Travels with Tamalyn

2004

October 1-3, 2004 - Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Wow! Minnesota hospitality should be famous. The Ammala Dance Co. organized this workshop and show in the fabulous arts space, "Old Arizona". We had many great moments, dinners, and an evening out dancing to one of Minneapolis's two Rai bands. Minneapolis is so full of culture and intelligent people. The husbands of this group do not feel disenfranchised because they have formed a percussion ensemble that rocks!
 

September 12-13, 2004, Colombus, Ohio
Sponsored by Kira, her events draw crowds from several states. Kiras Oasis is a huge and beautiful studio and banquet hall that has classes and monthly parties so the dancers all get an opportunity to perform in a supportive environment.



China, Summer 2004
Tamalyn Dallal and photographer, Denise Marino travelled through China, then Tamalyn ventured off to the northwest province of Xinjiang, where the language is similar to Turkish the religion is Islam, and their dances are beautiful!


Hong Kong..August 2- 16, 2004.
For the fifth time, this vibrant city beckons. Tamalyn performed three concerts in the theatre of Hong Kongs Fringe Club with the Oasis Dance Co., directed by Mey Jen Tillyer, and taught two workshops at the Oasis Dance Center. At present, photographer Denise Marino is with her, documenting the dancers and adventures as they happen. Side trips to Macao, a former Portuguese colony off the coast of China and Chinas shameless shopping mecca, Shenzen have added spice to their trip. Ms. Dallal will be travelling through China until September 14. if you would like to receive a weekly e mail newsletter and travel journal please request via e mail to tamalyndallal@yahoo.com.

 
Egypt... June 20- July 10, 2004
Imagine, 700 bellydancers from around the world in the biggest bellydance conference in the world. That was this years "Ahlan Wasahlan Festival", in Cairo, Egypt. Tamalyn attended with several dancers from the MEDE. She performed "Mozart L'Egyptiene", and was invited to the festival as a teacher in 2005. There was an international bellydance competition, and two of her former students ( Samay and Amar Gamal, who are now highly recognized professional dancers in their own right) won first and second place.
In Luxor, Ms. Dallal visited, drank tea, ate, and danced with the  "Musiciens du Nil", a world reknown family of Egyptian Gypsy musicians that tour the world. Alexandra Lenis and Tamalyn travelled to the Siwa Oasis near the Libyan border that was truly the most exotic, beautiful, and mind boggling experience of the trip. They are organizing a four day "Recover from the Ahlan Wasahlan festival" retreat at the Siwa Oasis for July, 2005.

 
Atlanta, June 16-17, 2004
Ms. Dallal taught a two day workshop in Atlanta, Georgia, sponsored by Najma.The level of dance was excellent and it was a peleasure to teach and see the talented dancers perform.

 
New York City, Jun 11-13, 2004
Kaeshi of Bellyqueen and PURE sponsored Ms. Dallal to teach a workshop on how to produce shows, and to do a two day teachers training workshop, plus a master class in dancing with double veils. Dancers came from several states as well as Puerto Rico to attend the weekends events. She also performed Turkish Gypsy style dance at the Lafayette Grill and attended Dalia Carellas spectacular off Broadway theatrical performance of "In Search of a Goddess", about the life story of Ruth St. Denis. Congratulations are in order for Ms. Carella, whose dance, choreography, and production work were superb! 

 

Malaysia. March 29-April 6, 2004,
I bussed my way up peninsular Malaysia, visiting the small historic areas of Mellaca and Penang before heading to Kuala Lumpur, the ultra modern capitol, with one of the worlds tallest skyscrapers, gorgeous Islamic architecture, and tremendous traffic jams. The bellydance and Salsa communities overlap, so on my first night, my hostess Sherlyn Koh took me to meet her business manager, Datin Kim, and one of her co dancers in their troup "The Axis of Eve", Macedonian born, Brazilian trained bellydancer, "Sliva".We were serenaded by a trio singing "Guantanamera" and danced the night away to the latest Salsa tunes at a restaurant-club called "Little Havana". I gave a two day workshop , plus some private classes. The Malaysian bellydance scene is only about a year old, but they give one another an extaordinary ammount of support and enthusiasm, and several women from Malaysian aristocracy have been bitten by the bellydance bug. Most of the women involved are highly educated, with prestigious careers, and love to research and shop for one another on their travels. 


Singapore, March 26-29, and April 6-8.
Literally a multi ethnic feeding fenzy. Food is delicious, abundant and representative of all the peoples who make up this small country. Singapore has a large "Little India", where all the sights and smells are like being in India. Chinatown is a bit neat and touristy, but pleasant, and Kampong Glam is the Islamic sector with strong Arab influences.The colonial British section is a beautiful array of meticulously renovated buildings along the riverfront with little boats and sampans bobbing back and forth.
Bellydancers abound in Singapore...I spent great times with Fiona and Azalia, drinking the origional "Singapore Slings" at Raffles Hotel, eating "chili crabs" by the sea, and coaching them in zils and veil technique. I also met Claribel, a bellydance pioneer and driving force. She is from Hong Kong, studied with Mey Jen Tillyer, and brings top Egyptian teachers to Singapore, such as Yosri Sharif and Raqia Hassan four times a year, plus imports the hipscarves and bellydance supplies for the local dance community. Another long time dancer and teacher is Samra, who is of Indian descent and has close ties with the Australian bellydance community. She has a school in Kampong Glam, on "Arab Street", which is lined with dozens of fabric stores selling exquisitely beaded silks, and trims. We went out Bollywood dancing on my last night before flying to the US.
 

Shanghai, March 22- 25, 2004,
The buzz is on about Shanghai, and everyone talks about investing there. The Chinese want to make it the city of the future, and it's past is steeped in foreign intrigue and Opium trade. This is a huge city, with larger than life, glittering shopping malls with all the brand names, two story Starbucks, KFC and Pizza Hut signs as far as the eye can see, and wildly imaginative gigantic hypersized buildings that look like a futuristic light show. Ten lane streets bustle with traffic that ignores lights and the constant whistles of helpless traffic police. Amid the melee, an occaisional wave of bicyclists whizzes by, reminding one that we really are in China.
My search for bellydance in Shanghai turned up an expat that was advertised everywhere, yet her phone was disconnected and she never answered e mails. I took a long cab ride to the suburbs where a gaudy rrestaurant called "1001 Nights" featured nightly bellydancing. A beautiful 21 year old university student named Guli graced the stage to recorded music. She is from the northwest province of Xing Xiang, along the silk road, and was graceful, with some very nice original movements, as well as simple but classy costuming. Guli spotted me right away and sent me a glass of tea, then wanted to know who I was. She suspected I was a dancer and we promised to get together on my next visit to Shanghai. 
 

Hong Kong, March 2-22, 2004.
The city I love and feel at home in... Each time it becomes more familiar. I was so busy and work was so hectic that Hong Kong was over before I had time to savor it. I taught many workshops and classes at Mey Jen Tillyers Oasis Dance Center. The dancers really know how to apply themselves and I am convinced that these women have the potential to become a major force in the bellydance world. I danced six nights a week in Habibi, an upscale Egyptian restaurant, while writing my upcoming book "Bellydance for Fitness" for Ullyses Press between shows and into the wee hours of the morning. There was so much publicity, and they distributed 40,000 post cards announcing my performances throughout Hong Kong that Habibi was packed every night with people spilling out the doors.Time went by so fast that I began to wonder if time really exists or if it is a figment of our collective immaginations.
 
 

Tokyo, Japan: Feb. 26- March 2, 2004:  
My workshop was at Nanaes "Studionana" in the traditional Sugamo sector, which is located on an ancient Samurai road, full of tiny food shops selling such delicacies as broiled eel, and sweet rice cakes. Nanae is a beautiful dancer who was trained since childhood in Kabuki theatre and ballet, and after several years of Middle Eastern dance training in Japan, she travelled to New York to study for three years with the reknown late Ibrahim Farrah, as well as assisting Lebanese folkdancer Ghassan and dancing with the Reda Troupe in Egypt.
Mishaal, a tall and lovely American bellydancer who has lived in Tokyo for the past ten years, organized the concert at an amazing alternative arts space called "Museum Tokyo". I danced in a circle, delineated by rose petals as the audeince of about 150 sat on the floor around me. Several local dancers, trained by Nanae and Mishaal performed, and it was an etherial evening, further proof that dance is a universal language.