Andrea the story teller artist

I feel so lucky to have found this clip. This is a Youtube clip of Andrea performing a breath taking tribal /gypsy fusion piece.

This dance number is absolutely brilliant. She moves like an enchanting snake and has the presence of an oriental gypsy. I'm just wondering why I never encountered this clip before. This piece is way to majestic and incredible to not admire.

Her powerful presence, posture and isolation's mark her an artist of her craft. Andrea is elegant, soft, mysterious, clean and precise. She milks this song for all its worth and makes it come to life. A dancer with this kind of ability definitely needs to be admired for her craft. No question.

Take a look at her arm technique alone. Her arms tell a story and her hands express the feelings. I love the way she blends all kinds of emotional elements, this dancer really makes this performance look like a work of art. A fairy tale.

Something about her makes you want to sculptor her image. If the light was taken away and all you could see was her shadow, she will still look stunning. Her dance style is dreamy and now has become one of my new favorites.

Andrea, your an enchanted star.

Maraia's Eden of fire

Here is a beautiful Youtube Clip of Maraia performing a balancing candle piece. The clip is entitled Eden. There isn't much description other than the title provided. But the piece is stunning.


I was searching for a candle piece performance when I stumbled across this clip. I've actually seen this dancer before on other clips and I have visited her website sometime in the past but I never actually saw this clip until recently.

What caught my eye at first was costume choice. Her sleeves are so long and she's balancing fire on her head, that can be a scary situation for even a long time professional. Still, she dances beautifully with the sleeves never interrupting her dance. And she never accidentally steps on them which is most important element of all.

Her floor dancing is dazzling. It's lovely, classy and sensual. She careful, clean and knows her limitations well. But I adore her grace. She helps me visualize how a fire goddess would dance. She very much in control and so relaxed its marvelous.

Next Maraia releases her tray of candle and continues to dance with just her hand veils. She continues to balance her movements with music wonderfully.

When she spins she reminds me of a flower blossoming. This dancer comes to life with music, she is truly a powerful dancer. I'm very happy this video was posted of her.

Jamil Male Bellydancer

This is the fantastic Jamil referred by a person who contacted me named Felix. A professional male bellydancer from Sydney Australia. In this clip he performing 3 different dance pieces. It's a great clip because it showcases different dance props and music. First dance Jamil is using a veil, second dance he's using a cane and by the third dance he is just jamming out to a lively drum solo.

Here's the full clip:

The first song Jamil is performing to is called "Drama Queen" I happen to know this because its the same song me and my dance partner Sahjaza used to perform at Rakkasa 2007. This is a favorite song of mine because of the way the music changes so much. Anyhow back to Jamil...

I love his choice of entrance, it's so lively and loud. His veil technique reminds me of an Arabian prince. It's very masculine and strong. He plays wonderfully with the music and has fantastic characterization.

In the next dance piece Jamil pulls out a cane. Here you can see him perform a magnificent traditional cane dance number. I love his cane dance skill. I have to admit that this cane dance is my very favorite part of the video clip. I watched it many times over and over. I can't get over his wonderful poster, accents and charisma. His dance is so folk, I hope you can enjoy it as much as I do.

In the third piece. Jamil is performing a drum solo. Here you can witness his dance skill accents, rhythm and over character. He has perfect control of his dance body movements and knows his music very well which is always so critical. I love the creativity in his drum solos because he adds so much and re-creates ideas too.

Thank you Felix for your video suggestion ;-)

Zill master: Ansuya

Ladies and Gentlemen I present to you the international bellydance superstar Ansuya! Yey XD

Yes, this here is a Youtube video clip of Ansuya performing with zills for the bellydancesuperstars DVD. I decided to pick this particular clip because I realized that I had not really showcased any dancers performing with zills. That's when Ansuya popped into my head. In no time after typing her name in the search engine I found the exact clip I was thinking about.

This happens to be on of my favorite dance clips of Ansuya. She is wearing an colorful costume with lots of lively green and shaking like dancing goddess. She is on fire. From the moment you begin to watch the clip until the moment it ends you can't peel your eyes off her. She is pure magnetic.

As I mentioned before the main reason I decided to post this clip is because I wanted viewers to check out her finger cymbal technique (I like to call them zills). She captures the music perfectly. Just admire the way she dances so wonderful in spite of the fact she's playing her zills at the same time. Many people have no idea how hard it is to play a musical instrument and dance, but this is what it looks like. Take a look:


I could go on for days or weeks talking about how wonderful Ansuya is but I won't do that because then this blog will never end. Let me just say that Ansuya is an international star that performs all over the world. She is one of the best and I don't think I have to say any more.

Huleya dances

This is a Japanese bellydancer I found on Youtube. It's a great clip of a dancer named Huleya. I just had to write about this dancer since the moment I first laid eyes on her.

I have to admit yet again that her costume is what caught my attention the very first time I glanced at this clip. I went absolutely crazy over her shaggy sleeves. I just love it. I haven't seen other dancers where their sleeves that way and so I impressed. I know that it's a little hard to see at first with her veil, but it caught my eye anyway. I also loved her pants, her whole get up had so much movement, how wonderful.

She is seen as a graceful creature with her veil and transcends to a majestic dancing doll. She very lively, skilled, present, joyful and full of character. I love to watch her float around stage, she looks so airy like a cloud.

What I admire most about Huleya is her ability to feel music and really emphasize the musical accents. She knows her music well and plays with like a master. Her dancing is so very beautiful to watch, I glad I found her clip on Youtube.

Enjoy, I know you will ;-)

Orgune Male Bellydancer

This is the professional Turkish male dancer Orgune from Marmaris, Turkey. I've seen this clip a very long time ago but couldn't find it again. I just happened to have bumped into it the other day and said to myself "Hey I remember this dancer!"

I remember a bunch of dancers were talking about this terrific dancer in our community chat rooms. He is a fabulous dancer because of his technique, character, precision, ability to isolate his body is amazing ways and of course his fun outfit. Before I say anything else...

Here is Orgune the male Turkish bellydancer:


Doesn't he have a great sense of dance rhythm to the music. He moves beautifully with the songs, you can see this even from the very first dance he performs. He has such a clean technique and he's wonderful at isolating the different parts of his body.

Hey and did you check out his costume, I love the creativity of this costume design! I not too crazy about it being all white with fringe, it reminds me of chicken.

Now about his belly shimmies aren't they just incredible!!! If you didn't catch his belly action the first time please view this clip again. He shimmies like a monster.

Another magnificent thing to note about this dancer is his ability to bend his body in different shapes, especially his arms. Looking at him twist his arms kinda makes your eyes hurt. He's so flexible but I find this trait common among many male dancers in general.

This here is the second half of the clip:

In this clip you see Orgune performing more with the cane at first. He does a fantastic job performing with that cane and of course like any professional he makes it seem so easy to do when really it isn't.

And OMG did you see him twirl with that cane? Wasn't that insane, he has such wonderful control of his dance prop! I wish he danced with it longer.

Next he does bendy-like bellydancing. He makes himself into a dancing pretzel especially later in the video. And he twirls like a bellydancing maniac- I LOVE IT =)

Later he gets into this wild drum solo which is a lot of fun. He really shakes his stuff here and shows off, he's got the dancing diva in him... LOL

You have to love a man with wild personality!

Melina: Dagger & Sword

This here is the Oriental Dance talented goddess named Melina. She is one of the daughter of Rhea of Greece. She comes from a family of dancers and has been dancing almost all her life (not including her circus acrobat career). But she is an amazing performing, I am especially excited to showcase her youtube clips here on my blog because what she does is so unique. This dancer is fierce!

Here 's the first clip of Melina performing live at a restaurant wearing a fuchsia pink costume and dancing like a star.

What sparked my interest at first was her costume, I love the way she put it all together. Then I began to concentrate on her dancing. I became enchanted with her movements. She has wonderful snake moves and fantastic cabaret turns. She looks so playful in the first song. I love her high energy. I admire her dance character and skill.

In the next clip you can see Melina getting down to a drum solo. Here you can see her dynamic dance technique and skill. She grooves out that drum solo. I totally love it. Melina is a ball of fun to watch. Her oriental style is absolutely wonderful. But wait there is more...


Next clip
Wicked balancing of sword on dagger!

I believe the title alone speaks for itself. And when you see Melina actually balance the dagger on her teeth and then place the sword on top of the dagger, you are completely blown away. I have never ever seen a dancer perform this kind of balancing act. I can't even understand the mechanics of the trick. This is unbelievable and so amazing to watch. I wish I could see her perform this in person, it's probably so much fun.

Melina is a one of a kind dancer... like a jewel to treasure.

Egyptian Master: Dina

Here is the Legendary Egyptian Master dancer Dina. For a while I wanted to write about Dina but couldn't decided which Youtube video clip to use because she has many. I tried my best to narrow down the best few and finally decided to showcase not one of her videos but instead three of her clips.

Dina is a bellydance icon. Famous beyond measure and a star in the bellydance community. She has a been a great inspiration for dancers all over the world and continues to move people with her dance. Countless dancers try to emulate her and for good reason, she's great!

In Egypt Dina is a household name. Many people on international T.V. impersonate this dancer because she is so popular. But of course like all famous people, she gets harassed by the media. This famous dancer is seen music videos, sitcoms, shows and everywhere else under the sun.

I consider myself a fan, which is the absolute reason I decided to write about her this week.

Now before I go any further, please note that Dina outrageously sexy by nature. The woman can't help but scream sex appeal by the way she moves, behaves and of course dresses. On that note about dressing, Dina many times goes way too far with her choice in costumes.

Some of her costumes are outrageously too revealing, some are strange, some are confusing and others are just not tasteful for most dancers. I can't help but feel completely confused by the way she sometimes dresses. So to make things easiest, I picked the video clips that have her best costumes or clips of showcasing her dance technique.

Here are a few of my favorite bellydance videos of Dina


I call this one the: Best costume ever

I love this costume Dina is wearing in this clip because it's pretty, classy and glamours. I love her big pink skirt. I know that it's distracting how her boobies are almost exploding out of her bra, but that's how Dina is. She just loves to showcase her huge boobies. Other than that, I believe this is a great clip of her dancing with a live band. She connects with the music and knows how to work the stage. I dig this clip.


Wearing black & gold

In this clip Dina is wearing a strange looking black & gold costume. Somehow she pulls off the costume well. The black & gold color combination seems to work with her. Anyhow, forget the costume, here dancing here is wonderful. Here Dina is dancing along with a live singer. In this clip you can really see all the emotions pouring out of Dina's face. She feels music like no other dancer and lets it out with her showcasing emotion. I've always admired the way she surrenders to the lyrics. I think this is her strongest feature.


A Funny dance with drummer

This here is a funny clip of Dina dancing on a live T.V show with a live drummer. She wearing a party dress and I think it's because she wasn't expecting to dance but somehow ending up dancing anyway. Then when the drummer appears that's when everything really turns fun. I love the chesmistry between Dina and the drummer, its so playful and fun. Nothing beats when the drummer stops drumming order to dance with Dina. And boy can that drummer dance! He's so funny he makes Dina laugh. I really like this clip, I think this showcases Dina's sense of humor and talent.


Jamming in tight red

Now I'm not sure if this gown is red or a dark pink but that doesn't really matter here. What does matter is this wonderful performance of Dina dancing to the live band. She looks so amazing. I love her back bend in this clip because she does it so graceful and lovely.


I hope you enjoyed the glimpse of Dina I provided here on my blog. She's one of my favorites.

Gothic Queen: Jeniviva

For this Halloween, I decided to showcase Jeniviva's youtube clip. Why? Because Jeniviva is a big Gothic Bellydance hit in New York. And Gothic bellydancing is darkest side of Middle Eastern dance-- perfect for Halloween =)

Here is Jeniviva performing live at my moon along side the wonderful band Djinn. There is another dancer named Isis in this clip performing with a sword but she isn't seen much in the clip.

I decided to use this specific dance clip of Jeniviva because it showcases her performing with her long creepy dance nails. I love the dark settings in the room and the dim lights, I believe it helps pull out Jeniviva's character.

She's exotic, mysterious, majestic, and breathe taking. Many dancers alike admire her style. Here's a clip of her in action:

Notice her long slithery movements. She has terrific isolation control and technique. Her stage character is mesmerizing. Everything about her in this clip is so dark, yet sexy. She moves beautifully with the music.

A powerful dancer who knows how to bring in her audience and place them under her spell. It's no wonder so many run to see her perform.

Have a happy Halloween!

EasternDancer Mariyah

This Youtube clip is of a fabulous dancer I know named Mariyah. She lives here in New York city and happens to be part of Pure (like me). Sometimes you can catch her performing with Darshan as the dazzling duet Shapeshifter, which is so much fun to see.

Now Mariyah is a beautiful dancer. I was inspired to write about her after watching her perform live at Je'Bon. I've seen Mariyah dance before on a number of occasions but something about seeing her perform that day made pull out a pen and begin to write.

Me and Sahazha both agree that one thing that makes Mariyah so unique as a dancer is the fact she really comes to life on stage. Something in her opens up like a flower on stage, its more than what words can describe. I guess it's because in person she's more on the quiet side, the kind of girl wearing a sweet smile.

But on stage Mariyah re-appears sassy, wild and groovy. Mariyah is able to wonderfully transcend her performance persona like a light switch. She can transcend from a mellow feather to a sexy villain and back. Mariyah executes technique and emotion superbly and equally. I admire this kind of talent and I believe this is what really made me begin to write about her.

I decided to use this clip among Mariyah's other because I believe you can see her best here. The picture is clear and her dancing is beautiful.

Here you can see Mariyah's fabulous isolation and shimmy control. She dances with finesse in this clip which makes her so enjoyable to watch. I love her ability to transcend with the music. She's lovely and very strong. I wish I had a video clip of her performance at Je'Bon but for now you can see her here.
Oh, and I love that leopard colored costume, I want to make something similar to that someday. Who can resist leopard design, I really dig that :)

It's a treat to watch Mariyah perform and I think this clip is great example of that.

Melania, dance of the desert

This is a Youtube clip of Melania dancing at the Desert Dance Fest.

She's a beautiful dancer with a strong dance presence. She moves like a graceful professional. I love her technique accents. She follows beautifully with the music. I'm not sure if I ever heard of this dancer before, but she is magnificent to watch.

Every movement she executes she does so with precision and grace. She kind a reminds me of a ballet dancer. I think her strongest feature is her ability to interpret the music. She follows all of the songs accents and rhythms.

This performance of Melania is absolutely perfect in every way. She has great stage presence, she interprets music beautifully, she remains in character and her movements are on point. Great job Melania-- you rock in this clip =)

Ahmedova Sabina in orange

The orange costume! This is the Rakkasah week. Me and Sahazha are preparing for the grand Rakkasah this Friday. I picked this video clip this week because of the orange costume. Since me and Sahazha are both wearing orange/peach colored costumes this week, I thought what better way to set the tone that to showcase a young dancer wearing our Rakkasah performance colors.

This here is Ahmedova Sabina. She is performing live at the world cup children bellydance finals. She is spectacular. Little Hollywood star in my eyes. She is so cute, I have no idea how old she is but I do know that she is a fantastic dancer.

I love her angles and turns. She's so graceful and in talented. Her technique is so authentic and classy. She had me the moment I set eyes on her. I think I might use her clip to show others what beautiful bellydancing looks like ;-)


Oh and that costume isn't it a delicious shade of orange. It's so bright and beautiful, it makes me think of tangerines. I adore her arm gantlets and long circle skirt. That gold top and belt works so well with the orange shade. She has such think full long hair and she knows just how to swing it too. She is just so cute!!!!!

I know, I always turn into pudding when I see little girls bellydancing. You probably have notice this by now when I talk about children bellydancers.

But to think this little girl is a champion. I wonder at what age she started bellydancing. Anyhow I hope you enjoyed the clip. It's short and extra sweet =)

Sexy Male bellydancer Asi Haskal

This is an out standing dance clip by a male bellydancer named Asi Haskal from Israel. It's funny because I found this clip under the name Dina. It is strangly listed under only the name Dina. (that doesn't make any sense)

I’m not ashamed that this guy has a really attractive face. He is cute. He looks kinda like that actor John Stamos. He doesn’t smile very much but he doesn’t have to because it makes him look so much more mysterious and attractive. Oh but when he does smile…wow! The more I look at him the more I can’t help but admire how good looking this male belly dancer is. I’m being terrible I know, I have to focus on the dancing itself (Wake-up Elektra! Wake up!)

Ok, I’m back. Now about his dancing…

Here in this first clip you witness Asi Haskal performing a amazing oriental performance. He’s very masculine and obviously talented beyond measure. He has spiritual element & is folkloric in nature. His black costume is wild. It makes him look like a Arabian-Tarzan prince. I love his powerful accents and stunning ability to capture the music with his body. Asi is very imaginative and unique. He oozes creativity. He engages every part of his body and spirit into all that he does.

In a white cape of wings
Here in this second clip you see Asi Haskal wearing a different white costume. He is wearing this over sized cape in which he uses like a large veil and a as a set of wings. He looks like a pharaoh in this attire and I love it. He whirls around the room wonderfully, I have no complaints here.

He drops the cape after a while in this clip and begins to perform a traditional form of folk oriental dance. He uses his dance space well and even sings along with the music. He definitely does more shimmies in this dance piece.

And yes at one poin the actually sits down like a pure diva, but who cares this guy rocks. I find that part so funny. He does what all us dancers wish we could do when we get tired and that is just sit!
I love this male belly dancer for many reasons.
And because’s cute too!!!

Oreet the Sensation

Here is the sensational Oreet. I had to add a clip of Oreet performing because she is master performer. I met this dancer for the first time at Hunter College. I remember that I struggled to see her perform that afternoon in the school lobby but I was stuck taking a philosophy exam. I was bummed out that I missed it that day. But I did get to see her dance in person some other time after that.

Anyhow, here is a great Youtube clip of her performing live at Rakkasah-East. I picked this particular clip because I found it the most fetching among the rest. All her performances are beautifully done, But in this clip I just couldn’t get my eyes off that fire colored veil. Oh, it’s so dreamy, I love it!

Check out the performance here:


I felt the way she uses the fire colored silk veil to begin her performance was brilliant. The colors of the veil reflect off her black costume and vise versa. This is wonderful way to grab the attention of the audience, Ms. Oreet knows her stuff ;-)

As you begin to admire her dance performance itself you first notice her celebratory and charismatic character. Her technique is precise, clean and elegant. I love the way she continues to smile throughout her dance. She contours the music wonderfully with her movements. She uses lots of shapes, grand body movements and charming accents. She works the stage like a diva =D Go Oreet!

For the second number, Oreet gets into a electric drum solo. The song starts off very slow at first and then gradually builds up in tempo. Her drum solo is delightful, its lively, fun and vibrant. I think part of what makes Oreet so wonderful to watch is the fact she always looks like she’s having the greatest time dancing. Her performance personality drives you in, you can’t help but smile back at her (even if you are watching her in video… LOL).

Sandra's Egyptian dance

This here is Sandra. A professional bellydancer located on the West coast. I first spotted this dancer online a long time ago and then couldn't find her again because I forgot both her name and web page. Luckily she is linked to Michelle (another popular dancer) so I bumped into her site again without even realizing.

I have to confess I think I was enthralled by her website before I learned anything about her website. I just loved the way her website was laid out, I loved the color choices and most of all I loved her huge collection of bellydance costume pictures. Goodness does this dancer have costumes! She looks amazing in all the colors too =)

OK, now to talk about this video clip...
I chose this clip because behind the great website and gorgeous costumes is truly a talented performer. Sandra is a magnificent dancer, although I never met this dancer in person, nor have I ever seen her dance live... she definitely shows us on her video clip that this dancer is skilled beyond measure.

I admire Sandra's ability to be so playful and graceful. She's delicately sexy and classy. She milks out her movements wonderfully with the music. I really like the Egyptian dance clip of her on Youtube!


Here's her clip for you to see...




I hope you enjoy her wonderful dancing as I have!

Morgana

This video clip of Morgana is extremely popular on Youtube. It's a good clip because your able to see the dancer perform a number of different songs in a single clip.

Morgana is performing tribal fusion style in this piece and is incorporating a sword with her dance. It's a power piece down on a theatrical stage setting.

Take a look at this popular clip before I say more...

As you can see, Morgana has a dark, mysterious and powerful persona as a performer. She's a professional who knows her music and really feels her movements. Morgana has a way of becoming the music.

Sword dance

Morgana brings out her sword and does an amazing performance with the piece. She looks fierce, dangerous and in complete control. Amazing performance, no wonder this clip is so popular!
There are many ways a performer can incorporate sword dances in there routine, but I think there is a part of us that always craves the dark side and on that note I think Morgana teases us into the dark side... In a good way!

BackBend of Ra'asa Naemet Mokhtar

This here is a old clip of Ra'asa Naemet Mokhtar, a fabulous dancer I learned about on Tribe.net about a week ago. I love watching old fashion bellydance clips, usually the clips are pulled from full screen movies but I never really mind much about that. The actors in the background are humours I think.

When I first heard of Ra'asa Naemet Mokhtar, I heard she had incredible shimmies and lively dance energy. So I decided to check out the clip.

My first impression of the dancer was that yes she has some really interesting shimmies. To me her shimmies look like tiny wiggles, it's really cute and gentle. Her shimmies are very control and she often likes to combine them with stomach undulations and choo-choo shimmies.

I absolutely love her costume. That petal skirt is beautiful, I love the way it catches the wind when she spins. Her costume reveals much of her legs (which I'm not a big of) but it still looks classy and sassy.

One of her most compelling features is her dreamy performance facial expression. I adore the way she smiles and poses. Her facial expression is sexy, elegant and flirtatious. She pretends to be coy while at the same time wants to be a tease.

Now the MOST amazing part of this clip is when Ra'asa Naemet Mokhtar does her backbend. She does a backbend like no other dancer I have seen. It's as if she was made of pure rubber. Please watch this clip to see what I mean:


Amazing backbend right!
Yes, I had to look at it more than once to absorb it. Wow, that was twisted, insane & incredible-- I LOVE IT =D

This is a great clip of this dancer, that I really enjoyed watching. I hope you enjoyed the clip too!

The Dashing: Darshan

Oh, this is the sweet Darshan! I love her =D We are both members of PURE NYC and is the mother dancer of my dance partner (& close friend) Sahjaza. Darshan is professional NYC bellydancer who performs both cabaret and tribal East Coast Fusion. She's talented beyond measure and wonderful person to know =)

What inspired me to pick her Youtube video clip this week was the fact her birthday was on the same day as my mom's birthday, how cool is that! I went to see her perform live with a set of other bellydancers including (my inspiration) Kaeshi, Irina, my awesome dance partner Sahjaza and many others. It was a great night where I sat and took 100 years to finish a passion fruit Slurpee... LOL

Here is a clip of Darshan performing a tribal east coast experimental piece along with a veil. By the way, the live band rocking out music is Djinn. And yes they kick ass.

I picked this particular clip because I believe here you can get a grasp of what Darshan's dance presence is like. The woman is fierce, sensual and seductive. She has an amazing way to use her breathing energy to enhance her dance technique. A quality that she passed on to Sahjaza ;-)

Here you see her hypnotizing the room filled crowd with her earthly colored veil. She breaks into juicy isolation's and controlled movements. Darshan weaves beauty and strength together in this piece. It's a short clip I know, but something about this clip made me choose it over the others. I find essence here, I guess that's the best way to describe why.

What probably makes Darshan fusion technique so powerful is that fact she has the ability to pull in her audience and literally ease them into a trance. Maybe it's her stature, maybe it's her grace, maybe it's her cat shaped eyes... but I believe it's just Darshan being Darshan.

Happy Birthday Darshan!

And happy birthday to all the other lovely Virgos!

Adishakti dancing to "Zeina"

This is a wonderful dancer I found on youtube dancing to the classical song Zenia. This is a very popular song that most dancers love to perform with.

I absolutely love the way Adishakti dances to this song. She has strong dance technique and superb way to execute the moves. Take a look at her dance clip...


Adishakti dances smoothly, soft and flawless. She's a woman with curves and a sassy attitude. She's graceful, classy and a little bit spicy. I absolutely believe she's a wonderful performer. She has a natural talent to tease and play with the audience with a coy smile, a little wiggle and fun shake.

The second part of the video Adishakti performs a live drum solo which is really cool. Her drum solo is soft but completely on point with the rhythm. She's dances so clean and smooth. I think she's adds a different flavor to drum solo technique.

Hooray for Adishakti for rocking Zenia!

Hey, by the way, isn't that lime colored costume and betti page hair style super cute!

Egyptian child star: Kabalyan Liliya

The moment I saw this video I was tears. Tears of joy that is. This child dances so beautifully she made me feel completely emotional. I don't know why I feel so sentimental when I see children belly dancing but I do. I guess I always had a weakness for little girls and to see them dance like me makes me melt with joy.

This here is Kabalyan Liliya a gifted little belly dancer who could one day be a belly dance superstar. She's so full of grace and majestic technique. Kabalyan dances like a dream, she even dances better than many professionals today.


Not much information is posted by her video clip so it's hard know anything about her. I imagine that someone in her immediate family (usually the mother) must her taught her the dance since she was a toddler. I'm guessing the girl is probably around 10 years old in the clip, I'm not sure.

Notice the way she dances with her veil, she reminds me a younger version of Saida. Her technique is very clean and graceful. Kabalyn is child professional dancer you can't help fall in love with. When she releases the veil, she really begins to show off her Egyptian belly dance style.

Kabalyan dances lovely. She has great control of her body turns and arm movements. I adore the way she tosses her hair around-- it's so cute (=D)

I hope you enjoy this clip as much as I did. Well, you don't have to be emotional like me, but at least she'll put a smile on your face to brighten your day!

*I wish if I had a daughter some day she'd dance like that*

Zafira the Tribal Gypsies

Here are some Tribal Gypsy style dancers. This is the first time I post a fused Tribal & Gypsy piece here on this video blog and this clip was the best pick. The 3 dancers on the video are Christine Andrews, Olivia Kissel and Maria Hamer. It's a wonderful trio of dancers. Here's the clip:

I love the earthiness of these dancers. They are so lose and grounded, I love it. Here the dancers are performing a number of colorful dance combinations. They are really creative in this piece, it kind a reminds me of the way me and my dance partner Sahjaza dance together.

This live performance speaks for it's self so sit back and enjoy!

Cane dance by Olga Nour

This is a classical cane dance by Olga Nour. I wanted to post a video clip of what traditional cane dancing looked like and this is one of the best examples I found. Olga Nour does a wonderful performance in this video, so I needed to share this clip.


One of the first things I must mention is the fact she is not wearing the traditional long dress but I don't seem to mind (nor does the audience). But forget her costume, lets focus on her dancing.

I love the way she enters the room. She appears from the back of the audience and walks up the stage after dancing a little bit with the crowd. I also love the fact she's dancing with a live drummer. The energy between them makes the performance twice as nice.

About Cane dancing: Take note how this dancer holds the cane and the way she twirls it around. All these movements she does with the cane come from tradition and has a story behind them. I don't want to pluck around history right now but I do want to get you to understand that these movements have culture and tradition written all over them. Admire the cane dance technique, Olga Nour does a wonderful performance here.

Next you'll notice that suddenly Olga Nour breaks into a short drum solo toward the end of this dance clip. I wanted to post only the cane dance but of course there isn't anything I could do to change the video clip. But her drum solo is hot to watch. She's lively and great to watch, she's makes you want to join her on stage.

Egyptian Male Dance King "Tito"

Egyptian Male Dance King "Tito"

I think Tito might be my new favorite male bellydancer. I absolutely LOVE this performer! He is a wonderful Egyptian style belly dancer, he moves are very traditional and classy. I adore his technique. But let me talk about this video first for a moment.

One of the first things you'll notice about this clip is the fact the camera being used isn't of the best quality. At times the picture looks blurry and messy. But stick around because the photo improves a little in time. Stay focused on the dancer and not so much on the video quality.



Tito is a classical artist. He's dance spirit is very upbeat and happy. He does fabulous big hip circles that I can't get enough of because he does the movement so much the way I do =)
Tito has a gifted way to interpret the music, he really feels out the music with his hips and his overall body. This dancer is about radiating his dance energy. Check out those HIPS!!!

When you have the opportunity to view his face you can see how much he is enjoying the music and his dancing. That smile makes draws you in, I love when a dancer is so present with the music.

His dance style is soooo Egyptian, oh how he makes me love the style even more!!
This is how a male bellydancer looks like. He makes the room light up with every move he makes. Tito has power, grace, technique and presence. I feel dazed as I watch him dance...

How amazing he must be to watch in person. Wish he was here and not in Cairo. Oh well at least we could watch him on Youtube!

BONUS VIDEO
Here's a special video of him performing a duet with his 6 year old nephew.

This is definitely a MUST see!!!

Tanyeli- the unusual Bellydancer

Tanyeli is a wonderful dancer, I called her unusual because of the different kind of music she decided to dance to in her video clip. Let me explain...

At first she is seen dancing to this beautiful theatrical song. It was very soft, elegant, strong and enchanting. She danced like a spiritual dream, I loved every moment of her performance. The dancers sitting in the background helped the energy and feel of her dance too. Her arms movements are superb. She makes bellydancing look like a fantasy. But then Tanyeli changes her tempo...

The next song she performs to is a funky, wacky song with a funny beat. The song was completely unexpected but then again so was the idea of her changing dance character. Suddenly, Tanyeli plays a new role. Tanyeli begins to bring out her sense of humor and sassy side of herself in this song. She becomes more flirtatious and silly. She's wild and vicious!

I love her facial expressions!!!!
Ok, now see the video for yourself...


About her costume, I got to say I love the way that green and gold color looks upon her skin! Her costume is gorgeous!

Tanyeli proved to be a master at characterization. I admire the way this dancer was able to transcend from once dance form to another and also the way she changed her attitude too. The wonderful and unusual Tanyeli.

Sadie's Crazy Drum Solo

This is the wonderfully talented Sadie. This drum solo she performs in this dance piece is one of my favorites. I love her drum solo combinations!



In the end of this clip Sadie is giving a brief interview about herself. I hope you enjoy.

Tribal Fusionist Patricia

First I have to say that this song Patricia picked for this dance piece is off the hook. The song has a bollywood tone but is mixed into a metallic electronic song. Me being the extreme lover of house music was completely in love with beat of this song. Looks like I have to do a little shopping... Lol

But seriously, this is Patricia. A wonderfully skilled dancer I happened to have came across while googling bellydance related words on the Youtube search bar. From the moment I saw she stopped me in my tracks with her snake-like entrance. At first she teases everyone by not showing her face until the music really picks up, successful tactic but sometimes it can seem a little cliche.

How she won me over:
Out of nowhere she breaks into some wonderful Indian bollywood moves taking her audience off guard. She then switches gear by transforming her movements into hip-hop bellydance fusion. She moves so perfectly with the music, she makes it really hard to pull your attention away from her.

Patricia rocks! I'll tell you more, but first see her performance for yourself...


This dancer doesn't just dance the way of tribal fusion dancer moves, she adds the house music feel to her performance. Me not being much of a tribal dancer feel very attracted to her dance style, I guess somehow her technique reminds me of my own.

It's hard to sum up this dancer into one page. She has wonderful technique, she is exciting to watch and she knows how to make her performance exciting by adding unexpected surprises. Patricia has no problem staying in character and feeling the music.

Something about seems wild and unattainable, I think that's probably why I like her the most. She's dangerous and fun =)

The warmness of Roya

I found this cute youtube clip of a dancer named Roya. She sparked my interest the moment I saw her and here is why...

I Loved her entrance and her lively energy. Her performance is very warm and giving. Roya shares her love of dance with her audience, this dancer doesn't hold back. Her veil technique is brilliant. Her most catching feature is grand smile. Here is her short veil performance clip:



This is another short performance piece by Roya. This piece showcases Roya performing a fantastic drum solo! Again, I really admire this dancers warm persona, this can be so effective when performing on so many levels. She enjoys performing! I can't express how important feeling is in dance.


Roya is a professional dancer from the San Franciso Bay area and performs at regular venues today.

For Serena Wilson...

This video pick is a special tribute to the legendary Serena Wilson. This past fathers day, one of our grand masters of belly dance, Serena Wilson, had passed away suddenly while shopping at a flea market. The cause of her passing is still unknown at this time but everyone is feeling the impact of her absence.

Serena Wilson was a pioneer in Middle Eastern dance and was the first dancer to create a dancer studio in NYC. Serena Wilson was a professional dancer who shared her craft with many student dancers. There are many popular dancers who are now well known performers thanks to the guidance of Serena. This teacher was the teacher who instructed my teacher, and she also instructed me. Yes, Serena was a belly dance grandmother, it was a pleasure to learn from a legendary dancer. I feel so lucky to have learned from her.

Serena was an inspiration, a great mother, and an icon in NYC. Here is a few random clips I found on Serena on Youtube. These two are very old but very wonderful to watch!





Thank you Serena for all you have given us over the years and the way you have impacted the belly dance community. We will miss you Serena, bless you where ever you are...

10 year-old Julieta Dicchiara

Meet Julieta Dicchiara, a talented 10 year old dancer from Argentina.

I found this video clip once on YouTube and loved it. I could not believe how fantastic this little girl danced. A 10 year old with the dance skill of a professional bellydance woman. I loved her performance the moment I saw her dance. I knew that one day I would have to write something about this video clip, but unfortunately luck was not on my side. You see, at the time I forgot to mark the video as one of my favorites and lost the video clip all together for a very long time. Too long...

Yes, I lost it for about a little over a year. I was searching for this video clip on YouTube but had no luck. For a while I even thought that perhaps the video was removed. So of course, I could not even begin to explain how happy I was to stumble across the video again without even realizing it. It was like finding a lost treasure =)

Anyhow, allow me to go ahead and now show you that video clip of that cute little 10 year old Julieta Dicchiara dancing with a live band. I waited over a year to share this video clip, I'm so happy I found it again...



I get a kick out of watching Julieta perform. She's an expert with the veil and sword dancing. Julieta has smooth technique transitions and great interpretation of the music. Best of all she puts a lot of feeling into her dance. Every move she does looks powerful and flawless. She has amazing spinning combinations and clean isolation's.

Her sword work looks dreamy. Julieta has a perfect center of balance which is what gives her the ability to move so flawlessly. The dance piece she performs with the sword is really beautiful. She has a way of making you want to watch her all day. Julieta has a natural talent to draw in her audience and keep them anticipated, this is what makes this dancer so special.

I wondered if she was a daughter of professional bellydancer. Usually when little girls can bellydance so well at such a young age is because they are taught the dance practically at birth by their mother. This girl is very lucky to have the opportunity to learn such a wonderful form of dance so early in life. Just imagine how much more breathe taking she will be when she grows up. I think we have a superstar in the making...

Julieta's technique is overall just amazing to watch and this is why I hunted for her performance clip for over a year. Go Julieta!!!

Lebanese Legend Rindala

This here is an extremely popular dancer on YouTube. Her name is Rindala, she is a Lebanese dancer performing in some kind of concert or late night show. They say the video clip is over 20 years old or more, it's hard to look up that information because there is so little information available about this dancer online (but by judging the hair styles and fashion wardrobe by the audience watching the show, the 20 year-old myth could be true). I did some research on her online but couldn't find much, what comes up often besides her video clip on Youtube is a Drum solo CD she was a part of called A dance storm. But in spite of her inaccessibility online, her Youtube clip is one of the most sought after videos. Her clip comes up in highest ranking and pops up almost always first when you type in the word bellydance. She is admired by many and for good reason too, to put it simple she great.


Her performance is split up into 3 small videos, I'll split them and talk briefly about each.


About Clip 1
This is the very first video where she is performing with a cane. The first thing you notice about this dancer is her cute puffy pink assemble she is wearing. She has the side parts of her skirt lifted and tucked in her belt so she could show off the side of her legs. Then of course you see her dancing.
From the first glimpse of her, you can't help but notice the way she flinging around that cane. She really gets wild with that thing, swinging it over her head like a helicopter, tossing her hair around, and jumps around from angle to angle.
I love the way she executes her cane dance movements, so much energy! The way she bangs that cane around she looks as she going kill some one with that thing... Lol. And have you noticed she wearing heels the whole time =)
I have to confess I wasn't really found of cane dancing. I felt it looked a little cheesy (dancing with a cane kind made me feel like a rocket). But after witnessing Rindala interpretation of cane dancing, my views changed. She inspired me to change my own cane dance routine and become a little more inventive. Because face it, the girl broke the folkloric rules and created her own. I admire innovators.
I know far too many dancers who would say she isn't dancing with the cane the way she should and I know that. But who really cares honestly? Rindala takes folkloric cane dancing to the coffin with this performance... LOL
*Note to bellydancers: that last comment was a joke don't rip my head off for being silly*

Clip 1


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About Clip 2
In this clip she starts off dancing a little slower but quickly gains speed again. She shows us more creative ways to use perform cane dance. Wow, don't you get a kick out of her high energy! It's no wonder why she is talked about so much in belly dance forums and so forth.
In this clip she loses her cane and begins to show us what she's really made of. I can't get over her angled barrio turns, she looks like a spinning hurricane--- this lady is on fire! Rindala has fantastic form, great isolation's, wonderful undulations and many creative ways to electrify her dance technique. All her turns are breathe taking to watch.


Clip 2


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About Clip 3
This here is the clip I used to showcase Lebanese Belly dance to people who aren't familiar with the style. I'll let you enjoy this clip without any further input because I believe I said enough and this clip also has a way of speaking for itself.

By the way have you noticed her back bend in this clip? Ouch, doesn't she look as if someone folded her in half like a piece of paper... =D


Clip 3

Argentina Beauty Saida

The Argentina beauty Saida

This dancer is one of my personal favorites. I adore her technique. As a dancer, Saida is vibrant, charming, graceful, and has a wonderful precision. Every movement she creates looks so natural.



In this particular dance piece she has a fantastic grand entrance where she appears from the ground. At first she is seen wearing a over sized purple furry coat. She uses the coat as both a part of her costume and as a dance prop. She reminds me of large glittery peacock showcasing her wings. Even inside that large coat she dances smoothly to the rhythm of the music. And I absolutely love the way she removes her coat. She simply allows the coat to drop slowly off her body as she walks across the stage, so simple yet so beautiful and powerful. Saida knows how to make a show interesting!

I love watching her movements, they are always so flawless and in tune with the music. She's flirty and very sexy, the look works well with her dance character. She can be a great tease.

I want to note that her spins are wild, clean and fiery...oh how they remind me of someone ;)
I also dig her vivacious hair and charismatic smile. Every movement she executes is done with so much power! I love it, love it , love it!

Sometimes she seems to take dancing a little over the top with sexy appeal but I wouldn't note that as a terrible thing. Saida is sexy but keeps it classy which is very important to do in the dance, this especially true with all the nonsense stereotypes history of bellydancers.

This dancer has the talent, skill, energy, and character to rock the stage. This is why I love Saida (;0D)

Favorite 4 year old

My favorite 4 year old.



This is one wild 4 year old and I'm going to have to call myself a fan ;-)

Now I know this video isn't super clear and the distance of video shot is very far, but much can been seen from this video pick. I wish the camera focus was closer but at least viewers can really see this little performer do her thing.

Now one of the first things I couldn't help but notice about this little girl is how shapely she is. I kept looking at her and wondered if they altered her costume and added padding in some places because her body is so curvy, it's almost unbelievable.

She caught my eye when she began to shake her hips with so much confidence and enthusiasm. Her personality is so lively and energetic. The girl know hers talent and isn't worried about showing it off. I couldn't help admire her relaxed professional demeanor. If that girl was at all nervous, that imagine was completely invisible. She is very sassy and coy.

Some technique notes that I must mention:
*She has great hip movements and drop kicks
*Has a clean cane dance skills
*Great energy and stays in character

This peanut even does stomach undulations, how funny is that.
She honestly had me almost tearing, she was so cute and amazing.

I dig the trick she performed to lift the other cane off the floor without making it obvious to the audience that she was trying to seek her other prop. Two canes appeared a little more challenging even for her, but she still young and still great at what she can do with two canes!

This is one small dancer who knows how to shake her stuff with attitude.
Future belly dance diva in the making ;-D

Mr. Mack Daddy of Turkish Isolations

This is the most intense rubber band man I've seen who dances wonderful Turkish style bellydance. When watching him you can't help but this OMG, this is unbelievable! The way he can twist and turn his body makes your head spin.

At times this dancer has completely left me speechless. He has a wonderful way to execute each movement. Very strong dancer indeed. Take a look at the way he can isolate. His isolation's are so well done it's almost freckish!

He also has beautiful turning and spinning skills, his body remains long and flawless each time he spins. His back bends are whole other story within itself. Aside from being one of the best back-bend dancers I've seen, he also has this unusual way of performing belly rolls and body undulations in one. How twisted--- I really dig this performer!

You have to check this out:

The Sarah Skinner Experience

Every so often when I have the opportunity, I like to check out other bellydance performers throughout the city. I love watching other dancers. I also use each visit to meet other dancers with whom I haven't had the pleasure of meeting in person. Due to hectic schedules its hard to stay connected with other dancers, we have to rely on the power of the world wide web to keep us connected. Often enough you can find yourself meeting many dancers online than you do in person and for me that was my situation with the beautiful Sarah Skinner.

Sarah Skinner is very much a familiar face you see at dance venues throughout the city. She has a strong presence online because of her wonderful website , her popular dancing and because she is a talented photographer.

My girlfriend and I finally had the opportunity to witness a live belly dance performance by Sarah Skinner. Ironically that day also happened to be on Sarah's birthday. Her dancing was wonderful. Her dance technique is so much more pleasurable to watch than I even imagined. She was so great I couldn't stop smiling =)

Sarah has lively spirit that emerges when she performs. Something about her energy and presence makes her magnetic. I seen her photo millions of times. She is often photographed between moving veils other times there are photo's of her engulfed in the wind. Many lively photo's that are great to admire. I wondered how her dancing was contrasted with her self portraits. Naturally, I had interest to see her in action...

And I was very much pleased to see her dance:
She was a lot of fun. I admire her dancing spirit which is so full of live. She is a prime example of what I talk about when I mention that dancers need a presence. Emotional is so important as a performer. It's not enough to be a technical dancer who knows all the movements, but being a master at your craft means that you feel the movements. Make the dance your own and have your own voice. Allow your emotions through dance speak for themselves and most importantly connect with your audience.

Sarah does all of this and more. She is the artistic performer.

I seen her not afraid to dance with her hair and giggle in the middle of a performance. You have to admire a dancer who can use creativity to enhance their movements. So much personality and energy from such a sweet little dancer... WOW! I'm so happy I had a chance to see her in action, finally =D

Her dancing inspired me to add her to my video blog as one of my personal favorites.

Here is a dance clip of Sarah in action, this is not the live performance I had the opportunity but to witness but this is still a great dance piece:

Flamenco Bellydance Novela: Isodore Bushkovski

Sahajzha emailed me this clip of wonderfully skilled flamenco belly dance artist named Isodore Bushkovski. Her movements are truly captivating, and her dance piece is a story within itself. She is highly skilled in her art form. She can transcend one style of dance to another without a flaw. She has great dance posture and powerful presence on stage. Wonderful way to blend two different styles!

I like to call this little video number "The Flamenco Belly dance Novela"



This choreography tells a story and this is some of the story that I interpreted from this performance. The story seems to be about a woman becoming her own. The woman is linked to the past and is torn between two worlds. She dances between two worlds to create a place where she can dwell and claim own identity. My favorite part of the performance is when the older dancer who seems to play the mother role appears on the stage to hand over her veil to her daughter.

It's a powerful part of the dance passing the traditional art from mother to daughter. Giving her the veil is the mothers way of passing her wisdom and experience to her daughter. The mother then proceed to help the daughter dress as a dancer which I think is referring to the way the mother helps the daughter dress up on her wedding day. The dancer is then off by herself with two veils as her mother steps to the side and watch her daughter dance.

The mother never loses her presence within the dance piece because she remains sitting on a chair at distance within the room, like a shadow or a found memory for the daughter to look back upon for inspiration and support.

As the dancer is alone with her two veils, I had the impression the symbol was suppose to suggest that she performing her mothers dance. She is dancing and living the way she was taught by her mother. The performs beautiful energy between her two veils and finally realises one that symbolizes her past.

The Dancer is then alone with her one dark veil, the veil is a reflection of herself. She is alone now dancing with the method of her spirit. Very strong performance. I love it!

The 5year old & 3year old Belly dancers

I found these cute little girls on YouTube doing a great little choreography check them out below to see the performance...



These two have great hip isolation's and hair tosses. I love to watch the 3 year old follow the 5 year old. The younger one knows the movements but tends to forget at times which steps go when. The two of them remind me of my cousin and I when we were little girls. This video is too cute and it's a very good dance piece I must say!

Start it off with the classics... Samia Gamal

The first video pick to is dedicated to the legendary Samia Gamal



Samia Gamal is an absolute delight to watch. She was the icon of classical Egyptian bellydance when the style was at it's prime and she remains an icon for dancers in the bellydance community. I get a kick out of watching her use modern moves that dancers use so much today.
It's clear she had a big influence upon the imagine of Egyptian style bellydancers.
I love her spins and the way her arms dance like silk. But above all who could resist that magnetic smile, it so catching!
Love her... just love her!