Modern Dance Faq

On the Verge: Matt Nathanson

Slow and steady wins the race: Despite the title of his hit single, Faster , rocker Matt Nathanson's rise has been more of a slow burn. It's at No. 6 on USA TODAY's adult-alternative airplay chart and is rising up through the top 40. His new album, Modern Love , out Tuesday, will be his eighth and is a blend of folk, pop and rock. "I definitely took the stairs approach with my music career," the singer/songwriter says. "There were times that I wish I could have hit fast-forward, but looking back, I wouldn't change a thing." Of course, he'd have been happy to hop the line. "I'm no fool — if a label would've offered me $3 million to promote my record, I wouldn't have turned them down," he jokes.

Hopping coasts: Though his music has the easy, surf-ready sounds of California, Nathanson is a New England native. "I grew up in Massachusetts, went to high school in New Hampshire , so by the time I graduated, I wanted to live somewhere warmer," the 38-year-old says. "I started out setting up conference rooms for a pharmaceutical company and playing music on the weekends." He worked his way up, slowly building his fan base over 15 years. "I started out in my car, then moved on to a minivan, then a bus with a crew."

His one true love: For Nathanson, music is the one . "Being a musician is the only thing I've ever committed to, much to the chagrin of every woman I've ever dated," he says. "It all started when I saw Kiss in the '70s, watching them spit fire. I thought, 'Now, that's what I want to do.'" He also had the support of loving parents. "My mom always encouraged me," he says. "It's not like a Footloose kind of childhood where I wanted to dance, but no one would let me. I was able to let loose with music."

From hair to there: Nathanson credits a smorgasbord of influences. "Growing up, I was heavy into hair metal. I then discovered U2, which was the gateway drug for Lou Reed and Bob Dylan," he says. "I'm a music nerd — right now, I'm listening to Bon Iver , Raphael Saadiq , the new Def Leppard . I have an endless need to be inspired by music." He shares his musical education with fans. "Every morning, I try to listen to a new album and post it to my Facebook and Twitter accounts, and ask readers to listen and share their thoughts," he says. "It's important to me that people listen to the full album, I want to get away from the superficial hell of surfing just songs.

Gilded Serpent, Belly Dance News & Events , Becoming the Object of ...

The Belly dance scene in 1970s Los Angeles:  It is difficult to spotlight succinctly even one portion of a vibrant, vast and quickly growing community of Middle Eastern dancers, their enthusiasts, and the ethnic communities, musicians, festivals and supper clubs that supported the dance arts.  The abundance of inspiration in that era was almost beyond understanding; yet once upon a time before the Internet, music, imagery and information was less readily available.  Knowledge had to be directly and carefully mined from academic, ethnic and cultural sources.  We always performed to live music; recorded music was rare at dance events.  The sociological change of American society in the 1970s also informed our dance community. 

Now, as I reach back in my memory of these exciting times to compose this article, I’m grateful for the researched archiving amassed and available in today’s technological world.  I’ve tried to be precise: please forgive me where I’m hazy!  It was the ‘70s after all!  Please enjoy the links provided at the end of this article for more exciting information to further encourage and stimulate your own creativity as you, dear reader, move our dance form ever further.

This article will focus on the iconic 1970s “ Perfumes of Araby ” Belly dance troupe, lead by the almost mythical performer/actress/teacher, Diane Webber , who was also my teacher.  I was there!  Through a selection of our performances in that era, we’ll explore dance and costuming as becoming the object of your own fantasy. 

The article also touches on paradoxes of our art form: the performance setting, creating a artificial boundary within which we feel free to have intimate exposure (and how costuming facilitates that), and the seeming female accommodation of male sexism –actually a proclamation of autonomy and a pathway to power. 

Diane Webber was a Playboy centerfold –twice; there’s another whole story there – yet, we’ll stick with Belly dance this time.  Among her earliest Middle Eastern dance engagements were at s “The Fez” in Hollywood (Lou was our orchestra violinist.) and on the road with “Haji Baba” star, Guy Chookoorian , who was also the Perfumes’ stalwart oud player in our multi-piece orchestra.

Harley Hahn's the Internet complete reference

The Internet yellow pages

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The Cr FAQ - An Introduction to Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism

Harley Hahn's Internet and Web yellow pages