{image1}In the world of bellydance, Milwaukee is known as the "city of bellydancer love." This obscure-but-interesting piece of local trivia comes from the painted mouth of Jaia, member of the four-woman bellydance tribe called Barika.
"Milwaukee is an awesome place for bellydance," says Jaia, known as Jennifer Nolan to her massage and art clients. "We were recently at the Bellydance Superstars Show when it came through town and the dancers told us later that they were in tears backstage because they couldn't believe the response from the Milwaukee audience."
Barika is a collective effort, also featuring the talents of "costume goddess" Sunny Szewczuga, Amirah (Amy Hudson), Anexia (Kelly Holder) and Vivianna (Jenny Gibson). The women met in another dance class that they weren't enjoying but felt a connection and decided to keep dancing together, just for fun.
"We resolved to get really good, to be able to put on a great show, but to be able to have fun and convey that to an audience," says Jaia, a Shorewood single mom.
Barika specializes in tribal bellydance, a relatively new style originating in San Francisco about 25 years ago. Tribal involves a group of dancers, rather than the typical solo bellydancer, and is mostly improvised with a lead dancer directing the rest of the troupe through a series of subtle cues.
"It looks very choreographed, and people are often surprised to find out that we literally make it up as we go along," says Jaia.
The costuming is very elaborate, featuring 10-yard skirts, East Indian cholis, pantaloons and elaborate hair, makeup and jewelry. Not the typical chiffon-and-sequins bellydancer that most are familiar with, rather a representation of many cultures.
"We always make sure that we know the history of the various costuming, or which tribe or culture it is from," says Jaia. "We love doing the ethnic festivals. People think we are from their country. I know it's weird, but one of the nicest compliments I got was at Arab World Fest where group of people asked if we were Berbers."
"Barika" is Algerian slang for "to bloom," a name that Jaia finds short, sweet and happy. "You can't help but smile when you say it," she says.
"When I tell women that I bellydance, they get really excited, and want to do it too," says Jaia. "Men are either in awe, or they get that 'oo la la' look."
There are, however, many male bellydancers, including John Compton, Jaia's dream teacher and one of the world's greatest.
Bellydancing is an art -- and sport -- that not only appeals to both sexes, but to people of all shapes and ages.
"All bellies are great for bellydancing," says Jaia, 41, who claims she struggled with her body image for years before finding solace through bellydancing.
"For the first time in 25 years, I am not freaking out about my weight. Now I love the way I look," says Jaia. "Also, we've developed a sort of 'dancer intuition' in tribal dance, a silent communication with our dance sisters, and that's a beautiful thing."
Barika members will teach new classes at Bucketworks, 1319 N. Martin Luther King Drive, beginning June 7. A free informational evening, including an intro class and performance, will be held at Bucketworks on Monday, May 24, from 6-9 p.m.
Barika will also perform twice daily at Asian Moon Festival, June 11-13.
Barika's Web site is barikabellydance.com.
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.
