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Meet
some of our inactive and former members: Life
takes us on many journeys. These members have moved on to new towns,
new pursuits, or just a new style of dance, but they leave us with many
warm memories. And, sometimes, come visit us now and again!
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Jaleila, Katiyja, Diana ~ Founding Mothers
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Jaleila saw
her first Middle Eastern style dancers in
several
movies popular at the time when she was 11 or 12 years old. She loved
the
music and the mystique suggested by the dancers. When she saw
“Scheherazade”
her interest solidified.
Jaleila took her first classes through the YWCA in San Bruno,
California in 1973 studying with Nakish, a very energetic and dramatic
dancer. After arriving in Juneau in 1974 she was unable to find any
classes until 1976 when Jaleila learned about classes being taught by
Odette Foster and began studying with her.
Jaleila’s first workshop experience was with Jamila &
Suhaila Salimpour at their week long event in San Francisco. While
there she was able to meet the musicians of the Emerald Nights, and was
also privileged to see the wonderful drummer Mary Ellen MacDonald, as
well as Boston’s George Abdo and his orchestra perform live
as part of the workshop.
Jaleila has also attended workshops in Seattle and Yakima, Washington
(where she taught a cane/veil workshop) and she has danced and taken
workshops at “Rakassah” in Richmond, California
where she had the opportunity to study with many nationally and
internationally known dancers.
As one the founding members of The Daughters of the New Moon Jaleila
has loved the camaraderie and fun she’s experienced over the
years. It’s been challenging, too! Katijya and Diana loved
to change her position in
a group routine right before we went on stage!
One benefit of
performing Jaleila didn’t expect… once petrified
of public speaking she can
now do so with little or no nervousness!
Katiyja
saw her first Middle Eastern style dancer at
Zorba the Greek’s in
Sacramento, CA and knew she had to learn this dance. She first began
taking classing in 1976 through Juneau Community Schools with Dorie
Swanson
and later with Odette Foster. She expanded her studies to Jamila
Suhaila
Salimpour’s week long workshop in San Francisco where classes
were also
taught by Aida.
Later Katiyja studied with Badawia, Amir, Delilah, Dahlena, Bert
Baladine, Beatta Zadow, Samisha, and Morocco, as well as many others
and had the chance to meet the musicians of Emerald Nights as well as
see
George Abdo’s orchestra perform live. Katiyja took private
lessons from
Jodette in Sacramento, who turned out to be the instructor of that
first
dancer she had seen years before!
Katiyja has performed nationally and internationally: throughout
Southeast Alaska, Seattle, Portland, Yakima, San Francisco, Boise,
Whitehorse, the Caribbean, London. She has performed at Rakassah, at
Fantasia, on
cruise ships and the Alaska ferries, in gymnasiums, bowling alleys,
private
clubs and lodges, saloons, private homes, gardens, beaches, hotels,
civic
centers, and in the Office of the Governor of the State of Alaska!
Katiyja began teaching for Juneau Community Schools in 1981 with Diana
Ground. In 1999 she added a small dance studio to her home where she
continues to teach and the troupe meets to rehearse. As CEO
of The Daughters of the New Moon she encourages and assists troupe
members in seeking a wide variety of instructors and says, “I
encourage my dancers to recognize their own beauty and talent, make
lasting friendships and
expand their horizons through this dance.”
Still an active member of the troupe as CEO, choreograher, art
director, and stage manager, Katiyja retired from publicly performing
with the troupe in 2010.
Diana
began her career as a belly dancer,
teacher, and troupe co-leader when
she was quite
young. When Diana was about 7 or 8 she and her sister took a
“Ballet-Tap-Acrobatics” class. For the
annual recital, the class did the Oriental Dance number from the
Nutcracker Suite. They had satin harem pants and vests, a
little cap with a chiffon veil, and they even had cardboard finger
cymbals
painted silver. They were probably as awful as any first year
children’s
dance class, but Diana loved her outfit and thought the whole event was
wonderful. Unfortunately, she and her sister
couldn’t continue with ballet classes so Diana’s
budding career was stalled for a time. In junior high school
she was involved in a teenage folk dance group and continued with it
through high school.
When Diana moved to Juneau in 1972 there was no Juneau Folk Ensemble or
any bellydancing. Then, in the late 70’s,
Community Schools offered a beginning bellydance class so she signed
up. After the first class, she went out, bought one of the
two bellydance records in town, and purchased fabric for her first set
of harem pants. She was hooked!!!
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Be'ahuvi
began Middle Eastern dancing with the Washington-based touring troupe
Ye Merrie Greenwoode Gypsie Dancers (aka The Bare Naked
Bellies) in 1997. She has studied a variety of international
and
fusion dance forms including Cabaret, Rom, Turkish, Bungara, African,
and
Tribal.
In 2005, Be'ahuvi was awarded a grant from Alaska State Council on the
Arts to study Middle Eastern Music and Dance in Turkey. The tour
leaders then honored her with a full scholarship to study at the
intensive Middle Eastern Music and Dance Camp in Mendocino, California.
Be'ahuvi chose her name, Hebrew for "to my beloved", to celebrate
her heritage and her marriage in August 2006. She is further blessed to
have become stepmother to two beautiful girls. And then new
mother to a wonderful baby boy.
She moved to Washington, and continued to expand
her dancing skills learning
new folklore styles and taking them with a troupes on world tour! |
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Latifa
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Latifa began with square
dancing in Juneau, Alaska in 1985 and later took up round dancing, then
western dancing and line dancing. One style led to another and before
you
know it, here comes Middle Eastern dancing.
With encouragement from her step-daughter Kalirah, Latifa began taking
lessons in Middle Eastern dance with Katiyja and Diana in May 2002,
later
continuing with her first workshop with Amaya that was sponsored by
Daughters
of the New Moon. When first taking lessons, performing with the troupe
was
not even a consideration for Latifa. But the dance is addictive and by
June
2003 she was performing with the troupe at every available opportunity.
She is working on the next generation of bellydancers with two of her
granddaughters that want to practice with her every time they come to
visit. Of course,
they love to "make outfits" from grandma's scraps and use her zills.
She stepped up in 2009 to help govern as troupe president, though her
reign was
shortened to 2010 when she moved away from Juneau.
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Shadiyah |
Shadiyah was
born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska, and started taking Middle Eastern
Dance lessons with Josetta in 1987. She apparently had a
knack for it, as within a few months she was performing professionally
both as a musician and company dancer with Josetta &
Company. Her first public solo performance with the troupe
was at the opening of the Anchorage Center for the Performing Arts in
1989.
After moving to Juneau, Shadiyah joined the Daughters of the New Moon
in 1996, and has performed with the troupe ever since. Over
the years, she has expanded her repertoire through workshops and
independent study, and has choreographed several group and solo
dances. More recently, she has branched into designing and
creating unique dance costumes for herself and others, which she enjoys
showcasing in performances.
Shadiyah first
had the opportunity to teach dance in Anchorage
in 1993, and discovered that she loved it. She has since been
teaching beginning classes and provides some private instruction.
Founding member of and currently dancing and drumming with Noodle of
Doum
in Juneau. |
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