Rina Belly Dancer

Now that summer is approaching, its time for more out door grilling. One of my favorite Middle Eastern dishes, which is also incredibly easy to make, is beef kebobs. Here is a simple, delicious recipe for beef kabobs and a yogurt dipping sauce. Try variations on the spices and ingredients to suit your tastes!

Kebob Ingredients
2 pound beef tenderloin or sirloin trimmed and cubed into 16 pieces
2 bell peppers in your favorite colors
8-12 white mushrooms, wiped clean and stems trimmed
1 large onion, I’ve used red and yellow, both are tasty, diced in large chuncks
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley leaves
1 tablespoon chopped or pressed garlic
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 cup olive oil
8 (10-inch) wooden skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes

Kebob Directions
Skewer your meat, pepper, mushroom and onion ingredients in the fashion you see fit. I generally alternate between veggie and meat components.

Place the remaining ingredients in a medium sized bowl and whisk until well incorporated. Pour the mixture over the kabobs and refrigerate 1 hour.

Preheat an outdoor charcoal or gas grill to high heat. Place the kabobs on the grill and cook 3 minutes per side.

Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce Ingredients
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cucumber, seeded and diced
1 tablespoon diced onion
1 lemon’s worth of zest
Pinch dried mint, I’ve also used fresh mint leaves before.
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce Directions
Combine all ingredients. You may want to use a food processor, but if you do, only pulse a couple times to make a chunky sauce. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.

Enjoy!!! Please feel free to suggest other recipes for me to publish in the blog!

Hello Dance Lovers!

I am working to add more fun information to my website that will be interesting to aspiring dancers and audiences alike. This has lead me to launch a new section on my site devoted to music. Starting with the basics, I want to let you know of a few of the unique instruments that are an elemental part of Middle Eastern music. Many of them are some of the oldest instruments in the world.

The Oud
The Oud is a stringed instrument commonly played in North African and Middle Eastern music. Similar to a guitar, its has a shorter neck and lacks the frets common to most stringed instruments.

The Oud is said to have been invented by the 6th grandson of Adam and there are images of the Oud found in artwork over 5000 years old. Ancient ouds were only 4 stringed instruments but the modern oud has 11 strings, with 5 pairs of double strings and a 6th individual string. Because of the lack of frets, the oud is a very expressive instrument and can utilize sliding and vibrato techniques.

The Doumbek
The doumbek is also considered to be an ancient instrument. Traditionally made from clay, wood or metal, the doumbek has a very thin drum head that gives it a very crisp sound.

The doumbek is probably called such because of the two primary sounds the drum makes. “Dum” for the bass sound you hear when hitting the center of the head, and “bek” or “tek” the sharp crack from hitting the outside. Often times when people talk about the rhythms of Middle Eastern music and even the steps of a choreographed dance, the count in “dums” and “teks” rather than “1 + 2+ 3 + …” like the do in western music. Although those are the two primary sounds, there is lots of variation of and between those two. Below is an excellent video of the doumbek in action.

The Ney or Nay
The nay is an end blown flute, historically made from reed or cane. Modern neys may be made of plastic or metal. The ney has 6 holes in the front and one in the back. Neys have been depicted in artwork for thousands of years and the oldest excavated neys are from 4500-5000 years ago.

Neys can vary in size and therefor in pitch. Skilled ney player often are well versed in several sizes of ney. The sounds of neys and very soft and pleasant.

Thanks for reading! There are many more instruments I could list here, this is just the tip of the iceberg, keep checking my site for updates!

Hey belly dance fans, you can now catch Rina’s shows 3 days a week!

You can find me every Thursday at 10pm at:

Havana Hookah
5050 N Cumberland Ave
Norridge Il, 60706

Also every Friday and Saturday at 11pm, with live music and dancing at:

Ultimate Cigar and Hookah
137 E North Ave
Villa Park Il, 60181

I know its far over due but after a year long hiatus, I am resuming teaching classes. Classes begin Tuesday, February 7th, 2012 at 7pm. I will be teaching one hour long class twice a month on the first and third Tuesday of the month at 7pm. The class is only $5!!! The class takes place at:

Mystic Fountain
8056 Lincoln Ave
Skokie, IL 60077

The class is only $5!!! Additionally, its for a good cause! These classes are organized by Mission Green Light who’s vision is to provide free breast cancer and heart screenings to uninsured and underprivileged women of Illinois. So come learn to belly dance for a good cause! For more info, please check out the meetup group.

Also see the classes section of my website for more info on taking belly dance classes.

Hello Dancers!

I know it’s been a while since I have taught a class or a workshop, and this is such short notice, but I just wanted to let you know I will be teaching a one day workshop this weekend, on Sunday January 9th at 1:30pm.

The workshop will be held at:

Solao Fitness
1616 N Western Ave
Chicago, Il 60647

The workshop is an hour and a half long and will cover basic technique and a choreography. This will be an excellent first experience for those of you who have never danced before, but will also be a fun class for experienced dancers since we will be doing choreography. For more info on taking a belly dance class, please visit the classes section of my website.

Direct link for registration.

Solao Fitness’s Website

Belly Dance Fans:

I will now be performing weekly on Saturdays at

Cafe Arabia
1046 N. Milwaukee
Chicago IL 60622

The show starts at around 11:30, so come by a little sooner, grab a table order a hookah, and get ready to dance with me!

Can’t wait to see everyone!

I wanted to write an article to talk a little bit about my style of belly dancing as well as other popular styles here in Chicago. Belly Dance can actually vary regionally in the US so I only feel that I have the authority to comment on the prevalent Chicago Styles, which fall under two main categories, Middle Eastern and American Tribal.

Middle Eastern
Typically in Middle-Eastern nightclubs and restaurants in Chicago, you will find Belly Dancers wearing brightly colored, sequined and sparkly costumes doing an elegant and glamorous belly dance with lots of hip accents and fluid body and arm movements. This style encompasses a broad range of belly dance styles known by many names such as Oriental Dance, Raks Sharki, Cabaret. We use both traditional and contemporary music from Egypt, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon and other Middle-Eastern countries. These types of performances often include props such as veils, canes, swords and zils (finger cymbals).

I have a great deal of pride in my Belly Dance geneology. I received majority of my belly dance education from a wonderful Chicago dancer named Angelina, who is the daughter of an American belly dance legend Dahlena. Dahelna began her belly dance education in the nightclubs of Boston, which were dominated by belly dancers of Syria.

The wonderful style of belly dance which they gifted me with is often considered in the belly dance community to be a more “old fashioned” or “traditional” belly dance style. Dahlena emphasizes many techniques that she learned from women who would dance “homestyle” which I would describe ask quite simply, the way middle eastern people dance when they are home! Its the type of subtle hand, head, shoulder, and hip movements you will see the guests at middle-eastern parities and weddings doing. These movements are very traditional and fully middle-eastern flavored!

So if our style is “old-school” you might be wondering what the “new-school” style is. This destinction is highly debated and sometimes even controversial, but by my definition, the main differences I see in this “old-fashioned” verses more moderns styles are:

1. The Shimmy. If you look at my tutorial on The Shimmy Techniques you can see that there are two kinds of hip shimmies that are commonly used today. I associate The Leg Shimmy to be more of the modern way, and the The Glute Shimmy as more of the old fashioned way. Many dancers, myself included, have learned to incorporate both in their dance.
2. The Influence. Modern styles are much more heavily influenced by Jazz, Ballet and Modern dance. I think this is a wonderful thing to let a dance form grow and change within the context of the culture it is in. There is only one loss I think the modern style has had because of this influence and that is the internalization of many of the movements. Traditionally, belly dance has been a very “turned-in” style, in almost the opposite way that ballet is “turned-out”. Many “old-school” belly dance steps are even done pidgeon toed. This “turned-inness” translated to a beautiful internalization of the movements such as core contraction during undulations, and hip accents that are pulled up or in to the body. I feel like many modern dancers have neglected these subtleties that were very unique to belly dance.

In Chicago we are blessed with many talented dancers of both styles often in some combination. My Favorites are Angelina, Alexandria, Sabah (who is a traveling Belly Dance Super Star) and Vanessa (the current house dancer at Julianna’s Restaurant)

American Tribal
American Tribal Style is almost the rebellious second generation of belly dance. It originated in the west coast, specifically in San Francisco but a woman named Jamila Salimpour and her dance troupe Bal Anat.

Tribal dance is much more free form then other dance styles and dancers are very liberal with their techniques and costuming. They have broken all the rules of dance that have been adopted for hundreds of years (such as keeping shoulders down and back) in a way similar to hip-hop and pop dancing.

Tribal costuming is much more earth toned and dark often using tassels, coins, natural beads and darker fabrics.

Tribal dancers are very experimental and use alot of undulations, body contortions, back bends, pop and locks, and arm movements.

Some Chicago Tribal Dance groups are Blue Lotus Tribe, Read My Hips, and Hipnotic.

I know my knowledge about Tribal Belly dance is not very extensive, if you would like to contribute some information I would really appreciate it.

Want a chance to see me perform? Since I usually do private events, do not miss the opportunity to check out a public performance this Tuesday, May 25th at 9:30pm. The show is going to be at:

Gorilla Tango Theater
1919 N. Milwaukee Avenue
Chicago, IL 60647

The show is about an hour an a half long and will have a variety of acts so please come check it out and enjoy! Tickets are $12 and really help support the local performing arts scene! Buy Tickets Now!

Dancers,
If you want to take a week long workshop with a truly amazing and legendary instructor and choreographer, you must take it with Dahlena. She is an amazing teacher and an inspiration to myself and many other dancers across the globe. This a preview she made about her Chicago workshops. I am in the performance sequence!

When?
This years week long workshop will be from July 31st to August 4th. Each day is from 11:30am to 4:30pm with a lunch break. Please Click Here for registration and payment options.

Instruction Style
Dahlenas workshops are geared more towards experienced dancers, although even newer students should not shy away from trying a day or two. She teaches advanced techniques, choreography and props. Her classes are fun and she often teaches in a “follow the leader” style which is a great way to play with the techniques she goes over. Dahlena uses a wide range of musical style from very classical to very contemporary. Her knowledge of Middle Eastern culture and belly dance history is unmatched by any instructor I have ever met. Her workshops are a unique pleasure.

Not To Be Missed
In addition to excellent instruction, Dahlena also brings with her a fabulous merchandise table. She sells costumes, warm up clothes, hip scarfs, veils, DVDs, CDs, and all kinds of other fun belly dancer-y stuff! It’s worth stopping by just to check that out!!

As promised, I am publishing an article on good belly dancer nutrition, although this is good advice for everyone! Please keep in mind that I am by no means a nutrition expert, I am merely advising from my own personal experience, research, discussion with people who actually DO know what they are talking about, and the one semester of a nutrition based biology class I took in college. Please make sure you consult with an expert before you start any kind of diet or eating plans.

That being said, one of the most important things to consider when eating is where your food is coming from. In the great abbyss of the super market, usually there is no way to tell and if you have ever seen Food Inc you can only have nightmares about it.

So whats one alternative?  Shop at your local Farmers Markets. In Chicago we are really lucky to have so many to choose from and the summer market season is upon us. Here is a day by day guide to Chicago Farmers Markets: 

SUNDAYS

7 a.m.- 1 p.m.: Beverly Farmers Market, 95^thStreet and Longwood Drive (southeast corner of parking lot)
Debuts May 16

8 a.m.-1 p.m.: Erie Street Farmers Market, 500 W. Erie St.
Debuts June 6
New this year: Crepes! Also available at Daley Plaza (May 20 and later), Division Street and Lincoln Square Markets

8 a.m.-2 p.m.: Wicker Park & Bucktown Farmers Market, Wicker Park and Damen Avenues (Wicker Park)
Debuts June 6
New this year: Handmade English-style bangers from Spencer’s Jolly Posh British & Irish Foods, available raw (frozen) or cooked for on-site snacking. Also available at Lincoln Park market.

9 a.m.-1 p.m.: Independence Park Farmers Market, Independence Park (3945 N. Springfield Ave.)
Debuts June 13. Bi-weekly market: June 27; July 11, 25; Aug. 8, 22; Sept. 12, 26; Oct. 10.

9 a.m.-2 p.m.: Glenwood Sunday Market, Glenwood and Morse Avenues
Debuts June 6
Live music and entertainment at every market, including Renaissance faire reenactments and medieval food demos from the Empire of Chivalry and Steel on five separate dates.

9 a.m.-3 p.m.: Pilsen Community Market, 1800 S. Halsted St. (Chicago Community Bank Parking Lot)
Debuts June 13
Home of Yvolina’s Tamales, giant tamales stuffed with everything from tofu (vegan) to green mole and chicken. Warning: They sell out fast!

10 a.m.-3 p.m.: Logan Square Farmers Market, southeast corner of Logan Boulevard and Milwaukee Avenue
Debuts June 6

TUESDAYS

7 a.m.-1 p.m.: Lincoln Square Farmers Market, Lincoln/Leland/Western Avenues (parking lot next to Western Brown Line “L” station)
Debuts June 8

7 a.m.-3 p.m.: Federal Plaza Farmers Market, Adams and Dearborn Streets
Debuts May 17

7 a.m.-3 p.m.: Prudential Plaza Farmers Market, Lake Street and Beaubien Court
Debuts June 8

7 a.m.-3 p.m.: Museum of Contemporary Art/Streeterville Farmers Market, Chicago Avenue and Mies van der Rohe Way (MCA Plaza)
Debuts June 8

WEDNESDAYS

7 a.m.-noon: Pullman Farmers Market, 111^th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue (Arcade Park)
Debuts June 23

7 a.m.-1 p.m.: Green City Market, 1795 N. Clark St. (southwest corner of Lincoln Park)
Debuts May 12

7 a.m.-1 p.m.: South Shore Farmers Market, 70^thStreet and Jeffery Boulevard (ShoreBank Parking Lot)
Debuts June 9

9 a.m.-2 p.m.: Seaway Bank Farmers Market, 87th Street and Langley Avenue (National Bank parking lot)
Debuts July 14

3-6 p.m.: Avondale Farmers Market at Concordia Place, 3300 N. Whipple St.
Debuts May 26. Monthly market: June 23, July 21, August 18, Sept. 15, Oct. 20, Nov. 17

3-7 p.m.: Lawndale Farmers Market, Green City Youth Farm (3555 W. Ogden Ave.)
Debuts July 7

3-8 p.m.: Andersonville Farmers Market, Berwyn Avenue and Clark Street
Debuts June 23

THURSDAYS

7 a.m.-1 p.m.: Hyde Park Farmers Market, 52nd Place and Harper Avenue
Debuts June 3

7 a.m.-1 p.m.:  Eli’s Wright College Farmers Market, 6701 W. Forest Preserve Drive (Eli’s Cheesecake Co. parking lot)
Debuts June 17

7 a.m.-3 p.m.: Daley Plaza, Washington and Dearborn Streets
Debuts May 13
Don’t miss the annual Chef Challenge (11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Aug. 5), where local chefs compete to create a winning dish using market ingredients.

7 a.m.-3 p.m.: Willis Tower Plaza, 233 S. Wacker Drive
Debuts June 17

8 a.m.-1 p.m.: Uptown Farmers Market, 4646 N. Marine Drive (Weiss Memorial Hospital)
Debuts June 24

9 a.m.-2 p.m.: Englewood Farmers Market, 63rd St. and Lowe Avenue
Debuts June 24

4-8 p.m.: Lincoln Square Evening Farmers Market, Lincoln and Leland Avenues
Debuts June 17
Coincides with the Lincoln Square Summer Concert Series (6:30-9 p.m. Thursdays, Giddings Plaza, 4731 N Lincoln Ave.) Series begins June 17 with Sons of the Never Wrong.

SATURDAYS

7 a.m.-noon: Austin Farmers Market, Madison Street and Central Avenue (Emmet Math, Science & Technology Academy parking lot)
Debuts July 10

7 a.m.- 1 p.m.: Green City Market, 1795 N. Clark St. (southwest corner of Lincoln Park)
Debuts May 15
Host of the Green City Market Chef’s BBQ (6-8 p.m. July 15, $100).

7 a.m.- 1 p.m.: Bridgeport Farmers Market, 35^th and Wallace Streets (parking lot)
Debuts June 12
The only new City of Chicago market for 2010, launching full-force after a successful 2009 pilot season.

7 a.m.-1 p.m.: Division Street Farmers Market, Division and Dearborn Streets
Debuts May 15

7 a.m.-1 p.m.: Lincoln Park Farmers Market, Armitage Avenue and Orchard Street (Lincoln Park High School Parking Lot)
Debuts May 15

7 a.m.-1 p.m. North Center Farmers Market, Belle Plaine/Damen/Lincoln Avenues (North Center Town Square)
Debuts June 19

7 a.m.-1 p.m.: Printers Row Park Farmers Market, Dearborn and Polk Streets (Printers Row Park)
Debuts June 19

7 a.m.-1 p.m.: Southport Green Market, 1420 W. Grace St. (Blaine School)
Debuts June 12

8 a.m.-1 p.m.: Bronzeville Community Market, 4500 S. Cottage Grove Ave.
Debuts June 5
New this year: Sweet corn and cut flowers from Twin Garden Farms!

8 a.m.-4 p.m.: Rowan Trees Farmers Market, 501 W. Englewood Ave.
Already in progress

9 a.m.-1 p.m.: Avondale Farmers Market at Carl Von Linne School, 3221 N. Sacramento Ave.
Debuts June 26. Monthly market: July 10, Aug. 14, Sept. 11, Oct. 9

9 a.m.-2 p.m.: 61^st Street Farmers Market, 6100 S. Blackstone Ave. (The Experimental Station)
Debuts May 15

Whats in Season at Chicago Farmers Markets?

May: Asparagus – Cabbage – Cherries – Greens – Leeks – Lettuce – Onions – Peas – Radishes – Rhubarb – Spinach – Sprouts – Squash

June: Apples – Asparagus – Beans – Berries – Cabbage – Carrots – Cherries – Eggplant – Garlic – Horseradish – Leeks – Lettuce – Melons – Nectarines – Okra – Squash

July: Apples – Artichokes – Beans – Bell peppers – Berries – Cabbage – Carrots – Cherries – Corn – Eggplant – Garlic – Grapes – Horseradish – Leeks – Melons – Nectarines – Okra – Onions – Peaches – Pears – Peas – Plums – Potatoes – Radishes – Rhubarb – Squash – Tomatoes – Turnips

August: Apples – Artichokes – Beans – Bell peppers – Berries – Carrots – Cauliflower – Corn – Cucumbers – Eggplant – Garlic – Grapes – Herbs – Horseradish – Leeks – Lettuce – Melons – Nectarines – Okra – Onions – Peaches – Pears – Peas – Plums – Potatoes – Pumpkins – Radishes – Rhubarb – Squash – Sweet potatoes – Tomatoes – Turnips

September: Apples – Bell peppers – Berries – Cabbage – Carrots – Cauliflower – Corn – Cucumbers – Eggplant – Garlic – Grapes – Greens – Herbs – Horseradish – Lettuce – Melons – Nectarines – Okra – Onions – Peaches – Pears – Peas – Plums – Potatoes – Pumpkins – Radishes – Rhubarb – Spinach – Squash – Sweet potatoes – Tomatoes – Turnips

October: Apples – Bell peppers – Cabbage – Cauliflower – Corn – Cucumbers – Eggplant – Garlic – Grapes – Greens – Herbs – Horseradish – Lettuce – Melons – Okra – Onions – Pears – Peas – Plums – Potatoes – Pumpkins – Radishes – Rhubarb – Spinach – Squash – Sweet potatoes – Tomatoes – Turnips

As far as I know, the Green City Market  is the only regularly occurring year round market in Chicago. There are however sporadic one time farmers markets that may take place in local Churches or Community Centers all winter long. Keep Googling for information!

There are also tons of little grocery stores that sell local and organic foods, but that’s for another article on another day. Enjoy Summer Farmers Market Season 2010!!!

Thanks to Kathleen Pratt of MetroMix Chicago for compliling this list of markets.