Yasmin

Articles on Gilded Serpent by or about Yasmin

• 4-17-14 Zar: Trance Dancing with Yasmin, 2014 Workshop at Amina’s in San Francisco Report by Janan (Jeanne Fogler)
  Here in the Bay Area, so many excellent instructors make appearances that I always feel I need to choose carefully to make the most of my workshop budget. But when I heard that Yasmin Henkesh was coming to give a daylong workshop on zar, I knew right off that this was one I wouldn’t want to miss – how often do most of us get a chance for an in-depth look at this fascinating ritual?
• 1-20-13 Behind the Scenes, 3rd Coast Tribal Festival Photo and text by Yasmin Henkesh
  I had never been to a tribal dance convention before, even though I have been a professional (Egyptian style) belly dancer for 40 years. From my “glitz and tits” perspective, this belly dance offshoot wasn’t something I recognized as mine.
• 9-20-12 Planting Flowers and Dodging Riots, Dancing in Cairo After the Revolution by Yasmin
  I left Cairo on September 9th, 2012, after a three-week visit to research the zar. I wrote the following article on my flight home – two days before the Libyan tragedy* and the violence outside Cairo’s US Embassy. As my plane circled the pyramids I had no idea Egypt would once again become the center of world attention.
• 4-25-11 You Say Zills, I say Sagat, So What’s the Difference? by Yasmin Henkesh
  Nevertheless, many dancers outside the Middle East still think the only difference between zills and sagat is semantics – “two words for the same instrument.” If you’ve played both – correctly – I doubt you would agree.
• 5-17-10 A Bust to Be Proud of... by Yasmin
  When she introduces me to her dance friends, it’s the first story out of her mouth – eighteen years after the fact. We still laugh about it.
• 1-27-10 Shoo Shoo Amin, A Forgotten Treasure of the 80s by Yasmin
  Twenty years ago when I told people I had worked with Shoo Shoo Amin in Cairo, the response was “Wow!” Now, people go “Who?” Today no one seems to know who she is. For belly dance purists, this is a tragedy. Every so often, someone my age or older will wax lyrical about her on-line, but for the most part, she’s an enigma – even to young Egyptians.
• 9-17-09 Sex, Belly Dance and the Afterlife by Yasmin Henkesh
  To these people, sex was not dirty, shameful, frightening or forbidden. It was a natural part of daily life and the essential prerequisite for birth - on earth or in the Afterlife.
• 7-30-08 Ahlan Wa Sahlan 2008, Not So Welcoming this Year by Yasmin
  Prices have gone up everywhere, and Egypt is no exception. The reality hit me as soon as I walked into the Mena House. Bottled water was $4.00, where out in the street the same bottle was $.50. A bottle of beer was $10.00. Internet connection was $30.00 / hour. At those prices, life's little pleasures didn't seem important anymore.
• 3-27-08 To Buy or Not to Buy – A Guide to Mass Market Belly Dance Instructional DVDs by Yasmin
  Most producers ask or hire others to write glowing reviews. You will often see the same people reviewing a producer’s entire line of product. Those are suspect. Look for the one-off comments. They will give a better overview, along with anything less than 5 stars.
• 7-16-07 (3-25-14 reformatted) Music Copyright Law for Belly Dancers (or for any Performing Artist) by Yasmin Henkesh (commenting now available on this article)
  You are not going to like what you are about to read. But if you are performing publicly to music you do not own, for your own protection, please keep reading. Every professional dancer should know at least the basics of music publishing law, particularly if she wants to appear in an audio-visual production destined for commercial distribution.
  
  

• The Devil's Details, Show Ethics for Professionals

  
  
  • 5-4-07 Part 1- Booking a Party by Yasmin
    When a dancer looks good, she, or another, will get called back to perform again. When she looks bad, customers might be turned off to our lovely art form forever. Therefore, a bad dancer not only ruins things for herself, but for all of us
  • 8-29-07 Part 2- The Cross Cultural Factor by Yasmin
    Warning. There is a great deal of passive aggressive face-saving behavior in this profession. It is not always woman friendly either. Respect is not a given...
  • 10-15-07 Part 3- Separating the Girls from the Women by Yasmin
    If a performer conducts herself as a professional she is much more likely to obtain repeat engagements and referrals. No one wants to be seen knowingly hiring an amateur. It is bad for business and a customer’s image.
  • 12-5-07 Part 4 - What NOT To Do by Yasmin
    Show up drunk or stoned. No more needs to be said
  • 1-28-08 Part 5 - Beauty by Yasmin
    For new dancers, mastering the art of glamour can be daunting. But take heart, while internal sensuality requires character work, external beauty is easier to fix
  
  
• 6-27-06 Om Kalthoum, The Voice of Egypt by Yasmin
  She was without contest the most well-known singer of the Arab world. She was also the most influential woman of her time in the Middle East.
• 12-13-05 The Zar by Yasmin
  We do know that today thousands of women in Africa and the Middle East use this music to cure all kinds of illnesses. They literally dance until they drop.