“So You Think You Can Belly Dance" at the Capitol Theatre -- April 25
Saturday, April 25, 7 p.m.
Capitol Theatre, 330 West Third Street, Davenport IA
An exhilarating stage spectacle featuring colorful props, LED lights, drum solos, and more, So You Think You Can Belly Dance will, on April 25, treat audiences to a live competition featuring a customized belly dance solo taught by Belly Diva Samantha, this event at Davenport's Capitol Theatre guaranteeing a fun night out to sip on cocktails, grab some appetizers, and enjoy a show like no other.
Having originated in Egypt, the Western-coined exonym "belly dance" features movements of the hips and is also referred to as Middle Eastern dance or Arabic dance. Over the years, it has evolved to take many different forms depending on the country and region, both in costume and dance style; with the styles and costumes of Egypt being the most recognized worldwide due to Egyptian cinema. Belly dancing in its various forms and styles is popular across the globe where it is taught by a multitude of schools of dance.
Belly dancing is believed to have had a long history in the Middle East. Several Greek and Roman sources including Juvenal and Martial describe dancers from Asia Minor and Spain using undulating movements, playing castanets, and sinking to the floor with "quivering thighs," descriptions that are certainly suggestive of the movements that are today associated with belly dance. Later, particularly in the 18th and 19th centuries, European travelers in the Middle East such as Edward Lane and Flaubert wrote extensively of the dancers they saw there, including the Awalim and Ghawazi of Egypt.
Belly dance today is employed by various music artists, among them Rihanna, Beyoncé, and Fergie. However, the greatest representative of this dance is the Colombian singer Shakira, who led this dance to position it as her trademark with her songs "Whenever Wherever" and "Ojos Así." Thanks to the song "Hips Don't Lie," Shakira's hip-dance skills became known worldwide. Also, thanks to "Whenever Wherever" in 2001, the belly dance fever began popularizing it in a large part of Latin America, eventually traveling to the United States.
So You Think You Can Belly Dance takes place in downtown Davenport on April 25, admission to the 8 p.m. show is $55-56, and more information and tickets are available by visiting FirstFleetConcerts/first-fleet-venues-capitol-theatre.
