Oh, I know we have plenty of good ideas for fundraisers around here, but here's one that came to me via e-mail and I figured that you folks who work hard for the animal money might get a kick out of knowing about it. Tickets are $45, but it's not the modest price that is the big attraction. It is the passion of the dance -- and seems to me I recall seeing a pug one time that was dressed as a belly dancer...And, frankly, I haven't heard a dancer from the Washington area mentioned by name since Wilbur Mills and Fanne Foxx tangoed into the spotlight -- and that was so long ago that it's either hidden in the archives or a mere paragraph in history books.
Here's the news release as written by the folks from the late Cleveland Amory's organization:
" “DANCE FOR A CAUSE” HELPS THOSE WITH PAWS
Fund for Animals To Host Celebration of Middle Eastern Dance (“Belly Dance”), Culture and Animal Rights
SILVER SPRING, MD (October 21, 2004) – The Fund for Animals will host a unique gala fundraiser on Sunday, October 24 at Casablanca Restaurant featuring dancing by Samara, the internationally recognized Middle Eastern dance star, a fantastic vegetarian Moroccan feast, live music starring Arabic musician Hicham, and the DC-area’s finest dancers. All proceeds from this event will go to support The Fund’s animal advocacy efforts.
WHEN: Sunday, October 24th. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
WHERE: Casablanca Restaurant, 1504 King St., Alexandria, VA
"It is a rare occasion that a person has the privilege of combining two passions. In this case it is dance and animals,” said Jessica Michalski, the organizer of the event. “Samara has been a long-time animal advocate. She and all the dancers in this event are generously donating their performances to our cause.”
Samara has become one of the most celebrated and sought after Arabic dancers of today and has performed with the internationally acclaimed Near East Dance Group at prestigious venues such as Lincoln Center and the Kennedy Center. She has been involved with animals since a very early age when she started rescuing stray animals, and has been a vegetarian since she was 13.
The Fund for Animals was founded in 1967 by best-selling author and humanitarian Cleveland Amory."
Rock on.....if that's a proper thing to say. We didn't have belly dancers in Texarkana when I was a kid. ... that I knew of, anyway.
