Bellydancers set to take over Palace Station

BRAD DOSLAND OF TABOOMEDIA

Sharid Sana, a performer from Mexico City, thrilled the crowds at last year’s event.

By Allison Duck (contact)

Thursday, Sept. 10, 2009 | 3:40 p.m.

Back in 2003, a group of Las Vegas bellydancers saw the need to gather together. Unlike their undulating moves and flowing bedlahs — the traditional bra top and belted skirts that help them bond to their music — the dancers themselves felt disjointed from each other.

“The local community was rather fractured," said Samira Tu’Ala, remembering those days during a recent interview. "There were teachers teaching here and there, but there wasn’t a lot of cohesiveness in the community.”

After discussing the problem with her friend Aradia, a fellow local bellydancer, Tu’Ala identified the need for an event that would bring the local community together with other top teachers from around the country.

So Tu’Ala, an active member in the Las Vegas bellydance community, began putting together the first Las Vegas Bellydance Intensive weekend for that year at the Palace Station.

At that first event in 2003, Tu’Ala said she had “more teachers than attendees.”

Initially, the goal of the event was to bring together local and nationally known bellydance teachers for a weekend workshop of classes. But the weekend's programs have expanded in scope. And Tu'Ala is now very pleased with its steady growth of participants.

While classes are still the core of the event, this year's event will feature a festival on Friday and Saturday where amateur performers will have a chance for some stage time of their own.

The festival will also include a vendor area where participants can get outfitted for the classes by purchasing bellydancing accoutrements, such as hip scarves, veils or even finger cymbals.

This festival area is free and open to the public, allowing curious onlookers to get a first-hand introduction to bellydance as they watch performers on stage in the vendor area.

“I really do my best to have a wide representation of bellydance because it is a really large umbrella," Tu'Ala said. "There are a lot of different takes on it like traditional bellydance that is based in Egyptian and Middle Eastern traditions and the fusion styles more popular in America.”

When most people think of bellydancing, they think of the Egyptian style, which has a glitzy reputation with the corresponding shimmery sequined outfits.

The other broad category stems from the folkloric dances, known to the bellydance community as the tribal style. These dances are rooted in the traditional cultural dances that vary from region to region throughout the Middle East. Tu’Ala said she tried to strike a balance between all of these different subsets of bellydance and between the older and newer styles when she chose headliners for this year’s shows.

Brad Dosland of TabooMedia

Local bellydancers Deborah Nervig and Laurice Asima perform at the 2008 Bellydance Intensive.

On Friday and Saturday evening, professional headliners from all over the world will take the stage.

Friday night’s performance, “A Night in the City of Riches,” will feature Amaya, Suzanna Del Vecchio and Sharon Kirhara performing at the Clark County Library. Saturday night’s Belly Dance Gala will return to Palace Station, featuring performances by Frederique, Jim Boz, DeLois LaDelle and Aubre.

In addition to seeing stage shows by these headliners, participants can take a range of classes covering all skill levels. This year, there is a track of classes specifically designed for beginners, where participants can learn the basics and pick up a few tools of the trade at the vendor area.

One performer and instructor really stands out in the lineup.

DeLois LaDelle, a former Ms. Senior Nevada who has been a professional entertainer for more than a half-century, will teach a class on “Developing Stage Presence.” LaDelle, who has shared a stage with both Don Rickles and Jerry Van Dyke, is “exquisitely talented and so vivacious,” Tu’Ala said.

Another interesting performer is Jim Boz — the first male bellydance headliner in the event’s history. Boz focuses on Oriental and American Cabaret styles of dance.

In addition to solo performers, several duos and dance troupes with accompanying instrumentalists are set to perform.

New World Rhythmatism is one such ensemble that will perform both music and dance at the Friday night show.

While many performers dance to tracks of traditional Lebenese, Egyptian and Turkish music, Arabic pop music has crept into the soundtrack of modern belly dance. This style brings a modern approach to the traditional music and is still rooted in the standard Arabic rhythms. The fusion and Oriental-style artists tend to opt for more non-traditional music.

Tickets for the Friday and Saturday night shows are $30. Individual class prices vary, see the full schedule.

With all the growth in the programs from the last few years, organizers have decided its time to find a new venue, according to Tu'Ala. To accommodate the growth, the event will move in 2010 from the Palace Station to the Flamingo.