Theodora
	Theodora was a belly dancer. She was a beauty and looked remarkably like Joan Beaz, (pronounced Bi az') a singer in the sixties amidst the "peace and love" movement that swept the country. Theodora and her husband, Barry, were close friends of mine. There were about a dozen of us friends that were more like an intentional family. It consisted of artists, singers, writers, song writers, poets and performers. One of our group was Robert King, Patsi's boyfriend, who was a first rate photographer, mainly of marvelous old abandoned barns. When everyone got together it was nothing to see someone ride out on a unicycle, wearing a top hat and juggling bowling pins. Or hear Milton Carroll, Sharon's husband, play the guitar and sing. He had the best voice I'd ever heard in my life, bar none, and that was the opinion of most everyone who heard him. Some of the group decided to become a band of entertainers. They looked more like a band of Gypsies, but they were good, all of them. "Dr. King's Traveling Variety Show". The belly dancers performed weekly at Zorba,The Greek's in Tarpon Springs and the group, as a whole, was fairly sought after. There was to be a large party at Busch Gardens for the employees, sponsored by the Zoo Department. We decided on a circus theme because of the animals. I, with the help of friends, painted about ten 8ft.X 8ft. circus banners, the likes of which you'd see on the midway of most circuses. The Sword Swallower, The Human Pretzel, The Three Legged Hula Dancer, The Bearded Lady, and Crocodile Man, to name a few. I said, "I can bring the entertainment!" and I did. My friends were glad to help me out. They all performed and the Busch employees loved them. The two belly dancers were so captivating that Busch Gardens hired them and five of their friends to belly dance several times a day in the new Moroccan Village section of the park. So when you see a long line of alluring belly dancers making their way through the crowds, and hear the high pitched, vocal, wavering zaghareet (zi gaa dee') sound, and the finger cymbals, you'll know it all started with Theodora and The Dr. King's Traveling Variety Show. Point of interest: Finger cymbals that are used by belly dancers are called zils, after Zilgan, the maker of Turkish cymbals. Lash Out Loud