Résumé

• Training
• Middle Eastern Dance Styles
• Performance Experience
• Professional Achievements
• Shows Produced
• Related Activities
• Past Performances

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Training

Middle Eastern dance: Carolisa , Melina, Lara, Amira Jamal, Johara, Morocco, Cheri Berens, Suzy Tekbilek, Rhea of Greece, Piper, Ahmet Luleci, Dondi, Myriam Eli, Karim Nagi Mohammed, Hyatt El-Helwa, Ansuya, Amir Thaleb, Jillina, Claudia, Mahmoud Reda, Yousry Sharif, Sonia & Issam, Bozenka, Madame Amel Tafsout, Madame Nagwa Fouad, Dr. Mo Gaddawi, Madame Faten Salema; Hadia Hassan Afifi, Kay Hardy Campbell, Beba, Indian: Aparna Kesheviah Pandit Chitresh Das; Gretchen Hayden; Maja Jazz: Lisa Simon, Trisha Biagini, Kirsta Sendziak Vic DiMonda; Brazilian: Bale Folclorico da Bahia company Balinese: Megumi Fujimara

Middle Eastern Dance Styles

Arabic, American Cabaret, fusion; Specialties: finger cymbals, cane, veil, sword, dance of the seven veils, Egyptian cape, feather fans, Wings of Isis

Performance Experience

Clubs, restaurants, parties, benefits, competitions; Highlights: dancing with Constantine (from “American Idol”) and his band, performing for Isiaih Thomas in Puerto Rico, dancing in a restaurant on the rim of a canyon in Mexico, dancing in a costume store window in Boston’s Chinatown, dancing to live Elvis music at a show I produced, dancing to songs from “Hair” on Earth Day in a white daisy costume (in a Frank Gehry building), portraying Salome and performing a “Dance of the Seven Veils” at a casino in Oregon, dancing on a $100,000 Oriental rug at Building #19 1/2, an impromptu performance in Panama.

Professional Achievements

• Featured in Belly Dance in Boston documentary—2007
• Guest on Cambridge Community TV—July 2006
• Coordinator, Boston chapter of Northeast Belly Dance Association (inaugural year 2005-2006)
• Featured on [first colour] cover of Middle Eastern Dance in New England magazine—May/June 2005
• Featured on back cover of Jareeda magazine—January/February 2006
• 2006 National Dance Week state representative
• 3rd place, Dance of the Seven Veils category, Belly Dancer USA Competition—2005
• 2nd place, People’s Choice Awards, Dance of the Seven Veils category, Belly Dancer USA Competition—2005
• Winner, World’s Best Variety Showdown at Buzz Boston—February 4, 2005
• Featured in the Metro Newspaper—October 21, 2005; April 21, 2006
• Featured in the City Weekly section of the Boston Globe—July 6, 2003
• Featured on the front page of the Allston-Brighton TAB—May 23, 2003
• Featured story in Allston-Brighton Bulletin—June 30, 2005
• Other press: Boston Phoenix, Improper Bostonian, Sharon Advocate, Regional Review—2004, 2005
• Performed for basketball Hall-of-famer Isiaih Thomas—August 24, 2003
• Guest on Allston-Brighton Free Radio—May 26, 2004; July 5, 2004
• Guest on BNN-TV’s Fernandito’s Hideaway—October 21, 2005

Shows Produced

Produced and performed in many belly dance shows, in public performance spaces, most of which had a unique theme with recorded and live music:

• February 2004: Belly dance show—All Asia Cafe (Cambridge MA)
• April 2004: “Twilight in Turkey” Belly dance show—All Asia Cafe (Cambridge MA)
• May 2004: “One Night in Bangkok” Belly dance show—All Asia Café (Cambridge MA)
• July 24, 2004: “Ya Salam, Elvis” Belly Dancing to Live Elvis Music—All Asia Cafe (Cambridge MA)
• December 4, 2004: “Rock the Casbah” Belly Dancing to Rock Music—All Asia Cafe (Cambridge MA)
• March 26, 2005: “Fantastic Fusion” Belly Dancing to Rock, Hip Hop and Reggae—All Asia Cafe (Cambridge MA)
• July 9, 2005: “A Belly Dance Happening” Belly Dancing to Sixties Music—All Asia Cafe (Cambridge MA)
• August 18, 2005: “Mohammed El-Bakkar Festival” Belly Dancing to Mohammed El-Bakkar Music—All Asia Cafe (Cambridge MA)
• October 21, 2005: “Belly Dancers in Outer Space” Belly Dancing to Other Worldly-themed Music—All Asia Cafe (Cambridge MA)
• April 22, 2006: “NBDA Boston Chapter Member Showcase” Traditional belly dancing to recorded music; a National Dance Week event—All Asia Cafe (Cambridge MA)
• April 29, 2006: “Hollywood Harem” A Tribute to the Middle Eastern Influence in Early Hollywood; a National Dance Week event—All Asia Cafe (Cambridge MA)
• July 8, 2006: “Get Down with the Genie” A Disco Belly Dance Fusion Show—All Asia Café (Cambridge MA)
• January 27, 2007: “Harem Holiday” Belly Dancing to Elvis Music—All Asia Cafe (Cambridge MA)
• March 31, 2007: “Hot Voodoo—Belly Dancers in Paradise” Belly Dancing Inspired by the Music of Exotic Lands—All Asia Cafe (Cambridge MA)

Related Activities

• Costume designer
• Owner of costume design studio; and formerly owner of dance studio which hosted weekly dance classes
• Belly dance show producer, specializing in original themes
• Contributor to Middle Eastern Dance in New England magazine and Jareeda magazine
• Other work in entertainment industry: casino-themed party hostess, costumed raffle ticket seller at Asian-themed benefit, live freeze mannequin, go-go dancer, movie extra (The Departed; Santa Claus in Baghdad, The Women, Tony’s Turf)

Past Performances

November 2002: Encore Lounge—Tremont Hotel (Boston MA), January 2003: Encore Lounge—Tremont Hotel (Boston MA); Aladino’s Café (Panama City, Panama), February 2003: private party (Jamaica Plain MA), March 2003: Karoun Restaurant—recital (Newton MA); private party (Boston MA); Middle East Restaurant (Cambridge MA), April 2003: Encore Lounge—Tremont Hotel (Boston MA), August 2003: Tantra (San Juan, PR); Gallery Inn (San Juan PR), September 2003: Make Art Studios (Boston MA); The Jewel of Newbury (Boston MA), November 2003: Karoun Restaurant—recital (Newton MA), February 2004: All Asia Café—performer & show producer (Cambridge MA), April 2004: Building 19—oriental rug sale (Somerville MA); Harvard Medical School—On My Own Time exhibit (Boston MA); All Asia Café—performer & show producer (Cambridge MA), May 2004: Double Tree Hotel—Taste of Allston benefit (Cambridge MA), June 2004: Commander’s Mansion (Watertown MA), All Asia Café—performer & show producer (Cambridge MA), July 2004: All Asia Café—performer & show producer (Cambridge MA), August 2004: Mansion Tarahumara (Divisadero Mexico), September 2004: All Asia Café—performer & show producer (Cambridge MA); Boston Community Center for the Arts—1st Annual Belly Dance Awards (Brookline MA), October 2004: Boston Costume—store window (Boston MA), Harper’s Ferry—Rock City Style Show, performer and costume designer (Allston MA), November 2004: Middle East Restaurant (Cambridge MA), December 2004: All Asia Café­—performer & show producer (Cambridge MA), Middle East Restaurant (Cambridge MA), Conference Auditorium, Boston University—recital (Boston MA), Kasbah Restaurant (Winthrop MA), January 2005: Middle East Restaurant (Cambridge, MA), Argana (Cambridge MA), February 2005: Buzz Boston—World’s Best Variety Showdown, winner (Boston MA), Middle East Restaurant (Cambridge MA), Argana (Cambridge MA), private party (Boston MA), Middle East Restaurant (Cambridge MA), March 2005: Power Yoga Studio—Sacred Women II (Weymouth MA), Middle East Restaurant (Cambridge MA), Buzz Boston—World’s Best Variety Showdown Final Showdown (Boston MA), Argana (Cambridge MA), All Asia Café—performer & show producer (Cambridge MA), April 2005: Argana (Cambridge MA), 9th Annual Krewe de Sappho Gods & Monsters Masquerade Party (Somerville MA), Middle East Restaurant (Cambridge MA), Rumor—Israeli Liberation Benefit (Boston MA), MIT Stata Center—Earth Day Celebration (Cambridge, MA), May 2005: Brookline Community Center for the Arts—Ha’Kesher & Mimouna Celebration (Brookline MA), Double Tree Hotel—Taste of Allston benefit (Cambridge MA), Middle East Restaurant (Cambridge MA), June 2005: Ryle’s Jazz Club—guest for Vote for Pedro (Cambridge MA), Seven Feathers Hotel & Casino—Belly Dancer USA Competition—contestant (Canyonville OR), Fairies of the Forest—Fundraiser for Mass Audubon Society Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary (Sharon MA), Middle East Restaurant (Cambridge MA), Kasbah Restaurant (Winthrop MA), July 2005: Middle East Restaurant (Cambridge MA), All Asia Café—show producer & performer (Cambridge MA), private party (Wellesley MA), Kasbah Restaurant (Winthrop MA), Argana (Cambridge MA), August 2005: Kasbah Restaurant (Winthrop MA), Middle East Restaurant (Cambridge MA), All Asia Café (Cambridge MA), September 2005: Middle East Restaurant (Cambridge MA), Kasbah Restaurant (Winthrop MA), October 2005: Middle East Restaurant (Cambridge MA), BNN-TV—Fernandito’s Hideaway (Boston MA), All Asia Café—performer & show producer (Cambridge MA), Great Scott—Rock City Style Show (Allston MA), Argana (Cambridge MA), Kasbah Restaurant (Winthrop MA), November 2005: Middle East Restaurant—Katrina benefit (Cambridge MA), Kasbah Restaurant (Winthrop MA), Baladi: 2nd Annual Belly Dance Awards fashion show segment—designer & performer (Cambridge MA), Argana (Cambridge MA), January 2006: Middle East Restaurant (Cambridge MA), private party (Warwick RI), Axis—guest for Pray for the Soul of Betty (Boston MA), March 2006: Middle East Restaurant (Cambridge MA), March 2006: Middle East Restaurant (Cambridge MA), April 2006: Middle East Restaurant (Cambridge MA), Proscenium Theatre—NBDA Member Showcase (South Boston MA), MIT Stata Center—Earth Day Celebration (Cambridge MA), All Asia Café—performer & show producer (Cambridge MA), May 2006: Larz Anderson Auto Museum—benefit (Brookline MA), Middle East Restaurant (Cambridge MA), June 2006: private party (Newton MA), Marriott Hotel—Annual Druss Conference [2 nights] (Burlington,MA), July 2006: State Room—private party (Boston MA), All Asia Café—performer & show producer (Cambridge, MA), October 2006: Cambridge Y Theatre—guest dancer in burlesque troupe, The Boston Babydolls’ show “Out for Blood” [20 performances] (Cambridge MA), Gallery of Social & Political Art—Songs of the Sand art exhibit (Boston MA) , November 2006: Masonic Temple (Watertown MA), January 2007: Temple Bar—private party (Cambridge MA), Le Figaro (NYC), All Asia Café—performer & show producer (Cambridge MA), March 2007: Mantra (Boston MA), All Asia Café—performer and show producer, April 2007: The Regent Theatre Underground—Fools for the Dance show, as member of Snakedance Theatre (Arlington MA), Spontaneous Celebrations—Emperor Norton’s Stationary Marching Band and Madcap Rumpus Society circus show (Jamaica Plain MA), May 2007: Milky Way Lounge (Jamaica Plain MA)—guest for Waitiki and Zilzala, June 2007: Cambridge City Hall—Peace Day with Emperor Norton’s Stationary Marching Band and Madcap Rumpus Society circus show (Cambridge MA), Bulfinch Yacht Club—guest dancer for Midnight Shakedown (Boston MA), July 2007: Lilypad—with Emperor Norton’s Stationary Marching Band and Madcap Rumpus Society circus show (Cambridge MA), Middle East Restaurant (Cambridge MA), August 2007: Holiday Inn—Ahlan Cairo Nights (Dallas TX), Middle East Restaurant (Cambridge MA), Nashua Cultural Festival (Nashua NH), September 2007: Zumix Festival—with Emperor Norton’s Stationary Marching Band and Madcap Rumpus Society circus show (E Boston MA), Middle East Restaurant (Cambridge MA), AltWheels Festival—with Emperor Norton’s Stationary Marching Band and Madcap Rumpus Society circus show (Boston MA), October 2007: Honk! Fest—with Emperor Norton’s Stationary Marching Band and Madcap Rumpus Society circus show (Somerville MA), Middle East Restaurant (Cambridge MA), Tony’s Turf (film)—(Boston MA), November 2007: Wonderbar—private party (Allston MA), Middle East Restaurant (Cambridge MA), January 2008: Rock City Body—The Wellness Resolution benefit (Allston MA), Middle East Restaurant (Cambridge MA)

This page last updated on: January 20, 2008