for her around the world.
Together they performed
with many of the greats in
this fascinating dance until
Bert transitioned into the
Big Stage in the Sky in 2009.
In l975, Delilah, a high
powered dancer from Las
Vegas, and a former dance
partner of Bert Balladine,
took the first ever tour of
U.S. dancers to Egypt. This
was so unusual that the TV
news show, “60 Minutes”,
followed her and covered
a very unusual sight…
American belly dancers in
competition with each other in Cairo.
Amaya and Bert with George Abdo
A: The following year I was one of 9 dancers to go on
the same tour…sans TV cameras this time around. I was
a newbie and wide-eyed to be in such an exotic foreign
country. This tour also included a contest. It was held at the
Cairo Sheraton Hotel. Mohamed Khalil, choreographer to
star Nagwa Fouad, the city mayor, a newspaper editor, and
other dignitaries were the judges. My tour mates all went out
on stage and improvised for 3 minutes to a huge orchestra!
Since I was so new, I had not planned on competing and
was enjoying the night. Delilah then made a push for me to
get out there, and since I had not planned anything, I was
actually not very nervous and I danced in the competition.
Much to my surprise I won First Place! Later in the hotel
10
The Belly Dance Chronicles
January 2016
elevator, a few of the musicians met up with me and asked,
“How do you Americans even know our music?” I explained
that we had maybe seven LP records that made the rounds
to all of us and so we knew all their classics. They were
amazed and then told me to slow down my dancing. It was
waaay too fast (and it was!).
You spent time dancing in European circuses, tell us about
these gigs and what you learned.
M: In addition to winning first place at the dance competition
at the Cairo Sheraton in Egypt (1979); she even admits to
“running away to join the circus” (Salome Traumtheatre
in Hamburg, Germany, and Circus Conelli in Zurich,
Switzerland, 1982-1982). She was a featured performer in