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alonewiththemoonThis looks amazing--it's just a rough cut of some of the footage from the upcoming documentary Aziza! about the history of Middle Eastern music and dance in Boston.
Aziza! is a new documentary profiling the history of belly dance in the Boston area as it has evolved and thrived in the social scene of the Lebanese, Armenian and Greek communities that have settled here since the early 1900s.
The first Middle Eastern restaurant in the United States - Club Zahra - opened in Boston in 1952. Because of the similarities in culture, cuisine and social life, the Lebanese, Armenian, and Greeks began mingling at each other's restaurants. From the 1950s through the 1980s you could see belly dancing and hear live ethnic music seven nights a week at a number of venues throughout the Greater Boston area - a phenomenon unique in the U.S.
In the same band you might see both the Middle Eastern oud and the Greek bouzouki, while the guests danced the Lebanese dabke, Armenian line dances, and the Greek zembekiko, a male bonding/drinking dance. They threw money like rain on the entertainment. The musicians and dancers carried off their tips in dish buckets.
Aziza! offers a unique perspective on how three ethnic groups intermingled socially, and how nightlife played a vivid role in the immigrant experiences of these communities.
Can't wait for more! Donations towards the filming costs can be made here.
Aziza! is a new documentary profiling the history of belly dance in the Boston area as it has evolved and thrived in the social scene of the Lebanese, Armenian and Greek communities that have settled here since the early 1900s.
The first Middle Eastern restaurant in the United States - Club Zahra - opened in Boston in 1952. Because of the similarities in culture, cuisine and social life, the Lebanese, Armenian, and Greeks began mingling at each other's restaurants. From the 1950s through the 1980s you could see belly dancing and hear live ethnic music seven nights a week at a number of venues throughout the Greater Boston area - a phenomenon unique in the U.S.
In the same band you might see both the Middle Eastern oud and the Greek bouzouki, while the guests danced the Lebanese dabke, Armenian line dances, and the Greek zembekiko, a male bonding/drinking dance. They threw money like rain on the entertainment. The musicians and dancers carried off their tips in dish buckets.
Aziza! offers a unique perspective on how three ethnic groups intermingled socially, and how nightlife played a vivid role in the immigrant experiences of these communities.
Can't wait for more! Donations towards the filming costs can be made here.
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Date: 2009-03-26 05:49 pm (UTC)