Star power in Fells Point

By Nerissa

This summer everything will change for the art of Middle Eastern dance, thanks to Los Angeles producer Miles Copeland and his dream-team of performers, the Bellydance Superstars.

After creating the wildly successful album "Bellydance Superstars" in November of 2002, Copeland put on two shows featuring the dancers at posh California clubs House of Blues Anaheim and The Roxy in West Hollywood. They were an instant hit.

Now those small shows have turned into huge events as the dancers perform at the Lollapalooza Festival! Thanks to the involvement of Perry Farrell of Jane's Addiction, the Superstars are even dancing on both the main stage and the second stage at shows. Bellydance will be seen by thousands of audience members across the country in more than 30 cities.

Locally, the troupe will be in Alexandria, Virginia, Washington DC and will do a club show in Baltimore on July 31 at Fletcher's in Fells Point.

The amazing line-up of dancers includes Jillina (who is choreographing the shows), Ansuya, Rania, Amar, Sonia, Carol, Kaeshi, Rachel, Georgianne, Colleen and Adaliz.

Touring with the Superstars this summer will be the first members of a new dance troupe, The Desert Roses. These ladies will be on hand to support the Superstars during the festival and club dates. A full troupe is in the process of being formed and the Desert Roses will become a staged music and dance extravaganza that will play in theatres around the world.

In addition to the Superstars show, Copeland is documenting the performances and creating a documentary called "American Bellydancer", the first ever documentary of bellydance in America.

"I took on this project for a variety of reasons," Copeland says in explaining his decision to produce "American Bellydancer."

"The first is that bellydancing is an exotic, sensual art, and I was absorbed by it. But I was also fascinated by how bellydance was growing in America - I wanted to know what was happening in the minds and lives of the dancers, teachers, and fans. I wanted to know why it was happening now. The more I learned about bellydancing and its culture, the more I became interested in it, and 'American Bellydancer' is an outgrowth of that interest."

"American Bellydancer" explores the rapidly developing world of the ancient art in the United States. Almost explosive in its growth, bellydancing has inspired dance troupes, bellydance schools, a thriving internet community, and a new generation of dancers.

Bellydancing addresses issues of gender politics, religion, spirituality and ethnicity. Yet it's also a tremendously entertaining art form - which explains why it has remained vital for thousands of years.

At a time of fragile relationships between the US and the Middle East, bellydancing bridges the cultural and political divide. "It's been a challenge to bring Middle Eastern music and dance to the U.S. in the current political environment," Copeland says. "The fact that we've encountered occasional negatives has been far outweighed by the positives. Bellydancing is about art, not politics - but in experiencing the art, you also experience the culture, and that becomes political in and of itself."

"American Bellydancer" is directed by multiple award-winner Jon Brandeis, whose credits include shows for ABC, Bravo, Showtime, Cinemax, VH-1 and MTV, among many others. The documentary, which began shooting in Puerto Rico and Miami in February, is everything its name implies: it delves into the world of US dancers via interviews with teachers, students at all levels, and fans. It includes footage of dance performances, each distinct and spectacular, in cities across America. Together, each element combines to provide a comprehensive view of the evolving American art of bellydance.

"American Bellydancer" will also document the search for the finest bellydancers in America to form the Desert Roses Dance Troupe - joining the Bellydance Superstars on a major tour this summer, as well as the touring troupe for 2004. Initial candidates will be selected from video submissions and auditions around the country while shooting "American Bellydancer," with the final bellydancers chosen after in-person auditions in Los Angeles.

Filming will wrap in July of this year; "American Bellydancer" is expected to be released in January 2004.

For further information please go to www.bellydancesuperstars.com