A Funny Thing Happened While I Was Bellydancing...Vol. 4

All professional performers must be able to think on their feet. This goes double for bellydancers - we are all about that improv. In this blooper reel of a blog series, we shine a spotlight on some of the most ridiculous moments of our careers. Let the stories begin! 

PLEASE EXCUSE ME WHILE I REARRANGE MY BREASTS

One night in Tunis, I was wearing a beautiful, pink costume. The bra gave me a nice cleavage, so I felt especially good in it. Unlike most bras, it closed in the front with a single hook and long pieces of fabric which were tied in a bow. 
I started my entrance with a veil. Within a few moments, I noticed I felt oddly comfortable. I looked down, and realized the hook had busted open, my boobs were in my armpits, and everyone was gawking at the wide open gap the size of a parking space on my chest. At least so I imagined. I turned my back to the audience, and gesticulated my situation to the band. I was so mortified I wanted to die. The musicians of course burst into laughter. They turned down the lights and I escaped backstage. Thank God, a female singer was around to help me, and we were able to fix the bra with safety pins. I returned to the stage like nothing happened.
Adriana Teixeira - Brazil / Australia

Adriana on a good bra day

QUEEN OF KURDISTAN

My first New Year's Eve dancing in the Middle East, I was in Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan. 

People were clapping and singing, and giving me great tips. I felt like a superstar! When the Saidi began, I happily grabbed my cane to spin it. Somehow, it escaped from my hand, flew in the air, and landed on a table filled with food and drinks. Embarrassed, I went over to retrieve it. Thankfully, the clients were gracious about it.

"Don't worry Habibti", they said, and handed me the cane.

My superstardom, on the other hand, remained between the plates of Hummus and Kibbeh.  

Francia Elide - Mexico / UAE

A caneless Francia

THE NO-SHOW

I was working in Delhi, when my agent sent me across country to do a wedding show in the Himalayan town of Siliguri in Assam state. The client booked my flights and hotel. I started my performance, but my music was faded out in the middle of the first song. I left the stage, without thinking too much of it - maybe the bride and the groom were just about to make their grand entrance.

Backstage, I waited and waited. Other performers took the stage, but my turn seemed to never come. Hours later, I went out to see what was going on. It turned out there had been a miscommunication within the families: while the younger generation wanted a bellydancer, some conservative older folk had pulled the plug on the show. So, after traveling two thousand kilometers and performing half a song, I just packed up, received the payment, slept, and flew back home to Delhi.

Janka Jaan - Slovakia

Look, they let Janka dance

THE WTF SHOW

It sounded like the most benign of events: a woman's birthday party on a Wednesday night, at a Manhattan restaurant. As I walked in, I was a little surprised to see only women in attendance. Someone offered up an explanation without me asking - they were members of a lesbian club. 

"Everyone here is a lesbian", she clarified, in case I didn't get the jist.

The sound system of the restaurant was computerized, which meant they were unable to connect any external source of music. It was the first time I encountered such a problem in New York City. The only thing they could play was barely audible elevator muzak, and not even the volume could be changed. Now what? A round of cordial blamegame followed. I remembered a tip I'd heard from another dancer, for those times when the music stopped mid-show: direct the audience to clap their hands at a steady beat. So I gathered my moxy, and said the show would proceed. Besides, I wanted to get paid.

The "show" started out okay. I twirled with my veil for a while, then tossed it and asked the birthday girl to dance with me. She was in her fifties - and despite it being only seven o'clock in the evening, inebriated. She came very close to me and put her hands on my waist, and before I had a chance to discreetly back away, kissed me on the mouth. I tried not to look overly disgusted, but put enough distance between us to be safe from any further molestation. The hand clapping, which had started out clear and strong, was disintegrating fast. The birthday girl lost her balance, and landed on her butt. I was embarrassed - for her or for myself, I couldn't tell - so I turned to face away from her. I gave it a good ten seconds, and turned back around. She was still on the floor, too drunk to get back on her feet. I took it as my cue to wrap it up. 

Zaina Brown - Finland / Thailand

Zaina will also dance underwater if necessary

Pro bellydancers, submit your funny story at zainadance@gmail.com

Our First Dance as Bellydance Husband and Wife

A Funny Thing Happened While I Was Bellydancing...Vol. 3

All professional performers must be able to think on their feet. This goes double for bellydancers - we are all about that improv. In this blooper reel of a blog series, we shine a spotlight on some of the most ridiculous moments of our careers. Let the stories begin! 

COUSIN IT

Dancing at one of my favorite spots in Athens, Greece, I still had lots of energy left for the drum solo. I was hitting the accents hard. At one point I did a big hair flip, bending forward all the way for that DUM DUM. For TEK, I rose up with that fiery little-mermaid-hair-splash. This was a great show, with a captivated audience. I reveled in that awesome feeling. 
Soon, something felt different.  Was I just light-headed? As I looked around, I realized people's eyes were fixated near my feet. I glanced down - and to my horror, discovered my ponytail hair extension stuck on the sequined patterns on the skirt. It looked like Cousin It from the Addams family, a hairy creature doing its own dance on floor level. This was now an unintended duet. What's a bellydancer to do?  I was on such an endorphin high that instead of embarrassed, I actually felt empowered. I stuck my fingers in my real hair, releasing it from those useless hairpins and elastics, and tousled it free while violently shaking my head. The audience suddenly refocused on me…the liberated wildwoman I had become! For the grand finale, I bent down to remove the stray ponytail off my skirt, and took a gracious bow - with a bunch of fake hair in my hand. 
Next time, I pinned that pony on hard. 
Athena Najat - US / Turkey

These days, Athena holds onto her hair 24/7

AND NOW, AN ALLURING DANCE FROM THE DESERT

Our group was performing at an open-air festival in Tallinn, Estonia, as part of a diverse lineup. A few minutes before we were to take the stage with our swords and canes, it started to drizzle. We were hoping it would just be a few drops, and proceeded. We were wrong. Soon it was pouring. Wet skirts clinging to our legs, makeup running down our faces, we bravely performed for a handful of umbrella-clutching people. Strangely enough, it was the most liberating and refreshing performance ever! We had no complaints whatsoever - and hey, we got paid.
Kaidi Udris - Estonia / Egypt

Kaidi in dry weather

ME SHAKE BOOBIES

I used to perform at a restaurant which had three dancers on Saturdays. One night there was a group, who for some reason assumed we dancers didn't speak English - when in fact two of us were American and the remaining Brazilian was of course fluent in English. In their minds, we were some poor fresh-off-the-boat Eastern European girls, who had to do this kind of work to survive. This may have made sense in a country like Egypt, but not so much in Atlanta, Georgia...The customers dissected us as if we weren't there, making all sorts of unpleasant comments. They worried my boobs would fall out of my "too small" bra - it fit just fine, thank you very much - so I made sure to shoulder shimmy with gusto every time I passed by their table. 
Omega - US

Omega, just chilling in the Land of Opportunity

LAST WOMAN STANDING

My show at Turkish restaurant had been going well - until a fight broke out between two groups of clients. Men stood up to throw punches. In a blink of an eye, it was Wild West in there. Shellshocked, I continued to dance in the safest corner. The owner had to empty the entire place to put an end to the mayhem. Music still playing, I collected my things. The waitress wiped the blood off the floor.
Suvi Safira Turunen - Finland 

Suvi and a peaceful banana

BLAST FROM THE PAST

Two years ago, backstage before the show, I was asked for my cassette.
Suvi

Pro bellydancers, submit your funny story at zainadance@gmail.com

A Funny Thing Happened While I Was Bellydancing...Vol. 2

All professional performers must be able to think on their feet. This goes double for bellydancers - we are all about that improv. In this blooper reel of a blog series, we shine a spotlight on some of the most ridiculous moments of our careers. Let the stories begin! 

SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE FRIEND

After years of dancing in Egypt, I thought I had seen it all. 
I was in the middle of my show in a nightclub, and one of the regular customers had joined me on the stage. He was considered a VIP, who brought along an entourage and a bodyguard. It was all pretty normal, until he reached into his jacket pocket, and pulled out a real live snake. He started swinging the snake around his head, all the while dancing his heart out. 
I tried to be professional and continue the show, but I couldn't help backing away to create some distance between myself and the reptile. Thankfully, the stage manager had enough sense to make that my last song, and I was able to leave. Backstage, I found out the customer had a habit of dancing with his non-dangerous pet snake.
Venom or no venom, I hope next time he keeps his snake to himself. 
Vanessa - US / Egypt

Vanessa thought she had seen it all

THEY CALL IT BELLYDANCE FOR A REASON

My first short performance in Jalandhar, in the state of Punjab, went fine. When it was time for my second set, the organizer asked me to put on her black, fluffy winter coat, and dance in that. Apparently, some people in the audience were scandalized by my outfits. This happened sometimes in India - but there was no way in hell I was dancing in that ugly thing. I tried to explain that a winter coat wasn't the right way to cover up a bellydancer. 

"What's the problem?" she asked, "just put it on and get on the stage!"

I still refused. Instead, I wrapped myself in my bellydance veils. It was a much more elegant look - even if I say so myself.  

Janka - Slovakia

Janka keeping it covered

CHAMPAGNE ETC SHOWERS

I was hired to dance at a birthday at a lounge in Queens, New York. The whole party was inebriated by the time I arrived. The guest of honor could barely stand. I took a deep breath and told myself, "It's only twenty-five minutes of your life. Get in, do the show and go home." 

Immediately after my set, they popped the cork on several bottles of champagne and shot it in my direction like frothy canons. Did I mention the guest of honor was wasted? He held on to me for dear life as his feet gave out from under him. I was covered in a soup of dirty floor soot and champagne. I collected myself, found a plastic bag to gather my sopping wet tips and ran out. As I left I passed a man who was urinating on the side of the building. I startled him and he turned to face me, in mid-stream. Now I added pee on my ankle to the champagne and soot all over my expensive designer costume. In the meantime, a mixture of ice and snow had formed on the roads. A ride that should have been one hour became two and half hours. 

All in all, I made three hundred and fifty dollars. I would have paid as much to stay home and skip the entire night!

Tava Naiyin - US

Pee on Tava once more, and she will end you

Pro bellydancers, submit your funny story at zainadance@gmail.com

A Funny Thing Happened While I Was Bellydancing...Vol. 1

All professional performers must be able to think on their feet. This goes double for bellydancers - we are all about that improv. In this blooper reel of a blog series, we shine a spotlight on some of the most ridiculous moments of our careers. Let the stories begin! 

ALMOST FAMOUS

I was dancing four nights a week at gorgeous Moroccan restaurant in Athens, Greece. It was the kind of place where they put flower petals in the toilet bowl in between every customer. It was a nice job, although occasionally they had us do ridiculous things - like bellydancing in angel ballerina costumes, or carrying one of the dancers around in a chariot dressed as Cleopatra. During our shows, we made our way through the crowd, and were then hoisted up onto the large, round dinner tables to dance. Once or twice, I didn’t quite get to the center of the table - which caused it to tip and send food and wine crashing down over some wealthy businessmen. They were not pleased.
One of my colleagues offered me a private party gig out of town, and I happily took it. The clients who had hired me turned out to be the stars of a popular Greek sitcom called Mitsi Hostas. Three of the actors picked me up in a tiny car, and we began the long drive across the Peloponnese peninsula.  Each time we made a pit stop, people started shouting  “Mitsi Hostas!” Cameras were flashing, and even I was asked to sign a few autographs.  
I was expecting a great party full of Greek celebrities. I pictured dancing in an elegant nightclub with a stage, good lighting, the whole nine yards. I could not have been more wrong. We walked into a dimly lit lounge, illuminated mostly by a strobe light, with exactly one man sitting inside. I hoped we had just arrived too early, and other guests would be arriving soon. It was not the fancy venue I imagined, but not a complete dive either.  
When it was finally time to perform, only a few more people had trickled in. Ready for an uneventful show, I made my way to the dance floor. Suddenly, the subdued atmosphere changed. Someone brought out a case of champagne, and popped some bottles and began spraying the crowd. Opa! Soon, he'd had enough of that, and started to kick the bottles instead. Broken glass was flying everywhere. The rest of the guests showed their appreciation by showering me with stacks of white paper napkins. The floor was now a sea of broken glass, and globs of champagne-soaked napkins. Never in my life had I been so glad I wore shoes to a gig! At one point, the guest of honor motioned for me to dance on his table - which was fully covered in dishes and glassware. I looked at him expectantly, thinking he would clear some space for me. He just smiled, and with one swipe of his arm sent everything on the table crashing to the floor. I got up and danced. Greeks sure know how to throw it down!
Najla - US / World

"Oh no you didn't!" Najla cannot hide her dismay

SOUND OF SILENCE

I had a contract in a five star hotel in Dubai, dancing with recorded music. One night during my entrance song, the manager suddenly faded out the music to complete silence. Then, he came over to me.
"Sorry, just keep dancing!" he said.
"What the fuck?" was all I could say from my shock.
"Just continue to dance."
I tried to wrap my mind around the fact that I was actually, truly told to dance without music - to a full restaurant, no less. I turned away from the audience to take a breath, and told myself "I'm professional, I will finish this set, and kill the manager after." So I turned back around, and kept dancing without music. The people, who moments ago were whispering to one another in confusion, recognized I was in an unpleasant situation, and became very supportive. I stayed on the stage for what felt like around fifteen minutes, and left. It must have looked like TV on mute. 
Backstage, I unleashed my fury. 
"Where is this asshole?" I shouted. 
The staff tried to calm me down, to no avail. Once I found the manager, he explained himself. 
"Marilyn, I'm so sorry, but today we have some very powerful guests in the restaurant. They asked to watch the bellydancer, but without music."
"Why didn't you tell me before I started dancing?"
"They called me over just when you started. I thought they wanted me to stop your performance, but they said they wanted to watch you, however, they were in the middle of an important conversation!" 
The manager had understood how ludicrous their request was, but felt powerless to resolve the situation in any other way. As for me, if this ever happens again, I will ask people to bang their plates with utensils. 
Marilyn Barrios - Argentina / UAE

Don't mess with Marilyn - she has TWO swords!

OH NO, NOT ME

The Las Vegas lounge was slow to fill up on an early Saturday evening. It was far from the Strip, in an area filled with nightlife geared toward locals. During my set, I invited a girl sitting with her friends to dance with me. She gave me the I-couldn't-possibly routine, acting shy and giggling, refusing to get up. This is fairly typical - and I knew if I didn't persist, it could be domino effect from there, and I might not be able to get anyone up to dance. So I insisted, and finally she relented. The instant she stood up, she put both her hands on my chest, and said she wanted to perform oral sex on me. And not in those words. 
Zaina Brown - Finland / World

"Seriously?" Zaina losing her poker face

Pro bellydancers, submit your funny story at zainadance@gmail.com

Sowing Seeds of Greatness - Interview with Myra Krien

In bellydance communities around America, the term 'female empowerment' gets tossed around like glitter. Few dancers, however, put their money where their mouth is quite like Myra Krien of Santa Fe, New Mexico. She runs a mentorship program for at-risk young women, intertwining dance lessons with journaling, financial education, and guest speakers who are successful in various fields...

Read full story HERE.

Traveling Bellydancer in India - DOCUMENTARY

Belly in Delhi! This documentary offers a glimpse into the dance and entertainment world of India, both the glamour and the grime. Bellydance, a Middle Eastern art form, is highly popular on wedding stages and in upscale clubs alike. Additionally, the documentary shows India from an angle rarely seen in international media. Behind the harsh headlines, and off the beaten tourist path, lies a fascinating world of performing arts that is surprisingly cutting-edge and competitive.