Mysuun as-shemsh lives up to her dance name, which when translated means, “she who outshines the sun.”
“The person who first taught me how to play the drum, Mukhtar Durr Al-jabal encouraged me to start dancing, too. I learned how to play doumbek and zils before I started dancing and I would play for dancers at haflas. He is also the person who gave me my dance name,” Mysuun says.
A Tribal Fusion style dancer, Maysuun (also known as Celeste) prefers dancing in a troupe. She performs with two troupes. Hareem Shar’eem (“Wicked Harem”) has been together since 2001 and performs in multiple styles. She also performs with Wicked Gypsy who specializes in Gothic belly dance and fire dancing. Wicked Gypsy is comprised of members of Hareem Sha’reem, Gypsy Soul and the Navel Academy.
“There’s something magical about the graceful power of a Tribal Fusion troupe moving in unison.”
Her most memorable dance experience, to date, was dancing at the Virginia Holocaust Museum for the “Together in Tolerance” concert.
“We performed for 16 Holocaust survivors plus their families and friends. Jezebel Shuvani and I danced with scimitars to a song written for us, Goth Zepplin, by Brett Zwerdling and performed live by his band, Maharal. We also got to dance to Turku playing live that night.”
“Jezebel Shuvani and I put on an event in April called Qaina," Maysuun adds. “This will be the sixth year. The proceeds benefit the Dove Self-Esteem Fund (DSEF). DSEF was established as an agent of change to inspire and educate young women about a wider definition of beauty. The DSEF is committed to help girls build positive self-esteem and a healthy body image. Qaina is an all-day event that includes classes, dinner, a show and a hafla with Ishtar, Pittsburgh’s leading belly-rock band. Qaina is Saturday, April 14, 2012. It costs $25 and covers everything including your classes, dinner, show and hafla with Ishtar.”
This year’s event is titled “Qaina: the circus edition.” This Middle Eastern dance and music event will be held at the Tadmor Shrine Center, 3000 Krebs Drive, Akron, Ohio 44319.
A variety of classes, running from 11am – 5pm are being offered. There will be “Crazy Sword Tricks” with Laura Little of Tribe Samira, “Fabulously Fluid Floorwork"with Karianne of Sadiqa, “Feisty Fans” with Carla Fleming of Lake Erie Belly Dance, “Fun Burlesque Choreography” with Jezebel and “Hoop Dance Basics” with Anne of Gypsy Soul.
Non-dance classes include “Darbuka Technique” with Mark of Ishtar, “Fortune Telling” by Rowan Canterbury, “Glamourize Your Circus Eyes” with Phaedra, “Going Poly with Brett”(drum polyrhythms) with Brett of Maharal and “Including Musicians in Your Dance Choreography” with Brett of Maharal.
For more information on this event, go to www.jezfever.com/events.html or e-mail Laurel at laurel.modic@roadrunner.com or Jezebel at jezebelshuvani@yahoo.com
This event is a wonderful and economical educational experience.
“For any dancer, myself included, I would say, ‘Never stop learning,’” Maysuun sums up. “I also strongly recommend some training in musicality, be it learning to drum, learning to play the zils or taking an introduction to music class. I think the ability to count music and hear the rhythms behind the melody can only improve your dancing. And, my dance philosophy is very similar to my life philosophy, which is an Irish blessing, ‘Work like you don’t need the money, love like you’ve never been hurt before and dance like no one is watching.’”
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