Zorba

The Veiled Male

Zorba has been a performer his entire life! Trained in Classical Music (Piano and French Horn) from a very early age, he went on to perform throughout his primary school, secondary school, and college years. He was also a fixture in local bands and orchestras in his adult life, including the Watsonville Band.

In early 1996 dance caught his attention, and he joined The Greek Village Dancers of the Monterey Peninsula, starting to perform with them after a two year apprenticeship.

It was only natural when, upon seeing a Belly Dancer, that he would become interested in this ancient art form. Under the tutelage of Janette Benedon-Brenner, Jamaica Sinclair, and many other teachers and workshop instructors; he has evolved his dance art to a very high level.

Even as rare as male Belly Dance artists are, Zorba is forging a unique place among them as he specializes in veil dancing, and possesses a very smooth, graceful, and flowing dance style that is generally not seen among his male peers. "I didn't know men's hips could move like that!" is a comment that has been heard more than once in reference to Zorba. "I don't let a minor detail such as mere gender stand in my way" he says.

Possessing both of the legendary Nadia Gamal's two dance canes, Zorba loves to dance the Raks Assaya, the traditional Middle Eastern cane dance. He also specializes in the awesome Raks Al Shemadan, the traditional Egyptian Candelabrum dance. But his true love is given to graceful veil dancing, both single veil and double. "Veil dancing is as much fun as you can have with your clothes on!" he likes to say. He delights in floaty silk veils, even when performing double veil; but he has many veils to choose from and loves them all, including a pair of huge 3/4 circle Tissue Lamé "monsters".

Zorba has become a leading advocate for male Belly Dancers and has a website offering advice and encouragement for both genders interested in our beautiful artform.

Web site:www.doubleveil.net

Articles on Gilded Serpent by or about Zorba

7-1-13 Beauty Has Its Price, The Quest for Beauty, Part 4 by Zorba
Being involved with an art form that is all about beauty, I too feel the need to present myself as best and as beautiful as possible. Beauty costs in time, pain, and money; and as philosophers have pointed out for millennia: its only fleeting.
1-3-11 I am Become Pure, Destroyer of Dreams, the Belly Dance Police by Zorba
The fact of the matter is, nothing in the universe is constant: except change. "Inauthenticity" becomes "authenticity" over space/time – and vice versa.
3-3-10 A Sense of Humor: It can Help! Quest for Beauty, Part 3 by Zorba
What follows here are several humorous anecdotes. Some of them are about being a male in a female dominated field while some are merely about being a Bellydancer in the first place. My first rule concerning being weird ("weird" as evidenced by some reactions to my previous articles) is to have a good sense of humor!
9-10-09 A Quest for Beauty, Part 2: Damn the Torpedoes and Full Speed Ahead! by Zorba
I recognized that "femininity/masculinity" was an entirely artificial construct, and femininity/masculinity was based on reality, i.e. biology.
4-9-09 A Quest for Beauty, Part 1: Beauty is Discovered by Zorba
My wife of 17 years asked, "You’re going to do…. what?"when I told her of my desire to take Bellydance lessons.