Trying to get everything up to date before I leave for the Mountains on Thursday. (Can’t wait!!). Here are my video clips from the Graduation party this weekend:
My performance:
I didn’t get any video of my actual performance with the live music. It was all improv since I didn’t know what music they were going to play. This clip is actually when I started getting my 2nd wind and decided to just dance for fun with the musicians. I set the camera up on the grill. LOL
I received another WONDERFUL testimonial from PHP of NC.
“When the announcement was made that we were going to have a professional Belly Dancer as part of our Cultural Diversity Celebration, everyone was so excited. When she arrived and began to perform she lit up to room. Her performance was electrifying!! Everyone loved her and she was so professional, patient and friendly with the staff and the consumers we serve. They really enjoyed their belly dancing session they received from Amara and had a ton of fun while trying to do the same moves as her. They are still speaking about her performance today. We are so glad she took the time to come and share her talent with us. It was very special and something we will never forget!”
~ Valour Richardson
www.phpofncinc.com
I woke up this morning to this wonderful testimonial:
“Dear Amara and the band,
We cannot say enough thank you for Saturday, May 12th night’s performance. It was our godson’s college graduation and we wanted to give something special to someone special and family. Something that they never had so far! Show in close caption what a beautiful Middle Eastern Music is and that belly dancing is something the entire family and guests can enjoy.
The band, directed by the Oud player, Andy is nothing short of being a genius. There is no song that he cannot play, just hum it and he will put it to notes, play it and teach the band. The result of humming – in short few minutes will be breathtaking music.
What can we say about beautiful Amara? The more appropriate question will be what we cannot say but praises! She is a true artist who strives to take her performance one step higher and higher with the passage of time. She loves her work, she appreciates the Middle Eastern Music and lives the music while dancing. She mesmerized us all!
Again, Thank you for Andy(oud), Amir (dumbak), Dikran (violin) and Amara ( belly dancer) for making the graduation party so very special! All guests loved it and extend their appreciation as well!”
-Hermine Kabbendjian
**What a wonderful thing to wake up to. I had so much fun. Thanks Hermine xo
What a fun night! More than one gig in a night is tiring though…my heels and costume are not meant to be worn for 4 1/2 hours!! LOL. Anyhow, my first gig was at Bradford Hall at Carolina Preserve. Each month the community gets together for a fun evening of dancing, dinner, and fun! I did a show and got some ladies AND gentlemen up to dance. Then it was on to my 2nd gig. I cranked the AC to 60 in the car to try and cool off before the next performance. It was a graduation party for our friends’ Godson! The weather was beautiful outside and the party was out on the patio. I got to perform with live music this time..(my favorite). This was Andrew and I, first paid gig together 
Amir drummed for us and Dikran played the violin. What fun!!!!
Me and the musicians!!
Musicians!!
Andrew and Amir
Musicians: Amir, Andrew, Dikran
Me and Hermine
Me and the Grad Student!!
So while at Neomonde’s yesterday for the music meetup, a man approached me saying that he recognized me?? I was happy thinking, “Wow I must be famous now, if people recognize me in my plain girl clothes”..LOL….no really, he recognized both me and my friend Shahzaadee. He saw us perform at the Cary Spring Daze festival a week ago. He was gracious enough to email me a couple photos he took of my performance. Thanks Cris!! I always like to have a couple photos from events and since my ‘photographer’ was too busy doing video, he wasn’t able to take any during my performance.
(c) Photos by Cris Wong
So we hung out at the new Neomonde’s this afternoon for the music meetup (TAME- Triangle Area Middle Eastern Musicians meetup). If you know me, you know I LOVE their food! First thing I did was get me a sampler plate!! They have a spacious private room that we used to set up. There was a steady flow of customers today and some would stop and listen. I got to drum a little and listen to some great music and chat with my friends. Lots of fun!!
I had a great time today with this group of ladies!! There were 3 brides to be in this group and they started there celebration with a group bellydance lesson and then were heading out for a night on the town to celebrate Andrea’s wedding in 2 weeks!!! Shimmy hard!!
The Triangle Area Middle Eastern musicians meetup (TAME) met again this month at its new venue: Chambers Arts Studio in Asheworth Village, Downtown Cary! I want to give a BIG thanks to Lynda Chambers for allowing us to make use of this wonderful space. It is beautiful inside with so many wonderful paintings displayed. The musicans played lots of great music and we even danced a bit!! Always a good time. Lynda offers alot of wonderful classes, so be sure to check it out!!
I danced today with other lovelies from ACCMED (Association of Central Carolina Middle Eastern Dancers). We performed at the Sertoma Ampitheatre at Bond Park. The weather was cool and gloomy, but we were all shining on stage. LOL. There were veil dances, cane, double pot balancing, and I did my Isis Wings. I am so happy I got to use my new turquise ones again! At the end we got the audience up for a shimmy contest. Everyone had a blast!! We walked around afterwards and listened to some wonderful music and looked at all the cool arts and crafts.
So this is my ‘BFA’. (Bellydancer Flat Amara). It is based on the Flat Stanley books. It is about a little boy that had a bulletin board fall on him and smashed him flat. He was not injured, just flattened so that he can be easily mailed to many places. The classroom project was started in 1994, so that kids could communicate with others around the world. Letters and photos come to the classroom, and they chart on a map all of the places the flattened kids have traveled and share their adventures to the class. My daughter came home with this project this week and it got me thinking….(hers is going to NYC, by the way)
I want to make one that looks like me (well almost) and mail it to dancers all over. They can take a photo or two with it in various locations and tell me what kind of adventures they do. My goal is to have it traveling to other countries so I can learn about them and what fun things dancers are doing there.
Its first trip will be to a dancer friend of mine, Annwyn. She is in AZ, but traveling to the UK next month. I am excited. Some other places my ‘BFA’ will travel to might be Turkey, Russia, San Francisco, MN, OK.
I seems like a really silly idea, but I thought it would be fun!
Stayed tuned, as I will be posting all over her adventures….wishing it was the real me going!!
Amara is a professional bellydance artist specializing in American Oriental Style Bellydance.
