The Fez All-star Fundraising Show
Supporting Roxxanne’s Documentary
by Christina “Tinah” Silva
posted August 8, 2013
Located on Sunset Boulevard in legendary Hollywood, The Fez was the first Arabic night club in Los Angeles. During its heyday, The Fez was a popular haunt of celebrities. Jayne Mansfield, Richard Boone, Danny Thomas were just a few who enjoyed the exotic ambience, and most of all, the beautiful belly dancers accompanied by Arabic music.
Lou Shelaby was the owner of The Fez from 1959 until 1971. During that time, Lou Shelaby was not just the owner; he was a musician, but above all, an extremely popular employer among the belly dancers. Many belly dancers began or blossomed in their careers at The Fez; among them were: Feiruz Aram, Jenai Rathor (mother of Ansuya), Antionette Awayshak, Tonya Chianis (mother of Atlantis), Marta Schill Kouzouyan (mother of Jenna Kouzouyan) and Fahtiem. Many of these belly dancers credit Lou Shelaby with their growth as consummate performers and artists. The Fez was also known for Arabic music and even had an album called “Live at the Fez in Hollywood” (Aram). The Fez set a standard of what a Middle Eastern night club should be, and that standard has never again been duplicated. Many of the belly dancers who began their dance careers there went on to become leaders in the Middle Eastern dance community.
On July 14, 2013 Lou Shelaby’s daughter, Roxxanne Shelaby, hosted The Fez Forever Fundraiser at the Barsil Cultural Center and Copoeria Batuque. Roxxanne Shelaby is raising funds to create a documentary about Lou Shelaby, her father, The Fez Nightclub, and the artists who performed there. This documentary is intended to be not only a homage to her father. Roxxanne Shelaby believes this is a part of important Middle Eastern dance history that needs to be documented and preserved.
Although this fundraiser was a casual hafla held at a dance studio, a phenomenal line up of belly dancers agreed to perform. Some were alumni from The Fez, and others were well-known belly dancers. The lineup consisted of Lee Ali, Atlantis, Helen Vlahos, Fahtiem, Anisa, Jillina, Masa, Cory Zamora, Tamra-Henna, Anaheed, Aisha Ali and Sahra Saeeda. To spice things up, there was also the Samba trio Irani and The Sambarinas. Some of the dancers were accompanied by musicians such as violinist Maurice Saba, oudist Rico Orel, percussionist Var Daghevarian and on tabla, Achmend Al Aswar. On the schedule was a brief viewing of a trailer for the documentary and a raffle in which the prizes were vintage photos from The Fez.
When I looked around the packed room, I saw several notable people from different facets of the belly dance community. In attendance were: former owner/editor of Habibi Magazine and dancer Shareen Al Safy, IAMED director Suzy Evans, music producer Dr. Samy Farag, Princess Farhana, as well as Aubre Hill. The Fez alumni present (but not performing) were: Feiruz Aram, Jawaher, and Tonya Chianis, but unfortunately, Antoinette Awayshak and Saadoun Al Bayati were unable to attend.
Prior to the show, the room was full of joy and excitement as many people greeted each other and shared their stories from The Fez. I started belly dancing in 1996, so this was not my era, but listening to these women talk was fascinating! A woman sitting next to me named Vicky Schell shared with me that the first time she saw a belly dancer was at The Fez. In her bag was a copy of the album “Live at The Fez in Hollywood” that she was hoping to have autographed. It was clear that, to these people, this was a timely and important project that Roxxanne Shelaby was undertaking.
When the show began, the room was abuzz with anticipation and excitement. The first performer, Lee Ali, looked as though she had stepped out of one of the vintage photos and delivered a marvelous performance to a medley of Arabic music old favorites. The crowd went wild, and that set the tone for the night; this was a highly enthusiastic, appreciative audience. Atlantis followed wearing a costume that harkened to the glitz of the ‘70s and was a class act! Helen Vlahos had danced at The Fez and looked ageless in a gorgeous blue bedlah, delivering a virtuoso veteran dance performance. Fahtiem, who was one of the last Fez belly dancers, followed, dressed in shades of purple and performed a playful routine with flirty interaction with the audience. Anisa had an infectious smile and danced with baladi sass. Jillina mixed it up with a Tahitian fusion piece followed by her signature drum solo.
During the intermission, Roxxanne Shelaby invited alumnae from The Fez up to the stage area so the crowd could applaud them. At the dimming of the lights, Roxxanne Shelaby presented a segment of her documentary. The documentary was clips of interviews inter-mixed with vintage photos, and it definitely whet the audience’s appetite for more.
The live music segment of the presentation began with the Masa who glowed in bronze and expertly interpreted the music. Cory Zamora and Anaheed could have been mistaken for twins, wearing gold coins and white satin, both bringing their own vintage flavor to the show. Tamra–Henna, costumed in emerald green, seemed like a cool breeze blowing in from the River Nile, and she delivered an elegant performance. Aisha Ali was regal in royal purple, while Sahra Saeeda rounded out the belly dancers, costumed in black and gold and performed her usual, expressive interpretation of the dance. Roxxanne Shelaby then created a pretty tableau with singer Hamid Abouleban to finish out a long (but fabulous) show.
The morning after, many people flooded various social networks and declared this evening had been magical for them. Electricity was nearly palpable in the air during the performances. My takeaway from this evening was the realization that the Middle Eastern dance, a.k.a. belly dance (this mysterious entity to which many of the people in that room had dedicated their lives) is an important cultural and artistic dance form that needs to be documented and preserved for the future! This is Roxxanne Shelaby’s goal.
Maurice Saba, oudist Rico Orel, percussionist Var Daghevarian and on tabla, Achmend Al Aswar.
Dancer in photo at top of page is Tamra-henna
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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. - 11-27-10 A Dancer's Dancer in 1980s Hollywood, Interview with Yasmin
L.A. was heaven for fabrics though. You could find anything you wanted, and if they didn't have it, you could have it made, like the beautiful gold lame' sunburst skirt and veil I had pressed for a costume. - 1-2-10 The Original Mish Mish, The Golden Age of Tinseltown
I was working one evening at Khyams and still doing my old style of dance. I came out for my entrance covered with a veil and right at the beginning of my show, she came up on stage and started peeling my veil off me and threw it on the floor. She shook her finger at me and said in broken English "Lah, this isn't Egyptian!" I was so embarrassed and humiliated I could barely finish. Talk about being intimidated! - 10-29-09 Interview with Jacqueline Lombard, Queen of the Dancers in the Golden Era of Tinseltown
They refused to play dance music or anything you asked for…got to admit, that really taught how to pull off a show & think quick on my feet. You never knew where they were going with the music, & they tried to make you look bad. - 6-10-07 MECDA’s First 30 Years , The Middle Eastern Culture and Dance Association’s Changing Role in our Community
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We are packed tightly shoulder to shoulder, impulsing to the dramatic beat with great solidarity: traditional hand gestures, chest drops, all very serious and trance like. This mood was broken however by a guy at the back of the 200 plus audience, who stood on his chair, raised his beer glass and shouted "The one in the yellooooow…." then actually fell completely backwards like a tree that had just been cut! I hope he was OK! - 9-15-11 Becoming the Object of Your Own Fantasy, Diane Webber and the Perfumes of Araby in the 1970s, Part 3:
In an almost archetypal will to power, Diane encouraged us to utilize our costuming – and our dance – as a way to search out and expand our own unique spirit, fantasy and physique, something I try to continue with my students today: become the object of your own fantasy. - 5-26-00 Interview with Kathryn Ferguson
This was, probably, 1969. After I returned to America, a woman who had been a dancer at the Fez Restaurant in Los Angeles, came to Arizona. Mostly because of my positive memory of the music, I thought I’d like to get involved with the dance. At a nightclub in Los Angeles, I happened to be at a birthday party of a dancer named Antoinette Khoury. There I was in this nightclub! I was just beginning to learn about this dance. - 4-13-09 Recognizing Accomplishment: Atlantis!
I get so excited over the events they are producing, that I have no thoughts about them as dancers. All I think about is the person who is performing or teaching and the merchandise that the venders are selling. I only think of the sponsors as being effective with the business side of Bellydancing. - 10-17-05 How MECDA Began
M.E.C.D.A., (Middle Eastern Culture and Dance Association) is a nationwide organization which began in 1977 for the purpose of organizing working dancers, sharing information between teachers…
Stasha Vlasuk
Aug 19, 2013 - 04:08:41
Great eye-witness review! Wish I had been at this show, I would have loved to have heard the stories. My teacher Diane Weber was also an early Fez dancer, and spoke of performing in the little known “upstairs lounge” at the Fez. It had been sold to Maroon (“Live at the Fez”) Saba by the time I was able to visit, yet it retained the exotic charm. I was grateful to perform at Lou’s next venture, the Cascades supper club in Anaheim, where we featured three dancers each night, and Lou still played with the band on occasion. A wonderful loving man, a fitting tribute, and an exciting documentary upcoming! Congratulations and best wishes to Roxxanne!
Cory Zamora
Sep 6, 2013 - 04:09:09
we all love to be remembered and mentioned Thank you very much for doing so, in THE FEZ review. Wish there were pictures .I wore a hand beaded gold bedlah, and white chiffon, nothing on my head…. thank you again ! It is also nice to see good reading on this style of dance as well!