alonewiththemoon | American Bellydancer

Thought some of you might be interested in a movie tonight at 8pm at the Regent in Arlington Center: American Bellydancer, produced by Miles Copeland of Bellydance Superstars fame/notoriety. Tickets are $10, and Amar Gamal is supposed to be there to introduce it, weather permitting. I will be there for sure, as I am reviewing it for Middle Eastern Dance in New England. About "American Bellydancer"
American Bellydancer is the first feature documentary on the art and practice of bellydance in the USA. Directed by highly respected documentary director, Jonathan Brandeis, historical perspectives are touched upon, but the focus is bellydance today. The male-female divide, the East-West dichotomy since September 11, and the controversy surrounding the birth of the world’s first professional bellydance troupe, the Bellydance Superstars and Desert Roses, are woven together amid interviews and performances, featuring America’s icons of bellydance. Though it may come as a surprise to many, there are more bellydancers in the USA than the rest of the world put together. This fact, plus the current wave of suppression in the Middle East has made American bellydance the center of the art today. Morocco, Tamalyn Dallal, Philidas, Tiffany Hanan, Rachel Galob Ortego, and the outspoken, Suhaila, are featured, the latter taking on producer, Miles Copeland, and giving him an earful.

The Bellydance Superstars and Desert Roses’ formation along with performances in Bali, Indonesia and on the US Lollapalooza festival tour provide a backdrop and storyline. The characters of Jillina, Ansuya, and Rachel Brice are particularly strong. Also featured are Sonia, Amar Gamal, Kaeshi, and Petite Jamilla.

Anyone interested in bellydance or even the workings of the entertainment business will find the film fascinating, informative, thought-provoking, and, most of all, entertaining. One thing for sure, if you weren’t particularly interested in bellydance before seeing this film, after viewing it, you definitely will be.

(for the record, the BDSS were certainly not the first professional bellydance troupe, though they may be the most ambitious professional bellydance troupe)

In other Bellydance Superstars news, I am overjoyed to say that I pre-registered for the July Amar Gamal and Rachel Brice workshops in July. Should anybody else reading this be interested, you can preregister by going to the Bellydance Superstars calendar, picking July, then clicking on the workshop links to get a popup window that will allow you to register. Supposedly there will be a hafli/show following the Rachel Brice workshop at which anybody who was in the workshop may dance. That would thrill and terrify me. Guess I'd better do it!

Stayed up way too late last night working on a belt base for my copper coin belt, but at least now I can say it's done. I was all in a panic because I couldn't find big hooks and eyes for the velvet part of the base, but then while working on it last night I realized that if I was sewing the coin belt directly to the base, then the coin belt's own clasps will work just fine. I'll just have to pin or maybe velcro the flaps of the belt closed so that they don't move around on their own.

Enjoyed Lost last night (watched after sewing). Poor Charlie. He's a very effective example of why being a junkie is bad. I still don't trust the dog at all--I somewhat suspect the dog of having tripped the alarm, though I could be wrong. Maybe the dog is on Locke's side. And maybe that's the side of good. Maybe. Also I think Jin knows that Sun speaks English. I suspect maybe he might too, at least a little. Maybe.