Thread: Full Show Favorites

I want to expand my collection of dance videos with full shows of some of the famous belly dancers and I'm hoping some of you might be able to recommend your favorites. They can be classic or modern. I just want full shows as opposed to individual dance clips from old movies or something piecemeal.

If you could list your top 5 favorites that would be great.

My top 5 favorites that I currently own to start you off are:
1-Fifi Abdo Concert in Al Esmailia Egypt
2-Mona El-Said in Shewaiya Balady and Rakasny Ya Gadaa added together
3-Amani in Turquoise International's International Conference on Middle Eastern Dance, performance vol. 4
4-Sahra Saeeda
5-Nadia Gamal - The Legend

I'm not loving most of the rest of the full show footage I have of other dancers. In particular if you have recommendations for the following dancers best show available on DVD or VHS please let me know:

Randa,
Dina,
Nagwa Fouad,
Soraya,
Asmahan,
Souhair Zaki,
Dandash
Shu Shu Amin,
Sahar Hamdi,
Nadia Hamdi

Also any others of performers who lived and or worked in Egypt or Lebanon particularly. Any other good show footage available of the dancers in my top 5 list too would be great.

Hey Shems:

I recently bought Leila's DVD from Yasmin and I really like it. It is a full show with the typical structure, and I think Leila is enchanting.

Sedonia

Originally Posted by shems

I want to expand my collection of dance videos with full shows of some of the famous belly dancers and I'm hoping some of you might be able to recommend your favorites. They can be classic or modern. I just want full shows as opposed to individual dance clips from old movies or something piecemeal.

If you could list your top 5 favorites that would be great.

My top 5 favorites that I currently own to start you off are:
1-Fifi Abdo Concert in Al Esmailia Egypt
2-Mona El-Said in Shewaiya Balady and Rakasny Ya Gadaa added together
3-Amani in Turquoise International's International Conference on Middle Eastern Dance, performance vol. 4
4-Sahra Saeeda
5-Nadia Gamal - The Legend

I'm not loving most of the rest of the full show footage I have of other dancers. In particular if you have recommendations for the following dancers best show available on DVD or VHS please let me know:

Randa,
Dina,
Nagwa Fouad,
Soraya,
Asmahan,
Souhair Zaki,
Dandash
Shu Shu Amin,
Sahar Hamdi,
Nadia Hamdi

Also any others of performers who lived and or worked in Egypt or Lebanon particularly. Any other good show footage available of the dancers in my top 5 list too would be great.

Yes, Leila's Bint al Balad is very fun.

My favorites:

1. Legendary Aida Nour by the Arabesque Dance Co.
2. Farida Dance Presents Cairo Nights (Featuring Aida Nour, Dandesh, Yasmina)
3. Farida Dance Presents Farha Tour 2006 (Featuring Randa Kamel and Yasmina of Cairo)
4. From Cairo to California by Little Egypt (Featuring Dandesh)
5. Bahaia Presents Cairo Heat Wave

Originally Posted by nasila

Yes, Leila's Bint al Balad is very fun.

I love it too, although the stage looks a little cramped. I would love to see the same show, done with lots of room.

thanks for the nominations thus far, especially Tammy for giving up a full top five. Please share more :-)

[QUOTE=Tammyraks;82961]My favorites:

1. Legendary Aida Nour by the Arabesque Dance Co.
2. Farida Dance Presents Cairo Nights (Featuring Aida Nour, Dandesh, Yasmina)
3. Farida Dance Presents Farha Tour 2006 (Featuring Randa Kamel and Yasmina of Cairo)


I have those 3 in my top 5 also.
really worth buying and the quality of the dvd is really good.

Well, Tammy's top 3 were ones that I would have mentioned.

Also, I know this is from quite awhile back, but I love Nadia Hamdi . . . so, you might consider getting a copy of "Nadia in America". I hadn't heard much about her before this video, so I bought it then went to the next workshop that Amina Goodyear sponsored in San Francisco . . . so glad that I did as Nadia was only brought back one more time to the States for workshops before she sort of slipped off the radar in Egypt (family stuff probably from what I've been able to ascertain from Lucy/Scherazade).

Aswan Dancers' Videos check with Amina Goodyear for the video . . . and it looks like you can now get a copy on DVD.

I have another older videos around that shows a young Nadia Hamdi, which I need to dig out . . . it had some performances of other little seen dancers.

Originally Posted by palmier

I have those 3 in my top 5 also.
really worth buying and the quality of the dvd is really good.

So what are your other 2?

thanks Catherine. Any more, ladies?

I haven't owned very many of these but I LOVE:
1) Always Dina 2004 AD (her LA show)
2) AWS 2002 (I think it's the closing show?) has a loooong set by Dandash, a nice Soraya set and... can't remember who else.
3) A Nour/Tito show I got from Bhuzzer Viktorya
4) the Balady Show VHS with Mona el Said & Nelly Fouad. But I'm told the DVD is missing Mona's infamous Gold Bikini Drum Solo, so forget it!
5) Fifi's Concert at Esmalia (the Cherry Picker video)

Thanks Lauren,
I have 4 and 5 on your list on my list too. :-)

Good question, Shems. My picks, in no particular order)

1) Saturday Night Gala Show, Randa Kamal in Oslo 2006 (from Helene in Oslo)
2) Farha Show, Cairo Nights, Yasmina, Dandesh, Aida Nour (2005?) (from Farida Dance)
3) Cairo Dance Festival with Lucy and Aida Nour (Saut wa Soura)
4) The Nour/Tito show is great.
5) The same DVD that Laura refers to with Mona Said and Nelly, but I have the version with the bongos.....

Rose

Originally Posted by shems

Thanks Lauren,
I have 4 and 5 on your list on my list too. :-)

Actually, I have 4 and 5 too . . . so if I said I have 1,2,3 above and 4, 5 now . . . where does that leave my choosing Nadia Hamdi??? LOL, I think we will now have to go to the list of 10.

Originally Posted by cbarros

Actually, I have 4 and 5 too . . . so if I said I have 1,2,3 above and 4, 5 now . . . where does that leave my choosing Nadia Hamdi??? LOL, I think we will now have to go to the list of 10.

I'd be happy to hear your top ten, I just thought it was more likely to get a top five out of people.
..g.:

Originally Posted by Masouma

Good question, Shems. My picks, in no particular order)

1) Saturday Night Gala Show, Randa Kamal in Oslo 2006 (from Helene in Oslo)
2) Farha Show, Cairo Nights, Yasmina, Dandesh, Aida Nour (2005?) (from Farida Dance)
3) Cairo Dance Festival with Lucy and Aida Nour (Saut wa Soura)
4) The Nour/Tito show is great.
5) The same DVD that Laura refers to with Mona Said and Nelly, but I have the version with the bongos.....

Rose

I fine it interesting how much overlap there has been in the few lists given.

I did an internet search to find the Randa Kamal in Oslo DVD from Helene and I'm having a little trouble finding it. Could you post a link if you have one?

Thank You!

Originally Posted by shems

So what are your other 2?

hmmm hard to say.

-Amani around the world
it is one i owned in Vhs and i bought it again when it came out on dvd. it was called Amani live in concert on VHS and they changed the name after but you extra stuff on the dvd.

-Always Dina 2004


Fifi is also on my list but since you have her already i tought that would help me take it down to 5


another favourite video of mine is the one where i have a lot of Tulay Karaca , not a show unfortunately but whenever i think i am going around in circles i watch her zills and 9/8 performances and she makes me feel like i am so little and i just start practicing like crazy again. Unfortunately in the Turkish style there is very little available.

Hi, Shems,

as far as I am aware, there isn't a link. I sent a note to Helene Skaugen through the address at her website (http://www.helene.no/ ) or
http://www.orientaldancefestival.no/ . Helene has always been responsive to her email messages (unless she is travelling). Feel free to drop my name.

Rose

Originally Posted by shems

I fine it interesting how much overlap there has been in the few lists given.

I did an internet search to find the Randa Kamal in Oslo DVD from Helene and I'm having a little trouble finding it. Could you post a link if you have one?

Thank You!

Originally Posted by shems

I'd be happy to hear your top ten, I just thought it was more likely to get a top five out of people.
..g.:

OK, let me drag out the stacks of videos/DVDs . . . I have some old stuff I should take another look at . . . some I used to really enjoy but fell by the wayside for awhile as I was pursuing "the latest", LOL!

Seriously, I hate getting organized as then I put things away very neatly . . . then I forget about them . . . I should go thru the stacks more often to sell but i hate to turn loose of items that you can't get anymore!

I haven't collected enough performance footage to be able to definitely state a top five or ten (it would just be the five or ten favorites of what I own, not of what's out there) but I add my vote for Always Dina, the 2004 LA show. It's regular viewing for me!

Weekend viewing included:

1) Dances from the Heart, Mona el Said in Dallas, 2004 - I love this one because it shows Mona almost at her best . . .LOL, I only say "almost" because I gotta say that the one with her in the "gold lame bikini" is so hard to top.

She does a variety of styles (classica, balady, saidi, pop) with 4 costume changes. She just "glows" throughout these performances. She has so much fun during her performances. She does the "infamous" drop to the floor with her crotch facing the audience, lol!

If you look closely when she is dancing through the audience during her saidi, you might notice a short wide limey green person taking photos . . . that was ME!!! LOL, I got some of my best shots at that show (see my website).

Downside to the video is bad lighting (darn) and the bad backdrops (a bit distracting) AND I would have like Mona to wear something other than black because of the lighting but you can't have it all.

She wears the best white gallabeya I've ever seen!!

This one is defintely in my top 10!!

2) Belly Dance from Paris Nights - Filmed in Paris at Le Beyrouth and Yildizlar - When I pulled this one out, I remembered that I really liked parts of it. I thought it was because it had Nadia Hamdi in a full nightclub show (cute, she does splits during her finales with her "trademark" pulling up of back foot and playing finger cymbals . . . you can see it on "Nadia in America" too).

I didn't remember being too impressed by the other dancers before but in retrospect, I'll have to amend that. Second dancer is named Samar and I think she could be Lebanese, but I need to do some more research.
Third dancer is Yassmine (as labeled on the video) . . . this time, since I have met her in DC, I immediately knew it was Yasmin from DC!!!!! Wow, what a blast!! I just went to Yasmin's website again and, yes, she danced at those clubs while in Paris. The 4th dancer is named Abeer . . green fringe!!! All the costumes are a bit more brief than we have gotten used to . . . I forgot all the legginess of those earlier costumes, but you could see a transition from the full skirts to slimmer skirts with more fringe in these shows.

As usual, bad camera work mars some of the action . . . focus on hips or chest while something else is going on gets to be frustrating. Oh, wait, did I see sparkly undies on Yasmin as she was turning??? LOL, they did focus on that area during her turn.

BUT, the big surprise and bonus on this video was not even listed . . . it just shows up at the end . . . filler maybe??? But what a bonus!! Shu Shu Amin if I am not mistaken in a dynamite show!! There is a Khaleeji section with a singer where 2 women from the audience get up to dance.

So this one goes into my top ten too.

Hmmm, how many do I have now???

where did you get that paris nights footage?

Originally Posted by shems

where did you get that paris nights footage?

yes, yes I 'm curious about this video also. :) Is it DVD or vhs? Please advise. thanks! Rose

Originally Posted by shems

where did you get that paris nights footage?

It is a Saut wa Soora video (VHS), no number listed on it . . . don't remember where I got it but I've had it a looooooooooooooong time. Come to think of it, maybe I got it from Dahlal because I have a few other Saut wa Soora's.

I found something else to add to the list (I think I am over 10 now by my counting):
Nagwa Fouad doing her Princess of Cairo routine . . . she is carried in on a very fancy palaquin and starts her dance with an interesting shaped fan.

Unfortunately, I think this was a pirated compilation I bought and it is one of the first videos I got (back in the 80's??? early 90's?) . . . it is titled Egyptian Folklore and Cabaret . . starts out with a performance by the Reda troupe. From what I can tell from a description of "Saut Wa Soora 1214, Najwa & Suhair Zaki in Abu-Dabi" (in another topic), it contains some of the same dances .

AND that Aza Sharif selection mentioned is at the top of my list (watching her Saidi piece right now in a red assuit?? sequins/Paillette?? dress . . . or should I say "pot dance" . . well, only part of it). That's metkal Kenawi singing i think. Then here is the dance with the red and green where she takes off her head dress and shakes it around . . this one i really like . . . this woman has some great hip work.

Hmmmm, I'll watch the rest of it later . . . I used to watch this one all the time.

Originally Posted by cbarros

It is a Saut wa Soora video (VHS), no number listed on it . . . don't remember where I got it but I've had it a looooooooooooooong time. Come to think of it, maybe I got it from Dahlal because I have a few other Saut wa Soora's.

I found something else to add to the list (I think I am over 10 now by my counting):
Nagwa Fouad doing her Princess of Cairo routine . . . she is carried in on a very fancy palaquin and starts her dance with an interesting shaped fan.

Unfortunately, I think this was a pirated compilation I bought and it is one of the first videos I got (back in the 80's??? early 90's?) . . . it is titled Egyptian Folklore and Cabaret . . starts out with a performance by the Reda troupe. From what I can tell from a description of "Saut Wa Soora 1214, Najwa & Suhair Zaki in Abu-Dabi" (in another topic), it contains some of the same dances .

AND that Aza Sharif selection mentioned is at the top of my list (watching her Saidi piece right now in a red assuit?? sequins/Paillette?? dress . . . or should I say "pot dance" . . well, only part of it). That's metkal Kenawi singing i think. Then here is the dance with the red and green where she takes off her head dress and shakes it around . . this one i really like . . . this woman has some great hip work.

Hmmmm, I'll watch the rest of it later . . . I used to watch this one all the time.

OK, video party at your house!

Originally Posted by tamrahennatx

OK, video party at your house!

sure!!! come on over!

on second thought . . . maybe not right now, hehe! But i am willing if anyone else wants to brave 4 cats!

Originally Posted by Masouma

yes, yes I 'm curious about this video also. :) Is it DVD or vhs? Please advise. thanks! Rose

I found this listing : #183 Paris Nights (Summer, Jasmin, Nadia Hamdi & More ) $35.00

it was at Artemis Imports Videos

Belly Dance from Paris Nights - Filmed in Paris at Le Beyrouth and Yildizlar - I didn't remember being too impressed by the other dancers before but in retrospect, I'll have to amend that. Second dancer is named Samar and I think she could be Lebanese, but I need to do some more research.
Third dancer is Yassmine (as labeled on the video) . . . this time, since I have met her in DC, I immediately knew it was Yasmin from DC!!!!! Wow, what a blast!! I just went to Yasmin's website again and, yes, she danced at those clubs while in Paris. The 4th dancer is named Abeer . . green fringe!!! All the costumes are a bit more brief than we have gotten used to . . . I forgot all the legginess of those earlier costumes, but you could see a transition from the full skirts to slimmer skirts with more fringe in these shows.

As usual, bad camera work mars some of the action . . . focus on hips or chest while something else is going on gets to be frustrating. Oh, wait, did I see sparkly undies on Yasmin as she was turning??? LOL, they did focus on that area during her turn.

BUT, the big surprise and bonus on this video was not even listed . . . Shu Shu Amin if I am not mistaken in a dynamite show!!
******************
I was not proud of this footage but it helped to further my career over there. I was 22 and had just started working at Le Beirut. I was nervous and angry. It was perform for the cameras or be fired. I was still doing AmCab at the time and had not yet gone to Egypt. Later on for that night's show both Mohammad al-3azabi and Sabah sang. You can see a quick shot of Sabah's current husband while I'm in the audience. Oh, and yes, all the costumes came with sequined panties. I have kept them all, particularly the Madame Abla's. The producers later flew me to Cannes to promote the series at the TV and video festival, where I met my future husband. So I guess it turned out OK in the end.

The clips for the video were filmed in various locations during 1980-81.
1. Nadia Hamdi was filmed at Yildizlar. You can see a very young Hassan Abou Saoud playing accordian behind her.
2. After Nadia is Samara - now known as Rababa of San Francisco's Habibi Ru (I think?). I knew her as Rita. She studied with Jamila Salimpour + Bobby, among others.
4. Abeer was definately Lebanese. She replaced me at Le Beirut when I went to work in London with Mona.
5. Yes, that is a FULL SHOW of Shoo Shoo Amin. The drummer is Khamis Henkish. She does her trademark shimmies (#4 - contract/release) during the drum solo at the end.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh, thanks, Yasmin, for expanding on the information. I knew if you saw this post that you'd give the answers.

Originally Posted by Serpentine

[B]Belly Dance from Paris Nights
I was not proud of this footage but it helped to further my career over there. I was 22 and had just started working at Le Beirut. I was nervous and angry. It was perform for the cameras or be fired. I was still doing AmCab at the time and had not yet gone to Egypt.... Oh, and yes, all the costumes came with sequined panties. I have kept them all, particularly the Madame Abla's....

Would that we all looked so gorgeous and danced successfully on video while nervous and angry (and only a few years into our careers to boot). Geez. "perform for camera or be fired" is not an enviable position.
Seriously though, I wonder how many Egyptian style fans think a level of dance heaven would be the chance to have watched and learned from Shoo Shoo Amin (and then Mona amongst others) night after night.
Shoo Shoo is amazing in that footage. I can only imagine it live. .w.:
Of course it's bootleg and not supposed to be out there so very hard to find.
And back then you were *so lucky* that all the costumes came with those sequined panties....we've all seen the threads about what to wear under the circle and a half skirt costumes. That was never a problem back then- and quite festive, I might ad (certainly an era requiring leg confidence, just like the mini-skirts on some of todays Egyptians).
I guess camera men were the same back then with their proclivity to focus on certain areas. They've gotten bolder now, though. They don't stop at the occasional innocuous sparkly panty flash and go for (in Suha's words) "gyno cam". ..c::