The first dance number filmed for the upcoming "Fantasy Bellydance" performance DVD (World Dance New York, September 08) was "Salome," starring Sarah Skinner, Kazja, Tava, Sherene Vismaya, Patricia Delgado, Kelly Wasilishen, Tanya Michaca, Melissa Voodoo. "Salome" is a series of solos (Sarah Skinner, Kazja, Tava) and group compositions based on the story of Salome and the dance of 7 veils.

First presented at the Venus Uprising's "Cult of Myth" spring show, "Salome" was conceptualized by Sarah Skinner: it's a second installment in her "Femmes Fatales" series, the first being Mata Hari from the "Gothic Bellydance - Revelations DVD. "Salome" features diverse choreographies (by Sarah Skinner and Kazja), spectacular costuming and fine acting.

"Salome" will also be included in Sarah Skinner's upcoming "Seven Veils - Romantic Bellydance" instructional DVD (World Dance New York, July 08).

Here are a few screen shots from the "Salome"video. For more images, visit the "Salome" Flickr set.

Veil dance from "Salome"




Sarah Skinner - Dance of 7 Veils



The last veil off, Sarah delves into the depths of passion, seducing King Herod













Transition to the zar number that closes "Salome"


Final pose: Melissa Voodoo as Death, Sarah Skinner - Salome


"Seven Veils - Romantic Bellydance" - instructional DVD by Sarah Skinner

Yesterday was a big day for Blanca, Sarah Skinner and myself: We filmed "Luscious - The Bellydance Workout." The rehearsals marathon over, the day of the filming everything went fine; we took turns leading workout segments, gossiped in the dressing room, marveled at the twists and turns of our fast-paced lives, and consumed organic coconut macaroons provided by - no doubt - Satan himself.

The workout is made 100% of bellydance moves, it is beginner level, but it offers a perspective of challenge and growth. Each section of the workout consistently builds on the dance vocabulary introduced in the previous section through combinations. It's an "instructional workout" because of the method of introducing dance vocabulary and because there is an extensive tutorial section breaking down each move used in the workout.

The program is designed to be "very bellydance." We hope that it will be lavish, overflowing with deep, rich and feminine movement - so that it can be enjoyed as a beauty ritual.

My personal conviction is that workout programs like this (where dance experience is not compromised by the imperatives of the fitness aspect, but intertwine organically) are the best form of technique practice for dancers, a functional "drill". "Functional" because the moves are not practiced in isolation, but in the contexts of combinations or transitions in which they are actually used in dance. This creates an extra layer of muscle memory, which isolated drills/practice don't provide.

Thinking of our work on "Luscious," I must admit that being involved in a group project is a more rewarding experience than the solitary activity of working on solo video projects. I will miss it!
One of the moments of unbridled fun was putting together our workout costumes - which occurred during a shopping spree at the SharifWear sale. Our pants, shirts and hip scarves are by Sharif Wear; bras and belts - Blanca's and mine are by Totally Creative NYC, Sarah Skinner's are Sarah's design.

At the end of April, World Dance New York will release an album of traditional bellydance music arranged by Amir Naoum Chehade and Elias Sarkar. "Bellydance New York with Amir Naoum" features folk songs of the Middle East and original compositions and improvisations by Amir Naoum and Elias - all traditional favourites of our NYC bellydancers, heard at the Lafayette Grill & Bar where Amir Naoum's band plays every Friday night for the Mediterranean Nights party. Both Amir and Elias are veterans of the Middle Eastern music scene in New York: Amir is an amazing Arabic-style percussionist, one of the best in the US, and a master teacher of Arabic percussion, while Elias is famous for his spectacular work playing oud, violin and for his incredible voice you can hear on the new album.

The music was originally arranged for Tanna Valentine's upcoming DVD (end of April) - "Bellydance Show Basics for Beginners" - an instructional program teaching beginners step-by-step how to create a perform their own bellydance show within the classic American Cabaret format.

For the instructional purposes Amir and Elias created a 6-minute mini-show soundtrack, comprising all the traditional parts of the American Cabaret format - entrance, veil, party song, ciftetelli, drum solo and finale. The mini-show is a true gem that will certainly be appreciated by both students and professional dancers interested in music for shorter performances. The album also presents full-length song tracks with useful variations: for instance, the gorgeously arranged and recorded "Lama Bada" has two versions - instrumental, and the one with lyrics featuring the stunning vocal work by Elias Sarkar. Track titles indicate rhythms (and often instruments) used in each piece.

We hope that this CD will serve as a great learning and instructional tool, in addition to offering beautifully-arranged and superbly-recorded pieces for artists performing classic bellydance. If you teach bellydance, please consider this album for use in your classes, and if you like it, please recommend it to your students and friends. If you would like to review the album, let me know.

The cover model for "Bellydance New York" is Tanna Valentine, all photography is by Lina Jang.

For download, the album is available at iTunes -- see the 2-page iMix below, and also at Amazon.com, where you can now download each track individually, just like at iTunes. To view individual track downloads at Amazon, follow this link: "Bellydance New York". Or you can purchase the jewel-case packaged CD at Amazon and other stores.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StGg7UKr-lE

At the end of February World Dance New York is releasing 3 choreography DVDs within our Fantasy Bellydance instructional series: Each program contains 3 intermediate-advanced choreographies - performance and choreography breakdown - by 3 instructors. The styles range from classic bellydance, to cabaret and tribal fusion forms.

"Fantasy Bellydance - Mystery" (Neon, Sera, Ayshe)
"Fantasy Bellydance - Desire" (Blanca, Naraya, Darshan)
"Fantasy Bellydance - Magic" (Isidora Bushkovski, Autumn Ward, Ariellah)

Below are a few screen shot from the performance sections of the DVDs.

Neon - "Serpent" - "Fantasy Bellydance - Mystery"





Sera - "Shadow" (Tribal Fusion - East Coast Tribal) - "Fantasy Bellydance - Mystery"





Ayshe - "Phoenix" (wings of Isis) - "Fantasy Bellydance - Mystery"





Blanca - "Nymph" (hand veils) - "Fantasy Bellydance - Desire"





Naraya - "Salome" (Tribal Fusion) - "Fantasy Bellydance - Desire"





Darshan - "Ritual Dance - Blessing of the Full Moon" (Tribal Fusion)- "Fantasy Bellydance - Desire"





Izidora Bushkovski - "Warrior Princess" (sword) - "Fantasy Bellydance - Magic"





Autumn Ward - "Enchantress" - "Fantasy Bellydance - Magic"





Ariellah - "Kali - Creator/Destroyer" (Tribal Fusion) - "Fantasy Bellydance - Magic"





More images from the Fantasy Bellydance DVDs

Hey, whatever you are doing right now - can you stop for a moment?...
Set aside that sequin you were about to sew onto your bellydance costume...
Put that 3rd cosmo back on the bar counter and grab your sidekick...
Pause that "Instant Bellydancer" DVD on your dvd player...
and...
check out...
this fabulous new bellydance music by PETE LIST!
Because it deserves a MASSIVE listen.
Pete's CD is entitled "Songs for Kassar" -
preview it on CD Baby!!!
Pete composed and arranged this music for the "Fluid Precision - Contemporary Tribal Bellydance" DVD by Kassar and for the "Sensual Bellydance" DVD by Blanca.
Multifaceted, full of life, gorgeous music!
Great for Tribal, great for modern cabaret and many other forms of contemporary bellydance.
In other words, good-for-bellydance great fabulous music! See more blog posts: VENUS UPRISING

Today a bunch of us worked on one of our fall DVD releases - "Bellydance - It's Your Show!" with Tanna Valentine. We filmed a tutorial on improvising a bellydance costume and a demonstration of glamour makeup design and application.
ABOVE: Tanna Valentine and her makeup model, Mary, prepare for action.

LEFT: Mary
The concept of the video is to create a fun educational experience for casual dancers and beginners interested in performing a bellydance show for a special event in a circle of friends/family. The video covers all the necessary ingredients: basic bellydance steps and the structure of a mini-show (7 min.) including all the sections of a classic American Cabaret show: entrance, rumba (veil), party song (saidi), ciftetelli, drum solo and exit. The DVD will include tips on showmanship, audience interaction, professional and improvised costuming and dancer's makeup. All the music for the DVD was recorded by Amir Naoum's band - classic festive and evocative bellydance pieces. It will be available for download and on a CD.

a href="http://www.blogbellydance.com">Read more: Venus Uprising Blog

On Friday (June 13th...) a secret den in midtown Manhattan became the scene of a a dark assembly: Jeniviva gathered her vampyre kin and deviant friends for the filming of her ";Gothic Bellydance - Revelations"; music video set to ";Back Door"; by Clan of Xymox. The video revolves around the story of a vampyre bellydancer. The vibrant gorgeousness of the guests, beautiful acting and a great concept made this production a joy to work on. Thank you to all who contributed their time, talent, and stunning looks to this testament to the creativity of NYC Gothdom. See photos here. Click on the thumbnails below to see larger images.

Read more: Venus Uprising Blog

Last week we finished filming "Fluid Precision - Contemporary Tribal Bellydance" - an instructional video/dvd with Kassar - Karin and Melanie. Kassar's dance style is rich, delicate and intricate - it reminds me of gold-embellished lace or a multi-faceted irridescent jewel. The pacing and blending of flowing and accented moves interwoven with level changes, turns and half-turns result in a complex mesmerizing texture. We left the theater late, and dined at L'Express after midnight; Karin and Melanie stayed overnight at a hotel. Next day, in the evening, as I was vegetating at my desk (torn between two ever-growing imperatives: to exercise and to work), my eye caught an amazing sight outside: the ancient white building across the street turned black and orange. It was one of those rare couple days a year when the sun sinks down perfectly aligned with our street, shooting orange light into the darkness of our urban canyon at a very low angle, straight across Manhattan, from Hudson River to East River. I grabbed my camera and rushed to the window, capturing the moment when the light was rapidly receding, as the sun plunged down somewhere in NJ.

Read more: Venus Uprising Blog

Here's the cover for the upcoming Gothic Bellydance: Revelations. So many talented artists have taken part of this massive project: Neon, Sera and Solstice Dance Ensemble, Laura Rose, Elayssa, Mavi, Sarah Skinner, Ayshe, Sashi, Tempest, Ariellah, Jeniviva, Maiiah, Shakra Dancers, Sherene Vismaya, Elsa Leandros and Isis. If you haven't, make sure you view the Flickr Photostream.