My Philosophy:
                     
I began my studies in 1970 under the mother of
our dance, Jamila Salimpour in Northern Calif
& was her Protégé for many years. She gave the
steps their names & created the finger cymbal
patterns as we know them. She was the first
one to actually break down the technique. I drove
up to an hour to her class & took 4 days a week.

Since 1971 I have made my living dancing &
teaching. I toured the U.S. & Canada with
Holiday in Greece & South America with
internationally known Rana & Naim.
I worked in San Francisco for 12 years at the
Bagdad & Casbah Nightclubs doing 45 minute
shows three times a night, 5 to 7 nights a week.

Holding a degree in Opera & being a
symphony Bassoonist for many years gave
me the drive to study the Oud, Mizmar, Riqq &
Derbecki as well as the Arabic Language
at UC Berkeley.  With much study & practice,
in time I played & sang with the musicians
on stage in-between my shows. The other two
nights I performed at the Greek Taverna
& El Morocco Restaurant. During the day
I traveled teaching classes 5 days a week.

When Saudi Arabian Students came to the US
in the 70's we were the first to learn their
music & perform the Khaliegi style of dance
in the clubs & in truth, I was the first dancer
in the U.S. to wear a "Thobe Nashel" on stage.

I have dancers from Saginaw to Toledo
who come to class. I coach professional dancers
& teachers from Alaska, Calif, Michigan,
Nebraska, NY, Ohio and Texas.

You will learn many styles of Belly Dancing
as well as elaborate veil work, floor work,
cane, sword, tray and much more.

My troop performs 6 shows a day at the
Michigan Renaissance Festival in Holly,
which runs from the middle of August to the
end of September. I play the Oud and Mizmar
& we all play drum and sing in Arabic.

I have dedicated my life to raising the level
of this art. Through my work with the
Arab American National Museum & ACCESS,
the Arabic Cultural Center in Dearborn I am
able to help educate all ages along with
many other Middle Eastern Scholars.

  Here are some questions to ask when you are
looking for a good teacher.

1.Who were her teachers & how long
did she train with each one?

    2.Where has she worked as a dancer & for    
     how long (is it a daily, weekend gig or parties)?

3. Has she worked with live Arabic Music?

4. Will you learn about the costumes,
      customs & the culture we represent?

5. Will you learn to make your own costumes?

For more information on Jamila or Suhaila
Salimpour or Aida Al Adawi  google us!  

Come and join us!

Aida of San Francisco
Authentic Arabic Dance
Music, & Drum
Aida Al Adawi's
Middle Eastern Dance Ensemble
El Morocco, Pleasant Hill, California
Renaissance Faire Northern California
Bogata Colombia, South America
Michigan Renaissance Festival
Aida of San Francisco 1971
The Casbah in San Francisco's North Beach
Aida    Jalal Takesh           Fadil Shahin        Salah Takesh
Aida's first promo photo 1971