Where can you find Princess Leia, heavy metal, crones and sea anemones in one room? The Goddess Dancing Year End Showcase, of course! This year’s event, Cycles and Circles, included a variety of levels, moods, and music all exemplifying one theme - the circle of life.

The show followed a short introductory dance by The Goddess Dancing members Anita-Cristina Calcaterra and Cathy Moore, and opened with the Dance of the Sea Anemones. If any dancer remembers her first performance, she must recall the anticipation, anxiety and excitement. All of those emotions were evident as a group of up-and-coming belly dancers performed one of The Goddess Dancing’s core choreographies. Although the students demonstrated different varying of skill, it was empowering to watch all of them take their first steps. Now they have entered the world of belly dance, where all women - bodies and souls - are valued.

Next, Melodie presented one of the more traditional pieces in the lineup. It was a thrill to watch this shaking and shimmying pink-sequined goddess, as she “free-styled” to a fun fusion tune by the Brothers of the Beledi. She received rousing zaghareets from the crowd. In terms of pure technical ability, this performance was the standout.

Leslie Bordonaro and Karen Uminski put on a fun number, a homage to the roaring 20s and the very first American belly dancers. Their work together was cute and well-coordinated. It echoed somewhat a routine Karen had choreographed last year for her beginner students using a variation of the infamous “hoochie-coochie” song. The dance moves selected for this performance were appropriate to the theme, incorporating some flapper style moves. The dancers even had the hairpieces of the time, with colored feathers.

Later, a performance explored where belly dance might go in the 21st century. The stage lights came on and an androgynous glam-rock goddess appeared, back to the audience, her long rocker hair and black high heels a huge departure from anything we’ve seen before. The music, Prelude 3.0 by Slipknot, was a very unconventional choice, even for a showcase by the Goddess Dancing. But dancer Tiffany Palmer’s sexy stylings made it work, prompting much jaw-dropping among the audience members. Her costume, with a choli resembling liquid silver, would not have looked out of place in Central Square in Cambridge on a Friday night, but at the same time afforded her a full range of motion.

Jodi Marmonti-Anderson put together a very special performance. When a quote from the original Star Wars movie kicks off a performance, you know it’s going to be good. Jodi came out in a belly dance costume inspired by Princess Leia’s slave costume from “Return of the Jedi.” She performed to what is widely known as the “cantina song” from the first Star Wars film. Jodi’s background in jazz and tap added another dimension to her show. Jodi has the stage presence that comes from experience. She was shining on that floor - and it wasn’t just the copper glittering on her costume.

The last performance of the show was the Goddess Dancing’s newest creation, Crone. The lights went out as a helper laid out their set. Then, I heard an old woman hacking and complaining loudly. I thought, “That woman had better be quiet before the Goddesses come on.” Well, it was the Goddesses. As the lights came up, what looked like three old crones helped themselves down from the seating area, complaining like Jewish grandmothers in Miami. The piece, which was about old age - one of the most difficult life-stages of all - was light-hearted at times, but also spiritual. The crowd roared when they “flew” on the brooms. But when they started to stir their improvised cauldrons of veils arranged in a circle, there was a sense of power. The message: The old woman is also a wise woman, with all the ingredients life has given her with which to make her potion. Then, the three Goddesses arranged themselves around three masks, each representing a different phase of a woman’s life - youth, motherhood and old age. Each Goddess did a brief solo with each mask, and some of the actions and emotions shown were so familiar, even though I am not even in the motherhood stage yet. It was truly a piece that touched everyone, that resonated with the life experiences we have all had. The piece ended with the three old friends, having relived their memories together, lying down for their final rest and saying goodbye. I have seen many performances by The Goddess Dancing and this one was their best.

One of my favorite things about The Goddess Dancing shows is the creativity. Both the master dancers and their students put a lot of imagination into their routines, making them almost works of performance art. For them, the dance is about the message. This showcase’s message was that all beings undergo similar cycles through life, and a circle represents the unity of our experiences.