Last night was by far, going out on a limb here, the best bellydance performance night in the history of Charm City. It was damn well the best that I've ever seen of all Daughters of Rhea at one time ever.

Artemis and Yasmin were at ther best, while Yasmin put a new penchant on flirtatious bellydance, working the entire hall of the BMA (Baltimore Museum of Art) like a giddy schoolgirl (There was only ONE seat that went unoccupied, I sat next to it, because I got into town late due to greyhound's continued weekend bumblings...)
Artie' s hair has gotten so long, you almost wouldn;t recognize her now, but it looks damn good, putting hr signature on Turkish and Rom dancing.

Naimah has imploded to a level of bellydance that should put her in an elite leage of women today. Her fluidity and liquify snaps, pops and undulations were on point from start to finish, kicking ass to shisha Room by Solace. At 5'11, you can appreciate her abiolities to make signified and delicate time-precise movements with the length and elongations she has been blessed with. I almost dare to say she is the Black woman's Sharon Kihara (she's a nifty 5'10'') to role model for tribal bellydancers of color for years to come.

Kostan (VA)'s drum solo with her hubby and Issam was a nice touch, as she has a way to use and perform a presence on any stage that stands out with consistency also. And, no matter how much Issam tried to throw her off 9as he has a tricky way of catching bellydancers off-guars), Kostana didn't let him off the hook tonight, matching him ''hip for hand'' to every stroke of his doumbek. Sidqi played back-up percussion.

Lisa Zahiya (NC), who started out in Baltimore before joinng Baraka Mundi in Asheville, NC, fused the hell out of the night to Djinn's Double Doom Drum (if ya heard the song, especially if a dancer, you'd know it in a second), and Lisa's faves to dance to. It's an enjoyment to watch how she has grown into an accomplished professional from her beginner days with Egyptian Sun/JHU. Yay, Lisa!

A surprise showing was by a lady named Deniz (MD), who the B-More area will be hearing and seeing a lot of in the future, who has excellent veil skills and putting a emoional visualization to the music with her dancing (and loves to show off her floorwork prowess) in a John Bilezikjian number. She gracefully followed it with a dynamic goblet dance (standing on 4 glasses) with amazing balance and control. She is announced in the program as a master for cheftitelli slow dances.

Melina's hubby (master circus/trapeze artist Alexander ''Sacha'' Pavlata) deserves elite world status in his profession for what he can do on a small stage setting, muh less any normal circus atmosphere. he, as well as Melina (who got bitten by the circus bug many years ago and is now as an accomplished trapeze artist as he) dazzled the crowd through numerous musical selections: involving eevrything from a trapeze bar to aerial hoops (Melina's act), swinging vines to lift and drop, making both fly through the ari. Known as one of performing arts' dangerous professions, you appreciate the number of hours they have to countlessly rehearse and prepare for any kind of troubleshooting that can make a pefect performance change on any accidental unexpectancy. '"Sacha'' did the ''Cloud Swing'' routine to Yanni (Live at the Acropolis), Gypsy Lyra showed off Melina's use of an aerial hoop/gymnastic excellence in the air with a gypsy musical flair (we're talking at times a good 15 feet off the floor!!) and Cirque Passion christened the night, if not their love for each other as husband and wife, a signature at BellyPalooza with added moves tthrown in for good measure.

Featuring the talents of Indra Lazul's duet and a cutie-pie dancer (whose name I can;t remember who danced 1st seen with Egyptian Sun/JHU's bellydancers), the DofR Ensemble dancers showed the teaching talents and direction of Miss Piper has the ladies on a path well guided to professional future, including a nice rendition of Stray cat Strut by the Stray Cats.

The higfhlight for me of the night was seeing for the 1st time (NOT knowing there was clips of it already on YouTube), of Milen's sword AND daggar knife dance. She is the ONLY bellydancer who does this. Let me put it in simplistics: she puts the handle of the daggar (with an S-like, snake curvature to it ) in her mouth, leans back and places the sword on TOP OF the daggar knife!! And it NEVER dropped ONCE! It didn't even teeter! I had to pick my jaw off the floor and re-attach it. Floorowrk, bellyrolls, twists and turns, the whole 9 yards...and then some. People are still buzzing, and will be for some time to come, period.

To see the clip:
www.youtube.com/watch

I'll add my opinions on Piper, Rhea ''The teenager'' and other views later on....
B.

Yay, Baltimore gals!! :D