The Third Annual San Jose Showcase for Gothic Dance
Lumen Obscura, April 5-6, 2013, Hoover Theater, San Jose, California
photos by Alisha Westerfeld
Here are some of my favorites from both the Mayhem Matinee (afternoon show) and the Shiver N Shake Showcase (evening show).
"Lumen Obscura is a NorCal annual Dark Fusion & Theatrical belly dance event that showcases some of the best in the genre". Produced by Deidre Anaid.
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Nahaash Raqs
Ego Umbra
Ariellah
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- 3-5-12 High Concept – High Style “Dangerous Beauties”, February 18, 2012, A Show Review
The entire production was moody, dark and intense; just the way a Dangerous Beauty would like it. - 4-18-11 Fashion Trend Report 2011 What’s New This Year at Rakkasah?
What I noticed, first and foremost, was not the costuming, but rather, a change in the sellers themselves. The seller demographic has radically altered, creating a new vendor landscape. Without a doubt, this is a response to the on-going sluggish economy and the need for companies to reduce expenses. The reduction in costumes and products coming out of Egypt also affected the merchandise. Many small factories had a gap in production, and shipping has become even more problematic. - 5-30-08 Welcome to the Gothla! Dancing Along the Sulk Road Review of 3 DVDs
The costumes are fabulous. It’s almost like—who needs all that dance technique if you’re wearing an enormous leather headdress that makes you look like an alien refugee from Star Wars? Tempest’s approach in particular is a painterly one, not surprising from a student of the Rhode Island School of Design. - 10-25-04 "The First Tribal Cafe"
It was the first all tribal belly dance event sponsored by MECDA IE and took place on August 21st, 2004 in Montclair, California. - 5-24-04 "Dancing Darkly"
This may come as a shock to many, but Gothic Belly Dance isn’t really a new phenomenon, and it’s not just centered in California. First of all, it’s simply a merger of two entities that go well together, like peanut butter and chocolate. - 9-17-12 Goth Fantastique, Fantasy Bellydance: Magic DVD" by World Dance New York
This DVD is a good choice for dancers who are more into ritual, sacred, experimental, and related fusion forms of belly dance. - 7-27-06 Shades of Goth Fall Upon Belly Dance Gothic Bellydance: The Darker Side of Fusion DVD
Produced by WorldDance New York. "There have been heated discussions on several Belly dance forums about this DVD…" - 3-14-07 Morgana’s Animal Magnetism, Interview with Morgana of Madrid
After seeing Morgana’s Serpent Dance, where she embodies the personality of the serpent, I was hooked. Any snake lovers or snake dancers will have a special appreciation for this piece. - 2-26-11 Not So Steam punk Belly Dance
Since Tribal Fusion is also easily accessible, there have been dancers who begin performing and calling themselves professional when really they are just hobbyists. A professional belly dancer would never label her dance genre based on an aesthetic. - 12-14-10 Tribal Fusion: An Evolving Dance Form
The biggest contrast between ATS and Tribal Fusion was that improvisation was the basis for ATS while Tribal Fusion, at least in its earliest phase, had a strong emphasis in choreography. This allowed Jill Parker to play around with musicality and to explore musical genres that were appealing to her. - 11-3-10 An Intro to Tribal Fusion
Since Tribal Fusion Belly Dance is a relatively new dance form, it is especially important to treat the genre with a level of professionalism, or else one runs the risk of discrediting the work of dancers who have dedicated their lives to creating and elevating Tribal Fusion Belly Dance. - 4-4-2013 Old Scholl Stardom Shines in a New Land, Tito’s First Visit to Taiwan
No matter how much splendor and glamor is presented on stage, bellydance should always preserve the fundamental spirit and vision of the culture. So he prefers to create a homey atmosphere to remind the audience that dancing and singing at a family gathering is also an essential feature of Middle East performance arts. - 3-28-13 Is the Bedlah from Hollywood?, The Origin of Our Costume
As long as I can remember, the origins of the bedlah (the two piece costume of Middle Eastern dancers) has been widely controversial and debated among the artists of Raqs Sharqi (belly dance). The dance itself, along with the costume, has gone through many centuries of changes and name identifications in accord with period fashion as well as contact with outside influences. - 3-26-13 Southern Cal’s “Shira” Reminisces Dancing in Los Angeles Nightclubs in the ‘70s and ‘80s
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, along with the multiple Arabic clubs in Hollywood, there was also a thriving Greek, Armenian and Persian nightclub presence in the Los Angeles area. Shira (Jane Padgett) was a popular dancer in those clubs and is still a popular working dancer in Southern California. In this business, there are the dancers with a presence in the dance community due to participation in showcases, competitions, teaching and self-promotion,and additionally, there are the "workhorses", those who slogged away at the clubs, entertaining the masses for years and years, flying under the radar. - 3-19-13 Photos from Carnival of Stars 2012, Page 2: A-K
Ahava, Alanna, AMany, Amina, Andrea, Annette, Aswan Dancers, Atlantis, Black Diamond, Badia, Basinah, Birute, Cathy Guthrie, Ciranoush, Cory Zamora, Crystal Silmi Dance Co… - 3-13-13 The Search for El Dorado…in Cairo
The name “El Dorado” conjures up images of a fruitless quest for an unattainable, even mythical, goal. The El Dorado in this discussion, however, is neither myth nor fantasy. El Dorado was a sala or café chantant, an entertainment hall, located in the heart of Cairo’s Ezbekiyah entertainment district. - 3-12-13 Photos from Carnival of Stars 2012, Page 1: L-Z
56 goergeous photos! …Latifa, Linah, Lulu, LUna, Mahsati, Malia, MaShuqa, Melina, Migracia, Monica, Mystique, Maiya, Namira, Nancy, Nanna, Natika, Nisima, Nyla, Parri, Princess Farhana….
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