Fatima's Coochee Coochee Dance

NEW on Shira.net: Marilee Nugent ("Venus") of Vancouver/Montreal examines the vintage clip of Fatima and its significance in the society of its time: www.shira.net/about/fatim...-coochee.htm

Oh, the hassles of changing web hosts!

I'm in the process of moving Shira.net from the current web hosting company to a new one. Ugh, I *hate* this process! First I moved all my html files. Then I spent most of today moving my script files and trying to figure out why they didn't work after putting them on the new site.

Next step is to set up all my email mailboxes and auto-forwards. Ack, what a process!!!! I wish I could wave a magic wand and have it all be DONE and working properly!

Shira Teaching Workshop in Sioux City, Iowa!

Join Shira for a full-day workshop exploring American Oriental, the style of belly dance that arose in the U.S. during the 1960's and 1970's. Class will include:

1. Finger cymbals
2. American Oriental style for restaurants & parties
3. Improvising solo performances

Price is $75 before February 28, 2012, $85 after that.

To Register: Contact Connie Reynolds, Owner, The Yoga College at 712-224-9642 or email Connie at connie@theyogacollege.com

Her Horses Drank Champagne!

I'm very, very excited to announce a fabulous new article on Shira.net - "Shafiqa el-Koptiyya: The Dancer Whose Horses Drank Champagne."

Shafiqa is reputed to be the originator of the shamadan dance, and she was the most famous Egyptian dancer of the 19th century. Very little has been written about her in English, and she died before the Egyptian movie industry really got going. As a result today's dancers know almost nothing about her.

This is a translation of an article that was originally written in Arabic in 1955, in the Egyptian magazine Kawakeb. Many, many thanks to Priscilla Adum for allowing me to post her translation of this article on Shira.net!

shira.net/about/shafiqa-horses.htm

I hope you enjoy the article as much as I did!

Starting to come up for air!

I've been really busy the last couple of months with revamping four of my lectures about belly dancing. I was preparing for a weekend event at which I was going to present all four of them. Well, that event was this weekend. I'm happy with how it went. I didn't quite finish revamping the final one in time for this weekend, but I got far enough along to feel good about presenting it. I need to finish it while it's fresh in my mind, but with luck I'll be done with that soon and able to come up for air!

Hares in the Harem and Fantasies of Seduction

One of the four lectures I'll be offering in Iowa City, Iowa the weekend of January 14-15 is "Hares in the Harem and Fantasies of Seduction."

Have you ever wondered why stereotypes about Middle Eastern dance have persisted over 100 years to haunt today's dancers? Have you wondered why the North American public still insists on believing these damaging misconceptions?

The answer lies in mass media: motion pictures, television, and even children's cartoons! Join Shira in examining the mass media that have kept these notions alive for over a century.

Most members of the North American public believe they "know" what Middle Eastern dance looks like, whether they have ever actually seen a performance or not, and yet many of these assumptions are entirely at odds with how today's Oriental dance community views its art form. Much of this "knowledge" was learned at a young age, watching motion pictures, television, or vintage cartoons. As early as the 1920's, animations featured scenes of "Middle Eastern dance". Over the decades that followed, children grew up seeing depictions in the entertainment media featuring Daisy Duck, the Three Stooges, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Mighty Mouse, James Bond, Bugs Bunny, Heckle & Jeckle, Elvis Presley, and more.

More than 100 years after the scandals erupted around the dancers at the Columbia Exposition in Chicago in 1893, Oriental dance still suffers from an image problem in North America. It is often perceived as a dance of seduction, a freak show, or a source of cheap laughs. Why have these misconceptions about this dance form managed to endure for so many years? The answer lies in the mass media.

When dealing with the masses, it can be useful for dancers to understand these pervasive media images that members of our society have been exposed to throughout their lives, images that have helped to shape stereotypes that linger and affect perceptions of this dance form even today.

The Business of Belly Dancing: Tips & Tricks

There's a NEW article on Shira.net titled "Tips & Tricks for The Business of Belly Dancing". You can find it at:

www.shira.net/advice/busi...business.htm

Should You Collect Tips When Performing?

I have revised and updated my article on the practice of collecting tips as part of a performance. It includes an opinion poll that lets you vote your own opinion on the subject:

www.shira.net/advice/perf...ing-tips.htm

How to Make a Zill Bag!

There is a brand-new article on Shira.net titled "How to Make a Zill Bag". You can find it at:

www.shira.net/advice/lear...zill-bag.htm


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--Shira

Expanded My Article on Dresses in Middle Eastern Dance Costuming

Tonight I expanded my article on dresses used in costuming for various Middle Eastern dance styles. I got pictures back over the weekend from a photo shoot I recently did with Pixie, and a couple of those were perfect for illustrating the article.

* I added more photos and explanation to the melaya leff section. I added comments about hair style, face veil, and what to wear on the head.
* I added a section on the Moroccan takshita, complete with a photo of me wearing one
* I replaced the photo of the Palestinian thobe with a new one that shows the front of the thobe better .
* I added another photo to the section on the abaya, along with some explanation of the embroidery style utilized on both of the ones illustrated.
* I added a photo of real baladi women wearing real-life baladi dresses.

I hope you all enjoy the new material in the article!