New Articles on www.gildedserpent.com
Web Magazine for Mid East Performing Arts
• 4-18-08 Dancing with the Legends - honoring the musicians who shaped our dance world... Eddie Kochak, the Sheik, the Man by Elizabeth Artemis Mourat, & Christy Guenther
  Eddie found that the melodies from Aleppo still spoke to him as an adult. He continues, “I thought I could take some of these melodies, put my feelings to them, and create what we now call the Amer-Aba sound. We created simple routines for the teacher to teach and the student to learn.
• 4-14-08 Taheyia Karioka, Queen of Oriental Cabaret Dance by Sausan
  In the 1980’s, the spread of Islam and its fundamental militancy proved to be a big blow for Egypt’s belly dance industry. As a result, several dancers publicly renounced their pasts and donned the Islamic veil.
• 4-11-08 I Loved the Old Days at the Bagdad! by Habiba Nawal
  I think I was making about fifteen or twenty dollars a night plus tips. It was all about the tips! The girls from New York made twenty-five, if I remember right. Bert sometimes got me shows for about thirty or seventy-five dollars for what he called “The Furry Animal Clubs”, like the Lions, the Elk and the Kiwanis.
• 4-8-08 Divorcing Belly Dance From Burlesque by Miles Copeland
  As it is traditionally understood, I do not find Burlesque, (meaning nudity-no matter how hard one pretends it does not) amusing or creative in the slightest when it comes to including Belly dance, an art that has suffered too long with such unfortunate associations. I find it completely irresponsible and detrimental.
• 4-7-08 When the Hip Hits the Fan by Princess Farhana
  Though fan dancing is not considered traditional in raqs sharqi, due to the increasing popularity of fusion, many Oriental dancers are exploring fusing the many styles of fan dancing and Belly dance with stunning results. When used onstage, fans are FAN-ciful, conveying various emotions to an audience, as well as being a spectacular visual treat. They can be dramatic and stately, or coy and flirtatious and are always a crowd pleaser!
• 4-3-08 Dances along the Nile, Part 1: Raks Al Asaya by Gamila El Masri, Reprinted with permission, from Bennu, Issue Vol.6 #3
  There is strength in the cane twirl but not aggression, extreme rapid twirling should be held as an additional sensational feat, less is more. Have your body of twirling be moderate so that you can vary from slow to climatic; always reflecting the music, it's mood and tempo. Get down without getting crazy.
• 3-31-08 A New Venue for Rakkasah Festival West by Susie Poulelis
  In retail, there is a saying that having an item sell out was a happy problem to have. You want to keep your customers yearning for more, making sure they won't hesitate to buy the next time they see something they want.
• 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.\
• 3-25-08 A Career Path Less Traveled: Dancing in Movies and TV in the'60s, An Interview with Tanya Lemani by John Clow
  In "Get Smart" I enjoyed working with Karen Steele and Don Adams. They took some of my lines out and Don saw that I was upset. Don insisted that they give some of them back to me.
• 3-22-08 Hafla at the Hoover featuring Morocco February 10, 2008, Hoover Theatre in San Jose, CA Video and photos by Lynette
  Debbie Smith on scene reporter, event produced by The San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of MECDA

Reviews

• 4-16-08 Journey of Desire: A Foreign Dancer in Cairo, 2006, Review by Catherine Barros
  I believe that any dancer who has the desire to go to Cairo to work will benefit from the experiences of Yasmina and the other working dancers whom she asked to contribute. One will come away having a better understanding of the Arabic culture and how the dance is viewed within that culture.
• 4-15-08 Bellylicious Raks CD review by Andrea
  So many other songs end abruptly and leave you hanging or just take too long to finish--not unlike an unsatisfying lover. Hasan, however, is truly satisfying. It will be my next new entrance piece for 2008!
• 3-28-08 Gypsy…Un, Deux, Trois, A Review on the “Journey Along The Gypsy Trail” Workshop by Denise
  with Hadia, Jalilah Zamora, and Amrita Choudhury, Photos by Denise and Tracey Vilbert, Event held on January 5, 6, 2008, in Montreal, Canada

• Community Kaleidoscop Vid Clips:Malia's gigi bag, Nathalie the new BDSSer, Tamalyn Breaks her leg!, Asia's benefit, Pacific Grove Dancers, Leila teaches in Mexico, Linda's group dressed as Ouled Nail, Rakkasah Teachers Car Pool, Aziza's Florida Workshop
• New letters- Princess Farhana and Miles, burlesque in the BD world, NYC club history, Raqia Choreo, Serpent DVD review, Coverups, Enduring Crisitisim
• Serpent Souk, List of long time advertisers, Gilded Serpent products through Cafe Press, Amazon "Astore" (GS gets a few cents on each book)
• Help avoid double bookings and use this free community calendars!
  Gilded Serpent Community Calendar
• Gilded Serpent is completely supported by your generosity-please consider buying an ad!

Special Advertising Section

World Dance New York DVDs! Fantasy Bellydance: Desire; Fantasy Bellydance: Magic; Fantasy Bellydance: Mystery; Bellydance: The Next Level, with Jenna; Modern Tribal Bellydance, with Asharah; Bellydance With Veil, by Sarah Skinner; Bellydance With Zils, by Elsa Leandros
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Trip to Egypt and Attend Ahlan Wa Sahlan Dance Festival with Scheherezade Imports. Join us from anywhere in the world!!! June 22-July 4 or 9 , 2008. Personalized, individualized service in small group. Details at http://www.scheherezadeimports.com or email sherzade@earthlink.net
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