Happy Holidays & All the Best for 2012

Dancers Pose or Natarajasana

Dancers pose or Natarajasana allows us to experience the physicality that can produce fear in our bodies. It is said that we store fear in our hearts.. When you open your heart in a backbend or any other pose you are releasing the fear held in your heart and you are opening up yourself to all the lovely possibilities that come with an beautiful open heart. if we can find the graceful rhythm that comes from balance we will eventually be liberated in our bodies and in our minds. Excerpt from Om My Blog by Love Peace Yoga.

Finally An Empowering Take on a Classic Fairy Tale - Snow white

Looking forward to my collaboration with Michelle & Diego Romero for "Wake Up Sleeping Beauty" in September 2012.




Wake Up Sleeping Beauty Project Synopsis:
A modern musical telling of a classic fairy tale, 'Wake Up, Sleeping Beauty!' invites children and adults alike to participate in the creative reawakening of a young woman's psyche, asleep for more than a thousand years in an enchanted wood. Performed live in a poemagogic style, this princess' rebirth is the death of the damsel-in-distress archetype. (In a surprise twist, the audience itself awakens the sleeping beauty!) Upon re-awakening, she babbles in a multitude of languages, gestures and song in a near-vain attempt to relate what she has seen in her mind's eye: Death and birth, masculinity and femininity, time and space are all one and the same. With music and story in collaboration with theatre-artist and musician Michelle Riu, set and costumes by visual artist Kristie Stephenson, and hand-drawn frame by frame animations by Diego Romero (all South Florida artists) 'Wake Up, Sleeping Beauty!' is a multi-lingual tale of metamorphosis, intuition and communion.


Funded in part by the Broward County Cultural Division and the Broward Center's Arts Access program, the show aims to recruit and develop youth talent from Coral Springs, Parkland, Coconut Creek and Fort Lauderdale.

Blessing Beads

I call them Blessing Beads: My secret island find they are protective and magical, of mother earth. They are also called Job's tears (Job from the Bible) Mary's Tears, Christ's Tears. My inspiration in using these seed beads were of photos of tribal women in mourning from Papua New Guinea (PNG). The story is that these Mindima widow's will remove one collar of seeds each day while the mourning time until the last one. Then she can wash herself and find a new husband. Papua New Guinea 1983, photo by Jeff Shea.

They are mother natures perfect bead they already come with a hole and when you tap them against your teeth they feel like porcelain. This is my spin on it I have been attaching some of my designs I had cast in bronze, they are of female archetypes. The yoga community here in Jamaica will see the Buddha and I notice Trinidadians here will say they see Mother Lakshmi.
Excerpt below from Waynes World.
The common name Job's tears refers to the droplet-shaped, pearly white "beads," and to the biblical man of the Old Testament who endured great suffering. This relationship to tear drops is also reflected in the specific epithet lacryma-jobi, in reference to the tear-producing lacrimal glands located near the eyes. Although there is unanimous agreement that the beads resemble tears, there appears to be some disagreement as to exactly whose tears the beads resemble. Depending on exactly where you happen to be in the world, this plant goes by various names including David's tears, Saint Mary's tears, Christ's tears (Lacryma Christi), and just plain tear drops.

The leafy inflorescence of Job's tears (Coix lacryma-jobi) showing numerous green "beads." The dried, gray beads are strung into necklaces throughout tropical regions of the world.

3. Structure Of The Job's Tear Bead

Interestingly enough, the actual beadlike structure resembling a seed is not a seed at all. It is a very hard, hollow structure (called an involucre) containing a minute fertile female flower and two sterile flowers. Pollen-bearing male flowers are produced on a slender stalk that extends out of the bead through a tiny pore. Two feathery stigmas from the fertile female flower also protrude from the pore--ready to receive pollen from the male flowers. Like other members of the enormous Grass Family (Poaceae), Job's tears are pollinated by the wind. Following pollination, a seed-bearing grain is produced by the fertile female flower. The shiny gray beads are dispersed and planted like seeds, but they are actually remarkable little shells containing flowers and grains.

Close-up view of flowering Job's tears (Coix lacryma-jobi) showing the hollow, beadlike involucres which naturally have a hole in them. The threadlike styles of a female flower and a cluster of male flowers protrude from a tiny opening in each bead. Inside the bead is a minute, seed-bearing female flower (bottom).

4. Job's Tears As Food

Native to tropical Asia, Job's tears (also called Adlay) are used for food, particularly by peasants of the Far East. The distinguished 17th century naturalist Georg Eberhard Rumphius stated that in his day Job's tears were planted in Java and Celebes on the margins of rice fields. According to Agnes Arber (The Gramineae, 1965), Job's tears were introduced into China in the first century A.D. by a Chinese general who conquered Tongking, where the grains were widely used as a cereal. The general became so fond of Job's tears that he carried back several cartloads of the seeds to his own country.

A patch of Job's tears (Coix lacryma-jobi) in full bloom at the WAYNE'S WORD headquarters in southern California. The numerous flower clusters contain immature, green "beads."

Like other cereals, there are many cultivars of Job's tears, including soft-shelled, easily-threshed types with a sweet kernel. In some, the hulled grain is adapted for parching or boiling like rice, while in others it can be milled, ground into flour and baked into bread. Reportedly, the grain has a higher protein content than most cereals. The grains are also utilized in soups, porridge, drinks and pastries. In India, the Nagas use the grain for brewing a beer called zhu or dzu. A Japanese variety called "Ma-Yuen" is brewed into a tea and an alcoholic beverage, and roasted seeds are made into a coffee-like drink. According to Agnes Arber, the leaves are used as fodder in parts of India, and are especially relished by elephants.

The Right Moment

Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep

Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there... I do not sleep.
I am the thousand winds that blow...
I am the diamond glints on snow...
I am the sunlight on ripened grain...
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you waken in the morning's hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of gentle birds in circling flight...
I am the soft star that shines at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry—
I am not there... I did not die..

by Mary Elizabeth Frye 1932

Somewhere Other than Here: Caribbean Fashion Week

The attitude of Pele, the Hawaiian volcano goddess for her fiery temper and Huna for the beautiful treasures from her sea and Island Goddesses everywhere inspired my black coral and smokey quartz necklaces shown on the runway for Caribbean Fashion Week (CFW).  The long spiny black corals remind me of black sea urchins, a delicacy in Japan and a nuisance on the North Coast of Jamaica, I stepped on one many a time when I was little and yes I did try my own pee/ urine to dissolve the spikes.  I cannot recall if it worked or not.  In the states my coral creations were my personal Island Goddess armour, representing intrigue, mystery and danger.  I just love using mysterious black pearls and beautiful corals unfortunately these materials are all imported.  The more time I am here in Jamaica the more stories I hear of interesting materials  I could source, -so I am excited as to what I will find.  The clothing shown is by Trinidadian Designer ZADD and EASTMAN.  I dubbed this Trinimaica when a Trinidadian and Jamaican collaborate in some kinda fashion. 

 



















Huna: Is the goddess of corals and spiny creatures of the sea.  She appears as a woman and a coral reef.  From her shells Maui made his famous hook for drawing the Hawaiian Islands together.

Pele: Is the goddess of the volcano. Pele has a staff -- a staff used to find out if ground is dry. Many books on the subject say that Pele is a myth, but many families of Hawaii today believe that Pele was an actual person from Kahiki (somewhere other than here).

Caribbean Fashion Week: Spinning & Weaving

Mother archetypes helped to inspire this silver pendant.  Stories of earth mothers and wise women who weave the world and create life,  inspired the drawing painting above which then translated into jewelry, metal.  I call this pendant Spider Woman: she weaves and creates her world shaping her own destiny. 
For more on Spinning and Weaving Myths click here. My Story and Myth inspired jewelry pieces will be at Caribbean Fashion Week.  In a country where they are in the Guinness World Book of Records for the most churches per SQ. mile, how are they going to react to the empowered goddess archetype and the story and myth behind it.  Quite well - I HOPE- Jamaica is a matriarchal society.   Regardless people of the diaspora have always hidden deeper meaning behind things...

Egypts Lost Pyramids

Dr Sarah Parcak uses satellites to probe beneath the sands, where she has found cities, temples and pyramids.

Mermaids: On Stranger Tides

I am so proud Jamaican Sanya Hughes plays a mermaid in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides 4, See photo of mermaid cast below.
To the left a a mermaid with weapons -shield and sword yielding mermaid is on the coat of arms for Warsaw.  Above is the personal coat of arms for Michaelle Jean  she is the 27th Governor General of Canada and she was born in Haiti below is an explanation of the symbolism of her personal coat of arms.
The shield shows a sand dollar, a special talisman for Jean, and the Crown symbolising her viceregal authority. The shell in a broken chain refers to Albert Mangonès' sculpture in Port-au-Prince, Marron Inconnu, which depicts an escaped slave blowing a sea shell to call to arms his fellow enslaved people; this symbolises Jean's ancestors' escape from slavery. The two Simbis are water spirits in Haitian culture, who, by legend, calm rough seas and give wisdom; they stand in before a rocky terrain upon which are rooted a palm tree — a Haitian symbol of peace — and a pine tree — representative of the natural riches of Canada.^[108]

We're Missing You

Mourning someday we will have to experience this, I always thought there were certain natural rules like children don't die before their parents.  Well I realized in life there is no order to things when I lost a sibling.  My family was not the only one grieving his friends were too, I remember one of his friends putting together a video of him running a race during a sports day event at his high school with the music of Enya playing in the background, it was beautiful. Another I knew well wrote deep poetry and yet one other friend of Jeffrey's whom I did not know at the time pursued her passion to become a singer and not a dentist, her's is the music video above- I just checked my MYSPACE account after not doing so for many years and found this message dated December 14th, 2007.

Kris Kelli says:

Hi Kristie,I hope all is well with yu.I've been busy doing shows in the Caribbean.I was in Anguilla last week and all the school kids there knew Jeffery from the video..isn't that wonderful...All the best for the xmas to yu and the family.
Nuff luv.
Kris

 

 

 

Mariposa de la Muerte: Folklore & Mythology

In many cultures one of these flying into the house is considered bad luck.  Growing up in Jamaica when they came into the house, and it would always be one and not very often, I saw them as a visiting spirit.   It is considered a harbinger of death in Mexican and Caribbean folklore. In Spanish it is known as "Mariposa de la muerte" (Mexico & Costa Rica)^[1], "Pirpinto de la Yeta" (Argentina) or simply "Mariposa negra" (Colombia); in Nahuatl (Mexico) it is "Miquipapalotl" or "Tepanpapalotl" (miqui = death, black + papalotl = moth); in Quechua (Peru) it is "Taparaco"; in Mayan (Yucatán) it is "X-mahan-nail" (mahan = to borrow + nail = house)^[2]; in Jamaica and the Caribbean, the moth is known as the "Duppy Bat" or "Money moth"^[3]. Other names for the moth include the Papillion-devil, La Sorcière Noire, or the Mourning or Sorrow moth.  I love the positive meaning the Hawaiian's have,-  In Hawaii, Black Witch mythology, though associated with death, has a happier note in that if a loved one has just died, the moth is an embodiment of the person's soul returning to say goodbye. For me the loved one is stopping by to say hello.  On Cat Island, Bahamas, where they are locally known as Money Moths or Moneybats, the legend is that if they land on you, you will come into money, and similarly, in South Texas, if a Black Witch lands above your door and stays there for a while you will supposedly win the lottery

Blue Beard

I got caught again, not trusting my intuition since the last time I blogged about the blue beard archetype. This time he fed my ego, it took one meeting with familial wise well women and and a lone knights templar to see what I chose to ignore.   There are Blue Beard folktales from: France, Germany, Italy, India, USA and the West Indies. If you read the tales they are very deep and serve as a warning to trust your intuition.  Enjoy the trailer.

Lady Fu Hao Warrior Queen

• 1200s BC - Lady Fu Hao consort of the Chinese emperor Wu Ding, led 3,000 men into battle^[2] during the Shang Dynasty. Fu Hao had entered the royal household by marriage and took advantage of the semi-matriarchal slave society to rise through the ranks.^[3] Fu Hao is known to modern scholars mainly from inscriptions on Shang Dynasty oracle bone artifacts unearthed at Yinxu.^[4] In these inscriptions she is shown to have led numerous military campaigns. The Tu fought against the Shang for generations until they finally were defeated by Fu Hao in a single decisive battle. Further campaigns against the neighbouring Yi, Qiang, and Ba followed, the latter is particularly remembered as the earliest recorded large scale ambush in Chinese history. With up to 13,000 troops and the important generals Zhi and Hou Gao serving under her, she was the most powerful military leader of her time.^[5] This highly unusual status is confirmed by the many weapons, including great battle-axes, unearthed from her tomb.^[6]

Rani of Jhansi

A comment on a post of some indian inspired hotel renderings I did a while back promted me to look up Jhansi.  Which lead to me finding Rani of Jhansi her name is Lakshmi Bai and she is a warrior woman who fought for India's freedom.  I believe subconsciously I tapped into this eastern archetype from previous photos on warrior women with swords and wearing indian fabrics.  (see photo below)
Rani Lakshmibai was one of the leading women warriors of the India’s first struggle of independence. She is a symbol of bravery, patriotism and honor. She was born on 19th November, 1835 at Poona. Her father Moropant Tabme was a court advisor, and mother Bhagirathi was a scholarly woman. At a very early age she lost her mother. Her father raised her in an unconventional way and supported her to learn to ride elephants and horses and also to use weapons effectively. She grew up with Nana Saheb and Tatya Tope, who were active participants in the first revolt of independence. In 1842, Rani Lakshmibai was married to Raja Gangadhar Rao who was the Maharaja of Jhansi. After the marriage to Gangadhar Rao she was called Lakshmi Bai. In 1851, she gave birth to a son but unfortunately he died in his fourth month. After this tragic incident, Damodar Rao was adopted by Maharaja of Jhansi as his son. Moved by the death of his son and his poor health, Maharaja Gangadhar Rao also died on 21st November 1853. When the Maharaja died, Rani Lakshmi Bai was just eighteen years old, but she didn’t lose her courage and took up her responsibility.

Warrior Women Photo Series

Lord Dalhousie, the Governor -General of India at that time, was a very shrewd person who tried to take advantage of the misfortune of Jhansi to expand the British Empire. The British rulers did not accept little Damodar Rao, as the legal heir of late Maharaja Gangadhar Rao and Rani Lakshmi Bai. Their plan was to annexe Jhansi on the ground that it did not have any legal heir. In March 1854 Rani of Jhansi was granted an annual pension of 60,000 and was ordered to leave the Jhansi fort. She was firm on the decision not to give up the dominion of Jhansi to Britishers.
For strengthening the defense of Jhansi Rani Lakshmibai assembled an army of rebellions, which also included women. For this great cause she was supported by brave warriors like Gulam Gaus Khan, Dost Khan, Khuda Baksh, Sunder-Mundar, Kashi Bai, Lala Bhau Bakshi, Moti Bai, Deewan Raghunath singh and Deewan Jawahar Singh. She assembled 14,000 rebels and organized an army for the defense of the city. In March 1858, when the Britishers attacked Jhansi, Rani Lakshmibai’s army decided to fight and the war continued for about two weeks. The army fought very bravely, even though Jhansi lost to the British forces. After a fierce war when the British army entered Jhansi, Rani Lakshmi Bai, tied her son Damodar Rao to her back fought bravely using two swords with both her hands. She escaped to the fortress of Kalpi under the cover of darkness and was accompanied by many other rebellions. She departed to Gwalior and a fierce battle was fought between the British and the Rani’s army. On the unfortunate day of 18th June of 1858, this great warrior martyred her life for India’s freedom.
(excerpt from www.freshliners.com)

Durga Kali Gaia Oshun Isis

The University of Miami's Department of Art and Art History and International curator Ludlowe Bailey present a Panel Discussion on “The role of Egyptology and Kemetic Philosophy in general in the development of Contemporary Africana Culture.”  In preparing for the panel discussion today I came across a blog I created titled Multi Goddess in it I journal my dance musings and workshop participation and the paintings it inspired.  Above is "Durga Kali Gaia Oshun Isis" painted after a BollyWood Indian dance workshop I participated it.  I also realized that that my silhouette drawings on the Multi Goddess Blog later became jewelry pieces.  The Book on Egyptian Yoga by Dr. Muata Ashby helps to explain the ancient Egyptian's way of being and how we can adopt and apply it in our lives.  Yesterday at the University of Miami children from area schools were treated to a visual presentation on identity by New York artist Robin Holder as well as the creating of a vision board led by Ludlowe Bailey.

Durga-kali-gaia-oshun-isis body print inspired by the Hindu Goddess Kali, Kali is a manifestation of the Hindu Goddess Durga the goddess of material creation. Her Greek name is Gaia, her African name is Oshun and her Egyptian name is Isis.   According to Dr. Love Kali is the destroyer of men's ego, she cuts off their heads and then revives them sexually

Blogger Pulsoma asked the question: "Hi. I'm very interested in the link your making between Isis and Oshun. How do you know it is the same deity? If you could help me clarify that... Thanks."

Blogger Divine said:"Dionysus and Shiva are the same... So are Oshun and Durga -- and both are the ass-kicking, demon-slaying goddesses to whom the other deities turned when dark entities were ravaging the earthly realm... Both answered fear with laughter. Fear is the lock and laughter the key to the heart... & love is always stronger than death."

Art By Architects 2011

February 4
7:30 p.m. – The Gallery – Studio of JSK Architectural Group is proud to present the Exhibition “Art by Architects”, a collection of works of art created by Architects who are united by the common artistic vocation, that of their creation and their passion for Art. AIA Miami Chapter website
Location: Gallery – Studio of JSK Architectural Group, 137 Giralda Avenue, Coral Gables. RSVP: 305.448.1986 or gallerystudio@jskarchitecturalgroup.com
Architects/Artist include: Jorge Kuperman, Robert Burghardt, Jim Palma, Jacob Brillhart, Orlando Comas, David Ghezzi, Robert Swedrow and myself Kristie Stephenson.

The paintings above were from the show in Coral Gables,  held in the gallery area of architect Jorge Kupperman's storefront office.  Architect Gail Baldwin and his daughter Brandi pictured below have always come out in support of my art shows, they came to my first one in the design district and Brandi  was part of the jump start that got me painting and on our way to Sri Lanka.  It was a wonderful night with interesting people, we ran into a woman who used to take ballet lessons where the architectural office now is.

Architect Jorge Kupperman and Myself

Gail Baldwin and Brandi Baldwin

“ATUM ENERGY: CHANNELING KEMETIC METAPHYSICS”

UM DEPARTMENT OF ART & ART HISTORY AND AFRICANA STUDIES PRESENT
“ATUM ENERGY: CHANNELING KEMETIC METAPHYSICS”

ART EXHIBITION & PANEL DISCUSSION CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY MONTH

ART SHOW “ATUM ENERGY: CHANNELING KEMETIC METAPHYSICS” 02/11/2011 6:30pm to 10pm
PANEL DISCUSSION “The role of Egyptology and Kemetic Philosophy in general in the development of Contemporary Africana Culture.” 02/13/2011 3:00pm

The University of Miami’s Department of Art & Art History and Africana Studies present “Atum Energy: Channeling Kemetic Metaphysics,” an art exhibition celebrating Black History Month.

The show, curated by international art curator Ludlow Bailey, will run from February 1, 2011-February 28, 2011 at the University’s College of Arts and Sciences Gallery, 1210 Stanford Drive in Coral Gables. The exhibition is free and open to the public. A special opening reception will be held on Friday, February 11, 2011 from 6:30 pm-9:00 pm.

The exhibition will include a series of lectures and will feature the works of African-American artists Robin Holder and Kerry Stuart Coppin, Haitian-American artists, Asser Saint-Val and Nzingah, Jamaican-American artist, Kristie Stephenson and Black British artist, Everton Wright.

The following lecture to contextualize the exhibition will be held at 3:00 p.m. on February 13, 2011. It is titled “The role of Egyptology and Kemetic Philosophy in general in the development of Contemporary Africana Culture.”

Ludlow Bailey has curated shows in Europe, The Caribbean and the United States. He has lived in Egypt and has travelled extensively in Africa. He is a lifelong student of Egyptology & Metaphysics. He holds degrees from both Brown and Columbia Universities. He currently resides on the island of St. Thomas in the United States Virgin Islands.

Find Your Voice: MEDE Members Pay Tribute

The MEDE 21st Anniversary event on Sunday was a huge success. Touring and traveling artists took a brief break to honor the founder of the Mid Eastern Dance Exchange. There was performance, vintage film clips and a panel discussion. The most important thing I walked away with that night was how giving the founder was, wanting her students to find their own unique voice in dance and how supportive of them she was leaving the nest to create their own dance networks. Of the performances that night there were no "soldier dancers" as Aireen put it, everyone was very different. It is like the painter, at first their early student work will be like that of their teacher or the other artists they are studying until they start to develop their style. Singers and musicians too, I love the story of Johnny Cash who was about to cut a record with his band when after hearing them play, the producer advised him to think that this was his once in a lifetime chance, so he started to play something from deep within that his band members had never heard before so they kept up with him on their instruments and the rest is history. Find your voice.

Left to right: Jihan Jammal, Tamalyn Dallal, Hanan, Amar Gamal, Mustafa, Bozenka, Virginia, Aireen and Alexandria.


Below is an excerpt from Tamalyn Dallal it gives the history and lineage of the Mid Eastern Dance Exchange in Miami.

MidEastern Dance Exchange (non-Profit organization for the cultural arts)



Tamalyn Dallal - Founder and Director



The Mid Eastern Dance Exchange was conceived on a train in Egypt. I was floating on air after seeing all the big names of my formative belly dance years perform; Nagwa Fouad, Souhair Zaki, Fifi Abdo, and Azza Sharif. Not looking forward to going back to a steady diet of bellygrams and birthday parties in Miami, I announced to my traveling companion "I'm going to start the Mid Eastern Dance Exchange (MEDE)." "What's that? He asked. I had no idea what the MEDE would become but such an authoritative name would surely raise the perception of our art form. I thought it might become a publication, an agency, or maybe a dance school.



The original studio had two floors and became something of a community center, with children’s classes after school. In the evening it was home to a multitude of movement forms: Belly dance, Kathak, Tai Chi, Yoga, African dance, Haitian, Afro Cuban, Jamaican, Ballet, Jazz, Modern, Tap, Hip Hop, and Acting. In 1993, Lincoln Road became prohibitively expensive and we moved to an upper floor of an office building. Belly dance was quite marginalized and I was told numerous times that we would never get funding. Thanks to Hanan (now the president/director of the MEDE), when she was a new dancer in the troupe in 1997, she wrote and secured our first grant.



The MEDE was the first in Miami to produce a full scale theatrical production (Emerald Dreams) in 1997, followed by numerous other theatre productions: Ghazal, Sawah, Infinito, and 40 Days and 1001 Nights, Dancing Across the Lines. In 2001 we had the privilege of joining forces with New York's World Music Institute to bring the 28-member show "Gypsy Caravan," showcasing authentic Roma culture from four countries, to Miami's Gusman Theater.The original troupe consisted of Mona Mandall, Amar Gamal, and Katia Yasmina (Now known as Maja). This was the troupe from 1991-1995. Mona was in the troupe until 1998 and on the board of directors for 10 years.



The original bellydance teachers at MEDE were; Tamalyn (then known as "Dallal"), Scheherezade, Jihan Jamal, and Myriam Eli (who stayed a short time due to the driving distance.)



pre MEDE

• Ylsa - was the teacher with the most years- 17 years with MEDE then 3 more years at Bozenkas.

• Kathy Lamis

• Jihan Jammal (taught for 3 years)

• Maria Jammal ( taught for 5 years)

• Scheherezade (taught for 2 years)

• Mustafa – Musician

• Fathe – Tunisia – Musician, Music and Dance teacher

• Mariano Parra - Flamenco teacher



1st Generation MEDE Dancers

• Amar Gamal

• August

• Carlos Danaan

• Charlan

• Elizabeth

• Maja

• Marisol

• Mona

• Yasmina (Rocio)



2nd Generation MEDE Dancers

• Aireen

• Barbara Brandt - Sabah

• Big Barbara Arrchevarelta

• Bozenka

• Brenda

• Faride

• Feiruz

• Hanan

• Helena

• Leslie

• Little Barbara Torrez

• Luz

• Marta

• Misha (Hawaii)

• Moki

• Patricia

• Samay

• Shahar

• Thaedra

• Virginia Mendez

• Yasmina (Jessie)



3rd Generation MEDE Dancers

• Alexandra

• Andrea

• Elisa Niederer

• Jennifer

• Jeri

• Kalinka

• Karen Tijerino

• Montserrat Saar

• Moran

• Wild Flower



4rd Generation MEDE Dancers

• Amalia

• Ana

• Francesca

• Joy

• Marilyn

• Roshana Nofret

• Xiomara



MEDE Guest Teacher

• Ahmet Luleci – 2007 - Turkey

• Amani – Lebanon – 1997

• Amel Tafsout – 2000 & 2004 - Algeria

• Amir Thaleb – 1998,1999 & 2000 - Argentina

• Ansuya – 2003 - California

• BellyQueen –2001, 2002, 2003 & 2004

• Dondi – 2001-California

• Dunia – 1992 – New Mexico (currently lives in New York)

• Fajwa (Morocco)

• Ghazal – 1998 – Iran

• Gypsy Caravan – 2001-(Concert 28 gypsys from India, Spain, Romania, Macedonia)

• Hassan El Banna – Egypt – 1992

• Helene Eriksen – 2006 – Germany (Seattle)

• Indian Kathak teacher – Nandu – Santur player

• Issam – 2006 – Lebanon (Bellydance Superstars)

• Jillina – 2006 – California (BellyDance Superstars)

• Karim Nagi – 2006 - Boston

• Kashi – 2005

• Louchia – 2005 - Russian

• Mohammed Shahin – 2007 - Egypt

• Noura – 2001 & 2003 – New York

• Pasha – 2005 - China

• Queen Harish Kumar – 2002 - India

• Ramzi El EDLibi – Lebanon (lived in New York ) 1993

• Raqia Hassan – 1995,1996 (Egypt)

• Richard Khuzami – many times throughout the 90s - from New York

• Saida guest dancer – 1999&2000-Argentina

• Sarat guest dancer – 1999-Argentina

• Sevedije Lika-2007 - Tampa

• Youkta – 1990

Mid Eastern Dance Exchange

I found this amazing place 10 years ago.  At the time I had cut my hair off like a boy, in doing so I realized I had the same shaped head and ears like my brother who passed away which gave me a sad smile.  In this  dance class I felt underweight and scrawny next to the voluptuous women dancing around me, the more seasoned dancers were aware of their bodies, how to move them and move muscles I had never used.  Well alot of the women who came out of this place have gone on to amazing things.  Tamalyn Dallal the original founder of the Mid Eastern Dance Exchange impressed me by her promotion of her former students who went on to successful solo careers forming companies of their own with a huge worldwide following in this BD World.  I felt I got to know them personally through the myriad of documentaries, instructional DVD's and Bellydance Music CD's I have.
This Sunday I am looking forward to the vintage film clips, panel discussion and performances from some of the Mid eastern Dance Exchanges "Golden Era" Bellydancers.  The revenue from this event helps to fund MEDE film projects like Havana Habibi.

MID EASTERN DANCE EXCHANGE 21st Anniversary Special Fund Raiser at the Art of Bellydance Studio Sunday, January 16, 2011 7:00 -10:00pm $20 in advance, $25 at the door (limited tickets) Be part of this amazing milestone by experiencing the unique opportunity of having some of the legendary "Golden Age Era" Bellydancers of the Mid  Eastern Dance Exchange under one roof! We will celebrate this anniversary with a panel discussion moderated by the current Director, Hanan and with tribute performances in honor of TAMALYN DALLAL. The panelist and performers of this incredible event will include: Aireen, Amar Gamal, Bozenka, Hanan, Samay ,Virginia !! ________________________________________________________________________ Visit our website to see our January special workshops   with Tamalyn Dallal and Bozenka  www.artofbellydanceflorida.com 305-695-8720 & 305-525-0074 Also, reserve your tickets NOW for the STUDIO PARTY on Sunday, January 23, 2011 from 7:00pm to 10:00pm. ($15 admission) "WOMANHOOD AND A NEW GENERATION OF DANCERS" With special performances by TAMALYN DALLAL, BOZENKA, THE NEW ART OF BELLYDANCE TROUPE under Artistic Director, ROSHANA NOFRET and stellar performances by the Art of Bellydance Teachers. We will also be showing very exclusive film excerpts from Tamalyn's upcoming film "Zanzibar Dance, Trance and Devotion"