BDE press kit - Bellydance Evolution

The Mission of Bellydance Evolution:
Bellydance Evolution explores, celebrates and re-imagines Middle Eastern dance for the 21st century. By fusing
bellydance with dance forms more specific to the West, Bellydance Evolution takes you on a spectacular journey that
will excite both mainstream audiences and bellydance enthusiasts. The mission - bringing awareness of Middle Eastern
dance's rich diversity and artistic validity - unfolds in the work of the Company and its Education and Residency
programs. Together, these initiatives celebrate the dynamic aesthetic of Middle Eastern dance, culture and creativity.
And in so doing, Bellydance Evolution shares the joy of dance with all communities.
Bellydance Evolution Residency Program:
Bellydance Evolution is a world-class dance show, featuring top artists in the field of Middle Eastern dance & music.
Each artist brings their own unique style to the show, making this an extraordinary collection of diverse styles of dance
& music.
Created in August 2009 by World Renowned Choreographer Jillina, BDE has performed to sold out crowds in Los
Angeles, New York, Washington DC, Seoul Korea, Bali Indonesia, Hanover and Berlin Germany, Budapest Hungary,
Casablanca & Rabat Morocco, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Venezuela, Argentina, Mexico, Milan, Turino, Rome,
Prague Czech Republic, Maribor Slovenia, Vienna, Madrid & Japan.
The Bellydance Evolution residency and festival program is designed to give dancers and the community the
opportunity to not only study and train with our cast of master dancers, but a chance to be cast in the Bellydance
Evolution Show.
For each Festival/Tour BDE will be casting up to 12 Cabaret & up to 4 Tribal Fusion dancers to perform in the BDE
Show. Local dancers will be selected via an Online Casting competition. Chosen dancers will then be sent videos of
their parts to learn one month prior to the show. They will then participate in an intense one-week training session to
prepare them to perform on stage with the full cast of Bellydance Evolution. This is a great and unique opportunity for
dancers to get extended training and experience that they can then share with their students to raise the level of art in
their community.
In addition to this unique performance program, our dancers offer seminars that are open to all people in the
community, giving dancers and non-dancers alike an ability to learn about this diverse and important cultural art form
from accomplished masters in the field.
About the show:
"Dark Side of the Crown" (Running 2012 – 2014)
Continuing the successful formula of Immortal Desires, BDE takes it's new theatrical dance show to the next level.
Featuring a Star-Studded Cast; Dark Side of the Crown blends Eastern & Western dance in a dark tale of murder and
deceit, where no one is who they seem and love knows no bounds.
Message from the Director
I have been fortunate to have had an amazing bellydance career. From
Artistic Director and Main Choreographer for the first bellydance
company to tour internationally (Bellydance Superstars), to starring in an
extensive line of Bellydance instructional DVDs that have been translated
and sold all over the world, I grew into a featured international bellydance
seminar instructor.
In creating Bellydance Evolution I wanted to stretch myself artistically,
taking bellydance to the next level of stage performance. By incorporating
a storyline I reinterpret bellydance, much like a grand ballet.
During my travels I have had the opportunity to see, meet and work with
some amazing dancers. With Bellydance Evolution I have the opportunity
to work with these dancers and to extend to them an opportunity to be a
part of a major production with some of the world's most sought-after
bellydancers while networking with other talented artists. Originally I
intended to cast dancers in the local communities that were hosting the
festival/show, but with the online casting competition dancers from all
over the world began auditioning for different shows. This has grown our
productions into something much bigger than expected, an even larger melting pot of arts, cultures and
opportunities. Bellydance Evolution, now incorporating elements of the grand ballet, elevates bellydance. And
through this experience raises the level of bellydance performers and teachers around the world.
ARTISTS
JILLINA – Amrakay the Advisor (Bellydance Evolution Creator, Director)
A Master dancer, instructor & choreographer, Jillina has devoted her life to dance. In 1999 she
started her own dance company, Jillina’s Sahlala Dancers and then, in 2003, she joined the
Bellydance Superstars where she served as the artistic director and main choreographer until 2009.
She continued to serve as one of their principle choreographers until 2010. In the spring of 2009
Jilllina started Bellydance Evolution, for which she is also a producer, co-creator and performer…
For full bio: http://www.bellydanceevolution.com/artists/jillina
HEATHER AUED – Queen Rahvan (BDE Assistant-Director)
Born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. Heather began dancing at the age of five. Studying modern
jazz & ballroom, ballet, hip-hop & contemporary. At 9 years old she was invited to join a Los
Angeles based performing group, where she quickly became one of the lead dancers. By the age of
13 Heather was already an Award-Winning choreographer & a lead dancer in 3 different dance
companies. That same year she performed at the Rose Bowl along side Cirque Du Soleil &
Smokey Robinson for over 40,000 people…
For full bio: http://www.bellydanceevolution.com/artists/heather-aued
KAESHI – Princess Kimiya (Principal Dancer)
Of Chinese descent, Kaeshi Chai was born in Brunei and brought up in New Zealand and Australia.
She co-founded the New York based dance company, Bellyqueen, with Amar Gamal in 1998 and is
it's current artistic director. In 2004, Kaeshi also co-founded "PURE (Public Urban Ritual
Experiment)" www.puredance.org , a healing dance and music community, which has rapidly spread
into many branches all over the US and internationally…
For full bio: http://www.bellydanceevolution.com/artists/kaeshi
SHARON KIHARA – Princess Zahra (Principal Dancer)
A seasoned performer, inspirational teacher and exotic personality, Sharon Kihara is known the
world over for her avante-garde sensibilities, as well as for her graceful and powerful technique.
She comes from a strong background in western dance, beginning with Ballet as a wee tike and
continuing to perform with University Modern and Jazz dance companies throughout the nineties…
For full bio: http://www.bellydanceevolution.com/artists/sharon-kihara
LOUCHIA – Princess Sharnaz (Principal Dancer)
Louchia hails from Moldova, west of the Black Sea just south of Russia. Raised in a family of
famous musicians, her father is an internationally renowned composer and her mother is a nationally
renowned singer. At the age of 6, Louchia began studying ballet and gymnastics. At 16, Louchia
entered the professional dance college of the National Folk Ballet of Moldova, Jok. For 3 years,
Louchia trained in Classical Ballet, Folk and Character Dance: Moldavian, Russian, Gypsy,
Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Hungarian and Romanian styles…
For full bio: http://www.bellydanceevolution.com/artists/louchia
ARTISTS
DANIELO – Imperial Guard Pezham (Principal Dancer)
Danielo Mendes was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil and at the age of 10 moved with his family to Monaco,
France. As a child, Danielo was always dancing and performing with an unbelievable amount of
charisma and stage presence and his parents quickly enrolled him in ‘Studio Harmonique,’ a
distinguished dance studio in France. In the coming years, he self taught himself an intermix of dances
and techniques, putting in his own style and niche into his craft. When he was 17, he studied to build
his career in dance and graduated with a Choreographer’s Professional Certificate...
For full bio: http://www.bellydanceevolution.com/artists/danielo
JD “TWIXX” RAINEY – Imperial Guard Ahriman (Principal Dancer)
JD Rainey aka "Twixx", originally from Seattle, Washington, is not your typical B-Boy. His explosive
style was influenced by his early career as an athlete. Having played numerous forms of sports,
including gymnastics, football, wrestling, track/field and also having studied martial arts, including
hand to hand combat and weapons since the age of 6, he gives the signature moves of breakdancing a
larger then life feel…
For full bio: http://www.bellydanceevolution.com/artists/twixx
JULIAN “B-boy Ju” GRANOMORT – Imperial Guard Ahriman (Principal Dancer)
Julian Granomort aka Bboy Ju is from Martinique and started dancing at the age of 16. Julian quickly
gained popularity by winning battles all across Europe. His popularity and fierce style led him to
appear on many European television shows and invitations to festivals in Djerba, China and throughout
Europe. Credits include the NRJ Music Awards, France 0, Dance Street 2012 and Direct 8. Julian also
performed for singer Linda Garcia of LMFAO. In addition to performing with Bellydance Evolution,
Julian performs with Fusion Crew, a crew in Nice, France…
For full bio: http://www.bellydanceevolution.com/artists/julian-granomort
OZZY – General Hafez (Principal Drummer)
A master percussionist, Ozzy has been performing and instructing using Arabic drums since 2000.
Fascinated by rhythm, Ozzy is constantly striving to innovate the art of drumming by developing new
combinations using interesting techniques. Half Moroccan and half Egyptian, Ozzy was born in Israel
and raised in Miami, Florida. His showmanship and style is reflective of his hot-blooded roots and
influenced by his hometown''s vibrant Latin dance and music scene…
For full bio: http://www.bellydanceevolution.com/artists/ozzy
ARTISTS / CREW
LAUREN BOLDT – (Troupe Dancer / Drummer / Technical Director)
Lauren Boldt holds a Bachelors degree in Percussion from Boston’s world renowned Berklee College
of Music, this combined with her extensive dance training make her a innovative performer and
effective teacher. In 2006 Lauren moved to Los Angeles to train and perform with Jillina’s Sahlala
Dance Company…
For full bio: http://www.bellydanceevolution.com/artists/lauren
BRAD MACDONALD – Ahzad the Entertaine (Writer / Featured Drummer / Technical Director)
Brad MacDonald is a multi-disciplinary artist based in New York City. Over the past twenty years he
has worked with the world’s biggest brands as a visual artist and designer. His band, Djinn, has
produced two CDs of groundbreaking Middle Eastern music that is a modern blend of ancient party
music with human beatbox, electronics and a mouthful of NYC style…
For full bio: http://www.bellydanceevolution.com/artists/brad-macdonald-bio
WICK SAKIT – (Lighting Director)
Wick Sakit is a lifelong artist based in Portland, Oregon that specializes in Photography & Lighting
Design. As a photographer his works have been featured in galleries in Oakland, California and on
National Geographic's Daily Dozen. He then took his knowledge of lighting and design as a
photographer and channeled it into Theatrical Stage Light Design…
For full bio: http://www.bellydanceevolution.com/artists/wick-sakit
PAUL DINLETIR – (Music Composer)
Composer for Film and Television, specializing in high end trailer music, Paul has composed music for
numerous high profile Movie Trailers, including exclusive music for blockbuster campaigns such as,
“Avatar”, “Life of Pi”, "Hunger Games", "Rise of the Guardians" and "Snow White and the
Huntsman" to name a few. Paul has worked as a composer with X-Ray Dog Music, Robert Etoll
Productions and Q-Factory. He is the co-founder and lead composer of "AudioMachine", a high-end
production music library aimed at the blockbuster motion picture advertising market…
For full bio: http://www.audiomachine.com/
Previous & Upcoming Performances: Since it’s creation in the fall of 2009, BDE has already traveled the
globe, performing to sold-out crowds, receiving great reviews.
Below is a list of upcoming and past performances.
UPCOMING / PAST PERFORMANCES
2013
Date: Feb 8, 2013
Location: Theater Akzent - Vienna, Austria
Date: Feb 10, 2013
Location: Madrid, Spain
Date: March 15 & 16, 2013
Location: U-Port Theatre – Tokyo, Japan
Date: March 17, 2013
Location: Aichi Prefectural Arts Theatre – Nagoya, Japan
Date: May 31, 2013
Location: Austria
Date: June 2, 2013
Location: Bari, Italy
Date: Aug 30 – Sept 1, 2013
Location: Miami, FL - USA
Date: Oct 28 – Dec 2, 2013
Location: Netherlands Tour
Bookings for 2013 – 2014 still available
2012
Date: Feb 3 & 4, 2012
Location: El Portal Theatre – North Hollywood, CA – USA
Date: Mar 16, 2012
Location: Theatersaal Langenhagen – Hanover, Germany
Date: May 23, 2012
Location: Teatro Carcano – Milan, Italy
Date: May 25, 2012
Location: Theatre Mohanned V – Rabat, Morocco
Date: May 27, 2012
Location: Theatre ABC – Prague, Czech Republic
Date: May 29, 2012
Location: Das Russische Haus – Berlin, Germany
Date: May 31, 2012
Location: National Theatre – Maribor, Slovenia
Date: July 27, 2012
Location: Greenberg Theatre – Washington, DC - USA
Date: July 29 , 2012
Location: Skirball Theatre – New York, NY - USA
Date: Aug 3, 2012
Location: Century Theatre – Beijing - China
Date: Aug 7, 2012
Location: Bayu Theatre – ChongQing - China
Date: Aug 10, 2012
Location: Beilei Theatre – GuangZhou - China
Date: 12, 2012
Location: Malanhua Theatre – Shanghai - China
Date: Nov 6, 2012
Location: Uruapan, Mexico
Date: Nov 10, 2012
Location: Teatro Hidalgo – Mexico City, Mexico
Date: Nov 11, 2012
Location: Teatro Experimental De Jalisco – Guadalajara, Mexico
Date: Nov 20, 2012
Location: Auditorium of Taipei Government Hall – Taipei, Taiwan
Date: Nov 22, 2012
Location: Y Theatre, Youth Square, Chai Wan – Hong Kong
PAST PERFORMANCES
2009 / 2010
2011
Date: Aug 30, 2009
Location: Alex Theatre – Glendale, CA – USA
Date: April 8, 2011
Location: Teatro Municipal de Valencia – Valencia, Venezuela
Date: Jan 30, 2010
Location: Gerald W. Lynch Theater – New York, NY – USA
Date: April 15 & 16, 2011
Location: Teatro Margarita Xirgu – Buenos Aires, Argentina
Date: Feb 21, 2010
Location: Seoul Kyo Yuk MunHwa HaeKwan – Seoul, Korea
Date: May 19, 2011
Location: Teatro Carcano – Milan, Italy
Date: Feb 28, 2010
Location: Ayodya, Nusa Dua – Bali, Indonesia
Date: May 20, 2011
Location: Teatro Nuovo – Turino, Italy
Date: Mar 12, 2010
Location: Theatersaal Langenhagen – Hanover, Germany
Date: May 22, 2011
Location: Theatre ABC – Prague, Czech Republic
Date: Mar 14, 2010
Location: Pataky Cultural Center – Budapest, Hungary
Date: May 24 & 25, 2011
Location: Teatro Italia – Rome, Italy
Date: June 3, 2010
Location: Megarama – Casablanca, Morocco
Date: July 29, 2011
Location: Theatro Hidalgo – Mexico City, Mexico
Date: June 5, 2010
Location: Theatre Mohanned V – Rabat, Morocco
Date: Oct 6, 2011
Location: Aichi Prefectural Arts Theatre – Nagoya, Japan
Date: Aug 13 & 15, 2010
Location: El Portal Theatre – North Hollywood, CA – USA
Date: Oct 8, 2011
Location: U-Port Theatre – Tokyo, Japan
Date: Oct 16, 2010
Location: F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre – Washington, DC – USA
Date: Oct 9, 2011
Location: Hyogo Performing Arts Center – Kobe, Japan
Date: Dec 11, 2010
Location: Auditorium of Taipei Government Hall – Taipei, Taiwan
Date: Oct 10, 2011
Location: Yokosuka Arts Theatre – Yokosuka, Japan
Date: Dec 17, 2010
Location: China Peking Opera Theater – Beijing, China
Date: Oct 12, 2011
Location: Rune Kodaira – Kodaira, Japan
Reviews /Articles: Below are some of the online and magazine articles covering BDE.
Feel free to click on the links to read the full articles.
QUOTES
GildedSerpent.com
By Kristina Nekyia
“…wildly acrobatic, fierce…”
“…dancers are tight, precise, gorgeous…”
“…flawless…”
“It is the kind of show that I would like to see more often: high production value, really good lighting,
collaboration between dance styles, talented and professional artists, and a foray into the world of
integrated, narrative-based theater.”
♦
♦
♦
♦
http://www.gildedserpent.com/cms/2010/01/08/kristinareviewsjillinabe/
Examiner.com
By Leslie Jones
“…set the stage for the kind of dance we'd be seeing throughout the evening, flavored with many
types of dance from both within and without the Middle East, but always very definitely and
inescapably American bellydance.”
♦ “…the best bellydance show I have ever seen.”
♦
http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/performance-review-bellydance-evolution-alex-theater-glendale-august-30-2009
Hagalla.de
By Marcel Bieger
♦
“…Out of this emanate the most wonderful and amazing optical effects.”
http://www.hagalla.de/hagalla%20com/Texts/E%20Show%20Texts/engl%20BDE%20Show,%201.html
QUOTES (Continued)
The Chronicles Magazine
By Ma*Shuqa
“A Quality production that set[s] a new high standard for dance.”
“a new milestone in … showmanship”
“…epic proportions and inspire exhilarating, breathtaking and awe-inspiring dance to match the
magnificence and majesty of his music.”
♦ “…this performance [is] ground-breaking…”
♦ “The Bellydance Evolution Festival [is] a fantastic experience of a lifetime”
♦
♦
♦
QUOTES (Continued)
Bellydance Japan Magazine
Videos clips and additional links
BDE DEMO – Dark Side of the Crown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gky5c8bZ-2Q&context=C370eed3ADOEgsToPDskJASt8ZQsNZ7N13WWehUmYa
BDE WEBISODES / YOUTUBE CHANNEL
♦ The making of Bellydance Evolution
http://www.youtube.com/bellydanceevolution
PERFORMANCE PHOTOS
http://bellydanceevolution.com/gallery/viewalbum/8/dark-side-of-the-crown-live/dark-side-of-the-crown-live
BDE TECHNICAL RIDER
https://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=batch_download&send_id=1396151068&email=6fe6a416cde46b89822fe29481d41171
For more information of Bellydance Evolution including pricing and availability, please
contact us at: [email protected]
www.BellydanceEvolution.com