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There is no way to truly know “about” me as a dancer unless you know about my teachers, since my dancer self would simply not exist without them. My studies have continued in an unbroken chain to the present, and it is my desire that they will continue until I hang up my beaded bra. This dance is a constant learning process, and my professional experiences go hand-in-hand with my ever-advancing studies.
My first teacher during that hot July of 1990 was Mish-Mish bint Amira, familiarly known as Lettie. A principal dancer with the famed Ibrahim “Bobby” Farrah’s Near East Dance Group, she was an extraordinary technician, and a fantastic dancer in the classical Arabic style. Her movements were performed with the utmost precision and musicality. One of my most prized possessions is a deteriorating VHS tape of Lettie in live performance. She drilled us in proper technique and we got our performance feet wet with annual dance concerts.
A few years later, seeking to expand my knowledge, I discovered Kiara Aneses, a Spanish-Greek dancer who had performed with the famed Jimmy Linardos and the Café Feenjon group, among many others. She reintroduced me to the classic American Cabaret style of bellydance. Veil, double veils, zills and floorwork were required elements with her. An exciting and masterful performer, Kiara initiated me into the mysteries of structuring an entertaining show, and connecting with the audience. She is also the teacher who gently bullied me into my first solo public performance, and subsequently acted as my agent on a wide variety of gigs.
Back on the Arabic front, the graceful and elegant Samara, another Farrah dancer, eventually took over Lettie’s classes. Continuing to teach us a classic Raks Sharki style, Samara also included a great deal of folkloric vocabulary. It was she who first taught us cane work, which would become one of my favorite props. Her beautiful, elaborate and complex choreographies went hand-in-hand with her insistence on our understanding the importance of spatial patterning. Like all of “Bobby’s girls”, Samara treated bellydance as a serious art form, worthy of respect, study, and a lot of hard work. My first solo to live music came during these years, at the famous “Le Figaro Café” in Greenwich Village. Many thanks must be given to Scott Wilson for his deft musicianship and gentle handling of a very nervous dancer!
After several years of instruction with Samara, I began to study with her colleague and friend, the incomparable Jehan Kamal. A truly unique and multi-talented artist, her intensely organic style of dance is absolutely awe-inspiring. Jehan took the foundation I had already developed, and pushed me both to internalize it, and to stretch beyond my perceived limits with it. Thanks also to Jehan my professional career began to flourish as she encouraged me to perform regularly not just in clubs and restaurants, but also in off-off Broadway productions and other exciting and novel venues. As an added bonus, it was in Jehan’s classes that I met Neon, who would later found World Dance New York. It has been my tremendous good fortune to have appeared in a number of DVDs produced by WorldDance, and my gratitude to both Neon and Jehan is immense.
Elsa Leandros, who took over classes at Jehan’s studio, became my next regular teacher. Elsa combined a mastery of both bellydance and flamenco, along with significant studies in east Indian, and Latin American dance forms. She is an incredible zill player with an absolutely vast vocabulary of dance movement. Her diversity makes her extremely adept at working with unusual and alternative types of music in additional to the classical forms. It was Elsa who coached me for the East Coast Classic bellydance competition in 2004, and I feel she deserves much of the credit for my 2nd place finish in the Grand Champion category that year.
Currently, it is my privilege to study with Gamila El Masri, and to perform as one of her Nileside Dancers. Another superbly organic and musical dancer, Gamila exudes the very essence of rich, relaxed, effortless, Raks Sharki style. Her knowledge of the dance, both from a musical perspective and from an academic/historical perspective, is seemingly limitless. Simultaneously, and again satisfying my passion for American Cabaret bellydance, I am also studying with the fabulous Rayhana. Her languid, sensuous style is highlighted by the exquisite artistry of her floorwork. A captivating performer she is also a very patient and thorough instructor. Special thanks must a lso go to Rayhana because it was she who encouraged me to teach my first class, and it is also she who arranged my initial audition at the famed “Cedars of Lebanon”, which led to an ongoing gig at that most prestigious venue.
So many teachers and so little time! In addition to my long-term mentors noted above, I must make special mention of several other outstanding instructors. The fiery and dynamic Reyna Alcala took over Samara’s classes for one summer and completely challenged us all as dancers. “Don’t TRY to do it, just DO it!” was her motto. The wonderful Phaedra, Ibrahim Farrah’s cherished partner, has graciously tried to imbue me with her queenly presence and down-home, earthy hips in both private lessons and workshops. Yasmeen al Qahiera, a marvelous Egyptian-style dancer, has shared secrets of her incredible cane handling with me, and provided great opportunities for me to perform to live Arabic music. It was my pleasure to spend about 9 months in group classes with the legendary Serena, trying to assimilate her charmingly coquettish and feminine style. Most recently I have been eagerly attending regular workshops with another legend, the ageless Anahid Sofian, who keeps classic Turkish style bellydance alive and well in NYC.
All of my superb teachers, past and present, are my constant inspiration. I strive to be worthy of them always, whether I am performing classic Raks Sharki, classic American Cabaret or modern alternative styles. Whatever is good in my dancing came from one or more of them, the mistakes are my own. With dancers of this caliber in front of my eyes, is it any wonder that I view bellydance as an art form requiring a lifetime of study?
