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IMMORTAL DESIRES - A "dancical" in 19 scenes
BELLYDANCE EVOLUTION
Europe premiere in Hanover
by Marcel Bieger
INTRODUCTION
A spectre is haunting the world, and came also over Europe: A new form of dance theatre, and much better, for us at least, a new form of belly dance theatre. Shows with a concept, shows with a motto or shows with a focus on a certain genre – we have seen all of these already. Even world tours are not unheard of (just remember the “Bellydance Superstars”, who performed some years ago also in Germany;. But they were not yet real theatre.)
But since 2009 it has become true: “Belly Dance Evolution” is touring from continent to continent.
Report: Marcel Bieger
Photos and layout:
Konstanze Winkler
Img. BELLYDANCE EVOLUTION Poster © BELLYDANCE EVOLUTION
THE PERSONS
Like already mentioned we get half a dozen primary dancers and one complete dozen of support dancers (and some more people). The “primaries” are fixed and change only when one of them quits. Another case is the “supporters”, they are chosen from contests, which Jillina accomplishes on every continent in question. So you have an American, an Asian and an European group. They perform only on their home continent, in other words Jillina and her primary dancers work together with three (at the moment) different support groups.
For obvious reasons let’s stick to Europe (at least for this article). Here we had twelve support dancers. Which come from different European countries. Two of them come from Germany – Eliana from Offenbach and Shalymar from Berlin -, and in a later article we shall introduce these dancers in detail, and they will inform us how they came to the troupe (well, most of them … ) At this point it may be suffice to mention that Jillina comes around a lot in the world – and Europe is no exception – and she has seen many, many dancers perform. Here are the lucky twelve:
- Eliana und Shalymar from Germany
- Nelly from Greece
- Sarah Shahine from Italy
- Nabila from Austria
- Alba Hayal and Nefershu from Spain
- Badriyah, Eglal, Katka, Latifah from Czech Rep.
- Edit Kiss from Hungary
Also from Europe, from the Netherlands to be correct, comes Aisa Lafour, but she already danced with the others in the USA, and she is one of the primary dancers in Europe, she dances and acts as Peitho.
Eliana
Shalymar
Nelly
Sarah Shahine
Nabila
Alba Hayal
Aisa Lafour
Nefershu
Badriyah
Eglal
Edit Kiss
Latifah
Katka
And there is another exception to the rule, the European crew also went to Africa. Eight of the “supporters” went to Morocco, and the others came from the North African state.
The support dancers mostly dance in a group or chorus, and only at a few opportunities they dance a solo. Mostly they accompany the gods and goddesses, they are people, party guests, minions, warriors, Amazons or companions. For the story and for the dance scenes they are irreplaceable, and you see it in their faces, how proud they are to be part of this very special staging.
- Jillina as „Medusa“
- Heather Aued as „Persephone“
- Kaeshi as „Pandora“
- Louchia as „Aphrodite“
- Elizabeth Strong as „Thalia“
- Sharon Kihara as „Oracle“
And the three men:
- Ozzy as „Thor“
(he's no dancer but tabla drummer)
- Guram as „Loki“
- Zurab as „Apollo“
The primary dancers are
(with their character):
Jillina (Medusa)
Heather Aued (Persephone)
Kaeshi (Pandora)
Louchia (Aphrodite)
Elisabeth Strong (Thalia)
Sharon Kihara (Oracle)
Guram Buchukuri (Loki)
Ozzy (Thor)
Zurab Dudashvili (Apollo)
Guram Buchukuri and Zurab Dudashvili are both from the Caucasian Republic of Georgia and are members of the National Dance Company. They are not only excellent dancers, as Caucasians they are also masters of the so called “Cossack dances” with their wild jumps – and that they show in the performance more than once. Zurab got hurt while performing, and his dances were replaced by Guram (who played a dual role, unforgettable his one-man-sword-duel) and in the non-dance-part by Ozzy. – Another speciality in this troupe is Louchia, who was born and raised in Moldavia, a successor state of the former Soviet Union, sited near Rumania. Louchia lives nowadays in the USA, but she still nows how to put a certain Balkanese atmosphere and dance style into the show. Together with the Cossack dances her additives provide the show with a special flavour which lifts it high above any “ordinary” Oriental dance performance. .
The show in Hanover had another “supporter”, the international renowned tabla player Tiziano Ronchetti who sat in with Ozzy for the evening. And at the great final Sharon Kihara joined the two tabla drummers and extended the group to a trio.
One who is an expert in mythology, might raise his brow at the prospect that Greek and Nordic gods come together at the same time at the same place. But this story brings to us a very celestial level, where history, mythology and the likes have no longer any importance and everything is possible. This is a fantasy story, a fairy tale for grown ups, and fantasy as a theme has the big asset that logic is none of its premises.
Guram and Zurab from Georgia, Caucasus
Ozzy, Tiziano Ronchetti, Sharon Kihara
Director of dance and everything else is Jillina, and (to stay in the theatre picture) with her six primary and twelve support dancers enter the stage, and with them two male dancers and two drummers (at least this was the case in Europe).
It all started, where else, in the USA, where 2009 the world premiere of the dance play “Immortal Desires” came to life in Californian Los Angeles. At the beginning of 2010 the troupe toured on to New York City. From there they went to the Far East, to Tokyo, Japan, and then to Bali, Indonesia. And in spring it was Europe’s turn: 12th of March in Hanover, Germany, and 14th of March in Budapest, Hungary. And at the beginning of June, even Africa became its share: BDE danced in Morocco, in Casablanca and in Rabat. Not tired yet, the show returns to the US in summer, the next stops are Los Angeles, Ca. (August) and Washington, D.C. (October). In December it’s again the Far East, BDE will visit Taiwan.
One might notice the different breaks between the performances. The reason for this is mainly that the world tour is neither terminated geographically nor limited in time. Whilst performing here, they are already negotiating there. And through the grapevine you hear that Europe is again on the agenda in 2011. We do hope it will be Germany or at least West Europe, amongst others of course. So let’s just assume that they will be around next year!!!
That Belly Dance Evolution came to Germany and started its Europe premiere in Hanover, is mainly the merits of Hanover-based Asmahan el Zein, one of the most daring German promoters. “Immortal Desires” is not a low cost show, and you have to be of a spezial promoter’s brand to act not with safety as a dominating imperative. Asmahan embedded the Belly Dance Evolution in her festival series “World of Orient”, which was held this year for the eleventh time. Here she has hosted half of the dance world over the years, and you have to take a very good look to find another ambiente so fittingly for “Immortal desires” like the Hanoverian “World of Orient”.
