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DESERT PASSION’S Review by Sonya Taft. Pictures by Leeza. The December 4, 2011 Desert Passion show AT Dance Unlimited in Buda was chocked full of a variety of dancers and music. If you missed it, I’m sure you heard about it from someone who was there, it was awesome, and was very well attended. The first set was to more traditional bellydance music, featuring dancers M’lilah had promised dance spots to before she knew Patrick Geraud would be providing the music as ElitricKids. She hates to cancel dance slots and would rather have a long show for all the die-hards. Desert Passion Middle Eastern Dance Company opened the show with a dramatic veil piece. It was gentle and flowing, and they used oppositions very nicely to add to the staging. The group included Drakon’s students from both Georgetown and Buda – L-R: Delia, Angie, Diya and Connie.
Akasha was snake-less tonight, instead opting to dance with a sword. She is such a natural beauty that even with a simple costume and minimal makeup the crowd couldn’t take their eyes off her.
Kisaya started with a piano-only dance, with her hat and coat-tails adding a flavor of days gone by. When the pace picked up in the second song, she reminded me of a cross between a flapper and a hunting animal, surely a dangerous combination! I loved that she took her time on her exit, a real pro.
Drakon appeared in a belt made by metal-mistress Gitane, and used an unusual song that was part techno, part Gregorian chant. His drum solo showed his sense of humor, using a gesture that looked like pull-starting a lawn mower to get his shimmies revved back up. He makes drum solos look effortless! BTW: That song was given to him by Fatima who made him promise not to divulge the name or the artist. He adds his all-time favorite drum solo by Amir Sofi.
Z-Helene and Friends closed this set, with a group drum solo choreographed by Z for her advanced class. Advanced is very nearly an understatement here, the piece was complex yet easy to watch, including a group hug moment that flowered into a deep backbend that ratcheted a little deeper in time with the music. Wow!
The second set was to recordings from Patrick Gergaud’s first album, East West, under the stage name of Elitrickids (Available on Amazon, Napster, and other such music sites…). If you aren’t familiar with Patrick’s music, it’s techno that is influenced by Middle Eastern, or maybe the other way around. Either way, it’s very contemporary, yet with enough familiar elements that most any bellydancer would enjoy dancing to it. Erin and Kisaya took the stage together to perform some Improvisational Tribal Style, which is a real feat, since they live in different cities and never get to practice together! It shows a true closeness that they can pull that off. They danced to "Sook," my favorite song on the album, with a haunting keyboard melody and a clean rhythm section.
Elizabeth (wife of the artist, the lucky gal!) wowed the crowd with sharp accents between some flowing stage patterns, floating about and gracing the front row with an up-close look and a bright smile. She danced to "Water Serpent," a song that includes fast and slow, and even 6/8 and 4/4 time signatures.
Sonya danced to "MeccaNic", a hard hitting drum driven track with a bit of spooky thrown in the middle. She captured the details of the song with her isolations, and matched a bass slide in the music by easing down into the splits! You can see her love of the techno genre in her performance.
Jamie Lynn danced to "African Jazz," and brought her classical style and relaxed arms to the entire song, which also included changes in time signature form 4/4 to 6/8 and back. Once again in a costume of her own making, she left the crowd with big smiles on their faces.
Alana Shea is always a crowd favorite, with her svelte lines and mischievous smirk. She danced to "Solstice," and displayed amazing agility by crossing her arms behind her so far that her hands were visible on the opposite sides, creating a truly alien dance move that mesmerized us.
The Tek-a-Tek Ensemble closed this set, doing a zill choreography to the song "Eli Saiidi." The track lays down a solid rhythm for the ladies to play over, and they used nearly every combination of zills I can think of in this one, including one especially difficult passage that has their feet doing their own dance while they play a pattern over the top. Very Impressive! Dancers were Elizabeth, Melissa, Chloe, and Gillian.
The third set was a rare treat indeed. Patrick had set up his equipment so that he could play a live, non-stop set for the 10 dancers who agreed to improvise to his music. He has some complicated looking machines, but he uses them with the easy effort of one who has put in long hours at it. I know he recently posted some footage of him playing this show on YouTube, you should check it out. The songs had no ends, and no beginnings, just a constant rotation of dancers streaming through as the music changed, sometimes subtly, sometimes dramatically. Asjah is a fireball, having youth, beauty and strength at her beck and call. She used a lot of floorwork, never an easy task, to a song that had an accordion wending it’s way through the pulsing beat.
Akasha made yet another prop change, using flag poi to create a visible arc of space into which she danced. She used the whole dancefloor, making sure everyone had a fine view.
Jamie Lynn made a rare appearance in pants! She has such a professional demeanor, and even though this was all improv, she used her changing focus frequently to add dimension to her dance.
Val danced next, and here the music took a turn towards House music. She got a huge crowd reaction, clearly a new hometown favorite. She said imrov makes her a bit nervous, but clearly she’s got it down!
Kisaya came out fearlessly and dove right into her improv. She has a unique style of keeping her elbows close in that adds a different look to her turns, and her musicality was right on target, utilizing the techno aspects to strut her flexibility and pops.
Z-Helene took the stage next, with some interaction with Kisaya before turning her attention to some serious zilling. She used floorwork to accentuate a change in the mood of music, and added a lot of flair from her modern dance training as well. She whipped the crowd into a frenzy with her hair, and yet it always seemed to fall back where it belonged—I’m jealous!
Erin’s bit of music featured a drum called the deff, and a melody on what sounded like a harpsichord. Her costuming style was reminiscent of Nightmare Before Christmas, and suited her technique and the music nicely. Her controlled isolations were well timed and fully fleshed out, no skimping here!
Elizabeth entered with a special smile for her hard-working hubby and a gorgeous sunset-colored veil that she used very gently to claim her space. The music went from a fierce drum and bass to a sparser sound with fewer drums that allowed her long graceful arms time to unfold in space, which really opened the audiences’ scope of view. Such lovely lines!
Drakon closed out the set with his usual panache, improvising a drum solo to the thumping techno. He really is the choo-choo king, spending a great deal of his dance smoothly gliding on his toes around the stage. The audience can’t help but clap along when he gives it his all like that!
Normally I’d end a review with the last dancer, but I have a few more words about the artist, and about the open dance at the end of the show. In my notes for this review I found no fewer than eight instruments I heard, at least five different recognizable Middle Eastern rhythms that overlaid the bass thump, and four techniques I recall from my own days as a dj. Patrick created a seamless mix that had avoided the dreaded pitfall of techno, which is that "it all sounds the same". He used layers and progressions as well as volume to create an ever-changing musical landscape to grab each performer and MAKE him or her dance. Truly outstanding, especially for an artist of electronic music.
The open dance was a special treat for all. I love to see soloists and troupe members hurry out to the floor to dance with each other. We really do learn best by doing, and in this venue, we get to play mix and match with styles and moods as we change partners with dancers we may rarely, if ever, get a chance to interact with. As I stood back to have a sip to wet my mouth, the music spiraled down to a pensive drone that changed the character of movement for everyone on the floor. In this slow section (a taqsim, if you will, but all electronica), I watched them unfold like some slow-motion, hi-def video of beauty in all it’s guises. It felt like a moving meditation, where everyone on the floor was part of a greater whole. Then the fellahi rhythm swooped back in and it was all hip lifts and three part shimmies again, but there was a magical moment that night that I’ll never forget.
Many thanks to Patrick for his amazing music, his wife Elizabeth for getting him and Desert Passion in touch to create this show, and of course to M’lilah and Drakon, for the magic of not only this night, but the many, many nights throughout the history of Desert Passion. Z-Helene presented M’lilah with a bouquet of flowers, on behalf of NATCMED, honoring the longstanding commitment to creating entertaining shows for both dancers and audiences. Having recently heard the announcement that February will be the last Desert Passion show, I know I speak for all when I say Austin (and surrounding areas!) will be poorer for this loss. Thanks for all the memories!
DESERT PASSION’S All Pictures by Elizabeth Gergaud Thank you so much for hosting an amazing eclectic show at such an elegant venue, I was very proud to be a part of it. You guys do an excellent job promoting our dance. Viviane Bressan Formentin The Typsy Gypsys, are Austin area’s source for 'Uncommon Bellydancing” (meaning their dance style is really doing whatever they want to do both as a troupe and as soloists) danced to “Eyes”! Dancers were: Liora, Sahhira and Sonya and they dedicated their performance to Chryssa (NemSerAte), a former member of the troupe who would have been 46 years old today. They know that whatever else she is doing in the Summerland, she was dancing too.
Viviane is a Brazilian dancer known for her evocative style. She is the winner of several dance competitions including Belly Dancer of the Universe and International Belly Dance Conference of Las Vegas. She is relocating to New York for the next few months so this was her last performance in Austin. She will be back for a workshop sponsored by Desert Passion on January 14, 2012 (check out the workshop page at www.desertpassion.com for more details.) We enjoyed watching her perform a Brazilian Samba.
Akasha’s
father was in the audience and she says it is the first time he has seen
her dance. She wrote the following: “The
father who would taste the essence of his fatherhood must turn back from
the plane of his experience, take with him the fruits of his journey and
begin again beside his child, marching step by step over the same old
road.” Coincidentally, Akasha said he is the one who taught her to dance
on roller skates and who taught her
how to Jam, so she dedicated her
dance to him!
Although Drakon likes all forms of dance, his real love is Classical and Modern Egyptian Raqs Sharki – the Middle Eastern equivalent of Ballet. Raqs Sharki, first called Belly Dance by the French in the late 1800s is considered the “Mother of All Dances” being older than recorded history. For this show, he danced a tribute to Nadia Gamal by the Al Ahram Orchestra of Cairo. Nadia Gamal (who performed in the 50, 60 and 70s) shaped Modern Raqs Sharki more than any other dancer of her era. Drakon says, “I chose this music because I embrace Nadia Gamal’s view of the dance. I dance for myself, you are welcome to watch. I admire her style and love this musical composition. Though she never danced to this music, I have tried to emulate her style, incorporating many of her “signature” moves into my own interpretation of the music.”
Before she came to the dark side and became a tribal dancer, and before she joined the Typsy Gypsys and learned to embrace uncommon bellydance, Liora studied a more sparkly style of bellydance. Tonight she returned to her Egyptian roots and indulged a more feminine style of dance. She apologized in advance for any accidental tribal moves. She says she sometimes just can't help herself! Her song was Habibi Ya Eini.
Sonya also dances with both the Typsy Gypsys and Raks Helwa, alternating between tribal, fusion, and gypsy styles. For this show she took the gypsy road with a song by Steve Stevens, a guitarist who played with Billy Joel and Michael Jackson back in the 80s. Flamenco played on an electric guitar? You bet. So it was a perfect match for Sonya.
Amanda, from Driftwood, has been interested in Native American dancing since the age of 8 when her family attended an Apache Maiden Ceremony in New Mexico. Anyone who has ever been to a Pow Wow can attest to the riveting nature of Native American dancing. The connection to the earth and the sky can be felt in the music and the movements. As a dance teacher and former dance team director, Amanda has always offered a multi-cultural approach to her programs. We enjoyed watching her present her fusion version of Native American dance.
In keeping with our theme of International Fusion Style, Asjah performed a dance style that included Indian, African and belly dance. Her music was Sarah Brightman’s, “You Take my Breath Away”.
Robert & Gil, The Village International Folk Dancers, danced to 2 pieces of folk music called Coskun Coruh and Maheria Xoros.
Michelle Amaranth says she will never forget the moment in summer 2006, when, after 45 minutes of dropping the hoop, it finally took flight around her waist. She says, “That night I hooped for five hours straight and I have been hooping ever since. The hoop has made me feel younger, stronger and more fit but most importantly it makes me happy. I am passionate about teaching hoop dance and helping people to become happier and healthier through hooping.” Her song was Amy Steinberg’s “Must Be the Moon Rock”.
Descending from estranged Romany roots, Erin has always looked for ways to learn about her heritage, and dancing is the way she feels closest to it. This performance was her interpretation of “Rumba de la Lasi” and “Moliendo Café” by Fanfare Ciocarlia (shock-carlia).
DPMEDC presented a folkloric rendition of a Nubian folk dance to music called “Raqs Gamal (To Dance is Beautiful) and “Mambo El Soudini”. The Nubians were the people of Upper Egypt who at one time united Upper and Lower Egypt and were its rulers. When the Aswam Dam was built, the Monumental Tombs of the Ancient Pharaohs were carefully cut apart and moved to higher ground while the living Nubians lost their farms and homes and to a great extent their culture. This performance is an attempt to keep some of that culture alive. M’lilah says. “Drakon teaches this choreography in all his classes, so I have seen it performed many times, but this time I think was one of the best performances yet – considering these ladies are from Georgetown and Buda and had never practiced it together. Dancers were Angie, Christina, Delia, Diya and Drakon.
Open Dance was a teaching moment,
DESERT PASSION’S DANCE UNLIMITED SHOW – OCTOBER 8, 2011 Janiece, Sorina, and Yemaya dancing as Tribal Waters, a tribal fusion troupe from Austin, opened with a combined choreographed & improvisation performance to ‘Alessandra’ by Gypsy Caravan and an un-named song by Maghrebika. Janiece says their dancing is influenced by all types of belly dance styles and by the members of the troupe who contribute to the finished dances. I personally think they look more ATS than ITS !
Erin, very much a regular at Desert Passion shows, said she was drawing from her ‘dark and heavy’ music box, performing to her anthem song ‘Rose’ by A Perfect Circle.
Phaidra says she has been seeking excuses to dance in one way or another for years, and while taking more formal classes to expand her horizons, she stumbled across belly dance and it was love at the first move. Two years later, she started performing and has never looked back. Once a friend asked her how she could get up and show her belly in front of all those people, she responded, “Belly dancing brings me so much joy; I just own it and share.”
Austin’s Uncommon Bellydance Troupe, the Typsy Gypsys came to Desert Passion’s stage straight from Austin’s Pagan Pride Day festivities and with their usual spunk performed an Improvisational Tribal Style number to ‘Chicky’.
Akasha Danced to ‘Ramalama Bang Bang’. I thought the lyrics were cute “Hobgoblins know the proper way to dance: Arms akimbo, loopy legs askew, Leaping into darkness with delight, Lusting for the ecstasy of fright, Open to the charm of horrors new”.
The traditional Middle Eastern sword dance is a “for men only” dance form that involves a lot of posturing while waving the sword around. And it is exactly because of this “men only” tradition that Drakon feels every woman should at least try a sword dance. Tonight, his performance portrays a ‘Judging Angel’ confronting those who feel free to murder anyone of differing faith in order to fulfill their dreams of being in Heaven with many virgins. The music, BTW, is called “Heaven” by Body Shock.
BTW: I apologize for the “snack less” intermission, but I just found out this week that because Hot Mama’s Remote Café has been losing money at our shows they will no longer be our food vendor…..too bad as some of us are going to miss those “Hot Mama” wraps and especially the cookies. Anyone want to volunteer to stock a snack table ?? Phaidra performed a 2nd set and it was a totally different style than the first one. She is a multitalented lady.
Sonya picked some sparse, moody music, and decided to dress to match. She recalls one teacher’s idea to have all her dancers perform in unrelieved black with no make-up, so the dance would truly be the focus, but says she is not willing to go quite that far yet, but says her performance tonight was close.
Asjah has spent the past 2 years in Spain, and while there took some classes in ballet and contemporary dance with the Posados Dance Company. Although she hit the ground running as soon as she returned to Austin by performing at Kick Butt Coffee and the Vortex Theater, this was her first solo in awhile to a song called ‘We Need a Resolution’ by Aliyah. BTW: In August, she and her dance companion, Dhaiya, competed in the 7th Annual Middle Eastern Troupe Competition and earned the “Innovator Award” for their “Magnetism” duet.
Akasha danced again – this time a duet with her special friend, Rogue, to ‘Voodoo’ by Godsmack. And we found out Liora has a deep and abiding fear of snakes when she dashed, gracefully, from the room !
One of the Typsy Gypsys,
Sahhira believes she drives me up the wall because
she never turns her music in ahead of time …..but this time she beat
several others ! I love having her on our stage and as a friend, she is
always a delightful surprise!
Because everyone managed to choose short songs, there was more time for open dance and dance everyone did ! I left the room to change clothes, and I could hear them laughing and having a very good time ! Many thanks go to Monty, Adrian and Patrick who helped unload the truck (in the rain) and set up for the show and for Erin, Logan and children for helping to take it all back down. These wonderful people who volunteer to help with the show production hold a special place in our hearts. Thanks to all our patrons whose monetary contributions pay the rent, and of course, thanks to all the awesome artists who share their talent with the rest of us !
September 10, 2011
Dance Unlimited Buda
DJ: Asjah
Greeter: Akasha Set-up Helpers:
Angie and Monty Reviews Written by Asjah & Amanda Review by Asjah: Desert Passion puts on outstanding shows at Dance Unlimited, a Dance Studio on Main Street in Buda. Their dancers range from newbies to professionals and it's a great variety of personalities including both fresh faces and returning talent. Review by Asjah: What an opener!! Najla, a professional dance instructor/performer from Austin, opened the show with a playful traditional Egyptian style dance using a veil to create fun and memorable shapes. Review by Amanda: Although it has been a long, hot summer, this show sported a sizzling line-up with Najla setting the tone for the evening with a polished, opening number.
Review by Asjah: Desert
Passion Middle Eastern Dance Company, this time consisting of
Connie, Christina, Angie, Delia, and Diya is a combination of
Drakon’s students from Georgetown and Buda who can’t practice
together often. Drakon danced with them and their dance was
delightful and flirty. Review by Amanda: A definitely fun
and entertaining Company performance to “Istanbul”.
Review by Asjah: Lynda Coe has performed different styles of dance and theater productions and is no stranger to the stage. She started studying belly dance this summer, with Amanda as her coach, and wanted to experiment with what she has learned so far. She had good energy and brought enjoyment to the crowd. Review by Amanda: Debuting on the DPMEDC stage, Lynda performed a spunky Cabaret style dance to an unconventional belly dance song, “The Egg and I” from Cowboy Bebop.
Review by Asjah: Valerie and Sherrie have been performing together around Austin for the past year as the duet, Vash. They bring a fun and endearing energy to the stage. Review by Amanda: Conveying the sisterhood of the dance these 2 ladies delighted the audience with a back and forth tribal style number.
Review by Asjah: The next performance was a live music treat ! Review by Amanda: Amanda performed an improv veil piece debuting her son Ty as her accompaniment. Drumming since he was 8 years old Ty wowed the audience and dancers with his exceptional command of the dumbek.
Review by Amanda: Fusing belly and modern dance, Magnetism, Asjah & Dhaiya, mesmerized viewers with a thought provoking piece depicting the coming together of jaguar and crane as they pray for rain. The girls showed strength and control in their power movements and floor work.
Review by Asjah:
For a change of pace, Drakon and Leeza performed an original
duet with to the power ballad "Open Arms" from Journey. Combining
belly dance with modern and ball room style dance, it was a
beautiful and lyrical piece. Review by Amanda: In their
debut performance together, and in the true spirit of fusion, the
pair performed a lovely lyrical/middle eastern piece with Leeza as
the epitome of femininity complimented by Drakon’s strength in
dance.
Review by Asjah: After the intermission, Le CaJa Ha'Diin sashayed on to the scene with their red and black costumes to perform a very sassy and exciting Tango/belly dance number. Alima, Susheela, Syria, Janet, Hazel and Catrina really used their space well and did a lot of partner work with each member of the troupe. Review by Amanda: Filling the stage with high energy fun, Le CaJa Ha’Diin kick started the second half with a sultry, sassy, Spanish flare choreography.
Review by Asjah: In her second piece Najla wearing a stunning black and red costume performed a very sensual Flamenco/Belly styled dance. Review by Amanda: Najla dazzled the audience with both dance and costume as she captured the pure spirit of the Spanish mood with a flirty, sultry, and energetic dance.
Review by Asjah: Akasha dedicated her performance to the victims of the fires in Central Texas. She started her dance with fiery fan veils and as she danced, she switched to a baby blue veil to represent the rebirth of the region. She ended her set with a series of shimmies and belly rolls that defied logic! Review by Amanda: Stunning Akasha came out like a flash of lightening with her fan prop number which she dedicated as a rain dance. Her fire yellow, orange, and red silk fans were reminders of the fires that hit Central Texas but transformed into the illusion of lightening as her dance became a prayer for rain. She ended her number with precise movement to a drum solo.
Review by Asjah: Drakon closed the show with his amazing ability to entice and entertain !! Review by Amanda: Drakon put a period on the evening with a surprising piece. He began with a lyrical number which made me think he was creating anticipation by the audience as to when he was going to break into his signature style. Which he did with a bang! He is a joyful dancer who spreads that joy outward into the universe making it a better place after his performance.
Review by Amanda: Putting the cherry on top the dancers and audience were invited to an open dance session accompanied by Ty on the drums and Amanda playing zills. A good dance time was had by all.
Valerie,
opening the show said,
"M’lilah always says, “Dance from your heart” so here it is, from mine to
yours !” Val was also wearing that cool costume that she made as a result
of the first workshop Jamie Lynn & Najla presented.
Erin, an ATS/Tribal Fusion dancer, performed a improvisational piece to ‘Nesvalo’ by Beats Antique which she dedicated to her children, who are continuing the circle of life.”
‘Lyzabyth wearing a stunning golden
costume danced improv veil to ‘Oriental Fire’ by DJ Kambo. She
puts her entire heart and soul into her performances.
Drakon’s first performance was to ‘Hadi
Yensa Albou’ which means,
After intermission, Kisaya danced to “Euphrates Bled”. It was interesting to watch her twirling around the floor, peeling off veil after veil and to our amazement she had 7 different veils wrapped around her body.
New to Desert Passion’s stage, Sanura
said she saw her first belly dancer,
Leeza is a local Austin dancer and proprietor of Enchanting
Texas Belly Dance, said, “When I thought about what to say tonight, one
thing came to mind……
Liora said she selected her song, "Dark Black Clouds" by Circa Paleo because it reminds me of the Renaissance Faire.
Jamie Lynn wearing an incredible white and silver costume,
danced to Drakon closed the show wearing his white hat costume and then lead the audience onto the floor for open dance, and we finally had to cut the music in order to get the crowd to vacate the room !
All in all, it was a fun and lively show enjoyed by all ! June
4, 2011 - Austin Belly Dance Convention, This was an exciting time for the
students.....it is the 4th time they have performed their Bhangra
routine choreographed by Ansuya and Gypsy Sugar.
May 20, 2011
Intrigue Gallery Valerie handed the camera to Leeza and opened the show. It is a pleasure to watch her come out and take over the audience’s attention. Although Val is a perpetual student of belly dance having studied with many teachers and explored many styles she says she is still in the process of figuring out her own style! She said the song she danced to spoke to her heart the first time she heard it and will always be one of her favorites.
Lori
danced to an Arabic pop song, ‘Kul
A'am Wa Anti Habibati’ which means roughly– You and Me Forever.
Connie, one of Drakon’s
Georgetown students, danced with a lot of emotion to one of his class
choreographies.
Storytelling and theatrics have been a part of dance for as far back in history as we know. While many focus on the serious side, Kisaya’s 1st piece was ‘Habanera (Carmen)’ ending with ‘Pink Elephants on Parade’, and demonstrated with a little silly, sassy, playfulness that not all "dramatic" dancing has to be dark or intense. Sometimes a fun piece is just as entertaining, diverting, artful, and meaningful. The first musical piece Kisaya had performed for Desert Passion before, but this time she took the story a little bit further with a song that might conjure up childhood memories.
Drakon performed to ‘Zaye el Hawa’ a Lebanese song that always stirs his audiences into the top-tapping mode and makes them jump up quick for the Open Dance.
After the intermission, Kisaya & Erin opened with an ATS dance. Even though these two are getting together at more and more of the Desert Passion shows, they say they rarely get a chance to practice together. I think they are getting more into sync with each other and seem to improve each time I see them ! Who needs practice with ATS, just keep dancing together!
Lori performed a Saidi cane dance to ‘Tahtil Shibbak’ (Under the
Window) a classic Saidi song sung by
Val’s second dance was fun and happy. I felt she was dancing just for me both times really ! She is such a delight to watch.
Erin performed a solo to one of her favorites, ‘Boy with a Coin’. Her solos are very emotional and this one was particularly moving.
Much could be said for Kisaya’s 2nd performance,
done to the very simplistic musical piece, ‘
May 7, 2010 Desert Passion @ Dance
Unlimited, Buda Desert Flowers is a performing dance troupe founded by a northwest Austin instructor, Nisaba. Members were Adrienne, Aileen, Stacey, Najida, and Masati. Their first piece was a premier of a choreography by Nisaba called ‘The Ribbon Dance’ performed to ‘Salamentha’ from the Amany & the Badawist world music album. This troupe’s choreography is consistently interesting with lots of variety in their use of stage.
In answer to my
challenge to keep it traditional, Akasha proved her
versatility and danced to a favorite of the Austin belly dance crowd
called ‘Shik Shak Shok’ and certainly kept the audience’s eyes riveted on
her ! Akasha is a model and actress and loves to pepper her performances
with a lot of attention getting surprises.
Sonya
dances
with both the Typsy Gypsys and Raks Helwa, co-teaches with
Tekatek Dance
Ensemble
was founded by a local south Austin instructor, Stacey Lizette.
They performed a folkloric sword choreography by Suhaila Salimpour from
the Bal Anat album. Stacey wants everyone to know how proud she is
of all the hard work these performers (‘Lyzabyth, Melissa, Casey,
Gillian) have put into this piece.
Adrienne is a member of the Desert Flowers troupe usually doing only troupe numbers, but she will occasionally do a solo as well. She is a native Austinite and has been dancing since 2003. For this show she chose to dance to ‘Cedars of Lebanon’ by Electric Oasis, from Jeffory Stott’s Desert Chill album, Vol 2. As a surprise, she very cleverly hid a set of LED poi balls behind the curtain, and in the middle of the song, the lights go out and she starts twirling the poi. Cool ! Unfortunately, messing with the lights threw the circuit breaker, and they went off at the wrong time !
Leeza,
is the proprietor of Enchanting Texas Belly Dance and proud to call
herself a professional student of belly dance, because no matter what a
dancer’s level of experience or training, they never stop learning. Leeza
has enjoyed studying with several Austin
area instructors including Bahaia, Z-Helene, Zein Al Jundi and
Liora is a tribal fusion instructor from northwest Austin and for this performance danced with a sword to a song by the Shoghaken Ensemble. She was totally improvizing and it was very smooth and skillfully done. She is a member of the Typsy Gypsy troupe and Drakon and I recently enjoyed seeing her at Sherwood Forest Ren Faire.
Drakon
is a
professional Middle Eastern dance artist and choreographer, performing and
teaching Classical Egyptian Belly Dance in the Buda, Austin
and Georgetown area. He teaches classes in Georgetown and Buda, and
combined the two classes of Desert Passion Middle Eastern Dance Company to
perform Ansuya’s Bhangra choreography to a popular Hindi song called ‘Say
Na Say Na’.
Tekatek Dance Ensemble and Stacey Lizette performed a finger cymbal (zills) choreography by the legendary Jamila Salimpour to a Saidi drum solo by Atef Mitkal Kenawy. I was impressed that when one of the dancers lost a zill she was so disciplined she never missed a beat, even hiding the fact that she was only playing with one hand so well, I had to search for a one handed player when I saw a zill lying on the floor. Smooth move !
Kisaya & Erin, performed an ATS duet. American Tribal Style is a form of dance that seems to have gotten lost in the tribal fusion craze in belly dance. Because of the nature of ATS, it allows for not only experienced dancers to work together, but also dancers who have never so much as met. Erin and Kisaya's first performance together was exactly that situation, two dancers coming together to share the stage as total strangers. Erin lives in Austin, and Kisaya travels down from Killeen, so they have only performed together four times previously and before this weekend had never so much as practiced together due to the great travel distance between them. With only 1 day of practice, they still danced with total confidence, boldly and completely improvisational, to “Evening on the Ground” by Iron and Wine.
For a solo performance, Drakon danced to ‘El Hob El Kebeer’ by Ragheb Alama and with his usual energy kept the audience clapping right along with his every move. One patron was overheard saying to another, “He is always so much fun, he is such a happy dancer.” Unfortunately, this picture does not show him laughing !
The final performer for the evening was south Austin instructor Stacey Lizette. Stacey has been teaching the Suhaila Salimpour technique since 2002 while she continues her own study in the format and is now working towards her level V certification. She is passionate about technique training and the unlimited options available to each dancer. Stacey produces the Austin Belly Dance Convention (during the first weekend of June - a whole 3 days full of classes, shopping and shows with attendees and performers from around the world). Stacey’s solo performance was to ‘Salamatha Om Hassan’ a drum solo from the album Repercussion by the Al Ahram Orchestra.
April 16, 2011 Desert
Passion @ Dance Unlimited, Buda
Professional photographer, Chad Adams, was also taking really good
pictures. To visit his home page site - http://www.chadwadams.com All other pictures were taken by 'Lyzabyth. Le Ja Diin
(Alima, Janet, Syria and SuSheela) is a truly extraordinary group of
women. Strong, playful and sexy ! They love to perform and
express themselves by picking unique music that moves their spirit and
makes them want to dance!
Erin is an ATS/Tribal Fusion belly dancer who has been belly dancing for the last 7 years, studying the art while traveling with her husband. She says she really worked hard on this, her first Flamenco Fusion piece done to “Boy with a Coin”.
‘Lyzabyth danced free style to 'Claudia' by Irakere (a Cuban-Afro Jazz band) and said she used to sing in a salsa band and enjoys dancing to another genre she loves. Syria with La Ja Diiin says, “Wow, beautiful costume and for an improv performance she was absolutely stunning!”
Drakon danced to “Ada El Leil” by the Adam Basma Arabic Dance Ensemble Band with one of his favorite percussionists, Amir Sofi. I asked him why he likes Amir so much and he said, “He is not boring, has interesting patterns and mixes them up to keep the music constantly embellished, changed, and interesting.” Very appropriate choice since that is the way Drakon dances ! ‘Lyzabyth says, “Drakon danced to a classical Egyptian piece with some Spanish sounding themes and followed it with a drum solo. He danced with humor and showed off his technical skill in his fun drum solo.” M’lilah says, “Months ago, our dear friend and metalsmith artist Gitane from Ft. Worth made a special belt just for Drakon, and this past week during in an energetic fit of creativity, I finally got around to creating Drakon a beautiful royal blue costume that shimmered along with the belt!”
Stephanie Keeton, the evening’s headliner, says she has studied Flamenco, Folklorico, Ballet and Jazz and each one of those has helped her develop her skill to become a better dancer over the past 28 years, but Latin is still her first love and passion. She says the best thing she loves about dancing is performing for an audience – she loves to share the passion she feels while dancing and hopes it fulfills the audience as much as it fills her heart with joy! ‘Lyzabyth writes, “Stephanie closed the first act with a passionate flamenco 'Sevillana' (a traditional dance from Seville, Spain) which consists of 4 small separate dances combined as one full ensemble. It is usually performed at festivals with a partner and has lots of clapping and gritos (cries). Stephanie says it is the first traditional Spanish dance she ever learned and she has kept it near her heart for many years. Her dedication and love of flamenco was clear. She had beautiful strong movements and great foot work. It was a fantastic performance.” Syria with Le Ja Diin adds, “She dances with such passion and expression – she was so amazing and graceful!”
‘Lyzabyth
and Diya work well together, blending their
talents smoothly. Although ‘Lyzabyth is totally enamored with Middle Eastern music,
Diya really enjoys other styles of music as well. Last year, when they
were first putting together a performance for the ABA “Jukebox” show at
the Daugherty Arts Center, Diya suggested several songs ideas, (some of
them ‘Lyzabyth wasn't thrilled with and commented that maybe Diya should do
a country bellydance solo someday)!
For Drakon's second number, ‘Lyzabyth writes: “Drakon danced to a really fun piece of Arabic music called ‘Oriente’ by Body Shock. He had the necessary energy to go with that song and really enlivened the crowd. The lyrics are sung in Spanish and are all about moving the waist and hips, which Drakon did a lot of! As usual, he was so energetic and fun to watch.” Stephanie closed the show dancing Latin Contemporary style and says this particular dance, called ‘Vamos a Bailar’ (Let's Go Dance) is by the Gypsy Kings, one of her favorite bands to dance to. Combining all of her different dance backgrounds, Stephanie originally created this fun and lively piece for her Salsa Aerobics class then later re-vamped it to be a performance dance piece. She calls it, ‘Get Ready to Want to Dance!! ‘Lyzabyth comments, “Her dance was wild and high energy - the audience loved her.”
March 11, 2011
Desert Passion @ In’trigue Gallery This show was an opening act to Lovey’s 4 days of musical activities to celebrate the SXSW week in Austin. It is her 3rd annual presentation of concerts, art events, etc. and Desert Passion was so pleased to be a part of it all again. With Lovey serving as the emcee, the show opened with, The Worship Unit (Derrick Clemons, Chris Clemons, Ashley Clemons, Tyeshia Rogers, and Junelle Vasquez) dancing 2 sets, the first in street clothes (more of a modern jazzy number) then a truly worshipful 2nd number while dressed all in white. For those not paying enough attention, that was an ASL interpretation of the song’s beautiful lyrics. I especially enjoyed their performance and they were such a loving group of young people. Morgan (Lovey’s daughter) performed for the 1st time in awhile, and was very shy and nervous. She should not be though as she is really beautiful and did a terrific job earning her place in our future lineups. Her 2 small sons were there, and were so well behaved while “Mom” performed.
Akasha drove up from New Braunfels (along with her Mom, Karen and boyfriend, Taylor) and said it took several hours to get from San Marcos to Buda in a horrible I35 “Spring Break” and “SXSW” Friday Night traffic jam, somehow still had what it took to dance two high energy numbers, “Shik Shak Shok” and Shikira’s “Hips Don’t Lie” back-to-back ! Desert Passion appreciates such dedication.
Drakon was in
the mood to dance the beautiful, “Tribute to Nadia” by the
Open Dance at In’trigue is always lively and this time, as usual, the audience responded with a whole floor full of people taking turns with some improv ATS exchanges and even some “breaking” on the floor by one of Lovey’s friends.
During the open dance, Kisaya and Drakon did some improv ATS and for someone who claims to "not" dance tribal he was able to follow her pretty well.
The whole 2nd half was a collection of dances by Kisaya, Sarah Rose (one of Kisaya’s students from Killeen) and their friend Erin from Austin. Sarah Rose and Kisaya call themselves “Tribal Mischief” and are excited about getting their troupe going again !
…then Sarah Rose – dancing to “Another Perfect Catastrophe”
… then Erin – dancing to “Boadicea”
… then Kisaya – dancing to “This Dark & Twisty Road”
….and
then Kisaya & Sarah Rose presented a
fun and interesting performance in which they were cute and playful
and spontaneous to
“Hot Oil, No Sweat” and
Kisaya closed the show with her dramatic dancing to “Habanera”.
March 5th
Show
Dance Unlimited – Buda DRAKON dancing to “Aahat” literally pounced onto the stage from behind the curtain so dramatically that even I heard people gasp; however, the music was so loud it was distorted and his motioning to the DJ to do something to the sound ruined the effect. But his sword dances are always SO powerful it was still a thrill.
KISAYA
performed a very cute dance with facial expressions and mannerisms that
fit her music choice, “Habanera” by Carmen, perfectly. She has also
become a regular in our shows, willingly, although she has to drive all
the way from Killeen and bring along 3 children as well. Talk about
dedication to the art !
JAMIE LYNN
performed Turkish style in order to demonstrate what she taught in the
afternoon workshop. And, judging from all the very positive reports from
workshop participants
(reading Facebook comments) they all enjoyed both !
After a short intermission, during which lots of the audience enjoyed those great “arawraps” from Hot Mama’s Café, DRAKON re-opened the show dancing to “Tamra Henna” by Nagwa Fouad & Admad Adawtha groups. He dedicated the dance to his late sister, Randi, because it was her birth date anniversary and he thought she would have enjoyed the song. Needless to say, the audience certainly enjoyed it with all his precise moves and enthusiastic energy.
AKASHA’s
2nd set was performed to “Misirlou” by Dick Dale.
VAL & SHERRIE
really enjoy dancing together. And Val wants the audience to know that she
heard the song while watching the vampire movie "From
Dusk Till Dawn" and felt then that SOMEDAY she wanted to dance to
it. So when she got the chance to perform in ABA’s Jukebox Belly Dance
show, she felt that that SOMEDAY had arrived and asked Sherrie to come
along on the wondrous journey. The song is "After
Dark" by Tito and The Tarantulas, and the choreography was the
pair’s first BIG corrlaboration together (with a few great ideas from
Bahaia & Claire thrown in). Many minds were involved to make this a piece
and they managed again, somehow, to keep from smiling until the ending
“vampire” pose; and for them not smiling was probably the most difficult
move of the whole performance.
To demonstrate her versility, JAMIE LYNN, danced a balady to Tahtel Shibbak for her 2nd set and it was pure Egyptian cabaret. Hard to say which is her specialty !
KISAYA &
SARA ROSE
performed an ATS duet, and commented they had not practiced together at
all ! Their togetherness was only slightly effected by the lack of
practice, however, and that is the beauty of the “follow the leader”
The highlight of the evening was a stunning tribal fusion performance by the truly incredible APRIL ROSE. She recently moved back here from Los Angeles, making this was her 1st performance in Austin. She said she was excited to be here getting to know her new dance community. She is a former member of UNMATA and is now on tour with the Bellydance Superstars. She will be performing and teaching workshops locally when she's not on the road. Please check out her website, www.aprilrosedance.com. Unfortunately, at her request, her performance was not videotaped so will not be on the DVD of the show !
Thanks to our helpers as well, especially to Leeza for serving as a greeter for patrons and did a great job (she worked in exchange for her dance slot last month, and that is what we would like to see more performers do !) Adrian and his son, Monty, helped by moving all 42 chairs in from the storeroom, and then unloaded our truck ! Their doing that enabled Drakon to take Jamie Lynn’s workshop, but the lack of a DJ for the show made him work hard to make up !
This was a fast paced show with
lots of interesting, very different acts. We certainly enjoyed watching
Leeza open the show. She was invigorated and excited to be
there, and that is the attitude we love to see on stage.
Lori danced to Ghanili Shwaaye Shwaaye, one of the Egyptian singer Olm
Kalthoum's well known songs. The title means "sing for me softly, softly",
and the words beg for song because the singer has captured the eyes of the
speaker. This choreography originally called for the use of a veil, but
there are similarities between the flow of the veil and of fan-veils, so
Lori switched props for fun.
I can tell that Lori has
certainly been playing with those fan veils at home, because her improved
control is evident. I did not even see her look at the ceiling fan or
light fixtures even one time, so she knew exactly were her veils were at
all times. Kisaya danced twice and both times her performance was dramatic. Lori has written a complete article in another place in this same newsletter, so I will not repeat it ! I love to watch Kisaya dance, so she has become a regular performer in DPMEDT shows. Too bad she lives so far away; but she’s dedicated and is always willing to drive !
Drakon danced to two different songs by Body Shock. The first one was called “Orientalis” and the audience loved it, and then his 2nd performance to “Oriente” was even livier. Since he was closing the 1st half, he led the audience into an open dance number and everyone practically leaped out of their chairs. I love it when they do that !
Leeza, Kisaya and Sara also performed 2 sets- I do not know how Lori missed out on her 2nd set – I am sorry Lori ! Whenever I invite a dancer to perform, there is almost always a chance to dance 2 sets, so be sure to ask ! Earlier in the month an old friend Wicasa Martinson (calling himself Gold Lion), asked if he could perform in one of our shows. I admitted that I was a little apprehensive and asked him to first describe his style. He said that his genre might be called “Dub-Step” and since his teacher was Nem Ser’Ate, I decided it would probably fit in well at In’trigue ! I should not have worried- his performance had the audience holding their breath. It was no-choreo-freestyle to a series of songs entitled “Stay Alive” by Propa Ting, “Ripple V.I.P.” by Liquid Stranger, and “Rockafeller Skank” (a J-Rabbit Remix) by Fatboy Slim. All the tracks were seamlessly integrated into one by D.J. Larkside entitled "Hate on This! Volume 4 Mixtape”. With a display of amazing energy, Gold Lion gave us a liquid robo-pop performance with lots of waving, tutting and strobing, and even some monster-style clowning and krumping. Jokingly, I asked him why he kept the hat pulled down over his eyes, and he said it was to keep him from getting nervous with everyone staring at him ! Bet some other dancers wish they could have a trick like that. Great performance !
February 5, 2011 @ Dance Unlimited, Buda
The overall show was great, but we got a late start (waiting on a few late arrivals, etc.) so it was a late ending too. I apologize for that ! I promise I will keep the upcoming shows within the time limit - especially since some of you may have a long way to drive home. But thanks, everyone, for coming to support DPMEDT in its new location ! 'Lyzabyth & Diya's duet to "Marco Polo" by Loreena McKennitt, represented the perpetual cosmic dance of Night and Day – The choreography (by ‘Lyzabyth) brought out the mystical concept of the 2 dancers orbiting each other with the different feelings of Dark and Light. Their beautiful costumes were sown by Diya based on a collaborative design that evolved during their practice sessions.
Leeza and Phillip danced to a song made famous by the movie Willie Wonka and The Chocolate Factory. Leeza says, "It’s okay if it gives you warm and fuzzy good feelings. It does for us too!" The beautiful bedlah she wore was a custom made design by the talented Jamie Lynn. Leeza is the proprietor of Enchanting Texas Belly Dance and said, “I would like this evening's performance to be in honor of M’lilah and Drakon as they were kind enough to bless me with my very first belly dance solo opportunity 6 years ago this spring. My deepest gratitude for the opportunity, I will never forget it. I would also like to thank Phillip for his hard work in preparing this performance with me. It’s been great fun!” Leeza's Comment Later:
Tonight 3 members of Gypsy Rogues – Angeyja,
Yemaya and Sorina celebrated the spirit of Mardi Gras by dancing to Balkan
Beat Box. They invited everyone in the audience to get in the spirit and
Nuray's Comment Later: The night was perfect ! The Buda location for performing is now my favorite, lots of parking more comfortable. Ur family is beautiful and very helpful all in all great night. DPMEDT ladies we did it! And we will only get better.
For the entire 2nd half of the
show, we were
proud to preview
Sherwood Forest
Faire's major musical belly dance group for 2011, the Hands of Fatima!
This group was at the Faire in 2010 and performed under the umbrella of
The Forest Gypsies but has had some membership changes and for 2011 season
consists of the musical talent of Doum Tek Support (Charles, Clay, Danny &
Sharkbait) and the dancers from Gypsy Hips,
This was a fun show to produce, and we are certainly grateful for all our helpers.....especially to a passel of our grandkids (Colton, Dillan (music & sound), Keslyn and her friend Shaylyn (greeter table), Keslyn's husband Dimas (adopted grandson) and their 3 year old daughter, Rebeka). They are great kids and even stayed to take down as well ! Thanks guys ! Delia's husband and 4 teenagers were kind enough to come move all those wonderful (padded) chairs in from the storeroom earning a big chunk of our gratitude ! Ivy, with Hot Mama's Cafe, was there with delicious food ! Jamie Lynn set up a table with some of her costumes and jewelry and Gypsy Witch Productions took over the whole front corner of the room! These venders will be regulars at Desert Passion shows, so keep bring your cash or checkbooks - they love that !
January 21st at In’trigue Art Gallery –
Pictures by Valerie
Rebecca
(R)
is new to Austin dance community. She says she is a Visual Information
Designer by trade, and dabbles in belly dancing through classes,
conventions and performances both in the US and abroad. She truly
appreciates the physical and mental aspects of the dance, and enjoys
conveying the beat of a song visually.
Drakon (L) managed to find a song that he has never performed to anywhere before – he does not know the name of the artist or the song, but says it is an Arabic Balady – FYI - a balady is a musical styling that typically starts with an instrumental improvisations and then the percussion, the drums, join in slowly and it gradually builds in tempo till the end.
Veda
(R) is also new to the Austin belly dance community – though she has been
belly dancing for 9 years, and performing for 6. Mostly at Kismet in
Dallas. She is excited to finally be introduced to the bellydance
community here in ATX. In light of the "Rak and Belly Roll" theme, she
danced extra fusion-y to totally
Flo Hite and her Desert Flowers (above) stole the show dancing Go-Go to “California Sun” ! Then they pulled up the audience to join them for an open dance ! They are playful and cute !
After a short intermission, another local dancer and long-time member of Austin Belly Dance association, Lizbet, performed to "Gijim'beke," by Juluka, which is an Anglo-Zulu band led by Johnny Clegg. The song is more African than Western. Great harmonies, throbbing rhythm, interesting instrumentation. And her performance was a great example of the African style. FYI – Some of us did not know that Lizbet has a business on the side – she is a comic fortune-teller ! Her character's name is Madame Faux-Nee (pronounced Pho-ny, of course). Madame is available to entertain party guests with her own skewed take on reading cards, head bumps, and tea leaves, among other methods.
Veda (L) in a second set was just as impressive as in her first. Wow ! The Austin tribal-fusion scene has a great new addition ! Welcome to Austin !
Kisaya (R) in her second set performed to “Sleep Isabella” earned a lot of applause. She had several skirts of several colors tucked up on the sides and started loosening them to create a swirling skirt routine.
Drakon’s (R) final performance was to another piece of music that he likes, but again does not know the name of the song or the name of the artist……judging from the Arabic lyrics he can understand…….he says the guy is singing about how crazy he is to be falling in love with a beautiful girl who’s father is not easy to deal with.
The
weather was really cold, and Lovey’s had been closed all day, but dancing
sure warmed everyone up !!
The
atmosphere at In’trigue is perfect for Open Dance and it always seems the
audience has a lot of fun getting up to dance or just stand around
talking.
After opening the show with a stirring solo, Drakon was thrilled to have 3 of his Intermediate-Advanced students share the stage with him. First off, he and Diya (Buda) had a lot of fun together as they danced to a song called 'Istanbul'......
As a result of working together as a Company, these 4 have become good friends which creates a certain 'specialness' as they plan some really awesome things for future shows.
The evening's lineup included 4 special guest performers....
Najla, performed
twice, first to 'Yearning' then to 'Ruby'.
Another guest, Syria, who currently dances with the Le Ja Diin troupe said, "After many hours of research into the Saidi Dance, I think the cane is going to be my favorite prop from now on! I love the lighthearted and playful dance steps. And, this is the first solo that I have ever fully choreographed; I had so much fun with it!" Her music was the lively 'Rakset Al Asaya'.
Robert & Gil were unable to attend the "Multi-Cultural" show at Eternal Way last month, so I was able to convince them to dress in those authentic costumes and share a totally different style of dance with our In'trigue audience. Robert says, 'Gil and I are recreational folk dancers from Austin who also enjoy contra dancing as well as both English & Scottish country dancing. For this show we are doing a medley of dances originally from Anatolia. Halai, a Pontic Greek from Ak Dag Maten, Iste Hendik from Eastern Turkey, Coskun Coruh, (pronounced Joskun Joruh pictured below) an Azeri dance from Artvin, and Misi Horunu, a dance choreographed locally in the Karendeniz style." And with a bit of encouragement, some of the braver audience members joined them on the floor for a circle style Greek dance. They all had so much fun they asked for another round of it during the open dance time at the end of the show.
All Photos by Valerie For this, our last show at Eternal Way, tried something a little different. In an effort to instill a party atmosphere, we asked each performer to submit 2 pieces of music, their own showcased dance and another piece for an Open Dance segment. Then after their performance ended, they remained on stage to encourage the audience to get up and dance and when the next piece started. Nobody had to do much encouraging; seemed everyone wanted to dance, especially the kids. It was so much fun to watch and believe me, there were some moves that do not usually make it to the stage and I had fun being the greeter, watching the dancers, taking pictures and cutting loose a couple of times on the open dance portions. I am so glad I got to be part of the Eternal Way chapter of the Desert Passion adventure." Drakon & Connie opened with a duet entitled ‘Istanbul’. Connie has been in Drakon’s Georgetown class for 3 years, and is a really faithful patron of our shows, but she wants to perform more, so, this duet was mainly to get her back on the stage ! Their open dance choice was ‘El Salem’ and with their enthusiastic prompting, just about everyone joined them on the floor for Open Dance #1.”
For something a little different this holiday season, and as a change of
pace from her usual, playful style,
Kisaya
broke from the traditional and went with a piece by the Trans-Siberian
Orchestra called ‘Christmas Eve’. She says, “This particular piece of
music has always been theatrically interpreted and everyone seems to be
touched by the music differently. For me, this piece speaks to my soul,
it is something I have dreamed of dancing to since I first heard it over
10 years ago, before I even started my career as a dancer." Her open
dance choice was called
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"Arabian Nights in Buda"
Thursday, June 3, 2010 |
The Downtown Merchants’ Group
started out Buda’s monthly “First Thursdays” activity nights with a trip
back to the era of caravans, crowded market squares and extravagant
parties in the Sultans’ majestic palaces. Local residents and visitors
were encouraged to enjoy food from downtown restaurants then stroll
through the unique antique and specialty shops, especially checking out
Sahhira's Souk for a wide variety of costume pieces, jewelry, and large silk
veils in every color imaginable.
Desert Passion Middle Eastern Dance Company, featuring Drakon
and students,
'Lyzabyth, Diya, Erica & Nuray, brought the luxury of the Far East to downtown
Buda and carved a kinetic path to the soul with 1-1/2 hours of music and
dance. Over the evening, the Company performed in 4 different locations
and certainly gained attention - wearing sparkly costumes while pulling a
small wagon loaded with their gear from one location to the other. Slaves
will be needed the next time we try a caravanning trip!
From this point on, this review is a combination of thoughts from Tilal & Nuray.
'Lyzabyth
writes, “Performing outside was exhilarating. We thought we might
be rained out, but it was a beautiful evening. Breezes and a pretty
sunset made it pleasant and inspiring. To start out we danced in a line on
the sidewalk in front of the greenbelt’s gazebo. As we were only a few
feet from the street, it was really fun to surprise the commuters coming
home from work at 6:00pm with our beautiful veil number. This was our
classmate Erica's first time performing and that made it really special,
she was great! I now understand why dancing outside with veils is tricky,
to say the least. I think my veil got to know my head pretty well in that
number...but it was a learning experience. I found I had to pay attention
to where the wind was coming from and not hold my veil as high, etc. Diya
and I are getting much more comfortable performing as a duo. It is fun
and reassuring to see her having a blast along side me from the corner of
my eye. Between our stunning group veil number, Drakon's solo with
his wings, Nuray's sexy performance, and Diya and I strutting around, I
think we disturbed traffic on Main Street
pretty well! Nuray agrees saying, “The group veil number was quite the
attention catcher - we literally had traffic stop for a few seconds to
enjoy what they were seeing, we also had a number of horn honkers. I
performed there with Salem Halak solo and it was great – also I got
to wear the beautiful new costume I bought from Taryn Kennard Tribal while
we were at Shimmy by the Sea.
Just for fun, here is a link to a video of Nuray's performance at
the Gazebo !”
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1261152303147
'Lyzabyth: “After catching some attention in front of the gazebo we moved on
down to the dinner party at Sue Ellen's outdoor garden patio. They had
quite a crowd gathered and we really enjoyed entertaining them. I had a
lot of fun interacting with my local Buda neighbors and trying to get them
loosened up and comfortable. I don't know if performing outdoors had a
“grounding” effect on me or if it was just that I was on my home turf, but
I had such a good time! I didn't struggle with feeling in time with the
music and I felt like I had more control than I sometimes do when
performing. That was a good feeling. It was fun to get into character
for the sword dance as well as our fairy dance. Once again, our little
fairy “Erica” did a wonderful job.” Nuray: “I got to perform my new
choreographed piece, Hell Gates & Sidi Mansour combo. The
Turkish Sword Dance “Fire of Anatolia” (featuring Diya,
'Lyzabyth
and
Drakon) was also a well executed dance that the crowd loved but at the
same time they seemed to be a bit intimidated. I really enjoyed the 45
exciting minutes; there were many wonderful compliments that just filled
my heart. It’s great to hear people appreciate your hard work.”
'Lyzabyth: “After the dinner party, we moved further down the street to Casa
Del Arte Gallery, where we did another side walk performance. A
few people even pulled over and come back to check us out. Anya has a
great shop and a pretty entrance; it was a nice spot for the show. Diya
and I got to try out our brand new duet, Nuray also rocked a new solo
called Yalla Habibi and we got to see Drakon do his flirtatious
“Kiss Kiss” routine that was really lively and fun. Nuray: “Our crowd
really loved it and at one point a lady said to me, “You are wonderful and
I could watch you all night long." I was so very flattered”.
'Lyzabyth: “Our last stop was at the Buda Drug Store & Soda Fountain. As the
stage was being set-up, I snuck into Sahhira's Souk and bought the perfect
new veil as well as a great fringe belt. I could have shopped longer, but
as it was time to get back on stage Drakon had to wrestle me out of
there. Hard to leave all those fabulous costumes! For this performance,
I tried out getting a little closer in with the audience and then going
back to the front. It is interesting to try and get a feel for how
comfortable the audience is with your proximity. I think the more at ease
I seem to be the easier it is for the audience to relax. Drakon is so
wonderful with audience interaction, there is so much to learn from just
from watching him perform. Another thing I learned about this locale was
that it is important to be aware of your footing. Here the ground was
uneven, and then if you went down the level into the parking lot you had
to watch the curbs and the step to get back up onto the sidewalk.
Performing here was quite different from on a stage or inside in a studio
or the like. I found it to be really freeing and fun as well as
challenging. I definitely had that performing high tonight, it was
awesome! Nuray: “We originally had 5 different dance sites scheduled but
stopped at 4 and by the time we reached the final spot, we were all tired
(even Drakon) my feet had had enough and were starting to hurt pretty
bad. But it was worth it. It was all very fun. It was a great experience
and I look forward to more.” M’lilah:
Afterwards, Tammy Gray, Buda’s pharmacist and owner of the Soda Fountain
treated us to ice cream as she told us how much the Merchants seemed to
enjoy having us perform something new for Buda!”
After changing costumes, Drakon closed the first half of the show, and to quote Tilal, “Drakon danced to a grand piece of music, sweeping us all into his elegant performance. In a black sequined and chiffon costume, his flirtatious number was somehow both fun and regal. He looked like he was having a wonderful time as he coquettishly waved and blew kisses to audience members; moving gracefully across the stage using his extension and dramatic flair perfectly.”
Dancing a new folkloric cane duet to “Zaama Zaama” that he has
choreographed especially for his student groups, Drakon and
Nuray were a matched pair with both in red and silver. Nuray is
lively and energetic, one of those students that brings joy to an
instructor’s heart, making her a great dance companion for him. They have
been practicing in a much larger room, while trying to imagine starting
their dance from behind the curtains at EWC. Unfortunately, they forgot
the back wall being so close, and that threw a wrench in their planned
opening….but they recovered well and kept the audience’s attention riveted
throughout.
Drakon closed the show with a drum solo and a smoothly executed
movement to a piece from REG Project called “Solar” and it was so
different from his other performances during the evening, that he seemed
like a different dancer.
Doum
Tek Support & Guest Violinist - Jennifer Daniels - Drakon Dancing at
Hot Mama's Cafe, 2401 E. 6th Street, Austin
Drakon closed the first half wearing that shimmery bronze outfit
that suits his coloring perfectly. He always has excellent taste in music
(and seems to be passing the knack of choosing appropriate dance music on
to his students!) The song had a zither carrying the melody over driving
Arabic drumming- a strong piece with good variety that supported his
shimmies and traveling movements.
Drakon
Drakon closed his show wearing a zebra-striped spandex outfit. Most dancers would be lower-keyed by the third song, but he was clearly energized by the evening. He left the audience smiling and tapping toes to a fast up-beat number featuring lots of hip shimmies echoed with strong shoulder shimmies. All in all, it was a great variety show.
Drakon
Having DRAKON open with his contagious high energy still started the show off on the right foot ! This time, he danced Egyptian style to “Baladiko” - a piece of Middle Eastern music recorded in Germany which is one of his current favorites. He does a great job of warming up the audience with those big smiles and winks not to mention his on-going-forever shimmies !
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Drakon,
wearing his copper sequined outfit, danced a Classical Egyptian number
after which M’lilah spoke to the crowd about men in belly dance and there
was a lot of applause when she challenged the men in the audience to start
taking classes ! Who did the applauding….the men or the women ?
Picture by
Franko
Then, we made an abrupt change of pace, from Gypsy soul to classical new
age, as we welcomed
Drakon & Jennifer Daniels. They repeated
(kinda) the original duet composition first performed at ABA’s
Jukebox Belly Dance Show on January 22, 2010,
at the Dougherty Arts Center in
Austin. For some background, when Jennifer and Drakon
first decided to collaborate on a special number for the Jukebox show,
they wanted it to be totally original. Jennifer, a professional violinist
with YEARS of experience playing improv for various dancers, watched
Drakon dance with his blue wings and then wrote the music as she
interpreted his dance style. Now, when they perform, he interprets her
music as he dances. Because they are getting more and more comfortable
with each other, this will always be a fluid and ever-changing piece. We
are all really looking forward to what else this pair will be inspired to
create.
Picture by
Franko
Ruya writes:
Drakon
opened the show and got the audience warmed up with his fabulous dancing.
He wore a really nice red and black costume that shimmered under the
lights.
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Drakon usually, actually, always prefers to dance to new
music, but for a traditional cabaret performance. he chose an old
classical favorite … probably familiar piece of music ….by Bassim Yazbeck
called “Cocktail
Om
Kalthoon & Tabla Bassem”..
Drakon (extracted by
Drakon)
DRAKON
These are some of our favorite sword shots.......
Drakon (both pictures by Valerie)
And M'lilah, who does not dance at all period, but
is the emcee at every show, says that,
"After 10 years I am still thrilled
to keep these shows happening and urge you to
"Please keep coming back !"
M'lilah by Valerie