Soon Kathryn began putting on shows in
Arizona that included a wide variety of dance
styles, including flamenco and a group of dancers
from India. She also produced and directed a
30-minute video, in 1974, entitled: “Mideastern
Dance”, made for the University of Arizona
Oriental Studies Department. It explored the
history and costumes of Middle Eastern dance,
beginning in the 1800s. A year later she went to
Cairo, spending six weeks with Shoki and Faten
and her family, absorbing everything she could about basic
Egyptian dancing with music. (Note: True to their culture,
Faten’s family never allowed her to dance in a cabaret —
only with the folkloric company.) And it was then that
Kathryn realized that many American instructors still only
taught the moves, not — as she had learned — how to dance
with the music. Another shining exception to this was Dalia
Carella. In fact Kathryn confessed that she still studies with
Dalia when schedule and time permits.
Rakkasah
In 1979, Kathryn appeared for the first of many times at
Rakkasah, and she soon founded her troupe, The Xanadu
Dancers, which is still active today. And as the 1980s
rolled in, Kathryn, thanks to the efforts of Bert Balladine,
saw her career really take off as he opened doors for her
internationally, starting with Benta in Germany. With her
opportunities increasing, Kathryn traveled, performed and
taught throughout Europe and the Far East. She worked
in such countries as Belgium, the Netherlands, Mexico,
Australia, New Zealand, Turkey and Singapore. One note
here is that although Kathryn usually made her costumes,
she took advantage of her travels to purchase costumes —
such as from the famous designer – Bella – whenever she
could. Yet, in 1985, she managed to find the time to make
another of her many dreams come true when she began
making her innovative instructional tape, Mid-Eastern
Dance: An Introduction to Belly Dance. Though two years in
the making, it was worth both the time and the painstaking
effort to complete the project, which was released in 1987.
Following upon its success, she later released Dances From
The Casbah, in 1989. This short tape had performances
by both Kathryn in solos, and for the first time, with her
troupe, The Xanadu Dancers.
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July 2017
“If Only . . .”
Busy teaching, performing and guesting at
many seminars, five years later she wrote and
produced another short film which aired on
PBS. If Only. . . was a short story, composed in
the style of modern dance, and it won her several
awards, including the prestigious Grand Prix,
an international video dance festival in Paris,
France. A short time later, still occupied with
the video medium, Kathryn released another
performance tape. This time, however, it did not include her
troupe. Kathryn Dances was a one-hour compilation of her
performances, from here and in Europe, going back over 15
years of her career. In 2000, she sponsored Morocco from
New York and a five-piece ensemble that played traditional
instruments from Egypt and Lebanon, led by Souhail
Kasper from Lebanon, in a two-day dance, drumming and
history workshop. In 2003, she produced “Mideast Music
& Dance Extravaganza” — a concert with the George
Lammam ensemble (four Mid-Eastern musicians living
in San Francisco) and again percussionist, Souhail Kaspar.
There were 16 dancers in attendance, including the guest
dancer, Soraya, from Germany.
Going Strong
Kathryn, an incredibly focused and active woman,
still teaches several days a week at her Xanadu Studio,
occasionally performing with her Xanadu Troupe. She is
working on another film, and also writing a non-fiction book.
Her only request of me was to thank the many instructors
who have inspired her to push to her limits, and beyond. So,
from Kathryn, many thanks to Bert, Jamila, Dahlena, Dalia,
and Zarifa Sa’id. This thanks also applies to Maria Benitez,
a flamenco dancer, and Gino d’Auri, a flamenco guitarist.
Last, of course, she thanks her many students.
JOHN CLOW
John was a life-long aficionado of bellydance
and a writer who lived in Augusta, Georgia.