Posted in The Belly Dance Geek Clubhouse
Geek Out with Amy Smith
“Boston’s Belly Dance Legacy”
Episode 3 of the Belly Dance Geek Clubhouse:
My guest is Amy Smith.
Did you know that the first Middle Eastern nightclub to feature live entertainment in the US was probably Boston’s Club Zahra?
The American Cabaret style didn’t have any single source.
But as the home to large Middle Eastern diaspora communities, Boston was one of its earliest hotbeds.
Learn about the melting pot of cultures, influences, and people that sparked the evolution of belly dance in the US.
About Amy
Fifteen years ago, she launched Middle Eastern Dance of New England, a successful bi-monthly magazine for the Middle Eastern dance community in New England, as well as a companion Web site. The magazine is now published online only, as Belly Dance New England.
Amy has always been fascinated by the history of Middle-Eastern dance and music in Boston, and New England. She is collaborating with photographer Michael Baxter to photograph the “legends” of Boston belly dance, and is working on a documentary about the famous “Nightclub Era” (50s – 80s) of Boston belly dance.
Photo from Amy’s documentary archive: Club Zahra, 1957
She is currently a member of Origins Folkloric Dance Company.
You’ll learn about:
- The ethnic communities that came together in Boston
- Boston’s musical heritage
- The first generations of dancers
We’ll also have some discussion time, so you can ask Amy your questions.
Resources mentioned on the call:
Belly Dance New England online magazine
Gallery of photos from Amy’s documentary collection
Radio Bastet vintage belly dance music podcast
The Archive of Armenian Music in America
Belly Dance: Orientalism, Transnationalism, And Harem Fantasy Book *
If you have any questions or ideas for documentary funding, you can contact Amy at info@bellydancenewengland.com.
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* p.s. the links marked with an asterisk are Amazon affiliate links, meaning that I will get a small commission (typically a few cents) if you make a purchase through them. This helps defray the cost of the teleseminar service I use to host the Clubhouse calls.
If you’d prefer that I not get that commission, just search Amazon directly for the title you’re looking for. That’s 100% okay by me.