May 31, 2005:  
Things are bustling up here with all the preparations for Aaminah spring show in Bangor this coming Saturday. See you there?

Enjoy!

April 9, 2005: Maine Belly Dance Festival in Saco
Lisa and Steven "Drum" Kouyoumjian hosted an excellent festival, with live music, performances from dancers from all over Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, mini-workshops, and plenty of open dancing. The turnout was fantastic - the Festival had been advertised as "What To Do This Weekend" by a local radio station. There was a very nice mix of dancers and general public in the audience, and great energy.

The format was informal, with alternating short sets of performances, live music, and workshops. It was very effective because the audience got to admire the music and the dancing, then try it on for size themselves in a mini-lesson, then get down and let loose in the open dancing segments.

I wish I had gotten more pictures - if anyone took some nice shots and would like to share them, please send them to me and I will post them in the next issue of the newsletter. 

Thanks to Steven and Lisa for all their hard work in making this festival so successful. Hope to see you there next year!     

Lorien, Mira, and Aya of the Aaminah Dancers 
at the Maine Bellydance Festival in Saco
     

May 21/22, 2005: Aziza workshop in St. John, N.B.
The Caravan Dancers sponsored a workshop with the talented and beautiful Aziza of Montreal at the Gothic Arches in St. John, N.B. The space was lovely - truly gothic, with vaulted ceilings, tall stained glass windows, and carved wooden pews. Quite a treat!

Aziza was fabulous - she is a warm, funny, and genuine person and a truly lovely dancer. Her performance on Saturday evening was excellent - her movements look so natural and her personality and her sense of humor really shine through. And she has a gorgeous smile!

As a workshop participant I could tell that she really cared about whether we learned what she was showing us - she always had a second or third way of explaining the material if the first didn't resonate with everyone. She also did a nice warm-up and cool-down, had the rows switch places regularly, sensed when to give everyone a little break, gave feedback and corrections in a positive and encouraging way, offered variations for different levels, reviewed the techniques, choreographies, and combinations at the end of each session so we could take notes in our own "language", and kept us smiling and laughing throughout. 

We covered quite a bit of material: isolation combinations, a sassy drum solo choreography, veil work, tips for improvising, and some fun combinations, including "thinking combinations", handy tools for when you are in the middle of a song and can't think of what to do next. 

Who's up for a road trip to Montreal?

Aziza and workshop participants in St. John

Warning, fanpic! Lorien with Aziza

Top

June 4, 2005: Workshop with Alia Thabit in Bangor
 Kahaz Productions presents an three-hour afternoon workshop with Alia Thabit of Vermont. Topics include sword and improvisation/musical interpretation.

Where: Union Street Brick Church in Bangor, ME (directions)
When: Saturday, June 4, 2005 from 11 AM to 2 PM
Cost: $35

Email Kahaz or call her at 207-944-7510 for more details.

June 4, 2005: Aaminah Spring Show in Bangor
"A Night in the Casbah" hosted by the Aaminah School of Dance and featuring performances by dancers and groups from Bangor, Guilford, and Waterville, as well as Alia Thabit of Vermont and members of Naya's Trance of Portland. 

Where: Union Street Brick Church in Bangor, ME (directions)
When: Saturday, June 4, 2005. 
          Doors open at 7 PM, show begins at 7:30 PM
Cost: $10 (open seating)

Email Mira for tickets or for more details.

June 11, 2005: Costuming workshop in Portland
 Naya's Trance presents Costuming 101: Belly Dance Bras with 
instructor Sheryl Bernard (Shahla). From the beautiful cabaret style bras with beads and sequins to the heavier tribal style bras with coins 
and colorful trims, bras are a costume staple for every belly dancer. In this hands on workshop you’ll learn the steps to making your very own belly dance bras. While you won’t be able to complete a full bra in this 2-hour session, we’ll get you started and give you the steps you need to finish it on your own.

Where: World Arts Studio, 616 Congress Street, Portland 
When: Saturday, June 11th, 2005 from 1:00 to 3:00 PM 
Cost:  $10 pre-registered or $12 as an unregistered drop-in

Visit the Naya's Trance website to register and to see the materials list as well as tips for bra selection and fabric selection. 
For more information contact Naya's Trance. 

June 15, 2005: Studio Show in Portland
 Jamileh will sponsor a student showcase at Portland High School.

Where: John Ford Auditorium (Portland High School)
When: Wednesday June 15th, 2005 at 7 PM
Cost:  $4

For more information email Jamileh or call her at: 207-773-2966 

June 25, 2005: Belly-robics in Portland
 Naya's Trance will sponsor this 1-hour workshop with Emma Holder. 
This is a repeat of the class offered in February, March, and April. People just can't get enough! If you haven't tried it yet join us for this hour-long high energy class that will make you sweat while drilling your belly dancing skills! The class includes lots of movement to train cardiovascular stamina while strength training to build muscles involved with belly dance. Please wear appropriate clothes (no skirts), bring a water bottle and a mat. Be ready to sweat.

Where: World Arts Bodywork & Movement Studio, 
            616 Congress Street in Portland, ME 
When: Saturday June 25th, 2005 from 1 to 2 PM
Cost:  $7 pre-registered or $10 unregistered (drop-in)

For more information click here or contact either 
Emma Holder at 415-7204 or Naya's Trance at 318-0400
You can register (but not pay) for this workshop online here.

September 2/3/4, 2005:  Shakira workshop in Bangor
 Kahaz Productions presents Shakira of Ohio. This year's annual Labor Day workshop consists of a potluck dinner, two days of workshops, an evening show featuring Shakira and guests, and plenty of shopping.

Where: Union Street Brick Church in Bangor, ME (directions)
When: September 2/3/4, 2005
Cost:  To be announced

For more details visit the Kahaz Productions website 
or email Kahaz or call her at 207-944-7510.

Top

Photo from the Naya's Trance website

Top

      

On June 4th Alia will be teaching an afternoon workshop in the Union Street Brick Church as well as performing as a special guest in the Aaminah School of Dance spring show in Bangor. She has studied and developed her art with teachers in the US and in Cairo. Read on to find out what makes this gorgeous dancer tick...


  MEDiM: When did you begin dancing, and what inspired you to start?

Alia: I started when a woman down the street, Jeanne Goldman, started giving bellydance lessons. I thought it would be fun, sexy, and cultural (This
was back in the 70's. I was 16 and half Lebanese). After a while, she got tired of giving classes, and said if we were still interested we could go to the classes she took. Her teacher turned out to be Ibrahim (Bobby) Farrah! So I went from this little intro class to pro level classes overnight! It was intense, but great. I ended up taking about 6 hours of class a week for the next couple of years. I am intensely grateful because this early education really trained me as a dancer--I learned how to interpret music, how to improvise, even how to choreograph, just by following Bobby. I also met and took classes with other great dancers at this time, such as Jajouka, Jamila Salimpour, & Elena Lentini (who is now my primary teacher).

  MEDiM: Which dancers or dance styles do you love to watch and why?

Alia: I love to see dancers who have something to say, dancers who passionately expressing the emotional timbre of the music, dancers who are one with the music. I love improvisation to live music, when the dancer and the musicians are actively engaged in an ecstatic exchange, because to me,
that's the heart of the dance. That's what it's all about: musical ecstasy.

 MEDiM: What are your dance goals in the upcoming year?

Alia: I want to perform brilliantly with great live music for appreciative audiences. To immerse myself in the context of the dance, to bring myself
to its authentic heart.

  MEDiM: Tell us about your upcoming projects.

Alia: Well, I have Elena coming to St. Johnsbury, VT August 6th and 7th. Elena is the most amazing dancer I have ever seen in my entire life. Plus she is the most loving, kind, teacher. She is the perfect embodiment of simultaneous control and abandon, absolutely mesmerizing.

And then, we'll see. I want to spend more time in the Middle East--I want to live there for a while to study dance and Arabic. I want a dance company dedicated to group improvisation that pushes the limits of Oriental dance as we know it while keeping true to the authentic heart of the dance, and I want to tour that company in the Middle East.

I also really, really want a local band I can work with. So another project is to bring some Middle eastern musicians here to Vermont to work with some of our local musicians who are interested in Arabic music. The my dance company would develop a show with the local musicians over the next few months, and when we were ready, we'd bring the guest musicians back a present the show.

 MEDiM: Which teacher/s would you most like to take a workshop with and why?

Alia: Velerie Camille. That woman is an amazing powerhouse of knowledge and a brilliant teacher. She so deeply understands stage presence and line and composition. I am completely in awe of her.

 MEDiM: What do you do when you are not dancing?

Alia: I sleep. Ha ha. No, I actually spend most of my time on the computer, marketing. The business side of this is a real challenge for an artist. I also teach writing at the college level (for over 10 years), but I'm taking a rest from that right now, and making my living only from dance.

 MEDiM: What is your favorite dance music at the moment?

Alia: Live, old style club music, and some of the old, soulful classic Egyptian dance music. I met a Lebanese girl in an internet cafe in Beirut, and she
asked me what music I liked, and I'm saying, you know, Um Kalsoum, Abdel-Wahab, and her eyes got big, and she said, My grandfather listens to that
stuff!

 MEDiM: What aspects of the dance are most important to you?

Alia: Soul. Honesty. Passion. Artistry.

 MEDiM: What have been your greatest influences in the dance?

Alia: Bobby and Elena, truly. Visiting the Middle East. The musicians! My dad, who always encouraged me. Becoming a stronger, healthier person.

 MEDiM: Describe your proudest dance moment.

Alia: I love seeing my students excel. And each of my students truly has their own style -- their personalities really come through. (People who come to our shows always comment upon how different everyone is.) It is so thrilling to see the new generation dance well. It's even more thrilling to see the transformational powers of this dance. It amazes me. People just blossom in this genre. I treasure that.

Thank you for the interview, Alia!  

Alia Thabit 
(Photo from Vermont Woman 12/2004)
Photography and design by 
Jerry Bezdikian / Stellarindigo.com

Top

• information about your upcoming events
• articles about your dance experiences 
• how-to tutorials
• interesting internet links
• descriptions of items to swap or sell
• ideas and feedback for this newsletter
  by email to MEDiM.org  
  or post the information directly to the

MEDiM.org Message Board

Top

This month's featured link:

Amulya's list of belly dance video clips

Amulya has compiled an exhaustive list of online video clips featuring many different styles of belly dance, such as Cabaret, Tribal, Folkloric, and Fusion, as well as vintage dance clips. 

The links are grouped by style and listed alphabetically by the name of the dancer or troupe. So if you've always wondered what a specific style looked like, or if you are looking for inspiration, or if you just want to while away some time on the web, check out Amulya's website!

Top