PirateFest 2017!

We had an absolutely amazing time at PirateFest this year! We especially enjoyed doing some improv dancing throughout the day and into the evening when the stage wasn't otherwise occupied, and we'll be doing more of that at Ren Faire later this year.

PirateFest 2017

Get Ready for Ren Faire!!

Are you ready for Ren Faire? We are! We're looking forward to returning to our favorite stage at the Shifting Sands Belly Dance encampment on the following days and times:

Friday, October 5th -- 4:00 PM
Saturday, October 6th -- 1:30 PM
Saturday, October 6th -- 4:00 PM
Sunday, October 7th -- 2:30 PM

We'll be performing four different shows, so plan ahead to make it to every one of them...You'll see something different at each one!

Need more information on Ren Faire? Check out their Website for information on location, hours, parking, etc. We'll see you there...Huzzah!!

Ren Faire 2015!

Did you make it to Ren Faire this year? We had a fantastic time performing, as you can see from the pictures below! If you didn't make it, don't worry...we'll be posting more pictures and videos soon!

Ren Faire Ready!

Las Vegas Renaissance Faire 2014
"Gypsy Show"

So, are you ready for Ren? We're ready for the Las Vegas Renaissance Faire! We're proud to announce we'll be performing four entirely different shows this year, all on the Shifting Sands stage:

We'll be performing our Arabic show on Friday, October 9th,  at 3 PM.

Saturday we're excited to present our Gypsy show at 1 PM, and we'll return to the stage with a flamenco-influenced show at 3:15 PM.

On Sunday, stop by at 2 PM to check out our Eastern Mediterranean show, inspired by music and dance from Greece, Lebanon, and Armenia.

If you've seen our shows before, you'll be happy to hear we're introducing many new songs, choreos, costuming, and props. There's something new in every show! We're excited to share our passion for Middle Eastern music and dance with you, and look forward to seeing you soon.

The Updating Continues...

We've just finished a new choreo for Ren, and wow, are we excited! We agree this choreo is one of the best we've come up with yet. We hope you'll stop by to see us in October, so you can judge for yourself.

Between now and then, we'd like to invite you to stop by our just-updated About Us page. Feel free to introduce yourself with a post on the page!

Throwback Thursday!

We're busy gearing up for the Las Vegas Renaissance Faire in October, and we're excited to share that we'll be introducing new music, choreography, props, and costuming. Naturally, that's keeping us busy until October, so today we'd like to call your attention to our recently updated Photo Gallery, where you can enjoy a sampling of the shows we've done since Desert Gypsies hit the road as a professional troupe back in June 2012. We've done holiday shows for Mardi Gras, Halloween, and Christmas; themed shows ranging from Arabic to Spanish to Mediterranean; and we've performed at venues as varied as the Las Vegas Belly Dance Intensive to the West Charleston Library.

Enjoy! -- and we'll see you soon at Ren Faire 2015!

Dance Softly -- and Carry a Big Stick!

A friend recently asked me about the "stick dance" Anthony does as part of his solos and several of our troupe performances. Dancing with a stick derives from tahtib, a type of martial art that originated in Egypt. In tahtib, men use a large, heavy stick to protect themselves or kill an attacker. This has developed into performances between two men, often accompanied by music. Although there's music in the background, the performances are focused on warfare, not dancing.

Dancing with the stick is called al-assaya. Typically, men dance with a large, heavy stick, while women dance with a smaller stick or cane. The sticks Anthony's dancing with in today's picture are quite heavy and long, so it would be difficult for me to use them a dance. I prefer using a cane; the stick gives a sense of "I've got a stick, and I know how to use it!," while the cane is more playful, even flirtatious.

Ren Faire 2014!!

We had such a wonderful time performing at Ren Faire this year! We especially want to thank all of our friends who joined us for our performances. It's a real delight to look out into the audience and see a familiar face or two! We're already looking forward to next year's Ren Faire. :) Here's a pic from our last performance, but if that's just not enough dance for you (and we hope it isn't!), check out our Video Gallery. Huzzah!

Recipe: Slow Cooker Chicken Mole

We're headed to the Renaissance Faire tomorrow! -- and we're excited to share many of our favorite Spanish choreographies tomorrow, so it's no surprise I'm thinking about mole. Mole is one of my favorite Mexican dishes. Given my sweet tooth, that's not surprising: Mole incorporates cocoa powder and sugar. That also makes mole the perfect recipe for Halloween -- a little chocolate in my dinner makes it easier to steer clear of all the candy and treats! I use the slow cooker to prepare mole, which makes this a terrific recipe if you're hosting a party or headed out to celebrate the evening.

My husband was reluctant to try my take on mole because his mother and aunts prepared mole that was more sweet than spicy. Mole is typically a high-fat dish, too. I've eliminated nearly all of the fat, and struck a balance between sweet, spicy, and savory flavors, so my husband and I can both enjoy mole. !Buen provecho!

Slow Cooker Chicken Mole

Ingredients:

1 (1 1/2 ounce) package dried pasilla, mulato, or ancho chiles
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1/4 cup cornmeal
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 tablespoon sugar (or sugar substitute)
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins

Directions:

Remove stems from chiles, if necessary. Combine chiles and tomato sauce in blender, and puree until chiles are well-integrated into sauce.

Pour sauce into slow cooker. Add cornmeal, cocoa powder, sugar, garlic, cinnamon, coriander, and cloves, and stir to combine. Place chicken on top of sauce. Cook on LOW setting 4-6 hours, or until chicken is cooked through.

Las Vegas Renaissance Faire 2014!!

We're seriously excited about Ren Faire next week, in part because we're looking forward to sharing some exciting new music and choreography with our audiences! Here's our schedule on the Shifting Sands Belly Dance stage:

Friday, October 9th, 3 PM -- "Mediterranean Delights"
Friday, October 9th, 5:30 PM -- dancing with Tribe Al-Wadi
Friday, October 9th, 8 PM -- "Spanish Nights"
Saturday, October 10th, 4 PM -- "Arabic Dreams"
Saturday, October 10th, 5:30 PM -- dancing with Tribe Al-Wadi
Sunday, October 11th, 3 PM -- "Mediterranean Delights"

We look forward to seeing you at Ren!! :)

Las Vegas Renaissance Faire 2014!!

The Ren Faire is definitely one of our favorite places to perform, and this year, we're excited to share that we'll be performing more often than we have in previous years. Desert Gypsies will be on the Shifting Sands stage as follows:

Friday, October 9th, at 3 PM
Friday, October 9th, at 8 PM
Saturday, October 10th, at 4 PM
Sunday, October 11th, at 3 PM

We'll also be dancing with Tribe Al-Wadi on Friday and Saturday from 5:30-6:30 PM on the Shifting Sands stage. We hope to see you there!

"Juntos"
Las Vegas Renaissance Faire 2013