Zoraida I guess is probably my fondest memory from those years. Very infrequently Buckus “owner of the Britania” would let us come off stage and talk to someone we knew at the bar but always on alert for anyone from the Cabaret Licensing Board. This one night Kazar came in and said, Hey Gyps, you should see the “faukin” (New York common slang) dancer up in the Egyptian Gardens. She’s hot shit and her “faukin” zills (finger cymbals) are “faukin” dynamite. She’s up there with those “faukin” Turkish witches and kickin ass. Too funny! Well he was right, she kicked ass. Exotic & Powerful with “faukin” zills stronger then I had ever heard, with her own individual style. Talk about dancing to your own beat! She was born in Puerto Rico with Aztec origins, raised in New York. She had that FLAMINGO FLARE oozing from every PASSIONATE-EXOTIC pore in her body. A new concept for me, her dancing had passion. She was the first & only dancer that I could FEEL her raw passion. She was an orchid among roses.
Blog #9 Journey with Zeyna: Jemela Omar at the Round Table in New York on the East Side on 50th
There was a club “on the east side on 50th.” called The Round Table. I heard Morocco was dancing
there and wanted to see her. The club was very up scale, valet parking etc. Alright, I
saved some money and went. What ever———I walked out of there and felt like going
home and shooting myself. I had a great ear and sense of rhythm, no formal dance
back round, but I did pride myself on being a great gymnast. Jemela was introduced not
Morocco, I cannot remember anything after that, she blew my mind and confidence. Again!
Think about doing a back bend undulating all the way down, then kneeling on one leg, the
other extended, in a back bend and pivoting at the same time. GEEZZ! Do you have any idea what power that takes? I honestly do not remember if Morocco was there that night or not.
Jemela was classy, powerful powerful powerful. A lot of Ballet training and put my
gymnastic abilities under the carpet. What a woman, what a entertainer, such class.
She danced in Beirut, Lebanon and on Broadway in N.Y. She also traveled with the
Broadway show Zorba the Greek. She is a legion personified.
We are still friends and she is still absolutely powerfully beautiful.
Blog #7 Journey with Zeyna to New York: Photos at the Britania 1960’s: Panayotis (Pete) Haliyannis, John Angelou, Costas Stavastakis, Princess Nyeela, Athena and Zeyna
Top sitting is Athena/to her right clarinet, still one of Greece’s top -Panayotis (Pete) Haliyannis
Bottom left, another top Bouzouki player John Angelou, singer
I don’t remember but middle is famous Turkish dancer Princess Nyeela,
Far right famous clarinet Costas Stavastakis. I can’t swear to the correct spelling.( We SAT!)
Book the Harem Jewels for your Special Father’s Day Event
Give your Father the ultimate gift: Entertainment from “The Harem Jewels” for a fun and festive memorable moment. They are Dallas’ Favorite Belly Dancers and are ready to entertain for your Special Father’s Day Event. The third Sunday in June is Dad’s time. Contrary to what some cynics contend, this holiday was not the invention of a greeting card company – commercial greeting cards as we know them didn’t even exist when Sonora Smart Dodd thought up Father’s Day in 1909. The Harem Jewels are a special treat for a Father’s Day Event. In the event you cannot be there, we will deliver the special message for you and a special jewel to him as a token.
Blog #6: Zeyna speaks about Marlena, Premier New York Belly Dancer in the 1960’s
In the entrance to the Britania, in New York, was a 6 foot picture “not this one” of this Prima Ballerina Marlena from Brazil that I would later meet and work with in Chicago and later continue our friendship here in Houston. She died here in Houston in a car accident in the late 70’s. I will always remember her finale. She would go into a fast spin, lift one foot up to her knee and finish the last 5 to 6 spins, spinning on one foot, then gently curtsy. Damn!