Once Upon A Time: A Gypsy's Tale

Ethnic folk music and dance will come alive Sunday, March 18, as local performance companies come together to present an enchanting variety of entertainment at Once Upon A Time: A Gypsy's Tale.

The full-scale show, which will begin at 2 p.m., is presented by the Music & Arts Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Long Beach and produced by veteran Shimmy Showcase coordinator Saviya. Performers include Katerina & the Kabuki Dolls, JJ & the Habibis, Saviya with Tribe Roman Morga, as well as live music by Saf Mavi.

Admission is $15 for adults and free for children younger than 10. Tickets may be reserved by emailing Assistant Director of Music Douglas Law at twinkleUmusic@yahoo.com. The church is at 5450 East Atherton St., Long Beach, CA 90815. (562) 597-8445.

Shimmy Showcase is back!

I know, it's not exactly news to many who love Shimmy Showcase that those clever organizers have found a new home for their weekly belly dance gathering at Viento y Agua Coffee House (4007 East 4th Street, Long Beach). It was announced about a month ago, but I've been writing my brains out for NaNoWriMo for the past month and am just now coming up for air. (Yes, I did make it to 50K words, thank you for asking!) If you aren't familiar with NaNoWriMo (short for National Novel Writing Month), you can find out more about this craziness here. But you're probably more interested in who will be dancing at Shimmy Showcase, right? I thought so...

This Sunday, starting at 5:30 p.m., Abraiha will present Tahma, IrinaXara, Nadirah, Jade, and May.

On Dec. 11, my good friend Katerina will present a program that includes live traditional Turkish and Sufi music by Saf Mavi. The featured dancers will be Katerina & the Kabuki Dolls, Strawberry Butterfly, Akasha Star, Sarah al Nour, Taji, Lee Ali and Marguerite.

Enjoy!

Shimmy Showcase, RIP

Katerina called last night with the sad news that her special Shimmy Showcase planned for Sunday evening would not be taking place because iCandy was closing. I know, I could hardly believe it myself. Local belly dancers and fans of belly dance have been so fortunate for so many years to have the weekly Shimmy Showcase at the coffeehouse formerly known as Coffee Haven (1708 E. Broadway).

It seems every dancer in Southern California has performed there at one time or another. For the past nine years, under the nurturing care of its team of showcase coordinators, it has been a welcoming and friendly environment for new dancers; a casual, no-fuss venue for veteran dancers; a stage for experimental and innovative interpretations of belly dance; and a place where anybody with the desire could enjoy a few hours of Middle Eastern-inspired dance and music.

In an email, showcase's administrator Xandra said that while upcoming shows have been canceled, the coordinators will work to find a replacement venue and would welcome any leads. You can reach her at shimmyshowcase@gmail.com.

You also might want to check the group's blog for updates: http://shimmyshowcase.blogspot.com.

Photo: Katerina performing at Shimmy Showcase in March 2009.

Katerina's BDay Bash at Merry's

A great crowd gathered at Merry's Fashion with Passion boutique to help Katerina celebrate her birthday. Here are a few pics of the scene:

Saf Mavi (from right, Marc Cornelius, Roy, Ed Lee and Craig) with guest musician, master drummer Donavon Lerman

Reina started things off with her fun cabaret number




Hiromi performed a lovely gypsy routine



Hatari Uzuri (gorgeous dancer and gorgeous Melodia dance pants!)




And our hostess, Katerina, with her Kabuki Dolls.

Here's a video of their performance:

Katerina and the Kabuki Dolls from DeAnna Cameron on Vimeo.

That's it for now...
gotta get to belly dance class :-)

Pics from the Ren Fair

I missed the fair last year, but it seemed to me that there are a lot -- a lot -- more belly dance-type costumes roaming around this year. And there were new troupes (but many familiar faces) dancing at the Trader's Market stage.

The musicians of Baba Ku (including Gorkem Somer, far right, and Ed Lee beside him)

Baba Ku dancers and musicians

Baba Ku dancers and musicians

Baba Ku dancers and musicians

Bey Abi dancers and musicians (Yes, that's Sooz dancing far left)

Bey Abi dancers and musicians

Bey Abi dancers and musicians

Hanging out with Long Beach-based dancer Katerina

My baby belly dancer's first faire! (Yes, we're pretty proud parents...)

Pics from Sunday's World March for Peace and Non-violence at Merry's

Sarah al Nour organized United We Shimmy, a great belly dance showcase and fundraiser to support the World March for Peace and Non-violence cause, on Sunday at Merry's in Long Beach. I love going to the events at Merry's (very stroller friendly!) and they just get better and better.

In addition to the silent auction and raffle, there was an amazing lineup of dancers and musicians who donated their time and energy to the cause.

Here's a peek at some of them:

Merry welcomes the crowd

Sarah al Nour says hello

The awesome musicians, from left: Craig, Austin Cameron,

Donavon Lerman, Ed Lee, Marc Cornelius

Camille started off the dancing

Mandala Dance Works' first tribal fusion number

Mandala Dance Works' second tribal fusion number

IrinaXara performed an exciting gypsy number

Sooz (who was an excellent mistress of ceremonies

throughout the event) performed with her amazing

ATS troupe, Azuluna

Edenia proved once again she is the pop and lock queen


The awesome Katerina dancing to live music





The Om Sisters join Katerina (or Katerina joins the Om Sisters)
for some tribal improv

JJ and the Habibis raq it out

Rene performed a beautiful Egyptian number

The Om Sisters did themselves up hippy style to close the event

with a tribal fusion piece set to a 1960s medley.

Yes, they are just that awesome.

There were more wonderful dancers, but I didn't get a chance to snap their picture cuz I was starting my Christmas shopping early, buying raffle tickets, getting a henna tattoo (see below) and just generally socializing while trying to keep a sleepy baby quiet.

For more (and better!) pics, though, you should check out what Richard Lowe has over 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...

Merry's Halloween Hafla on Oct. 24

Mark your calendar: Merry's Fashion with Passion boutique in Long Beach will be hosting a Halloween Hafla on Saturday, Oct. 24.

Coordinated by Katerina, the event will feature live Middle Eastern music by Marc Cornelius and Brett Bowan of Kara Nomadica, along with other special guests.

And, of course there will be some outstanding dancing. Here's the lineup:

*Om Sisters
*Saviya
*Sarah al Nour
*Ra'eesa (who in her other life is the talented writer Leslie Ann Moore, author of the Griffin's Daughter Trilogy)
*Katerina and the Kabuki Dolls

... and (drum roll, please)

* a special guest performance by master performer and instructor Fahtiem.

The event will take place from about 5 to about 8, and you can find Merry's at 2747 E. Broadway, Long Beach. (You can't miss it -- Henry the camel is always out front.)

Yeah, you can't miss this one. I know I won't.

Photos from THE BELLY DANCER Book Release Party & Benefit

Is there any other way to celebrate a book about belly dancing than with a night filled with belly dancing and belly dancers? I think not.

We had dancers, lots and lots of dancers, as well as drummers, belly dance costume models and even pirates! (Oh yeah, and some of them were even extras in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies).

We owe a huge debt of gratitude to Merry's Fashion with Passion boutique in Long Beach for allowing us to take over her store (and her sidewalk, and her alley, and the street in front of her shop...) on Saturday night to throw this party for our friends, family and folks who wanted to get their own signed copy of THE BELLY DANCER.


We had a phenomenal turnout -- at least 200 people at one point packed the store and back patio, where the guys from Hana Lima Industries set up the most amazing Moroccan tent. The crowd was so thick, it spilled out onto the sidewalk and street. My husband says he watched as the traffic on Broadway had to maneuver around the crowd, and at one point a city bus slowed down to a crawl so the driver and passengers could get a good look at the dancing and drumming taking place on the sidewalk.

We sold out of the books that Laguna Beach Books so kindly provided!

The event was such a wonderful success because of all the help and support from so many people.

The dancers: Katerina, Sarah al Nour, Enala, Sooz & her troupe Azuluna & the Om Sisters!

The musicians: Ed Lee, Donavon, Austin Cameron, Marc, and their friends


Andrea Farese of Stellar Advantage for providing the belly dance costumes for the fashion show.


Rachel from O.C. Bellydance Connection for taking great photos!

And of course, my parents, who kept my 9-week-old daughter fed, dry and entertained during the madness, and my dear friends Alane & Diane, who were the first to arrive and the last to leave, and stepped in to help me fix all the little problems that popped up throughout the night.


Honestly, I can't thank everyone enough. You're the best :-)

(Photos courtesy of Rachel of OC Bellydance Connection)