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Randa Kamel, Raqia Hassan, Farida Fahmy, Ultra Gypsy, Fathiem, Tito, Nour.... and many more in Brussels!!!

lailuccia_75 — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Pour le Fran�ais voir plus bas.

Voor Nederlands zie hieronder

Para el Castellano mirar m�s abajo

English

Any takers for a big event of Oriental dance?

Between the 6^th and the 8^th February 2009, Brussels is to welcome the biggest event of Oriental dance organized in Europe: The International Raqs Congress.

The congress sets up 3 days of workshops with the biggest stars of Oriental dance and Belly dance, "the Raqs Golden Award" dance contest, three matchless gala evenings, a fashion show with the most skillful dressmakers, an original dance show "made in Salwa" Plume et Poil, three Haflas with in-live musicians, an Oriental Market and more surprises�

But you surely wonder WHO are the stars invited for the Congress�We won't cite them all here but let's spill the beans about some names: Farida Fahmy, Raquia Hassan, Randa Kamel, Tito, Fathiem, Jill Parker and Ultra Gypsy, Nour, Asi Haskal, Sema Yildiz, Shahrazad, �and many others

Go and discover our Oriental surprises and register on our website www.raqscongress.com. Do not waste time if you wish absolutely unbeatable prices!

Orientally yours,

The Raqs Congress staff

Fran�ais

Avis aux passionn�(e)s de danse orientale!

Les 6, 7 et 8 f�vrier 2009, Bruxelles accueillera le plus grand �v�nement de danse orientale organis� en Europe Occidentale : �The International Raqs Congress�.

Une �quipe d�accueil vous attendra pour trois jours de stages avec les plus grandes stars de la danse orientale, un concours de danse international d�nomm� � The Raqs Golden Awards �, trois galas �poustouflants, un d�fil� de mode de costumiers, une pr�sentation de Plume et Poil (cr�ation originale de Salwa), trois haflas avec des musiciens live, un grand souk et bien d�autres choses encore.

Vous vous demandez quelles sont ces grandes stars ? Nous n�allons pas toutes les citer ici, mais nous pouvons d�j� vous d�voiler que nous avons le plaisir d�accueillir, entre autre, Farida Fahmy, Raquia Hassan, Randa Kamel, Tito, Fathiem, Jill Parker and Ultra Gypsy, Nour, Asi Haskal, Sema Yildiz, Shahrazad, �et beaucoup d�autres

Venez vite d�couvrir toutes les surprises orientales que nous vous r�servons et vous inscrire sur le site www.raqscongress.com. Si vous r�servez rapidement, vous b�n�ficierez d'un prix d�fiant toute concurrence !

Orientalement v�tre,

The Raqs Congress staff

Nederland

Bericht aan alle liefhebbers van ori�ntaalse dans!

Op 6, 7 en 8 februari 2009 zal er in Brussel het grootste ori�ntaalse dansevenement van West Europa georganiseerd worden: �The International Raqs Congress�.

Een heel organisatieteam zal u verwelkomen voor drie volledige stagedagen met de grootste ori�ntaalse danssterren, een internationale danswedstrijd met als naam � The Raqs Golden Awards �, drie buitengewone gala-avonden, een mode-d�fil� van ori�ntaalse kostuums, een voorstelling van �Plume en Poil� (originele danscreatie van Salwa), drie haflas met life-muziekanten, een grote souk en nog veel meer.

U vraagt zich af wie deze grote danssterren zijn? We zullen ze hier niet allemaal opnoemen, maar we mogen al een tipje van de sluier oplichten, met namen zoals ander andere Farida Fahmy, Raquia Hassan, Randa Kamel, Tito, Fathiem, Jill Parker and Ultra Gypsy, Nour, Asi Haskal, Sema Yildiz, Shahrazad, �

Surf snel naar onze internetsite www.raqscongress.com om alle ori�ntaalse verrassingen te ontdekken en om u in te schrijven. Indien u vroeg boekt, zal u kunnen genieten van een zeer interessante prijs!

Met ori�ntaalse groeten,

The Raqs Congress staff

Castellano

Aviso a los apasionados del baile oriental !

Los dias 6,7 y 8 febrero 2009 Bruselas acoger� el evento m�s grande del baile oriental organizado en Europa Occidental : �The International Raqs Congress�.

Un equipo de recepci�n les atender� durante los tres d�as de clases con las m�s grandes estrellas del baile oriental, un concurso de baile internacional denominado � The Raqs Golden Awards �, tres galas extraordinarias, un desfile de moda de dise�adores, una presentaci�n de Pluma y Pelo ( creaci�n original de Salwa), tres haflas con m�sicos en directo, un gran souk y otras muchas cosas m�s�

Os preguntareis cuales son estas grandes estrellas ? No las vamos a citar todas aqu�, pero ya podemos desvelar que tenemos el placer de contar con nosotros, Farida Fahmy, Raquia Hassan, Randa Kamel, Tito, Fathiem, Jill Parker and Ultra Gypsy, Nour, Asi Haskal, Sema Yildiz, Shahrazad, �

Venir a descubrir todas las sorpresas orientales que les hemos reservados e inscrivanse en la pagina web www.raqscongress.com. Si reservan con antelaci�n, benificiar�n de un precio que desafia la competencia�

Orientalemente vuestro,

The Raqs Congress staff

Mediterranean Raqs Sharqi - International Stage 2009

shuluq — Tue, 9 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0400

The magic of bellydance in egyptian style sha'abi and baladi, the exciting study of turkish-balcanics contaminations and gypsy-mediterranean expressions, a full-immertion in the fascinating and evocative atmospheres of the ancient Bosnian town of Mostar, where east and the West are melted in an unforgettable scene.

A very special occasion to improve your bellydance and learn more about its expressions and to visit an unforgettable place.

Special price!!

Check out the official website for all news about it!

www.shuluq.it.gg

SHULUQ-International Raqs Sharqi Stage in Mostar

shuluq — Tue, 9 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0400

A very special occasion to improve your bellydance and learn more about its expressions and to visit an unforgettable place.

Special price!!

Check out the official website for all news about it!

www.shuluq.it.gg

Shoshanna's Fabulous Four Yard Veils DVD

djevans — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400

I have just watched Fabulous Four Yard Veils with Shoshanna produced by Cheeky Girls Productions (Michele Joyce). The DVD is well chaptered allowing one to get to exactly where one wishes to be. It's a great introduction on beginning to work with a veil, types of veils and some types of fabrics. There are a dozen or more veil techniques that will work for any size of veil. The techniques are then arranged into veil combinations choreographed to music. Finally there is a solo performance using the veil by Shoshanna. Shoshanna's teaching is clear and easy to follow. There are also tips to deal with performance disasters when the veil just won't do what you want. It's very helpful to work with potential veil problems before performing with a veil. There is a warm up section that deals with stretching and strengthening the arms and shoulders to enable one to work with veils more comfortably. This is a great DVD for anyone wanting to learn more about veil technique. You can order from the web-site www.checkygirlsproductions.com. The DVD contains a lot of material and is reasonably priced.

Ahlan Wa Sahlan & Nile Groupe Photos are online

AndreElbing — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Dear Dancers and lovers of dance oriental,

finaly I finished uploading all the fantastic photos from Ahlan Wa Sahlan and Nile Groupe Festival.

just go to www.andre-elbing.de then click on Photos, then on Oriental Shows and then you will find all the thumbnails from the Shows with date an which kind of Show.

click again on the thumbnail and you have a gallery each page 200 thumbnails and click again it will enlarge each thumbnail for better selection and watching.

on the right side at the top you will find navigation for next 200 thumbnails...like page/seite 1, 2,3 and so on.

and other navigation...you easy find out how to manage... ;-))

if you like photos for yourself or advertising or any other reason, please contact me, all photos are in high resolution about 13 million pixels.

have a lot of joy with watching and keep healthy. :-)

with 1001 Oriental Greetings
Andr� Elbing

Artistic Theatrical Oriental Photography & Deco

Andr� Elbing
Wuestenherscheid 1 b
D-51429 Baerbroich
Germany

Tel:+49-(0)2207 703 007
Fax: +49-(0)2207 703 006
Mobil:+49(0)171 777 67 16

Email: Orientph@aol.com
www.Andre-Elbing.de

Hafla for Heart Disease!!!

JoharaJem — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400

This is a outdoor home based hafla based in the Sacramento area at 7Pm on Sat August 16th . We are currently seeking people who are willing to donate their time to the cause were offering free advertising in our program to thank all the people that have donated to the event (performers/contributors etc). All performers get in free. We will be collecting $5 general admission and selling raffle tickets to the general public. We are raising $$ for the American Heart Assoc after one of our members had a Quad Bi-Pass last year.

Lauren Nelson is the head of the show! Her Troupe Folk Infusion, has amazing and very talented dancers!

"I am proud to announce that we have over 20 Items valued at $1000 in prizes and gift certificates for the Hafla for Heart Disease Event Prize Drawing"-Lauren Nelso

The tickets are just $1 per ticket. Additionally, we are selling entry tickets to the Hafla Event for only $5! See some local and Bay Area dancers while relaxing in a Bedouin environment. While listening to local bands and enjoying healthy tasty snacks.

Please contact us for details!! Keep and eye out for the next article in this series!

Some of our local dancer's who will be dancing in the show are:

Johara from Sacramento, CA and Crystal from Davis Ca!

For more info on these dancer's, you can visit their web-site's at

Johara: http://www.myspace.com/joharajewel33

Crystal: www.nylacrystal.com

We hope you can join us for the Wonderful Event, filled with Great Music and Beatiful Entertainer's!

GothlaUK Leicester 2008

Kash13 — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400

GothlaUK was my first big bellydance event, I am going to summarise my own experience in the hope of giving a flavour of the event as a whole.

Unlike a lot of UK bellydance events, Gothla is not marketed as a complete package (room in hotel and classes all in the same location) but as a series of workshops and events, with the opportunity to pick and pay for these individually. For a dancer on a budget this could work out very well, allowing the individual to choose the grade of accomodation, or participate in fewer workshops without feeling the need to "get your money'sworth". The workshops and events are held in an area on the edge of Leicester's city centre, in easy walking distance of each other, several hotels and the shops, only about 10 minutes walk from the train station.

I arrived late friday afternoon, ready to greet a friend who had already spent the afternoon in an advanced level masterclass with Ariellah, and checked into Hotel Campanile, a very nice servicable place 5 minutes walk from the dance studios.

Friday night was the hafla, although I would have been more inclined to call it a showcase. The first thing that struck me was the friendliness of the organisers, very approachable, very helpful and knew their customers well enough that even though I forgot my ticket (whoops) as soon as I said my name they recognised that I was booked in. Over the course of the evening all of the weekend's teachers, and some other performers, danced on stage in an intimate theatre venue complete with bar! Highlights of the evening for me (in order of performance) were: HRH Lucretia's Zombie styled oriental piece - really creepy; Morgana's fabulous sword work (although I was very concerned for the curtains at times), Tempest's fun flapper piece; Sashi's beautifully told fantasy piece, which had me on the verge of tears and of course Ariellah, who just sends shivers down my spine. It was particularly special to see these dancers live, in her workshop on sunday, Tempest talked about feeling the energy of a dancer, and these women certainly had awesome energy

Below are some choice shots from the hafla, taken by Violet Sphinx, the full set is availiable here : http://www.flickr.com/photos/violet_sphinx/sets/72157606279744916/ Do go and check them out, they are all gorgeous shots.
HRH Lucretia - Newcastles scariest export!

Morgana, in her beautiful martial arts inspired piece.

Akasha performing medieval finger veil.

Tempest, looking fabulously cheeky

Sashi

Ariellah

On saturday morning I had a slot free to go and visit the souk. The organisers had booked private rooms above a pub near the dance studios, there was a lovely warm, friendly atmosphere and plenty of sofas to lounge about on inbetween shopping! There were a good few sellers trading a mixture of bellydance clothing, CDs etc and more goth themed items. There was a lot of tribal costuming and jewellery availiable, as well as some lovely items for goth style costuming, although there was a bit of a lack of oriental bellydance stuff (apart from veils, which there were a lot of!). I also decided to book myself in for another workshop on Sunday, and the organisers were there, availiable to swap or issue workshop tickets.

My first workshop of the weekend was with Sashi, of Ascend Tribal. Sashi is a fabulous personality, very forthright with innfectious enthusiasm - really great to find out after booking a workshop with a dancer I knew of only through a couple of YouTube videos. She put us through a very intense 15 minute warmup, designed to really warm the muscles to allow for better range of movement in dance, this was made fun and interesting and Sashi yelled encouragement throughout, as well as participating in the whole warmup herself. The workshop was called "Decapitation dismemberment and entrails" and was billed as a drills workshop. I was very pleasantly surprised to find that sashi's idea of a drill is much more dynamic and interesting than I am used to, and I found the workshop really valuable. Sashi also spent time talking us through arm movements and head positions designed to convey meaning and give a different feel to basic dance moves (theatrics being an important part of gothic styling in dance). Even as an oriental dancer I found this every useful and there are elements that will certainly effect my performance in the future.

Straight after that came Ariellah's "Expressive hands and arm movemens". This was pretty much what I expeceted. Ariellah is a hard taskmaster and commands a lot of respect in a workshop while remaining approachable and sincerely helpful. Although I will never kid myself into believing that I will ever have arms slightly comparable to Ariellah's, I felt I came away with tools for engaging with an audience on a whole new level.

Saturday night was open stage and clubnight. There were some really lovely open stage performances, some that would not have looked too out of place on the hafla stage, some that showed promise, and no blatent RB imitators! After the not-too-formal bit, the djs started and we all got a chance to relax, socialise, dance (more) with teachers, students, friends and partners.

My first workshop on sunday morning was with Christine Emery (HRH Lucrecia) on "Kali Arms". This was my last minute option, which I chose mostly because I liked Christines hafla performance and general fun and friendly demeanour. Christine is also an oriental dancer, which was a necessary break from the Tribal, which I am less used to. When I have seen multiple dancers pretend to be one dancer with multiple arms, I can usually fit it into one of 3 catagories, effective, awful or cheesy, and before doing the workshop, I would have avoided such moves for fear of ending up in the latter 2 catagories! There were only 4 of us in this workshop, which was an ideal number! We worked on a series of multi-armed movements and were shown how to make them convincing, beautiful and fitting with the music. We also learned some movements for bringing a pair of dancers together, into a Kali position, and for switching the lead dancer. After about an hour, we split into our pairs tasked to choreograph a piece of music. I was genuinely surprised to see how much we had learned, and both pairs produced a very good piece that was neither cheesy or awful - in fact they were pretty marvelous for a morning's work! I will definately consider using this technique if the opportunity arises!

My next workshop was with Tempest on "Dancing on the right side of the Brain". I have to say that of all the workshops this probably had the greatest impact on me, not on a technique level but certainly with having the confidence to use expression in dance. I loved Tempest's honest and down-to-earth approach, and her lack of yoga, drilling, or running about (after 6 hours of workshops with another 4 to go, I really needed a break). We did some great exercises on improvisation, considering storytelling, character, mood etc and some very different styles of music. I came away feeling very much the artist, and looking forward to my formerly dreaded improv sessions in regular class.

Last of all came a second session with Sashi - I hadn't booked this, but was offered the place by a dancer whose body had done enough for the weekend, and being a glutton for punishment, I went for it. Sashi did more of her heart pounding warmup, and I impressed myself by not dropping dead; in fact I think the blood rushing through my sore muscles may have helped prevent some of the inevitable soreness and stiffness, because I felt remarkably good the next day. This session "skin and bones" was about combos, and we learned 3 very nice combos that are good for practice or choreography, as well as doing more work on mood, expression etc. I was very glad in the end to have had the opportunity to take another 2 hours tuition with Sashi.

Overall, a brilliant weekend, If I had to sum up the biggest effect it has had on me, I would say that now I am beginning to feel like "a bellydancer", rather than "someone who takes bellydance lessons". I saw some inspirational performances, I learned new techniques, new moves, new choreography, but most of all, I feel able and confident to be myself in my dance, and to share that with others. Roll on Gothla 2009!

Behind the Veil May 3, 2008

susuabdo — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Hello all,

Megan Robbins and SuSu Abdo recently held their stage production Behind the Veil , an evening of Egyptian dance.

Megan was chief artist director of this event. I thank the heavens every day for this woman. I had lost my beloved Mother in the middle of the dance year after a brief illness. Megan is the type of partner and friend you want in your corner!! Her wonderful students took on the challenge of learning more choreos to balance out the show. Since I was not able to finish my choreo list with my troupe.

The show was a joint fundraising project for the Kwianis Theatre and the Brain Injury Association of Chatham-Kent. We are pleased to report we were able to raise over $6000.00 to be spilt between the two organizations. The 2 hour stage production featured our students and our troupes with over 35 dancers from the Windsor/Essex and Chatham/Kent areas. The show was a smashing success. It is an honour to be able to give to our communities through this art form.

Megan Robbins is an amazing choreographer! With over 25 years professional dance training on top of her studying the art of Egyptian Belly dance she has a keen ear and a sharp eye when formulating her choreo's. Thank you again Megan for all your help during this most difficult period in my personal life. Thank you to all of our amazing students. You all RAQ our worlds! It is wonderful to have this art to enhance and heal our lives when times are tough. I found the dance so theraputic in relieving the horrendous grief I was and am dealing with. Dvd footage of the show will be released in Sept. 2008. Stay tuned to our websites for more information. Thanks again to everyone.

Susu Abdo

Nile Group Festival Review ... April 2008

LeylaAmir — Wed, 28 May 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Nile Group Festival Review�..April 2008

Remember that old saying�good things come in small packages.

This year I decided to check out the Nile Group Festival which has been

held in Cairo since 2005. Each year I organize a Dancers Dream Tour

and wanted to personally experience the Festival before sending participants.

The Festival is located just off the Nile across the street from the Sheraton

Cairo; in the 5 star Hotel Pyramisa. Having lived in Cairo for so many years,

this was my first time in the hotel and was impressed with the overall atmosphere

of the hotel�1^st class.

The most important focal point of the Festival were the classes offered with

2 of the most notable Masters of Dance from Egypt� Mahmoud Reda

and Prof. Hassan Khalil. Both have carved out a path in history for their

contribution to Oriental and Folk dance in Egypt that has spread the popularity

of the dance world wide.

Some of the other Egyptian instructors of dance that were also most note

worthy were Farida Fahmy, Aida Nour, Tito Seif, Lubna Emam, and Khaled Mahmoud.

Of course there were many more note worthy instructors to choose from,

as the classes ran from 10 am to 7:30 pm for 6 exciting, yet exhausting days.

Each participant had the opportunity to take up to three, 2 or 3 hour classes

per day with several different teachers, all offering different subjects, and I

might add at very reasonable prices.

Having attended all 6 days and scheduled 3 classes per day, I can honestly

say I was too pooped to pop, even though most of the time I was just observing

the class. I would dare say that 2 classes per day would be a limit for most participants.

Class rooms all had mirrors and elevation of the instructors so the

participants could see. Many of the instructors would rotate the class

so everyone had a chance to be in the front for viewing. The Festival itself

limits registration so the classes never become so full that you feel crushed.

Early registration of the classes is recommended, so you can get your desired instructor before the class sells out.

Most of the instructors taught to choreographed routines and had enough

command of English to communicate with the participants and all were

helpful when �special� instruction of a movement was needed.

Outside the class rooms the bazaar was there to lure you to �buy me!�

A good guesstimate was about 15 to 20 vendors with tables loaded with

costumes, scarves, canes, music; you name it for dancing�it was there.

For those who wanted to perform �a night was offered giving participants

a chance to dance to live music or to a CD. Another night was set aside for

those who wanted to compete.

The opening and closing Galas were in a word �awesome�!

The live music thundered thru the room putting everyone in and excited

state of constant smiles.

Big screens at each end of the room offered everyone a grand view of the

stage, no matter where you were sitting. Both galas had dinners included

and everyone was treated, at each Gala, to 4 complete shows, with costume

changes & their troupes, of the name dancers currently performing in Cairo.

The Festival offered the participant, especially in some of the smaller classes,

an intimate feeling and a positive pleasant atmosphere for learning.

No hoards of people or vendors that make your head swim in total confusion.

For serious dancers this is a plus to attend.

Written by:

Leyla Amir

International Performer/Instructor/Choreographer/Tour Organizer

Performed in Egypt 1981-1990

www.leylaamir.com

Dancer Spotlight: Jheri St. James

deannamari — Tue, 27 May 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Talk to anyone in the region about the Orange County, California, belly dance scene, and you can bet Jheri St. James�s name will be mentioned. She�s a prolific performer who began teaching Middle Eastern dance through the Laguna Beach Parks & Recreation Department in 1986 and formed one of the county�s best-known troupes, J.J. & the Habibis Laguna Beach Belly Dancers, in 1990. In 2004, her mastery of the dance form earned her the title of Belly Dancer of the Universe in the divine category.

Beyond her dancing skill, Jheri also has been an enthusiastic supporter of many local festivals and events, and this year marks her 26th as the belly dance director for the Sawdust Art Festival in Laguna Beach. (Check the O.C. Events�column to the right�for the venue�s upcoming schedule.)

For this inaugural O.C. Belly Dancer Spotlight, which I hope to make a regular series on my blog (http://ScribblingGypsy.blogspot.com), I couldn�t be more pleased to feature Jheri St. James.

What is your style of belly dancing?

I would call my style American belly dancing, as I am an American woman and have no pretenses about being Turkish or Egyptian. I do perform in both of those styles, however, and in my classes always reference what style we are working in. And I hope never to become an �ethnic policewoman,� assessing how perfectly anyone else is dancing in another country�s style. Also dance in tribal styles, American and Middle Eastern.

How long have you been belly dancing, and how�d you get started?

I have been dancing for a couple of decades now and got started as a result of an argument with my boyfriend. I was just so fed up with him and all my prior boyfriends, that I thought, �I�m going to do something wild now and forget all this crap,� signed up for two classes, and the rest is �herstory.�

Who are your favorite or most influential teachers?

Angelika Nemeth at Orange Coast College was my first and main instructor and how blessed I am�feet, hands, correct posture�to have had her as my belly dance �mother.� Other important influences have come from Mahmoud Reda, Faten Salama, Karim Nagi, Sahra Kent, Shareen El Safy, Dahlena, Hassan Deeb, Alexandria from Santa Barbara, Aziza from Washington, etc.

What is your favorite place to dance?

Right now my favorite place to dance is the Southern Rennaissance Faire, as I was invited by Baba Ku, the band in the Turkish section, to dance there this year, and did so twice. Total ecstasy! The trees, the sky, the live music ... yum!

What music do you most like to dance to?

Gosh, there are so many genres here available for an American dancer. I really enjoy that great, rich acoustic Egyptian music with taxim; I also love dense and dissonant Turkish sounds. But I have been known to melt to Dead Can Dance and some of the newer Gothic music. Shuvani�s gypsy music, and Jamila�s Raks Sharki also come to mind.

What was your most memorable performance?

Sorry, there are more than just one: This summer, dancing with Baba Ku at Ren Faire. Winning two trophies at Belly Dancer of the Universe Competition. Dancing with the Habibis for �America�s Got Talent� audition (120 out of 6,000). The year I danced for Senator Howard Metzenbaum�s retirement party. And looking forward to the one on my 100th birthday for all my family and friends who are still alive.

What is your dance regimen?

Yoga practice as a foundation. As I am teaching six classes a week right now, that pretty much covers my dance regimen. I get to practice with zills, veils, work on my figure 8s and shimmies (17 so far), practice my choreographies (30-plus) while teaching them, and whatever else the topic for the week is. As well as work in improvisational format with my Level 4 dancers. We are co-creating a new dance now. Personally, I love balancing dances, and bringing yoga postures into dance. I have a new prop right now that I�m looking for the right music and refining how to balance that thing on my head.

To you, what separates an accomplished dancer from an amateur?

Angelika always used to say you�re not a professional until you dance with live music. The results of that kind of improvisational experience definitely show in moment-to-moment confidence and poise onstage. The twirling hands thing is always a dead giveaway to a beginner, and moving too fast, doing too much. Americans need to slow down and layer their movements, not be busy little housewives doing every chore on the list in one minute. Eye contact and smiling are always good, too. Fake it till you make it!

As there is always room for improvement in dance (just as there is in all art forms), what are you still working to improve?

First, I am always working to bring a yoga/spiritual center to all my life, personal and dance. I�m also working hard on the 17 shimmies and more combinations, refining my choreographic abilities, and studying to be a better teacher. As well, I am always refining my communication skills with other dancers, and networking in the field to promote dance and find/make more dance ops for all. I am particularly interested in findings ways for dancers and women to be supportive of each other, rather than competitive. Women could save the world if they ever really stopped outdoing each other in separative ways like appearance, weight, age, fashion, men, dance and you get the idea.

How long have you been in Orange County?

Since 1971. I came to Laguna Beach after living in San Francisco. I was originally an Ohio farm girl. They�re shaking their heads down on the farm...ha.

If you�d like to learn more about Jheri St. James, visit her Web site at http://www.pinkgypsy.com/habibis/jj.htm.

________________________

Interviewed by DeAnna Cameron.This article first appeared at the Scribbling Gypsy blog at http://ScribblingGypsy.blogspot.com.