“…to be able to sit around a campfire at night on the Bedouin Trail and tell great stories. I can be in the company of friends, family, or guests to share my life. This had been asked of me a thousand times: “How did you become a dancer?”

Asmahan is an Egyptian Dancer who started life as a Marine Corps child living all over the United States, finally settling in California. There she was educated in the 1960s during the political upheaval of Vietnam and ended up at San Francisco State University, trying to find her path as an artist.

The San Francisco hippie culture was flourishing, opening up new avenues of career choices. Then as Purple Sherry she began to design outfits for rock ‘n roll stars, celebrities, and society figures. Aquarian Princess became her new label and shop. Out of the blue, she had a moment of inspiration at the Renaissance Pleasure Faire, seeing a show of dancers in the style of Jamila Salimpour. A new career beckoned and she became Asmahan, a Bellydancer performing at the Casbah. Her costumes became legendary. Within a few years she was off to London to dance with the stars of the Middle East in the style of Modern Egyptian Dance. Performing with the authentic dancers of the culture gave her the heart to dance in Cairo, where in 1980 she became the first foreign dancer to work in the five star hotels. She produced an avant-garde video; Asmahan Egyptian Dance Fantasy, employing her skills as a costume designer featuring Pharaonic Egyptian scenes and performing her famous Sword Dance on the desert with the Pyramids in the distance.

A professional dance career took her to a life of adventure, drama, and excitement; performing with the most famous musicians, singers, dancers, and composers in the Arabic entertainment world. It is impossible to escape the jealousy, intrigue, and power play of other dancers, she reveals her special experiences and unique soap operas with the stars of the Raqs Sharqi profession. Her book deals with the history of the times, how political events transformed the dance culture and affected the entertainment and culture of the Middle East. Then in 1997 she began her teaching career, presenting Egyptian Dance classes at the famous Pineapple Studios in Covent Garden, London, teaching for 22 years. Many of her students have gone on to become professional dancers and teachers. Her knowledge, lessons, and love of Egyptian Dance and culture has inspired thousands of dancers to love this art form and dance for health, fitness, and beauty. Now, the Bellydance community has blossomed all over in the world into a huge industry, there are millions of dancers.

As Asmahan performed at events, taught her classes, and related her experiences and stories as a dancer, constantly the statement: “You must write a book!” So now, finally, here it is