December 31, 2004

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Palo Alto Online

Bring on the bellies

by Molly Tanenbaum

Princess Farhana wears a tiara in her driver's license photo.

Though she may not be a true blue-blood, Farhana is a self-proclaimed diva who relishes the "royal" title. The Hollywood belly-dance star, who has appeared in music videos for Madonna and Ricky Martin, and at private parties for celebrities, will make her Palo Alto debut next Saturday at the largest belly-dance show in the Bay Area.

The title of the show, "Dimensions in Dance," is fitting: performances will include belly dancing styles such as American Cabaret, American Tribal, Egyptian, Turkish, Folkloric, Raks Gothique and Fusion.

Onlookers can expect to see a wide variety of costumes and movements and leave with a more complex understanding of belly dance, rather than thinking of it as a "scandalous, burlesque, stripper phenomenon," according to Dawn Devine Brown, President-elect of the Bay Area chapter of MECDA (Middle Eastern Culture and Dance Association).

Farhana agrees.

"A lot of Americans have completely the wrong idea of belly dancing. They think it's all racy and vulgar and don't realize its complexities or its beauty or that in the Arab world it's mainly by and for women," she explained.

Some performances will present Middle Eastern dances with an Egyptian influence, others will highlight American styles, and still others will display a fusion of music and dance styles, such as Middle Eastern mixed with hip-hop or Bollywood. Each style has its own unique influences, music and costumes.

American Tribal style, for example, is a group dance that was invented in the Bay Area, with heavy influences from Burning Man. Dancers wear old-fashioned costumes and integrate fire, modern music, juggling, balancing and magic into the act. Performers Ultra Gypsy and Lotus will demonstrate different versions of this style.

Tempest will perform the Raks Gothique, or Goth style of belly dance. Goth is a new, dark form of belly dance inspired by Theda Bara and other vintage influences from the '20s and '30s, as well as modern industrial influences: "Victorian meets 'The Matrix,'" as Tempest put it.

"It tends to be a lot more slow and fluid. I like to say it's dramatic, embodied storytelling," she explained.

"This particular style is going to be a lot more pulling from the 1920s, pulling from the romantic, flapper style. It will start out with black but as we move into a second piece, will go from dark and solemn to very bright," Tempest said, likening the piece to watching a black-and-white movie, in which the viewer is so engrossed they don't realize the lack of color.

Her piece, entitled "Homage," will be a tribute to Ruth St. Denis, who "always told a story with her dance," according to Tempest. "She's pretty much responsible for the entire modern dance movement."

Another highlight, according to Brown, will be "the act that gets the tongues waggling," the male belly dancer, Jim Boz, a six-foot-two, bald body builder from San Diego.

While male belly dancers are rare, they are becoming increasingly more common, according to Boz, who began dancing as a "tongue-in-cheek way to get into shape." Now, Boz organizes all-male belly dance shows to promote awareness of male belly dance.

Male belly dance movements do not differ greatly from those of female dancers.

"I prefer to oversimplify and describe belly dance as 'a different culture's way [of] expressing themselves physically to the music.' Men move their hips and sway and use arm movements to dance," Boz explained. "The biggest differences are usually interpreted as 'what looks better on your body.' Women do that already with the dance."

Other performers, many of whom are award-winning dancers, scholars and experts include Amina and the Aswan Dancers; Setareh; Sirens In Sanity; Monica; Rose, Ghanima Gadjitana and Jordan Dancer; Lu Lu; Shoshanna; Lotus; and former Palo Alto Adult School belly dance instructor, Izora.

In addition to the diversity of dance styles, viewers will also see a mix of body types.

"You don't need the perfect body to belly dance," said Nashwa Ahlam, a Menlo Park-based instructor.. "Some of the best belly dancers are not small model sizes. There are quite a few larger-sized belly dancers. I think that's what's interesting about the dance. You're seeing these movements on different bodies and that's what provides the interest, that's what makes their moves unique.

"When I first signed up for belly dance classes it said 'at any weight or age,' Ahlam said. "When I went to the class, I really found that was true. It's really a celebration of our bodies and what we can do with them."

In addition to her 15 years of dance experience, Farhana has taught belly dance lessons in Hollywood for eight years.

"Teaching has taught me a lot about dancing, and I have a lot of students who have turned professional and that's insanely gratifying," Farhana said.

Farhana will teach two afternoon workshops prior to the show, an added bonus to this year's event because Farhana has never before taught in the Bay Area. With "Extreme Taqsim," students will learn slow movements, belly rolls and "the basics of how to do those crazy (stomach) undulations," according to Farhana. In "Luscious Layers," Farhana will teach students how to "layer" multiple movements and to "move all the zip codes of the human body at one time."

Farhana tailors the workshops to classes of mixed levels, from beginners to professional dancers. Not only are novices welcome, but they will also feel good about their progress by the end of the workshops.

"It's kind to beginners and there are things you can master immediately that will make you feel like it's not hopeless. You'll be able to get the basics down fairly early," Farhana said.

Farhana recommends belly dance as "the next yoga," for exercise and a self-esteem boost.

"What it does to your body is gorgeous," she explained. "It tones your entire body and gives you Wonder Woman-like quads. It makes your arms really cut and beautiful and gives you a nice rippling from the shoulders to the biceps. I've seen some of my students come in with a body-image problem or a self-esteem problem and it's like magic."

"There's got to be a reason it's stuck around for a few thousand years!"

And now, the oldest dance known to man is seeing a new surge in popularity, which Middle Eastern Culture and Dance Association (MECDA) members view as especially compelling, given current attitudes toward the Middle East.

"It's really interesting that, considering current racial issues and the unfortunate fear of all things Middle Eastern, there is this huge resurgence of interest in belly dance that we haven't seen in years," Ahlam said. "Performers from Shakira to Beyonce to Britney Spears are all using Middle Eastern-inspired music or dance moves. It's amazing that there is this dichotomy of fear and interest in the Middle East right now."

"Dimensions in Dance," is organized by the San Francisco Bay Area chapter of MECDA and will take place at the Cubberley Community Center Theater. Editorial Intern Molly Tanenbaum can be e-mailed at mtanenbaum@paweekly.com.

What: "Dimensions in Dance," a day of belly dance workshops and an evening gala show. Space in the workshops is limited; early registration is a must.

Where: Cubberley Community Center Theater, 4000 Middlefield Road in Palo Alto.

When: Saturday, Jan. 8. Workshops will be held from noon to 5 p.m.; the gala show will take place from 8 until 10 p.m.

Cost: Tickets to the show are $20. The cost of both workshops and the show is $80. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Next Door: Community Solutions for Domestic Violence, a non-profit organization in Santa Clara County.

Info: For more details and online registration, visit www.sfbamecda.com or e-mail info@sfbamecda.org.
For Information on belly dance classes in Palo Alto, contact Yolanda at the Palo Alto Adult School. Classes are held Tuesdays from 7 to 8:30 p.m. and begin Jan. 4. Cost is $45 for five weeks. For more information call (650) 329-3752 or visit http://www.paadultschool.org/html/main.html.
For Information on belly dance classes in Menlo Park and Atherton, contact Nashwa Ahlam at Sequoia Adult School. Classes are held Mondays from 7:30 to 9 p.m. and begin Jan. 10. Cost is $50 for eight weeks. For more information call (650) 306-8866 or visit http://www.adultschool.seq.org.

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