Rakkasah East Survival Guide

Rakkasah is the largest belly dance festival on the East Coast. Starting the evening of Friday, October 14^th and running through the evening on Sunday, October 16^th. You will find a non-stop belly dance showcase from student performers through master teachers performing at the festival. There are also dozens of vendors selling silk, sparkles, and jewels.

It is a lot of fun, but can be completely overwhelming, so here are some tips to help you make the most of your visit. It is certainly possible to make a day trip to Rakkasah, but staying over at one of the local hotels makes it a nice getaway. The best choice is the Crowne Plaza since it is walking distance to the festival and where the after parties are held.

The Basics:

The festival will be held at the Ukrainian Cultural Center

135 Davidson Ave, Somerset, New Jersey 08873

Friday, October 14, 7pm-11pm - $15

Saturday, October 15, 11am – 11pm - $18

Sunday, October 16, 11am – 8pm $18

Seniors and children 10 & under are half price

There aren’t too many restaurants around, but there is a restaurant in the Crowne Plaza hotel across the street, and a Ruby Tuesdays on the same street, but a short drive away.

What to wear:

You see it all at Rakkasah. You can come in regular street clothes, but lots of women dress up with a skirt, hip scarf, some nice jewelry. And there are always performers milling around in full costume.

What to bring:

Samples of the costumes you own:

If you are trying to match a skirt, veil, or other parts to a costume you already have, be sure to bring a sample of the costume you are looking to match. This will be incredibly valuable to making sure you get the right color and style.

Snacks & water bottle

There is food at the event, but not a ton of options. It is a good idea to bring a few snacks and water with you.

Don’t Miss These:

-- Shaula at Silkdancer – you must stop and see her beautiful veils & fan veils

-- Chocolate Cake – the concessions aren’t great…except for the chocolate cake, which is pretty amazing!

-- The After Parties – held after the festival closes on Friday and Saturday nights at the Crowne Plaza hotel. It’s best to stay over for these

Performances Not to Miss:

Here is a short list of performers to catch while you are at Rakkasah. By no means comprehensive, I’m sure I have left out some great dancers, but here are a few you should be sure to catch and what to look for:

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14

8:43 AVA FLEMING, PHOENIX, AZ

- I’ve never seen her live. Can’t wait!

10:32 AMALIA, PHILADELPHIA, PA

- Going back to Greek dance roots tonight. Would be great to see you there : )

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15

3:43 FAHTIEM, ROWLAND HEIGHTS, CA

- Great stage presence, insane belly rolls, and so much more!

3:54 ANEENA, NOVATO, CA

– You don’t want to miss her double veil!

5:16 BELLYQUEEN, ELISHEVA, SHANDRALIS & IRENA AKULENKO --

RISING SIRENS, FIRE BLOSSOMS & PRINCESSES, KAESHI CHAI, NEW YORK, NY

-I love any group choreography from Kaeshi Chai. Wait – love everything by Kaeshi Chai!

5:47 ANASMA, NEW YORK

-If you missed in in Philly in January, don’t miss her here – Wow!

8:00 RAKKASAH SPECIAL -- EDDIE ‘THE SHEIK’ KOCHAK AND SCOTT WILSON – An icon of the belly dance music scene in America-- Be there if you can!

8:25 SHUSHANNA, PHILADELPHIA

- She is a beautiful dancer and host of the Philly Hafla.

8:53 RANYA RENEE, NEW YORK, NY

– Wonderful performer & dancer

9:00 NAIMAH & TROUPE AMANDARI, BALTIMORE, MD

- Fabulous tribal dancer

9:15 SHAULA, WALDWICK, NJ

– of Silkdancer, does wonders with veil and sword!

News & Events for Amalia's Students

I am incredibly excited to get back to teaching next week. I have really missed my wonderful students and have lots of new stuff for us to work on in the coming weeks. Here are the latest updates:

Upcoming Events in the Philadelphia Area:

Sunday, October 9th:
There is no shortage of belly dance events for a good cause on this date.

• Benefit Workshop: Habiba will be hosting Nourhan Sharif for a benefit workshop. All proceeds will go to a fund to help two local children who lost there mother. You can find out more at http://www.habibastudio.com/benefit.html

• Shimmies for the Cure: Amalia will be performing with an amazing line-up of talented dancers in this breast cancer fundraiser starring Ranya Renee from New York City. Come out for some delicious food, and a good cause. Tickets sell out early, so be sure to order soon! http://shimmiesforthecure.org/

October 14-16 Rakkasah Middle Eastern Dance Festival

• Come up to Somerset, NJ to join your fellow students, and dancers from around the country for a three day belly dance festival. Non-stop performances, vendors galore, and amazing after-parties that last till the wee hours of the morning. If you plan to attend the after parties, you'll probably want to stay at the Crowne Plaza hotel to best take advantage of the festivities. Book your reservation ASAP! www.rakkasah.com/east

Costume Help
Need some advice on costuming? Check out this blog for the best advice on What NOT to wear for a belly dance costume! http://uglycostumegoddess.blogspot.com/

Silkdancer Veils!

I think it is time to introduce you to one of my favorite vendors, who also happens to be one of my favorite people in the belly dance community. If you have not already discovered the beautiful silk veils by Shaula from Silkdancer, then you have been missing out. Shaula is truly an artist, creating each of her beautiful veils by hand. And she has a new store on-line where you can buy her beautiful work! AND she is offering 20% off in December if you use coupon code DECSILK20 at www.silkdancer.etsy.com

Just before discovering Silkdancer, I had ordered a couple of veils on-line from another source. The silk was rough, the edging sloppy, and the colors were really awful. The quality of the silk and beauty of Shaula’s work will add unique beauty to any performance, and she will even make custom veils to match your costumes! She makes rectangular veils in both 3 and 3 ½ yards, circular veils (you have got to see the peacock design!!), and she makes the most gorgeous fan veils I have seen yet.

The only complaint I have with Silkdancer veils is that I can’t stop myself from buying more of them!

Rakkasah 2010

The Rakkasah Middle Eastern Dance Festival is coming up in just a couple of weeks, on October 8th through 10th. Rakkasah is a weekend of workshops, non-stop performances, and an entire hall of vendors selling all kinds of belly dance costumes, hip scarves, veils, finger cymbals, and other belly dance gear. And all just about an hour and fifteen minutes from Philadelphia. There are also some great after parties at the Crowne Plaza hotel just across the street from the festival. These live music parties are a great place to practice your moves to live music, and usually run from around 11pm to 2am!

You can find out more by clicking here for the Rakkasah Web Site

Sorry for the long lapse in posts! Here is a list of some of the songs my students might be hearing in class this session:

Song	Length	Artist	Album
Maqam Kurd	20:26	Ali Jihad Racy / Simon Shaheen	Taqasim: The Art of Improvisation In Arabic Music
Maqam Nahawand	13:18	Ali Jihad Racy / Simon Shaheen	Taqasim: The Art of Improvisation In Arabic Music
Maqam Bayyati	8:55	Ali Jihad Racy / Simon Shaheen	Taqasim: The Art of Improvisation In Arabic Music
Bir Demet	5:13	Brothers Of The Baladi	Belly Dance With Jim Boz
Battle	4:33	Belly Dance Beats Antique	Tribal Derivations
The Lantern	4:01	Belly Dance Beats Antique	Tribal Derivations
Enzel Ya Gameel Al Saha - Hip Hop Arr By DJ Gaga	5:21	Walid Tawfic	The Best of Exotic Arabic Music
Baien Alamal Wa Alkhoof	3:05	Asalah Nasre	Ahat Al Nasser
Habibak Ana	3:21	Hesham Abbas	Sebha Tehebak
Daggat Galbi	5:05	Assi Al Hellani	Daggat Galbi
Awaam Keda	3:31	Samira Said	Ayaam Hayati
Allah Yesahilak	3:58	Samira Said	Youm Wara Youm
Bounce	3:38	Solace	Top 40 Belly Dance
Beledi	5:21	Gypsy Caravan	Caravan Rhythms
Beledi 4-4	5:07	Solace	Rhythm Of The Dance
Beledi 2 4-4	5:05	Solace	Rhythm Of The Dance
Baladi	7:27	FatChanceBellyDance	Tribal Dance - Tribal Drums
Etsi eimai	3:52	Thanos Petrelis	Eimai Akoma Eleftheros
El Kalam Ala Meen	4:14	Saad	The Prince of Sha'abi
Slow	4:23	Belly Dance Beats Antique	Tribal Derivations
Mint & Cinnamon	4:23
Passing By (Again)	3:36	Beatbox Guitar	General Alternative
New Seed	2:43	Beatbox Guitar	General Alternative
Beauty Beats	3:45	Beats Antique	Collide
Serpentina	5:12	Light Rain	Dark Fire
Moonrise	4:45	Light Rain	Dark Fire
Makhmour Aghchig (Armenian)	4:46	Mirage	Visions: Music Of The Near East
Qanum Taqsim	3:14	Slah Manaa Ensemble	The Art of Arabic Folk Music
Violin Taqsim	4:20	Slah Manaa Ensemble	The Art of Arabic Folk Music
Nay Taqsim	6:30	Slah Manaa Ensemble	The Art of Arabic Folk Music

Powerful Performance

In the intermediate class we are working on performance technique and improvisation. During the first couple of lessons we are scaling back movement to work on channeling power into a performance and really owning our dance. There are many reasons that bringing power to a performance can be a challenging and elusive quality...in a large part because it can be pretty darn scary!

The homework assignment for the first week was to find an example of someone who exemplified that performance power. Below are some of the results....


In the opening credits for season 2 of the Tudors, check out the the confidence and power Jonathan Rhys Meyers exudes when he is simply sitting in a throne, or walking down the hallway. It is really impressive.



As an example of power in a live performance, here is a video of Beyonce at the Grammys earlier this year. She is strong and powerful, but her engaging facial expressions soften the hardness of that power.




This was the first season I watched Dancing with the Stars. I thought it was interesting to watch the progress of each of the dancers each week, but this performance by Evan Lycacek was striking. Especially compared to earlier performances, Evan brought a powerful confidence to this dance. The dance starts about 2:20 into the clip



Thanks to my students for some great examples of performance presence. I encourage all of you to keep your eyes open for this level of confidence in the world around you. Whether it is a celebrity, or, better yet, a woman walking confidently through the grocery store or down the street. And think about how you can channel some of that power yourself!

Live Music Dance Party Every Saturday!

I am excited to be working with Casablanca Restaurant and Nightclub to bring more live music to the Philadelphia belly dance scene. We have started a weekly dance party with live music and a belly dance show. And it starts early - 9pm on Saturday nights. The cost is reasonable ($10) cover, the music is great, and you can order tasty food off the Casablanca menu!

Each week will be a little different, depending on the crowd and when they arrive, but the plan is that I'll help kick start open floor dancing to live music a little after 9pm, and perform a set between 10-11pm. Feel free to come with a group, or come on your own. It is a really great time.