On Friday, Sept. 16, violinist, vocalist and composer Sami Abu Shumays hopes to introduce those classics and also lesser-known tunes to a new audience, when he brings his Arabic music ensemble ...

“Andalee” Nicole Owens, a professional Middle Eastern dance artist from Clovis, will host the Hot Raqs Belly Dancing Competition and Festival in the Clovis Veterans Memorial District on April 22 and ...

When Jamila Salimpour created the Bal Anat belly dance company to perform at the 1968 Northern California Renaissance Pleasure Faire in San Rafael, she was already a foundational figure in a style ...

A flyer and a simple “Do you like good music?” from a promoter led to an obsession. At the time, Rebecca Williams was 17 or 18 and went to a concert for a band she had never heard of, Beats Antique.

At first glance, Alia Mohamed’s Instagram account appears like a fantastical throwback, reminiscent of Middle Eastern record covers and black-and-white movies of the ’50s and ’60s. In one post, the ...

You are able to gift 5 more articles this month. Anyone can access the link you share with no account required. Learn more. JOSEPHINA GASCA performs a belly dance routine at Space Gallery in Portland ...

SEQUIM — Laura Samperi-Ferdig has been studying belly dance since she was 8 and teaching since she was 16. “Belly dance is one of the oldest known art forms,” she said. “Its true name is Raks Sharki ...

Shakira has claimed that she could belly dance from birth. The 'She Wolf' singer, who is famous for her dancing skills, said that she never had to learn to dance because the talent was in her blood.