Down East Bellydance & Drum Fest

10/22/2014

It is with a very heavy heart that I announce that the Down East Bellydance & Drum Fest will be on an undetermined hiatus.

The festival was originally conceived out of a desire to help promote and celebrate the dancers and musicians that I loved and admired. I feel that in the 4 years that the festival has run, (with the absolute and complete support of the beautiful ladies of my troupe Apsara), this goal was achieved many times over. I want to thank everyone who supported this event and contributed to it by either teaching, attending workshops, vending, performing, seeing the shows, etc. We couldn't have done it without you. Most of all I want to thank all the ladies of Apsara through the years for making this dream a reality!

07/22/2014

The original guy that inspired my love of drumming...my brother Barry Swain!

07/17/2014

07/17/2014

And for our last Instructor Spotlight for our 2014 festival, a world-class act indeed.......Yasmine.

Yasmine started at a young age with ballet, tap and jazz & then as an adult found Middle Eastern dance. Yasmine spent much of 2004 touring with the Bellydance Superstars performing in major cities around the United States as well as Barcelona, Spain and after touring teamed up with Master Tabla Player Issam Houshan, Karim Nagi (Turbo Tabla) and Carmine Guida in offering Drum & Dance workshops. Yasmine is primarily an American Cabaret Dance artist but enjoys performing all styles of Belly Dance as well as popular fusion dance styles and continues to focus on Egyptian Style with inspiration from master percussionist Souhail Kaspar as well as Modern Egyptian Styles with master dance artists from around the world.Yasmine is simply a dancer at heart and is well recognized for her dynamic movements, which she carefully extends to her students grooming them for their own spectacular performances. As well as being a sought after instructor due to her personable and fun teaching approach, Yasmine's distinct and energetic performance style captures the heart of her audiences with her own magic flair. Because of Yasmine's love of empowering women through movement and interest in women's health and fitness, Yasmine became a certified Bellyfit® instructor and the first to bring this innovative fitness system designed for women to Charlotte NC. Yasmine is also AFAA certified as a Group Fitness Instructor. Some of Yasmine's accomplishments include being nominated in Zaghareet’s 2003 Golden Belly Awards as Best Kept Secret and as Instructor of the year in 2005. Yasmine was featured on the cover of the May/June 2007 issue of Zaghareet and has appeared as a guest artist for Dr. Samy Farag's 2008 & 2012 CD Release in Texas. In 2010, Yasmine was awarded runner up for Best Teacher in NAFOURA Magazine's Best Artists Awards

This lady has accomplished quite a lot in her career and set the bar high for dancers such as myself to be inspired by and reach for. I have been a fan of Yasmine's ever since I decided to return to NC 2006. I saw what heat she was bringing back then and she is still on fire now delivering show stopping performances and eloquent and enriching workshops wherever she goes...and she is bringing it the Down East!!! Oh yeah! Space still available in both her Sunday workshops...but hurry! Space is limited!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a34ZLF-ihA4&list=UUkBupbGlqNZnFZr6749IeUA

Yasmine, director of Magic Hips based out of Charlotte NC Shows, Classes & Workshop Instructor www.magic-hips.com Demo edited by R.Ackland

07/15/2014

Listen into 103.3 this week...they will doing a ticket giveway for the Saturday Gala Show at the Down East Bellydance & Drum Fest beginning tomorrow morning around 8am and then again on Thursday and Friday too!
http://v1033.com/

Carolina's Best Mix

07/15/2014

The fantastically fabulous Madame Onça is next on the Instructor Spotlight for the Down East Bellydance & Drum Fest!

Does this lady really need an introduction???
Internationally known, she is a powerhouse in the world of avant garde bellydance and we are extremely excited to have her teaching at this year's festival!

Madame Onça, aka Onça O’Leary, is a career entertainer based on the East Coast. She travels internationally, teaching and performing dance, torch-songs, and stagecraft. Madame Onça produced the seminal TribOriginal: Tribal Dance, Music & Culture Camp for seven years. She continues the work of raising the bar and creating community with her long-standing ABSfest: the Americana Burlesque & Sideshow Festival in Asheville, NC, and the Virginia Burlesque & Sideshow Festival now in its second year in Richmond, VA. She owned a dance studio and folk-art center in Asheville, for seven years, directed an award-nominated dance company, and has traveled broadly as a solo artist, with the Mezmer Society and with the Accidental Circus. She is also an internationally published artist and author, with work translated into Spanish.It is her stalwart belief that “The greatest form of rebellion is joy.”

Don't miss her workshop "Fan-addict", A fun, sassy and versatile workshop that shows you how to add the fan as prop to your dance!
Check out her instructional fan DVD!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgEXeSadhww

Savor the flavor of passion as we explore the magnificent potential of every dancer's indispensable tool: the fan. As amazingly versatile as you are, the fan...

07/12/2014

2014 Vendors

07/07/2014

The lovely Sami Te' is next on the Down East Bellydance & Drum Fest Instructor Spotlight.

With Tribal Fusion Bellydance as the seat of her passion, SamiTe’ delights audiences with her graceful yet dynamic abilities. Whether on the ground, on fire, or dangling in the air, SamiTe’s performances are one of a kind! In 2008, SamiTe’ placed first runner up at the Bellydancer of the Universe Competition in Long Beach, CA in the Tribal Fusion Soloist category. Her style is rooted in traditional form fused with modern Tribal aesthetic. She began her training in the Jamila Salimpour format under the instruction of Conchi of Cincinnati, OH in the late 90′s. She then moved to Santa Barbara, California and became immersed within music and dance culture with the UCSB Middle East Ensemble where she studied violin and folkloric dances of the Middle East under the musical direction of Dr. Scott Marcus and artistic direction of the infamous Alexandra King. SamiTe’ then moved again to Sacramento and studied with Amy Sigil who she continues to seek training with. SamiTe’ is a Sigil certified ITS Level 1 and 2 instructor. SamiTe’ now lives in Asheville, NC. She teaches Tribal Fusion choreography classes as well as ITS and performs with her long time student, Stacey as half of Envidium Bellydance. SamiTe’ is in high demand for instruction at festivals throughout the SouthEast.

I first saw this lady's awesome fusion stylings at the 2007 Southern Fusion Fest in Atlanta and I have been a fan ever since! We are very excited to have her on the roster this year sharing her knowledge with "ITS Eposure"; A format developed by Amy Sigil based on the work of Caroleena Nericcio. ,,,exciting stuff INDEED!

07/01/2014

2014 Instructors