Zaina Ali Academy of Belly Dance

03/23/2022

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CbddM6rAXUw/?utm_medium=copy_link

bellydance_international_news • Original Audio

04/08/2019

😍 ~A MUST share~! I can't soak in enough of this rich history---plug in a photo, and I am floating above myself, indeed~! (I suggest you view this on a larger screen, if possible) Details attached below the photo will explain the content.

A HISTORIC PHOTOGRAPH. This picture was taken inside Casino Badia in 1935. (That's 5 years before the Casino Opera opened) There are several interesting things about this photo. We have a rare glimpse into what dancers were wearing onstage at the time. Firstly, they are all wearing shoes. Some of the dancers are wearing choli type tops with coin edgings and have bare midriffs. Several are wearing triangular shaped coined hipscarves tied at one side. They are also wearing coin edged layered skirts very similar to Egyptian chiffon skirts that are sold in costume stores in Egypt even today. As for the performers themselves....There is Badia Masabni in the center of the photo. You can also see a young Farid el Atrash kneeling in the front to the left of her. The third woman from the right, wearing a white costume with a hipscarf tied around her hips is monologist/actress Fathya Sherif. She was a a regular performer at Badia's club. The 6th woman from the right standing with her arm raised is Laila el Amriya who was Badia Masabni's adoptive daughter Juliet. Then, the second woman from the left wearing a white costume and coined hipscarf and smiling widely is Beba Ezz El Din. Standing directly behind Farid El Atrash with her arm raised and wearing satin trousers is Taheya Carioca. The fourth woman from the left standing in the back wearing a white scarf around her neck is not identified in the picture's caption but I recognize her as the famous dancer Hekmet Fahmy who was also a regular performer at Badia's club. The costumes with the short tops with butterfly sleeves edged in coins and paired with the coin edged skirts are consistent with what Taheya Carioca wore in the 1936 film Khafir Al Darak for her first onscreen dance performance. You can see that clip here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21dfODZyfvY

02/14/2019

Merry, merry Valentine's Day to you allllllllllllllllllllllllll❣️❣️❣️

11/06/2012

Facebook now requires pages like ZAABD to pay to promote status updates to fans who already like our page. If we do not pay to promote our posts, only 10% (or less) of our fans receive our updates in their news feeds. That means you are probably not seeing the latest updates from the site.

To keep receiving all our posts, hover your mouse on the "Liked" button near the top right-hand corner of our page. In the drop-down menu, select "Add to interest lists." Then create an interest list.

We make it a priority not to spam your newsfeed. You'll only see a few updates from us each week. We typically update our status whenever we want to share about exciting or important things happening with the studio.

We recommend that you follow the above instructions for ANY page you care about, so you can continue seeing all the posts from the pages you already like. And please share this post with others, so they can turn on their Interest feed, too. Thanks!

09/07/2012

The other side our rehearsals, fellow bellies! I enjoyed this...!

06/14/2012

ZAABD-ettes~! Please check your personal emails for time adjustment notification for this Saturday, June 16th. Gigantic hugs thrusting you way! See you soon~!

05/25/2012

Hey ZAABD-ites! Referencing my ever-so-talented Thursday evening class: if you can resist, try to maintain the secrecy of that unique and special "thingie" I revealed to you tonight. We shall savor it and attempt to impress those who had to miss tonight's festivities---theeennnn, they too can be enlightened, no?! The mystery of that special 'trick' will create an aura of "huh?" Fun.

03/16/2012

Welllll, to dancers who like to feel envious! WE had an authentic, gorgeous, talented real life Irish Dancer perform for our Thurday evening class at the ol' Zaina Ali Academy of Belly and Irish Dancing!!! What a treat!!! Thank you SO much for the treat, Christina Bowers---Irish Dancer extraordinaire~! We were all absolutely mezmerized....impressed beyond words! I don't believe I can top that with any Irish-themed antics that I had planned! It was just wonderful, Christina...thank you and 'Go raibh maith agat', which is 'thank you' in Irish, of course!(I hope)

03/15/2012

To my beloved ZAABD Memberz: Now, let's seeeee....Irish...hmmm...belly dancing...how can we make this work??? Yahhh...let's don our Green Apparel...or strap on some asparagus, or green out a toothie, or mow the lawn and let the blowing, new grass stain our skin! And then, we shall belly dance whilst holding our arms straight down and move our bodies soley from the knees down. I shall play jaunty Irish compositions...and Leprechauns will rejoice!!! See you soonly, m'loves!

03/08/2012

Memberz of the Intermediate Klasse of the ZAABD: Yesterday, I emailed to you the 'lyrics' that I promised to send...check your mailboxes, pah-leeze. Pop Quiz might/will follow....heh-heh-heh...See you soooonly!