Cynthia Smith Topp is a writer, world-traveler, belly dancer and outdoors woman, living in Arvada, Colorado. Check out her etsy shop: Magic Carpet Dance Art, or check out her tribal fusion belly dance group on Facebook – Anam Cara Dance Company.
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I am a belly dancer, a writer, a traveler, and an artist. I love the culture of the Silk Road lands, from China, Mongolia, and India, through Central Asia, and on to Turkey and North Africa. I’ve watched Uzbek women weave traditional carpets, tying knot after knot of silk. I’ve danced with my Turkish friends in their homes to music blaring from their version of MTV. I’ve been captivated by painted tiles I’ve seen in mosques. The intricate swirls and paisleys of a bride’s henna-painted hands awaken my imagination.
I work out of my home, with my sewing machine often on our dining room table, my jeweler’s workbench in the garage, and squeezing time from between a full-time job for a land conservation agency, and my other favorite pursuits: rock-climbing, mountain biking, bird watching, and cross-country skiing. All my pieces, whether textiles or metalwork, are inspired by the patterns and designs of the Silk Road. May they inspire you to dance and live with grace and beauty.
design by cynthia smith topp, all rights reserved
