Raks Spooki: A Night of Gothic Belly Dance October 8, 2006

Just in time for Halloween, join New England's pioneers of Gothic belly dance in a showcase at the Regent Theatre, 7 Medford Street, Arlington, MA at 7pm on Sunday, October 8, 2006. If the 90-year-old historic vaudeville theatre wasn’t haunted before Raks Spooki, it will certainly be after by the beauty and passion of darkly dramatic dancers from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Connecticut, Vermont and Rhode Island. In Arabic, belly dance is referred to as “raks sharki,” or “dance of the east”; we will be performing “raks spooki,” or dance of the spirits. Tickets are $16.50 and are available through the Regent Theatre box office (781-646-4849 or http://www.regenttheatre.com/ ).

Gothic Belly Dance, or “Raks Gothique,” merges the styling of the Gothic or “Goth” subculture of the last few decades with the beautiful expression of Middle Eastern Dance. Many of the major founders in the Gothic music scene and its subgenres have long fused Western music with the sounds of India and the Middle East, and so the subsequent fusion of Gothic music and belly dance movement has been a natural progression. Guest artists Tempest and Ariellah of California will be the featured performers for the evening, along with Medusa Maidens, Lotus Moon, Zingari East, Phoenix Avathar, Sabrina, Tribal Storm, Aepril Schaile, the Cumaen Sybil, Desideria, Karina Khan, Paloma, Shroud, Morgana, Lizz Judge, Neylan, Sephina, Nepenthe, Lilymoonstorm and Badriya. Vendors of gothic and belly dance accoutrements will be selling clothing, costuming and jewelry for the aspiring gothic belly dancer. This event is the first of its kind in New England, and is held in conjunction with Gothic belly dance workshops taught by Tempest and Ariellah from noon to 5pm on October 8. For details and registration information, visit http://users.rcn.com/badriya/raksspooki.html.

Guest artist Tempest is an artist, designer, dancer, and writer currently based in the Bay Area of California. She is most well-known for her Gothic Belly Dance performances and instruction, and along with Ariellah is featured on the DVD “Gothic Bellydance: The Darker Side of Fusion” and is set to release “Bellydance for Beautiful Freaks,” an instructional DVD, this fall. She is currently touring the US teaching and performing. With ancestral roots in Morocco, Ariellah’s style reflects her personal interpretation of tribal fusion belly dance, which blends the darker side of Middle Eastern, American Tribal Style and cabaret belly dance with Indian and Flamenco influences, while embracing a modern San Francisco flavor. Badriya, the event organizer, has been performing both traditional Arabic belly dance and less traditional Gothic belly dance in the Boston area since 2001.

Official Website: http://users.rcn.com/badriya/raksspooki.html