By Ryan M October 03, 2011
Carl was very prompt, responsive, and professional. He handled all my email questions very quickly, provided just the equipment we wanted, and DJ'ed a wonderful reception. He excels at keeping people on the dance floor - we never stopped dancing all night! ...read more
By Paul Freeman October 06, 2008
Platinum Sound Works did an incradible job. We have requested them to provide something minimal before, but this year we requested the works and they over-delivered! It was a production similiar to what you would experience at a concert at the Sprint Center! The sound was blasting and the light show was outstanding! Truly a wonderful performance that made our party a hit. We will not call anyone else for any of our party needs. ...read more
By Jenn Hadel October 06, 2008
Carl stole the show at the Royal this year!!! Between the lighting, choice of music and incredible sound, he had the entire audience on their feet and dancing all night!!! Highly recommend him for DJ services!!! ...read more
If you thought bellydance was all about the sexy beautiful girl in a semi-revealing costume shaking it to a foreign tune from and exotic land...well frankly you have been mislead. Bellydance is certainly sexy, but there is so much more to it than just that. To better understand bellydance one must first look at its origins. Bellydance as a performing art has its origins.in various folk dances. Now when we say folk dances we often think historical, elaborate but covered costume, somewhere "over there." This also is a minor misconception. Folk simply mean of the people..so social dances. In actuality probably the largest contributors to bellydance are the social dances of Northern Egypt, primarily Cairo and these dances are danced today by men and women. It is commonly held that most of the peoples of the Middle East and North Africa have some sort of social variation on these dances; however the specific movements and the social context in which it is danced varies to a great deal from one culture to another. Below I have provided a link to an example of Cairo social dancing. Enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJu15l0wTuY&list;=PL403332E3087050DB&index=1&feature=plpp_video ...read more
By Melody Gabrielle and Numinous Dance October 10, 2012
A reaction to. . . Debke,A Brief History by Tasha Banat from gildedserpent.com I really enjoyed the above linked article. Finally someone who seems to have a good grasp of bellydance history. A point I would like to highlight is that, "Belly Dance is only one type of dance in the Middle East so it cannot be called Middle Eastern Dance – that is completely wrong so please, do not use the term 'Middle Eastern Dance' to replace Belly Dance." If you check my history and perspectives on bellydance page you'll see that I have said the same thing. I know that in this country we often use the term Middle Eastern Dance to avoid the so-called 'exhibitionist' history of the word, not to mention the negative connotation that the world still has today. Its probably true that people associate bellydance more with selatiousness than the term Middle Eastern Dance, but the reality it that it doesn't authentically define our dance. Ultimately its mis-representation which leads to misunderstanding which is probably one of the reasons why bellydance already has a bad reputation. Furthermore, if this article is correct there is an Arabic term 'raks b'tn' meaning stomach dance then bellydance is a very authentic gloss for the original Arabic. Very interesting, we might have to rewrite our own history of bellydance at the Chicago's Worlds Faire. What will we do without Sol Bloom to blame for the fact that the American public sometimes does not appreciate bellydance? I guess we will just have to focus the cultural aspects of the present day which still make people uncomfortable with bellydance rather than simply blaming the past. I wonder what we will find. Perhaps that elements of our culture are really just as prudish as they were in the 1890s. Perhaps that Orientalism is alive and well or rather other forms of Middle Eastern/Arabi prejudice. Perhaps that feminine sexuality is still frightening when presented without a complementary male sexuality. I don't really know what the relevant issues are but I'm fascinated. I am sensing a project coming on! ...read more
By Melody Gabrielle and Numinous Dance June 23, 2010
Circus performers have been delighting American audiences since the late 1700s, though the historical roots of many circus-type performances date back even further. Traditional performances seen in America’s circuses have almost always included clown acts, acrobatic feats, exotic animals, and hu... ...read more
Cruise ship vacations bring to mind images of relaxing on a deck lounge chair in the sun, or enjoying fine dining at sumptuous buffets. Cruises also offer tremendous entertainment of many types. From theater productions to specialty acts, a cruise vacation brings together an amazing array ... ...read more