Can't find the original post, but someone wanted info on the performers on the "Nanny' sitcom with Bellydancing. Yes, they were professional dancers:

Pleasant Gehman (Farhana), Ansuya Rathor, Neena Bidasha, and Sonia. They all work in the Los Angeles area; Farhana at Moun of Tunis, Ansuya at Al Amir, Neena (and her twin sister, Veena) perform at Noura Cafe and Cabaret Tehran. Sonia I don't personally know. Pleasant told me the sets for that show were Moroccan antiques, and that the set (and Fran Dresher's costuming) was gorgeous! --Marta Schill

"...we'll be casual, we look like belly dancers, we'll waltz our way outta here"

"There was a bit of dialogue that went something like: Parent: what's going on? Nick: This is a bachelor party. These are bellydancers. Those are impressionable young children.

"I won't burden you with the idiotic plot of how the students ended up at the bachelor party in the first place (they were out to offend a lot of people). Anyway, the two dancers wore straight red skirts with gold threads woven through. The material was light weight but not totally sheer. They also had arm coverings (wrist to mid-arm) of the same material, plus gold bra and belt sets with egyptian fringe. They looked a lot alike (about the same height, same coloring, etc.) and they both had long dark curly hair which they wore down, so that covered most of their shoulders and chest area. You couldn't see a whole lot (except, of course, their stomachs). They did very basic stuff--shimmies and a few hip lifts. I saw zils on at least one of the dancers, but she didn't use them. The men tended to dance *with* the dancers--not touching them but standing very close. The man that escorted them to the party made some mention of how they normally danced in a club. I wasn't quite as offended as when I saw Destiny on Cybill; then again, I have higher expectations for Cybill than I do for Nick Freno. At the very least, the costumes looked better, and the women actually looked as if they could dance (I had the feeling they weren't supposed to distract too much from the so-called acting that was purportedly going on in the background)." --Susan Salpini

"The dancers described are Nina and Vina, who are incidentally, twins. Both are accomplished dancers, trained in ME dance and East Indian dance (classical, folk and filmi styles). One of them (I believe Vina...) has **starred** as the Filmi dancer (a lead part) in East Indian films (the kind with all the flirting and singing and dancing....) I've seen both ME and Indian performances by these gracious and attractive dancers and they are quite good. It was very interesting to see them in this show, and it was VERY clear that they had been asked to limit their dancing... The costumes were simple, matching Egyptian style cabaret, the kind with sequined patterns appliquid onto the skirt and beaded hems.... and I'm relatively sure they were be-wigged.... If I recall correctly, they both have long, straight hair, not the curly masses seen on TV. One of the ladies actually had a speaking part (Gosh! The belly dancer Speaks!) and their overall acting (what limited amount was required) seemed natural and at ease. One nice thing, I didn't notice ANY references to stripping (Yeah! that at least is a win...) On the whole, I thought the presentation, while constrained and not spectacular, and certainly not what these dancers are capable of, was not particularly detrimental to our public image... For all that I'd never heard of Nick Freno before, he certainly did us a better turn than Cybill did." --Aziza Sa'id