Middle Eastern Dance:
Events - Festivals


In general, the emphasis is on live performances, usually with some workshops. Participants sign up and pay to perform group or solo routines; there may be invited dancers (workshop instructors, for instance) performing as well.

USA

Arizona Middle Eastern Dance Festival
8548 E 18th St.
Tucson, AZ 85710-5914
520-795-2001
Sponsered by Zuleka's Studio. Workshops, vendors, and hours of dance performances by all who care to sign up (group or solo routines, cabaret or ethnic, etc.). Held in Tucson, AZ; usually in the fall, in the Plaza Hotel. Last Festival occured Nov. 11-12, 1994.

Bellyjam
Contact: Niran al-Ubaidi of Lion of Babylon Productions
4201 Ballard Ave.
Cincinnati, OH 45209-1311 USA
phone/fax: 513-321-5240
(Courtesy of Shakira) "This event is significant because it is the first festival to actually happen, succeed and run in the midwest! It is in its third year (in 1996) and I really feel and hope that this is the 'ground floor' of an event that will grow to the size of the California festivals. The format is a gala show Friday night, multiple classes with various instructors (your choice) all day Saturday, and a Saturday night show. Last year there were 4 time slots, 3 possible choices of class per time slot. The show settings were great--beautiful place, professional lighting, profesional announcer, great sound system, joicy buffet."

(From the 1996 "pre-flyer") "Two major shows! 12 classes! Friday show: only alternative/visionary Middle Eastern Dance, Folkloric, or alternate genre (including, but not limited to, African, Urban Hip-Hop, Flamenco, Greek Folkloric, Jazz...) Saturday show: traditional Cabaret and Folkloric Middle Eastern. The current listing of Saturday teachers and seminars (in alphabetical order; class offerings subject to change): Chandra - dancing with multiple veils (up to 4); Chelydra - interpretive zils; Andrea Deagon - Taqsim: telling the story; Jocinda - shimmies and vibrations; Miraj - jazz orientale; Myrrha - Moroccan Schikhatt; Najwa Al Qamar - dance composition, improv and music interpretation; Niran - Cane/Stick dance; Schehera - Baladi combinations; Shakira - Turkish/Gypsy 9/8; Tasha Banat - Beautiful hand movements--Lebanese hand dance; and Zah'ra - Hip articulation.

Cairo Carnivale
MECDA
Middle Eastern Culture and Dance Assoc.
P.O. Box 946
Rosemead, CA 91770
Southern California's Middle Eastern Culture and Dance Association runs an annual fund raising festival, most recently on June 3-4 1995. The most recent festival included workshops with Fatin Ibrahim and Mesmera; performances by Delilah, Jordan Dancer, Mesmera, Tonya and Atlantis and Shahira; and vendors from Artemis Imports, Audrena's, Cost Less, Dahlal, Fatima's Bazaar, Peko Records, Saroyan Mastercrafts and Turquoise International; among others.

Desert Dance Festival
Dunia, Scarab Productions
PO Box 24849
San Jose, CA 95154-4849 USA
phone: 408-264-4DDF
fax: 408-264-9DDF
Email: yolanda_medance@hotmail.com
Website: http://www.desertdance.com
The site includes a FAQ about the festival with dates of the upcoming festival and deadlines for registering for dancing, vending, etc. The festival typically occurs in the fall over a weekend, Friday through Sunday, at the San Jose Scottish Rite Temple, 2455 Masonic Dr., San Jose CA 95125 USA. There are workshops and vendors, and performers may dance to live or taped music. Call in dates for registration typically occur in the summer, e.g. July.

Mediterranean Magic
P. O. Box 6277
Portland, OR 97228 USA
phone: (360) 834-1835
Annual production sponsored by MED&CA, and featuring the top performers from the annual competition held in Auguast. Workshops, vendors, and an evening performance. This presentation occurrs in early November.

Rakkasah
Middle East Dance Festival
Sponsered and produced by Shukriya
1564 "A" Fitzgerald Dr., Suite 124
Pinole, CA 94564
phone: 510-724-0214
Huge week-long annual festival held around mid-March.

San Francisco International Belly Dance Festival
Magana Baptiste, festival producer and artistic director
San Francisco Royal Academy of Dance
730 Euclid Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94118 USA
phone: 415-387-6833
fax: 415-387-6865
Their 12th annual festival was held 25-27 August 1995. (Excerpte their ad) "Come to see the exciting city of San Francisco for a weekend of workshops...with Dr. Mo Geddawi (Egypt) and Ramzi el Edlibi (Lebanon) [among others]...also featuring the MR. and Miss America of the Belly Dance Contest and Duo and Troupe Contests, along with the Ms. and Mr. World Contests...gala show and party with open dancing for audience...vendors...stars of the show include: Dr. Mo Geddawi, Ramzi el Edlibi, Sapphira, Tina O'Neil, Tahiya, Mikel, Baraka...live music by John Bilezikjian--international composer, musician, singer, "America's Oud Virtuoso".

Scarab Productions Annual Desert Dance Festival in San Jose
Scarab Productions
1900 Camden Ave., Suite 28
San Jose, CA 95124 USA
phone: 408-264-1911
fax: 408-264-0256
Their 11th annual Dance Festival was held September 1995; it had 2 full days of on-stage performances, shopping and mini-workshops from instructors such as Rashid, Sultana, Kamaal, SeSe, Tonya and Atlantis, Dahlal, Shareen El Safy, and FatChanceBellyDance.


International

Australia

Middle Eastern Dance Extravaganza
Academy of Middle Eastern Dance
Brisbane, Australia
"On the weekend (August 1996) I attended the 8th annual middle eastern dance extravaganza in Brisbane (only as an audience member) presented by the academy of middle eastern dance. A good turn out - about 16 acts, from baby bellies, through local troupes to a few interational artists ( I can't remember their names and the program is at home). I was amazed at the number of Queensland and northern New South Wales (2 Australian states) with dance classes, and troupes represented." --Gia

Finland

Oriental Dance Festival of Finland
contact: Afifa Studio (one of the organizers)
Nahkurinkatu 8
20100 Turku, Finland
phone: +358-2-7661 501
fax: +358-2-7661 504
email: Virpi@vaygar.pp.fi
Website (in Finnish and English): http://www.afifa.fi/;
Festival Website (English version): http://www.afifa.fi/eodf.html
"Annual dance festival with seminars, workshops and dance-shows...present both Finnish and International dancers."

Germany

European Oriental Dance Festival
Nadim Karkutli
Studio Arabeska
Zentrum Fur Orientalische Kultur
Kleyerstrasse 90
60326 Frankfurt, Germany
phone: 069/73 23 23
fax: 069/47 30 44
October event.

Oriental Fantasy
Beata and Horacio Cifuentes
Tanzstudio Halensee
Kalruhestrasse 19-22, 10711
Berlin, Germany
phone: 030-893-5566
Occurs end of April, first of May; 4 day event.

Orientale - Dusseldorf
Dorothee Schackow
Kultur - werkstatt
Bornestrassee No. 10
Dusseldorf, Germany
phone: 0049 211 172 700 or 6262-3043
Occurs February around Carnivale time; 10 day event.

Samara Said's Orientalisches Sommerfestival
Tanzchule Samara
Landstuhlerstrasse 13, 70499
Stuttgart, Germany
phone: 0711-88 94 888
Summer week long festival.

Sommerfestival, Cologne
Koelner Bauchtanz Studio
(USCHI LENZ)
Schillingstrasse 42, 50670
Cologne, Germany
phone: 0221-73 84 81
Occurs in July-August.


Last Modified: 2 Nov 1997
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