Easter Show, Underbelly, Upcoming Schedule

Easter at the Middle East was a blast! All of the regulars were there, and the Egyptians were back! Usually they show up after the dancers, but this time they reserved a table and were there all night. One of the guys jumped up and did my entire drum solo with me. I bet he would like to be a belly dancer himself! Jemileh, Susi and Alicia were also on the schedule, and we got a table together after our sets. Social dancing was fun last night too. I danced to Bel Arabi with a guy who must be learning his dance moves from Saad El Soghayer himself. He really had it down! I am starting to get over my shyness. I started dancing there a little over a year ago, and I could hardly look the audience in the eye when I performed. Last night was probably the most audience participation of my life, not even counting drum solo guy. I just love the holidays there.

I caught the Boston premiere of Underbelly, a documentary about punk rocker, burlesque performer and bellydancer Princess Farhana. The movie was entertaining and touching on many levels. There is a bit of crassness though, so sadly I don't think it's a suitable movie for kids. Every belly dancer should see this movie because so many things are echoed in each of our lives.

In other news, I should announce that I will be off on a business trip until April 9th. When I get back, I have a very busy schedule if you check out my Performances page. I am performing in one of Johara's pieces for her newest show, Emergence. Then, I'm performing in Amira Jamal's student recital, both as a soloist and a duet with my friend Lilya. I'll also be at the Morocco workshop/birthday show. Then of course, I have my regular dates at the Middle East, and my newest venue - the Red Fez. It will be a very busy spring! I love dancing though so I am looking forward to it. Life is short, so we should spend it doing what we love!

Good Press

The latest NBDA event - the People's Choice Awards 2008 - were written up in the Boston Globe. The writer did a really good job of representing our dance form, in all its variety! I know he interviewed a lot of dancers, but he chose his quotes and story structure to create a very cohesive article about belly dance. I've been interviewed for the press before and it doesn't always come out this well!

Be It Styles or Backgrounds, bellydancers like to shake it up
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/03/16/great_shakes

old times and new times

I love love love this article on the Gilded Serpent.

Nina writes about the old cabaret clubs of eighth avenue New York and talks about how things have changed:
http://www.gildedserpent.com/art43/ninacab2dj.htm

This article made me a bit wistful. I can't imagine what it was like, and yet I have heard so many stories from my teacher, Amira Jamal. She was a dancer in the New York clubs in the seventies, and she has mentioned these musicians, even dancing alongside Ozel Turkbas. Back then, she tells us - the dancer's set could last over an hour. I can always imagine her as a young woman in a blue velvet bedlah, doing sultry floorwork to a slow chiftetelli or taxim in a smoky club, one hand undulating out towards the audience to the tune of a mournful clarinet. I am happy to be alive now, but I would love to time-travel back to these eighth-avenue clubs!

As the author laments the end of these clubs, I do feel lucky in Boston. Not only do we have several clubs (the Athenian Corner, the Middle East) where you could hear live musicians accompanied by dancers; but we also have some new Lebanese supper clubs where live bands play for some of our city's best dancers (like my other teacher, Najmat). On top of that, we have the dancer's community, the haflis and dancer's events. There seems to be an opportunity for anyone to perform in some way or another. I think we are also lucky here to have preserved that old Turkish, Armenian and Greek music - thanks to our musicians (like Michael Gregian, who co-taught a workshop last night on live taxim).

However, lately at haflis around here, and at national events like Rakkasah, I have noticed there is a trend towards non-traditional. It seems fewer and fewer dancers are interested in using Arabic music. Even the Arabic pop is giving way to American hip hop. I can appreciate the tribal-fusion stylings, and there was a time when I saw so much novelty that I preferred them to the traditionalists. But it seems like we're losing decades of knowledge. Although I meet many dancers online who care about Middle Eastern music and dance styles, I see in our events many new dancers who do not seem to know or care to learn about these things. They would rather do something cool, hip, new and ultimately American. I discovered this dance on a trip to Istanbul, and I feel even more strongly about representing the culture after my recent trip to Egypt. I know I will always have an American accent on this dance, but I also feel like it's my responsibility to learn as much as I can about middle eastern culture, and stay respectful to the grandmothers of this dance form.

Because of my teachers, I have been exposed to the traditional styles of dance and music. Thanks to Amira Jamal, I have learned about the early traditions of American Cabaret, that smoky nightclub dancing in the article. Katia has taught me about folkloric dance, and the importance of respecting it. Najmat spends as much time as she can listening to live Arabic music, and has created her own dance style by watching how Arabs dance - and she brings that to class. Then there is my dear friend Badriya, who is equally if not more obsessed with learning authentic middle eastern dance, and the great discussions we have. I count myself lucky because of these people, and even though I am young in this dance scene, I do feel strongly about tradition and keeping this beautiful Middle Eastern/Mediterranean dance form alive. This post is something of an homage to them, as well as to the author of that interesting Gilded Serpent article.

On online communities, belly-dancers buy and sell costumes in a flurry of mad commerce, regardless of the state of the economy. Dancers with regular gigs must change up their costumes frequently, and there are always times when you made an expensive mistake, buying something that doesn't fit or suit. Unlike retail fashion, the wonderful thing is that we can resell. And probably only other belly-dancers keep track of the famous labels, popular designs, and latest styles!

When I bought my first Pharaonics costume from Audrena, she advised me that they have great resale value. It didn't seem important to me at the time, but it was definitely an experience to see how quickly it sold, compared to other items I've tried to pass on! Pharaonics are known for being well-made and holding together, and I've found that to be true. There is a bit of a thrill in knowing you had a really great costume. But there is also a bit of nostalgia, wondering how it might have been if you had gotten it to work for you. In this case, it was simply too long and after owning it for six months, I had only worn it once. In the same time, I had worn my silver great loop dozens of times.

So here is one last picture to remember it by - my apple green Spiraling Jewels....

NBDA People's Choice 2008

The NBDA "People's Choice" awards was very successful, raising over $2,000 for the Transition House Boston. I thoroughly enjoyed the event, and even won "Best Costume" for my new pink Pharaonics 1001 Nights. My prize was two tickets to Layaleena, and I'm excited to go see some top-notch Boston bellydancers.

I was interviewed for the Boston Globe, and I may be in next Sunday's issue. I never trust newspapers, because you never know what exactly will be quoted. I talked to him right after my performance, and all I remember saying is "You can't be just a dancer, you also have to be a star!" Star is my keyword lately for being an entertainer. And it's true - it's the whole package. Not only do you have to be a great dancer, but you have to project your energy and engage your audience. Having an inspiring appearance doesn't hurt either. At the same time, Fifi Abdo can wear a simple white galabeya and bring an audience to its knees. But I'm not Fifi Abdo, so I put 110% into my costume and makeup. Some of the fun in performing is getting to wear more glitter and sequins than you could ever get away with in "real life".