Naima, Detroit Belly Dancer, Vintage Live Greek Belly Dancing

[NormaDancer2]

I remember the dance group.

[pythia3]

Thank you for sharing! I also danced at both Mykonos and Bouzouki lounge back in the 80's. I was part of a dance group and we did Ethnic and cabaret style dancing. Jimmy and Polivios were both friends of mine. (I still see Jimmy occasionally - his wife, Sandy, was a very good friend of mine.)

[NormaDancer2]

Thank-you! Too bad there are not more places like this now.

[POMEDT]

This is wonderful!!!!!

[NormaDancer2]

Yes, I danced at both Mykonos and Bouzoukee in Detroit's Greektown. Unfortunately, I do not have any video footage of those shows. I sure miss those clubs. Jimmy and Polivious ran Mykonos.

[animeyurilover34]

Wow! Excellent..... I ve heard Polivio and Jimmy from the New Parthenon, Really brag about you! Didnt you used to dance at the famous club Mikanos too?? I heard that place was a legendary hot spot... Whatever happened to all of that? Oh yeah Gianni Pappas used to give us the low down on old Greek town.. I worked fro all of em for years...

[BorbalaBellyDancer]

I remember visiting Greek Town Detroit in the early 90's and loving the belly dancers! It is truly an ancient art! Norma , history is important...thank you!

Too many young girls need to study the past before they criticize the future!

I so much enjoy your videos and try learning from them!

[maltanetworkresource]

interesting piece of history, thanks for posting it!

[NormaDancer2]

@maltanetworkresource

Thank -you! I wish I had other videos of when I danced in the bouzoukee clubs from 1985-1997.Alas this is the only clip I have. I'm sure others exist. Maybe one day someone will post one of my shows.

[kuntidevi]

this is the way my first teacher tout me to dance

[NormaDancer2]

@kuntidevi Yes it as old traditional style that is dying out. This was in California. But I worked many years in Detroit's Greektown. While Greektown still exists, the last club closed in 1997. So sad.

[zizidiva1]

Beautiful Norma!

[claudiacal]

wonderfull dancer and very good videoclip. It is a pity 'couse it is tooshort!The belly dance greek style is quite different from the ones we can see usually and the kind of music too. This music remeber me the one of the Buenavistasocialclub.... anyway you gave me a lot of emotion and a lot of ideas to dance with veil in an original coreo. Thanks!

[NormaDancer2]

I wish I had videos of me when I danced in Detroit Greektown. Someone out there has them as I was always being videotaped but I have nothing! I feel your pain janetathensbay!

[janetathensbay]

What memories. I danced in Wilma's Papsadero's original dance troupe way back in the 1970's. When I came to Greece in 1979, I danced in all the Greek clubs in Plaka! What fun we had. I wish I could find some old videos of myself dancing. Unfortunately, I never knew anyone who had taken any.  How nice that you have these of you. Thanks for posting. Greetings from Athens, Greece

[NormaDancer2]

Thanks! I worked in the Greek clubs in Detroit Greektown for 12 years and this is the only clip I have of me and this is when I lived in California! So sad.

[animeyurilover34]

@NormaDancer2 Polivio and jimmy from New Parthenon, used to really brag about you! Did you work at the famous Mikanos too?? I heard all the Greeks talk about that club. Why did it ever close anyway?

[911ayn]

In Toronto, there is a huge Greek population and you can still see performances like this in some restaurants. Thanks for the upload.

[NormaDancer2]

I'll have to go to Toronto! Actually, in this clip I was performing with a tour group called, "Holiday in Greece" which was based out of Toronto.

[NormaDancer2]

Thank you Tommy and Bonny! The reason for posting these clips is because I'm aware many people today have not been exposed to the hot belly dance nightclub scene that sadly ceased to exist in the late 1990's. I'm glad I'm bringing back memories. Those were the days, my friend.... we thought they'd never end...Oh dear, I feal a song coming on....

[TommyTabla2]

NORMA!!! This is what got me flipped-out, crazy about bellydancing...back in the day....the energy, passion, fun...EVERYTHING!!!!! THANK YOU!!! Thank you for being what you were...or ARE!!! I SO wish I had the honor of seeing you live...but like I said...these videos make-up for it:)

[NormaDancer2]

Thanks! Opa! Ti Kanis? I wish there were more Greek clubs open so we could have this again. It's so sad that there aren't many places for people in the US to go and enjoy a bellydance show in a Greek restaurant anymore.

[bonnydancer]

Yia sou, Virginia, there is Greek bellydancing! I love this - OPA! I wish there was more of Greek bellydancing.