Its a long story - but the executive summary is this:

In 1996 my wife and I learned Greek folk dance - my very first experience with dance of any kind. Yea, I was a typical male with a typical male's excuse "I have 2 left feet". Well, I pretty much did, my experiences learning Greek dancing weren't pretty - but I fell in love with it, and several years later I was actually *teaching* Greek dance to a small group of co-workers once a week at noon.

One of them was a Belly Dancer. One day she called and asked me to come down to where we had our class a bit early as she wanted me to see her very first Belly Dance solo - and wanted my opinion. "I don't know anything about Belly Dance" I told her. "It doesn't matter, you're a *dancer*" came her reply.

So I watched her go through her solo several times. I loved the beauty, and I loved the connection with the music. "I have *got* to do this!" I said to myself, "I want this beauty for myself.".

So, I went to my first class, and the rest is history.

My site address is buried in my profile, but here it is:

http://www.doubleveil.net

Enjoy!

If you really want to, you can! Just be prepared to be a klutz for awhile - I'm living proof that ANYONE can dance, TRUST ME!

Find a dance form that interests you, and go take some classes. Don't worry about looking/being clumsy - that's what the class is for!

Luger Holster Repair ----- Sonny..well maybe a 173rd did now and then but no one in the 101st did.
The 101st never burnt down any PX's either! The 173rd has that honor.. We weren't banned from every R&R post in Viet Nam for wearing silk panties! Didn't the 101 go leg?


I was also a member of the 101st (1961-1963) and at that time we were all Airborne qualified but I believe that that has not been the case for quite some time now, I believe many are Legs now. While I have never had the urge to wear ladies underwear I did experience an embarrassing moment when my wife, I was married and lived off post, washed my long johns in with something red and they all came out a bright pink, shortly after that we had a Field Problem lasting several days one January and I wanted to wash up and change into some clean clothes, forgetting that my long johns were bright pink, took awhile to live that down. :o

And I crawled up outta the water on metal treads...! :cheers:

OOH RAH!

Gunny John

A Marine Treadhead!!!!!!!!!!!!! :thumbup:

Our repelling ropes were tied to Heaven's Gates...it was a loooong way to the ground. :thumbsup:

They went to Nam in 65 as the 101st Airborne Div and returned the 101st Airborne Div (Air Mobile) If I remember correctly, the 1st Cav was the first to be designated 'Air Mobile' and because it was the way to mobilize in Nam, the 101st became the second Air Mobile in 68 but still had one Bde airborne qualified. Later designated "Air Assault" after returning stateside. At that time the 173rd was deactivated and made 3rd Bde 101st and was the airborne Bde but that has been deleted and became Air Assault also a few years later. I crossed paths with the 173rd both in Nam and Ft Campbell when they returned from Nam. The first thing they did was set up a Belly Dancing School at Ft Campbell............:roflmao::roflmao::roflmao:

Best we get this thread back to Belly Dancing before any belly buttons start popping!!!!!!!!!!!!!:roflmao:

not yet!!
 

We still need to determine who can, and can-not jump out of aircraft.. with or without a chute... or rope?? ....:eek:.....And at this point in the discussion, I still am un-able to dance in any acceptable fashion??? ...:eek:... These issues need to be addressed.. :):)... best to all, til...lat'r...GT:cheers:

I use to do one hell of a Jitterbug back in England just before Normandy. Blimey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :roflmao:

Zormpas, when I first saw your avatar the first thing I thought was "he must be a relative of Boy George" but I didn't say anything. Didn't want to be rude. You'll have to do alot more belly dancing so you can keep up with your new addiction!!

Yea, tell me about it. I have too many interests/hobbies as it is: Sewing and collecting antique sewing machines were a spin-off from my dancing - nothing like well oiled reciprocating cast iron. I have a 28 year old Mercedes diesel that keeps me busy, I restored an antique piano and "torture Beethoven" with it, plus keeping things fixed up around the house. Some of these things aren't exactly compatible with pretty fingernails!

And yes, then there's the Luger - I have a "thing" for good German engineering (hence the old Benz). Now I'm Jonesing for a Ruger Mk III target pistol too. My wife wants a .22 revolver to play with, and we have several other firearms. Where does *this* end?

To steer this away from 'Dirt Darts' and back to the subject.

Don't knock Belly Dancing. My Daughter is taking classes. This is her instructor, I plan on attending more of their performances. ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dj4P73O7ggw

"They went to Nam in 65 as the 101st Airborne Div and returned the 101st Airborne Div (Air Mobile) If I remember correctly, the 1st Cav was the first to be designated 'Air Mobile' and because it was the way to mobilize in Nam, the 101st became the second Air Mobile in 68 but still had one Bde airborne qualified. Later designated "Air Assault" after returning stateside. At that time the 173rd was deactivated and made 3rd Bde 101st and was the airborne Bde but that has been deleted and became Air Assault also a few years later. I crossed paths with the 173rd both in Nam and Ft Campbell when they returned from Nam. The first thing they did was set up a Belly Dancing School at Ft Campbell............" Noncom Retired


Thanks for the info Ed, wasn't aware of the Belly Dancing School. In my case jumping out of an aircraft was a lot easier to learn than trying to learn to dance, no sense of rhythm.

I would say your daughter has a good instructor. You don't see floorwork done very often in a Tribal environment - floorwork always impresses.

There's a vague chance that my wife and/or myself may be performing in a troupe at TribalFest next year. Our Tribal-Fusion instructor has been invited to teach there.

I'm pretty much a Cabaret style dancer (What people generally think of when they think of Belly Dance, all glitz and glamour), but I dabble in Tribal style.

She looks familiar and if she is who I think she is....don't tell her where I am. :thumbup:

it went underground when the 101st returned to Campbell. :thumbsup:

Well..I guess it's not my thing. The girls wear too many clothes and the music is irritating. Similar to opera..it's a struggle to sit and watch it. I guess I is unkultured.

When I first started Greek dance - never mind Belly dance - I thought the music sounded like a pair of cats duking it out in a (running) clothes dryer. Although an appreciation for the music has grown on me, some of it still sounds that way!

I am confused. Is belly dancing a dancing style of Greek, or Indian??

Neither really, although you'll find Belly Dancing in both places. The probable center of the Belly Dance world is Egypt - although the Lebanese and the Turks might argue about that. Its generally considered "Middle Eastern", although the Western world has had quite the influence on it on the last century or so - especially Hollywood. The familiar 2 piece costume is a Hollywood invention that spread back "over there". Some of the vets from the sandbox might have seen some Belly Dance of one form or another.

Zorba, Is the Greek dancing the type where they clap and yell OPA! and balance tables etc. in the air or is that all hollywood stuff?

That's pretty much real - I was friends with a very famous dancer who would pick up tables and chairs in his teeth and dance about. He was in a horrible auto accident in 2001 and we lost him. His sons are carrying on the tradition last I heard.

But the "generic" Greek dance is a line dance - the Syrto/Kalamatiano, Hassapaserviko, Tsamiko, Hassapiko are all "Pan-Hellenic", known all over Greece. But each village has their own dances as well. Hassapiko is probably the most famous from the movie "Zorba the Greek".

"Captain Corelli's Mandolin" is a good example of Greek dancing, filmed on Cephalonia where the book took place and the infamous massacre and the extras were village people doing the dancing. The older villagers in the movie were youngsters during the war and remember what happened.

One of my favorite movies! Love the book too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bISe30elykY

Telly Savalas in this episode of "Combat" here dancing.
Starts around 5 minutes in.

I have seen the dancing with tables in the teeth etc. yelling opa and always wondered if that was what they really did etc.

I never saw the Movie Captain Correlis Mandolin. Some day I'll have to watch it.

I remembered the Telly Dance from watching "Combat" and found it on youtube.

Nice clip - that's the "Zembetiko", a solo man's dance. I'm not qualified to dance that - I don't truly understand it. I think you have to be Greek to really "get" this one.

My Goodness, Zormpas, I haven't thought of Zorba in years.

I wrote a small poem when I was 19...

"When I see the sunrise,
or watch Puffy-cat bathe her kittens,
or hold a hot cup of coffee,
or watch my sweetheart sleep;
Then I am envious of the Greeks.
Their men can dance
when no one's watching."

Damn, thanks for the memories. :)

Gunny John

Curious on this unusual dancing style -- was it originated from ancient Greek, Byzantium? or is it a relatively modern style?

There was an old mamasan who we would pay to walk through our compound and pickup butts. She knew no English other than "you numba ten". But when anyone walked passed and said "Combat", she would smile with those dirty cocained juiced teeth of hers, Vic Morrow...Rick Jason!!!!! The firebase always knew also when it was about to be rocketed, she didn't show up that day. She was our 'early warning system'. :thumbup:

We went to a combined performance put on by several different dancing schools, our Daughter's first public performance Sword Dancing.

The finale was two very highly skilled dancers performing an intricate form of Gypsy Belly Dancing. It was absolutely amazing and mesmerizing.

Gypsy style is a LOT of fun! An endless number of possibilities with those huge skirts. Shawls too.

I'm not sure which style we're discussing at this point in the thread. But IN GENERAL, most of the Greek dances have their origins in Byzantium times. As I recall, Hassapiko is a bit newer, something about Greek butchers. The Black Sea region has its own varieties, as do the islands.

From Wiki:

The hasapiko (Greek: χασάπικο, pronounced [xaˈsapiko]), is a Greek folk dance from Constantinople. The dance originated in the Middle Ages as a battle mime with swords performed by the Greek butchers guild, which adopted it from the military of Byzantine era.[1] In Constantinople during the Byzantine times, it was called in Greek μακελλάρικος χορός (makellarikos horos). Some Greeks, however, reserve the latter term only for the fast version of the dance.

There is an almost unknown Telly Savalas movie called "Escape to Athena" were he also performs this dance. It is also noteworthy for his use on an MP44 in the movie instead of the ubiquitous MP40.

Telly also played in another episode of "Combat" as a French resistance fighter that lost his mind. He carries a G43 which I found interesting.

gypsy in ww2 meeting germans...
 

http://www.ww2incolor.com/d/340426-1...e_Jack_Sparrow


Gypsies (or Romani, as they call themselves, the Gypsy word for "men") ...

and this is NOT jack sparrow, but is spooky close....

that romani sure looks like johnny depp.

zorba,

in college i took ballet and gymnastics and continued to earn a brown belt in karate at night. talk about crossing some cultural time zones 6-7 times a week. wow.

glad you join the forum and got hooked on lugers.