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Belly dancing is a centuries-old dance form with roots in the Middle East. At Rakadu‘s spine is a body language known as American Tribal Style, an improvisational style of fusion belly dance developed and made popular by San Francisco dancer and director Carolena Nerricio, but the Lexington troupe branches in many directions outside that particular style. Photo from the 2015 production of "1,001 Nights," by Joseph Lyman
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Belly dancing is a centuries-old dance form with roots in the Middle East. At Rakadu‘s spine is a body language known as American Tribal Style, an improvisational style of fusion belly dance developed and made popular by San Francisco dancer and director Carolena Nerricio, but the Lexington troupe branches in many directions outside that particular style. Photo from the 2015 production of "1,001 Nights," by Joseph Lyman
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Belly dancing is a centuries-old dance form with roots in the Middle East. At Rakadu‘s spine is a body language known as American Tribal Style, an improvisational style of fusion belly dance developed and made popular by San Francisco dancer and director Carolena Nerricio, but the Lexington troupe branches in many directions outside that particular style. Photo from the 2015 production of "1,001 Nights," by Joseph Lyman
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Belly dancing is a centuries-old dance form with roots in the Middle East. At Rakadu‘s spine is a body language known as American Tribal Style, an improvisational style of fusion belly dance developed and made popular by San Francisco dancer and director Carolena Nerricio, but the Lexington troupe branches in many directions outside that particular style. Photo from the 2015 production of "1,001 Nights," by Joseph Lyman
In a world fraught with information overload, social media saturation and seemingly endless distractions, sanctuaries where we can clear our minds, renew our spirits and get back in touch with our bodies and selves are increasingly in demand. For nearly two decades, Mecca Live Studio and Gallery has been one such place in Lexington: a place where people with many interests and backgrounds come together to share ideas, study dance and create art. And this month, Mecca and the community surrounding it will celebrate the 20th anniversary of Rakadu Dance Theatre, the collaborative dance troupe that preceded the studio.
Rakadu grew organically from a group of women’s mutual appreciation of the transformational power of belly dance.
After their dance instructor, Suzanne Armetta, died unexpectedly in 1998, Teresa Tomb, Melissa McCartt Smyth, Lisa Duggins and a group of fellow classmates knew they needed to keep belly dancing. Rather than letting the loss of their teacher halt them, the women rallied together, continuing to study and broaden their exposure to the many different dance styles that fall under the veil of belly dancing.
“Continuing to dance was the best way for us to honor Suzanne as our teacher,” Tomb said. “She had lit a spark in all of us.”
Compelled to share their work and introduce belly dance to a broader audience, the group soon formed Rakadu Gypsy Dance, a performance troupe rooted in belly dance and other dance forms from North Africa, Upper Egypt, Northern India, Turkey and Spain. Rakadu – which means “to celebrate” – was born of a desire to celebrate many things: their former teacher, belly dance as a form, each other, life itself.
Tomb admits that at the time, she could never have envisioned that Rakadu would still be at it 20 years down the line – but at the same time, she could not imagine a life without dance.
She still can’t.
“After a day or two of not dancing, I feel uncomfortable in my skin,” she said. “I crave it.” Beyond being a fabulous form of exercise and creative outlet, she sees dance as therapeutic – a means for “making sense of our daily human condition.”
“It is a way of communicating without the use of words,” she said. “The communication becomes expression, emotion, art and poetry – it is evocative to those who participate and for those who witness the conversation.”
It was out of her desire to share this unique form of therapy and invite others to take part in this unique form of communication that Tomb founded Mecca in 1999, a studio space that hosts dance and music classes, live performances and other community events. From tribal belly dancing, Indian fusion flamenco dancing to Hawaiian hula and African hand drumming, classes offered at Mecca tend to have a wide range of global influences, filling a niche not often served by traditional dance studios. But beyond being simply a venue to host classes, Mecca also serves as a place where people of all body types, skill levels and interests can feel safe finding and expressing themselves.
For Eva Ensmann, a Rakadu performer since 2002, that inclusive nature is one of Mecca’s defining aspects.
“It’s an incredibly supportive environment where everyone feels welcome,” she said.
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Teresa Tomb co-founded Rakadu Dance Theatre in 1998 and Mecca Live Studio and Gallery the following year. Photo by Joseph Lyman
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Teresa Tomb co-founded Rakadu Dance Theatre in 1998 and Mecca Live Studio and Gallery the following year. Photo by Joseph Lyman
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Teresa Tomb co-founded Rakadu Dance Theatre in 1998 and Mecca Live Studio and Gallery the following year. Photo by Joseph Lyman
To be sure, part of the welcoming nature is tied specifically to the nature of belly dancing itself, a dance style that, unlike many other dance styles, is accessible to people of all ages, sizes and levels of athleticism.
“Belly dance works for so many types of bodies,” Tomb said. “Each [dancer] can be doing the same movement, but it looks entirely different. But, in motion, they are all mesmerizing.”
“Middle Eastern dance and many dances of the world embrace a body that accepts you regardless of your age, body type, lack of dance experience or gender,” added Lexington dancer Matt Elliot, who has been a member of Rakadu for eight years. “Mecca honors this in its teaching of these dances.”
Elliot began as a student at Mecca after studying theater at Dunbar High School and credits his experiences with the Mecca and Rakadu communities with helping him become who he is today.
“Dance transformed the way I move through life and how I interact with people,” he said. “I used to be a person who was reserved, scared of the next insult, but dance gave me a strength of self I hadn’t found elsewhere.
“Dance – but specifically dance with Mecca – gave me the freedom to be me,” he added.
While the company’s best-attended annual event doesn’t fall in line with the dance styles typically seen at Mecca, it was born from one of Tomb’s key principles: ensuring that Mecca always be a safe space where its community feels “free to share their crazy ideas,” no matter how bizarre or out-of-the-box those ideas might be. The idea for “Thriller” – a live re-enactment of the zombie-filled video for Michael Jackson’s 1982 song that has since become one of Lexington’s biggest annual downtown events – was born of one such conversation.
“We thought it would just be a really funny joke witnessed by family and friends – just a silly one-time thing,” she said. Seventeen years later, “Thriller” has become an anticipated family affair, engaging 1,000 “zombies” and other community performers and attracting tens of thousands of attendees downtown each Halloween season.
Coordinated in conjunction with city officials and a huge team of volunteers each season, “Thriller” might be Mecca’s biggest annual event – but for much of the Rakadu family, the highlight of the year is its annual presentation of “1,001 Nights,” a multi-media performance that reimagines a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales tracing back to the Islamic Golden Age. Taking place at the Lyric Theatre, the elaborate performance features a diverse selection of enchanting dance routines, colorful costumes and live music, all set against the vibrant backdrop of Arabia. Now in its seventh year, the show is always a feast for the senses, but this year’s show promises to also be a trip down memory lane for the Rakadu dancers and fans, with plans to serve as a living scrapbook of the two-decade journey of Rakadu. Performers from the throughout the troupe’s history will return from points as far away as Amsterdam to participate in the show, which will run the gamut from deeply spiritual pieces to dances infused with a sense of humor.
“I want the audience to have an experience that is emotional and visceral,” said Tomb.
The performance will not only showcase a variety of artists but also a variety of styles, from classic pieces to new improvisational works to a Rockabilly suite. Along with the seasoned Rakadu dancers, the show will also showcase a variety of Mecca student groups.
“It’s an opportunity for us to take material we’ve been working with all year and bring it on to stage as a reflection of what we’ve experienced,” Tomb says.
In the end, the goal of the event – like much of what Mecca and Rakadu do – is to connect and communicate with the audience.
This show is wildly exotic but will also touch people on a personal level, Tomb said. “I’ve never been content with the audience as voyeur. There is a mutual experience to be had.”
Mecca presents "1,001 Nights"
Sunday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m.
The Lyric Theatre & Cultural Arts Center, 300 E. Third St.
Click here for tickets and more details
Rakadu Dance Theatre celebrates its 20th year in the Lexington dance community alongside guest artists Amel Tafsout and Dalia Carella.
AMEL TAFSOUT- (means ‘Hope of Spring’) is a charismatic international first source master dance artist of North African Maghreb dance and has mesmerized audiences in the Middle East and North Africa, as well as Europe, New Zealand, U.S.A. and Latin America. Tafsout is an acclaimed choreographer, instructor and performer of North African Maghreb Dance as well as a poet, a storyteller, a singer, a socio-linguist and a dance anthropologist.
DALIA CARELLA- is a renowned world fusion artist, choreographer, master teacher, and the Founder/ Artistic Director of the Dalia Carella Dance Collective. Her rich background has lead her to make works utilizing both ethnic and contemporary movement, that are ingrained with a deep spiritual and mystical essence. She is known for her explorations into cultural dance forms, her precise and seamless blending of traditional and modern dance in the theatrical context, and for her dark and sultry cabaret stylings, evocative of the European underground, circa the 1920s and 30s.
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With elaborate costumes, lighting and live music accompaniment, the annual production of “1,001 Nights” features a variety of Rakadu dancers from over the years – often including several who have moved away from Lexington but return to participate in the event. Photo from the 2015 production of "1,001 Nights," by Joseph Lyman
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With elaborate costumes, lighting and live music accompaniment, the annual production of “1,001 Nights” features a variety of Rakadu dancers from over the years – often including several who have moved away from Lexington but return to participate in the event. Photo from the 2015 production of "1,001 Nights," by Joseph Lyman
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With elaborate costumes, lighting and live music accompaniment, the annual production of “1,001 Nights” features a variety of Rakadu dancers from over the years – often including several who have moved away from Lexington but return to participate in the event. Photo from the 2015 production of "1,001 Nights," by Joseph Lyman
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With elaborate costumes, lighting and live music accompaniment, the annual production of “1,001 Nights” features a variety of Rakadu dancers from over the years – often including several who have moved away from Lexington but return to participate in the event. Photo from the 2015 production of "1,001 Nights," by Joseph Lyman