Aisha Azar

Dear Madeline,
Yes, I still do costuming for other dancers, but no longer for general theatre since I started Baharat!! Dance Company. I am a professional theatrical costumer as well as a dancer and I worked for 7 years at Eastern Washington University as costume designer and shop supervisor. I learned a lot there. My costume business is called Al Zarafah Designs, because one of my very short Saudi friends used to call me "Zarafah Hanem" ( Madame Giraffe) or A'isha Al-Zarafah, because I am so much taller than him and used to wear heels all the time on top of it! I think they have me down as Al-Zaralan or something like that in the book. I do custom costuming, all fringe beaded by hand, all appliques made by hand, etc. I also do group costuming, but I charge extra for that from the sheer boredom of creating the same costume over and over and over and over again!! Right now, I have one applique project about finished and then two costumes in line, so I figure I will be busy until at least July. Then I get a new one!! People keep telling me I need to keep photos, but I never do. I stay pretty busy. My work can be seen on my website and on my dance company's. Raqs Azar and Barharat!!. I designed the shoots except for the lighting and backdrops, and all of the costume designs are mine as far as choosing the over all costume, but I did not make all of the costumes in some photos, just most of the belly dance costumes. A lot of the folk stuff was given to me as gifts or belongs to the other dancers.
Regards,
A'isha

nicknack

Thanks everyone I think I'm getting a better handle on it all.

I sense a Saidi playlist coming on, anyone know of any good clips on YouTube?

__________________
Cause I'm not here to let you down. But the costume makes the clown.

Yasmina

My Egyptian teacher said exactly the same thing.

Aisha Azar

Dear Yasmina,
Thanks for the validation !! I am not as young as I used to be, and was pretty sute that someone, somewhere along the line had said so to me, but just was not too sure.
I know the Ghawazi women do as cane dance, too. It seems like it is a simple little couples dance ( female couples).
Regards,
A'isha

Suheir

I've just seen this clip and I think it's very poor. Unskilled use of the stick, bad-quality movements and very stilted dancing:



This dancer's described as a master teacher in one of her clips.

Desideria

Yes this is great her name is Nariman Aboud .

hayet

Dear Suheir(Zaki??)!

I would like to see some videos from your dance.I think you are the best dancer in the world and i want to learn from you.Please show me your video on youtube ,maybe one with asaya.
Thanks a lot