Yes, You Can Dance
Treat yourself! Sign up for a dance class and reveal the sensual woman inside. Classes start March 2! Below are our beginner classes. Check our website for prices and advanced classes, too.
- Mondays 5:15: 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 (with a veil)
- Saturdays 10:15: Strictly Belly Dancing (lots of hip moves)
Write Safira if you want to sign up!
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Ask Madame Noor
Dear Madame Noor, I want to take belly dance. My boyfriend said I sure have the belly for it. Now I feel fat and want to hide. Help! Discouraged Dancer.
Dear Discouraged, Madame Noor knows all and sees all. She knows real Egyptian belly dancers come in all sizes and they are all beautiful. You are beautiful, too! In Egypt, if you are too skinny and dance, they will throw food at you. Get a pen and paper, and look into my crystal ball with me. See your best inner qualities? Write them down. Now look at your best outer qualities? Write down all your outer qualities, too. Now read your list several times until you feel proud of yourself. Madame sees your future if you learn the ancient art of belly dance: You walk into a crowded room, and all the men turn their heads to look at you. You smile a sexy smile and walk across that room with your head high, like you’re on a fashion runway. All eyes are on you now, but you’re happy because you know you’ve arrived. And that you can dance!
Write to Madame Noor and ask her your own question!
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Hummus and Shepherd's Salad
This recipe reminds us of the happy nights spent dancing at the Cafe Istanbul, Wichita's first Turkish restaurant. Serve it with Turkish Coffee (recipe in next issue!)
Hummus:
1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed. Save ¼ C. bean liquid.
¼ C. fat-free plain yogurt
2 Tbsp. sesame tahini
2 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
¼ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
Process all ingredients in blender or food processor until you have a smooth dip. Add bean liquid 1 Tbsp. at a time if the mixture is too dry. Serve with pita bread. 195 cal. per ½ C.
Shepherd's Salad:
2 sm., fresh, ripe tomatoes
1 med. cucumber
1 med. green bell pepper
½ sm. onion
3-6 Tbsp. chopped parsley
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. of lemon juice, or to taste
Salt and pepper
Chop the vegetables finely. Seed cucumber and tomatoes if you wish. Mix all together and enjoy! Eat the salad separately or spoon it on top of your hummus and pita.
Have a favorite world recipe? Send it to Raks al Dounya!
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Photography of Safira's dancers courtesy of David Staples
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Girls' Night Out!
Curious about dance class, but not sure if it's for you? Come join us at Girls Night Out. Everything's free! We'll have refreshments and a short speech on the history of belly dance, and then we'll start dancing.
In March, we'll share three 30 minute classes in Adult Ballet, Spanish Flamenco and Belly Dance. In April, our classes will include Gypsy Fusion (bring a full skirt if you have one), Belly Dance and a surprise.
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 night, March 13
7:00 – 9:00 pm Friday night, April 10
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Baila! World Dance Shows
Come see us dance every 3rd Saturday of the month in our studio theater, 2919 E. Kellogg Drive. You'll see our teachers and Safira perform Belly Dance, Flamenco and other dance forms, and you'll see our students sharing group and solo dances.
Dance is all about sharing the music and movement with our friends, so let us share with you!
We dance at 9 p.m. every 3rd Saturday except for May and January. Tickets: $7.
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Book Review:
The Flamenco Academy
Want to learn about flamenco dance? Read The Flamenco Academy, a novel by Sarah Bird. It's about flamenco, obsession, sex, gypsies, art, dance class, broken families and passionate love. It blends stories about old Spain with a modern love story set in Albuquerque. Here's an excerpt: "For a moment, the air crackled with the electricity Dona Carlota had always been able to generate, and once again she was the fierce, intimidating lioness … 'Is flamenco in the blood? The feet? The throat? The fingers? Or is it in the soul? … I have told you the story of one girl, a dancer, daughter of a Gypsy mother and a Gypsy father, themselves born of the blood of the pharoah. Now I will tell you the story of another girl.... Perhaps it will lead you to love. Perhaps to knowledge. But what is flamenco except knowledge?'"
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