Middle East Arts International presents

Midnight Heat

Spicy Dances Served Up Hot!
October 6, 2007 8 pm
Seattle Art Museum Auditorium

The enchanting sway of a belly dancer’s hips, the flirtatious quick-quick-slow movement of salsa dancers’ feet, the way the female tango dancer holds the crook of her partner’s arm all tell the stories of diverse peoples from exotic lands in a language common to all humanity – dance. Middle East Arts International (MEAI) is serving up such an enticing menu of sultry dance from around the globe at its October 6th show, Midnight Heat.

Staged at the Seattle Art Museum Auditorium, the performance will showcase Midnight Mirage, an award-winning belly dance fusion company from Salt Lake City. The two-hour show will also feature top Seattle performers such as 2007 Bellydancer of the Universe Dahlia, Sabura, Ilana Rubin, Jim Chow, as well as other premiere belly dance, tango, salsa, and samba dancers and drummers. Seattle radio personality Samia Panni, host of KBCS’ Raizes will emcee the event.

Buy Tickets

Midnight Heat will be performed one night only and begins at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. Advance tickets can be purchased at Brown Paper Tickets.

Performers:

Midnight Mirage, Salt Lake City
Samba Girasol
MEAI Dance Co.
Mary Lou Sanelli
Dahlia
Ilana Rubin and Tony Fan
Manon
Sabura
Jim Chow

Check out Midnight Mirage below!

This month’s YouTube videos are in honor. First we had the new take on a Fosse choreography, and now this clip is pure, classic Fosse.
Enjoy “The Aloof” from Sweet Charity! I love all the small hand movements, snaky arms and Gorey-like posturing.

Our customizable ballroom shoes by Atten have gotten quite popular. It’s so much fun to be able to pick any style and have it made in any of the materials that Atten offers, and to be able to specify the heel height as well. You would think that being able to customize your dance shoes would make them cost more, but Atten ballroom shoes are more affordable than most without sacrificing durability or comfort. In fact, a lot of people remark at how comfortable they are and wish that they could wear them as street shoes. Well, now they can!! Now you can take the customization one step further and have these shoes made with a street sole at no extra charge.
Now you can enjoy Atten shoes even if you aren’t a ballroom dancer! Come into Centerstage anytime and design your own shoe.

Dance schools are starting up again, and that means that a lot of dancers are going to be starting pointe for the first time. Along with this rite of passage in a young ballet dancer’s life comes the responsibility of caring for the pointe shoes. Not only will proper care prolong the life of the shoes, but the following tips will also lead to an overall more enjoyable pointe shoe experience.
• Always remove padding from shoes after wear. Otherwise the pads will prevent the shoes from drying out completely, and the pads will start to get stinky.
• Moisture breaks down traditional pointe shoes, especially shoes made with the English paste like Freeds and Gambas. Therefore is important to thoroughly air-dry the shoes before wearing them again. For example, Freed recommends a full 24 hours of drying after 1 hour of wear. Grishko recommends 3 days of drying.
• In addition to air-drying, it is good to loosely pack the box with dry paper towel so that the shoe retains its shape while drying.
• Shoes made of synthetic materials like Gaynor Mindens are not susceptible to breaking down due to moisture; however, moisture can still cause unpleasant odor in the shoes, so air-drying is a good idea with these shoes as well.
• Mesh bags are a great way of air-drying the shoes. These are available at Centerstage.
• Do not break in the shoes in any manner other than per your pointe teacher’s instructions.
• Stepping on pointe shoes, slamming them in doors, hitting them with hammers, etc. will dramatically shorten your shoes’ lifespan. Slow, controlled manipulation is a more effective way of breaking in your shoes.

Are you interested in working at a place where everyone is passionate about dance? Want to learn about the latest trends in dancewear before they hit the stores? Then maybe Centerstage is where you want to be.
We are looking for someone to fill either a full-time or part-time position (mornings 10AM-2PM). The position involves helping customers, answering the phones, processing orders, receiving merchandise and restocking shelves.
Some experience dancing on pointe is a must, and previous retail experience is a plus but not necessary.
Please contact Tina at centerstagedance (at) qwest (dot) net.

Centerstage has a limited number of free passes for a Sneak Preview of Sydney White on Thursday, September 13, 2007 @ 7PM. It will be at the Oak Tree Cinemas at 10006 Aurora Ave N in Seattle. The passes don’t guarantee a seat, so you must get there early.

Movie Description:
In a college comedy that puts a modern-day twist on an age-old story, Sydney White tells the tale of a tomboy freshman who ditches her conniving sorority sisters and finds a new home with a group of very dorky outcasts. Fed up with the way they’ve all been treated, she’s off to war against the reigning campus royalty. In a biting new comic film for the nerd in us all, Amanda Bynes brings her trademark style of comedy to the story of a plumber’s daughter who builds an army of dorks done wrong: Sydney White.

Here’s the trailer:

A few people have loaded this video onto YouTube, and one that had over 1.5 million views got taken down for copyright infringement, so I don’t know how long this clip will be up. In case you haven’t seen it, it’s a real gem. Someone took a Fosse choreography with Gwen Verdon performing and dubbed it over with a hip hop song called Walk It Out. It’s amazing *and amusing* how well the movements go with the music. Just goes to show how timeless Fosse’s work is.

Centerstage has added a new dance sneaker by Frontline called the Kush. It’s a stylish, full sole dance sneaker, featuring a cow suede and nylon mesh upper with patent accents. The EVA midsole and treaded TPR outsole provides cushioning and shock absorption. Other features include a padded collar and Achilles notch for comfort as well as a fully padded and shock absorbent footbed.
These dance sneakers are adorable in black and pink and could even be worn as a street shoe!

You can check these shoes out in person at Centerstage or online at our new online dance supply store.

We have been working hard since the spring building an online store, and although it is by no means complete, our goal was to have at least the basics up on the site by early September. We know it’s a busy time, and we are trying to make preparing for back to school as easy for you as possible. Now you can buy from Centerstage online and have your items shipped to you, or you can pick them up without having to wait in line. Of course, if anything doesn’t fit the way it should, you can still return or exchange things in person or by mail as well. It’s up to you!

We are open today from 10AM-2PM! It’s a great time to beat the back-to-school rush.