"Greek Belly Dance in the USA (1955-1967 Recordings)" : A Review by Aziza Al-Tawil

Wow! How do I say this? Just a great collection of songs, many of which I'm already familiar with through my background in belly dance as a child performer in the "heyday"and from a massive collection of authentic old world record albums accumulated by my mother, NYC belly dancer Johanna. Had the pleasure of seeing quite a few of these artists in person, "live," either from the "audience" perspective or even as the main attraction myself (Anestos Athanasiou was not only a dear friend of the family, but was almost my "Stepfather" and was even my accompanist on several occasions). Yes, "Gyftos" Athanasiou is here as well as many others that made that wonderful era so indeed "wonderful."

You'll hear Jimmy Linardos and Gus Vali. Her name is spelled different here but the cd includes two tracks from my favorite Greek singer Rena Dalia. My mother Johanna worked the "Britannia" club with her. A truly beautiful and distinctive voice.

Petros Kalyvas and Saleas were cousins. Hear them along with Halkias representing the type of clarinet playing that inspired many a "sinewy" move during the Tsifte Telli.

"Oh, Passas" features the almost "Hot Canary" style of Middle Eastern "fiddlin" that Freddy Elias made a name for himself with along with his oft compatriot in music Buddy Sarkissian.

Any belly dance student or aficionado in today's world should check this cd out and let it transport them to a time when the scene was not just "Egypt Centric." Songs, like "Hicaz Tsiftetelli," "Maharajah," "Arapines," "Zenouba," "Tsigana Mou," and "Sylvana" were staples..

We even have a track by Tassos Mavris - a regular around 8th Ave. and "The Feenjon" farther downtown. Tassos, God Rest his soul, showed my mother Johanna how to play finger cymbals.

Always understand with a lot of "Public Domain" re-issues that sometime the names of artists get mixed up or not mentioned at all. At first glance this collection seems to be right as far as credits. "Maharajah" and "Sylvana" sound very much like versions from one of my old albums by "Dimitri and his Ensemble." Have to do a comparison-have another listen, etc. to really tell you if they are the same.

Yet, any time a collection like this comes forth to give younger people a "feel" for what the "Greektown" belly dance scene sounded like it is surely an exciting and good thing. Luckily, there seems to be more and more being released now. This one is an extremely well rounded compilation and I can't wait to add it to my digital music library. (P.S. If you want the Jimmy Linardos belly dance routine you have to purchase the entire album).

The link to order is here:
Greek Belly Dance in USA (1955-1967 Recordings)

JOHANNA WHITE: VERSATILE AMERICAN DANCE STAR WHOSE LIFE WAS BITTERSWEET, DEAD AT 84

Johanna White was born in WV in 1927 to James and Lee White. From an early age her home was filled with music as her father was a dancer, singer and musician, along with his brother Roscoe, in the "White Family String Band." From her father she learned Appalachian and "soft shoe" type dance, plus waltzes, polkas, and "The Charleston." As a child of the "great depression," she was enchanted with images from Hollywood and found inspiration in Shirley Temple. Formal training in tap and acrobatic began at age seven with Alma Ellison Britt in Charleston. WV. A favorite dance she did in recital was a recreation of Shirley Temple's "In Our Little Wooden Shoes." (Johanna also suspected, but was not sure about her Roma Gypsy heritage, as her father also had a repertoire of Gypsy songs from a few different regions and her Aunt was passionate about and learned a tradition of fortune telling with cards from their Grandmother. Roma male

"The Mystery of Aris San": A Brief Memory of the "Sirocco" and it's Remarkable Owner

When I was twelve or thirteen years old we were hired by Aris San to perform at his club "Sirocco" which was literally straight across town from the now defunct "Greektown 8th Avenue" district which was on West 29th St. The old Armenian Quarter was also not far from there on the East Side. My mother was already having woes with the NYC school board over the right to home school me and we were thinking of leaving town at the time. Our joint shows at the time involved "Laziko" with fire on our heads as an opening-if I'm not mistaken-we opened with that at his place. I remember my mother saying this nightclub was oft a hangout for the actor Anthony Quinn (I've since heard that Telly Savalas also frequented the place). I also remembered a musician with what seemed to almost be what they refer to now as a "Jewfro." I remember the audience was great and we were treated well by the management even though I was not fully aware what a huge

With a "Thong" in my Heart: 1980's High Cut Turkish Belly Dance Costumes

"With a thong in my heart!"....well...not really. I was a young teenager belly dancing in the 80's and 90's but for some reason this style never made it my way. Maybe because my mother Johanna was from the 1960's scene in New York and you just did not wear that "hi-cut" a costume. But, in some ways, I admit that this later trend did happen to flatter the "gams" if you had any to "show off" and gave the legs a longer appearance. One dancer that I really admire is Zinnur Karaca. She seemed to come along when this was in vogue. She's a great dancer, with or without a "hi-cut" costume belt and skirt. Zinnur Karaca Tukay Karaca

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