With jangling skirts and swaying hips, Utah belly dancers walked the Middle Eastern art form’s timeline last weekend. Titled “Timeline,” the Black Box Belly Dance Affair showcased the evolution of belly dancing by featuring styles from different time periods.
Like most Middle Eastern dances, belly dancers’ body movements represent the emotional spectrum. Performed at the Leona Wagner Black Box Theater, Black Box Belly Dance Affair choreographers pulled inspiration from elements such as historical context, signature moves and music to illustrate emotion.
“The music, for me, is always a big inspiration,” said Amanda Borba, a Black Box Belly Dance Affair choreographer and producer. The Affair began when Borba and fellow choreographer Kelsey Covington highlighted the history and talent of Utah’s belly dance community.
“How it started was kind of how the community was set up … you would pay for an outside performer to come and teach workshops and do a show,” Covington said. “We were talking about it one day and decided that we didn’t need to bring anybody here. We are the cool list here in the big SLC.”
In Utah, belly dancing has piqued the interest of individuals from different backgrounds.
“It’s very welcoming to all different types of people. It’s something that anybody can do and anybody can enjoy,” Borba said. “It’s different for different people. Some people come to it through college, some through just a desire to be a belly dancer or a desire to continue dancing as an adult.”
Throughout the production, the passion the dancers felt on stage was evident. Perhaps the most entrancing dance was “Balkan Tribal Fusion,” danced by Michelle Sorensen. Nonetheless, Borba and Covington decided The Black Box Belly Dance Affair’s best performance was the skit “Café Cairo.” The piece fused dance and acting to create a narrative replicating a movie’s dance scene.
Borba and Covington believe performances for large groups will garner further support in Utah. With shows such as the Black Box Belly Dance Affair, the art form’s popularity is growing.
“It’s a good hobby for having to do all the other stuff that everybody gets involved with. It’s really family-friendly,” Covington said.
She feels belly dancing’s versatility draws curious individuals. In addition, the Black Box Belly Dance Affair has grown in comparison to past years’ productions.
“It was amazing. The support that we had from everyone was amazing,” Borba said about the performance. “We will continue to keep pushing it up into the sphere of professional dance and theater production.”
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