Dance the summer away!
This summer, release your inner goddess and learn to dance. Classes start July 6! Below are our beginner classes. Check our website for prices and advanced classes, too.
- Mondays 5:30: Beg. and Interm. Flamenco
- Mondays 6:30: Yo-Belly (Yoga plus Belly Dance)
- Tuesdays 5:45: Belly Sculpting (Belly Dance with a weight belt)
- Wednesdays 5:45: Beginning Adult Ballet
- Wednesdays 7:15: Strictly Belly Dancing (lots of hip moves)
- Saturdays 10:15: Strictly Belly Dancing (lots of hip moves)
Write Safira if you want to sign up!
|
 |
Ask Madame Noor
Dear Madame Noor, I can't wait to be bejeweled and wear lots of bling when I do a belly dance performance, but I'm worried about a wardrobe malfunction. Do you have any advice on how to be prepared?
Yes, it is much better to bust a move than bust a bra! I have a four-letter word that should help keep you from uttering other four-letter words if you were to have a wardrobe malfunction — pins. Have a variety of safety pins on hand when costuming yourself and use them generously to pin everything in place. If you don't want something to move, pin it. If your cabaret bra comes with only one hook, reinforce it with more. You don't want your whole performance to hinge on that one hook. Practice in your costume beforehand and have a trusted friend watch for anything that could become a distraction for your audience— such as an overly generous slit on your skirt. You want your audience to watch your turns, rather than anticipate when they'll see your underwear.
Write to Madame Noor and ask her your own question!
|
|
Turkish Coffee
This coffee recipe comes from Elias Bounajem, a wonderful Lebanese cook. It is also served at the Kebab House Turkish restaurant, at Douglas and West streets, where we will be dancing on Saturday night, June 11, from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Turkish coffee makes espresso taste weak! I used to drink this every Saturday morning to pump myself up for a morning belly dance class. You will need either a small saucepan or a cezve, a little pot with a handle. You will also need authentic Turkish coffee in a little square package. Try shoppping at the Spice Merchant, the India Emporium, and the Byblos Deli. Turkish Coffee:
4 tsp. Turkish coffee
4 tsp. sugar
2/3 C. water
Put all ingredients in the saucepan and put on a burner that is turned on high. Do not look away for an instant! It will start to boil and foam up. Take it off the burner and let it die down. Put it back on and let it foam up a second time. Then pour it into demitasse cups (or larger ones) and serve. Do not drink the sludge in the bottom. Instead, turn your cup upside-down on the saucer and let the grounds run down. Then turn the cup upright again, and read your fortune from the patterns formed on the cup!
Have a favorite world recipe? Send it to Raks al Dounya!
|
|
Discover Flamenco month
August is Discover Flamenco month at Safira's. Free flamenco classes, a lecture on flamenco, and a guest teacher from Sevilla!
Fri., August 7, 7-9 p.m.: Come join us at Girls Night Out. Everything's free! We'll have refreshments and a short speech, and then we'll start dancing. In August, we'll share three 30 minute classes in flamenco, belly dance and zumba! If it's your birthday month, we'll have a birthday present for you. RSVP so we can buy enough refreshments!
Sun, Aug. 9, 2009, 7 p.m.: Next in our Arabian Nights Lecture Series, "Flamenco Fire" by Shoshana Wernick, former principal bailora with renowned flamenco companies Camborio, Rafael Aguilar and Hazel Acosta. Wernick, a South African woman who performed this dance form in Spain, will speak about flamenco's history and her life as a professional dancer. Learn about duende, or that fiery gypsy Spanish attitude! It's part of Discover Flamenco month at Safira's!
Mon., August 10, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.: More free flamenco class so you can try it out twice! At 5:30, watch our existing students work on their zapatadeos and floreos. Then at 6:30 it's your turn to dance!
August 21-23, 2009: Immerse yourself in flamenco's soul and rhythm, whether for a few hours or the entire weekend with Melinda Hedgecorth of Sevilla. Take part in this incredible 3-day opportunity to discover the "flamenca" in you – even if you've never taken a flamenco class before, or if you're an experienced dancer. There will be classes for absolute beginner, beginner and intermediate levels.
Melinda Hedgecorth travels internationally to give workshops and performances solo, or with her own group, Flamenco Mio. She lives in Sevilla and performs in the local tablaos (flamenco bars) and at the Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporaneo.
The workshop is $140, or $125 if you pay by August 7. There are also per-day prices for classes. Learn more here!
|
|
|
|
|
Enjoy dance and culture at Safira's!
Every Tuesday, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. Adrian's restaurant, 21st and Rock Rd. Dancer: Malak (No dancer June 30).
Fri., July 10, 10:30 p.m. to 12 a.m. Petra Cafe and Hookah Bar, Central and Woodlawn behind Ace Hardware, Dancers: Safira Zeki, Malak.
Sat., July 11, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Kabob House, Douglas and West Streets, Dancers: Alima Hasna, Malak, Linyaa Sayuri Zarif.
Friday, July 17, 10:30 p.m. to 12 a.m. Petra Cafe and Hookah Bar, Central and Woodlawn. Dancers: Safira Zeki, Zahavah Noor.
Sat., July 18, 9 p.m.: Baila! World Dance Show. Our dance studio transforms into a small theater featuring belly dancing, fusion and other dance forms, at Safira's Center for World Dance, 2919 E. Kellogg Drive. Cost $7, includes light refreshments. Click here!
Friday, August 14, 10:30 p.m. to 12 a.m. Petra Cafe and Hookah Bar, Central and Woodlawn. Dancers: Zahavah Noor, Malak.
Sat., August 15, 9 p.m.: Baila! World Dance Show at Safira's Center for World Dance, 2919 E. Kellogg Drive. Cost $7, includes light refreshments. This month we'll be focusing on flamenco and Spanish inspired dances, as part of Discover Flamenco month! Click here!
Friday, August 28, 10:30 p.m. to 12 a.m. Petra Cafe and Hookah Bar, Central and Woodlawn. Dancers: Safira Zeki, Malak.
|
|
Girls' Night Out!
Want to try a dance class? Come join us at Girls Night Out. Everything's free! We'll have refreshments and a short speech on women's lives in the harem, and then we'll start dancing.
In July, we'll share three 30 minute classes in adult ballet, gypsy fusion and belly dance. In August, our classes will include flamenco, zumba and belly dance.
If it's your birthday month, we'll have a birthday present for you. RSVP so we can buy enough refreshments!
7:00 - 9:00 pm Friday, July 10
7:00 - 9:00 pm Friday, August 7
|
|
Choosing your dance name
Part of the fun of being a belly dancer is adopting a dance name. It's a great idea, to remind you that you are taking on new talents and a new, confident, sensual personality. Sometimes we take our names from famous belly dancers we admire, like Samia, Tahia, Naima, Soheir, and Amani. Sometimes we choose a name that sounds similar to our own name. And sometimes, we go by the meaning of the beautiful name. Just make sure of two things: 1. If it's not a real Arabic or Turkish name, ask us to find an Arabic speaker to tell us what it might mean. There are many urban belly dance tales about some poor dancer whose name is announced to a large audience, only to discover that it means something very embarrassing! 2. Imagine how it will be pronounced by a nervous announcer who is not familiar with the belly dance world. For instance, "Fatima," a very famous Arabic name, can be pronounced "Fa-TEE-ma," which is correct. But you might be announced as "Miss FAT-em-ah." Oh no!
Check out these two websites to find a beautiful dance name for yourself, and take on your new identity as a bellydancer. Click on www.sudairy.com and www.umah.net. Have fun finding a name!
Have a question about a name? Email Raks al Dounya!
|
|
|
|
|
Photography of Safira's dancers courtesy of David Staples
|
|
