I live in Watsonville and have for the past 6 years (3 of them alone) and I must admit that I do in fact feel safer at home in Watsonville then with the posse in Santa Cruz after a show. When we left the Mello at close to midnight Saturday, there wasn't ANYONE on the street. It was quiet and decently lit. I even parked at the end of the block but was not afraid to walk to my car. After events in the Santa Cruz area, I feel like I'm always racing back to my car--heck, even after weekly dance classes I feel like that. In addition, there isn't any venue in the Santa Cruz area like the Mello. It is a very lovely theatre and to produce some of the theatrical productions that all of us at BOP envision, we need a THEATRE, not a community center, not a hall, a theatre with awesome lights and sound, dressing rooms, comfortable seats, lobby for vending, etc. I think people in the Santa Cruz area need to realize that there are things worth making the drive for in South County--I know this issue isn't just a bellydance event thing, it happens to a lot of shows and events south of Aptos and I kind of think it's just sad--people will drive to San Jose or SF but they won't drive 15 miles south on highway 1 to support people in their local community. The Aziza Show is scheduled at the Mello in April and I truly hope that the community (both bellydance and general public) will get over their fears and misconceptions so that they don't miss ANOTHER FABULOUS EVENT! Thanks to absolutely everyone for their feedback, we really appreciate it!