Thread: 1970's Dancer, Mish Mish, Serpentine Article

I've never met her personally, but she's a friend of my friend Shadiah.

The Original Mish Mish | Belly Dance News & Events - Gilded Serpent

Wonderful article.

That was great, thanks for sharing!

I thought this was interesting:

What was so incredible when the Egyptian musicians arrived was the fact that they actually played entire musical pieces. That was when everything changed within the shows. I believe that was also the time when most of the improvisational style of dance changed as well. Some of us were even given rehearsal time with the musicians and able to choreograph our shows. It became more professional.

There was an Egyptian dancer who worked at Koko’s prior to Nahed Sabri’s arrival. Her name was Sahar. I’ll never forget, we were all appalled at her color schemes in costumes! This was the first time we ever saw orange and green mixed together. She was so cute and different and that was actually the first time we had seen a dancer have a rehearsed and tight show, the way the shows were done in Europe. This was so completely new and foreign to all of us girls here in the U.S. We always had five parts to the dance, came out veiled, had our entrance, first taxim where we removed our veils, then fast again, then floor work, then fast again, then drum solo, and finale. Those were such long shows! The Egyptian style was usually three parts. A short entrance with veil and almost immediately discarded, taxim, drum solo and finale. Sometimes she used a prop. That was the first time I ever saw the candelabra balanced on someone’s head.