Belly Dance Magic 2007:
an Evening with the Daughters of Rhea and Friends
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| Giant Puppet Pre-show
Nina Amaya and Devra Johari present their giant
Turkish alter egos, dancing for your delight! Papier mache and silk combine in a
larger-than-life performance to welcome you to the show.
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| Pho Pharaonic Melina
& Piper
A stylized ‘channel-your-inner-ancient priestess’ duet
inspired by Egyptian hieroglyphs, back by popular demand! Choreographed by Melina.
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| Hypnotize
the Senses Naimah
Ancient Egyptian bass-relief carvings and drawings on
papyrus indicate that acrobatic dancers were popular entertainers both in the
Pharaoh’s courts and with the general public.
Naimah blends this ancient art with modern Tribal stylings for a
hypnotic effect.
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| Turkish
Romany Fusion Artemis
This dance includes the dynamic and legendary Romany (Gypsy)
skirt and hand gestures, along with the finger cymbal percussion and dramatic
floorwork that the dancers were famous for in the Ottoman era.
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| Sagat & Cane Yasmin
Sagat, or Zills
as the Ottomans called them, are as old as the dance itself. By 1000 BC dancers
were tying tiny cymbals made of brass to their fingers. Cane dancing is thought to have evolved as a
flirty and joyful parody of the Taktib, an Egyptian martial art that uses a
staff for self defense.
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| Danse du Ventre Melina
Melina lights up the stage with her unique manouche (circus gypsy) style. Melina’s uninhibited dance, formed as a child
in circus rings and in the shadow of
the acropolis at the shimmering hip of her mother Rhea, is fun-loving, globally informed, Greco-Turkish, proto-Tribal,
modern Bohemian fusion.
Click image at left for photos, click HERE for YouTube footage!
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| Tambourine Dance DoR
Troupe
Performed by the Daughters of Rhea beginning group,
this lively folkloric style number was choreographed by Piper in 2005.
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| photo by Elaine Forzano |
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Drum Solo Issam & Kostana
Issam & Kostana perform a live drum solo
based on Issam’s "Tabel Ya Issam" CD with Sidqi on back-up
percussion.
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| Classic Cabaret Piper
Classic Cabaret belly dance is a Mediterranean blend
of folk and professional dance styles from the Middle East and North Africa,
done with a western flair for presentation and style. Precise hipwork and fluid body movements are
emphasized in this beautiful and lyrical art form.
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| Double Doom Drum Lisa Zahiya
Tribal Fusion is an evolving performance art form in
which the dancer combines traditional belly dance moves with other dance
styles. Lisa Zahiya takes a modern twist with
this piece which combines doumbek with the stylizations of a beatboxer.
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| Cloud
Swing Sacha
Sacha Pavlata is famous throughout the international
circus world for his astonishing aerial cloud swing act. We are privileged to have him perform with us
tonight.
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| Sword/Dagger Melina
Inspired by the spectacular “point to point” circus sword
acts of Europe, Melina takes the balancing of a sword to new heights, by
balancing it on the tip of a dagger gripped in her jaws!
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| Gypsy Lyra Melina
Combining dance and aerial tricks on revolving lyra (aerial
hoop) and scarlet silks, Melina flexes creative muscle far above the
earth.
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| Stray Cat Strut DoR
Ensemble
It’s sassy, it’s fun, meow!
Performed by the Baltimore Daughters of Rhea Dance Ensemble: Cheryl, Rowena, Piper, Stephanie, and Naomi.
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| Goblet Dance Deniz
Charismatic master of the
slow tsiftetelli, what Deniz can do on goblets, few can do on their feet
alone! Done in the classic cabaret style,
this nightclub routine is adapted for stage.
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| Turkish Oriental Dance Artemis
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| Classic Oriental Yasmin
This entrance piece, or mergenci, is what most
traditional cabaret performances begin with, a complicated composition that
introduces a dancer to the audience and shows off her interpretational skills.
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| Rhea with Telesma
Instigator of revolutions,
innovator of style and form, Belly Dance pioneer, legend in her own time,
master of the exciting Greco-Turkish style!
Rhea's dynamic dancing blends principles of ancient Greek dance with modern
Turkish Cabaret.
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| Sibek
Rhea, Piper, Melina, and the
Baltimore Daughters of Rhea dance to their own music! Choreographed by Rhea, staged by Piper. Ensemble Cast with Christy Guenther on accordion, Eric Lofhjelm on tabla, and Sidqi on frame drum.
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