Aziza Sa'id's FAQ - Dancers in TV Series P-T

Movie Title	Dancer	Description
Phil Donahue	Barbie Twins	The Barbie Twins bellydancing as a duo on the "Phil Donahue" show (you have 5 seconds to roll your eyes. Go.) And you know what? To these untrained eyes, they weren't bad. It looked as if they actually had a feel for what they were doing. Apparently they did a similar act on a professional basis not too long ago. - Paul B
Policewoman	Laurie Rose (aka Mesmera)	A splendid dancer on a 1974 episode of "Policewoman" - Paul
Rat Patrol, The - "Street Urchin Raid"	Tania Lemani
Real People		Hosts: John Davidson, Sarah Purcell, Fran Tarkington. About professional bellydancers and women who enjoy it as a hobby. Segment on a male dancer.
Sabado Gigante	Neena and Veena, Tamalyn Dallal, Delilah	"A couple of delightful, hard-working and famous locally-based (Los Angeles) dancers appeared last night on "Sabado Grande", an enormously-popular Spanish-language weekly variety show that is broadcast internationally by the network Univision (taped in Florida). The twins Neena and Veena danced a rather "American" style choreography for about three minutes (a generous amount of time by variety show standards). It's not the first time a danse orientale artist has appeared on this show, but it's the first time nationally-known dancers have been featured." --James "I know Tamalyn Dallal has been featured on the show as well.. she has a studio in Miami Beach, teaches workshops across the country (including Rakkasah), performs in the US and abroad, and has published some videos." --Sherezzah Bint al-Waha "Several years ago Delilah was featured on the program and the producers flew her from Seattle to Florida so she could appear." --Laurel Victoria Gray
Saved By The Bell: The New Class - "The Slumber Party"	Natalia Ciguliti Bonnie Russavage Bianca Lawson	(1993) The school nerd (Issac Lidsky) upon hearing that the three popular girls (Natalia Ciguliti, Bonnie Russavage and Bianca Lawson) were having a slumber party, envisons his own version. In it, the girls in various stages of harem attire (Russavage in yellow w/covering over the mdriff, Lawson in a very lovely light purple and Ciguliti in belly-baring teal) are bored untill Lawson makes a wish and rubs a lamp,releasing him. After a few momments, one of them suggests "Let's dance!!" and the girls happliy circle around him,swaying. The nerd proclaims "That the party should go on for a thousand and one more nights!" before he is awaken from his fantasy.. -- Michael
SCTV		w/John Candy, Rick Moranis - bellydancer appears in spoof of Casablanca
Sex in the City		Did anyone else see last week's episode of "Sex in the City" on HBO? Part of it was set in a Morrocan restaurant, featuring dancers. The glimpse of dancers was fleeting, so it was hard to tell if they were "real" or just acting the part. It was the comments, however, that got me steamed! Things like,"I think I lost my last $20 bill down that bellydancer's crotch." Boo, hiss, HBO! ---Suzanne "Just now I caught a brief "blink and you miss it" glimpse of two dancers on "Sex and the City". Sarah Jessica Parker's character was having a birthday party and referred to the dancers as "giving a Mesopotamian lap dance". The dancers weren't on long enough to evaluate them as dancers but the costumes looked circa mid 80's-one red and one silver" --Tara Tuatai
Showtime 1983 - "Spectacular Evening in Cairo"		I have it and it is fabulous. Titled "Spectacular Evening in Cairo" it features Aida Hashem and her troupe who do candalabra dances and at one of the clubs, Aida does a solo where the camera is so close, it nearly goes up her skirt..with only a dombec and nay, she was able to dance magic into the night. what movements! I taped it off a friend and my copy is very old. From the contortionest, magician, the spinning plates, to the dancing horses, you never stop being amazed at the talent of the Egyptians! I especially loved the flamethrower in front of the tent in Alexandria and the Egyptian who ate razor blades! --Kamilah
Simon and Simon		"...an old episode of 'Simon and Simon'. In this episode the brothers need to hide out over the weekend to work on a case so they go to an Emotional Aerobics seminar (sort of an encounter group) being held in a hotel. As they enter the conference room, there are two dancers on stage. One looked quite professional, the other like an amateur. At the end of their short performance, the seminar lead introduces them as 'Ann' and 'Pat', the therapists." --Robyn
Simpsons, The		A "belly dancer" dances with Homer at a bachelor party, they are photographed together and the picture scandalizes Marge and others. In an effort to apologize to the dancer for having viewed her in a demeaning way, Homer and family track the dancer down at her other jobs which include mud wrestling and a burlesque show. "I was disappointed that 'belly dancers' were portrayed as being scandalous once again, but others claim that the character was actually a stripper/exotic dancer and not a bdancer. Even so, she was called a belly dancer and 'dressed' as one...the public doesn't appear to distinguish between bellydancers and strippers/exotic dancers or have any sense that bdance is actually about DANCE." --Kim On a recent episode of the "Simpsons" (which was a rerun but I hadn't seen it) Homer has a carbon-monoxide-aided Harem Dream fantasy. Of course, complete with bellydancers. -- Paul B.
Sisters		(1995,1996??) In order to get Swoozie Kurtz to loosen up, Robert Kline throws a mini-morrocan feast in her home and hires a bellydancer. The dancer is on air for about thirty seconds and gets Kurtz and Kline to dance with her. -- Michael
Small Wonder - "The Sheik"		(1989?) -The sitcom were an robot manufacter invents a robotic daughter and takes her home. In one episode in order to get his company into an arab country, he invites over the teenage ruler for dinner. The ruler brings with him five of his wives, all in typical jeanninesque wear (veil,bra,baggy pants). Impressed by "VICkI'S" obeidence (and not knowing the truth) the sheik offers one of the wives (for the son) in exchange for her. He asks to think it over (stall tactic) and before leaving the wife removes her veil (I thought that was a no-no in harems) and winks at the son (defitne no-no!!!-LOL) who has a hormonal fit. Later after a psydeo belly-dance performed by the wives (in which the promised wife wraps a veil around the son) Vicki (in much less revealing harem attire and after having been programmed to be disobeident) insults the sheik and he drops his quest, still allowing the company into his country. -- Michael
Star Search Competition	Atheena	(2000) Ed McMahon's Star Search. This is really exciting: One of Texas' own dancers is up for the Finals in Ed McMahon's Star Search Competition in the Dance category. Atheena is from Seguin and performs regularly here in Austin. She is the only dancer in the competition who is a Belly Dancer. - June/Aset Nur Misur
Star Trek - "The Cage"	Susan Oliver	features a green Orion slave woman, Vina (Susan Oliver).
Star Trek - "The Menagerie"	Susan Oliver	Susan Oliver is Vina, the green Orion slave woman.
Star Trek - "Whom Gods Destroy"	Yvonne Craig	features a quasi-bellydance performed by Marta, an Orion - the same green alien species as the seductive bellydancer in the Cage & the Menagerie. Marta is played by Yvonne Craig (aka Batgirl)
Star Trek - "Wolf in the Fold"	Tania Lemani	3 episodes featured pseudo-belly dance: Wolf In the Fold, One of the episodes 'Wolf in the Fold' had a belly dancer doing a modified Turkish Drop in one of the opening scenes. Instead of dropping onto both knees simultaneously she actually goes down on one first. The effect is just about the same. What is nice about this piece is that you can use the VCR to view one frame at a time to see how it is done. I don't remember anything else about the dance she did. I do know that she was a real dancer from California because Cassandra knew her." -Jana It begins with a scene in an alien bar/club with a belly dancer who was "real" in that she had all the right moves (pardon the pun). The dancer was in a red and pink costume wearing very "70s" makeup, and a belly-jewel. She was killed off at the end of the scene. The dancer was Tanya Limani/Tania Lemani ("Kara"), who sometimes used the name Tanya George. A lovely woman/ dancer of Russian extraction, who lived/worked mostly in the Hollywood area. It is the one where Scotty is accused of murdering women (possessed by an evil spirit that jumps through bodies that is traced back to Jack the Ripper). The dancer is in a red and pink costume wearing very "70s" makeup, and a belly-jewel.Scotty walks off with the woman after her dance, there is a short conversation between the captain and the doctor back at the bar. When they get outside they hear a scream and find that the dancer has been killed, stabbed repeatedly. Scotty is standing off in the distance holding the knife with no memory of the event. ---Su Miller
Star Trek - Next Generation		There is a dance scene in the which has a woman (dressed mostly in body paint!) doing something that looks a whole lot like belly dance to flute (?) music. This was the episode in which the psychologist's mom (Gene Roddenberry's wife, incidently) was supposed to marry - and appeared for the ceremony in her traditional birthday suit/wedding dress! The mentioned scene took place IN a "getaway" mental escape some of the characters had access to - including the psychologist's mother, and Warf's son. The multicolored welcomer, balancing a bubble?, is none other than So. Cal's Tonya Chianis. The body-painted dancer, undulating around the spa, was one of Tonya's showcase regulars, a beautiful strawberry blonde dancer named Jennifer (don't know the last name since she married a few years ago). I think her dance name is Shazireh.
Sunflower margarine	Tina Hobin	(2001) There is currently an advertisement for a sunflower margarine [stick with me on this one] with Tina Hobin, one of the first UK dancers shimmying across the screen and saying how healthy and fit the dance keeps her. She is in a baladi style costume and is portrayed in a really good light to promote health and fitness. - Ruth
Sweeney, The - "Visiting Fireman"	Durra	(1976) British Police TV Series
Switch		70's P.I. show. B.D.'s appear opening credits & other episodes.
That's Incredible	Helene Vlahos	bellydancer Helene Vlahos performs belly rolls, tricks, etc.
Thicke of the Night	Helene Vlahos	Helena Vlahos performs tricks
This Old Pyramid		Documentary on PBS about "some western Egyptologists who went to Egypt to try to build a little pyramid, with local labor, to prove their theoris about [how the Great Pyramids got built]." There's a party outside with live music and an Egyptian dancer, shown for about 45 sec. "I am happy to report a Sighting of a dancer on television that was NOT scandalous!!! She appeared for a minute or two.. on an episode of NOVA entitled "This Old Pyramid" part of a four part series entitled "Secrets of Lost Empires" Which actually is about the building of ancient structures using traditional methods. "In this show, a group of archeologists lead a team of Egyptian masons through the building process of a small 16 meter tall pyramid. At the end of the show, the builders celebrate with song and dance... a fire-breather, a cane dance and a middle eastern dancer who performs in what I can only describe as a mini-beladi dress of black and red lace... She performs outside on a large group of oriental rugs.. there is a nice over-head shot to show the layout of the musicians, rugs and dancer. Unfortunately, the shots are brief... What I liked best was the celebratory feeling generated by the crowd..." --Dawn Devine Brown
Three's Company
To Tell the Truth	Michael McElhaney	Last year they had an episode where the judges had to guess the "real male bellydancer." The real dancer ended up being Michael McElhaney, who dances with Azure in San Francisco; the show had him dance for about 30 seconds at the end of the segment. -- Beth
Trapper John, M.D.