Thread: Who is dancing in DC this weekend?

I will be in Washington DC from Thursday to Saturday and I would love to meet up with some dancers or go see some dancing, take a class, etc.

Where is a good fun place to go? Live music would be great too!

Any recommendations?

I can bring my camera too and take performance pics too, as I will be shooting pics around DC as well.

Thanks!!

Casablanca in old town Alexandria, VA! Not too far from DC. That's the hot spot. Usually there is a show every Friday and Saturday evening. For some dance classes, check out Sahara Dance Co. (in DC) and Saffron Dance Co. (Arlington, VA, Faten Salama teaches here!).

Sahara Dance | Belly Dance Classes

Saffron Dance | Belly Dance Classes in Arlington

Latifa and the other DC Bhuzzers can direct to the really good stuff. They know more about BD in the area than I do. I need to get out more often, lol!

Actually, I'm hoping that Damiena and Samira Shuruk will jump in here! I'll let them know about this thread.

Shahrzad (Vasha Hatal) and I perform at the Fort Myers Officer's Club this Thursday. 7 and 7:30.
Friday I'm at Taste of Morocco (Silver Spring) at 8.
Saturday Damiena is at Taste of Morocco at 8.
Saturday night I'm at Alf Leylah Wa Leylah. Live band. Amazing debke lines. It's in Chantilly VA, really easy to get to. Band starts at 10. Show at midnight.
I've been kinda busy with parties lately- so I don't have that much "out" and also don't know that much goin on outside of my usual spots just 'cos I'm busy. There are an abundance of venues in DC. Some pay well, others don't.

Yasmina is a fantastic dancer- I'm pretty sure she's working at Feiruz in Falls Church still.

Marrakesh Palace (Dupont Circle) has wonderful food and beautiful decor. They have dinner time shows- I'm not sure who is working there now.
There might be dancing at Arabian Nights in Falls Church. If there is I"m not sure who it is right now.

I think Alexis and Noor-Jihan are both still at Marrakesh Palace in Dupont. Both are beautiful dancers and well worth supporting. I hear (but can't confirm) that the food is good, too.

Oh WOW! That is lots of choices!!

Thanks so much ladies.

I just realized the bellydanceshop is there too, oh boy, I am in trouble now!

Originally Posted by Zana

I think Alexis and Noor-Jihan are both still at Marrakesh Palace in Dupont. Both are beautiful dancers and well worth supporting. I hear (but can't confirm) that the food is good, too.

Yes, yes and yes! :) They have some lovely dancers and I can vouch for the food being very good (with good veg options) AND the kitchen being clean.

I'm not sure about that, Samira. Some of the nicest restaurants have floors that are disgustingly filthy, as anyone who dances barefoot can attest...

Hi Latifa!
I pm'd you.

I will add my info too. I am in Baltimore on Friday night and then in Silver Spring at Taste of Morocco, Rockville at MemSahib, and back to Baltimore on Saturday night.

I'm sure this was not your intention, Samira, but in context the above comes uncomfortably close to implying that a particular restaurant operates under unsanitary conditions. I know you're eager to channel business to other places, and I understand your reasons for this, but you might want to rethink how that sounds.

ETA: Ahh, much better. That's what I thought you must have meant to say.

Casablanca is also one of the few places with live music on Saturday night if you're looking for that....
I'm performing at Laziza in Fredericksburg on Friday night - a beautiful restaurant - but probably too far for you (an hour south of DC)..
ALso, shameless plug here - Saffron has a student/teacher show at Signature Theatre in SHirlington, VA (Arlington) on Saturday at 4pm if you're interested in an early show.
Shirlington is a cute little town with great restaurants - all different kinds of ethnic foods.
I know it's a student-teacher show which may not be what you're looking for, but I've seen the advanced student choreography - and it's HOT!
Also, Saphira and I are performing, and I'm doing a fun Saidi piece....
ok, I'm done plugging.....
;-)

Originally Posted by Zana

I'm sure this was not your intention, Samira, but in context the above comes uncomfortably close to implying that a particular restaurant operates under unsanitary conditions. I know you're eager to channel business to other places, and I understand your reasons for this, but you might want to rethink how that sounds.

Zana, I very clearly and happily recommended restaurants where I don't work. In addition I always happily support and/or attend multi dancer events at a venue known amongst many working dancers for low pay and questionable kitchen. It true however that I don't eat at a couple places (even when offered for free). I pay the event fees and do the right thing, but don't eat. So the interpretation of "eager to channel business to other places" is more "well, I choose not to eat from a couple different kitchens and I am honest about that with my friends for *their* benefit. Not mine".
Maybe it would have been better placed in a different thread or worded differently. The thought of connection with pay was truly just stream of consciousness pondering, but I will go back and edit it so names are not connected in any negative way. You are right in that doesn't look right at all. (running off to edit)

Originally Posted by bintbeled

I'm not sure about that, Samira. Some of the nicest restaurants have floors that are disgustingly filthy, as anyone who dances barefoot can attest...

Latifa you are absolutely right that many venue floors are very dirty; sometimes from shisha, sometimes from normal foot traffic, sometimes from kitchen grease that somehow never gets thoroughly cut through with nightly mopping. Some places would do well to change the mop water more often (shouldn't it be changed each time the floor is cleaned?).
Some places regularly steam their carpets, some almost never do. One place I work used to mop their floor TWICE every night. My feet were spotless after dancing, it was amazing. I could tell though when they changed to just mopping once. My feet aren't black by any means (impressive for a place with shisha), but on the pressure points they get a bit dirty. This is normal though.
It's also quite common for older buildings to house uh, tiny friends who normally live outdoors. Of course exterminators are brought in, but that's because it happens. Venues all react with different swiftness to these issues.
I've danced at a couple places where were I could feel the floors were slippery with sticky grease and my feet were disgusting afterwards - when no smoke is involved, this is not something I consider a positive indication. The venues with the worst floors that I've experienced have not been mentioned on this thread.
Just like floors, kitchens have different standards of cleanliness.

Samira, I was not implying anything negative about the motivations for your recommendations, and I did not suggest that you recommend only those restaurants where you currently work. That would never have occurred to me! You obviously advocate that people support restaurants where dancers are generally considered to be treated well and paid fairly, and you steer people toward those places rather than others that are not seen as meeting those criteria. There's nothing especially controversial about noting that, is there?

I meant only and exactly what I said -- that in the context, what you wrote about kitchens and pay suggested something that you probably didn't intend and (I imagine) wouldn't want attributed to you. I mentioned it for *your* benefit, because we all know how things get distorted by the grapevine and I thought it might come back to bite you. That's all. Please don't read any more into it than that.

Thanks everyone! Wow, there is so much going on in DC! I hope to meet some or all of you. It turns out I will be in DC next weekend too!

Originally Posted by Zana

I meant only and exactly what I said -- that in the context, what you wrote about kitchens and pay suggested something that you probably didn't intend and (I imagine) wouldn't want attributed to you. I mentioned it for *your* benefit, because we all know how things get distorted by the grapevine and I thought it might come back to bite you. That's all. Please don't read any more into it than that.

Thanks for making that clear, Zana. ..g.: I did edit it as you are right...the grapevine does all sorts of weird things to what people say and I don't want to be associated with slamming individual venues. Thanks!

...and Audra- I apologize for the thread hijack. There IS tons going on here. :) Ooooh, two weeks now. You'll have time to hit up a couple places then. Awesome.

,r:;..g.:,r:;............DC!!!! whooo hooo....

Welcome to DC! You'll have tons of fun.

I'll put in another plug for the show Kostana mentioned -- her cane piece is excellent! Katrina, another faculty member at the studio, is doing an adorable choreography by Lubna Emam. The other numbers are group pieces from our summer performance workshop series, including Saphira's delicious choreography to Msafer that was mentioned above. It's a short show, just an hour, so will get you out in plenty of time for dinner (good bets: the Carlyle, Aroma, or THAI Shirlington down the block, Busboys and Poets across the street) and more dancing somewhere else.

[end shameless plug]

Also: The lovely Noor-Jihan confirms that she's dancing tomorrow night at Marrakesh Palace in Dupont Circle (recorded music, 8:30) and Saturday night at Casablanca in downtown Alexandria (live band, 11:00).

Hey Zana,

Do you know who's dancing Friday, August 15 at Casablanca, by chance?

I don't know, but if I hear I'll pass on the info. It's not Noor-Jihan. Bonita and Trinity did the early shows last Friday, but I don't know if those are regular or rotating slots.