The Belly Dance Historian’s Tool Box

The hosts of the Bellydance Bundle 2023 invited me back!

Thank You!  I’m grateful for your continued support of my work and the excellent workshop reviews.  It is such a privilege to join a list of my heroes and colleagues.  They span the spectrum of dance from ethnographic to American Cabaret through all the nuances that fusion offers.

This year, I’m sharing the nuts and bolts of research in “The Belly Dance Historian’s Tool Box.”  In this history slide talk, I’m going to share all of my strategies for engaging in historical research.  This workshop contains time-tested and proven methods for archival research. It will help you work more efficiently.  

No matter if you’re writing a blog post, a college paper, or working on your next history book, you will find this talk invaluable. 

And there is so much more!

Click through to check out the amazing lineup of participating dance performers, teachers, scholars, and thought leaders. I’m thrilled to join you not only for my own talk but taking many of these other dance classes and lectures.  

This is one of my favorite events of the year!
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
October 5, 2023

PS – Be sure to pick up your free eBook, “Figuring out What to Practice and Implementing It”  just sign up for emails and get notified of events coming up in the next few weeks including giveaways, Instagram challenges, podcasts, and more.  

 

 

During the kitschy mid-20th century spy films, you can often spot belly dancers.  The absurdist comedy “The Last of the Secret Agents,” one of the many James Bond spoofs of the era.  Towards the end of the film, our heroes find themselves in “Zoltans,” and the action of the film pauses for a belly dance interlude. The dancer is the lovely Aida Fries, who performed throughout the Sothern California area in the 1970s. By the time I arrived, she was just a legend.  

Enjoy this vintage belly dance clip,
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
Oct. 2023

Fanoos Magazine – Fall 2023

For the fall quarter of 2023, Fanoos Digital Magazine chose the theme of troupes!  To fit the theme, I went into my archive to locate some of my favorite historical illustrations and photos of dance groups.  But rather than repeat the article, click here or on the image below to check it out!

I hope you enjoy the images I selected for the piece,
Dawn Devine ~ Davina

 

 

Today is my BIRTHDAY!

Let’s all have fun taking another sail around the sun!  If you would like to give me the BEST gift ever, click through the video above to the YouTube website watch my 8-minute studio update, and give it a thumbs up!

This will directly impact my YouTube stats, and help me reach the “Partner” level with watch time.  Getting to this level means that I will have access to more features and tools behind the scenes.

Thank you for all the continued support of my zany little business. If you buy a book, take a class, or even just thumbs-up a YouTube video, you help me pay for this blog and my ongoing historical research.

I simply couldn’t do it without you!
Thank you so very much,
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
Sept. 6, 2023

Prop-A-Palooza, Online Dance Showcase
Sept. 23, 2023, at 7 pm Central
hosted by Lisa Jean

Join us for this showcase of props! I’ll be rocking a tray dance and wearing assiut!  It’s only $10 for the ticket!  Click through for more information and tickets.

Fall Issue of Fanoos: On Troupes
Sept. 15, 2023 – FREE Digital Magazine

I’m preparing another history deep dive sharing vintage images from the last quarter of the 19th century. This informative digital magazine arrives in your email box and signing up is free.

Visit the Fanoos Website to Sign Up.

 

Studio Davina September Talks, Demos,
and Classes on Patreon

Study with me on Patreon in September. This month’s class offerings include:

$3 – Coffee Chat – Book Reports #CFTH30 – Behind the scenes of Costuming From the Hip: 30th Anniversary Edition.

$7 – Sewing Classes – Raspberry Hearts Redesign – Two More installments – both included in this price. Join me for a deep dive into the art of juggling budget, skills, and time when working on used bedlah sets.

$15 – Belly Dance History – 20 Belly Dance Myths: Part Two – This month I’m going continue this series of Myth-Busting, with a focus on the shape of time and dancer identities.

The Belly Dance Bundle RETURNS for 2023
And I’ve been invited back!

Let’s take a trip back in time.  Come join me for a history slide show,  “Journey Down the Nile.” Discover how travelers to Egypt experienced the country and discovered dancers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  This is a beautiful slide deck with vintage imagery teased out of the archives and presented thematically.   

Watch in the coming weeks for more Info about the Belly Dance Bundle!