Dance Web

from the New York Times (and several others… )

i thought a little self-aggrandizement was in order…

you can see original performance photography in two new places….

Dianna, Duchess of Dance and People’s Choice Winner in the 2003 East Coast Belly Dance Classic competition.

and…

Raqs Sahara, the professional performance troupe under the direction of Rachel Kay Brookmire.

Dianna and Rachel are both amazing performers and gracious people. go see them.

LONDON (AP) German-born dancer and teacher Lotte Berk, who used her training as the basis for an exercise program that became popular with the stars, died Nov. 4. She was 90.

Berk started modeling at Heatherley’s School of Fine Art and later danced with the Ballet Rambert at London’s Covent Garden. During World War II, she entertained British troops.

She developed her dancer’s training regime into a set of exercises that improved muscle tone and posture, including a series of somewhat raunchy stretches with such names as “The Prostitute.”

At 46, she opened her women-only studio in London’s Manchester Street. Clients included actresses Joan Collins and Sian Phillips, singer Barbra Streisand and model Yasmin Le Bon.