I've taught at the FCBD™ studio in San Francisco for over four years and regularly travel and assist Carolena Nericcio in teaching national and international workshops and intensives.

What this is Really All About:

I want to learn, I want to observe, I want to document the fact that ATS™ is now a recognized improvisational dance form. The spread of this world-wide phenomenon needs to be documented and I intend to do just that: to follow it around the planet, to uncharted town where women and men come together to dance this un-choreographed community art form.

The fact is, within the moves and cues of ATS™, you can find a family in any country to which you travel.

*      *     *

I haven’t got much of a plan. What I want to do is travel around the world.

I’m relying on you, the ATS™ family, to lead me around the world and this blog is going to help me connect with you, the dancers, the community. If you're interested in dancing with me, learning with me or hosting me, please contact me here.

That’s it. I’m giving cues and waiting to interpret them.