Category Archives: Dancer

samira dances

A quick note of congratulations to Samira for her appearance, in lights, twice, in times square:

Presented as part of the GE “Picture a Healthy World” project. Samira, apparently, dances. Whodathunkit? Continue reading

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belly dance banned in california

ok, just part of california, but… the story from the modesto bee:

Stanislaus County Library patrons can read any of 10 books on belly dancing, from techniques to costumes. They also can check out a DVD on belly dancing as an exercise.

But they can’t attend a belly dancing program at the library anymore.

Stanislaus County Chief Executive Officer Rick Robinson has canceled the program, which was scheduled for April 22.

“The issue is what is appropriate for a library and what is not appropriate,” Robinson said.

Robinson saw the event scheduled on the library calendar and questioned it.

“Does it support some form of educational opportunity, or is it just pure entertainment?” Robinson asked. “I couldn’t answer that to my satisfaction, and I couldn’t answer it to my board.”

i’ve spoken about educational opportunities on occasion… Continue reading

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The BDSS bridge building effort and the Mezquita

This has been sticking in my craw for quite a while, and I guess the best way to free myself is to go ahead and dump it out there in public and the next time it comes up, I can skip the discussion and just point. I could be wrong about all of this, but there are just too many pieces that come together for me.

Long, long ago, in a garden far, far away (in Hollywood), Miles Copeland III made the following statement about just how important the Bellydance Superstars really are:

“Bellydance Superstars is the most important dance company in the world today. We are the only ones doing something that has a social import. Given that the most important thing in the world today is the conflict between Muslim world and the United States, anything that creates bridges between those two cultures is incredibly important.”

Since then, he’s played it a bit fast… and I’ve taken issue with that strategy.
Continue reading

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Asharah in the post

a quick tip-o-the-site to our own Asharah, with her appearance in the washington post this week:

On a recent Thursday night, a 25-year-old belly dancer known as Asharah, who learned her first moves as a Princeton University student, winds her way up and down the narrow aisle between tables, snaking her arms through the air and eliciting catcalls with her Turkish drop, which takes her from a 90-degree backbend to the floor.

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samira encircled

just a brief note to share a pretty significant milestone in my work with a very special dancer…

my work has just recently been promoted to the “front and center” position at samira shuruk’s website.

after many, many months, I finally captured her in her veils and she seems to like the results.

thanks samira Continue reading

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BDSS resident company

looks like the bellydance superstars have landed themselves a resident gig at the monte carlo resort (see “monte carlo resort” then “nightlife” then “le cabaret”).

the site claims:

Sixteen gorgeous dancers will perform to tribal, techno, rock and oriental rhythms reminiscent of the poetic and bewitching world of the Arabian Nights.

Open from Wednesday to Saturday. Bar/Restaurant open from 8:30 pm, with the show beginning at 10:30 pm.

sixteen is an expanded company (i think the superstars have been touring with twelve), and the show opened last week (september 14).

haven’t seen any reviews yet…

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BDSS United States winter 2006 tour

the itinerary for the first few months of 2006 is now posted, so here are a few minutes’ thoughts on the superstars as they kick off 2006…

the first thing i need to say is that this tour is a lot less rock-and-roll and a lot more dancer-compatible. the average leg is a little more than 200 miles, which is actually a bit longer than the fall 2005 schedule (before it was cancelled), but more importantly, the long legs are matched to dark days more consistently than anything the superstars have done in the past. the short version is that this means a better show, for many inter-related reasons.

the other general note is that the venues seem to be up a notch or two – bigger and more formal presentation space. this also means a better show.

here’s the information i have. many venues are not announced yet, so there’s not much i can do with that. venues i’m familiar with in some manner have capacity in parens. total, with this plan is 67 days covering 14652 miles, which works out to 219 miles/day.
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jim boz comes to anchorage

alaska in june….

Lord of the belly dance

“There’s Jim,” he explained, pounding his chest, “and there’s Jim Boz.” He straightened his shoulders, deepened his voice and momentarily became the guy who shakes and rattles his hips in front of hundreds of strangers.

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testimony of a proud father

something i never expected to find… believe it or not, rachel has a father. and that father has a blog, and that blog shows a father’s pride

of course, i can’t vouch for the reality here, but…

My life would have been relatively impoverished if I had not had the opportunity to watch my daughter grow into the incredible force of nature she’s become, and to enjoy the pleasure of her company. Still, I often look at her and still see her as the curly-headed little moppett she was 30 years ago.

i hope i don’t get in trouble for “outing” dad… Continue reading

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rachel hops off the bellybus

announced here, rachel brice will be off the bellybus and doing creative things of her own for the first half of 2006.

mixed blessings, that… since she probably won’t be coming back to my part of the world, so i wish you well, rachel… come see us again sometime! Continue reading

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