EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN: THE HISTORICAL BELLY DANCE FASHION SHOW

Mesmera in a custom made Hallah Moustafa original  Photo: Maharet Hughes, Graphic Vibe LA

 The Historical Belly Dance Costume Fashion Show took place on May 3, 2014, in Los Angeles. Produced by Jenza (Suzanne McNeil) who has been active in the LA dance scene since the 1970’s as both a performer and a costume designer. The event highlighted the diverse beauty of a plethora of lavish vintage handmade costumes and faithfully reproduced replicas from every decade in the Twentieth Century.  The pieces show ran the gamut from luxurious cabaret costumes covered in bugle bead flatwork and fringe to antique Assuit.  Some of the costumes featured were reproductions of Ghawazee or Ouled Nayl apparel, but even as replicas, since they were handmade over thirty years ago in the 1970’s and 1980’s by dancers like the legends Aisha Ali and Helena Vlahos, these costumes themselves are now vintage!                                                                          

Zoe Apoian in a  replica of  Nejla Ates'  "Son Of Sinbad" costume
by Jenza Photo: Princess Farhana

 Just some of the designers featured were the late, great Madame Abla and  Hallah Moustafa , an American dancer turned designer  who lives in Cairo, heading up her own costume atelier.  LA-based designers costumers were featured as well, including Jenza, Nadia Simone, Anaheed and Kathy Sanders, who now goes by the name Kat Bushman. All of these women were dancers as well as  designers. 

Persian Lace, pearls and bugle beads: Classic 1970's
Cabaret Costumes, Photo: Princess Farhana

Antique belly dance costumes and are an obsession of mine … I collect the genuine article as well as hand make reproductions from many decades, especially the 1920’s to the early 1960’s.  I also love wearing the genuine article, collecting and restoring older costumes to their original glory… and I am not alone!                 There are even large social media groups (especially on Facebook) devoted to discussing, caring for, buying selling and trading vintage belly dance costumes. For every dancer who must have the latest designs from Egypt or Turkey, there are countless others who are absolutely in love with the costumes of a bygone era.  Many dancers seek these elderly beauties out, refurbish them carefully and wear them as a return to the glamour and fantasy of   the days of yore.

The importance of this show- and the beautiful pieces on display- cannot be denied.  For hundreds of years, oriental dance was almost considered insignificant, even though probably at least a third of women on earth at any given time period were actively practicing it and handing down the movements -and prized costume pieces- to future generations.  Similarly, the models in the show ranged from dancers who were 1970’s veterans to those who had been performing for barely a year or two.

 Enjoy the glorious pictures!

Oceana in  a 1970's  cabaret costume by Nadia Simone
 Photo: Princess Farhana

Aisha Ali's 1980's Ouled Nayl  costume reproduction on the runway
 Photo: Princess Farhana

    

Aisha Ali's Ouled Nayl costume  as seen backstage
Photo: Princess Farhana

In my Edwardian costume replica on the runway
Photo: Maharet Hughes, Graphic Vibe LA

 Bugle bead flatwork & hand-strung fringe: Shira's 1970's Egyptian scarab costume,
made by Kathy Sanders Photo: Princess Farhana

Tova  backstage in  amagnificent pearl and bugle bead fringe costume-from the mid 1970's. Belt by Amal ( Jenny Rife) bra  designed to match the belt  by Suszanna McNeil  Photo: Princess Farhana

Helena Vlahos in action, early 1970's

Helena Vlahos and me backstage. Helena is in her magnificent '80's Serpent costume

Old meets new: Jayna Manoushe backstage on her contemporary smart
 phone, in  avintage Cleopatra costume designed and sewn by Helena Vlahos
 Photo: Princess Farhana

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 If you’re a costume addict, you’ll enjoy the many sections  on making, caring for and storing belly dance costumes- both antique and contemporary- in The Belly Dance Handbook: A Companion For The Serious Dancer.  Purchase a signed copy here:

http://www.princessfarhana.com/shop.htm

A TIP OF THE HAT TO THE FEZ

Achmed Al-Asmar drumming for Cory Zamora at The Fez Fundraiser, July 14, 2013

 On July 14, Roxxanne Shelaby put on a belly dance show  with live music  at Brazil Brazil Cultural Center in Los Angeles...but this was no ordinary show- it was ground-breaking  and intimate, seamlessly blending  different decades of belly dance history, both from LA and beyond. 

The show was organized to  raise funds for a documentary film project Roxxanne is working on about The Fez,  the celebrated Arabic nightclub that became a famous Hollywood hotspot, which was owned by Roxxanne’s late father, Lou Shalaby. A talented musician and extremely well-loved club owner, Shelaby created an amazing atmosphere at the Fez, making even first-time customers feel like family, and introducing thousands of patrons to the beauty of Arabic music and dance.

Antoinette Awayshak at The Fez 1961

The Fez was located on Vermont Avenue in the heart of Hollywood. The instant it opened it’s doors in 1959, it became not  “ just” a nightclub, but the breeding ground for Arab arts and culture on the West Coast. The immensely popular club not only became a center for the Arabic community in Southern California, but a catalyst for creative Arabic performing   artists which on to inspire generations of musicians and dancers well beyond Los Angeles. Much of the hubbub around the Fez came from word of mouth, but a good portion of it was largely due to the popular in-house recording “Live At The Fez”, which featured the house band and was a hugely popular album back in the day-and is now considered a coveted collector’s item.

Helena Vlahos in the 1960's

Helena at The Fez fundraiser

Aisha Ali, 1960's

Just some of the Just some of the internationally acclaimed and now legendary dancers that performed at The Fez were Feiruz Aram, Syrian-born   Antoinette Awayshak, and gorgeous Greek performer Helena Vlahos.  Aisha Ali and Sahra Saeeda- both known world-wide for their incredible dance ethnology research and field recordings, worked there as well…as did women who were quite famous at the time and during the course of their careers gave birth to belly dancing daughters who are equally well known!  These women are Marta Schill  (author of the book “The Complete Belly Dancer” and mother of Belly Dance Super Stars dancer Jayna Kouzouyan) Janaeni, the proud mom of world renowned performer Ansuya, and Tonya Chianis, whose daughter is Atlantis Long, who, with her mom, produces the Belly Dancer Of The Universe Pageant, now entering it’s 24^th year!

Peter Lawford, Jayne Mansfield and Lou Shalaby at The Fez

The Fez was also a favorite haunt of the Hollywood glitterati during it’s time, with customers including the likes of Marlon Brando, Lee Marvin, Jayne Mansfield and television personality Danny Thomas- who was known to frequently lead debke lines at The Fez!   Other celebs who were regulars included Peter Law ford, Richard Thomas (no relation to Danny, the actor known as “John-Boy” from the television show, “The Walton’s”) and basketball great Kareem Abdul Jabbar, among many others.

 At her show at the Brazil Brazil Cultural Center, Roxxanne created the same cozy atmosphere that The Fez was famous for.   In fact, it felt more like a wonderful family reunion than a show, with generations of Los Angeles Arabic musicians and the wonderful “dance mammas” who taught and inspired practically everyone else that was in the room! Truthfully this was not only one of the best belly dance shows I’ve ever seen- and I’ve seen literally thousands.  The buzz around the show itself was incredible, and it was attended by many belly dance greats, including former Habibi publisher and famed dancer Shareen El Safy, IAMED’s Suzy Evans, dancer, Aubre Hill, composer Dr. Samy Farag,   former Fez  performers  Feiruz Aram,  Barbara Al-Bayati, Jawahir, and scores of well-known local dancers as well. 

The show featured guest stars Jillina, Tamer-Henna, Cory Zamora, Anaheed and Lee Ali, who, although she never worked at the Fez, was performing on the East Coast at the same time and currently oversees the popular 1970’s Belly Dance group on Facebook.  She kicked off the evening with a purely nostalgic period-perfect rendition of a medley of 1960’s and 1970’s belly dance hits.

Lee Ali at The Fez Fundraiser

 But the best part was that (most of) the original band from The Fez, as well as many of the dancers who were featured there regularly performed. Many of the musicians and dancers who performed are well into there sixties - and in some cases even more mature- but they became magically young and electric the moment they started playing and dancing.  The band consisted of  violinist Maurice Saba, Rico Orel on oud, percussionist Var Daghdevirian, and tabla player Achmed Al-Asmar.

 It was marvelous to see full sets by these incredible performers, including all the amazing  “old-school” American Cabaret / Vintage Orientale bells and whistles-   gorgeous veil work, lots of zills, dynamic live drum solos, and Fahtiem even did a Sultan Act with a very pleased member of the audience! Anisa, of Anisa’s School Of Dance did a cute flirty folkloric number, Aisha Ali was elegant, Helena Vlahos was regal and lithe and kicked ass (as usual!) on her cymbals.  Atlantis performed in a massive 70’s style cape in place of her mom, who was just enjoying the show and having a ball.  And of course, it was super-amazing to witness all the past history- and current scene come together...pure magic!

Atlantis at The Fez Fundraiser

 During the show’s intermission, Roxanne screened a selection of interviews with the Fez dancers. The footage was shot beautifully, and the interviews were priceless- ranging from affectionate reminiscing to crazy backstage anecdotes.

 The night ended about three hours later than it was supposed to… which was no surprise because nobody wanted it to end at all!

 But it doesn’t have to end… as I stated previously, Roxxanne Shelaby is in the midst of writing, directing producing a documentary film   (co-directed by Greg Williams with cinematography by David Rapka) about The Fez.

 Find out more about The FEZ Documentary here:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-FEZ-documentary-project/259555070765907

If you wish to contribute to The FEZ project- any amount will help- you can do so here:

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Purchase-tickets-for-the-Fez-Documentary-fundraiser-at-the-discounted-price-by-midnight-7-1-13--.html?soid=1101939835726&aid=Lc5sJS9yn_Y

Helena Vlahos and Roxxanne Shelaby at The Fez Fundraiser

 Read  “Great Moments At The Fez” by dancer (and Fez favorite!)  Feiruz Aram, in a vintage issue of Habibi Magazine   here:

http://thebestofhabibi.com/vol-13-no-4-fall-1994/lou-shelby/