{"id":2109,"date":"2010-11-17T11:35:28","date_gmt":"2010-11-17T18:35:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/?p=2109"},"modified":"2011-06-26T17:45:34","modified_gmt":"2011-06-27T00:45:34","slug":"stasha-queen-concert-1977","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/2010\/11\/17\/stasha-queen-concert-1977\/","title":{"rendered":"We Will Rak You"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"publicity\"<\/p>\n

My Dance Experience with Queen<\/h2>\n

by Stasha Vlasuk<\/a>
\nOriginal concert photos by Barry Levine
\nSome photos link to enlargements
\nposted November 17, 2010<\/span><\/h3>\n

\"Cover\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019ll admit I wasn\u2019t too familiar with the music of the British rock group Queen<\/span>.\u00a0 The year was 1977, the month of December, in Los Angeles.\u00a0 I was invited to perform at a dinner party where Queen, in Los Angeles for several concerts, was the guest of honor.\u00a0 The job came to me through Dianne Webber<\/span>: my teacher since 1974 and the director of the dance company I performed with, the Perfumes of Araby<\/span>.<\/p>\n

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\"Perfumes<\/a><\/p>\n

The Perfumes repertoire included specialties like candle dance, snake and sword dances as well as folk dances of North Africa, Turkey, Armenia, Syria and Lebanon, with a cabaret style solo dance at the end (from late 1977 through \u201879, that was me).\u00a0 This job offer was for a six girl dance team including myself , Jane Padgett<\/span> and Denise Russo<\/span>.<\/p>\n

\"Dianne<\/a><\/span><\/a>
\n\"Denise<\/a><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Clockwise- #1-Stasha and Dianne Webber in 1974, #2-One of Dianne Webber’s promo photos
\n#3-Denise Russo left, and Jane Padgett right, #4- Stasha<\/h6>\n

Dianne encouraged Jane, one of our snake dancers, in this: her first private party booking experience.\u00a0 Jane selected the Armenian folk dance Sebastia Var<\/em>, a Turkish 9\/8, a Lebanese Debke<\/em>, a snake dance, and my solo.\u00a0 One of Jane\u2019s recollections of the musicians is charmingly hilarious:\u00a0 <\/p>\n

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"I hired Arshag<\/span> (Chookoorian, drums<\/em>) and Jeff<\/span> (Hovsepian, oud<\/em>) from Haji Babas<\/span> (Armenian Restaurant Los Angeles, CA<\/em>).\u00a0 …I had a problem because I was doing a snake dance in that show, and Jeff is scared of snakes!\u00a0 I had to beg him to do that show for us! And he made me promise to tip him off before that number, so he could turn his head away during that song and not look at the snake!\u00a0 He did turn away and look backstage the entire time I was on with the snake.\u00a0 But I spent the entire dance trying to get Jeff to look, without anybody in the audience realizing what I was doing!\u00a0 I remember that Arshag was trying not to laugh!" <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Although I don\u2019t remember the venue location, I do remember the spacious banquet room: it had a dark wood bar on the far side and over by the dining tables it even featured a small raised stage that we happily used.\u00a0 After the performance as I was getting a drink of water at the bar, one of the British guests left the group and approached me to chat.\u00a0 As we exchanged pleasantries, I remarked that the party was for the rock group Queen.\u00a0 Smiling, he pointed out several of the guests: \u201cWell that\u2019s the singer, and that guy\u2019s the bass player.\u00a0 The tall guy\u2019s the guitar player – and I\u2019m the drummer!\u201d\u00a0 (Freddie Mercury, John Deacon, Brian May<\/span>, and Roger Taylor<\/span>)<\/p>\n

An invitation to the next evening\u2019s concert included a pass for myself and a guest.\u00a0 I brought my younger brother, an excited fan.\u00a0 It was an spellbinding performance, including all their popular songs in a large stage production with special effects. [top of page]<\/p>\n

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We were kindly included in an after concert dinner.\u00a0 The French restaurant wasn\u2019t exactly happy about entertaining the late and rowdy crowd of about fifteen.\u00a0 When Roger Taylor sent the wine back as unacceptable, the waiter grumbled audibly in French and was surprised by my replying in French that his less-than-delicate remark was overheard and understood.<\/p>\n

I sat across from Freddie Mercury and enjoyed studying his face.\u00a0 With his narrow eyes, high cheek bones and prominent front teeth, he looked very much like many young men in my Persian audience at Kolbeh<\/span> and Andre\u2019s<\/span>.\u00a0 I also performed at several Armenian supper clubs: Michael\u2019s, Haji Baba\u2019s<\/span> and Sayat Nova<\/span>.\u00a0 Like many belly dancers, I had picked up small talk in the languages of the people with whom I worked so I initiated Persian small talk with Freddie.\u00a0 Impressed, he told me that although born in Zanzibar to Persian parents, he grew up in London and didn\u2019t speak Farsi fluently (good thing since neither did I!)\u00a0 Freddie asked if I\u2019d be interested in performing with Queen the next evening (the last show of a long tour) during the encore.\u00a0 As it was almost Christmas, they were planning to have several characters (dancing reindeer and gingerbread-men, Santa, etc.) and I\u2019d fit right in!\u00a0 I extended the opportunity to Jane and Denise, of my dance team from the dinner party, who were happily available.<\/p>\n

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\"review\"<\/a>
\n\"FreddieOn Dec 22, 1977, Jane, Denise and myself met at the concert venue: the Los Angeles Forum.\u00a0 David Brown<\/span>, Queen\u2019s manager, carefully explained when we\u2019d appear and how to get up on the stage, introducing us to the gentleman who would alert us to our show time then lead us to the stage.\u00a0 We relaxed in our own dressing room and waited for our cue.\u00a0 We could hear all the superb music and the wild response of the sold-out crowd; reviews called it one of the best concerts of the year.<\/p>\n

As the encore began, Santa brought a large sack on stage and opened it: no, not toys, it was Freddie!<\/p>\n

He crawled from the sack onto Santa\u2019s shoulders and sang the iconic \u201cWe Will Rock You\u201d.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

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The final song was \u201cSheer Heart Attack\u201d and that was our cue!\u00a0 About a dozen entertainers piled on the stage: clowns, reindeer, and ginger-bread men, while balloons and blow up dolls dropped from the sky onto the audience.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\"Stasha<\/a>As we took to the stage the roar was deafening.\u00a0 It was a thrilling experience to project to an audience of over sixteen thousand.\u00a0 I extended large movements up to the people in the \u201cnose bleed\u201d section, and brought my focus down to the front row – where I saw someone I knew!\u00a0 He was wearing my publicity T shirt, screaming and pointing at me!\u00a0<\/p>\n

After dancing around the stage parameter with the other band members, I joined Freddie front and center and we danced joyfully through the end of the song. <\/p>\n

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\"Freddie\"Freddie<\/p>\n

\u00a0At one point I remember Freddie reaching out to grab me; all you working dancers reading this know: this is not unknown in a live dance performance!\u00a0 Just like my show in a supper club: I did a back-bend flip spin, cleverly eluding his grasp while not losing a beat or my smile.\u00a0 I remember the final chord lasted a long time and I began to spin.\u00a0 That long last chord continued and I continued to spin, tanoura style: losing myself in the experience; this seemed to go on for quite a while!\u00a0 Suddenly it occurred to me that since all the other characters had stopped yet I was still spinning I may be garnering too much attention in a show that wasn\u2019t mine!\u00a0\u00a0 I stopped and bowed to the band … then acknowledged the band to the audience, just like I do at the end of my show in a supper club!\u00a0\u00a0 <\/p>\n

My performance space had always been intimate Middle Eastern supper clubs, weddings and private parties: where the soulful, subtle and articulate movements could be easily seen and a oneness space could be achieved and shared.\u00a0 In this performance for over sixteen thousand, perhaps it was boldness to believe I could reach such a large audience.\u00a0 Yet in that moment, I felt that boldness had power and magic in it.<\/p>\n

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PS: We Will Rak You<\/h1>\n

My Dance Experience with Queen: 30 years later a mystery is solved!<\/h2>\n

by Stasha Vlasuk<\/h3>\n

Who knew that Gilded Serpent’s publishing of this article in November of 2010 would solve a mystery of over 30 years? At that same time, the finishing touches were being placed on an exhibit for 2011 in London commemorating the 40th anniversary of the band Queen, containing extensive art, audio files, visual files, and memorabilia. The exhibit, called “Stormtroopers in Stilettos” was scheduled to run in London February 25 until March 12 before it tours the world. No stone was left unturned to amass the most comprehensive and complete story of Queen’s early years.<\/p>\n

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