Bay Area Belly Dance Events

Happy Wednesday, everyone.  There are so many exciting Bay Area Belly Dance events coming up that I wanted to do a recap of the ones I am involved with before we move back to more vintage clips of the gorgeous Egyptian dancers.

First of all, I want to remind everyone that registration is open for both my Beginning and Intermediate Belly Dance Classes through the South San Francisco Parks and Rec.  Registering online is very easy.  Click this link https://econnect.ssf.net/ and put code 165114 in the box for Beginning and code 165115 for Intermediate.  Please always contact me if you have any questions, I am happy to answer them all!!

Next up, the San Francisco International Arts Festival kicks off this weekend and Arabic Dance is well represented thanks to Amina Goodyear's fantastic Magic Carpet ride.  I wrote more about the show here.  

I will be performing with the Aswan Dancers at the San Francisco International Arts Festival this year.

Amina describes the show like this:

“The Magic Carpet is a Middle Eastern Dance and Musical Adventure. The musical carpet will transport you to various countries across the deserts of North Africa, through Egypt, the Middle East and onto the Saudi Arabian Peninsula. We want you to sit back and enjoy the ride and let the drums, the music and the dance take you to the Arabian Nights of our dreams when magic and fantasy was foremost and stimulated all the senses. Performed by The Caravan Band, The Aswan Dancers and Joweh Dance Troupe.”

— Amina Goodyear

I am in the show for a little bit and so I got a sneak peak of their rehearsals last night.  It is going to be a wonderful expression of music and dance like only Amina can produce.  Tickets are available here: http://www.sfiaf.org/aswan_dancers

After that, coming up June 2nd we do our monthly First Friday party at Tannourine Restaurant.  Live Arabic music and dancing with sensational singer Khalil Abboud.  Reservations are always highly recommended as this show often sells out.  Great music, food and dancing- I look forward to it every month.

Monthly First Friday Party at Tannourine Restaurant presented by Sensational singer Khalil Abboud

Looking ahead a little bit, Carnival of Stars is right on the horizon in July!  I love this event, which is produced by the lovely Pepper Alexandra.  Mark your calendars now for two days of music, dance and bellydance-related SHOPPING :)

I will be performing on Saturday on both the main stage and the cabaret stage with musical favorites Pangia.  Stay tuned for more details and performance times but there will be gorgeous dancers on two stages no matter what time you are there.

Lastly, I perform at Marrakech Restaurant in downtown San Francisco almost every Sunday night. Come down and dance with me.  Complete details as always on my Shows page.

Alisa Greer and Nader Shahin at gorgeous Marrakech Restaurant

Whew!!  Thanks for reading and I wish everyone a fun-filled week.

Happy Dancing, Alisa

Summer Belly Dance @ SSF Parks and Rec!

Hello Friends!

Just a quick note this week to let everyone know that registration for my South San Francisco Belly Dance Classes is open now!  Both residents and non-residents can register now :)

Summer 2017 Belly Dance Classes with Alisa Greer in South San Francisco

Registration is very easy online.  Simply click here for the link to the SSF Parks and Rec online system and enter class number 165114 for Beginning and 165115 for Intermediate!

I hope to see you all in class this summer.  As always, don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Happy Dancing!

Alisa

Fifi Abdo ( فيفى عبده‎‎)

I have been looking forward to sharing this favorite clip of mine of the Egyptian belly dancer Fifi Abdou.  It's just a fun one.  I love the powder blue costume too.

One thing I notice is that she is basically using the same movements as she does in this performance clip that I shared last year.  However, in that clip she is dancing to the Oum Kalthoum classic Lessa Fakir and the mood is completely different.  I think it shows that, in the old days at least, you did not have to use every single move in the book to give a good performance.  It's the musicality and the feeling that make the performance.  I love that about the classic clips.

Just a reminder that I will be performing at the San Francisco International Arts Festival as a guest dancer with the Aswan Dancers.  More information about Amina Goodyear's Magic Carpet ride, including the link to purchase tickets, here.

Happy dancing this week!

xo Alisa

San Francisco International Arts Festival

I wanted to let everyone know early that I will be performing at the San Francisco International Arts Festival this year as a small part of a much larger show put on by Amina Goodyear.  Amina is one of my teachers and she does so much to educate and entertain all of us with her knowledge of Middle Eastern dance and music.  I am very honored to be part of her show.  Tickets are available for purchase here: http://www.sfiaf.org/aswan_dancers

And here is the official flyer for the event as well as Amina's description of the show:

Amina Goodyear and the Aswan Dancers perform The Magic Carpet at the San Francisco International Arts Festival 2017

“The Magic Carpet is a Middle Eastern Dance and Musical Adventure. The musical carpet will transport you to various countries across the deserts of North Africa, through Egypt, the Middle East and onto the Saudi Arabian Peninsula. We want you to sit back and enjoy the ride and let the drums, the music and the dance take you to the Arabian Nights of our dreams when magic and fantasy was foremost and stimulated all the senses. Performed by The Caravan Band, The Aswan Dancers and Joweh Dance Troupe.”

— Amina Goodyear

I hope it works out for some of you to come and enjoy this show, which is sure to be an amazing feast of cultural celebration - colorful costumes, beautiful music, the gorgeous Aswan Dancers and guests and much more.

I'll be back on Wednesday with our traditional video clip.  Until then, happy dancing.

xo