Balkan Brass

What is it about the deep thrum of a tuba, the short bursts of a trumpet, and the drawn out sighs of a trombone that I find so damn sexy?
My first taste of live Balkan music was at Amnesia in San Francisco. Rachel Brice was performing- that sultry snake of a belly dancer. She was the one I had gone to see, but when the band for the night, "Brass Menazeri", started playing, it was the music that had me captivated and wanting more. (But don't get me wrong, Rachel kicked ass that night!)
Something about the festivity, the gypsy-like mischievousness in the songs, made me want to dance, and dance, and dance. I suppose I'm not the only one who's been feeling that way, because there has been a boom of belly dancing to Balkan music in the Tribal Fusion belly dance community.
I was at a rehearsal the other day, for an upcoming show with the band, "Zoyres". Now, Zoyres' sound is many things, and one of them is Balkan. As I sat there listening to the band play, I felt something familiar. There was a feeling stirring in my body that felt akin to falling in love. The room was sort of spinning. And that's when I realized that I was swooning.
Guys, pay attention. All those band geeks in high school had the right idea, because now they're surrounded by hot, swooning belly dancers!
This June, I am hosting Zadiel Sasmaz- my dance director from Berlin- on tour in California. Zadiel's specialties include Turkish Roma and 9/8 rhythms, music favored by Eastern European gypsies. What better case to showcase his talents than at a Balkan Fusion party? That's what gave me the idea for the next show I am producing. Belly dancers from a variety of styles, a special musical guest called "Leopard Print Tank Top", a sword solo to clarinet, and Zoyres, who will satisfy your Balkan music cravings. June 7th at Triple Crown in San Francisco! Time to release your inner gypsy, and maybe even catch a swooning dancer. That's one way to sweep a woman off her feet!

Good-Bye Zadiraks

An interesting thing has come to my attention. While belly dance is popular in Berlin, the scene lacks a sense of community. In San Francisco, almost everyone supports one another. Teachers encourage you to study with other teachers, company directors are fine with their members being in more than one company, and dancers come to each other’s shows, even if they are not affiliated with the same people.
In Berlin, belly dance (or oriental dance as it is called here), is highly competitive. Teachers vie for students and discourage dancers from taking classes from anyone but them, dancers refuse to help one another get gigs because they don’t want to risk being outdone, and company directors want dancers to only be in one company. Within dance companies and classes themselves, there is a sense of family and camaraderie, but straying outside your circle can result in exile.
The company I am in, however, is a gem. Zadiraks is led by Zadiel Sasmaz and he wants his students to train with other teachers, dance with other dancers, and support shows from other companies. He understands that it only harms the belly dance community as a whole if we work against one another. I know there are other belly dancers in Berlin who follow Zadiel’s ethics and I applaud them for it, but there are too many dancers who take a cut-throat approach to the business.
A fellow Zadiraks dancer told me how she was in a company for several years and got kicked out when her instructor heard that she wanted to audition for Zadiraks. I’ve witnessed one teacher yelling at another teacher because he was ending his rent contract with her in order to rent a larger studio space. She basically gave him an ultimatum, saying that if he rented with another studio, then he would be her competition. Yikes.
All of this makes me thankful to be in Zadiraks, and sad to say good-bye. Zadiel performed at Maroosh restaurant last Friday and he organized a little farewell party there for me with his two companies, Zadiraks and Velvet Snake. Maroosh has quite the Oriental vibe with images of hieroglyphics on the walls, a giant cat statue, and Middle-Eastern clientele. It was awesome to see Zadiel perform in a restaurant atmosphere. The reactions from the diners were hilarious. The women looked like they were getting their jollies while the men looked mortified, avoiding eye contact with Zadiel at all costs. I wanted to tell them that it was okay to look- watching a guy dance does not make you a homosexual!
At least my boyfriend appreciated Zadiel’s performance. He’s open-minded that way. Plus, Zadiel redefines belly dance by taking the stereotype of the “sexy woman” out of the equation, which allows you to focus on the technique of the dance. Zadiel is graceful, innovative, and a perfectionist when it comes to technique. He truly makes the art form high class.
I’m glad I got to see Zadiel perform one last time before I leave for California, and it was so nice of my fellow dancers to come out to say good-bye. I’ll be returning to Berlin in the late spring, and looking forward to dancing with all the wonderful Zadiraks dancers once again.

Belly Dancers and Bears

What do belly dancers and hairy gay men have in common? The Salz Club in Berlin, it turns out. Zadiel Sasmaz, my company director, was throwing a big show called “Orientalhane” for our sister company, Velvet Snake. I had to be at the show early because our dance company, Zadiraks, was doing a photo shoot at the club before the show.
Now, anyone that knows me knows that I am notoriously early for everything. It’s a habit I can’t seem to break, even though I always end up waiting around for everyone else to show up. Of course, I arrived early at the Salz Club, too. It wouldn’t have been such a problem, except that the location was very isolated. And I couldn’t find the sign for “Orientalhane”. And the only building that looked like it could be the Salz Club was crawling with big, hairy men. Big, hairy men in leather chaps and bondage and thongs. Oh my.
Gathering my nerves, I entered the gates and was very relieved to see a dancer from Velvet Snake sitting on a bench. She explained that the Salz Club has two rooms. Orientalhane would be in one, and “Bearopolis” would be in the other. Yeah, you heard me, Bearopolis. My god.
Orientalhane was great. Awesome performances by Velvet Snake and some guest stars, including Rachid- a gay belly dancer from the Netherlands. I thought Zadiel and Rachid would be excited about Bearopolis but it turns out that big, hairy men aren’t really their type.
The two rooms at the Salz Club didn’t overlap, but the outdoor area was shared. All these beautiful belly dancers in their exotic costumes mingling with men clad in leather. Somehow it worked okay. At the very least, no one seemed to mind. And the whole scene was representative of how modern a city Berlin can be- a city that is multicultural, in which old churches stand beside flashy new buildings, where taking the subway is more convenient than taking a car, and a city that embraces both its belly dancers and its bears.

What it's Like to Work with a Gay Male Belly Dancer

(who's incredibly hot!)
When one thinks of belly dance, a voluptuous woman often comes to mind (in fact, the first comment I usually receive when I tell someone I'm a belly dancer is, "Really? But you don't have a belly!"). Ah, the stereotypes of belly dance. Women of all ages, shapes and sizes can be great belly dancers. And surprisingly enough, so can men.
There's been a resurgence of male belly dancers lately, and most (but not all) are gay. And it is such a tease! Belly dancing is a great workout, so most male belly dancers have amazing bodies- six pack abs, solid biceps, and a NICE ass!
Zadiel Sasmaz, the director of my dance company, is a case in point. Just the other day, I was sitting in rehearsal with Eyyam and Cathy. Zadiel was changing in the corner. We couldn't help but look over (what girl could resist). "Darn," I said, "It's too bad he's gay." Eyyam jumped up and said, "No, it's not like 'darn'. It's more like," and she pretended to kick the wall and stomp the ground and pull out her hair. See what these male belly dancers are doing to us?!
No, but really, we love them, the gay male belly dancers. They're kindred spirits, and awesome performers. And there are lots of perks to hanging out with them. I went out to the most popular gay club in Berlin with Zadiel, Rachid (another male belly dancer), Eyyam and Cathy. It was great to be with the best dancers in the club, and to be surrounded by the hottest men (even though they were so unavailable to us girls).
Also, I never have to worry about doing my own makeup for a show, because if a gay man is handy, chances are he's been to some form of beauty school (and I know that is a stereotype, but it's often been my experience!).
Lastly, the gay male belly dancers always love me just for my dancing, because I'll never be eye candy to them. Except, maybe, in my dreams.
Videos links to some great male belly dancing:
Zadiel Sasmaz
Rachid Alexander

Before moving to Berlin, I took some time to research who was teaching belly dance in the city. I was delighted when Zadiel popped up, since I had loved watching his videos on you tube and had no idea that he was based in Berlin. I was even more delighted when he invited me to join one of his dance companies, Zadiraks Dancers.
Zadiel directs two companies- Velvet Snake and Zadiraks Dancers- both of which are made up of advanced dancers and dance instructors. Velvet Snake learns the choreography from Zadiel, but performs without him, while Zadiraks Dancers performs with Zadiel.
Combining raqs sharqi with oriental cabaret with Turkish Roma, Zadiel is stunning to watch. His performances are full of passion and perfect technique.
A woman I know in Berlin writes a travel blog for the New York Times. When she heard about Zadiel, she was so impressed that she decided to write about him in her blog. And I love her for quoting me in it. Finally, some press! (sort of).

The link to the blog:
http://globespotters.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/26/taking-bellydancing-to-ballet-heights/

Zadiel's website: www.zadiel.de