Interview with Zaphara - Part Two

 

This is part two of my interview with legendary dancer, Zaphara. After chatting with Zaphara, she had so many wild stories, that two posts were necessary to fit them all in! You can read part one here.

Alessandra: How has your Greek heritage influenced your belly dancing?

Zaphara: Overall, I have a passion for the music and the dancing. I love Greek music because I can understand the words, but I also love Arabic music.  Even though I can’t understand the words, it still gives me a sense of what it’s about and evokes a feeling.  Also, being Greek has put me in a position of representing the Greek community, and in particular, Greek women.  But then overall, that’s generally a problem for all dancers, is that they are representing not only themselves, but dancers and women in general.  The general expectation is that dancers are second class citizens, so you have to prove yourself; whether Greek, Arabic, Turkish, or American you have to take into consideration how you are dancing.

Alessandra: Between your length of time of time as a professional dancer, and your fiery temperament, I know you’ve got to have some great gig stories. Have any that you care to share?

Zaphara: Oh, I’ve got so many gig stories.  One happened at the Lebanon Restaurant in Seattle, in the l980’s.  It was THE hot spot and always packed.  Lots of Arabs would come and it was a place for them to bring a guest to show off their culture.  This night, Omar Batiste was playing tambourine, Imad Fata on oud (Lebanon), and Shiham Sbeit on tabla (Palestine). And we had a big table filled with the soccer team from the University of Washington.  One of the players was an Arabic guy and wanted to bring his teammates in to see what his culture was about.  At the time, when the dancer would go out for tips, it was common for patrons to help her up onto a chair and then onto their table to dance.  And from there, they would tip her on her belt.  As I was up on the table, one of the American men on the soccer team, put his hand under my skirt and was about to go up my leg.  I took a handful of his blonde hair and yanked as hard as I could. I could definitely tell it hurt. And his buddies roared because I had shown that son of a bitch!  Wrong place, wrong move, Dude!

Another time when I also ended up inflicting pain on a customer was at George’s Bar and Grill.  I was dancing there three or four nights a week, and we were having a really big busy night.  Taki’s band was playing, and there was a table with two guys sitting near the stage area.  As I was dancing, one of the guys, stuck out his tongue and licked his lips suggestively at me.   When I saw that, I just lost my temper inside and turned away from them.  But when I turned back around, he did it again! So I slowly danced over to him and put my hand under his chin and suddenly, I slapped his jaw up.  At that exact time, he happened to have his tongue out of his mouth and I ended up drawing blood!  His buddy just roared.  Taki kept playing but was looking at me with eyes big as saucers because I just assaulted a customer.  But after that the guy stopped this behavior,  and watched the show.  I was so upset that I ran back to the kitchen and told my boss to get this guy out.  He needs to be in a strip club, not a Greek club.  After the show, the man walked over and he apologized to me. Fortunately, rather than suing me or the club.

On another night, also at the Lebanon, we had a large party of Saudi royalty in.  You could tell they were well to do with Rolex watches and nice suits.  Their wives were there too, with the black traditional dresses and head coverings, sitting quietly while the men were clapping and talking.  I noticed one elderly lady in the group who appeared to be the matron of the group, smiling at me.  When I went out for tips, I was going to stay away from them, but ended up going over to the old lady, and as she was reaching to tip me, I said thank you in Arabic, sokran, and suddenly her face stopped smiling and looked mortified.  I thought oh no, I’ve said something really bad.   I finished , went back to the kitchen, asked the  kitchen crew what I said,” sokran.”  They started to laugh and said that I’d actually called her a drunk.  I’d said sokran, rather than shokran, which means “thank you.”  Well, I got dressed went back out and apologized profusely, and finally she took my hand and smiled.

And I have another story involving Saudi royalty.  For a time, Seattle had various Saudi princes who were here going to college here.  They were obviously well to do and for Seafair one year, a prince with a beautiful house on Mercer Island had hired myself and the M.B. Orchestra to perform at his party.  The house was enormous with a big pool outside of the kitchen, blue velvet walls in the living room, two 80-foot “cigarette boats” sitting on his dock, and women all over the place with four hanging all over the prince.  Bahaa set up his keyboard near the edge of the pool, as they had specifically requested a candelabra dance.  The prince also had two or three body guards, and one was half drunk, completely excited, and playing a tambourine.  The drunk body guard kept coming near me and I put my hand out for him to keep his distance because I had 13 lite candles on my head and I can’t balance it if I get rattled. Well, he kept trying to dance with me and I lost my temper. I looked at him, smiled, and said can you swim? He said yes, and I pushed him into the water, tambourine and all!  I just can’t understand why we were not hired back (smile).

Alessandra: What advice would you give to new dancers?

Zaphara: Practice, practice, practice. Sometimes it takes 10 years to be really good at this.  I took 10 years of lessons, and my teacher was constantly there criticizing and critiquing me, so with every performance I would learn.  The other very important thing is learning to freestyle.  My teacher threw me into the fire pit and I was fortunate to start with live music, dancing with the MB Orchestra and Taki Dotis.   I tell my students to dance to live music when you can find it. I remember doing a show with Spiros and we had a young drummer with us who didn’t know the beats.  So when we got to the end of the show and drum solo time, Spiros started giving me a solo with the bouzouki instead.  Two of the strings flew out and broke and he kept going. I just went with it.  We were hot.  It was something you could never repeat, so much energy I can hardly remember it.  The audience went nuts and the drummer seemed stunned but did a great job following us.   Those show experiences are a “natural high”, better than drugs or sex!!!  And you never know when this will happen!

Alessandra: And what advice would you give to dancers who are newly professional or looking to turn professional?

Zaphara: Sharpen your claws! Get out there and dance where ever you can to get your name out there.  Go to different places. It’s really hard to be a professional dancer right now, because there are limited  nightclub venues to hone your skills. But network with other dancers and try to get a name for yourself.  Advertise. Keep working it and try to get gigs. And always conduct yourself in a professional manner at all times.

With that said, may I introduce you to my alter-ego, Miss Jess E. Belle:

 

 

Zaphara’s Picture Explanation: Back in the day all the dancers were divas and I thought it would be fun to do a parody of this, so Omar and I put together Miss Jess E. Belle, who had made any early appearance  for Omar’s birthday party 20 years ago at Mamounia Restaurant. Miss Jess E. Belle is the hilarious epitome of inappropriate behavior & bad attitude for a dancer. She has been around a long time. She is terminally nine month's pregnant.  The sign on her back says "I should have danced all night".   She is slightly disheveled, hair, rollers, whatever. Her belly dance outfit? It’s not perfect, (ok, it's a mess).  She is grouchy, short tempered and being "ladylike" is not one of her strong points. She has been known to frequent the "tenderloin" district and her beverage of choice is any brand of fortified wine! She just loves to nibble on musician's necks and "paw" them while they are entertaining audiences. She always shows up uninvited.

 Pictured behind Omar and Miss Jess E. Belle, are members of Baladi Center Dancers, the first bellydance troupe in the N.W. that began in the early 70’s.  From left to right: Cindy Muir, Lorie Muir-Graff, Lorie Jones, Bill Jones, Mary Mohler (Karija - director of the Baladi Centre Dancers). 

Performance Bag Essentials

 

Gigging can be nerve-wracking at the best of times. But it’s even worse if you don’t have certain essentials packed. In addition to the extremely obvious items of costume and music, here are some items that are always stashed in my gig bag.

1.   Safety pins: The dancer’s best friend. The emergency fixer of broken and loose clasps. There’s nothing more dreadful than feeling your costume sliding or worse, popping, out of place while you’re on stage, so be sure have safety pins with you to pin it all together before you start your set.

2.   Hand towel: Double-sets, summer time festivals, rooms without air conditioning. Throw on top of that long-hair and tight Lycra costumes and you have one outcome: sweat. Not so pretty, or great feeling for that matter, when you are exiting your gig or about to go out for round two. Thus I always keep a hand towel in my bag for dabbing off the glisten after performances.

3.   Baby wipes: Restaurant floors are pretty gross. I have one restaurant where the bottoms of my feet are literally black after I’m done with my performance. I don’t even want to think about what kind of bacteria are clinging onto the soles of my feet. Thus enter the baby wipe to clean it all off. Other types of cleansing, cosmetic, or antibacterial wipes can work as well.

4.   Water: I’m a regular and frequent water drinker as is, so performance time is no exception. If you’re at a gig that’s making you nervous, some sips of water beforehand can help combat dry mouth and stop your lips from feeling like their sticking to your teeth (by the way, so can a swipe of Vaseline). And especially after a long set, knowing I have water right within my reach when I get backstage is always a blessing.

5.   Mirror: Especially if you’re headed to a new venue, you never know what kind of backstage “changing room” you might end up in.  Hello closet! (Yes, the walk-in storage closet situation really does frequently happen.) Thus it’s always a good idea to have a hand held mirror with you for last minute makeup checks. Also great for festivals when the changing areas are jam-packed with dancers and trying to get a glimpse of the mirror would involve elbowing someone else out of the way.

6.   Makeup bag: Even if you did your makeup at home, lipstick and eyeliner has a tendency to stray. Make sure you’re able to do last minute touch-ups if needed.

7.   Bobby pins, hair spray and/or curling iron: Same concept as the makeup bag. Especially on rainy or humid days, you might leave your house with one hairstyle and arrive at your gig with another.  Make sure you have the tools you need to fix it.

8.   Backup music: You put in the hours practicing and getting ready. Purchased a swanky, expensive costume. You step out onto the stage ready to wow and, and…..nothing.  Your CD is dead in the water. Yup, I’ve had it happen. More than once. So make sure you have a backup copy of your music. Most places these days can accommodate an MP3, which is my preference for backup music, as I find it more reliable than a burned CD.  In addition, I always tote around a small portable MP3 player as well.

9.    Cover-up: You don’t want to go spoiling your big costume reveal as you step onto stage, so make sure you have a cover-up to throw on before and after your set. Also good for keeping warm in the winter months, not to mention maintaining propriety and professionalism.

10. Business cards: You always want to be prepared to promote yourself. So make sure you have some business cards tucked into your bag in case someone asks for one, or there’s an opportunity to set some out on a table.

11. Hollywood Fashion Tape: These sticky little strips are essentially double-sided tape for the body. I always keep some in my bag as they are great for fixing any gaping areas in costumes, especially in the bra area.

12.  Veil and zills: Even if you don’t plan on using either of these items in your set, it’s always a good idea to have them in tow. Last minute, you may decide you’d like to make your entrance with the veil.  Or maybe use it as a cover-up.  Or the person hiring you puts in a special request. Same for zills.  Maybe your backup music also failed (see #8 above) and zills are now all you’ve got to create any type of music.  Murphy’s Law applies to dance, and it applies big time. Whatever can go wrong, will. So be prepared with backup options.

13.  Dance shoe: I’m a barefoot dancer, and I do everything in my power to avoid dancing in shoes, and especially in high heels. Never the less, I always keep a pair of ballet slippers stowed in my dance bag. Especially good for outdoor stages that have been baking for hours in the high summertime heat. Ouch for feet! Or if the indoor floors are looking like a level of yuck beyond baby wipes (see #3 above) and you decide preventative measures are necessary. Thus, I think it’s a good idea to have something you can slip on to protect yourself.

Those are the items that make my list. What else would you add?

Photo Credit: www.trendhunter.com

Interview with Mish Mish - Part Two

This is part two of my interview with legendary dancer, Mish Mish. After sitting down with Mish, I had so much juicy content that I decided this was going to warrant two posts. So without further delay, diving right back into the interview.

Alessandra: With all your experience, you've got to have some funny stories from doing gigs. Any come to mind?
Mish: Bellygrams were really popular for awhile. I was hired to do a bellygram for Jim Nordstrom during the middle of a board presentation. I could tell he was upset and asked when it would be over. He finally walked over and pulled the plug on my cassette player. I've done a bellygram in the middle of a lecture hall at the North Seattle Community College. During one gig at the Seattle Yacht club, I had a man pick me up and start carrying me around. I had to warn him to put me down or he wasn't going to like the result! At a birthday party at a very wealthy, well-to-do house, the guest of honor starting chasing me and the other dancer around the house with a vibrator, and then came out with his wife's pantyhose on. And this was while his wife and children were there! Apparently they were used to it! I've done a bachelor party where when I walked in, all the men were watching porn. At another party, for a group of Russians, they were all in the hot tub when I arrived. And of course, I've had the usual belly dancer mishaps: forgotten music and costume parts, music that stops halfway through the routine, and a bra that comes undone. The latter becomes an exercise in how long you can dance with your elbows pinned to your sides to keep your top place!

Alessandra: (laughing) Those are pretty good. So what other dancers have inspired you throughout your dance career?
Mish: Jamila Salimpour has been a big influence, as she was the teacher that my teachers studied with, and I always remember being inspired by seeing her troupe, Bal Anat, perform. Bobby Farrah is another one. Aisha Ali was the dancer who first introduced me to folkloric dance. And Badawiya. She was one of the few dancers who was Arabic. She was exotic and sexy and feminine.  When you saw her, you never forgot her; gorgeous with wild hair, an incredible body and mesmerizing. I remember her saying once that you could achieve a natural high with dancing that was better than sex or drugs.

Alessandra: What events do you think have to combine and come together to create that natural high?
Mish: The dancer, the musicians, and the audience all have to come together. It usually only happens with live music, because it has to be a natural response to the music and not a thought-out reaction. The musicians have to be absorbed into their music, then the music is driving the dancer, and the audience is just taking in all the energy. It is an amazing feeling when it happens. I think belly dance is unique in this regard because it's one of the few art forms where this will happen. I think it's more creative than other forms of dance because it's a very individualized and spontaneous response to the music.

Alessandra: Alright, onto our last question, and the one I've been asking everyone. What advice would you give to a new student?
Mish: Take as many classes as you can. Have respect for the culture. Find your own style and perfect your technique. I would say a dancer needs two years of solid training, assuming the person has natural ability. Make sure that you have the basic, core moves down. And there really are only about a dozen basic steps, everything else is a variation.  Keep an open mind. Try different teachers. And most of all, have fun.
Alessandra: And what advice would you give to a new pro or dancer looking to turn pro?
Mish: Don't give up. Keep trying and be persistent. Eventually you'll get your foot in the door. Be seen! Get out and rub shoulders. Wear a sexy costume. It's a game and you have to fight and work hard.

Interview with Mish Mish - Part One

The Introduction
Mish Mish started taking belly dance lessons over 40 years ago and since then has introduced thousands of students to the music, dance, and culture of the Arab world.  She has had a long career dancing in Greek and Arab nightclubs, and has traveled to Egypt, Morocco, Turkey, and Iran.  She was one of the first dancers to bring nationally known dancers to Seattle, produce big belly dance shows, and to showcase folkloric dance to the general public.

In 1978, Mish Mish started a trouped based on Bal Anat, Jamila Salimpour's famous seminal group featuring live music and a male dancer.  Currently, she directs Karavans, a folkloric group, and Khan Il Kahlili, whose repertoire ranges from contemporary to fusion. 

With a background in theatrical design, Mish Mish will be hosting a belly dance makeover workshop at Zamani Culture House on April 14th.

The Interview
We sit down at the table in Mish's dining room.  The same dining room where, not only myself, but many other dancers as well, have spent countless hours rehearsing choreography.  An hour and half later, I have so many pages of notes from our chat, that I've actually split this post into two parts.

Alessandra: You've been in the belly dance business for quite a few years. What would you say are the biggest changes you've seen occurring with belly dance over time?
Mish: One of the big changes was the introduction of a more Egyptian style of dance to the West Coast by Shareen El Safy in the last 1970s.  Before that most of the dancers I worked with did a combination of Turkish, Greek, and Arabic style dance.  Plus we played finger cymbals during the whole dance and did a separate extended veil routine.  It was hard for me at first to switch from the five part routine using popular songs like "Mustapha" and "Hadouni" to the highly orchestrated, more sophisticated music composed especially for Egyptian dancers.  The posture and the focus were different.  The good thing about the Oriental style was it created better dancers overall because it forced them to work more on technique and to appreciate the Arab roots and emotion inherent in the dance.  The bad news was that in the beginning, so many dancers slavishly copied the style, that after awhile they all looked the same. 

Another major change came about in the 1980s when Fat Chance and the tribal style came along.  The good thing was it attracted a lot of new students and gave dancers who were not interested or comfortable with the cabaret style a place to dance.  The bad thing was it split the dance community and morphed into some pretty weird stuff.  I'm not against innovation or pushing the boundaries, as I remember when Tahia Alibeck was lambasted for dancing to Michael Jackson's "Beat It", but at what point does it cease to be belly dancing? 

Another thing that has affected dancers and teachers in the last few years is the economy, which has caused a big downturn in enrollment in classes, the number of workshops and shows, and the dancers interested in going to clubs.  When I first started taking lessons, I was out every weekend soaking up the local belly dance scene.  Plus, the popularity of Bollywood, burlesque, and zumba has attracted a lot of students who in the past might have taken belly dance classes.  The last major change I see is that the young, second generation Arabs are not frequenting the nightclubs.  They prefer DJs, hookah lounges, and the modern techno Arab music.  In the 1980s and 1990s, the Arab families would come out to the clubs to dance and socialize.  The result is fewer places to dance, and less exposure to the general public.

Alessandra:  Given the changes in demographics and the economy, what do you think a belly dancer needs to do to make it?
Mish: Network.  A dancer needs to network with club owners, musicians, and other dancers.  She needs to go out and be seen in the local community.  She needs to be willing to dance for free sometimes.  It's like an on-going "interview".  A dancer needs to look nice and have professional costumes. She should find new venues and set herself up as the main dancer there.  There will always be dancers that are more aggressive and know how to hustle, and therefore will be the dancers that get the most work.

Alessandra: Belly dance competitions have become increasingly popular. What's your take on them?
Mish: Sometimes I have a hard time with competitions because they are so subjective. I think for dancers considering entering a competition, a better perspective is to look at it as a way to challenge yourself, rather than setting out to win.  Remember that only a handful of judges have decided who is the winner.

Alessandra: A number of dancers, myself included, have gotten their start in your beginning belly dance classes.  When you're looking at a new student, how can you tell is she has potential as a dancer?
Mish: First and foremost, that she can follow and mimic my movements.  Having a background in other types of dance is always a big help.  And I need to see that the student likes to dance, and if she really enjoys herself in class that's a positive sign.  Plus if she's interested and continues to improve and take classes.

Alessandra: Moving on from student, what qualities do you think a dancer needs to have to be successful?
Mish: There are three things that make a great dancer: technique, appearance, and stage presence.  Your costume should fit and be flattering.  Technique only comes with practice, but it's not about showing people how many steps you know.  Relax.  Get into the feeling of the music, make it it look easy and the audience will enjoy what you are doing.  You don't have to have the perfect body or the latest costume if you have confidence and a strong stage presence.  I have seen some plus size dancers with great stage presence and technique.  I encourage dancers to develop a style of their own so they don't look like everyone else, and to create a stage persona they are comfortable with.  It can be a reflexion of you, or sometimes a totally different personality.  Elena, Bobby Farrah's protege, was like a quiet little moth offstage.  Onstage, she turned into a magnificent butterfly.  You can be cute, sexy, earthy, coy, or shy.  At Tamalyn Dallal and Malia's recent student night, I saw elegant, vampy, slinky and enigmatic dancers.  To be a good dancer, you need two of those three attributes.  To be a great dancer you need all three.  And I would say there's a certain charisma that makes up the last 10% that really tells you someone is a star. When you see it, you will know.  The hair on the back of your neck will stand up because it is so perfect and so amazing.  That's what it's all about. You will just know.

Alessandra: You mentioned being shy as a persona.  I identify with shy, and maybe surprisingly, I think a lot of dancers actually do.  How can you work this to your advantage?
Mish: You don't need to  look at the audience or be smiling a big smile or make eye contact all the time.  Sometimes try looking down, or at the isolations you are doing to draw your audience's attention to the movement.  Doing the inherently sexy moves of belly dance, but using facial expressions that are subtle and coy can be really effective.  Leila, the belly dancer originally from Washington state who has danced in Egypt the last few years, really perfected this technique.

That concludes part one of our interview.  Check back next week for part two, including some wild  stories on gigs and performing that you won't believe!