My Blog

About the new profile vid: "Za7ma ya Donia"

Zara — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 22:13:42 GMT

Song: "Za7ma ya Donia" Artist: Tony Mouzayek Found: on YouTube and on iTunes Entertainment Factor: awesomely silly This was sent to me courtesy of my Kuwaiti friend. The conversation went like this... [Telephone rings...I pick up] Friend: You need to hear this song. I have a feeling you'll like it. Just found it on YouTube. Me: Oo! Oo! Give me the link! Friend: Ok. Now keep in mind, "Za7ma" does mean "crowded", but it's used colloquially as "traffic." Basically, this guy is stuck in traffic and he can't get to his girl. So, "Za7ma ya donia, za7ma" in the chorus means, "it's the traffic, folks, it's the traffic." I take a listen...and the next thing that comes out of me is... Me: BWAAAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAHAHAHAHA!!!! Friend: Now when he says "W 7ayrou7 el ma3aad" he's actually saying that he's going to miss his date with the girl. Me: *gasps for air and wipes the tears from her eyes* Oh [expletive], I'm laughing so hard that I think I broke something. I'm so dancing to this!! Friend: *laughing her ass off* I knew you'd like it. In the next episode of Zara's Silly World, she has a failed attempt to learn from Tito Seif.

do good things come in threes?

Zara — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 01:54:01 GMT

1. Received my Joharah bedlah today that I acquired on the BD Swap tribe. Purty! People, the bra actually gives me a bosom to heave :O 2. I x-posted a plea for a translation of a Trakya All Stars song I'd like to dance to. The lovely Dina on the Lyrics tribe responded and rocked that translation all over the place! It's HILARIOUS...that is if you share my twisted sense of humor. Let's hope this link works: http://tribes.tribe.net/bellydancetranslations/thread/c5d93fe2-a967-45b6-a4f4-b315ab2a4f93 3. I'm taking a workshop with Tito on Saturday! Or maybe good things come in fours? 4. Tulumba.com is now selling the Tarkan remix album! Unfortunately, it won't be available for another 2-4 weeks! Bummer. http://www.tulumba.com/storeItem.asp?ic=MU901983IF557

Huzzah! He hath bringeth the sexy back!

Zara — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 09:31:00 GMT

I just found out tonight that Tarkan just released a new 2 cd set called "Metamorfoz Remixes". Basically, it's remixes of his last album. It looks like I might have to wait until it's distributed outside of Turkey. Dammit. I had a listen to a couple of songs on youtube and, wow, they're surprisingly good. Actually MUCH better than the original album imo. (Tsk, tsk, Tarkan. You are doing nothing to curb my overactive imagination with that cover art. But an honest word, dear....I wish the Powers That Be never photoshopped your torso into this thin 20 yr. old waifish thing that I see before me. It's starting to leave a black spot on my soul. Next time, I implore you to tell the evil minions to leave your Thirtysomething Man Body alone!) To my dismay, I have once again been reduced to something out of a Victorian novel. Lacy fans, batting eyelashes and heaving bosoms. Er, that is if I actually had a bosom to heave. Lol. Quick, I need the smelling salts again....oh dear god.... *thump*

this kid wins at life!

Zara — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 21:49:50 GMT

This piece of YouTube goodness was too fantastic to keep to myself. I'm not one to constantly coo over babies, but wow, I have to say this kid wins at life! One day, I want to master this particular "Evil Look." Enjoy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5ALIL7T764

Yes, that is my future husband on my profile

Zara — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 01:17:59 GMT

I don't care what people say about Tarkan. I adore him and his music. I actually do have a couple of choreography questions, but I have to do a bit of Tarkan gushing first. /girly Tarkan gushing on How I love me some Tarkan: his lyrics, his voice, his willingness to dance around in his, um, Tarkan way...and day-um he's easy on the eyes. I have to say that what impressed me most about his most recent album is the suit he's wearing on the cover. People, I own the female version of that suit which I wore to my Ph.D qualifying exams (lol, it totally worked b/c I passed). So how do I know he's my future husband? Is it that we share the same taste in ridiculous outerwear? Nooooo. It's the fact that Tarkan was paying homage to yours truly by posing in that suit two years after I wore it. Just look at the photo--he's saying, "THIS, friends and neighbors, THIS is my tribute to The Zara!" I know you can see it...right? right? /girly gushing off Onwards to the Kuzu Kuzu video I recently posted. Even though it came out 8 years ago, and the song is old news, I adore the lesser-known acoustic version for two reasons: 1) the video is HOT. We all could use a little eye candy in our lives, no? Never fear, Zara will provide for you :) 2) it makes me want to choreograph something that's Flamenco/Turkish fusion due to the addition of the Spanish guitars in the song. Right now I'm on the fence about props. Fans or a shawl? I'm leaning towards tai chi fans because I need that POP when they snap open. Anyone know of a good vendor for these? Already have a shawl (in turquoise of course) and I've been playing around with that. But something is telling me to use fans...I can't explain it. I also can't fully explain why the hell I would want to do something that fuses flamenco and turkish...almost seems counterintuitive, but it somehow makes sense in the insanity that is my brain. Any suggestions, thoughts, grunts or gripes will be returned with a warm & fuzzy hug from me. And PS: I've added a new module to my profile immediately under the main vid. If you've seen a video on my profile and liked it, you can find the links there so it won't be lost forever. Enjoy!

Last Night's Craptastic Spectacular

Zara — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 15:29:25 GMT

Last night all I wanted to do was go get a double-double cheeseburger and fries from In & Out, sit down in front of my TV, and veg out to a Tivo'd marathon of "Deadliest Catch." Was that too much to ask? Apparently, it was. It happened in Moreno Valley [insert doom and gloom music here]. On my way back home from In & Out, I heard a funny noise coming from underneath my car (who I lovingly named Shenaynay when I bought it back in 1999). It was the kind of sound you hear when you drive over gravel...a plink-plink-plink noise, ya know? I was on the phone with my mom at the time in the midst of a conversation about Tim Russert, when I suddenly said, "Uh, mom, Shenaynay is making a funny noise. I better pull over." It just so happened I was on an overpass above the 215. I made a quick decision to get into a lane that will let me go through the stoplight instead of turning on Sycamore Canyon where there's no place to pull over. Now get this...as I was waiting for the light to change, my car suddenly and spectacularly shut itself off! "Uh, mom, my car just died!!" I screamed into the phone. "Honey! What are you talking about??!!" "Well, I'm sitting here and Shenayay just decided she's had it!" Now, my car has never done such a thing. Not even remotely like it. Sure, it's ten years old, but that car has pulled through those ten years without something this bad. Ever. Sure, she's had a few things fall off over the years that made her look like a hot mess, but a good solid car nonetheless. I LOVE that car. I turned the car back on. Shenaynay coughed, then wheezed, then came back to life long enough to maneuver my way over to someplace I could pull over. As I'm slowly pulling onto Lochmoore Drive, I noticed that the steering wheel had locked up! It took all of my bellydance muscles to turn that car and get it into a parked position. By now, there's a funny smell, a loud clanking noise, and a small bit of smoke coming from under the hood. And it's starting to overheat as I noticed the temperature gauge creeping into the red zone. "Noooooo!" I wailed into my mom's ear. By now, I'm in a full on panic. Just when I thought things couldn't get worse, it did. My cell phone battery also decided that it had enough for the night. Which is beyond me because it was charging all day! I hurriedly told my mom to call AAA for me...which was kinda funny considering that Shenaynay & I were in Moreno Valley-ish and my mom's in NYC. By now, I turned off my car to prevent the thing from blowing up. I managed to squeeze enough cell phone juice to call my best friend out here to, and I quote, "Save me from this horror!" I've realized over the years that when I panic, I start getting slightly Victorian and hella dramatic. Gotta love fellow grad school nerds b/c she yahoo mapped my cross streets, and the next thing I know, she's rolling up in her SUV to calm my nerves. To make the long story short, AAA showed up 45 minutes later and towed Shenaynay down the block and around the corner to the Ford dealership. In hindsight, Shenaynay was being nice to me because of WHERE she decided to crap out. So this morning I had to make a phone call to Ford that when went like this: "Good morning! I'm the owner of the 1998 Ford Contour that was, hopefully, found outside your front gates today all dead and stuff. I was wondering a) if it's still there and b) whether you have it in the service shop. I left the keys in you night drop box." Thank god Ford found it and it wasn't stolen in the middle of the night (oh, did I mention this debacle began at 9pm and didn't end until 11pm?). They had to roll it into their lot because my car was blocking the main gate and none of the employees could get into work! LOL! Gotta love the tow truck guy for that maneuver. Hopefully, things won't be too bad. The tow truck guy noticed the belt was hanging out of the bottom of my car. "Ah, it looks like you have a broken belt. That'll stop everything from working...the motor, and even the..." "The steering wheel?" I chimed in. "Yessiree." So, there you have it. I'm waiting to hear from the Ford people how much they'll rob me for everything I have. Sigh, let's hope that I'll get to BD class tonight. Man, do I need it. I couldn't sleep well last night because I thought of all the creepy folks who do creepy things like steal cars in the middle of the night. Then the following thought occurred to me: "Who the hell would want to steal a broken down craptastic 1998 Ford Contour? Nobody!" Then I promptly fell off into a deep sleep. Zara needs a hug.

Name that drum & The Trakya All Stars

Zara — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 08:59:49 GMT

How can you NOT love a band when their cover art looks like this. How can you NOT love them when the English title of album is "Trakya Dance Party". I gave it a spin last night, and this album is actually quite fun. I've been hunting around for great Turkish music in 9/8 rhythm...there's a particular sound I'm looking for, but I'll get to that in a minute. I'm slowly amassing a collection of Turkish 9/8 because I've been really into it lately. Plus, 9/8 rhythms tend to confuse me a bit. I'm a classically trained flautist, so my home base is anything in 4/4, 2/4, 3/4, and 6/8 time. When I first heard 9/8 (especially in Rom style), my head blew up...in a good way, lol. But the grad school nerd in me seeks to understand anything she doesn't fully comprehend. So I set about learning as much as I can about it. I'm really a 9/8 newbie who has a long way to go, but I'm doing my best to find as much info on Turkish Rom 9/8 as possible. The good folks on the Turkish Style board have been kind enough to help me out with this (hugs for David, Rune, Yasmin, Nick and everyone else I'm leaving out). Back to the mysterious sound I've been trying to track down. I know it's Turkish Rom. I think it's karşılama. It's characterized by an unusual 9/8 style and the rhythm is carried by a particular drum. You can hear it here...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPAOiU8udtY Anybody know the name of that drum Didem is dancing to? Is it a kös? So, late last night I circuitously and randomly found something that approximates this sound and rhythm on iTunes. Anybody heard of Burhan Öçal & The Trakya All Stars? I was drawn to their album, "Kırklareli İl Sınırı" which is their tribute to the Rom music of Thrace. You can listen to it here: http://burhanocal.calabashmusic.com/ (it's the 3rd album down, the first song). I think I actually ululated when I heard the music sample on iTunes. Then I bought it. Then I was disappointed. Apparently, the resident DJ on the album added icky DJ effects to the song that turned into a bizarre 9/8 trance. Needless to say, the sample did not include the DJ stuff that sneaks in and out. Then, inexplicably, the song grew on me. *shrug* I'm actually seeking out great renditions of this type of sound without any craptastic DJ meddling. Anybody have suggestions on who to look for or where to find it? I'm thinking http://www.tulumba.com/store.asp?tag=r06 is my best bet. As I attempt to take my insomniac self to bed...

Dina says, "Egypt will be back to what it used to be."

Zara — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 21:10:33 GMT

We've all heard about the fate of Egypt's bellydancers, but this article puts a (somewhat) new spin on things. It's interesting that it appeared in Newsweek today. Here's the link to: "The Last Egyptian Bellydancer: Rich Saudis are transforming Cairo's entertainment scene." http://www.newsweek.com/id/139434?GT1=43002 It's a short piece on how Saudi money from conservative Wahabis is transforming (and practically eliminating) Egypt's entertainment business. Their latest nefarious plan is to funnel loads of money into the film and entertainment business...and that, of course, means terrible things for Cairo's bellydancers and its film industry. Dina seems to remain hopeful in the midst of this. What do you think? Oh and PS-- anyone going to Cairo Carnival this weekend?

Of redeyes, coffee, and ninjas

Zara — Sat, 24 May 2008 22:08:40 GMT

I'll be flying to NYC tonight for a week with the family. I'm not excited by the prospect of sitting on yet another nonstop redeye flight from the West Coast. I used to be able to withstand these flights that leave California at 12am and arrive in NYC at 8am the next day. Now it has become just one more situation where I say, "But I'm too old for this s*%t!" Crying babies, cramped seats, funny odors...Everyone on these flights gets a good 4.5 hour rest while I coast on the border between wakefulness and sleep. I usually emerge from the airport with mussed hair and a stank attitude that only a large cup of Dunkin' Donuts coffee can fix. These trying redeyes are always worth the excitement of going back home for a few days. The food! The stuff to do! I'm going to try and check out a restaurant or two that features BD dancers. Anybody out there have any recommendations? I'll report back on what I find :) In the meantime, I'm going to take my mom and aunt to this fantastic restaurant called Ninja New York. I've eaten there once before. The Japanese food is exquisite, but holy crap, the ambiance is....unusual. Let me just say that I'm not going to warn them about what will ensue. Take a look see... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZeQNelpUmg Yes, you are served by ninjas who occasionally drop from the ceiling to scare the living bejeesus out of you. What the video neglected to tell you is that you're led down a dark secret passageway into the main seating area. While you're in there, ninjas pop out from the walls with a full on "HYA!" to boot. Tee hee, I'm really going to get a kick out of my mom and aunt's reaction :D I'll see you Cleopatra Club lovelies in the first week of June!

Tarkan, oynama şıkıdım...lütfen!

Zara — Wed, 21 May 2008 02:56:22 GMT

I was tooling around in Internetlandia, and I found the following video. Let me just say that if Tarkan ever wiggled at me like that, I'd pass out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYLDPXwEIXo 'Nuff said.

Marguerite's 9/8 workshop coming up...

Zara — Wed, 07 May 2008 01:55:19 GMT

...and I'm going! I think my day-glo turquoise gypsy skirt commanded me to do it since it now has a life of its own. I need to give it a name...any suggestions? The title of her workshop cracked me up for a good 10 minutes--anybody besides me caught the allusion to a movie that came out not too long ago? Here's the info for anyone who's interested. I just got off the phone with them and there's enough room for 8 or 9 more people. I called Helene, Dr. Robin Johnson's assistant, to register. "Cultural Learnings of 9/8 for Make Glorious Seminar of Bellydance" ($40) Sawaswati's Arms studio, Upland Saturday, May 17 2:30-5:30pm more info at Marguerite's website: http://www.gypsymagic.com/seminar.html directions and more info available at Dr. Johnson's studio website: http://web.mac.com/drrobinjohnson/Site/Workshops.html I'll also post this to The Cleopatra Club's yahoo board.

Cool Video Alert

Zara — Thu, 01 May 2008 22:07:53 GMT

"Bellydance Show Basics for Beginners" by Tanna Valentine rocks my socks. http://www.worlddancenewyork.com/product.php?proid=66&catid=7 For $14.98 on Amazon, I really have to say thumbs up to Tanna Valentine's newly released DVD. Keep in mind that this video is not an instructional dance video. It's all about putting together your own show. First of all, it's THREE HOURS long! There's a lot of content, but the DVD menu is laid out well and easy to navigate. Tanna lays out the structure of a typical cabaret-style show, she shares tips for working with the audience, and she also teaches her choreography. I'm not particularly fond of her choreography...as I would want to do my own, but hot damn, she's full of good advice. For example, she says that the purpose of an entrance is, yes to introduce your audience to the fact that a BD performance is about to begin and to let your audience see you. But, she points out that an entrance is also used to scope out your audience for potential folks who will want to get up and dance with you. It's other purpose is to conserve energy for the rest of the show. "Don't go running out there like a race horse," she says--and that's EXACTLY what I would do if I'm doing my own show. Simple stuff that's easy to remember. Speaking of simple, this DVD really is for beginners, which works for me since I haven't done a solo show. She breaks down the purpose, philosophy, and progression of each piece of a show so that the dancer can fully comprehend and embody the feeling and mood of her dance. Particularly helpful is her interlacing of video footage of her demonstration/show with her explanations of each show section. That way, we get to follow along and SEE exactly what she's talking about. The last part of the DVD is an expansive collection of show tips--from makeup to costume. Basic stuff, again. But I really enjoyed the section where she discusses costuming on a budget. If you're really tight on money, and your venue is going to be a show for friends, then she suggests to go into your closet to look for stuff to assemble a costume. What impressed me is that she actually does it herself and constructs 2 costumes from items laying around in HER closet. Really, she became the McGuyver bellydancer as I watched her turn a skirt that she wears to work, a regular bra, a scarf, and jewelry to construct a pretty workable gypsy costume. I give this video 4 stars instead of 5 because of Tanna's attempt to appeal to experienced dancers as well as those folks who learned how to BD from home videos. I think the purpose of her choreography section is for the latter who want to learn a show to do for friends/family/significant others...which would baffle me if I never took a dance lesson from a BD instructor. She'll say, "now 2 camels" without explaining how the movement works or how it's generated which would be a great disservice for the novice dancer. All in all, I really liked this DVD and suggest it for folks like me who have taken classes with a real live instructor and would want to do a show. In fact, I've been enjoying all the videos I've seen from World Dance New York. They're very well done and the prices are reasonable (as opposed to those other DVDs on websites charging $35+ for a VHS tape). The other two videos I've seen from these ladies are: 1. The Heartbeat of Bellydance by Jenna (totally invaluable and essential piece of my BD video collection) 2. I Love Turkish Bellydance by Sara Skinner Both can be found at http://www.worlddancenewyork.com/index.php Let me know if you'd like me to review any of those two DVDs before you take the leap to buy.

If the thobe fits, wear it

Zara — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 23:33:10 GMT

I've been having bad luck trying to find a thobe that fits me because I'm kinda tall. I'm 5'8, but in the BD world that means I'm freakishly tall...which is understandable since many vendors make items that are for average sized women. My first foray into thobe buying when horribly awry, as it was at least 5 inches too short on me. Scheherezade.com seemed like my next best bet, and after speaking with the owner, she and I concluded that her thobes may not be long enough. I decided to take a chance anyway, trusting that the owner will pick one out that's long. Yesterday, I breathed a sigh of relief when I received my thobe. It fits! Sometimes I really enjoy the random nature of BD costume shopping online. All I had to go on with the Sheherezade thobe was the color. I said, "I'd like royal blue" since the purple one she had was a dark grape hue (I LOVE royal purple, but I'm not particularly fond of what dark grape colors do to me on stage). So it turns out that the gold embroidery on the front panel has 3 peacocks on it...with tiny bells on their wings! Random, indeed, but I'm not complaining. In fact, I find the jingling peacocks hilarious. Next on the docket is the cabaret bedlah set special ordered from Audrena's. It's being handmade in Egypt right now to my weirdo body proportions--let's hope it fits!

round of applause for The Cleopatra Club's flying colors

Zara — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 00:13:09 GMT

I have to say that I enjoyed the Festival of Dancing colors last Sunday! It's amazing what happens when we get together for some fun skirt work. I posted the pics and, lemme tell you, our skirts look like they're about to take flight. (On a personal note, I'm always amazed by the color of my skirt...on stage it's day-glo turquoise!) Overall, we had a great time and it showed...an older gentleman came up to me as I was exiting the stage and had nothing but positive things to say about us. I thanked him with the same big goofy smile as I was wearing on stage. I give one giant hug to Aziza Sa'id!. She's our teacher, momma, choreographer, and bellydance queen bee! Under her direction, we always find ourselves doing original, interesting, and fun dances that always bring us joy. I've been told by my friends and by total strangers at these kind of events that they LOVE our music, our dance, and our infectious energy. Case in point: at The Date Festival, I was approached by a mother and her young daughter wanting to know where we studied and with whom. Apparently, the little girl really wanted to do what we were doing. That's awesome stuff, folks.

Wooo...just preordered this DVD

Zara — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 00:30:38 GMT

"Bellydance Show Basics for Beginners" by Tanna Valentine ($14.98) This looks amazing! Check it out here http://www.worlddancenewyork.com/product.php?proid=66&catid=7