Authentic Belly Dancing Entertainment and Academy

Blog #16: Zeyna Moving around – 1972-1977-1982 Meets Aida

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I had the opportunity to go Las Vegas and work in a motel lounge that was at that time across from the Hacienda. Sorry, I can’t recall the name, but there I met Antoine Hage. He was an excellent Oud player originally from Lebanon. After a few short months I went to San Diego with him and met his beautiful family. I worked there another few short months and returned to Detroit. Not long after I went back to Minnesota and went brain dead again and got married. I worked “George’s in Fridley” Greek night club every winter for 5 years and “Nicholas” for a year. There I gained a life long friend and dancer MaryKaye Piazza.

1977-Divorced, back on the road to Chicago, Detroit, Denver, San Diego (where I worked with Antoine again).

Denver, I met a really good dancer named Valerie and in back again in Detroit another great dancer, Rheema. And finally, San Francisco, CA. which was the nightmare of my entire career that I will pass on telling. What I will tell you is that one beautiful thing did come out of that miserable time a year later back in Detroit. Aida approached me at a party I was doing. She remembered me and we talked about what happened and still joke about it. Just a note, she had nothing to do with the event. Since, we have become life long friends. Her talents never cease to amaze me. She sings in Arabic, sings opera, has a masters on piano, plays any reed instrument, her ability to play different cymbal patterns are incredible and, as a dancer she is a master technician with all the “Chutzpah” to go with it. She is an encyclopedia of information and a loving caring giving person. If you ever have a chance to study with her, you would be blessed.

Blog #14: Zeyna goes to Chicago

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Love ruins a lot of things. When your hormones kick in your brain quits. Alas, I fell in love and left for Minnesota. Needless to say, they are a lot of stories between what I write here, so I went home to Mama and reflected a lot on what I had learned. New York was music, dance, costuming & cultures. Puerto Rico was real entertainment, costumes, makeup, public relations.

Still, looking back I have to reference a few personal opinions. I worked with many, many musicians and some absolutely excellent but for me during those years the best Oud player that I personally worked with that was helpful and kind and always kept my back was Dicky Barsamian. He is still working in New York and is on you tube and has some CD’s. His Cd (The Dick Barsamian Trio). Live at the Tripple Inn has the best “Karsilama” I ever heard. The taxim is incredible.

Another favorite musician is Sudan (or Souren) Baronian. An Armenian born in New Jersey that plays sax and clarinet or anything else he can put his lips to, A jazz lover that plays Mid Eastern rhythms to jazz. He is also on you tube. My favorite CD is (Taxim-It’s about time) Try dancing on it!

I called a talent agency and went on the road mostly around Wisconsin and Illinois working week-ends here and there that had night club acts. The pay was very good especially for those years, 2 nights, $200. I ended up finally in Chicago. I worked every club there at the time and had the honor of working with “Dahlena” and “Iklas ” (Iklas was a phenomenal
entertainer and the first dancer I saw using a cape. Iklas used (rock glasses, not shot glasses) during her act and —–When I started teaching Neenah, I told her I would teach her from my memories. Some things I couldn’t personally do, but I could explain and get her to do them. This is how we came up with the shot glass idea!). “Dahlena” and “Iklas” were the only 2 dancers that had impressed me since I left New York and both of them were beautiful ladies on and off stage.

Blog #12: Zeyna goes to Cleveland

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Greek nightclubs were popping up all over the country and experienced dancers were in demand. John Angelou told me they needed a dancer in Cleveland and they were paying $40 dollars a night. A lot of dancers from the Ave. started coming back and forth from other cities and I thought I’d give it a shot.

“The Forty Thieves” was the first club I worked. Funny, I was in Cleveland but the club was on Detroit Ave. Karma? Fate? Who was the star there? OZEL TURKBAS! The very first dancer I had ever seen and she was so nice and pleasant to work with and a true pro. They did not have a drummer and she loved solo’s so thanks to Sabah and my experience’s in New York I was able to play for her show and give her a half ass ed solo. I then moved to the “Grecian Gardens” where I found out that I had to be a member of AGVA, American Guild of Variety Artists or, I could not work there, I joined. From there I went to “The Athenian”. When that job finished I got another offer to work another supper club called “Mr. Grapevines” but they were not AGVA. I needed the work, AGVA came in and told me I would be black balled if I took one step on the stage, I was black balled. After that I worked a number of American clubs, “The Red Carpet Inn” “The Thunderbird Lounge” and a few other places. Ever hear the expression “Break A Leg?” That comes from AGVA, because it was the only thing they paid for. They still exist!

One morning I got a call from Eddy Kochak. He wanted to know if I was available to work in Puerto Rico, the pay was $50 a night, free room in the hotel and half off anything I ate or drank. I was packed and on the next plane. A year in Cleveland
was enough. In this article they spelled Ozel and Zeyna wrong but hey, it was the
first time I was “in the news”

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

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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!)

Neenah Loves her Belly Dancing Teacher, Zeyna: Zeyna was Neenah’s Belly Dancing Teacher who Opened the Amazing Doors to the World of Belly Dancing.

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Zeyna always had a beautiful smile when she performed. The audience adored her!
I met Zeyna back in the late 1980’s when she was performing at the Goldfinger in Dallas, Texas. My husband and I went to dinner and saw her amazing show. We were so impressed by her show. She had stage presence, a classy aura, beautiful gold and black costume, performed the best floor-work I have ever seen, and great audience participation. The audience loved her! I was so impressed when she came to our table afterwards and introduced herself with that beautiful smile. She was classy on-stage and off-stage, meticulously dressed in an evening gown and her make-up and nails were absolutely perfect. All I was thinking was that I wish I could be a belly dancer like her. By the end of the night, my husband nudged me several times to go and ask her if she teaches belly dancing classes. Back in the 80’s belly dancing classes were very limited. I told her I loved her floor and wanted to know if she would help me with mine. In her Midwestern accent, she asked me if I knew how to do the splits. I sheepishly said “no.” She continues to say to me, “You look like a straight decent kid, you have a nice husband, good family and you are in school.” [Note: I was a stay at home mom and at that time our 3 daughters were 3,2 and 1 years old. They also got to know Zeyna. She taught them how to be strong swimmers]. After a long pause, she says “Yeah, I will teach you, but I am very picky about who I teach to, so you gotta listen to me and pay attention ..”___Was I in for a big surprise. Zeyna has spent years with me since then, drilling in my mind the importance of costuming, make-up, stage presence and the audience and still coaches me today about the world of Belly Dancing. The up and coming BLOGS will describe her belly dancing career, specifically in New York where she was re-known and referred to as “Gypsy.” The BLOGS will also follow with the amazing Belly Dancers who influenced her belly dancing performance and molded her dancing career. I can’t wait to share.