SHIMMY SHAKING for health
The most famous male belly dancer in Egypt comes to Honolulu this weekend for public workshops and a concert that will also feature the Island’s top female dancers. In Egypt, Tito Seif’s face is on McDonald’s cups and on various billboards.
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ily she lived with in Egypt had a wedding where the groom was belly dancing as well as the rest of the men at the party, which she adds is a pretty rare sight for men to publically perform.
“You rarely see men perform it. Really, Tito is one of the first men to break, the first time I ever saw a man do it in that style.
“They (men) were banned some 100 years ago,” she adds. “Obviously they’re really good teachers and know how to do the dance; for performing, it’s fairly new. The few that there are, they are a lot better than the women. I think it’s because of the muscles, and men just have more of that.”
In the show, Devi says she’ll perform a number of pieces, including a folk dance and possibly a duet with Tito.
The other headlining local dancer taking the stage Sunday is Jane Blackmore, whose stage name is Samira. Blackmore is new to Oahu, having just moved here in the summer of 2007 from St. Louis. Blackmore began dancing at the age of 2, learning tap, jazz and ballet while growing up.
“I took my first belly dance class when I was 17 years old in St. Louis. I instantly fell in love with it. I started taking classes with no intent to become a professional. I continued to take classes and studied with as many instructors as I could all over the world,” says Blackmore. “I started performing professionally and teaching a few years later. In St. Louis there’s a good size Egyptian community. I had the luxury of performing to live bands. I performed at weddings.”
Ten years ago Blackmore founded a professional belly dance troupe, Belly Dance Mirage. The troupe has entertained audiences in the Midwest and beyond. She describes her style as American Cabaret.
“That’s the style, if I had to choose one,” she says. “For me, dance is expressive, that’s one of the reasons I love it. American Cabaret allows me the most freedom. If you study Egyptian dance now, the dancers in Egypt are influenced by the American dancers. We all learn from each other. That’s the beauty of it. It’s constantly changing, moving and progressing,” she says.
Blackmore adds that she is excited about the show and will also be taking Tito’s workshops.
Of male belly dancing, she says “It’s different in some ways (from female belly dancing). There’s a long tradition of male belly dancing. The movements are different, movement on a female body looks different than on a male body. Tito, for instance, he manages to embody all the grace and beauty of a dancer and maintain a masculinity. It’s a beautiful balance between soft sensuality combined with masculinity. There’s a big trend toward male belly dancing around the world.”
Tito’s Workshops
Aloha Activity Center, 725 Kapiolani Blvd., Honolulu, Saturday 11 a.m.-4 p.m. and Bishop Museum, 1525 Bernice St., Honolulu, Sunday 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Cost is $95 per day, $180 for both or $100 at the door. Call Devi at 373-9372 to register or for more information.
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