Welcome to the Casbah, baby

I've decided to embrace the pink. I will be moving to a different studio within the Dance Palace, and it used to be a ballet room, so the walls are classic ballerina pink. Belly dance is so fascinating that people will go to great lengths to peer into the room through any convenient means - window, doorlight, keyhole, whatever - so to fill in the single floor-to-ceiling glass window that faces the parking lot, I am taking my fuchsia-pink sari with the gold sequins and making it into a drape to keep out the peepers. In addition, I am adding a rack for spare veils, canes and hip scarves and I'm working on getting a map of the world so I can point out the regions when we do regional styles. The Sunday night show that I attended in Tampa with my advanced dancers featured one or two regional numbers, and we all agreed we would focus a little on ethnographic styles, like the raqs al-assaya or Saidi cane dances, or get even more exotic and do some Ghawazee as well. So, along with embracing the pink, I'm embracing the desert, too. It's time to get down to business, so to speak. New classes start the 7th of July, and I want to be ready.

The goddess in your own backyard

Hello, bellyworld. I have some good news: recent negotiations with the Sarasota location of the Dance Palace are complete. I will now be teaching TWO classes per week, starting in July: beginner belly dance is from 7 to 8 p.m. on Mondays, and intermediate/advanced class follows from 8 to 9. I bought a new stereo and I'm shopping for a map of Egypt this week, so one day soon that dainty pink ballet room is going to be like something from a Gerome painting. Not enough belly for ya? Local goddess Bethsheba Almeh has classes almost every day of the week. Visit SouthFloridaBellyDancers for more info, or call her at 587-6385. And of course, she appears every Friday and Saturday night at Pegasus, so get out there and contribute to the local economy! Gas might be $4 a gallon, but it's cheaper than flying to Greece.

We Come to Belly Dance

Looking for some belly this weekend? Kadayif, of American Belly Dance Studio in Tampa, presents "We Come to Belly Dance," a gala event featuring a diverse array of belly dance styles and of course, all that glitter. Show is Saturday at 7 p.m. at the USF Theater, and tickets are $15 at the door, cash only. If I can make it over the nasty tie-up on 75 North, I'm there!

Can't travel? Bethsheba Almeh is entertaining at Pegasus restaurant on Bee Ridge Rd. Saturday night as well. Eat saganaki, drink retsina, and yell "Opa!"

Ya Salaam!

Some of us are still recovering from all the weekend fun! Sunday night at Franko's on Main, Tahja and Ya Salaam played to a packed house of dancers, friends, family, and some very happy diners. After sharing a bottle of wine with my husband Brian and wiping the ketchup off Martin's chin, I felt spirited enough to do an impromptu kash to Rompi Rompi, even though I have always maintained that kash is better suited to a less robustly endowed frame than mine . . . nobody got hurt, anyway. I think. Ya Salaam is up to some very exciting stuff these days, from playing live gigs to making a record to starring in a movie. Want them for yourself? Get in touch with Tahja at http://www.tahja.com/index.htm.

Ahlan wa Sahlan!

Fondest greetings to those I know, and warm welcome to those I have yet to meet. This is Sarasota Belly Dance, a blog designed to provide information, advice, links, announcements and other information to my students and the Middle Eastern dance community in Sarasota and beyond. I am Alyssa, an instructor and performer, currently teaching at The Dance Palace, www.thedancepalace.com. Beginner classes are held every Monday night from 7 to 8 p.m., and the intermediate/advanced dancers meet from 8 to 9. For more information, call the studio at 923-3923, or email me at bellydancesarasota@yahoo.com. I look forward to what the future holds!

Can't wait? Here's some info from the local newspaper. In a funny coincidence, this article was published about 12 hours after my son was born. The nurses kept whispering to themselves at their station until one of them finally asked if it was me! http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060429/FEATURES/604290546