Belly Dance Celebrities

Belly Laughs: Adventures with Celebrities and Other Unusual Characters by Rod Long. "Entertaining and quirky stories from 32 of the world's most mysterious women, who all just happen to be -- bellydancers! Their unusual careers bring them to movie stars, kings and presidents. REAL incidents ... tales that range from Keystone Cops-like capers to pure Hollywood glamour. If you like social satire, you'll enjoy this commentary on life in the performing arts!"

Dance Crazy: Star Turns from Ballet to Belly Dancing (True Stories) by Natalie Jane Prior. No review available.

Dance Quotations: by Helen Exley. "Lots of nice reading here...a celebration of dance by those and for those who love to dance. Some of my favorites from the book: 'If we think, feel, and move, we can dance.' - Margaret N. H'Doubler 'It is what I've always wanted to do - to show the laughing, the fun, the appetite, all through dance.' - Martha Graham 'I don't want people who want to dance, I want people who have to dance.' - George Balanchine."

Looking For Little Egypt by Donna Carlton. "This book is fascinating reading for anyone interested in the history of middle eastern dance in the US, as well as the history of the Columbian Exposition of 1893. It is amply illustrated with period photographs and samples of publications of the time, as well as immediately afterwards. It explores the myth of Little Egypt, and the hows and whys the name became such a legend. A fantastic read."

Theda Bara : A Biography of the Silent Screen Vamp, With a Filmography by Ronald Genini. "...revealing the real woman behind the dark persona."

Vamp: The Rise and Fall of Theda Bara by Eve Golden. "This is the first biography of silent movie sex symbol Theda Bara to appear: it uses Bara's personal scrapbooks and other original materials to present a well-researched study of Bara's life and film achievements. Enjoy a readable and involving survey of her career which reveals details of her personal life."

'The Voice of Egypt: Umm Kulthum, Arabic Song, and Egyptian Society in the Twentieth Century (Chicago Studies in Ethnomusicology) by Virginia Danielson. Umm Kulthum, the "voice of Egypt," was the most celebrated musical performer of the century in the Arab world. More than twenty years after her death, her devoted audience, drawn from all strata of Arab society, still numbers in the millions. Thanks to her skillful and pioneering use of mass media, her songs still permeate the international airwaves. In the first English-language biography of Umm Kulthum, Virginia Danielson chronicles the life of a major musical figure and the confluence of artistry, society, and creativity that characterized her remarkable career."