andre breton, anthropology, archaeology, aza sharif, bats, bauhaus, being a stressbunny, belly dance, bellydance, celtic tattoos, cheese, egyptian belly dance, ferrets, fifi abdo, firefly, foetus, goth, gothic belly dance, horse racing, joss whedon, leopard print, miyazaki, mizmars, muppets, nourhan sharif, phillip pullman, postmodern navel-gazing, rachel brice, raks sharki, raptors, raqs sharqi, raymond chandler, red wine, science fiction, souhair zaki, sparkly things, surrealism, taheya carioca, tanqueray and tonic, tattoos, technobelly, the muppet show, veterinary medicine, werner herzog.
Music
billie holiday, the creatures, dinah washington, einsturzende neubauten, faith and the muse, monica richards, lydia lunch, natasha atlas, nick cave and the bad seeds, oojami, qntal, rasputina, seven sunless days, goldfrapp, turbo tabla, voltaire, foetus, amon tobin, walter sickert and the army of broken toys, gotan project,amr diab, tarkan, anita lane, niyaz, banco de gaia, bjork, hakim, jill tracy, blondie, lunachicks, coco rosie, diamanda galas,M.I.A., congo norvell, the cramps, fatme serhan, cheb i sabbah, matmos, sonic youth, rachid taha, moktar al said, saad, mahmoud fadl, pj harvey, sami nossair orchestra, siouxsie and the banshees, switchblade symphony, the pogues, tones on tail, black tape for a blue girl
Movies
Allegro Non Troppo, Starstruck, Yojimbo, The Seven Samurai, Near Dark, Serenity, Double Indemnity, Pippi in the South Seas, Pan's Labyrinth, Fitzcaraldo, The Muppet Movie
Television
Battlestar Galactica, Doctor Who, Lost, Project Runway, Hereos, any Joss Whedon project
Books
Watership Down, Philip Pullman, Alistair Reynolds, Isak Dineson, Clifford Geertz
About me: Based in Boston, Massachusetts, I am a performer of traditional forms of Arabic dance (raqs sharqi, beledi and saidi) and the distinctly less traditional form of Gothic belly dance (known as raqs gothique). Each form is an integral part of my artistic passion and drive. I can be seen performing traditional styles at the Middle East Restaurant on Sunday nights and at local haflis, and performing gothic dancing at area nightclubs and gothic events.
Here's some recent footage of me performing Balady ala Accordion in May 2008:
I performed raqs assaya (cane dance), a short taqsim and a zar at Shimmies for a Cure in March, 2008. A zar is a pre-Islamic ritual still conducted in North Africa today. It is not an exorcism, but rather a means of communicating with the spirits, or zar, which possess you and figuring out what you can do to co-exist with them. From a Western perspective, it can be seen as facing your inner demons and coming to terms with them. In either North Africa or the West, it is a dance of healing so it seemed appropriate for this benefit for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.
Here's my performance at Shimmy in the Shadows, an all gothic belly dance event that I sponsored on July 1, 2007 in Arlington, MA:
Who I'd like to meet: Interesting people, especially those who make good music. Please note that I will not add people who do not send a message saying why they are adding me, especially if you have a private profile so that I have no idea who you are or what you are all about.
