Publicity
Releases sent out by Ark 21
5-24-03
Got What it Takes to be a Desert Rose?
Want to tour the country and perform at this year's Lollapalooza festival?
The Bellydance Superstars are looking for you to be a part of their junior
troupe, the Desert Roses, and perform in front of nearly one million people
this summer. If you are under the age of
23 and an exceptional bellydancer, come down to Adam Basma's
dance studio (1551 S. La Cienega, Los Angeles, California- 6 blocks south
of Pico) from 3:30 to 5:30 PM on Sunday, June 1st for an open audition.
Good luck!
"AMERICAN
BELLYDANCER" BEGINS PRODUCTION;
Social and Political Provocateur and Celebrated Music Industry Entrepreneur
Miles Copeland Producing First-Ever Documentary on Bellydancing in the
United States
Los Angeles - (March 17, 2003) - For Miles Copeland, it began with his
Mondo Melodia label - a label that's achieved
phenomenal success in bringing Arabic repertoire to the mainstream. Well
known for his skill in alternative marketing, Copeland decided to use
bellydancers in an effort to augment awareness of Mondo Melodia's music
- and found himself intrigued by the culture, politics, and history of
bellydancing itself. Thus inspired, Copeland brought the
8-member American dance troupe, Bellydance Superstars, to Los Angeles
for two concert appearances. That was in 2002; this year, the Bellydance
Superstars will perform in more than 30 cities nationwide, as well as
participating in Copeland's documentary film, 'American Bellydancer."
"I took on this project for a variety of reasons," Copeland
says in explaining his decision to produce "American Bellydancer."
"The first is that bellydancing is an exotic, sensual art,
and I was absorbed by it. But I was also fascinated by
how bellydance was growing in America -
I wanted to know what was happening in the minds and lives of the dancers,
teachers, and fans. I wanted to know why it was
happening now. The more I learned about bellydancing and its
culture, the more I became interested in it, and 'American Bellydancer'
is an outgrowth of that interest."
"American Bellydancer" explores the rapidly developing world
of the ancient art in the United States. Almost explosive in its growth,
bellydancing has inspired dance troupes, bellydance schools, a thriving
internet community, and a new generation of dancers. Bellydancing
addresses issues of gender politics, religion, spirituality and ethnicity.
Yet it's also a tremendously entertaining art form - which explains why
it has remained vital since its estimated origin in 200 B.C. At
a time of fragile relationships between the US and the Middle East, bellydancing
bridges the cultural and political divide. "It's been a
challenge to bring Middle Eastern music and dance to the U.S. in the current
political environment," Copeland says. "The fact that we've
encountered occasional negatives has been far outweighed by the positives.
Bellydancing is about art, not politics - but in experiencing
the art, you also experience the culture, and that becomes political in
and of itself."
"American Bellydancer" is directed by multiple award-winner
Jon Brandeis, who's worked in various capacities within
the film and TV community. Brandeis' credits include properties developed
for ABC, Bravo, Showtime, Cinemax, VH-1 and MTV, among many others. The
documentary, which began shooting in Puerto Rico and Miami in February,
is everything its name implies: it delves into the world of US
dancers via interviews with teachers, students at all levels, and fans.
It includes footage of dance performances, each distinct and spectacular,
in cities across America. Together, each element combines to provide a
comprehensive view of the evolving American art of bellydance.
"American Bellydancer" will also document Mondo Melodia's
search for the finest bellydancers in America to form the Desert Roses
Arabian Dance Troupe - joining the Bellydance Superstars on a major tour
this summer, as well as the touring troupe for 2004. Initial candidates
will be selected from video submissions and auditions around the country
while shooting "American Bellydancer," with the final bellydancers
chosen after in-person auditions in Los Angeles.
Tape submissions may be sent to Bellydance Superstars 14724 Ventura Blvd.
Penthouse
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403 and must be received by May 24, 2003.
Filming will wrap in July of this year; "American Bellydancer"
is expected to be released in January 2004.
"American Bellydancer" is a Bellydance Superstars Production.
-----Original
Message-----
From: Bellydance Superstars
Subject: The Desert Roses audition email
Hello, my name is Barbara and I work for Miles Copeland and his company, Ark21. We sent out the email on Saturday from BellydanceSuperstars@ ark21.com to publicize our auditions this coming Sunday. In fact, almost all the Bellydance Superstars and Desert Roses are over the age of 25 and we have no intention to disrespect the belly dance community nor are we ignorant to the fact that experience and control comes with maturity. That's why we were age-blind when choosing the star dancers; we wanted the best dancers who could be available for a two-month tour regardless of their ages. The upcoming Lollapalooza Tour is a musical event that caters to a young demographic: it's rock music in all its nuances. The audience witnessing the belly dancers show on stage will be heavily skewed towards 18-yr-olds and we are interested to showcase at least some dancers in the same demographic. The auditions we publicized in the email blast are meant to round out the troupe on the younger end, one or two dancers at most.
Miles had been hearing that some dancers are experiencing negative attitudes because of the association of belly dance with Arab culture and music. Several troupes decided to take all reference to Arabic and the Middle East out of their names. Miles accepted the financially-challenging Lollapalooza in part to help re-create a positive impression to the great aspects of Arab culture--dance and music--and introduce a huge new audience to the art and beauty of Oriental dance. This fall and winter, following Lollapalooza the Bellydance Superstars and Desert Roses will go on to theater venues to perform for people of all ages.
I have sent this email to the same list who received the email titled, "Got What It Takes to be a Desert Rose?" If you still wish to be removed from this list, simply reply as such and you will be removed immediately.
Also
check out Miles Copeland's bio on several sites. his own site has a bio
that is difficult to read but may be worth it if you are interested. http://www.ark21.com/aboutus.htm
His brother's site- http://www.stewartcopeland.it/Miles%20Copeland.htm