Story corner ....
(The Move to Washington, continued)
I found one in the yellow pages, Adriana. The first thing that went through my head when I arrived at Adriana’s class was, “What kind of belly dance class is this?” We were accustomed to wearing full costumes to class. This was held in what looked like a ballet studio with ballet barres all around. All the other students were wearing leotards. The first 20 minutes or so of class were devoted to ballet exercises at the barre. Never having experience with ballet, I was completely inept and didn’t like it much. I ‘m not sure what style this was considered because we didn’t label belly dance styles then. It was nothing like the Turkish style I had been taught. In retrospect, it was closer to what is now called American caberet.
Adriana’s star student and assistant was a woman named Sandy Stallone. Years later I learned that she was Sylvester Stallone’s step-mother, and that she and her girlfriends were extras in a movie he filmed in Washington.
I took classes there for awhile, but never really enjoyed them. They were not fun like they had been in California with Rhea. So I decided to start teaching the style I had been taught.
Maria Karena performing 
One day I received a call from a belly dance teacher who also taught in the area named Janice. Janice and I became friends along with a student of mine named Sheila. The three of us watched belly dancers at local nightclubs. Sometimes Janice would see a dancer whose style she liked and arrange semi-private lessons for the three of us in that dancer’s home. That way, we received instruction in many dance styles. It was at this time when I began dancing professionally in the clubs around Washington, DC, and Baltimore, MD.
