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

Busking Permit for Berlin U-BAHN

What a wild goose chase we had with finding where to get a busking permit for the UBAHN (subway) in Berlin! We asked a police officer and he gave us an address of a building, but the person at the building said no, the permit office was at another place. But that place didn’t work out either. So, we pirated for a while until we got busted by the police. I have to say, the police were nice about it and gave us (finally) the correct address for the permit office. However, they gave us the wrong time and days. We trekked out to the permit office (which is located in a most inconvenient location), but discovered that the office was only open on Wednesday.
So, here it is, the official information on where and when to get a permit for busking in Berlin (since the information is not located anywhere else on the web):
U7 to Rathaus Stegliz (the permit office is in the station)
Wednesday 7am-11am
And that is the only time available to get a permit! Permits cost 6.40 euro per day, per person and are good for the following week. Don’t forget to arrive early, or else all the good stations will already be taken! Sheesh.
*no permit needed for playing above ground, unamplified*

Belly Dance Tips in a New City

The belly dance scene, in any city, is not always the easiest scene to locate, especially if you do not speak the language. Just a few tips that I've gleamed from trial and error:

-find out what "belly dance" is called in that city (ex: oriental, raqs sharqi, etc.)
-research your teachers/venues/schools ahead of time
-use a translation page (www.freetranslation.com) to translate websites that are in a foreign language
-ask dancers you already know if they can recommend a teacher/venue/school
-use facebook, myspace, etc. to make connections quickly
-if you want to teach, check out fitness centers and dance schools, or try to collaborate with an instructor that is already established in the city
-audition for dance companies, productions, etc.! Doesn't hurt!
-ask around about what the going rate is for a class/show (you don't want to undercut the dancers who are already working in the city- that's a way to make enemies)
-go to performances (it's a great way to see if you can get a performance at the venue)
-go to classes (great way to meet fellow dancers)
-utilize craigslist (www.craigslist.org)
-make business cards so you always have something to give someone when they want your contact information
-find a booker (they often act as a translator, too)
-work with local musicians (sometimes it's easier to get a show if you have a band backing you up)

I'm sure I'm forgetting a few things, but I think that's a pretty good list for starters!
Good luck.