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Charles'
dance background starts in High school modern dance classes in 1972.
At the University Utah he took a few more modern dance classes, and
a few years of non-majors Ballet (Alexandria of Zarandeo was in these
same ballet classes.) He started bellydance classes in the Summer of
1977 at the U of U. He has danced in an amateur modern dance group,
a folk dance group, and a few Oriental dance groups.
Over the years,
He has performed at some small events in the West, and the Mid-West
United States. Currently he is taking Flamenco classes (from Solange
Gomes) and they will be performing this summer.
His interest include
dance, bellydance, and playing musical instruments especially Middle
Eastern instruments, including the Doumbec. He works with organizing
the ConDuit Science Fiction Convention, and is in charge of the bellydancing
at this event. His intermediate level class is a performance level group,
and they have been learning choreographies they can do for public performances.
"I characterize
dance in a similar way as I do the music. An Egyptian cabaret type music
I think of as being performed in an upright, fast hip, with lots of
down type accents. I have been trained in Utah, with a strong West coast
Jamilla school type style. (My teachers such as Nushaba, Sonya, Kismet,
Aziz(from a quite a while ago) all west coast Jamilla type teachers.
My class performances tend to have a "Light Rain" and "Desert Wind"
sort of music, which I call "American Belly Dance music"." -Charles
His performances tend
to use a lot of props (sword, cane, cape), and floor work in what he considers
to be an "American" style. In his classes, he bases the basics on the
West coast / Jamilla school. (step hips, undulations / Arabics, Mayas,
figure 8's). Charles' personal and class choreographies are also quite
modern.
-background provided
by Charles
-photo by Amanda
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