Gothic Theatre
Bellydance Superstars and The Desert Roses
Not your typical dance troupes, the Bellydance Superstars and Desert Roses are shaking up the American performance world with their high-energy, hip-gyrating belly dance. Whatever you think you know about belly dancing will fly out the door when you come face to face with this uber-production of the best of the best American belly dancers.
With 14 dancers—six “superstars” and the Desert Roses company—as well as a performance by local belly-dance group Alhambra Troupe, the show will consist mostly of classic belly dancing, but will provide a cross section of tribal, Egyptian and cabaret-style dances.
Bellydance Superstar Amar Gamal began belly dancing at the age of 13 and is now cofounder of Bellyqueen, a progressive New York City belly-dance company. Born in Cuba and raised in Miami, Gamal now spends her days on the road, showcasing her talents to curious crowds around the world.
And the crowds have been responding well. “We have Americans, Middle Easterns, a lot of belly dancers in the crowd—all genders and all ages,” Gamal says.
First amazing crowds at Lollapalooza, the Superstars have gained notoriety because “people just want to see something different,” Gamal says. “We’ve seen the ballet and modern dance. People just want to see something a little different, something they haven’t seen yet. With belly dancing, it’s a type of dance people have heard about but never actually seen it—and definitely not as a whole production. People are curious.”
The dances will use props—sticks, wings, veils, finger cymbals, swords and fire—and will be performed to a variety of Middle Eastern music, most of it fused with more modern beats.
