Mona! (again)

[Lauren_]

I just discovered that my VERY favorite Mona clip of all time has finally made it to YouTube. This is the exact moment when I fell in love with Mona.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgGwJZfHa7E]YouTube - Mona Al Said[/ame]

Although I must say, this is pretty close to perfect.
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Gv4qQc4HKc]YouTube - Mona al Said// Part 3 the full vers.[/ame]

(cracks me up that her shawl is still onstage from before her costume change, though)

[mariyah13]

The second clip is the one that first made me fall in love with Mona!
That love was sealed by the "gold bikini" drum solo that was next on the dvd. :-)

[jilyan]

ooh i love Mona!! I love that gold cossie drum solo too, it's awsome.

[Tourbeau]

I had a student a while back who didn't even finish taking the dance classes she paid for because she was so disappointed that it wasn't the butt-kicking, fat-burning, high-intensity workout she expected. When you watch Mona in that first clip she is shimmying almost the whole time, but it never looks frantic or aerobic or spastic. LOL. No, sweetie, you misunderstood--if it looks like you're trying to shake your internal organs out of your body, you're doing it wrong!

(OTOH, I can't say I'm particularly sorry that the black-bra-fishnet-dress-gold-fringed-loincloth look never caught on as a costuming trend.)

[Souzan]

But I thought Lauren was going to make the fishnet Mona dress? What happened? Did you do it? Lets see pictures.

[Lauren_]

But I thought Lauren was going to make the fishnet Mona dress? What happened? Did you do it? Lets see pictures.

LOL -- mine was going to be more like Dina's. I got sidetracked by some other great fabric when I shopped for the fishnet.. but the whole project is on hold now until I'm done homeschooling for the semester. ,f::

[Michelle75]

Lauren,

Did you see the two new Mona clips that Samasem just posted on her youtube site a couple of days ago?
There not very clear but you can still sea what Monas doing.
I heart Mona too. I love her smile.

[nitara]

A long time ago, when I was still taking just tribal class, a friend of mine gave me an old videotape, thinking I'd like the Kathryn Ferguson instructional workshop on it (which I did). But, one day I left the tape playing as I was in the kitchen, and I came back to see that Mona shimmy performance onscreen. Not only was it the most amazing dancing I had ever seen, it made me realize I needed to explore my dancing in a different direction. Whenever I do a long bit of shimmy (my favorite thing), I think of Mona. Thanks, Mona!!!

[bintbeled]

That first clip just amazed me the first time I saw it. It was the first performance I had seen that made it evident that Egyptian dancers dance to the lyrics, even if they're not there! I loved the pink and blue performance too, although the puffy sleeves still make me crazy.

Thanks for posting these, Lauren!

[jamielynn]

What is the name of the DVD these performances are on? I need a copy. That second performance is the best I've seen, I think. (although it is hard to get past the "floaties" on her arms.) Loved it otherwise!!!

[kharis_UK]

I just discovered that my VERY favorite Mona clip of all time has finally made it to YouTube. This is the exact moment when I fell in love with Mona.

YouTube - Mona Al Said

Although I must say, this is pretty close to perfect.
YouTube - Mona al Said// Part 3 the full vers.

(cracks me up that her shawl is still onstage from before her costume change, though)

Me too! I recall how I loved her stomach movements, and the relaxed, languid way she makes it all seem so effortless. She's one of absolute favs. What a star.