|
Nabila
Metwali On Tour!
December 24, 2000
Club El Valenciano
San Francisco, CA
Review
by
Bobbie Giarrantana and Susie
Poulelis
Photos
by Susie Poulelis |
|
The
Christmas Eve performance was exceptional, another
fantastic night at El Valenciano! Fadi Hanani and
the Arabian Knights accompanied Nabila during her
nearly two-hour act, the kick-off for a U.S. tour
lasting several months. In Lebanon, she usually performs
with a twenty-two-piece band including two backup
dancers choreographed by Nabila. Such an ensemble
would have been impossible to bring on U.S. tour,
however, so our local Arabian Knights filled in with
Nabila-requested songs and rocked the house. While
her backup dancers are normally choreographed, her
performance that night was somewhat improvised and
spontaneous, owing to a different band and format
than she is accustomed. |
|
Some
say she is the new Nadia Gamal. Dancing since she
was four years old, she is very clear that she performs
Oriental Dance, not belly dance its American cousin.
Although debke is clearly an influence (witnessed
in her last set when she treated the audience to a
cane dance) her style is unmistakably modern, if not
somewhat brazen. |
|
She
explained that the purpose in her dance is to "perform
the art of the body" and describes how each dance
tells a story. She might suddenly drop to her knees
as if praying and then spring up and delight the crowd
with her playful pistol gestures, expressing a woman's
mock frustration with men. Her performance is very
athletic, including high kicks and backbends. |
|
Nabila's
costumes were custom made from her own ideas in Beirut,
and the audience got an eyeful. They were dazzled
by the heavily decorated, jewel-encrusted material.
Baubles, glitter and trinkets swayed with her hips
and vibrated with every expert shimmy. There were
three costume changes throughout the evening starting
with a gorgeous turquoise, changing to fiery orange
then a muted chartreuse. |
|
Her
cane dance in the last set was mesmerizing; she moved
adeptly and used it as a ploy to work the crowd. She
playfully pulled people out of their seats her cane
to dance along with her as the rest off the house
threw money from all directions. Her show was cut
short around 2 am. She was on Las Vegas time and didn't
allow for the fact that in California, clubs have
to close at this time. It appeared as if she could
have lasted hours longer in the spotlight! |
|
This
show was videotaped, intended to air with the Lebanese
Broadcast Corporation and Air Radio Television in
Australia, Africa, the U.S. and the Middle East. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
More lovely photo spreads by Susie Poulelis!
6-16-09 Susie's
Photos from The Belly Dancer of the Year Pageant 2009
As a fish to a shiny object, so am I drawn to a well produced event of glamorous, bedazzled and talented performers of belly dance.
7-28-08 Suhaila in the Phoenix, photos by Susie Poulelis, video by Lynette
June 28, 2008, Brava Theatre in San Francisco, CA Produced by Bellydance Odyssey
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.
6-21-07 The San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival, Weekend Two, photos by Susie Poulelis
Afro-Cuban, Chinese, Peru, Korean, Appalachian, Bolivian, Mexico, Tajikistan, Cambodian,
South Indian, Tahitian
4-14-07 Randa
Kamal in Cairo The Photos of Susie Poulelis
I was fortunate to travel to Cairo on business in April '06,
and managed to take some time to see a few sights and, at least, one dance
performance: Randa Kamal at the Marriot Zamelek's Empress Nightclub
3-22-07 The
Photos of Susie Poulelis, Sunday March 18, 2006, Rakkasah
Festival, Richmond, California
Isabelle shines at 9!
11-9-06 The
Ethnic Dance Festival 2006 Photos by Susie Poulelis Weekend
One - "Time" June 10, 2006
Palace of Fine Arts, San Fransico, CA
|
|
|
|
