MALIA HAWAII

return to Bambi's page


"A performer who lives to entertain!"

I was born in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1979 by my parents who were both entertainers! We lived on Kauai, The Big Island and now I call Oahu my home. I was exposed to jazz, hula and hip-hop till I was 11years old. By 1990 we had relocated to Hilo on the Big Island where I was engrossed in Tai Chi, Aikido and Tae Kwon Do-Martial Arts became my life.

I began playing musical instruments as a young child and my family and I performed with our band locally. My Father taught me drums, bass and guitar.
When we lived on the Big Island there were no dance classes that interested me; so my sister and I made up our own choreography and dances to our favorite music at home. Dancing was in my soul and I knew my time would come...

In 1998 my immediate family and I moved back to Windward, Oahu. As soon as we got back I started searching for dance lessons that would fulfill me. There was an advertisement for "Ethnic Belly Dance by Shakti" I was so intrigued, and joined class immediately! I fell in love with all aspects of the Art of Belly Dance! Belly Dancing was everything I wanted; fun, exotic and musical. It taught me to move my body in ways I never thought possible and accentuating my femininity; with costumes I've only dreamed of! Now I was complete.

As if by destiny, a variety of Belly Dance classes became available. The amazing teachers that I've had the privilege of being involved with are: Maya ( Ruth Cuti ) in Kaimuki, Gale Fenna at K.C.C., Shakti in Kaneohe, Shadiya on Kapiolani Ave., Alexandria in Berkley, California, Ansuya in Florida, Shamira in Eva, Letifa from Berkley, CA, Shoshanna from CA, and Dondi Dahlin, Kaya and Sadie, Fahteim, and Alexandra King. I want to give my heartfelt appreciation to all of them and their different styles!


Now I'm Performing Professionally Nation Wide, and teaching lessons all over the state of Hawaii!
It's my passion and I'd be honored to share it with you!

She brought so much color to the show, with a lot
more dancing, sparkle and flash! Also I loved her acting
expressions that took me deeper in the story!"
Sundae Merrick (writer & psychic)

"I'm so happy you found Malia! I've enjoyed her
dancing many times. She's always makes me feel so
comfortable and gets me up to dance with her! She is
a joy1 What a great choice you have made to
include her in The Arabian Nights Show!'
Mona Y. Darwich (greatest fan!)

"The great energy in her dancing caused the
entertained crowd to smile at her pleasing performance!"
Trina (Amber financing)

"With the way she moves her body in the dance,
makes me appreciate the woman's body and curves!"
Sandhya (The Artist )

"Her facial expressions are so cocasious when she dances!
And she moves beautifully with every beat of the music!"
Misty ( Home assistant )

"Her performance was different from the other
Belly Dancers I've seen, Because I really felt
her dancing, music and energy!"
Joyce Brown

RENEE ARNOLD

return to Bambi's page


Renée Arnold is a respected Middle Eastern dance performer and instructor now residing in Honolulu, Hawaii. She currently performs at Pyramids, the premier Egyptian restaurant in Honolulu, and appears frequently at international festivals, private parties and educational venues. She teaches private lessons in Egyptian and Lebanese Cabaret style of belly dance, stressing freedom of expression and improvisation. She holds an M.A. in French and teaches courses at Kapi’olani Community College, which is nestled at the foot of the picturesque Diamond Head.

Renée is a well-trained, multi-talented artist with diverse interests. She began studying Middle Eastern dance as a teenager in El Paso, Texas. She learned the basics of the art form from Zourna of San Francisco and made her professional debut at El Paso’s Executive Center Hotel, where Zourna had introduced the cabaret style of belly dance. Renée became a featured dancer at the hotel after Zourna left town for greener pastures. Renée found greener pastures herself a short time later. She lived and danced professionally in Paris for more than a year, performing at several of the city’s most popular Middle Eastern restaurants and clubs, including the famous El Djazair nightclub in the bustling Latin Quarter. She accepted professional engagements in other European cities too, including a month-long stint at London's Blue Angel Club (which burned down shortly after Renée left!). Renée left Europe to pursue an acting career in Los Angeles, where she studied at the well-known Loft Studio with the likes of Angelica Houston, Michelle Pheiffer and other well-known actors. At the same time, she became a regularly featured performer in local Middle Eastern nightclubs and restaurants. In the course of a decade, she performed in more than two dozen venues in Los Angeles, including legendary places like Ali Baba’s, The Seventh Veil, The Fez, Marrakesh, Port of Athens, Athenian Gardens, Byblos, and Cabaret Tehran. Her work environment was representative of every country in the Middle East, from Algeria to Turkey and beyond!

Renée has studied with some of the great dancers in the business, including Ibrahim Farrah, Mahmoud Reda, Vivianne of Lebanon, Dahlena, Aisha Ali, Feiruz, Marta Schill, and Marie Silva. She also studied Flamenco with the late Lupe del Rio (who danced with the legendary José Greco), and for one year with Roberto Amarral. She has performed with many great dancers too, such as Aisha Ali, Helena, Feiruz, Marie Silva, Rebaba, Jacqueline, Malika, Shira and Sahra, and with accomplished musicians from across the Middle East. She remains close to many of these artists.


In addition to her nightclub and restaurant work, Renée has appeared in numerous films, commercials, television dramas, game shows, talk shows, radio shows and music videos. She participated in the Opening Ceremony of the 23rd Summer Olympics, has been a member of the Screen Actors Guild, and recently served on the SAG Nominating Committee. She has also developed a summer study abroad program in the south of France as well as a new course in French film and literature.

SUZANNE HAMDI

return to Bambi's page

Performances: in Cairo and Alexandria, Egypt in 1983, 1985, and 1996. Also performed in Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, England, Switzerland, and throughout the United States, as well as on cruise ships: "MV Pacific Princess" the Love Boat of TV fame, "TS Maxim Gorkiy", "TS Marshall Kershevoi", and "MS Delphin" while traveling throughout the world. Belly danced on Hawaiian Moving Co. TV show 1983 and 1986, featured on Pamela Young's Mixed Plate 1985 on KHON-TV and again in 1986. Featured on Joe Moore's TV News Show. Directed eighteen Middle Eastern Belly Dance shows at the St. James Court Heritage Fair in the Waikiki Shell, as well as warm-up for the Bill Cosby Show at the Hawaiian Wine Festival also in the Waikiki Shell. Performed in the half-time show for the Pro Bowl in Aloha Stadium.

NightClub Work: Marrakech Restaurant, Greek Island Taverna, Mad Greek, Hajibaba's Restaurant, Pyramid Restaurant, Café Athena, Casablanca and Director of Belly Dance at Istanbul Restaurant.

Convention Work: for 8 years was the featured Belly Dancer for Raiders of the Lost Ark Show, Casablanca Show and other International Shows in most major hotels on Kauai, Oahu, Maui and Big Island which were produced by Tihati Productions.

Training: studied with Master Teachers Ibrahim Farrah, Yousry Sharif, Serena Wilson, Shareen el Safy, Amaya, Horacio Cifuentes, Conchi and Dalia Carella.

Specialties: Sword dance, Cane dance, Shamidan (Egyptian candelabrum) dance, Master Drum Solo Performer, Gypsy-style including Scarf dance and Skirt dance, Turkish style, Egyptian style, Greek and Armenian style, Moroccan ethnic, and some Persian style. Also began studying Balinese Temple Dance in 2003.

Teaching Experience: Artistic Director of troupe Dancers of Isis Hawaii, Belly Dance Instructor at University of Hawaii Leisure Center, classes Wed 6:30-8pm, Navy Fitness Instructor, Belly Dance, at Pearl Harbor Bloch Arena, classes Tues 7:30-8:30pm. Choreography Class at Sts Constantine & Helen Greek Church social hall, Sat 4:30-6pm.

Charity Performances: Fete De La Musique a.k.a. Make Music Festival Hawaii, included in the first worldwide video; American Cancer Society; Middle Eastern Dance Artists of Hawaii; Shriners Hospital; Turkish-American Society Hawaii; Carole Kai's Health & Fitness Fair; several retirement/elder care homes.


SUZANNE HAMDI a.k.a. KEYSER

SHAMIRA HAWAII

return to Bambi's page

 
Shamira has woven a rich pattern of oriental dance (a.k.a. belly dance) experiences through studies, performances and teaching in the U.S. and in several countries. Her unique dance style embodies an ethnic cross-cultural perspective including the Egyptian, Turkish, Greek, Armenian and Lebanese cultures, and several others across the Near & Middle East.

An I.A.M.E.D. (International Academy of Middle Eastern Dance) member, Shamira's training has been through a blend of many wonderfully talented and knowledgeable instructors across the United States, Europe and the Middle East. Her dance philosophy and personal performing technique was carefully guided by her dance mentor and good friend, Bert Balladine.

Shamira was a past Vice President of Middle Eastern Dance Artists of Hawaii (MEDAH), and she and Amaya also co-sponsored the 2004 Pineapple Shake & Bake Dance Festival in Hawaii. She founded the Amara Kismet Near & Middle East Dance Ensemble in 2003 and produced the first annual "Belly Dance and Beyond" (Hawaii's premier theatrical production of Near & Middle East music and dance) on Saturday, June 4, 2005 at the Paliku Theatre in Kaneohe, Hawaii. The show was a resounding success - a sold out house, a standing ovation, and multitudes of compliments by well-wishers for this year's production.

Studies of the music, languages and customs of each culture have enabled Shamira to bring a sense of dignity and grace to the oriental dance arena. Her particular attention to understanding of values and traditions are paramount in showcasing each of the cultures that celebrate their music and poetry through oriental dance.

Shamira's classes and ties to the oriental dance community provide opportunities for belly dancing enthusiasts to continue their studies and personal dance growth while visiting or living in Hawaii.

Currently in pre-production for the "Belly Dance and Beyond II - Jasmina & the Dragon©" - scheduled for June 3, 2006 (2:00 p.m. matinee & 7:30 p.m. evening show) at the $18 million dollar state of the art Paliku Theatre on the Windward Campus of the University of Hawaii in Kaneohe. Contact Shamira for more information about auditions, production schedule, and early ticket sales. Watch closely for those early ticket sale announcements, because although we plan on a multiple night run, the show sold out very quickly in 2005! 

SHADIYA HAWAII

return to Bambi's page



BiographyShadiya's alluring grace and charismatic artistry capture the essence of authentic Middle Eastern Dance, transporting audiences to the sights and sounds of the mystical Orient. Dedicated to the instruction, presentation and promotion of authentic Egyptian-style and North African dance, Shadiya is skilled in a variety of styles such as Saidi Folk dancing from Southern Egypt; the Ghawazee dance of the Banat Maazin from Luxor, Egypt; the ancient tribal dance of Algeria's Ouled Nail, as well as the contemporary cabaret solos of modern Cairo.
For eight years Shadiya was the principal dancer for the Near Eastern Dance Company of California, founded in 1982 by Alexandria of Berkeley, California. In Egypt, Alexandria studied Ghawazee dance with Karia Maazin of the Banat Maazin tribe of Luxor. The Banat Maazin sisters are the most renowned of the famous Ghawazee dancers, the professional "gypsy" dancers of Egypt. Today, Alexandria's Ghawazee has become the most authentic representation of folkloric Ghawazee outside of Egypt, winning her The International Academy of Middle Eastern Dance - Ethnic Dancer of the Year Award 2000.
Photo by Walter Rasmussen
In 1999 Shadiya moved to Hawaii. In 2001 she began teaching and performing, establishing her first perfomance troupe, The Near Eastern Dance Company of Hawaii, under the guidance and direction of Alexandria. In 2002 she founded Taj Productions to further educate and promote Middle Eastern Dance through cultural events and activities. Taj Productions has sponsored many exciting events such as Bellydance Bonanza at Anna Banana's (2002), Pyramid's Dinner Shows (2003, 2004), workshops with Alexandria (2002, 2003), Amira Jamal (2004), Shoshanna (2005) and drummer Tobias Roberson (2005) as well as the annual Habibi Hawaii Bellydance Festival and Celebration. In 2004 she served as the president of the Middle Eastern Dance Artists of Hawaii (MEDAH), a non-profit organization established to educate, entertain, and promote awareness and appreciation for the art of Arabic dance.
As the director of The Dancers of Habibi Hawaii, Shadiya continues to captivate Honolulu audiences. The Dancers of Habibi Hawaii appear at the Aloha Tower Marketplace on the 2nd Sunday of every month and perform annually at the Ala Moana Center Stage. They have also been featured at the Hawaii 50th State Fair and The Mayor's Annual Cultural and Craft Fair.
Shadiya and her troupe have also supported the local community by participating in events sponsored by organizations such as Special Olympics, Girl Scouts, Free Vietnam Organization, Salvation Army, Unity Church and schools throughout the island.
In addition to public appearances and troupe performances, Shadiya dances weekly at the Pyramid Restaurant in Honolulu. The Honolulu Star Bulletin and Midweek Magazine have also featured Shadiya in articles and interviews on the subject of Middle Eastern Dance.
Whether teaching, performing or sponsoring events, Shadiya is committed to providing a positive and entertaining experience through energized dance that reflects her passion for the art. Through education, instruction and performance, Shadiya hopes to preserve this important dance and culture, and to pass the knowledge to future generations of dancers.
Photo by Carl Ogata
CONTACT:bellydancebyshadiya@yahoo.com808-429-3324