 Hello hello to my belly dance community! Some of you may have heard the buzz about this RakasaFit thing I’ve been up to. For me, belly dance has always been a universal movement practice that brings physical, emotional, mental, and social well-being. At the same time, in recent years I’ve also returned to practicing other forms of fitness and dance. This has yielded great results and ignited my exploration into how other core fitness elements can strengthen belly dance movement quality! RakasaFit is a deep core fitness workout that incorporates the essentials of belly dance, and I’ve spent a lot of time and care researching and developing it.
What is your weekly fitness routine? Fitness is vital for all of us. As dancers, our bodies are an artistic instrument that must be well tuned. For belly dancers, a good workout that includes belly dance is probably ideal, and probably most fun! All other dance and movement arts require routine practice of the basics, whether novice or professional. We too must drill the essential moves while fully extending through the spine to maintain our belly dance movement quality. Thus, RakasaFit serves as a foundation for our many diverse artistic applications! But more, this integration with other core fitness elements also serves to attract fitness enthusiasts of all kinds to belly dance. It becomes a funnel for new interest and a source of new students for all of our classes! RakasaFit provides a consistent format that enables people to develop movement proficiency, and a gateway to explore the many artistic avenues of belly dance. As many of you know, I’ve taught these artistic avenues for over a decade. However, with my focus on RakasaFit, I am now offering this only on an occasional basis through special workshops and private lessons. So hey, TEACHERS, for the most part I am referring those who want to explore belly dance further to all of you!! Sound like a win-win? Currently, classes take place at a lovely studio inside Alive Juice Bar in Shoreline at 20226 Ballinger Way, and sometimes at Mercer Island Community Center. Both locations are easy to access from Seattle and the eastside, and have free parking. Check the RakasaFit page for dates and how to register. Thank you for your continued support, let me know if you have questions, and I hope to see you in class!
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 Dear Community, Last December we announced Teatro ZinZanni as the new home of Belly Dance Off in 2017. After six years of touring, this was a brilliant occurrence! The unique multidimensional configuration of this event had always made finding the right venue a challenge. The stars had aligned. The opportunity for dancers had never been greater – featured in Teatro ZinZanni’s prestigious venue with a live band, captured by professional photo and video, and receiving excellent feedback to accelerate one’s talent while building connections with new audiences. We have been hard at work reconfiguring the new two-show format. The web pages are up-to-date and we are completely ready to accept 2017 performer applications. But the story has taken a turn. In January of this year, the sale of the land that Teatro ZinZanni has called home for 10 years was finalized. We were hopeful this would not affect our 2017 Belly Dance Off show dates; unfortunately, it has. Teatro ZinZanni has been actively working to find a solution, putting in their own bid to purchase the land and subsequent negotiations to remain on the site during the new owner’s permitting process, But Teatro ZinZanni now finds itself searching for a new home.
Teatro ZinZanni is the extraordinary entity it is today because it has persevered through such challenges before, and will do so again. Similarly, in the six years of Belly Dance Off, these challenges are nothing new. We exist today only because we’ve blazed through times exactly like these. Sometimes though, it’s time to surrender, look at the sky, and change course. Belly Dance Off will continue to manifest in some form, place, and time. Perhaps one big “Belly Dance Off Champion Hall of Fame” show later in 2017, featuring all champions…perhaps. And likely we’ll be back on track with the new competition format in 2018. We’re also exploring television distribution. Now hey, wouldn’t that be exciting! Meanwhile, me and the S&F production team have been working hard on a new stage show, “Cinderella – A Global Story,” an original live music world dance theatre production exploring the many versions of the Cinderella story across the globe. We’ll be rolling out details very soon, and you’re all invited to our free show this summer! So be sure to stay connected with all that and the future of Belly Dance Off, and more, by joining the email list HERE. You can also follow planetsuzanna on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. The many epic, historic, and gorgeous moments of Belly Dance Off will continue to be posted on the Facebook page, as well as updates when they occur. Enjoy! And thank you again for your essential support. – Suzanna Davis, Artistic Director, Host, and Founder  Suzanna hosting Belly Dance Off at Teatro ZinZanni - photo by Drumroll Studios  Belly Dance Off at Teatro ZinZanni  Belly Dance Off at Teatro ZinZanni, picturing Suzanna as host with live music by House of Tarab Dear Community,
Thank you for your ongoing and vital support of this innovative production. In a world of changes and against so many odds, this event has not only sustained and persevered, but evolved beyond imagination! Since founding in 2010, BELLY DANCE OFF has held 23 events in 8 venues across 3 cities, with over 8 spotlights in local and international media. Each event has featured a different mix of dancers, musicians, and judges, with a relentless focus on theatrical quality, entertainment, and widespread audience engagement. I thank the incredible community for championing the spirit of this event and supporting these accomplishments! Through your many forms of participation – whether backstage or onstage, as a competitor, judge, sponsor, or more – you have kept the flame alive and strong. It is now time to take the next step in our evolution. Our years of touring throughout different venues have been an incredible opportunity to hone event management skills and expand ties across communities. Yet experiencing this show in Teatro ZinZanni Seattle in 2016, we’ve witnessed the core vision truly come life – as if it were made for the place! Thus, Teatro ZinZanni will be the new home of BELLY DANCE OFF in 2017!!! In addition, there are a number of changes to the format. Since 2010, BELLY DANCE OFF has been held 4-5 times each year – 3-4 preliminary rounds plus a championship. Beginning in 2017, BELLY DANCE OFF will take place in 2 events per year – one Open round plus a Championship. The Belly Dance Off Open will take place on June 17th with six competitors. From this event, three dancers will advance to the Championship on October 21st, and compete for the trophy, title, and other prizes. With this consolidation, there are several notable format changes:
With these changes, the distinguishing values of BELLY DANCE OFF are nonetheless preserved – participating dancers can still grow and hone their talents in response to judge feedback between the events, we maintain focus on audience engagement, and we are still 100% live music! Consolidating to two events per year also means even greater focus on quality. Additional enhancements are on the horizon and exciting possibilities are in store! Thank you for growing with us. And more, thank you for supporting artistic innovation! We look forward to many phenomenal years ahead. – Suzanna Davis Artistic Director, Host, and Founder  A huge thank you to EVERYONE for another incredible Belly Dance Off! Please know how important the involvement of each and every one of you is to this event and project. During my training in Cairo I had the opportunity to see this art form at its best -- on big stages with full orchestras. After each trip I’d return to my restaurant gigs in Seattle with recorded music, no stage, and generally no lights or announcement. Wanting more for this art form, for myself and my colleagues, and for the next generation, I created Belly Dance Off. The incredible musicians of our genre living right here in our region were also among the reasons why this project seemed urgent. I could no longer stand by passively and let the opportunity to present our dance with them languish.
By attending and participating, you have all invested in this, and you are why this event exists today, now in its 5th year. Thank you audience, volunteers and sponsors, judges, dancers, tech support, photographers and videographers, and MB Orchestra! A beautiful diversity of dancers ages 11-50 laid their heART on the stage at Round 1 -- Ashimiyat, Sunniva, Maia, Jennifer, Ava Raqs, Giselle, Rishi, Nancy, and Mellilah! Congratulations Mellilah (Pro) and Ashimiyat (Rising Star) for your win and we look forward to your performance at the Grand Championship this November! All dancers gave winning performances and are in fact winners for the personal best they achieved. Likewise, I do my best to make each BELLY DANCE OFF better and better, based on lessons learned from the previous. I am profoundly impressed with how much has been accomplished with almost no budget and no staff. BELLY DANCE OFF receives no arts funding and has grown and thrived exclusively from your involvement and attendance! Thank you for your help as we strive to bring more and more new people to enjoy this magical dance and music!  I hope you’re enjoying many great memories of your 2014. Certainly there are the struggles, but always much to be grateful for. My communications often look forward, focusing on upcoming events in the near future. Here I take a moment to reflect back and recount the highlights of 2014, hoping some were shared with you! In January, Olympic College kicked off the first of several cultural education events in which I arranged multiple artists. These are a wonderful opportunity to connect cabaret belly dance to a broader historical context and share many other less familiar but equally spectacular styles from North Africa and the Middle East. Then there was the first round of Belly Dance Off in February, featuring House of Tarab with belly dance expert judges Tamalyn Dallal and Mirabai, and Tim Gonzalez-Wiler of Teatro ZinZanni. This round yielded Rising Star finalist Sunniva and Pro finalist Laura Rose. Ooooo, and speaking of February, how can I forget that Valentine’s Gala I illuminated with flashing blinking lights on head and hands. March featured excerpts from my production Cinderella – An Egyptian Story at Open Space for Arts & Community, in which I was joined by bands House of Tarab, Avaaza, and more than eight spectacular dancers. April featured one of my sillier surprise birthday party performances in which I was hired to appear in a corporate office during lunch hour and embarrass the manager. Mission accomplished! In May we took Belly Dance Off to Portland, Oregon, featuring Ritim Egzotik with judges Sedona, Nemra Khan, and Erik Brown. This second round yielded finalists Rising Star finalist Emily Sitara and Pro finalist Violetta! May was also when I joined Forge Dance Theatre, marking my new chapter as a dance artist – full integration of all forms I’ve trained in! June was filled with delightful performances at summer parties and new adventures with Seattle International Dance Festival (SIDF) – a roaming dance and drum performance at Art on the Fly in which Suzanna & Friends “serenaded” a Starbucks, and a “dancer and oud” stage showcase with Stephen Elaimy in Spotlight on Seattle. I am excited to have the director of SIDF, Cyrus Khambatta, join the judge panel of Belly Dance Off in Round 1 of 2015!  May was also when I joined Forge Dance Theatre, marking my new chapter as a dance artist – full integration of all forms I’ve trained in! June was filled with delightful performances at summer parties and new adventures with Seattle International Dance Festival (SIDF) – a roaming dance and drum performance at Art on the Fly in which Suzanna & Friends “serenaded” a Starbucks, and a “dancer and oud” stage showcase with Stephen Elaimy in Spotlight on Seattle. I am excited to have the director of SIDF, Cyrus Khambatta, join the judge panel of Belly Dance Off in Round 1 of 2015! In July I encountered one of my most joyful moments of 2014 – training high school youth on Middle Eastern dance improvisation and choreography for a Seattle Public Theatre production of Arabian Nights. Veils, expressive hands, and shimmies for the young women and a dabke inspired choreography for the young men which I developed by repeating the question, “What would Reda do?” Working with these youth was a tremendous joy I am determined to carry into 2015. I’ve never worked with such open human beings, so ready to absorb the depths of fun and creativity. This note from one of the teens says it all: “Thank you so much for teaching us Arabian dance styles! Not only is it super fun in the play, but I'm probably going to just dance like that to any kind of music for a little while…” August and September brought more outdoor parties and lasting memories, like the one where I climbed a treehouse and danced on top, or that sublime gala at Dumas Bay I performed with guest artists Mellilah, Erik Brown, and Stephen Elaimy. A big August highlight for me was watching my students Angie, Seyi, and Doreen perform with MB Orchestra at Harissa. The big event of September was Round 3 of Belly Dance Off, featuring MB Orchestra and judges Delilah, Mish Mish, and Philip Borunda. This yielded Rising Star finalist Amber and Pro finalist Nazaneen! The following morning I yanked myself out of bed at 7am to perform the Arts Crush Rush showcase at Seattle Center, joined by Tracy Helming, Mellilah, Azar, and Nafiah to represent a spectrum of styles. And to think I was supposed to dial it down in 2014 to focus on my manager position at an arts agency. In October came the debut of Forge Dance Theatre, performing our tormented “Discordia” in a unique festival, Waking Persephone. Now we’re blazing into 2015 with all six choreographies at GAZING WEST together with an amazing array of guests in film, poetry, music, painting, and other media. The show is February 28th at Langston Hughes Performing Arts. Be sure to get tickets now. I’ll be celebrating my birthday that night afterward! Too much excitement for one night!! Now back to October 2014… Ah yes, there was also that show at Tulalip Casino accompanied by Janelle Bel Isle in which I choreographed jazz/hip hop to a Native American band featuring rapper, Komplex Kai. Yes, what a wild year it’s been. My shows at Marrakesh Moroccan Restaurant have become a safe haven where I can be “just” a belly dancer.  Photo by Drumroll Studios The first of November opened with the big Belly Dance Off 2014 Grand Championship, featuring House of Tarab and judges Elisa Gamal, Sabura, and Shannon Knauss. Laura Rose from round 1 (Pro Category) and Amber from round 3 (Rising Star Category) scored the magnificent trophies, tiaras, and titles! In December, my students and I closed an excellent year of weekly Core Belly Dance Workout classes. Since then, my prayers of less adventure and more practice time have been answered. In addition to my focus on the Forge choreographies by Trish Kitiera Morehead, I am developing a dance poetry solo to the prose of Maged Zaher. I’m also looking forward to a fantastic NYE show with MB Orchestra! Each week is filled with dance training across multiple styles, making me feel stronger and more present than ever before. Now when asked what I do, I no longer say “belly dancer.” I say “dancer.”
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