1970s: Rossah “the bellydancer” Remembers the Coastside


Hi June,

You may or may not remember me.  I was living on the coast from 1972-1975.  Lived around the corner from Michael Powers, who had the same birthday as me, in front of the Film School at 16 Alameda Avenue, when the Miramar Beach Inn had a dirt floor.  I was best friends with Karen Zugay when she was dating Peter Adams. 

You may remember me as the bellydancer who taught at the Ballet School on Main Street, Cunha Middle School and at the Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society.  Karen, Sharon and I were always together.  I’ve been having these dreams recently about people I used to know on the coast – one of them being David Norkett.  I googled him and found your site.

I know I must have run into you many times at parties because I remember your name but know we didn’t have any close personal experiences together.  I was wondering why there wasn’t any blogs on Carolyn Woods, John Essa and the parties at the Vallemar house?  Jim Rudolph and Cathy Bristol.  Georgia Guido, Richard Henry’s crazy green card wife.  The german mechanic over by Alpha Beta who rode the bike, but hated cars.  Paco de Espacio.  Sandy and David Bickland.  Cherie Harper.  The Ace of Cups. Or David Bagley and Robin Rouke who lived next door to me when I lived at the Wienke Way house on the corner.  You had to know these people.  It was great to see more recent photos of Peter Adams, read the message from Tamale Jerry, and even discover Richard English had died.  He heckled me whenever I walked into any bar on the coast where he sat drinking.  I have no idea why.  I still felt sad to hear he had passed.

This photo is of me and my dancers at Pete’s Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society performing a gig. I’m on the far left, then Marj Staples, Cathy Brubaker and Lindsey. Can’t remember her last name. She worked for the city. Every time I would get stuck stopped for road repairs on 92, there would be beautiful Lindsey in a hard hat stopping traffic! If you look really close, that’s Karen Zugay in the satin pants next to me holding the tambourine.

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Please read Reborn—A Woman Dancing by Dorothy Ragosine, click here

I’m including another photo circa 1974 where I performed with Malia De Felice (who still lives and teaches on the coast), Michael Lane aka Jalal, who was a roommate of Karen and Sharon Zugay, and Cherie, who danced with me from age 6-12 with a gigantic brass tray balanced on her head.

~Rossah
“The light within me honors the light within you.”