College Park Rehab "Splendor of Egypt"

We always have a wonderful time dancing with our friends at College Park Rehab! We don't get many opportunities to perform our favorite Egyptian dances as we'd like, so we appreciated the chance to dust off our canes and saidi moves for this performance.

"Splendor of Egypt"
College Park Rehab
May 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!!

College Park "Fourth of July!"

We had such a good time dancing at College Park in July! This was our first Fourth of July performance, and it was wonderful celebrating it with our friends at College Park. See you soon! :)

NADHC Eastern "Spring Fling!"

Hello everyone! We had an amazing time performing for -- and particularly, with! -- our new friends at NADHC Eastern yesterday. Ladies and gents, you are terrific stage mates, and we're looking forward to celebrating music and dance with you again soon. :)

2015 Year in Review

2015 was a wonderful year for Desert Gypsies, and we are looking forward to another year of sharing the joy of Middle Eastern music and dance with you! As we begin this new year, we wish you a healthy, happy year ahead -- and hope your year includes an abundance of music and movement that delights you, body and soul. Happy new year!

Desert Gypsies
2015 Year in Review

Recipe: Hummus

Hummus is a classic Middle Eastern recipe, which means there are many opinions and variations. In the Middle East, hummus is usually prepared with tahini (sesame seed butter), but in Greece, olive oil is used. I find raw olive oil upsets my stomach, so I opt for canola oil. It'll be delicious no matter how you prepare it! Serve with pita chips, a veggie platter, or use as a spread for sandwiches in lieu of mayonnaise. Yum!

Hummus

Ingredients:

2 (15.5 ounce) cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup bottled minced garlic (or 8 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped)
1/4 cup canola oil, olive oil, or tahini
1/4 cup lemon juice

Directions:

Combine chickpeas, water, garlic, oil or tahini, and lemon juice in blender or food processor, and puree until smooth.

Throwback Thursday: Flamenco-Gypsy Fusion!

We're already hard at work on new choreography for the new year, and right now, our focus is on enhancing our Spanish shows. We're developing some exciting new choreo that includes more flamenco footwork, more Spanish gypsy skirt, and more stick work! For now, we're keeping what we're working on under wraps. :) In the meantime, here's a throwback to one of our earliest performances as Desert Gypsies, back in August 2011.

Happy New Year 2015!

We're delighted to ring in a new year! -- but not because Desert Gypsies didn't enjoy 2014. We had the opportunity to share the magic of music and dance with old friends, and make some new friends, too.

We had the exceedingly good fortune to celebrate several holidays -- Mardi Gras, Father's Day, Halloween, and Christmas -- with our friends at Destinations Oakey, Atria Seville, and North Las Vegas Care Center. We also had the privilege of performing many themed shows this year, ranging from gypsy-flamenco to Egyptian to Greek.

In the meantime, Desert Gypsies wants to extend to all our friends our deepest thanks. We have enjoyed every moment of sharing the magic of music and dance with you this year! -- and we look forward to new adventures with you in 2015.

A special shout-out to our friend Shane Fairburn, who took the picture of Alexa and Angela at the Las Vegas Renaissance Faire (in the purple skirts on the outdoor stage). We think you'll agree he's an amazing photographer!



Desert Gypsies 2014
 

Throwback Thursday: Silver Hills!

As we near the end of the calendar year, I find myself thinking ahead to my plans and goals for the upcoming year. I've been reflecting on the many performances we were fortunate to enjoy this year, from several Greek-themed shows and an Egyptian show at Atria Seville, to our holiday shows for Mardi Gras and Halloween at Destinations Oakey, to PirateFest, Ren Faire, and the Las Vegas Belly Dance Intensive.

All that reminiscing has me both looking forward to celebrating the joy and magic of Middle Eastern dance next year! -- and thinking back to the many, many wonderful shows we've enjoyed. Today, I'd like to share with you some pictures from my very first show, which was a volunteer show at Silver Hills Care Center.

In some ways, I consider this a run-through for my first "real" show, which was a year later, at Atria Sutton. I say this because, although I'd stopped by a few weeks in advance, when I arrived at Silver Hills, no one was expecting me! (In contrast, when I arrived at Atria Sutton, they had arranged the common area for our performance, and had a sign out in the lobby to direct residents to our show.)

Anyway, although they'd forgotten about me, the staff at Silver Hills found a space for me to perform and rounded up an audience. I put on my music and started to dance...and, as they say, the rest is history.

So, for a real throwback this Thursday...

Silver Hills Care Center
September 2008

Christmas Music...Middle East Instruments!

 

I'll be honest: I love Arabic music. That said, I especially prefer Christmas songs performed on Middle Eastern instruments. To me, there's nothing more appropriate than listening to music about a man born in the Middle East being played on Middle Eastern instruments!

I'm sharing links to amazon.com, but they're also available on iTunes and elsewhere. Enjoy!

My first Middle Eastern Christmas album was this one, "A Time of Peace," by Brothers of the Baladi. It's equally as enjoyable to listen to as it is to dance to...Take a listen!

Naser Musa's version of "Jingle Bells" is Desert Gypsies' favorite rendition of this classic song! Check it out, and the rest of Musa's beautiful album titled "Christmas and Beyond," at this link.



The title of George Sadak and Fae Wiedenhoeft's album says it all! "Christmas Tapestry--East Meets West" is a wonderful fusion of Eastern and Western music and instrumentation. Sadak provides the Middle Eastern rhythms, while Wiedenhoeft's angelic voice covers the lyrics. But don't take my word for it...Listen to the gorgeousness here for yourself!


 

Recipe: Pumpkin Hummus

It's that time of year when pumpkin recipes abound! -- and one of my favorites is pumpkin hummus. Pumpkin hummus is good with cut raw veggies or plain pita chips, but it's sublime with cinnamon pita chips or cinnamon pretzels. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Hummus

Ingredients:

1 (29-ounce) can pumpkin puree
1/2 cup bottled minced garlic (or 8 garlic cloves, minced)
6 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup tahini paste
salt, to taste

Directions:

Combine pumpkin, garlic, lemon juice, and tahini in blender or food processor and puree until very smooth. Add salt to taste.

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!

Las Vegas Belly Dance Intensive 2014!!

We had a terrific time performing at the LVBDI for the second year in a row! -- and we had even more fun connecting with old friends, making new friends, and watching the dancing. Lililililiiiii!

Las Vegas Belly Dance Intensive
September 4, 2014

Father's Day Celebration at North Las Vegas Care Center

We made some new friends last Sunday! We celebrated Father's Day at North Las Vegas Care Center, and had a terrific time dancing there. To all our new friends at NLVCC...We're looking forward to dancing with you again soon! :)

Arrrrr, Mateys! PirateFest 2014

Despite the windy conditions Friday afternoon, we had a terrific time performing at PirateFest again this year! Here are a few of our favorite pics:

 

 

Recipe: Tzatziki (Cucumber Yogurt Dressing)

Tzatziki is one of my favorite dressings. It's delicious with all sorts of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes, from kebbeh to foul moudhammus, but it's a classic with falafel. It makes a wonderful chunky salad dressing, too. Enjoy!

Tzatziki

Ingredients:

2 cups Greek yogurt
2 cucumbers, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
2 teaspoons dried dill weed

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in medium bowl. Serve chilled.

PirateFest Performance Time Update!

As mentioned in an earlier post, we're looking forward to performing at PirateFest in a few weeks. Since that post, our performance time has changed, to Friday, April 25th, at 5 PM. We hope to see you there!

PirateFest 2013
"Awtar 'W Haneen"

The Early Bird Gets the Dancers...!

Atria Sutton, May 2013
"Cinco de Mayo, Gypsy-Style!"

If you've stopped by our FAQs page (or, for that matter, visited either of our Galleries), you know Desert Gypsies are grounded in Middle Eastern dance. That said, we often foray into related dance forms, particularly the skirt-twirling, foot-stomping dance moves of zambra and flamenco. In fact, our most popular show at the Las Vegas Renaissance Faire is strongly Spanish-influenced.

That versatility allows us to present an engaging Spanish-influenced show that's perfect for Cinco de Mayo. Sadly, last year we had to turn down several requests for a Cinco de Mayo performance, as we were booked in March for a May 5th show. (We don't double-book, because we prefer quality over quantity.)

We're not booked for a Cinco de Mayo show...yet. If you'd like to nab us before it's too late, now's the time! May 5th is on a Monday this year, and our calendar is clear from 10 AM - 3 PM. If you're ready to enjoy a sizzling Cinco de Mayo show, click on the Contact Us page for our contact information!

And, since it's Throwback Thursday, here are some pictures from our Cinco de Mayo show at Atria Sutton last year, and from a Mexican-themed show we performed last year. Ole!



Atria Sutton, May 2013
"Cinco de Mayo, Gypsy-Style!"



May 2013
"Fiesta Before the Siesta!"

Happy Mardi Gras! at Destinations Oakey

We've wanted to celebrate Mardi Gras by sharing the joy of Middle Eastern music and dance for years, so the opportunity to enjoy the day with our friends at Destinations Oakey was a real treat!

Recipe: Slow Cooker Kebsa in Dakkous

I'm fond of converting recipes to slow cooker recipes. Here, I've combined kebsa, a traditional Saudi dish made with chicken and exotic spices, and dakkous (a flavorful tomato sauce served with kebsa) into one recipe, making it fast and easy to prepare.

Kebsa is traditionally served with rice made from the poaching broth used to cook the chicken, so if you'd like to enjoy your kebsa with rice, I suggest preparing it using chicken broth instead of water.

You can enjoy kebsa as is (as in the picture), in a sandwich, or served on rice or mashed potatoes, but my favorite way to enjoy it is on a pita, like an individual pizza. It's hardly traditional, especially if you add cheese, but it's delicious!

Slow Cooker Kebsa in Dakkous

Ingredients:

1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1 (4-ounce) can mild green chiles
1/2 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins

Directions:

Combine tomatoes, paste, childes, onion, coriander, pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg in slow cooker. Add chicken and cook on HIGH 4 - 6 hours, or on LOW 6 - 8 hours, until chicken is cooked through.