Full Show Favorites

[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.

[ssipes]

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.

[nasila]

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

[Tammyraks]

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

[bintbeled]

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.

[shems]

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

[palmier]

[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.

[cbarros]

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.

[shems]

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?

[shems]

thanks Catherine. Any more, ladies?

[Lauren_]

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)

[shems]

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

[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

[cbarros]

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.

[shems]

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.

[shems]

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!

[palmier]

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.

[Masouma]

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!

[cbarros]

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.

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!

[badriya_al_ahmar]

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!