Raks Geek is a bellydance, flow arts, and fire performance company based in Chicago, Illinois. They were the first professional group to successfully combine bellydance and firespinning with geek themes in a consistent manner. They are most known for a viral YouTube video [1] featuring a Wookiee bellydancing to a Klingon band playing original music in Shyriiwook, which was listed on UK Channel 4 TV's "50 Funniest Moments of 2012." [1] They are the most well-known example of fusing bellydance with geek themes [2] and are considered one of the top dance companies in Chicago. [3] [4]
Raks Geek were originally a collaboration between Read My Hips tribal bellydance and the Chicago Fire Tribe, but eventually grew into their own company. [5]
Raks Geek is the brainchild of director/producer Dawn Xiana Moon, who formed the company after a late-night internet search for "geek bellydance"; she was disappointed by the artistic and technical proficiency of examples she found. As she was already a professional dancer, she decided to do the topic justice by creating a show by geeks, for geeks. Every performer has been raised on science fiction: Moon was raised on Star Trek and has given talks at C2E2, Google, the University of Chicago, DePaul University, and Chicago Comic Con on issues surrounding women in geek culture, and other members of the group are scientists and organize Chicago geek community gatherings, in addition to being professional performers. [6]
The name of the group means "Dance of the Geeks" or "Geek Dance"; "raks" is an Arabic word (translated "dance") traditionally used by bellydancers. [7] Most of the group's performances are a modern, fusion style of bellydance rather than a traditional one. [8]
"Errand of Mercy" is the twenty-sixth episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek. Written by Gene L. Coon and directed by John Newland, it was first broadcast on March 23, 1967. It was the first episode in which the Klingons appeared.
Samia Gamal was an Egyptian belly dancer and film actress.
American Tribal Style Belly Dance is a modern style of belly dance is currently known as FCBD style, created by FatChanceBellyDance director, Carolena Nericcio-Bohlman. The primary defining characteristic of American Tribal Style Belly Dance is group improvisation. Tribal is generally performed in a group, often at community events such as festivals and parades, with tribal dancers typically favoring a look provided by wide-legged pants gathered at the ankles, tops known as cholis and full skirts.
Bellydance Superstars is a professional American bellydance troupe formed in 2002 by producer and manager Miles Copeland. In its first six years of touring, it presented 700 shows in 22 countries.
Tribal Fusion Belly Dance is a modern Western form of belly dance which was created by fusing American Tribal Style belly dance and American Cabaret belly dance. Artists frequently incorporate elements from Popping, Hip Hop, 'Egyptian' or 'Cabaret' belly dance, as well as movement principles from traditional forms such as Flamenco, Kathak, Odissi, and other folkloric and classical dance styles.
Gothic belly dance, also named and separated in substyles as Gothic fusion belly dance, dark fusion belly dance and Gothic tribal fusion, is a recently founded dance art movement, distilled from the influences of Middle Eastern dance, tribal fusion, Goth subculture, and Neopaganism. Originating in the United States in the 1990s, it has spread to be practiced by amateur and professional dancers around the world, and it is growing with the spread of tribal belly dance formats.
"Gia" is a song recorded by Greek singer Despina Vandi. It was originally released as the lead single off her 2001 multi-platinum Greek album also of the same name. Vandi signed with Ultra Records for the international release of the track, and in 2003 a CD single was made available in many markets, following by a 2004 US re-issued which included a new English-language version.
Randa Jarrar is an American writer and translator. Her first novel, the coming-of-age story A Map of Home (2008), won her the Hopwood Award, and an Arab-American Book Award. Since then she has published short stories, essays, and the collection, Him, Me, Muhammad Ali (2016). She teaches creative writing in an MFA program at California State University at Fresno. In 2018, Jarrar was the subject of news coverage when she tweeted her opinion of Barbara Bush on social media following Bush's death.
Beats Antique is a U.S.-based experimental world fusion and electronic music group. Formed in 2007 in conjunction with producer Miles Copeland, the group has become noted for their mix of different genres as well as their live shows, which mix samples and heavy percussives with Tribal Fusion dance and performance art.
Rites of Ash is an American rock band from Washington, DC, formed in 2006 by Alex (80-two) and Lazzo.
Belly dance, also referred to as Arabic dance is an expressionist type of dance that originated in Egypt and that emphasizes complex movements of the torso. It has evolved to take many different forms depending on the country and region, both in costume and dance style; with Egyptian style and its famous traditional rhymes being the most common worldwide having many schools around the globe practicing it.
Ronnie Kerr is an American actor, best known for playing the role of Romeo in The Army Show and the movie Shut up and Kiss Me in 2010. He has also starred in many other films and been a personal trainer to several celebrity clients. His first TV role was in NYPD Blue in 2001.
Özel Türkbaş was a Turkish-born actress, model, singer and belly dancer, who helped popularize belly dancing in the US and recorded traditional music aimed at a western audience, including the successful 1969 album Bellydance with Özel Türkbaş: How to Make Your Husband a Sultan.
The important place of women in dance can be traced back to the very origins of civilization. Cave paintings, Egyptian frescos, Indian statuettes, ancient Greek and Roman art and records of court traditions in China and Japan all testify to the important role women played in ritual and religious dancing from the start. In the Middle Ages, what has become known as ballet had its beginnings in Italian court festivals when women frequently played the parts of men. It was however in late 17th-century France that the Paris Opera produced the first celebrated ballerinas. While women began to dominate the ballet scene in the 18th century, it was with the advent of Romantic ballet in the 19th century that they became the undisputed centre of attraction with stars playing the leading roles in the works of Marius Petipa, appearing in theatres across Europe from Milan's La Scala to the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg. More recently, women have played a leading role in developing various forms of modern dance including flamenco and expressionist dance.
The following are the special concepts and terminology of belly dance. As this dance has many forms and can be found in North Africa and the Middle East, a significant proportion of the terminology is in Arabic. Turkish or Turkish-loan words may also be encountered among belly dance terms.
Dawn Xiana Moon is a Chinese American singer-songwriter and bellydancer based in Chicago, Illinois. She is notable for being the first musician to blend traditional Chinese music with Americana, pop, and jazz. Moon is also the founder and producer/director of Raks Geek, the first bellydance and fire company of its kind.
Zoe Jakes is a prominent belly dancer and founding member of the American experimental world fusion and electronic music group Beats Antique.
Neon is a contemporary belly dance and stiletto dance performer, instructor, and choreographer based in New York City. She is also the founder and owner of Stratostream Entertainment - World Dance New York, a US entertainment company publishing dance instruction, performance, and fitness home video products for women. As a dance instructor Neon has developed innovative visualisation-based methods for teaching dance and dance fitness in an accelerated-learning format.
World Dance New York is a US home entertainment company, releasing and distributing special interest titles on DVD, video on demand, streaming media, iPhone and iPad apps, and a brand of women's dance and fitness home video products. It was founded in 2001 as "Stratostream - World Dance New York". "Stratostream" designates the company in the business-to-business environment, the home video industry, while "World Dance New York" is the publicly-recognized brand and the name of the consumer-facing operation of the company.
Oriental folk dances, also referred to as Middle-Eastern dance and Eastern dance, are the traditional folk dances of the peoples of the Arab world. oriental dance has many different styles, including the three main types of folklore, classical, and contemporary. It is enjoyed and implemented throughout the MENA region, from North Africa to the Middle East.
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