~ EVENT REVIEW ~
Night in the Global Village 75th Anniversary Online Hafla
By Nizana
Since April 2020 , Night in the Global Village has been running online haflas from one to four times a month , with dancers from all across the US from Hawaii to Florida , and around the world including Belgium , Canada , New Zealand , China , Germany , Mexico , Brazil , UK , Ukraine , Germany , South Africa and more ! We have provided a welcoming place for dancers to reconnect , meet new dancers , make new friendships and dance ! We have had all levels of dancers including students , hobbyists , professionals , and internationally well-known artists such as Aziza of Montreal , Sadie , Serkan , Dahlena , and Kaeshi Chai !
The NGV team has been phenomenal , each accomplished in their own right . Yalayna , one of the original team members , is a Shimmy Mob leader and organizer of Bellyfest in Spokane , WA , with Egyptian being her main style . Yalayna has been the one creating those awesome animated posters as well as some of the banners for the NGV , and has been the biggest help to me . Nefabit , our other founding member also from WA , is an awardwinning dancer ( including Belly Dancer of the Universe ) who was recently cast as the Tinman in Jillina ’ s Seattle Belly Dance Experience Wonderful Wizard of Oz show . She has just recently stepped back due to her increased level of activity . Paloma Phoenix from FL , a highly creative fusion dancer and troupe member of the Dendera Dancers , was an early-on NGV team member on co-host ( tech / emcee duties .) Paloma had a baby a year ago and stepped back to focus on motherhood , but still chimes in .
David Metz , well-known drummer from Seattle , joined us next as a co-host / emcee and live drummer for our “ Live in the Global Village ” series , which is what our 75th hafla version is . Internationally known instructor and performer Saqra , now from TX , also joined up to assist with tech and emcee duties . Saqra and David started their Raqs Band Lite online haflas in Sept 2020 with Saqra on melody and David on drums playing live sets for dancers monthly . Hasani , a lovely dancer and instructor from WA , joined us this year to fill the co-host gap and has done a great job . Hasani runs a quarterly hafla online ( and offline when the pandemic is not affecting us ) and has been a long-time fixture in the Pacific Northwest , vending , dancing , and troupe directing .
As the organizer of the NGV , I have a background of being engaged in the dance world in various capacities for some time , including instructing , troupe direction , and event producing . I happily write for “ The Belly Dance Chronicles ” on a regular basis and have also been published in six other belly dance magazines . I compile the dancer lineups and do a long list of other things to ensure these haflas keep happening each month , even with the world opening back up , as many dancers have expressed a “ need .” I ’ ve actually danced in every single one of these haflas and a number of other online haflas along the way !
This hafla , our 75th , had another great lineup as they always do and included Julia , Sahaila , Zorina , Becka Bomb , Souzan , Liz , Paulina , Zanuba , Hayati , Hasani , Tracy , Roxelana , and myself . Many of the dancers on the lineup are dancers I have personally known for years and shared stages with ; some I ’ ve shared stages with only online and look forward to sharing in-person stages with in the future . Almost all have veteran dance experience , and the richness of the variety
66 The Belly Dance Chronicles � September 2022