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Layali Arabesque is a regularly-occurring dance event. It has misleading advertising, as I was to discover last night. All that I knew is that it was being held at the Gypsy Co-op, there would be performances by Prince Andrew, Yasmina Ramzy, and Jim Boz, and that it cost ten dollars to attend.
So I made my way there, paid my ten bucks, and was told to grab a seat as they were going fast. I saw an unoccupied table with an excellent view of the dance floor and staked my claim. A waitress came by and asked if I'd like anything. "Yes. May I see the dessert menu?"
"I could, but I'll just tell you what we have since there are three choices."
"Sure!"
She listed three things, and I chose the ginger creme brulée and a big glass of ice water.
I was settled in an grooving away in my chair to the very excellent live band when a waiter came along. "This table is reserved. You have to move."
I looked around. "There weren't any signs saying reserved, and my order has already been taken."
"I'm sorry," he said. "All the tables are reserved. We just don't have signs. I'll get you a stool." So he grabbed a bar stool from somewhere and parked me at the end of the bar. My view wasn't nearly as good, and there really wasn't anywhere for my stuff (I was carrying a bamboo staff from my tahtiib workshop, a bulky sweater, a bookbag, and my purse). But it could be worse....
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visionline, whom I'd just met that day, showed up. He'd been shunted off to a dark corner, his view impaired by a support column. But at least my view was better than his, he said, and went back to his spot.
A few minutes later, the waitress returned. They didn't have any creme brulée left. Would I like anything else?
No, thank you. I'd only ordered something to eat out of some weird, Canadian obligation. But since I was being treated like crap, I was getting a bit more miffed and didn't want to give them any more of my money.
Once again, I started grooving away to the band. And shortly afterwards, another waitress came along. "You have to move. You're in the way of the servers." And then she left without offering any suggestions as to where I could go.
I was seriously pissed, now. I'd paid my money and was being treated like a nuisance rather than a paying customer.
I picked up all my stuff plus my stool, and laden like a pack mule, carried the whole mess back to the corner withvisionline and company. I might not be able to see, but at least I'd have good company.
Oh, and the bathroom is pretty disgusting, too. Bah.
The event was badly advertised in that nowhere in any of the ad copy did it say the Gypsy Co-op was a restaurant, for one. When I think of co-ops, I think of much more casual spaces, like an old church or a refurbished school or something, with a very relaxed environment. Nowhere in the ad copy did it say seating was by reservation only. If I'd known, I'd certainly have made reservations.
That being said, the entertainment was excellent.
Prince Andrew opened the show with a hyperkinetic number. He looks a bit like Sean Penn on speed. He has excellent abdominal control. I couldn't tell you anything about his floorwork as he was invisible to me every time he did any. And he did a lot. Damn.
Yasmina Ramzy was next in a lime green bedlah. Her layered shimmies poured over top her fancied-up hip circles are choice. She also did level changes which I could not see.
Jim Boz was my favourite, maybe because he's a huge guy and I could actually see what he was doing (heh). When he first appeared, for a moment I thought he was a hairy, hairy, HAIRY shirtless man. But then I realized with relief it was all a trick of the light with his brown shirt. He has a lot of stage presence, and can make his hipscarf move like mad. And then he hoisted it up so was could see his glutes move like mad, too.
I enjoyed the way both Prince Andrew and Jim Boz encouraged audience participation by getting audience members up to dance with them. And I really appreciated Jim comnig over to our dark, secluded corner so us restaurant-spurned customers could get a good view of some dancing, too. Thanks!
Unfortunately, I had to leave before the open dancing began. The last bus to Kitchener was leaving in 45 minutes, and I had to hustle over to the bus station. It's a real shame, because I'll betcha Tito got up and danced, and I hadn't had an opportunity to see him perform. Hopefully, he'll be back in Canada again.
So I made my way there, paid my ten bucks, and was told to grab a seat as they were going fast. I saw an unoccupied table with an excellent view of the dance floor and staked my claim. A waitress came by and asked if I'd like anything. "Yes. May I see the dessert menu?"
"I could, but I'll just tell you what we have since there are three choices."
"Sure!"
She listed three things, and I chose the ginger creme brulée and a big glass of ice water.
I was settled in an grooving away in my chair to the very excellent live band when a waiter came along. "This table is reserved. You have to move."
I looked around. "There weren't any signs saying reserved, and my order has already been taken."
"I'm sorry," he said. "All the tables are reserved. We just don't have signs. I'll get you a stool." So he grabbed a bar stool from somewhere and parked me at the end of the bar. My view wasn't nearly as good, and there really wasn't anywhere for my stuff (I was carrying a bamboo staff from my tahtiib workshop, a bulky sweater, a bookbag, and my purse). But it could be worse....
visionline, whom I'd just met that day, showed up. He'd been shunted off to a dark corner, his view impaired by a support column. But at least my view was better than his, he said, and went back to his spot.A few minutes later, the waitress returned. They didn't have any creme brulée left. Would I like anything else?
No, thank you. I'd only ordered something to eat out of some weird, Canadian obligation. But since I was being treated like crap, I was getting a bit more miffed and didn't want to give them any more of my money.
Once again, I started grooving away to the band. And shortly afterwards, another waitress came along. "You have to move. You're in the way of the servers." And then she left without offering any suggestions as to where I could go.
I was seriously pissed, now. I'd paid my money and was being treated like a nuisance rather than a paying customer.
I picked up all my stuff plus my stool, and laden like a pack mule, carried the whole mess back to the corner with
visionline and company. I might not be able to see, but at least I'd have good company.Oh, and the bathroom is pretty disgusting, too. Bah.
The event was badly advertised in that nowhere in any of the ad copy did it say the Gypsy Co-op was a restaurant, for one. When I think of co-ops, I think of much more casual spaces, like an old church or a refurbished school or something, with a very relaxed environment. Nowhere in the ad copy did it say seating was by reservation only. If I'd known, I'd certainly have made reservations.
That being said, the entertainment was excellent.
Prince Andrew opened the show with a hyperkinetic number. He looks a bit like Sean Penn on speed. He has excellent abdominal control. I couldn't tell you anything about his floorwork as he was invisible to me every time he did any. And he did a lot. Damn.
Yasmina Ramzy was next in a lime green bedlah. Her layered shimmies poured over top her fancied-up hip circles are choice. She also did level changes which I could not see.
Jim Boz was my favourite, maybe because he's a huge guy and I could actually see what he was doing (heh). When he first appeared, for a moment I thought he was a hairy, hairy, HAIRY shirtless man. But then I realized with relief it was all a trick of the light with his brown shirt. He has a lot of stage presence, and can make his hipscarf move like mad. And then he hoisted it up so was could see his glutes move like mad, too.
I enjoyed the way both Prince Andrew and Jim Boz encouraged audience participation by getting audience members up to dance with them. And I really appreciated Jim comnig over to our dark, secluded corner so us restaurant-spurned customers could get a good view of some dancing, too. Thanks!
Unfortunately, I had to leave before the open dancing began. The last bus to Kitchener was leaving in 45 minutes, and I had to hustle over to the bus station. It's a real shame, because I'll betcha Tito got up and danced, and I hadn't had an opportunity to see him perform. Hopefully, he'll be back in Canada again.
