It's belly dancing with a male twist.
Twilight at the Oasis, an annual showcase of all things belly dance, is returning to Shadbolt Centre for the Arts on Saturday, Oct. 22.
"When most people think of a belly dancer, they picture a woman in a bra and skirt with coins jingling from her hips," a press release notes. "They almost never think of men."
Jim Boz is out to change all that. Boz is the featured performer at Twilight at the Oasis, which will include dance of many styles - Egyptian cabaret, tribal fusion, sword balancing, Rom (Gypsy) dance, American tribal style and folkloric Middle Eastern dance including silk veils and hip scarves.
Boz began his career as an actor and a musician. In the 1990s, he gained a following as a golo gothic/industrial artist under the stage name of Fell.Head and with the experimental music duet Tension Factor.
He discovered belly dance in 1994 on a whim and in a tongue-in-cheek attempt at regular exercise.
Since then, he's become a renowned workshop leader and dancer working in tribal belly dance, Moroccan tray dance and many folkloric dance styles.
Twilight at the Oasis is presented by the Middle Eastern Dance Association (http: //medabellydance.com) in the Shadbolt's James Cowan Theatre.
It's on Saturday, Oct. 22 at 8 p.m., and tickets are $22 (or $20 for association members). They're available at www.shadboltcentre.com or by calling 604-205-3000.
On Sunday, Oct. 23, Boz will lead two workshops at the Scotiabank Dance Centre in Vancouver: Sword Dynamics and Drama from noon to 2 p.m., and Mezze al Sharq (a multi-level, multistyle introduction) from 3 to 5 p.m.
Email [email protected] to register.
