Great shakes

Be it styles or backgrounds, belly dancers like to mix it up

In the local belly-dancing tent, there's room for many styles.

Take the dance troupe Children of Eden. The four members have been performing together for about six months under the direction of Melissa St. Andrews, a Roslindale-based professional dancer and snake charmer who goes by the stage name Zehara Nachash.

Their fusion routine incorporates dance styles that include Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and Cleopatra and Hakim's "Walk Like an Egyptian."

"I don't believe in sticking to one particular style," said St. Andrews, a disciple of the Tejedora school of belly dance espoused by Isidora Bushkovski of Colorado, which weaves together different musical forms. "Sometimes we do what comes to me in a dream. My latest routine was inspired by a hat."

That particular routine includes a hat and cane as props, creating the effect of "Fred and Ginger meet belly dancing."

This blending of East and West was on display early this month in Somerville, where belly dancers of all shapes, sizes, and ages competed at the Dilboy VFW Post in the first People's Choice Belly Dance Awards.

The gathering gave the two dozen or so dancers a chance to compete; raise almost $2,100 for Transition House, a shelter for battered women in Cambridge; and perhaps increase the locals' appreciation for an ancient art form.

Many people have misconceptions about belly dancing, which should not be overtly sexual, said Judith Tacelli of Quincy, an event organizer who dances professionally under the stage name, Erzulie.

"Sensuous? Absolutely," she said. "There's beauty and joy in the art, and it's very sensual. But there's a line that shouldn't be crossed."

Where that line lies may depend on whether you're in Turkey - a more secular society than other Muslim countries, where the costume might be more daring - or Egypt, where the more traditional style reigns and the belly would probably be covered.

What the West calls "belly dancing" is called "Dance of the Orient" in Arabic. Its beginning predates recorded history, with both Egypt and Turkey claiming to be the birthplace of the dance, said Sabrina Tarulli, the house dancer at the Middle East Restaurant in Cambridge and chairwoman of the Boston chapter of the Northeast Belly Dance Association.

Theories abound on how the dance began, she said, with a popular one describing it as an early form of spiritualism and a way of preparing a woman's body for childbirth. Today, it's seen almost everywhere as a form of entertainment.

In the Boston area, it has grown in popularity in recent years, said Tarulli, whose chapter is one of eight in the Northeast association.

"More and more women are taking it up as both a hobby and a form of artful expression," said Tarulli, who also noted such health benefits as improved metabolism, coordination, and flexibility.

The Somerville event, sponsored by the Boston chapter, had three categories of competition - student, troupe, and new professional - while seasoned professionals danced exhibitions.

Competitors were limited to five-minute routines; a traditional belly dance incorporates several different segments of varying tempos and can run 20 to 30 minutes, according to Tacelli, who has been dancing for seven years and performs at restaurants, clubs, and private parties, in addition to doing "belly grams."

Many of the professional dancers at the event have journeyed to Turkey, Egypt, or both, for inspiration or instruction.

Shannon Davis of Somerville, who dances under the stage name, Nepenthe, visited Istanbul in 2002 and fell in love with the music before taking up belly dancing.

She just returned from Egypt, where "she picked up some new moves."

"I have my own style, but I like the Egyptian tradition more," she said.

She competed in the new professional category and picked up the "To The Nines" award for best costume.

Russian-born Tanya Shamray of Danvers, dancing under the name, Dilara, is a member of Salem-based Troupe Winddancer and competed in the student category.

"This type of dancing is very popular in Russia," she said.

Shamray, who has been in this country for four years and dancing for two, won awards in the categories of "Perfect Personality" and "Hilarious-Est."

Some of the dancers, in their mini-biographies in the event program, detailed how belly dancing helped change their lives or how they had overcome obstacles to dance.

Marie Watson of Beverly, a founder of Troupe Winddancer, had to give up belly dancing for a while because of a series of illnesses and surgeries.

Today, she performs under the name, Memie-Ayat, and teaches it four nights a week.

Another troupe member, who asked to be identified only as Linda, came back from three knee surgeries to dance again. "Please don't use my last name," she said. "My co-workers will think I'm crazy."

Rich Fahey can be reached at Faheywrite@yahoo.com.