The Best of Bellydance 2012 *Bellydance Competition*

Calling all bellydancers! It's your turn to sparkle and spin this holiday season! Pera Dance will host the 2011 Best of Bellydance! Competition will be Saturday 7 January from 6:30pm-9pm. Bellydancers will showcase the best of their bellydance capabilities.

Requirements:
Each dancer is asked to put as much into their presentation as they possibly can to show their skill and knowledge of the Middle Eastern and African regions and the people who live there. Fusion/TribalFusion/American Tribal Style artists will showcase their ability to mix and incorporate the regions into modern aesthetics. It's a great challenge but we know Atlanta is up to the task!
Competition is all inclusive for all levels of bellydance. 1 Grand Prize of $200 plus 2nd & 3rd place gifts and giveaways!

Dancers will be judged on:

• Skill, ability to execute the basics of bellydance

• Costume choice

• Cultural representation or Fusion Recognition: ability to convey to the audience what genre you represent or which genres you are fusing

Rules:
You must be over 18+ years of age
Both Males and Females are welcome
Presentation is limited to 5 minutes max
No flames or liquids as props

Must pre-register by 1 January
$35 before 24 December and $45 thereafter (up to the 1st of Jan)

Doors open at 6:30pm
Competition begins at 7pm
Cost is $7 to attend as a guest, $12 at the door
Must be at least 8 years of age to attend

Best of Bellydance 2011
Doors at 6:30pm, competition at 7pm
Pera Dance Studio
1015 Collier Rd. Atlanta GA 30318
404.355.0807
Must pre-register to participate
Please Use Paypal or pay in person M-Sat before 5pm

(if link does not direct you to paypal, feel free to log onto paypal and submit your registration payment to sales@missbellydance.com w/a Competition Entree or Audience in the reference line) Please email peradancestudio@gmail.com for an entry form. You must complete an entry form (which asks for your paypal confirmation/reference number) to be put on our the line up for the event.

Najm Al Cairo Comes to Pera Dance

Pera Dance is proud to be the event facility for Najm al Cairo featuring Aleya! Next Sunday the 13th  November in West Buckhead Atlanta, all are welcome to come and be apart of an Egyptian dance workshops with this great raqs artist! Our resident Raissa Andye spoke to Aleya in an exchange fostered by Saniyah Raks some weeks ago. She also viewed a video of this artist and here's what she had to say:
"I was impressed with her skill, movement and overall spirit. She is what you expect from Egypt. Strong, full of energy and all around someone you enjoy watching. I did take more than one look at her videos because I was engulfed in her style. As for her overall demeanor and attitude, which is something very important to consider if you plan to spend any length of time with someone, I was very happy with it. If a person communicates with you  via email with emoticons and colloquial expressions it certainly helps you get the feel of what kind of person they're going to be face to face.  Oftentimes, an email is the first impression. And in this case she is someone that I would want to work with and study from to drill and pick up new skills. I found Aleya to be pleasant and eager to be "on board," ready to make new friends and I'm excited about meeting her in person next week."

Najm al Cairo will present the workshop from 12:30pm-2:30pm at your home for International Dance, Pera Dance Studio. Aleya will have costumes and the store will also be open as it is whenever there is an event taking place. So attendees should be able to get a great deal of instruction and take a treat or two home for themselves.
More about Aleya
She is noted for working with Adam Basma, who is a huge name in Middle Eastern Dance. Not only is he talented but he puts on one heck of a show. And having someone from his group in our studio is just a thrill and an honour. Aleya also has  a fun blog. Take a moment to read about this dancer and her day to day activities...life in Cairo and a peek at what it was like being a dancer during the Arab Spring. She used to live in Los Angeles and moved to Cairo in order to immerse herself into the actual culture. For those who write us continuously asking how to merge into Arab culture, Aleya is a great example of one who does that. She speaks Arabic (or at least she did with Andye) and is very appreciative of ethnic cultures, understanding clearly that its best to get the lessons directly from the locals. So come share in her knowledge and skill. Gain a better  understanding of what it is like to live and work abroad in a coveted entertainment industry and most important have fun doing it!

Many thanks to these great groups here in Atlanta for promoting Cultural Awareness through dance and business exchange.