Ghawazee -- Description --	Dancers -- Musicians -- Photos -- Schedule -- Links
			Neefa --Eledi -- Bakesh
			Oola -- Olivia -- Audrey
			Tamara

Bakesh

Forty days after a baby was born, his mother and the midwife took him to the baths for the first time for a special ceremony, the midwife broke a duck’s egg inside a bowl and smeared it on the baby’s face. This was so done that the child would have the ability to swim as well as a duck.” -- Musahipzade Celal, Eski Istanbul Yasayisi (19th century) "My first exposure to a ‘structured’ dance class was at age two when my mother sent me to ‘baby ballet’. At the age of four I went to see the Tamburitzins and decided that’s what I would do with my life. My mother warned me that I would have to be away from home a lot and I thought ‘Great!’ I would have to learn to play an instrument. I took up the violin and danced with the Junior Tamburitzins. "My journey into being an adult caused me to take other paths, but I couldn’t stop dancing -- I tried ballet and jazz, and quit that -- not for me. I later met Taylitha and Rayah who were “Belly Dancers” and from whom my sister, Eledi, took lessons. Eventually I was hooked as well! Bakesh has also taken up African Dance and has a passing familiarity with Odissi Dance (a form of classical Indian dance). She desperately wants to learn Balinese temple dance but hasn’t had the chance and must admire from afar.