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12 FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | FEBRUARY 2022 RESIDENT SPOTLIGHT Dancing raqs assaya (stick dance) at the Annenberg in 2011. The cane is my favorite prop In Khaleegy style from the Persian Gulf region, dancers sway, show off their dresses, and toss their hair. I'm in the middle By Myrtis Suggs with Elizabeth Westbrook Hello, my name is Myrtis (rhymes with Curtis), and my last name is Suggs. In case you're wondering, the answer is "no," I am not related to the NFL player Terrell Suggs. All we have in common is an uncommon last name. I grew up the youngest of five girls in San Dimas, a small town in the San Gabriel Valley about 50 miles west of here. I met my husband David Miller in May 2009 at the Iris Festival in Yucaipa. We married in September 2011 and moved to Four Seasons from Yucaipa in April 2018. It's refreshing to live in a diverse community. I've made friends through the African American Cultural Club, the Rainbow Group, Tsilya Hoffman's folk dancing class, and events sponsored by the Jewish Cultural Club. Like many others, I've scaled back participation since the pandemic began. Growing up, I always felt safe and secure in my own home. I still do. Unfortunately, domestic abuse victims don't have that security. Since 2013, I've participated in an event called Shimmy Mob. It's a belly dance flash mob that started in Canada in 2011 and has grown into an annual, global event held on the Saturday before Mother's Day. Shimmy Mob is a fun way to raise awareness on a serious subject. I need to give you my backstory to explain how I joined Shimmy Mob. In a nutshell, I was a longtime employee of the County of San Bernardino. I started in September 1989 and officially retired in January 2018. I began as an Eligibility Worker. After that, I became a Child Support Officer. My last position was Employment Services Specialist. Every job included case management with direct public contact. Public service can be rewarding, but it can also suck the compassion out of you. I needed an outlet. I restored my sanity with cultural festivals. I went to Greek festivals, the Armenian Festival in Glendale, the International Festival at Soka University, the Anatolian Festival at the OC Fairgrounds, and any other festival I could find. The Living on Common Ground Multicultural Festival at the University of Redlands was a local favorite. I spent the entire day there eating and watching taiko drummers, flamenco dancers, African singers, classical Indian dancers, Aztec dancers, and so much more. I never imagined that I would perform there. When I saw a belly dance class in the Fall 2000 Parks and Recreation book, I decided to sign up. Now, I had a weekly activity to help me unwind from work. As a bonus, I made friends and picked up a few dance moves to bust out at the Greek festivals. A few months later, I found another class. Eventually, I enrolled in three classes a week. I learned a variety of dance styles from Middle Eastern, North African, Mediterranean, and European cultures. I enjoyed dancing socially, but getting on a stage was (and still is) out of my comfort zone. With encouragement from my instructors, I danced with the class troupe. We started with student recitals and street fairs. Later, we danced at larger venues like the Date Festival, the Annenberg Theater at the Palm Springs Art Museum, the Edward- Dean Museum, and the Multicultural Festival at the University of I'm Still Dancing

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