Quarter 2/06

SUHAILA SALIMPOUR’S SHEHEREZADE

Los Angeles, CA, August 11-14, 2005

Reviewed by:  Princess Farahana

    Suhaila Salimpour’s "Sheherezade" is not just a fabulous Oriental Dance show, but also an amazing theatrical experience all around!

     This well-executed show was obviously a longtime labor of love on Suhaila¹s part. Co-produced by Suhaila Productions and Los Angeles-based dancer Leela (known for her over-the-top productions, including the annual "Arabia Exotica" shows) Suhaila’s creative vision, dance artistry and wonderful troupe are highlighted.  Though Suhaila maintains that this show was the product of countless hours of logistical planning, pre-production and rehearsals, it will continue to be put on, hopefully around the US.

     Through the tale of Sheherezade and the 1001 Arabian Nights is traditional, Suhaila has ramped up the production values of this show to state-of-the-art standards, including incredible lighting design by Dante Mancini; projections and film by Holly Scott; voice-overs; contemporary, well-designed costumes; and intricate, sometimes delightfully racy choreographies that, while retaining foundations of Oriental Dance, owe a lot to jazz and modern. The group numbers were spectacular, though the well-trained dancers were impeccably synchronized and uniformly costumed, they were each allowed a moment to shine and the interesting spatial patterns created in the choreographies were breath-taking, reminiscent of a vintage Busby Berkeley musical.

     Though virtually the entire show was great, standouts included opening number "The Capture"; "Kama Sutra" and the ritualistic "In The Beginning", a Goddess homage which was originally choreographed by Suhaila¹s mother, Jamilla Salimpour for Bal Anat and featured a masked lead dancer flanked by two snake handling priestess dancers in a slow, hypnotic piece that was as universal and sweet as it was spooky and disturbing.

     The addition of amazing guest artists added a “Cirque De Soleil” feel:  Whirling dervishes and a fire acrobat were both breath-taking, and Rashid’s “Dance of The Eunuch”, seemed to have come straight out of Nijinski’s Ballet Russe repertoire.

     Clearly, though, the audience’s favorite was Isabella Salimpour-Khoury (Suhaila¹s young daughter) who was sassy and self-assured, with technique and timing that couldn’t be beat. If Isabella¹s performance is any indication, long after Suhaila has retired, the creativity that brought this wonderful show to fruition will help the Salimpour dance dynasty continue.

Sheherezade is now available on DVD along with the soundtrack:  
http://www.therealsuhaila.com