Club profiles here
including image map

Timeline here

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The Gilded Serpent presents...
The North Beach Memories:
The Stars and Their Stories
Welcome!
Please join us as we travel back in time to the North Beach district of San Francisco between the years 1957 through 1985.   The 45+ entertainers along this hallway will tell you their stories from their point of view. This was a vibrant period of Middle Eastern Performing Arts in San Francisco. These artists included, performing dancers and musicians, teachers and students in the arts community, costumers, club owners, bar tenders and wait staff, patrons, or sometimes a stripper or punk from a club next door. We know that there are inconsistent facts between interviews, but we have left these for you, the reader, to reconcile. Hopefully, you will savor the different perspectives of the artists' and dancers' recollections, as the tantalizing spices of a favorite dish.  
Please send your feedback, stories and photos to editor@gildedserpent.com.
Please take our self guided tour by strolling (or scrolling) down our hall to the right

   
   
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--->The artist's name is linked to their biography, if available, and individual articles are listed below-->

A-F: Aida, Amina, Asmahan, Aziza, Bert, Cruz, Dahlena, Elaine, ,
F-J:Fadil, Fatma, Fouad, Galya, George Elias, George T, Habibi Nawal
J-M: Jad, Jalal, Jamila, John, Kalifa, Kirk, Latifa
M-S:Mark, Marliza, Naji, Najia, Nazir, Nisima, Rebaba, Rhea
S-T:
Sabah, Sadira, Saida, Salah, Satrinya, Sausan, Shamira, Sultana
T-Z: Taka, Vince, Yasmin, Yousef, Zaharr

Club profiles here
Timeline here

Aida
Aida
Dancer & Teacher
Incuded in the stories of

Aisha Ali
Aisha Ali

Dancer & Teacher

Amina
Amina Goodyear
Dancer & Teacher

Antoinette
Antoinette

Dancer
Her story is coming soon!

Asmahan
Asmahan
Dancer & Teacher

My Adventure Begins!

Aziza
Aziza
Dancer & Costumer

Cruz Luna
Cruz Luna
Spanish Dancer,
Teacher, & Club Owner

included in the stories of

Najia
Bert
Aziza!
Mary Ellen Donald

Dahlena
Dahlena
Dancer & Teacher

Interviewed

Elaine
Elaine
Waitress at
The Greek Taverna

The Greek Scene

Fadil
Fadil Shahin
Musician & Club Owner

Interviewed

Fatma Akef
Fatma Akef
Dancer & Teacher
Sister of Naima Akef

Dancing on the Edge
by Amina about Fatma

Dancers I Have Known
by Aziza about Fatma

Fouad
Fouad Marzouk
Musician
Interviewed

Galya
Galya
Dancer

mentioned in many stories

George Elias
George Elias (#1)
Club Owner
Musician
Jad's brother
Yousef's brother-in-law

Nadia Elias
writes a tribute to her father
 

George
George Elias (#2)

Musician
(called "George the Jerk"
by some!)
 
George
George T
Barker
now works at "Big Al's" on Broadway and Columbus

Habiba Nawal
Habiba Nawal
Dancer

I Loved the Old Days at the Bagdad

Jad Elias
Jad Elias
 Musician
George Elias's brother

Jalaladin Takesh
Jalaleddin Takesh

Musician, Club Owner &
Salah's brother

Jamila
Jamila Salimpour
Dancer, Club Owner, & Teacher

Mentioned in many stories including
Jamila and Yousef
by Aziza!
The Jamila Experience
by Yasmela
Retro-trieving
by Sadira
My Lessons with Jamila Salimpour  (part 2)
by Satrinya/Masalima

John Compton
John Compton
Dancer & Teacher

Interviewed

Kalifa
Kalifa
Dancer

Dancing on Broadway

Latifa
Latifa
Dancer & Teacher

The Rest of the
San Francisco Dance Scene

Kirk Templeton

Kirk Templeton
Customer

The Last Night at the Casbah

Mark Bell
Mark Bell
Musician

Interviewed

Marliza Pons
Marliza Pons
Dancer

Interviewed

Naji Baba
Naji Baba
Musician
Teacher
TV Show Producer

Mentioned in stories by Vince, Najia and others

Najia
Najia
Dancer, Teacher, & Writer

Interviewed

Nazir
Nazir Latouf
Musician

Interviewed

Nisima
Nisima
Dancer

Come with me to the Casbah

Rebaba
Rebaba
Dancer

Casbah Cabaret

Thea
Rhea
Dancer & Teacher

Sabah
Sabah /
Jamie Miller
Dancer & Teacher

Interviewed

Sadira
Sadira
Dancer & Teacher

Retro-trieving

Saida
Saida Asmar Dancer & Teacher

Interviewed

Salah
Salah Takesh
Musician &
Jalal's younger brother

Interviewed

Samia Nasser
Samia Nasser
Dancer

Satrinya
Satrinya/ Masalima
Dancer & Teacher

Reflections on North Beach
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Sausan
Sausan
Dancer

Dancing in North Beach

Shamira
Shamira
Dancer & Teacher

Interviewed

Sultana
Sultana
Dancer

Charismatic Sultana Changes North Beach

Taka
Taka
Dancer & Teacher

Interviewed

Vince
Vince Delgado
Musician

Interviewed

Yasmeen
Yasmeen
Dancer & Teacher

Interviewed

Yousef
Yousef Mustafa
Musician

Interviewed

Yousef
Yousef Kouyoumjian

Musician & Club Owner

Mentioned in many of the stories including
Jamila and Yousef

Zaharr
Zaharr Hayatti
Dancer & Teacher

Zaharr's Memoir,
Part 11- The Minerva

exit Statue