Hi! My name is Valielza and I'm a belly dancer that primarily dances Fat Chance Belly Dance / American Tribal Style.

I really love this dance style, and I'm hoping to go to a dance camp (Tassels & Cues) in April 2026 to continue learning and refining my skills.

Unfortunately, I have been unemployed for the past 9 months due to instability in my field - science, specifically pharmaceuticals. Employers were laying off people en masse after the COVID bubble popped and venture capitalists decided AI was more profitable than biotechnology. To make a bad situation worse, the election of Trump in 2024 added even more instability to my field: the tariffs disrupted a global supply chain of manufacturing, causing more cuts, and companies are more hesitant to proceed with new drugs and therapies with the appointment of RFK Jr. at HHS, which oversees the FDA.

Which is a lot of words to say, I'm unemployed due to structural reasons far beyond my control! It really sucks, and that's why I'm turning to my community to ask if you'd be willing to support me in this. I don't think anyone should ever be ashamed in asking others for support, especially in hard times.

The dance camp itself is $795, and I'll also have to fly into the area since it's in New York, and I'm based in California. So that would be an additional $350 or so.

If you can chip $10 my way, it'd help a lot! If not, sharing this would be appreciated :) thanks!