Coming attractions

You meet the nicest people in the darnedest places... On Thursday I was speaking at the Romance Authors' Tea for the Friends of the Huntington Beach Library, and I had the good fortune of meeting Michelle, a fellow pupil of Angelika Nemeth. She told me about a couple shows coming up that will feature Angelika, as well as other local belly dancers.

At 6:30 p.m. Feb. 28, the "Orchid Dance Show -- A Global Experience" will take place at Orchid Restaurant. The show will feature Angelika, Fahtiem and Lee Ali, and all proceeds will be donated to the relief efforts in Haiti. Tickets are $30 at the door, $25 in advance, and include dinner and the show.

The restaurant is at 3033 S. Bristol St., Costa Mesa, and the phone number is 714-335-7349.

The second show is "World Dance -- A Colorful Celebration of Movement & Ritual" at the Orange Coast College Robert B. Moore Theatre at 7 p.m. May 21.

The show is directed by Angelika and, according to the flier, performances will include classical dances from Southern India, dances from Egypt and Persia, Latin dance styles, African drumming and songs from around the world.

Tickets are $10 for the 7 p.m. performance, and a free concert will be held for schools at 11 a.m. Call 714-432-5967 to register classes.

To buy tickets or for more information, call 714-432-5880 or click here.

Photos from Merry's Halloween Hafla

What a great, great event at Merry's on Saturday. So many wonderful dancers, so much wonderful music. And I think the crowd that gathered on the street to watch the festivities might've set a record for Merry's.

Thank you, Katerina and Merry, for putting together such a terrific Halloween Hafla.

The musicians, from left, Austin Cameron and Ed Lee, and from Kara Nomadica Brett Bowman and Marc Cornelius

The coordinator of the evening, Katerina, led the lineup of dancers.

Ra'eesa (otherwise known as science fiction/fantasy author Leslie Ann Moore) performed a rousing cane dance.

The Om Sisters added some Halloween flair to their tribal fusion.

The members of Troupe Bastet sparkled during their cabaret number.

Tehani performed a belly dance / hula / hip hop fusion piece.

Stasiah lit up the crowd with her balancing act, followed by an energetic Gypsy piece.
We got to see Katerina perform again with her Kabuki Dolls tribal fusion group.

And the star attraction for the night was master instructor and internationally acclaimed performer Fahtiem -- what an amazing opportunity to see this amazing dancer in such a fun and intimate setting.

Update on the Halloween Hafla at Merry's

You aren't going to miss tomorrow's Halloween Hafla at Merry's Fashion with Passion boutique in Long Beach, are you? I didn't think so :-)

And the lineup has grown since my last post (as lineups tend to do...)

Here's the latest:

Katerina
Ra'essa
Sarah al Nour
Om Sisters
Troupe Bastet
Tehani
Stasiah
Kabuki Dolls
and very special guest Fahtiem

And you won't want to miss the Middle Eastern music by Marc Cornelius and Brett Bowan of Kara Nomadica, along with guest musicians Ed Lee and my husband, Austin.

The event will take place from about 5 to about 8, at Merry's (2747 E. Broadway, Long Beach). The music and dancing will get underway about 5:30, and you can bet they'll be drawing a crowd. You should plan to arrive early to avoid the parking crunch and to be sure to get a good spot to see the entertainment...

Cairo...er, MECDA's Belly Dance Carnival this weekend

So I haven't gotten used to the name change yet, but that hasn't stopped me from getting pretty darned excited about this year's event. Sure, MECDA has gone through some major changes this year, but from what I've gathered by talking to people and reading the online discussions (mostly on Tribe.Net), it sounds like the event formerly known as Cairo Carnival is going to run much the same as it has since it moved to the Santa Anita Racetrack from the Glendale Civic Auditorium a few years ago. (Honestly, Rio Hondo College was still my favorite venue. A much kinder drive for those of us coming from Orange County, don't you agree? And what happened to the rumors about moving to the Phoenix Club in Anaheim? But I digress...)

I'll be attending Sunday, which means I'm sad to be missing the Saturday performance of my great friend Katerina and her Kabuki Dolls. Her pieces are always well-staged and entertaining, so if you'll be there Saturday, don't miss her. The schedule has them on the Gypsy Stage somewhere at the later end of the 12:30 to 1:43 p.m. segment.

The acts I'm going to make a point of checking out on Sunday are the Om Sisters, Tsingani, Princess Farhana and Cleopatra's Court on the Gypsy Stage, and Marina, Kassar, Fahtiem, Mesmera, J.J. and the Habibis, Feiruz and the Angelika Nemeth Dance Ensemble on the inside stage. But the thing about me and festivals is, I go with the best intention of watching a bunch of dancing, and somehow I end up spending most of my time trolling the shopping bazaar. So we'll see how well I resist the lure of shiny, jingly things this time...