Baltimore Bellypalooza

1 rating since posting on Monday, July 30, 2007
Baltimore Bellypalooza
in Maryland
website
(submitted by Kostana )

Overall Rating

*****

based on 1 rating
Rate It
Advertisement
Advertisement
Kostana
Kostana
offline 133
*****
Baltimore Bellypalooza - August 4 & 5
I wrote this review but couldn't get it published in time, so for those thinking about going:

"John Waters, Edgar Allen Poe, the American Visionary Art Museum, Artscape…these are just some of the reasons why I love Baltimore. It has just the right mix of quirkiness, unconventional creativity and incredible talent.
That’s why it’s the perfect place for Baltimore Bellypalooza. Bellypalooza is 2 days of intensive workshops focusing on the art of belly dance sponsored by the Daughters of Rhea. Piper Hunt, a Baltimore based belly dance artist, teacher & choreographer and her sister Melina Heywood Pavlata an Oriental dancer and circus aerialist are the literal daughters of “Rhea”, a belly dance icon who began studying in the late 60’s in California under the famous Jamila Salimpour, and who continues to perform and teach today in Athens, Greece. Individually, each of these astounding women has brought beauty, grace art & respect to this form of dance, passing on their creative talents to new generations of belly dancers around the globe. Together at Bellypalooza, they share their passion & enthusiasm for Oriental dance with their students and the community.
This year, they are offering introductory classes for novices who have never taken a dance class before as well as workshops for all levels of dancers in Turkish, Egyptian, Ancient Greek, & Rromany (gypsy) dance, plus fitness and Arabic percussion & rhythm classes. Teachers include Piper, Melina & Rhea, and special guests Artemis, Yasmin, Gerson Kuhr (the “Fitness Pharoah”) and Issam Houshan of the Bellydance Superstars. As if that weren’t enough to entice you, there is an International Bazaar that is free and open to the public. You do not have to register or pay entry fee to shop the vendors including Scheherezade Imports, Solomon’s Mine, Silk Veils, Fantastic Designs, C & C Jewels, Eye Kandy Glitter, Anatolia Imports, Saffron Dance, Habibi Hon & The Washington Area Middle Eastern Dance Association.
All classes are held at the Mattin Center at Johns Hopkins Homewood Campus.
Saturday evening there is a fabulous “Bellydance Magic Show” held at the Baltimore Museum of Art, just across from the Homewood campus.
The Bellydance Magic show is one of the most entertaining shows I’ve ever seen. There’s something in it for everyone! Where else can you “go on an exotic gypsy caravan ride, glimpse mysteries from the ancient halls of the Pharaohs, see Moorish dancers and traveling Oriental circus artists of yesteryear, peek into a sultry Anatolian taverna, and then be whisked away to view the modern stages of Istanbul, Beirut, and Cairo”…all in one evening?
Last year’s show featured a vaudevillian emcee providing comedy between performances, breathtaking trapeze acts by Melina & her circus star husband, Alexandre Sacha Pavlata, Piper’s beautifully choreographed troupe numbers, gypsy dances, balancing acts, & Greek folkdances. Of course no show is complete without the amazing Rhea herself, who’s sword act closes the show.
The BMA is the perfect venue offering great sound & lighting without sacrificing an ambience of intimacy. There is not a bad seat in the house!
The Daughters of Rhea continue to host Bellypalooza so that the Baltimore Belly Dance community will have their own special event, and get a chance to shop from lots of top vendors without having to drive for 4 hours. In addition it offers an opportunity for this talented family of professional dancers to spend time together while doing what they love and showing beginning dancers in Baltimore a bit of what it's like to live your whole life as a professional belly dancer. I highly recommend taking advantage of this wonderful opportunity!
Tickets for the Belly Dance Magic Show are $25, $20 for BMA members and full-time students with ID, $15 for children 12 and under.
To register for Bellypalooza or to purchase tickets for the Belly Dance Magic Show, go to: www.pipermethod.com. On-line ticket purchase is only available through 1pm on August 4th. After 1pm, please come to the box office at the top of the BMA main staircase."


- Kostana , posted 07/30/07

Baltimore Bellypalooza was recommended for:

Share/Save/Bookmark
post to tribe
recommend or request

search local favorites

search

browse

Advertisement