Web Magazine for Mid East Performing Arts, online now for 11 years!
14 New Articles on www.gildedserpent.com

• 5-20-11 Iraqi Ra’qisa’s Life in America, North Beach Memories and More! by Samia Nasser
  “When I was watching you dance, I thought I was watching an Egyptian movie!”
• 5-19-11 Walk Like an Egyptian by Amina Goodyear
  Before I learned to "walk like an Egyptian", I wanted to drum like an African! Since my early teens, I had been collecting African drum LPs (as well as conga and bongo drums) and was either dancing like a possessed child or trying to make rhythms happen on drum skins.
• 5-17-11 A Moulid in an Egyptian Village by Nada El Masriya and David Krysco
  After the feast, the traditional Sai’eet (story teller), who could be a man or a woman, started telling stories accompanied by a full traditional orchestra. The entire village enjoyed stories about life, love, religion, and wisdom. Throughout history, the Sai’eet has been the educator, entertainer, and critic of life.
• 5-16-11 Back from Bahrain, Tiny Kingdom’s Riots are Puzzling by Tasha Banat
  Approximately at the same time as the invasions of the French, British, etc. upon the Ottoman Empire the art of Belly dancing was introduced in cabarets of Egypt and Lebanon, as well as Turkey (Istanbul).
• 5-12-11 Get Over It! Soundbyte Bellydance Part Two by Najia Marlyz
  Imagine yourself dancing inside of a huge plastic jug full of gel or detergent. Pull and push your movements through the viscosity with conviction!
• 5-11-11 Moroccan Dreams: My New Festival in Marrakech by Simona Guzman
  There is a mixture of faces in one region. There are so many different cultures that live in harmony –in the same place– that it is difficult to remain indifferent.
• 5-10-11Ana Ra'asa Showcase: Egyptian Bellydance Past & Present by Ahava, photos by Carl and MaShuqa
  My purpose for doing this show was to bring Bellydance to the stage. We have such amazing talent in the Bay Area, and I feel that those dancers deserved a stage to showcase such amazing talent.
• 5-4-11 Raqs Royalty Lights Up Atlanta! Black Orchid Danse, 2010 by Andye, Photos by Jaki Hawthorn
  She turned this modern Maghreb raqs raissa into a belly dance fusion fanatic.
• 5-3-11 Rakkasah West Festival 2011, Saturday, Page 2" J-Z photos by Carl Sermon
  This group of photos is from Saturday, March 12, 2011. Bands in the background include: Vince Delgado and Coralee, The Mediterranean Raqs Band, Pangia, and Al'Azifoon
• 5-2-11 Paula, 2011 Champion of Champions, Belly Dancer of the Universe Competition Interview by Martha Duran
  I do not know exactly what will happen, but I know it’s a beautiful start to present a Dominican dancer to the dance world. One very important thing also is that this award means to me that dreams do come true. I always wanted to be a dancer, and I could never really make it work because my country does not considered it a true profession.
• 4-25-11 You Say Zills, I say Sagat, So What’s the Difference? by Yasmin Henkesh
  Nevertheless, many dancers outside the Middle East still think the only difference between zills and sagat is semantics – “two words for the same instrument.” If you’ve played both – correctly – I doubt you would agree.
• 4-23-11 Sahra gives us a reports on her friends in Cairo since the Jan 25 revolution. Cairo News Video on the Community Kaleidoscope
  Sahra Kent with the help of Roxanne Shelby reports on what she has heard from her friends in Cairo since the protests began less than a month before this interview on February 20, 2011. It was conducted at the Belly Dancer of the Universe Competition in Long Beach, California
• 4-20-11 Hip Hip Hooray for Bellydance Day by Bei and Shabnam
  Bellydance Day was created by Shabnam to inspire, educate and celebrate the beauty of this often misunderstood dance form. The dances presented on August 21, 2010 included Saiidi, Modern Oriental, Egyptian to Fusion.

Reviews

• 4-29-11 A True Arabic Experience, November 2010 Arab Dance Seminar in New York City Workshop Review by Aubre
  His seminar emphasizes the cultural roots and context of this dance form; it is a form that is experiencing a disconnect as more dancers are entering the community through fusion and often not developing an understanding of its historical origins. Each seminar is themed to focus on a variety of elements within the culture, dance, and music of the Arab world.

Community Kaleidoscope
Photos from Raks Madrid 2010
Class photos from Leila Farid's Workshop in San Francisco
Marliza Pons passes
Sahra and Roxanne video interview re status of Cairo & friends since revolution.

New Letters
re:Leila's article about her musicians in Cairo
Re: Marliza Pons passing.

Special Advertising Section

Sharifwear! Best Prices! Top Quality! Made in the USA! Club, Dance Wear, Salsa Wear, Tribal Wear, Salsa Skirts, Tribal Tops, Gypsy skirts, Belly Dance Gear! Made for Divas that dance!  www.sharifwear.com
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Black Orchid Danse presents Najm al Danse Orientale,  Tito, Hayat El Helwa, Sharon Kihara, Nath Keo, and much more, May 26-30, 2011, Peachtree City, GA.    http://www.blackorchiddanse.com/
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Experience Egypt with SAHRA- Journey to Egypt -30 hours of instruction in 4 days in your choice of 3 dates JtE-3 Cairo June 19-24 and JtE-4 Upper Egypt June 24-July 3 are still on! http://www.sahrasaeeda.com/JtETourRegistration.html
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Middle East Camp is now in July.  Come join us in Mendocino Woodlands making music and dance with your favorite teachers including Elizabeth Strong, Sahra Kent, and Jill Parker. July 9-16.  more at www.middleeastcamp.com .
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MASSRAQS Belly Dance Festival: Sept. 9-11, 2011 in Boston, MA. Workshops by Hadia of Canada, Karim Nagi, Katia of Boston, and Meiver; shows; party; and discussion panels.  More info: www.massraqs.com
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RAKS MADRID FESTIVAL July 6-10 SPAIN. Major Arabic Music&Dance Event Mahmoud Reda, Yousry Sharif, Aida Nour, Lubna Emam, Kazafy, Nesma, Egyptian National Orchestra. Ali Khattab, Moddathir Aboul Wafa www.english.raksmadrid.com
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RAKS CRUISE FESTIVAL Mediterranean Sea October  9-16 Holidays and Bellydance Workshops, Shows, Contest, Parties featuring NESMA and OZGEN. Enjoy dancing and visiting Barcelona, Roma, Napoli... SPECIAL RATE UNTIL MAY 31 www.rakscruise.com
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Desert Dance Festival Sept 23-25, 2011, returns to the SES Hall for DDF 2011 with the debut of the Metropolitan Troupe Competition, workshops by Zahra Zuhair and the DDF Extravaganza. www.desertdancefestival.com
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Ozgen teaching in Istanbul! One week belly dancing holiday in Istanbul. Visit this amazing city while learning new figures from Ozgen
Turkish Oriental Dance and Roman Dance Workshops 7-14 Aug Rates starting from €300 orientalistanbul.org/ozgen.asp
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For video clips from Mary Ellen's Middle Eastern Treasures concert April 17, visit MaryEllenDonald.com. (dances by Nanna Candelaria and Rasa Vitale) Also visit BerkeleyWorldMusic.org for detail about the June 4 free music festival.
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Volunteer!~^^^^^^^^^^^<>~ Write! ~^^^^^^^^^^<>~ Advertise! ~^^^^^^<>~
Keep the Snake Alive! 2010 is the year to take out an ad on Gilded Serpent! Contact editor
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above advertised events in chronological order

• May 26-30- Black Orchid Fest in Georgia
• June 4 -Free Music Festival in Berkeley
• June 24-July 3 - Sahra in Cairo
• July 6-10 Raks Madrid in Spain
• July 9-16 Middle East Camp- Mendocino Woodlands
• Aug 7-14 Ozgen teaching in Istanbul
• Sept 9-11MassRags in Boston
• Sept 23-25 Desert Dance Festival, Santa Clara
• Oct 9-16 Raks Cruise on the Mediterranean!
  

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