Goal for 2010
I know...it is just the beginning of 2009, but I have something I want to plan that will take at least a year to come to fruition.

My vision and goal for 2010:

Raqs Sharqi: Belly Dance from Ethnic Traditions to Modern Fusions

What: A dance performance featuring multiple dancers marketed to both the dance community and general audiences

Where: In Asheville, NC, but we will need an appropriate theater for the production. I will begin checking theaters now to see what will be available and suitable.

Who: Local and Regional belly dancers who want to take part in a large project like this. After expenses (studio rental, theater rental, advertising, organizer time) all proceeds will be split evenly between dancers based on stage time/number of performances.

What will be included: My vision is 1.5-2 hour show consisting of solos and group numbers

Folkloric:
Ghawazee
Saiidi
Khaleegy
Tunisian
Zar

Raqs Sharqi:
Classical Egyptian
Modern Egyptian
Turkish
Lebanese

Modern Interpretations:
Vintage Orientale/American Cabaret
Romany/Gypsy Fantasy
ATS/ITS
Modern Cabaret Fusions
Modern Tribal Fusions

What is the goal? I want dancers of all styles to come together and work as a unit to create something that is inclusive of all of our many talents and to present that to the public in a way that lets them see the beauty of the different belly dance styles.

So what now? Well - this is 2009, so first step is finding out who is interested. This project will take time and be a labor of love. I can't promise huge profits or even tiny profits - but I can promise that we will do our best to bring this together. If you are local enough to Asheville to attend rehearsals and to perform sometime in 2010 as part of this project, send me an email at mahsati@mahsati-janan.com and I'll put you on the list!