Click here to view our 2015 Program Guide

ACT ONE
The Morrigan Belladonna & The Bohemian Sword Dancers
She haunts you in your dreams
When you wake you can’t even scream
You hear the wind in the midnight sky
Upon which the Morrigan shall fly
She is justice and everything right
Look out for more than dreams tonight...
Between both worlds the crow awaits
This perfect twist of fate
Life or death, living or dead
You can’t escape the places you’ve tread
Mark my words, make no mistake
It’s only everything she will take...
- J. Laskey DANCERS: Jesse Phoenix McGhee, Sarah Winter, Lily, Becky Duran,
Tracy Troutman, Anela, Kim Seale & Angie
Hex Breaker - Anaar
The situation is dire. All attempts at health and prosperity have failed. In desperation the people seek out the witch to break the terrible curse they face.
The Banshees - Dalgali
Wolves and Ravens share the night,
an omen for the ‘morrow,
the wind carries the Banshees cry,
to foretell of coming sorrow.
DANCERS: Vesper Holly, Sally Cinch, Virginia Clemm, Shaell and Ya Meena
Baphomet - SuperKate
Shrouded in mystery, this goat-like creature spans good and evil.
A representation of wisdom and understanding or satan and witchcraft.
Crawling Chaos Groove Merchant & Dance Ensemble
Who or what
will be unleashed
upon the world?
Crawling Chaos...
- Inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft and Robert Bloch
DANCERS & MUSICIANS: Kim Leary & Dave Merritt - Director’s of Groove Merchant,
Donna Manalo, Naylon Larane, Jo Wall, Krista Goss, Sherida Turner, Chris Engleman,
Ed Ashton, Aliya Khan, Jeff Tryon
INTERMISSION
15 Minutes. Please visit the Raven’s Night Merch Store in the Lobby.
ACT TWO
The Maiden Morte Tempest & Nathaniel Johnstone
Mari Lwyd (Grey Mare/Holy Mary) is said to represent the uneasy frontier between
living and dead, and have many roles: Harbinger of Death and Endings, Bringer of Luck,
Marker of Justice, Tester of Wit and Intelligence. Does she bring you blessings of the
future or test your past? (Improvised live music by Nathaniel Johnstone)
Blood Bond - Naimah
“Drink from me and live forever”, but which one of us will actually reap the benefits?
It doesn’t matter to the stake.
DANCERS: Dark Phoenix, Khiyatta and Ray Shaw
Conjuring the zar - Yasmin & Miasia
For centuries women in Africa and the Middle East have turned to the zar,
a race of jinn, in times of acute need. If modern medicine cannot cure their ills, it is
assumed supernatural forces are at work - that she is possessed by one of these fire
spirits. The Egyptians call it “clothed” or “covered”. If she is with spirit, she will try to
communicate with the entity through a dance induced trance to find out what it wants,
because only when a zar is placated and its demands met will the woman’s suffering go
away.
The Lament Of Angels - Troupe “HIP’Notic
As messengers of the Divine, our purpose is to guide and protect you, and carry out God’s
will on Earth. Yet as inherently imperfect humans, you ignore our pleas of peace and veer
ever closer to war and destruction. God has a plan, but not all agree with it.
What are we angels to do – toe God’s line, or fall from grace?
DANCERS: Anon, Heather G, Tania, Becca & Alison
The 12th House - Sherri Wheatley
The 12th house is where the disowned parts of your psyche must be brought to the
surface, transformed and exiled in order to be liberated from the karmic debts you have
brought over from previous lifetimes.
Dance of the Dead Brenna Crowley & Zilla Dance Ensemble
The night is young and the dead come out to play in a murderous masquerade.
You are cordially invited to attend and surely you will have thrills and chills, but...who
knows what will happen when the music ends.
DANCERS: Brenna Crowley, DeFrancesco Dance, Elisa Stefanski, Giselle BellydanceNYC,
Lami’ah, Megan Ward, Mika Barry
JOIN US TOMORROW FOR OUR RAVEN’S NIGHT WORKSHOPS
10am - Dance Loft 14 @ 4618 14th St. NW • Loft Level • Washington, DC 20011
PAST LIVES DANCE PARTY & SHOW
9pm - Zeba Bar @ 3423 14th St. NW • Washington, DC
www.RavensNight.com
ARTIST’S BIOGRAPHIES
Belladonna - Washington, DC
(Producer & HOst of raven’s Night)
Belladonna, the Baroness of Blades, is a resident of DC
where she proudly paves the way for sword dancing
around the globe. Her tribal fusion style has been a
spearhead and inspiration for modern belly dance with
it’s unique approach of blending traditional cultures
with a modern edge. BELLAFUSE.COM
Anaar - Oakland, CA
Anaar is a long time practicing witch in the Feri Tradition and brings to her performances a large body of dark
lore and ritual. Her body of work focuses on sensual
ecstasy and expressionistic storytelling. She walks
between the worlds, dancing between technique and
passion. Every performance is an homage to her Triple
Muse; Mystery, Power and Ritual.
Brenna Crowley
& Zilla Dance Ensemble
- New York City, NY
Brenna Crowley is a fusion belly dance artist, choreographer and instructor in NYC, performing and teaching
locally and across the country in many theatrical events,
belly dance festivals and other productions each year
since 2007. She has performed as a featured soloist as
well as a member of Sera Solstice’s Solstice Ensemble,
Solstice Project, and Solar Tribe, Altagracia’s Caribbean
Rose Dance Company, Ayshe’s Cult of Isis Ensemble and many others.She is known for
her fun and imaginative choreographies, intensity, commanding stage presence as well as
evocative and emotive performances. She is the director of her troupe Zilla Dance
Ensemble, which was formed in 2009. The dancers that make up this ensemble come
from all walks of life and various belly dance disciplines; together they celebrate the
exuberance of movement and music. BRENNADANCE.COM
Dalgali - Washington, DC Area
Dalgali is a professional troupe in the DC area with a
diverse background. The members of Dalgali have been
dancing with each other for a little over ten years and
have also been members in other well known DC dance
troupes. Their experience and inspiration for choreography, artistic vision and in performing, has come from
Cabaret, Tribal, Fusion and Gothic Belly Dance. Dalgali,
which is a Turkish word that means curvy, bending, wiggly or squiggly was decided, by the Dalgali dancers, that
it was a perfect name for the the new troupe. Dalgali formed in 2014 with the intent to
form an eclectic troupe, combining styling, technique and character from each dancer’s
unique background in dance. It has worked out quite delightfully.
DaRBUKA DAVE - Huntsville. AL
Darbuka Dave began as a hobbyist in the Society for
Creative Anachronism, but quickly sought out instruction from some of the best teachers in the country,
including Kevin “Nevik” Hartnell, Jeremiah Soto and
Issam Houshan. He is considered an excellent instructor and performer by his contemporaries, known for his
technical precision and emotional expression. He has
performed and taught at international festivals, workshops and shows throughout the country. He currently
resides in Huntsville, Alabama, but travels widely.
Groove Merchant Drum
& Dance Ensemble
- Lawrenceville, NJ
Groove Merchant Drum & Dance Ensemble directed by
Kim Leary (Alexia) and Dave Merritt performs dances
and plays percussion instruments from cultures around
the world. The ensemble performs culture-specific
traditional pieces as well as our own original compositions. Some compositions are more traditional, loyal to
the cultures that they represent while others are a fusion
of musical ideas and traditions. Many of the group’s
performances have been sponsored in part by the New
Jersey State Council on the Arts. Groove Merchant
Drum & Dance Ensemble is the resident performance group of Alexia’s Belly Dance &
Beyond located in Lawrence, New Jersey (Princeton area). Some of the group’s performances include the Monroe Arts Center, The Kennedy Center (Burlington), Two River
Theatre, DNA Theatre (NYC), DROM (NYC) and guest performers with Jamila Salimpour’s Bal Anat, Paramount Concerts on the Beach, Lafayette Grill NYC as well at many
festivals and conventions.
WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/ALEXIAGROOVEMERCHANT • WWW.DRUMDANCECENTER.COM
Miasia-
Washington, DC
Mi-a-sia \My-Asia \ n.: A dedicated performer, teacher,
trainer and workshop instructor with over 16 years of
cabaret and folkloric Middle Eastern Dance experience.
As a performer, she has captivated audiences all over the
US and around the world, including Turkey and Egypt.
In 2014 she was featured on Egypt’s first televised dance
contest series, Al-Raqasa, and has shared stages with
greats such as Dina of Cairo, Fifi Abdo and Birgul Beray.
As a teacher, she offers classes that are lively, fun and invigorating. Miasia helps each
student get in touch with their natural rhythm and passion. Her repertoire includes both
traditional and fusion Egyptian, Turkish, Lebanese and American styles of dance.
She will soon be a featured instructor at Serpentine Studios in Bethesda, Md.
Synonyms: Spellbinding, Sassy, Agile, Sensual, Tantalizing.
NAIMAH-
Baltimore, MD
Naimah is an award winning belly dancer from
Baltimore, MD who won the title of 2009 Bellydance
Nationals Alternative Fusion Soloist Champion and the
People’s Choice award. She is also the director of the
2010 Belly Dance Nationals’ Alternative Fusion Troupe
Champions, “Amandari”. Naimah’s style is eclectic and
experimental. She has appeared in the music videos for
“Dark Hall” by the band Mindless Faith, and “New
Legion” by Ego Likeness, and has been featured on the
Fox 45 morning news in Baltimore.
She has also performed and taught workshops at well known festivals such as Rakkasah’s
Spring Caravan, CCBC World Dance Festival, Tribal Fest 13, the BOCA Festival, KisFest,
Shimmy in the Sun in Costa Rica, Bellypalooza, Belly Horror, and Raven’s Night. She
has also judged, taught and performed at Jewels of the Orient competition and festival.
Naimah is now the director of the bi-monthly show Moonlight Tribal Lounge which
showcases American Tribal Style, Tribal Fusion and experimental styles of belly dance
from the areas top professional dancers of that genre. Naimah is also the co-director
of Maryland’s largest belly dance festival, “Art of the Belly” in Ocean City, MD which
showcases ALL styles of belly dance from all over.
NAIMAHDANCES.COM
SHerri WheatlEy -
Los Angeles, CA
Sherri Wheatley specializes in and teaches Tribal
Fusion bellydance and has had the honor of working
with many innovative performance groups including
Urban Tribal Dance Company, Desert Sin and Lucent
Dossier Vaudville Circus. She is distinguishable in
her unique Amazonian serpentine stylization, an
interpretation that stylistically involves extreme muscle
control and articulation.
She is also an extremely versatile dancer and can morph from one extreme physical state
to the next in an instant. As an artist, she seeks to evolve as a performer by focusing on a
legacy of artistry with a message. Having moved to Los Angeles from San Diego in 2005,
she continues to study dance in various incarnations and teaches tribal fusion classes
and workshops both locally and abroad.
SUPERKATE -
New York City, NY
SuperKate is a performer and production artist.
She needs dance, art, and theatre in her life at all times.
As a result she is constantly involved in a variety of
projects.
SUPERKATEIS.COM
Tempest & Nathaniel
Johnstone - Seattle, WA
Nathaniel Johnstone is a multi-instrumentalist musician
with an appetite for myth and Tempest is a major pioneer of Fusion Bellydance, Modern Traditional Witch,
as well as an accomplished visual artist and designer. Together they create unique improvised performances that
capture the essence of dance, ritual, music, and magick.
DARKLYDRAMATIC.COM & NATHANIELJOHNSTONE.COM
Troupe ‘Hip’notic -
Southern, MD
Known for their charismatic, sassy, creative and often
theatrical performances, Troupe ‘Hip’notic have
regularly performed throughout Maryland and DC since
2004. They are a collective of women who respectfully
borrow from traditional music and belly dance, while
incorporating contemporary music and dance styles
into their performances. As a result, their dance style is
eclectic, organic and constantly evolving. The troupe’s
philosophy is that ‘dance is a journey.’ They routinely
challenge themselves technically and artistically with new and diverse projects. Troupe
members pursue instruction with nationally and internationally renowned teachers to
grow as artists and dancers, and contribute to the greater creative force that is Troupe
‘Hip’notic.
Yasmin Henkesh -
Bethesda, MD
Yas-meen\ n.: Arabic for jasmine, a tall-climbing Asian
shrub with fragrant white flowers, sold in bunches to
perfume late nights in smokey Middle Eastern cabarets.
Hen-kesh\ adv.: Egyptian slang; a little troublemaker
who enjoys pranks and practical jokes, an
improvisational dancer who flirted her way around
European and Middle Eastern stages for twenty years
before becoming a master Egyptian style belly dance
teacher in the Washington DC area. Her adopted family
is from a long line of Cairo’s Mohammed Ali Street musicians and can be heard on her
Sands of Time music CDs. They also help her import Egyptian finger cymbals for sale in
North America. In January 2016 she will be opening Serpentine Dance Studios in downtown Bethesda, MD.
Later in the year she will also be releasing a Middle Eastern trance dance manual,
Trance Dancing with the Jinn, with Llewellyn Worldwide, the oldest esoteric publisher
in America.
Synonyms: Tease, Incorrigible Flirt. SERPENTINE.ORG
THANK YOU
Expo Performers:
Roxi, Jennifer, Fractal and Katie Surprise
Production team:
Belladonna, Ken, SuperKate, Sandy, Roxie, Anna, Darbuka Dave,
and our wonderful volunteers.
Photographers:
Stereo Vision Photography and Andrew
Venues:
The Birchmere team and staff, Dance Loft 14 and Zeba Lounge
RAVEN’S NIGHT MATERIALS:
T-Shirts, Artwork, Posters, Flyers, Graphic and Web Design by:
Cielo Productions (Belladonna & Kendra Kuliga).
Last but not least:
All of our performers, musicians, teachers, The Birchmere, Oneica Gracie, Ted Roberts,
Andrew, Born 2 Dance, and you the audience for supporting Raven’s Night
and celebrating this special weekend with us.