I hope you’re ready for some swoon worthy pictures! I was lucky enough to attend Sparkle Motion, a bellydance event put on by Boheme Tribal Bellydance last weekend and it was held at the Ladies’ Library Association of Kalamazoo. This lovely space is breathtaking! The featured picture is the ceiling above the staircase.

Their website is here:

http://ladieslibrarykzoo.org/our-history/

I’ll give a brief history, but I encourage you to go poke around, as it has a fascinating history. The Ladies’ Library Association was formed in 1852. It was the first women’s’ club in Michigan and the third club in the nation. It was known as a “college for women” and guided partially by Lucinda Hinsdale Stone. Before buying the building in 1878, the Association met in private homes and (ladies after my own heart) acquired a large collection of books that could be borrowed. This collection became the first public library in Kalamazoo.

The Association also had the distinction of being the first women’s organization in the nation to be able to finance and own property.

It is housed in a glorious red brick house, built in the Venetian Gothic style. We were lucky enough to be able to use the auditorium, which is in the second story. The woodwork and stained glass had me in awe and I felt very privileged to be able to take the workshops and attend a performance here.

Photography was not permitted during the performance and I was too busy dancing my butt off to take pictures during the workshop, but I was able to roam around the building and take pictures before the event. The workshop was with Kami Liddle, by the way, who is a fabulous dancer and one of the first dancers I started watching. She’s extremely graceful and I admire her control and artistry.

Here is a Youtube link for you, if you want to see her style. I highly recommend watching it. https://youtu.be/1uGOmXGdRrw

The first workshop was focused on arms and we learned lots of new arm patterns and ways to think about incorporating them choreography, as well as some good stretches for wrists and arms. We also had a two hour workshop on Shimmies and oh my gosh… My brain may have been a little fried in the good kind of way at the end. It was a fantastic workshop though and I’m glad I went. Less glad that I fell and twisted my knee, luckily after the workshops, while attempting to get out of the hotel shower. It does feel better now, but I’ve been out of commission for a bit.

Anyway, the building was spectacular. I was spoiled growing up in a house with stained glass, but my jaw dropped when I walked up the staircase.

Glorious!

The upper transoms of most of the regular windows had stained glass depicting different books and authors. I’m too short to do them justice unfortunately.

There were also mural windows downstairs, one in memory of one of the members, and this one, which is a piece commissioned by a local artist.

Until one of the volunteers told me, I wouldn’t have guessed that this was newer. It blends so well! The top transoms are the older glass, for comparison.

This one is the memory windows. Are you swooning yet?!

Not to be outdone, the woodwork made my heart go pitter patter too. The newel post!

These are the window pulls! With original hardware!!

This beauty goes all the way down the staircase.

Speaking of staircase… The other side of this is where the stained glass windows are. I swooned!

Inside shutters! For when the sun is too magnificent coming through the very tall windows.

Carved arches!

The venue also had very elegant plush chairs and delicious antiques set up in little nooks for reading.

Of course, I found the commemorative quilt, but it was too big to get a very good picture of. The hallway was very narrow.

There were some gorgeous chandeliers too.

I was so excited to be a part of the history of this space and could definitely feel the granduer and the pride that the volunteers had in it. I really want to go prowl around all the antique buildings now and see what other treasures are there. For now though, I will be dreaming about it and leave you with this elegant way of saying “tornado area.”

There’s also the fact that between the two of us, the Husband and I walked away with 40 books/media from the first of three book sales we are attending. It was not my fault entirely… If you bought 10 books, you got 10 free! What were we supposed to do? Needless to say, I’ve got some reading to do!

Have a lovely, book filled, cozy night!