Carrara charms the crowd at Marisa's in Trumbull, Connecticut

a) Toilet paper stuck to your shoe on a big date. b) A run in your stockings right before an important job interview. c) You’re around the water cooler with colleagues, quietly quipping about your boss’s bow tie – then Orville Redinbacher himself walks in. d) You’re at your own birthday party and a beautiful woman in an exotic couture costume comes out and performs an engaging and authentic Middle Eastern dance show, getting the guests up to dance.  

One of these things is not like the others. One of these things just doesn’t belong…

My PSA of the day? Life is full of embarrassing situations. Belly dancers shouldn’t be one of them.

Call me a belly dance elitist, but why is it that belly dancers are often hired to for the sole purpose of making grown men squirm? If aliens came to earth in search of “authentic belly dance,” and if they first sent their scaly green tentacles out to American party-planning websites like Gigmasters, they would likely come to the conclusion that belly dancers must be some type of mischeivous sparkle-clowns sent to torture unsuspecting middle-aged Earth Men. Many of the Gigmasters leads that land in my inbox on a daily basis go a little something like this: “My brother-in-law is painfully shy and I know he’ll have my ass on a silver platter if I do this, but I wanted to know if you could torment him a little for his birthday. Maybe sit on his lap, feed him grapes and put a turban on his head.” OK, that’s fine, but where does the actual dancing come in?

Now, before anybody calls me a bellydance buzzkill, 1. I quite enjoy pulling children, women and men (usually in that order!) up to dance with me, and 2. I also don’t believe that birthday parties are exactly the right venue to present high ahhhhhrt. As Shira says, “It’s a party, not an art-y.” But you also can’t spell party without the art-y. So I try to keep some artistic and cultural merit intact, even when dancing at the most casual venues.

Back to our friendly E.T.’s, if they beamed themselves up to big Turkish wedding, they wouldn’t see a whole lot of funny business going on. In the Middle East, there really is no concept of tying a turban around a strange man’s head and feeding him grapes while The Red Elvises’ I Wanna See You Bellydance plays in the background. In fact, most Arabs would probably laugh at me if I suggested doing that at their wedding or anniversary party. When I dance at Arab, Greek and Turkish events, I get everyone up and dancing with me. (Usually, this happens on the guests’ own accord!) But in the spirit of the social dances bellydance came from, these shows are more about creating fun, excitement and authentic ambience on special occasions, rather than doing cliche harem girl schticks or making grown men squirm in their seat.

That’s how I tend to approach audience participation even for mixed American crowds. My presence alone is enough to stir things up! Plus, I have a near-flawless track record of getting the Guest of Honor and their friends up to join me for a quick hip twist or shimmy. If all of the women have had a glass or two of pinot grigio, I may get held hostage on the dance floor. I do, however, draw the line at rubber snakes, jumping out of birthday cakes, feeding fruit to strange men, and forcing shy guests up to dance. Why make people uncomfortable? Why even leave the slightest bit of room for somebody to get the wrong idea about what you do? I’d rather be remembered as “that really entertaining belly dancer” than “that scary glitter-lady who wouldn’t leave us alone.”

As working dancers, we have a slew of stereotypes that work both for and against us. Often, we are hired because we’re glitzy, kitschy, fun and to many people, a little naughty. Whether or not we want to admit this, we all leverage this in our own marketing, to one extent or another. I sure do. But once I get a foot in the door, I like to pleasantly surprise my audiences. If I had a penny for every time a party guest said, “I had no idea there was so much artistry involved in belly dance!” I’d save up enough money to do my mundane errands in couture costumes. Give your customers some credit and for the love of all things sparkly, don’t dumb down your dance.

And to customers who may be reading this, we don’t want you to stop asking us to pull the Birthday Boy and his buddies up to dance. Most of us, including myself, would be more than happy to engage your audiences. But if you only want a belly dancer because you’re hell-bent on sticking it to that special somebody, there are more cost-effective ways to do so. Like bringing up incriminating tales from their wilder college days! Enough said.

Keeping it Classy,

Carrara

This customer request made me chuckle. Telling a belly dancer to be glam is sort of like telling a lawyer to use complex legal jargon. For me, proper stage makeup is par for the course and part of the uniform. My clients don’t want a secretary; they want a glamorous entertainer who evokes opulent fantasies. If I am getting paid good money to show up and sparkle, I had better pull out all the stops.

But then, I had to wonder, had this client seen a show where the belly dancer was wearing inadequate makeup? After all, I have had to beg some of my colleagues to wear false eyelashes.

Of course, there’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all hair and makeup plan that works for every gig. But we should all do a head-to-toe inspection before heading out the door, to make sure we’re ready to wow the crowd. Here are a few key points to watch out for:

• Hair: Glam hair is shiny, neat and polished. Headbands, flowers, velcro-on gems and rhinestone clips are a beautiful touch. Want extra volume and humidity-defying curls without damaging heat tools? Fake hair can be your best friend. Experiment with wigs, 3/4 falls, clip-on bangs, extensions and faux ponytails. My clip-on ponytail has been a godsend for outdoor gigs on sweltering summer days!
• Face: Create a long-lasting flawless finish by using primer, foundation and powder. A quick spritz of rosewater or MyChelle Fruit Enzyme Mist eliminates that caked-on look. Apply a blush generously to add a healthy glow, but avoid those harsh 80’s stripes. Bring powder or blotting papers with you to your gig to keep shine in check.
• Eyebrows: An impeccably shaped brow will frame your entire face. Invest in regular waxing/threading sessions and pluck stray hairs at home. Pencil in your eyebrows for a polished, high-glam look.
• Eyes: Your eyes are one of your most expressive features. So go bold or go home. Think rich, smoldering eyeshadows on the lid, a glossy white/beige highlight on the browbone, and artfully applied eyeliner to add drama. Glitter and AB crystals optional. Watch plenty of Haifa Wehbe music videos for inspiration.
• Eyelashes: If you hate false eyelashes, I’m afraid we can’t be friends! Falsies aren’t just for drag queens and child beauty pageant contestants. They are, perhaps, the most essential component of your “game face” and therefore, something we must all learn to love. Avoid the dense, straight-across fringe-y ones and go for beautiful wispy shapes that wing out at the corners. This will shape and brighten up your eyes.
• Lips: Whether you opt for an opulent burgundy, a racy red or some variation on the “glam nude,” make sure your lipstick is richly pigmented and compliments your costume color and the rest of your makeup. It is a fallacy that you have to wear dark lipstick to every gig – in intimate venues, a rich spice-colored lipliner and a peachy-nude lipgloss (like MAC Lipglass in Purr) can ooze sophistication.
• Body: Shave, wax, or do whatever you’ve gotta do. Moisturize well. Get a Mystic Tan or use a self-tanner if you’d like a bit of color, but stay out of the tanning booths and away from the sun’s damaging UV rays (unless you’re willing to risk melanoma or premature aging). Cover any bruises or blemishes using a transfer-resistant concealer. And shimmer! For a subtle effect, I love Sally Hansen’s Airbrush Shimmer. For a disco ball effect, Lush’s Glitterbug rocks my world.
• Hands and Feet: A mani/pedi is a must, whether you do it yourself or go to the salon. Chipped nail polish, or nail polish that clashes with your costume, won’t fly. Though dancing barefoot is traditional, I’ve been into footwear lately for safety reasons and to help me execute sharper, safer spins and turns. Ballroom shoes can add glamour to any costume and lengthen the leg line. For some awesome tips on picking out footwear, check out Shira’s comprehensive article on costuming your feet.
• Jewelry: You spent a king’s ransom on your costume. And you’re wearing nothing more than your everyday stud earrings and a $5 necklace from Claire’s? It’s time to treat yourself to some nice rhinestone jewelry. Formalwear stores that specialize in bridal and prom dresses are a great place to start.

Conclusion: The wise Princess Farhana once said, “If you don’t look like a hooker, crossed with a clown, crossed with somebody who escaped from the state asylum, you’re not doing your stage makeup right.” Heed her sage advice. Of course, you will look and feel a little overdone, but when it’s time to take the stage, your audiences will think you look like a million bucks.

Without further ado, the belly dance blogger opines.

Perhaps, the most amazing part of Kaya and Sadie’s performance was not their performance itself, but the buzz around it, and the strong feelings the duo has stirred up within the dance community. The AGT thread on Bhuz is 13 pages long and growing. There have been countless threads on Facebook and Twitter. And there appears to be an exact 50-50 split between “If you didn’t love everything about Kaya and Sadie’s performance, and if you didn’t vote for them 40 times, you’re anti-bellydance and you suck,” and “Kaya and Sadie are misrepresenting our ahhhrt, and P.S. – they need a bra fitting.” If you’re like me and refuse to take sides, then that just makes you un-American.

Personally, my stance is more along these lines: Kudos for making a respectable effort to expose our beautiful dance form to a larger mainstream audience. It takes some serious “brass cymbals” to do what you did. But you just didn’t bring it.  

Nothing wrong with rooting for the “home team.” But just because I’m a belly dancer doesn’t mean I’m wowed every time somebody puts on a costume and executes a flawless choreography. While it really was a shame that they didn’t make it to the next qualifying round, I also thought it was too bad that those ladies didn’t mix up their routines to show off their technical chops and versatility. Belly dance is not all about pop-lock-tick-tock precision all the time. That’s an exciting part of our movement vocabulary, and it’s something K&S do masterfully, but it’s not the be-all, end-all of what most belly dancers do. I strongly believe that if they did something just a little bit different – either a slow dance or something folkloric – it could have been enough to keep them in the running. Then again, a mesmerizing taqsim might lack the “wow factor” that the judges were looking for.

This brings me to my next point. Maybe the venue simply didn’t do the dance a justice. Does straight-up belly dance really lend itself to the over-the-top, bing-bam-boom showmanship that seems to be prized on shows like AGT? Bellydance Superstars is the closest thing I can think of to “bellydance that wows,” but even BDSS takes a lot of creative liberties, fusing in Bollywood, Polynesian dance, flamenco, circus tricks and acrobatics to create a spectacle that is and isn’t authentic Middle Eastern dance. Authentic belly dance works in much subtler ways. If the AGT judges or Miles Copeland saw a dancer like Samia Gamal from Egypt’s Golden Age of film, surely they would ask why she wasn’t doing the splits or dangling from a trapeze.

But hey, all picky critique aside, I also think you’ve gotta hand it to those girls for at least making an effort. It must have taken some serious guts to get out there and be critiqued in front of millions of viewers. (And they didn’t even trip or have a choreography brain fart or get their veils stuck on their heads!) Plus, I have never seen a dancer or dance group present Middle Eastern dance in a venue as mainstream as America’s Got Talent – and people are talking. Many of my non-dancer friends even called me to rave about the belly dancers they saw on TV. Heck, even my parents, who are not the biggest fans of my career choice, actually brought up belly dancing in casual conversation yesterday. This has never happened. And I was able to use our conversation as an educational sounding board to tell them what the dance community liked and disliked about their show.

I guess it’s all onwards and upwards from here. Love them our hate them, Kaya and Sadie have drummed up interest in our dance form. So let’s keep working to achieve our personal best and represent the dance with class. And if anybody says, “Oh, do you dance like those girls on America’s Got Talent?” (while mimicking a sharp chest pop), all you have to say is, “Yes, and no.”

Shimmies!

Carrara

While most belly dancers don’t demand tips, we certainly appreciate them. After putting so much hard work into helping you execute the party of your dreams, it feels great to be rewarded for our efforts. Plus, tipping can add fun and authenticity to any show. In many Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cultures, tipping the dancer is said to bring good luck!

There are many acceptable ways to tip a belly dancer – some are discrete, and others are very showy. If you want to reward the beautiful dancer that you hired, but you’re not sure to start, here’s what to do….and what not to do.

If You Want to Be Discrete:

A lot of American audiences don’t tip belly dancers because they don’t know how. Plain and simple. But it’s actually quite easy. Many of my clients will include a gratuity when I collect their payment after my show. Sometimes, audience members will slip me a bill and say “Great job!” as I’m leaving. This is easy! Now are you feeling daring?

The Money Shower:

No, it’s not a game show! Popular among Egyptian and Arab crowds, the money shower is an awesome way to tip a belly dancer. To start a money shower, a guest will approach the dancer and “shower” bills over her head. Other guests may join in. Many dancers love this method because it’s fun and non-invasive.  But be careful! Dollar bills on a hard wood floor can get quite slippery, so it’s best to wait until the end of the dancer’s show to “make it rain.” Here is a great video of a dancer and guest enjoying a money shower.

Tipping in the Costume:

Another popular way to tip a belly dancer is to slip a folded bill into her costume. The dancer may have fun with this, doing shimmies or hip bumps while you attempt to tuck in the tip. In my experience, costume tipping is especially popular among Turkish and Greek crowds. Due to the closer level of contact, it is absolutely imperative to let the dancer take the lead and direct you to the appropriate areas of her costume. Though every dancer has her own personal comfort level, most will accept tips in the side of their belts, or in their armbands or wristbands. Virtually every respectable dancer I know will not accept a tip in the bra cups, or down the front or back of the belt. So for the love of fattoush – don’t even try.

Other Methods:

• Tip Basket: Some dancers will pass around a basket for tips at the end of their show.
• Money Garland: For those who have a little extra time on their hands, here is a cool tutorial on how to make a lei out of $1 bills. This is a far less common way to tip a dancer, but it is quite lovely!
• “Look, Ma! No Hands!” This sounds a bit odd, and I have yet to experience it firsthand, but dancers at Greek venues occasionally report guests licking a bill and sticking it to the dancer’s sweaty forehead.

Tipping Don’ts:

While the tipping traditions I described above are intended to be pure fun, there is such a thing as getting carried away. So when tipping, please don’t do anything that you wouldn’t want your kids, your grandma, your Pastor or your boss to see. These “gentlemen’s club” behaviors include, and are not limited to: stuffing bills down a dancer’s bra, copping a feel (eeewww!), or placing a bill between your teeth or down your sweaty shirt. If you attempt any of the above, the dancer will simply ignore you and refuse the tip – or worse. Belly dancers have an intrinsic flair for humiliating grown men. My friends have been known to put insubordinate tippers in a “time out,” slap them on the wrist, and flick them upside the forehead with a brass finger cymbal. Moral of the story? Behave.

1. Get off my duff and start training in NY again.

2. Learn the Arabic alphabet

3. Retire all my dumbed-down Bellydance Superstars CD’s. Immerse myself in classical Egyptian music.

4. Use props less frequently and more creatively.

5. Go to Manhattan and listen to some good live Arabic music.

6. Watch A Voice Like Egypt, the documentary on Oum Kalthoum. Understand her music and influence.

7. Cultivate a deeper, more intelligent understanding of my music. Dive head first into Arabic music theory.

8. Drill, drill, drill.

9. Go to Aziza’s Birthday Bash, Miami Belly Dance Convention, Rakstar and maybe Las Vegas Belly Dance Intensive. (And try not to spend all of my money on costumes.)

10. Get a well-paying 9-5er as soon as I can. Scale back on performing. Focus on quality of gigs rather than quantity.

11. Beg, borrow and steal to get some good, crystal clear video on my website.

12. Beg, borrow and steal to get some good customer testimonials for my website.

13. Rebrand. Revisit my Ideal Customer Profile.

14. Do some Spring Cleaning on my website.

15. Do less networking of the Web 2.0 variety. Do more networking “IRL.”

16. Scout out time-wasting activities and eliminate them from my daily routine.

17. Break out of my zill pattern comfort zone.

18. Write some articles on professionalism and marketing for Gilded Serpent and Belly Dance New England.

19. Find out what other variety entertainers in Fairfield County are charging – and make a compelling case for belly dancers to re-consider our current pricing strategy.

20. Undersell and overdeliver.

21. Buy a new Bella. (Come on, that’s an attainable goal!)

22. Do the 90-day challenge: 90 hours of practice in 90 days.

23. Learn the maqams.

24. Dust off my old clarinet and play the maqams.

25. Identify specific “pillars” that I lean on. Call in the demolition crew.

26. Bring the love back into my daily practice. Identify strengths, challenges and weaknesses without judgment. Have fun.

27. Avoid scene politics. Thank the Bargain Betties and Coupon Suzies for soaking up the “horror” end of the gig market.

28. Say no.

29. Keep adding more lofty goals ;)

Just the other day, one of my favorite Twitterers @FakeAPStylebook posted the following tidbit of satirical journalistic advice: “Demonstrate your relevance as a commentator by writing long-winded essays on the fact that you don’t know who Lady Gaga is.” It goes without saying that Gaga herself needs no further introduction on my part.

Though I’m not usually one for the usual Top 40 fluff, I’ve always had a something of a hero worship for Lady Gaga. Maybe it’s because I’m happy to see an artsy, kooky, intellectual misfit comme moi take the mainstream by storm. But beyond that, I think many of us in the belly dance world might want to follow Gaga’s lead. After all, it’s not like we’re trying to mainstream an art form that’s a little left-of-center ;)

Here are just a few key bullet points that I’ve discovered about why we love (or possibly, love to hate) Lady Gaga, and how we might apply her successful habits to our own personal branding:

• Dare to Be Different – If Lady Gaga just performed killer dance music with simple-yet-catchy hooks, I’m sure she would still be popular. But her fans are drawn to the entire package – the OTT couture costuming, her affinity for dark, decadent “event” music videos, the way she comports herself with intellect and artistic savvy in interviews. Whether you love her or hate her, she is compelling. What sets you apart from “the pack?”
• Go Ahead! Take a Risk – I wonder what the branding teams for Backstreet Boys, NSync, Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera would have said if Lady Gaga showed up at their office before she made it big. They would probably tell her to ditch the funny wigs, dress in a more accessibly “sexy” way, stop pretending to be a drag queen, and write happy songs about falling in love – and maybe a token ballad about being an independent woman, for good measure. Or they’d just tell her to go home. On this note, don’t be afraid to do things a bit differently from other dancers – whether it’s your website, your photos, your style, or whatever. If objections from your peers come up, remember this sage advice from the brilliant copywriter/artist Hugh MacLeod: “Great ideas alter power balances.” If you do something differently, your peers may have to sit up and re-examine the way they do things. Just two years ago, when I was just beginning to formalize my brand, everybody asked me why I expressed so much interest in doing all my photo shoots on location instead of in a studio, behind a black backdrop, with 3/4 glamour lighting. The rationale was that the only way to get professional-looking promotional pictures is to do it in a studio. Now, a lot of dancers are having fun doing their photos on-location and citing me as inspiration. (Yes, I’m going to give myself at least partial credit for starting this trend). If you believe that something will work, stick to your guns and do it! As long as nobody gets undercut and nobody confuses you with an “adult” entertainer, of course.
• Life is a Runway. Now Work It! Would Lady Gaga hit the red carpet wearing the same Dior gown as Celine Dion? Heck no! Of course, the costume doesn’t make the dancer. And I will probably get a swift kick in the butt for this bullet point. But having an ever-changing rotation of costumes that are uniquely you definitely helps. For me, a Polo-wearing preppy geek girl by day, costumes are the phone booth that enables Clark Kent to become Superman. If you want to make a statement, find a talented local seamstress, buy vintage pieces, or enlist a designer like Istanbul’s darling Bella or L.A.’s own amazing, up-and-coming couturier Eshta Amar who adamantly refuses to replicate their designs. Sell stuff when you get sick of it so you can always bring new goodies in. You don’t even have to spend a lot. (Despite my affinity for $1,000 costumes, I’ve been equally known to hoard $85 eBay specials and repurpose them into my own couture creations). Just buy stuff that makes you feel great. And think twice before ordering a mass-produced costume that every dancer and their cat owns.
• Know When to Play By the Rules and When to Break Them: Despite Lady Gaga’s over-the-top presentation, she has serious vocal chops and her music is universally radio-friendly. Gaga breaks the rules from a visual standpoint, but produces catchy power-pop that makes everyone sing along and get up to dance. As a belly dancer, you don’t have to do a whole lot to be different, because many of your audiences probably have never seen a belly dancer before! And everybody appreciates classic Middle Eastern dance. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of having your own unique marketing style, or being the only tribal fusion dancer in your area, or dressing in contemporary costumes if everyone in your community prefers vintage looks. Always find your own ways to zig when they zag, but never compromise the quality and authenticity of your dance.
• Never Underestimate the Power of a Few Stark-Raving Fans - In a recent awards speech, Lady Gaga said, “This is for God and the gays.” Gaga has always credited her success with her underground popularity among the LGBT community. Her gay and lesbian fans spread the word, and the rest is history. Think back on all of your previous clients and fans. Who would drop your business cards from a helicopter if they could? Who would go to hell and back for you? If you don’t have any stark-raving fans, get crackin’! If you do, what do your fans have in common? Understand their needs and deliver in spades. Be gracious for them. Do everything you can to bring in more people like them. And watch what happens…

 http://www.slate.com/blogs/blogs/thewrongstuff/

I am an American girl who lives, breathes and loves a Middle Eastern art. Like most of my peers who grew up immersed in American music, pop culture and social values, “getting it right” is something that rocks my personal Richter scale. Even American dancers of Middle Eastern heritage still have to contend with proper technique and stage presentation, even if they grew up listening to Oum Kalthoum, watching Samia Gamal movies and belly dancing socially at parties and weddings. We all strive to keep the dance alive.

Of course, there are two parallel yet opposite trends in the dance community now. Fusion is more popular now than ever before, and belly dance is getting mixed with hula, hip hop, flamenco, Bollywood, burlesque and anything else that can be mixed. On the flip side, the “ethnic police” have a more vocal presence on the Internet – anything that’s not Reda is not good enough for them. I’m writing this blog from somewhere in between the two poles.

Personally, this whole idea of authenticity means a lot of things to me, including (but not limited to) recognizing the origins of a particular musical phrase and what movements traditionally accompany that beat or that instrument; learning what different ethnic groups like to see and tailoring your music, dance and costume choices to suit their tastes; watching tons of YouTube clips from dancers of all corners of the globe; getting off your butt and learning the full gamut of styles from a variety of teachers (not just what’s trendy or what you like);  studying folkloric because it’s the root of everything that’s hot today; knowing that it’s NOT all about you and your ahhhhhrt and doing whatever the flip you want; and most importantly, finding room for your own personal niche somewhere in this big crazy labyrinth of rules. Of course, your mileage may vary on this one. But as with every art I’ve studied, be it singing or creative writing, belly dance is about knowing when to play by the rules and when to break them. (Now, I finally know why my voice teacher forced me to sing Italian arias and do Bel Canto exercises against my will – without all that projection, belting out Bohemian Rhapsody on my way to gigs wouldn’t be nearly as fun!)

Of course, conversations on forums such as Bhuz can get downright excruciating when it comes to matters of Good Authentic Dancing (TM). Same goes for YouTube. Pull up a clip of Tulay Karaca for your own learning and enjoyment, and you’ll see a 13-page debate on whether the Turks or the Egyptians “invented” belly dance, and why one style is better than the other. I’ve studied with Egyptian instructors who have outright slammed “those scantily clad Turkish girls,” and seen some nasty backlash against American Tribal Style and tribal fusion in recent years.

Not surprisingly, nobody has reached a consensus. You’d have just as much luck finding out the Meaning of Life in a chat room, or searching Craigslist for a lead on who created the universe. Plus, I’d hazard a guess that the answer lies within.

The one quote from Bourdain’s interview that hit home for me was, “We would never have had Jimi Hendrix if he’d stuck to the right way to play guitar.” Ironically, I doubt we’d have Randa Kamel, Soraia Zaied, or Dina if they stayed awake through Egyptian Belly Dance 101. Randa’s too athletic and kicky, not really “subtle” by Samia standards. Soraia mixes little samba booty pops into some of her drum solos (evil fusionista!). And nobody does the drunken stagger and butt waggle quite like Dina. On the flipside, Turkish dancers Didem and Princess Banu have dabbled in Egyptian. They don’t overthink what they’re doing. They just dance.

While you can find commonalities from one regional style to the next, and while certain parameters do exist, individuality always prevails. Just as Americans are not generic, the same holds true for Egyptians, Turks, Syrians, Lebanese. Every individual dancer’s style is the result of her training, personality, body type and preferences. Every performance is infused with that dancer’s emotion, the energy of her audience, and a million intangibles that can’t be replicated from one set to the next. Anybody can do an Egyptian choreography in a Lycra costume and pass as somebody who’s versed in the style. Same goes for Turkish, ATS, cabaret, or any specific style. But to drum up your feelings, put it all into a universal language that brings pleasure to an audience, AND to make it look good? It’s nothing short of an X-factor. And that’s in the individual, not in the paradigm.

As for mixing different styles? We can’t forget that own American dance heritage was largely shaped by an entire generation of old-school dancers who were, by today’s standards, just “wrong.” In a class with Aszmara, who came of age as a dancer during the hey day of New York’s Arab nightclubs, I learned that previous generations of dancers had to learn a veritable goulash of different styles to stay on top of the eclectic musicians who would play for them. When you’re working at the whims of a Lebanese singer, a Turkish clarinetist, a Greek oud player and an Egyptian drummer, you have no choice but to be versatile. In today’s age of recorded music, we can afford to be by-the-books and uber-specialized. As for me, you can just call me old-school, I guess. I see the merit in learning all styles. And while I wouldn’t dance crunchy saidi at an American 50th birthday party, or fudge my way through Bollywood fusion with no background in Bollywood, I will wear a Turkish costume while dancing to an Egyptian song ;)

I’m sure I’ve ranted enough today. But how do you guys keep it real? And what do you think of Anthony Bourdain’s article?

Carrara

Since 9 out of 10 people don’t know what koshari is, I’d like to think of it as Egypt’s answer to Cincinnati Chili. Or, as Cooking Light magazine recently described it, “a starch-lover’s dream come true.” Served in street carts, fast food restaurants and in the home in Egypt, koshari is a mix of rice, lentils and pasta topped with a sweet-and-spicy tomato sauce. It warms the heart, fills the belly and satisfies your carb cravings AND your spice cravings in one fell swoop. Sound improbable? Don’t knock it ’til you tried it!

Everybody’s been asking me for my koshari recipe, so here it is. It’s based on a bunch of other recipes I’ve tried, with my own personal touch. Warning: I like it HOT ;) Enjoy!

Carrara’s Killer Koshari
Serves 6

The Carbs:

4 cups Knorr vegetable boullion
1 bay leaf
1 cup brown lentils
1 cup white basmati rice (don’t substitute regular rice! Basmati has an awesome flavor and texture)
1 cup uncooked small pasta (I like macaroni elbows, or you can use ditalini or small shells)

The Sauce:

2 large onions, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno or Serrano chile, minced (leave the seeds in for extra heat; omit them if you’re scared, girlie man)
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 tsp. cumin (or more, to taste)
1 tbsp. crushed red chile pepper flakes (If you want less heat, start off with 1/4 tsp. or so and work your way up)
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Salt and black pepper, to taste

1. Bring 4 cups of water and 2 cubes of Knorr vegetable boullion to a boil. Drop in a bay leaf and lentils. Simmer lentils, covered, for at least 15 minutes, or until they become tender.
2. Add rice and simmer until rice is cooked, adding water if necessary to keep it from sticking to the pan.
3. Cook macaroni in a separate pot; drain when it’s done.
4. Somewhere between step 1 and 2 (don’t laugh at my timetable!) you’ll want to fry the onions, garlic and jalapeno in about 2 tbsp. olive oil until they’re golden brown. Don’t just saute them – really let them get caramelized because this is what creates the sauce’s nice sweetness.
5. Add tomatoes, chili flakes, cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper, tasting and adjusting the spice as you go along. Let the sauce bubble for 10-20 minutes, until thickened.
6. Buzz the sauce in a food processor until smooth, or leave it chunky. I think it’s far better smooth.
7. Mix all of your carbs (rice, lentils, pasta) in one pot.
8. Spoon some of the carbs onto your plate and top with the sauce. Sprinkle on more chile flakes, if you dare!

Tastes great with a simple arugula salad and some warmed pitas. Enjoy!

Wearing my favorite vintage bedlah at a party in Ridgefield, Connecticut

King Louis XIV once said that fashion itself is a mirror to history. Though I live in jeans and Polos when I’m not collecting exotic dance couture, I love to follow the whimsical world of fashion because it can be so revealing.

As with mainstream fashion, belly dance costuming is not immune to cultural macro- and micro-trends, either. For any “civilian” audiences reading this (and for any dancer who’s been living under a rock for the past 10 years), belly dance fashion has been stuck in a minimalist phase for quite some time now, thanks to the recent popularity of the simplistic Egyptian style. As Cairo is considered the Hollywood of the Middle East, Western belly dancers have slowly backed away from the “AmCab” chiffon-and-fringe style to follow the lead of edgy contemporary Egyptian artists like Dina, who was known for many risque styles – including a skirt with a built-in thong rising over the top (I believe the technical term is “whale tail”), and a bra with huge grabby hands embroidered over the cups.

A world of good has come out of the Cairene influence - the sleek Lycra skirts, the tasteful beaded motifs, the clean torso-elongating lines of a bra without the requisite old-school “wall-o’-fringe.” Plus, matching bra-and-skirt sets are like Geranimals for Belly Dancers. No need to stress yourself out over finding the right skirts, veils, and accessories to match a bedlah. And it’s about time somebody slayed the fringemonsters.

Until very recently, costumes like Lucy’s “seafood delight,” complete with its gigantic shrimp, crabs and starfish, were the exception, not the rule. We’d snerk at them, while thanking the costume powers-that-be for our sharp-looking Pharaonics and Hanans. Leave the train wreck costumes to the Big Divas, right?

Enter the trickle-down effect. Years after the fact, the extreme has hit the mainstream. Every couple of weeks, the major costume

Of course, I hope you’re all reading this as the ramblings of a self-described costume elitist, rather than The Ten Commandments as Interpreted By Carrara The Gorgeous. If you’ve got the moxie and the bod to pull off a more extreme costume style, then who am I to rain on anybody’s parade? Normally, I’m all for originality – and I could see some dancers really rocking these costumes in an Arab nightclub, a dance festival, or some other venue where their audiences appreciate racy, bleeding-edge looks. 

Trouble is, most of us make our living performing for the general public. While it’s true that the designers and top dancers often set the trends, our audiences create the demand. Most of us are not only artists, but businesspeople. For those of us who work the restaurant, party and bellygram circuit, avant garde just doesn’t fly. If we don’t meet our clients’ aesthetic expectations, they will shop elsewhere, so to speak.

Plus, we’re at the cusp of an enormous resurgence of classic American Cabaret and Turkish style. Dancers are refining their floorwork and their zills, and anything vintage or vintage-inspired is a hot commodity on the Bhuz swap meet. Not to mention, in recessionary times, few people can afford to be a fashion victim. If today’s working dancers aren’t scooping up basic and versatile bedlahs, they’re often buying Bellas, Sims, Pharaonics and other timeless, well-made designs with a high resale value. Most of my dancer-friends are looking to get the most bang for their costume bucks. 

Knowing that consumer trends are shifting, I’m wondering why the major vendors have been so slow to pick up. Certainly, most of them are probably bound to whatever the designer has in stock. If designers are still making miniskirts and floating bras, this must mean that somebody is buying them. Or otherwise, Egyptian designers might have decided to capitalize on the sheer fact that the belly dance market is flooded and some American dancers will emulate – and pay a pretty premium for – anything that’s Egyptian. Still, something’s gotta give.

The beauty of today’s costume market is that we have so many options. You can go as decadent, as simple or as edgy as you want. You can order off-the-rack, custom made or pre-owned. I’ve worn cutting edge miniskirts, earthy tribal and simplistic Eman Zaki designs. Given all these choices, I’ve found myself pining away over the very stuff that won me over as a starry-eyed beginner. Give me fringe, give me bling and give me luxurious fabrics that move one beat behind me! I’ve been missing the sensation and the visual feedback of flying fringe and swooshing skirts. The Old Hollywood intrigue.

Like many dancers, I want to look and feel like a belly dancer again. Is it too much to ask? What do all of you think of the latest design trends?

Carrara

I try my hardest to avoid Fox News, probably because my professors consistently cited the program whenever the conversation would turn to “What NOT to do in Broadcast News.” I also happen to be the epitome of socially liberal in all of my personal views. But this post is not so much about politics or even utterly sh*t-tastic faux journalism. It’s about a very ignorant person who clearly doesn’t have all of their facts straight on Middle Eastern dance or culture.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present Exhibit A: Bill O’Reilly and his ever-so-culturally sensitive commentary on the Belly Dancer of the Universe Competition.

I don’t even know where to begin my rantings. There’s the blatant stereotyping of people from the Middle East. The sexualization of our beautiful art form. The vaguely pedophiliac commentary on how the 12-year-old contestant shouldn’t be dancing in a “16+” fashion. (My partner in Twittering crime, Sabrina, speculates that 16 must be the minimum age where Billo the Clown and his motley crew feel comfortable perving out over teenage girls).

What left me and my belly dancer friends speechless, however, was the following snippet from Billo’s bumbling sidekick, Jesse: “In a sick twisted way, Osama bin Laden is responsible for the boom of the belly dancing industry in the USA.”

“O RLY?” I say. For one, if Osama bin Laden were to enjoy any form of dancing, it would technically be Khaleegy from the Gulf region, not raqs sharqi (belly dance). More importantly, we’re giving Osama too much credit. Belly dance has enjoyed several pop culture renaissances through American history. There was the harem cheese of the 1950’s, the feminist revival of the 70’s. My Latina friends fell in love with the Brazilian soap opera O Clone. And what personally did it for me was Shakira. Women from all respectable walks of life take up belly dance for a multitude of reasons, from culture to fitness to health – or simply to try something new and different. As if our own sparkly brand of terrorism isn’t enough to shake the foundation of our oh-so-liberated country, let us not make mention of Jim Boz, Tarik Sultan, Momo Kadous, and other successful men who belly dance!

Every culture has its small, outspoken sect of extremists and its sweeping majority of normal, everyday people who care about their work, their friends and family, and their daily activities. This is true both of America and of the Middle East. (Don’t believe me about the former? How ’bout PETA, abortion clinic protesters, or even Billo himself?) If Bill’s bumbling henchman took a moment to listen to any of the intelligent dancers he interviewed, he would have learned that belly dance comes from social dances that friends and family do in the home for fun. “Ya RLY, dude”….it does come from folklore. To say that you could get beheaded for belly dancing in the Arab world is pretty much tantamount to saying that you could go to jail for dancing the Macarena or the Rock Lobster at a wedding. Yet Fox News is The Unbiased Truth, is it not?

I guess Jesse was right that dancers who took up belly dance post-9/11 developed a new appreciation for Middle Eastern culture. I first set foot in a belly dance class less than a year after the World Trade Center attacks. While the rest of the world saw the Middle East as a hotbed of extremism, ancient social mores, oppressed women, and terrorism, I came to appreciate that corner of the globe as something more complex and diverse. I came to understand that the Middle East isn’t one monolithic culture, but a group of many different cultures and diverse people. It is the birthplace of all civilization; of writing, math, art, music, language and religion. And while this one jerk in my 100-level Arabic language course would come to each class wearing an FBI baseball cap and a T-shirt depicting a cartoon dog ripping Osama Bin Laden into shreds, I realized the irony of my misguided classmate’s attire – most people from the Middle East are actually quite disengaged from politics, just like the majority of Americans.

Understandably, we live in a free country. And the one caveat to the First Amendment is that idiots like Bill O’Reilly can spew these  ”facts” to their often less-than-sophisticated audiences without repercussion. (Though I do believe that a 3 a.m. zill brigade outside of his house is in order). On the flip side, I couldn’t let Billo’s rant go unblogged-about. This is my art. These are my friends and my clients that he’s snarking about. And he just brought down an entire culture.

And, no, Billy, it’s not just wacky liberal Californians who see the emotion, expression and beauty of belly dance. It’s people from all walks of life and all corners of the globe. Just open your mind and your heart, and your hips will follow.

Peace,

Carrara