PAGE INDEX

• Middle Eastern Dance
• Robyns Nest
• Discussion Group
• "Ask Harriet"
• A Primer on Electrolysis
• Annual Valentine Party

MIDDLE EASTERN DANCE

   Innvestments was treated to a display of traditional oriental and Middle Eastern dance and costumes at its meeting on January 5th. Cheri Berens, creator of the Cheri Berens Dance Studio in nearby Dennis, put on a fascinating demonstration of the art form commonly but erroneously referred to in the U.S. as belly dancing. As Cheri explained, this form of dance has its roots in the Middle East and dates back thousands of years. Today, traditional dance is still very strong in the Middle East where it is practiced as a folk custom which is handed down from one generation to another. Cheri, in fact, travels to Egypt every six months to buy new costumes and re-energize her dance technique.
   As Cheri explained, traditional oriental and Middle Eastern dance is not only a means of musical communication, but also is an expression of the feminine soul, whose representation has been lost over time in western culture. For the performer, dance is a means of getting in touch with the body and its life forces. Although the dance can be sensual, it has only been in the last century that the West has given it its dominate sexual overtones. Traditional oriental and Middle Eastern dance is practiced by people of all ages and body types, and by both men and women. In fact, it is usually the older women who are best able to interpret the dance so as to give it its emotional appeal. Traditional dance is typically performed at festivals and weddings by all participants, not necessarily stage performers, and no one would think of exposing their belly button, which was originally a Hollywood embellishment.
   The music is an integral part of the dance with its different tempos and beat corresponding to a variety of dance movements and portrayals. The music is very expressive and can elicit strong emotions from its listeners. Cheri demonstrated different types of music and the instruments used to play them. Reed flutes, hand drums, a harp type instrument and finger cymbals are all played to give traditional oriental and Middle Eastern music its unique sound.
   The costumes Cheri displayed were truly beautiful. Many of them she either makes or buys in Cairo. A number of different styles of dress can be worn, depending on the music and the circumstances. A long full gown might be used for a wedding or folk ceremony, whereas a separate skirt and bodice combination may be worn for staged entertainment. The sequin and bead work on the dresses was exquisite. The use of a veil is another western addition but can be used very effectively in a performance as Cheri impressively demonstrated.
   In addition to teaching traditional oriental and Middle Eastern dance, Cheri also produces instructional video tapes. Her beginner dance classes teach many of the basic moves with the arms, hands, ribcage and hips. Intermediate dance classes expand and refine these movements until they can be fashioned into a "routine". Besides being fun, the dance promotes good posture, flexibility and breathing. If you have back problems, don't worry, the dance is gentle on the back, and could very well improve it. And you don't need the body of Venus either. Traditional oriental and Middle Eastern dancing is all about you becoming comfortable with your won body. Cheri has enthusiastically offered to instruct a group from Innvestments. Classes typically last one hour and cost $10.00 to $12.00 per lesson. If interested please contact Denise. It is hoped that members and their significant others will sign up for this Innvestments only class. The class schedule will depend on the requirements of the participants. As soon as we have six people we can begin. Come on girls, don't be shy, come join the movement.

YOUR INNVESTMENT is a publication of Innvestments, P.O. Box 2194, Orleans, MA. 02653-2194 / P.O. Box 354, Sagamore, MA 02561-0354. Innvestments is a non-sexual service organization founded to support and to provide a socially acceptable outlet for the crossdressing, transvestite, transsexual, transgendered community primarily in Southeastern Massachusetts, Cape Cod and the Islands. All rights reserved. Permission to reprint any article in Your Innvestment is hereby granted to non-profit similar organizations provided that publication and authorship credit be given. Any commercial use of Your Innvestment material is hereby prohibited. Some material may have previously appeared in print. Publication and authorship rights of material reprinted from other sources remain with its originator. The editor/s of Your Innvestment are not under any obligation to accept information and advertisements. Information and advertisements may be published in any form deemed acceptable. Any information about services, products or sympathetic locations published in Your Innvestments is not considered an endorsement of such by the staff of Your Innvestments or the Board of Directors of Innvestments. Innvestments is also know in open source publications on Cape Cod and the Islands as Cape Cod Cross Dressers (Triple C-D).

Liz W..................................President
Robyn Roberts..................Vice President
Brenda L...............................Treasurer E-mail Brrendaa@aol.com

Candy Scott..............................Board E-mail Candyscott@capecod.net
Jean-Marie J.............................Board

Membership (including newsletter) is $30.00 per-year with a $15.00 meeting fee. Meeting fees payable only for meetings attended. Subscription only rates are $10.00 per-year.

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   1998 - Welcome to the new year! Monday's January 5th meeting was the first presided over by our newly elected president, Ms Liz. The meeting opened with introductions by everyone present. It was refreshing to see some new faces.
   A couple items of new business received active discussion and were approved by the majority vote of the members present. Denise Steale requested Innvestments provide financial support to the monthly discussion group to help defray expenses incurred by the host/hostess who holds each monthly discussion group meeting. A $20.00 maximum was agreed upon but maintenance of a running tally of incurred expenses is required for reimbursement by the organization treasurer. The discussion group has been well received, but it needs new topics of discussion so that it does not become boring and unattended. With this in mind, Liz asked the members to present new ideas for topic to the Board for consideration. Members are also encouraged to submit ideas for our regular monthly meetings so that they can continue to be interesting and well attended.
   Robyn Roberts raised the issue of a "tag sale". Denise Steale was appointed chairperson to form a committee which would be beneficial to the club. The "tag sale" would be held during some future event.
   Liz also mentioned that the editor of Your Innvestment is always looking for new material. Any member who would like to submit articles for inclusion in the newsletter should send them direct to Candy. Her address and fax number are included in the masthead on page 2.

   Innvestments will be holding its next Discussion Group meeting on Wednesday, 28 January in Warren, Rhode Island (which is close to Fall River). The Rhode Island group Morf has graciously invited us to gather at their regular meeting house. The meeting will begin at 7:00 P.M. Changing facilities will be available starting at 6:00 P.M. A light buffet will be provided, the cost of which will be subsidized by Innvestments. The discussion will be guided by our own Cally Nickles who has considerable experience in group leadership. The topic for discussion will be "Pathways: Now that your out, where do you go from here?"
   Morf meetings are held in a private residence and Innvestments thanks Morf for providing this support. The Discussion Group meetings are being held in different locations to allow participation by all of the members. Directions are quite easy: From Rte 195, take Rhode Island Exit 2 (Rte 136, Warren/Newport). On Route 136 travel South 3.5 miles. The road winds around but stay on Rte 136. In Warren, RI, Rte 136 is called xxxxxxxx Ave. Go to the xxxxx State Plaza - entrance on the right at a traffic light. Park in the xxxxx State Plaza parking lot. We will meet in the xxxxx house (xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx) across from the parking lot. If you get lost or want to arrive early for changing please call xxxxx at 401+xxx-xxxx. As I will be out of town for a couple of weeks, if you have any other questions, please contact Candy. Hope to see you there!

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   Let's review the Discussion Group for just a moment. We tried for the past 5 years to successfully start a discussion group. After Diane Ellaborn conducted discussion groups with us at our May and June 1997 meetings, Denise agreed to try to get the group going. After the first meeting of this season, September 1997, Denise went around and collected the names of each person who said that they would attend discussion group meetings. To get things moving, the first meeting was then held a couple of weeks later. Dawn and Terri cheerfully volunteered to hold the first meeting. Telephone calls were made to those who said that they would attend. This was not to exclude other members from attending but only to get the program moving. The first meeting was very successful. This was then reported on in the newsletter.
   The next meeting was held in October, again at Dawn and Terri's. This meeting was open to any and all although certain folks, those who had agreed, in September to attend discussion group meetings were called with reminders. Some folks could not be reached. Others, who had since September, indicated an interest in the group, were also called. Again, successful meeting.
The November meeting was held at Marcia's. It was open to all members of the organization. It was again reported on in the newsletter. We did have a good meeting but unfortunately we did have several folks out sick for that evening.
   Now it seems, a select few are not planning on attending discussion group meetings unless they received a personal telephone invitation. SORRY...If you, as a member, feel that you need a personal invitation to attend any of the functions sponsored by Innvestments, either you or we are missing something, and personally I don't think it is "we" who are missing the point.
ALL Innvestments functions are open to ALL members! (This does not include private functions sponsored by individuals within the group who want to privately invite others to their homes, or to eat out, or to spend an evening together someplace. These are individual efforts and not Innvestments sponsored events.) If you expect a personal invitation to come to an organization event, forget it. We want you, but most of all, we want you to voluntarily support the overall organization. If this select few cannot do this without complaining, or expecting preferential treatment, they should rethink their participation within the group! We do not need negative vibes from one or two over each and every little thing. The group is made up of many individuals and as such, they are not perfect...but they try hard on your behalf. These negative vibes by just a few, create bad feelings among many. If you have a problem, be lady like and bring it to the board ALONG WITH your recommendations for fixing it. Otherwise, shut up and/or stay home! Remember, positive input produces a positive organization. To help, discussion group meeting times and location will be published in advance in the newsletter.
   And while we are on the subject of supporting the organization, if you noticed that you have a yellow label on this mailing, that means this is your last issue of the newsletter. Either your dues for this 97-98 season were not paid by the end of December, or your subscription for the 97-98 season was not renewed. For those new folks to whom we have sent complimentary newsletters, we hope that you will not be influenced by the negative 1 or 2 as mentioned above (the rest of us have fun) and join with us, either with a full membership or with a subscription. Full membership, which includes the newsletter, is still only $30.00 per year with a $15.00 meeting fee for those meetings that you attend. (As you can see, we are not a money making organization, we just want to pay our bills.) For those who only want the newsletter, the cost is still the lowest in the community, $10.00 per year. To maintain your standing, you can send your renewals or new memberships or subscriptions to either of the addresses listed in the masthead on page 2. Please don't delay....DO IT TODAY! THANK YOU!

   Anthony Tyler Quinn is man enough to want to look good as a woman. The star of Fox's new Thursday night comedy "Ask Harriet" finds himself working two wardrobes as a macho writer forced to go undercover as a woman to keep a job as an unlikely advice columnist.
   Quinn, who until now as known for a two year stint as a hip teacher on "Boy Meets World" and a string of short-lived sitcoms (including 1990's "Working Girl" with a then unknown Sandra Bullock) is game to gender-bend a few heads.
   Unlike other attempts at sitcom drag (like Tome Hanks' memorable swish in "Bosom Buddies"), macho Jack Cody's feminine alter ego Sylvia Coco isn't meant to look obvious or buffoonish.
   "This character has to look good." Quinn said. "The audience has to be fooled for at least a split second."
   "I've always dreamed of a part like this," he said (oh, oh. Does this have some deeper meaning-Candy) recalling how he and his wife teamed up to create a convincing woman. "I have an appreciation and respect for women. Even if Jack Cody is this womanizer and egotist, I always felt Sylvia should be a deep character and not this stupid caricature. I had to dig to create a great personality. I didn't want to do a phony falsetto voice. I wanted to ground her in reality.
"And I know I'm waking a fine line here - it can be really fantastic or really bad."
   And though he says this is his first twirl in a dress, Quinn says he's not uncomfortable-able. One person who isn't thrilled about his dual role is his 3-year old daughter, who refused to go near her father the one time she saw him in full drag. Quinn said he won't be trying that again any time soon - therapy an be so costly.
   Over the course of the initial 13-episode run, Sylvia will start invading macho Jack's personal life. In one episode, he helps his friend Ron (Willie Garson) impress his mom by pretending to be his girlfriend, a sacrifice selfish Jack would never have considered. "Sylvia helps him grow a conscience," Quinn said.
   In another episode, Jack will face a dilemma few men have ever faced: To obtain medical insurance as the paper's new advice columnist, he'll have to go to a gynecologist. "This will be truly classic TV," Quinn promised.
   But if the show has legs, Quinn won't be strutting down the talk show circuit in stilettos.
"I'm not a female impersonator," he said. "And one thing I don't want to do is any personal appearances as Sylvia. I don't want to cheapen this."
   So for now, the tight skirts are just for special occasions.
Fox's "Ask Harriet" airs Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. on Channels 25 and 64.

   Several folks called to remind me that this program was on. The other night when Robyn R. and I were talking, I remembered it was on and reminded her of the show, whereon we both hung up to watch it.
   I'm sorry, I'm just not a sitcom person. I personally think this show is so stupid that it just turns out to be sick funny...but why, I haven't figured it out just yet. (I'm thick.) Will I continue to watch it?...Sure will. Why? Don't know. Maybe I keep hoping to find some redeeming value in it. I think that this type of show really does the community more harm than good. The only TV show that featured someone in drag that I thought was exceptional was the recent broadcast of Ally McBeal that featured a transsexual... who looked like she might have become a permanent part of the show, only to end up being killed. But...I keep hoping...!

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ELECTROLYSIS: Massachusetts State Board Definition: Electrolysis is the process of permanent hair removal by application of electrical current to the hair papilla, by means of a needle or needles to cause decomposition, coagulation, or dehydration to the hair papilla, and thus permanently removing the hair.
   Electrolysis was first developed in the United States in 1875 and later modified in France. Electrolysis is the only permanent method to date. Due to lack of findings at this time, any other method is not permanent. Electrolysis is scientifically tested and medically proved.
Hours of training for electrologists vary from state to state and I highly recommend checking state requirements especially when moving from one state to another. Massachusetts requires all electrologists to have completed a training of 1,100 hours in a state approved electrology school and upon completion, individuals are required to pass a state board examination, both written and practical. Before a new office may be opened, the electrologist must submit a request in writing to the State Board of Registration, after which the office location must be inspected by a State Board Inspector. Upon a passed physical inspection, the office may be open to the public. The state board has strict guidelines that all practicing electrologists must abide. The license must be renewed and be kept up to date.
   Although there are several associations for licensed electrologists to be members of, it is not necessary, for licensing, to be a member of any electrolysis association. Some of the associations are for the convenience of discounted business related plans. Other associations help in keeping the public well educated about electrolysis and other hair removal methods that may become available and on the market. Still others require testing and or continued education. This is called certification. CEU's are recorded for every educational module the certified electrologist attends. The association requires a certain amount of CEU's to be accumulated in a certain amount of time. The amounts, and time varies with each association. The certified electrologist will not remain in good standing and will lose the certification if not complying with the standards established by the said association.
   It is my strongest recommendation that in any state where they is NO state board licensing requirements, that you seek a certified electrologist for services. Do not be afraid to ask and look at the electrologists diplomas, or license.
   Electrolysis is permanent and done under the safe and proper guidelines. Massachusetts is one of the strictest states governing their licensed electrologists. The rules and regulations that govern electrolysis are to protect the public from harm.
Next issue's topic: "Guidelines of seeking out an electrologist".


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   This years annual Valentine Party will be held at the Cape Cod xxxxxxxx xxxxx on Saturday the 14th of February. The party will commence at 7:30 P.M. The meal will be buffet style with a varied menu to provide for everyone's taste. As usual, a registration desk will be set up in the lobby commencing at 1 P.M. Our Valentine Party price of $30.00 will remain the same and be charged for all participants. There will be no vendors in the afternoon. We will have a drawing for several prizes.

   Our traditional "Best Red Dress" contest will be held with a special Barbie Doll being awarded to the winner. Following the "Best Red Dress" contest we are privileged to have Cheri Berens from her Middle Eastern Dance Studio in Dennis perform a traditional oriental and Middle Eastern dance program for us. Following this exceptional show, for those wanting to dance the rest of the night away, passes for Mallory Dock/Duval Street Station will be available.

Time is rapidly passing so please mail the below form and your payment of #30.00 per person to:

   Should you want to remain overnight at the Cape Cod xxxxxxxx xxxxx, please contact them directly at 508+775-xxxx or toll free 800+xxx-xxxx. Allison M or anyone on the desk can book you. Mention Innvestments for the special Valentine Party rate of $49.00 plus tax per room/per night.

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