The International Belly Dance Convention


Disclaimer: Earlier this year I reported the winners of the contests, as they happened in posts to Yahoo and Tribe, because I feel the winners of contests deserve as much recognition, as they can get.  After the event I posted what I read on the web site of one of the missing Egyptian instructors, as to why she did not attend.  Because of this some people may have assumed I was part of the IBDC in some way.  I can assure you that I have no affiliation at all, I was just reporting what I saw. 

I did not attend the IBDC press conference held at Rakkasah, for those who are known (by the IBDC staff) to write articles in Belly Dance publications.  I was not offended, because the magazine (Wiggle Hips) I owned, as one of the Two Old Bags, had been retired for five years.  I never had conversations with Alex, the owner of IBDC, either by email or phone, before the event.  I received no money for advertising from the IBDC.

My Review

There has been a lot of controversy concerning this event, some of it may be deserved, because of the way it was advertised as “The Biggest Event in Belly Dance History”.  That is a lot to live up to for a first time event.  The IBDC was set up to be big, it had everything: workshops, festival dancing, contest, dinner shows with top name dancers, shopping, and workshop instructors from all over the world.  Gold Star International rented enough room at South Point Hotel & Casino for a very big event.  According to the South Point web site, there is 70,000 sq. ft. of Conference Center space and 80,000 sq. ft. of Exhibit Hall space, and from the look of it they rented it all.  So if you count square footage, it probably was the biggest.

Bill and I went to South Point Hotel & Casino shortly after I moved to Las Vegas.  I wanted to check out the hotel and get a feel for the place.  I also wanted to find the best way to get to the casino from my house.  South Point is large and beautiful, but it is far away from the hub of The Strip,  ‘The Action’ as we say here in Las Vegas.  Las Vegas is know for its large and diverse conventions and South Point certainly gets its share.  My suggestion for IBDC 2008, if there is one, get a hotel closer to The Strip.

My first impression of the Convention/Ballroom area was very nice, even elegant. I could see a big event being held there.  We were surprised, when we arrived on Tuesday, that this section was only being used for the workshops during the day and the dinner shows at night.  The shopping and contest were being held in the Event Center, which was a long walk and up an escalator from the rest of the event.  They were practically in different buildings.  Now I must say this works for some conventions, I attend one every year that is held in 3 separate hotels and the convention center, but this is not the norm for Belly Dance events and attendees did not like it.  My suggestion for IBDC 2008, consolidate the event.

I did not attend any workshops, so I will not report on them.  I did not attend any of the evening shows, so I will not report on them.  I went to watch and judge the contest.  I went to check out the vending too, of course.

The first thing I checked out was the vending.  I had considered vending myself, but the fees were just too expensive for me to justify on a first time event.  I wanted to see the huge room of venders that the map on the web site had shown.  Well the room was huge, but there were only about half to one third of the venders that it was planned for.  Unfortunately for the venders there were few people shopping on Tuesday, although it did improve as the week progressed.  The vending area admission was free, but it was too far away from the workshops or the hotel area for any foot traffic.  My suggestion for IBDC 2008, Consolidate the vending area and put it in a location where the venders have a better chance to make money.  Attendees will also appreciate the shopping being easier to find.

One of the complaints of some of the venders was the load in fees.  Las Vegas is a contradiction, many of the larger hotels have union contracts, even though Nevada is a right to work state.  Load in fees are a part of any large convention or trade show held in the larger hotels, but not a part of every event.  Load in fees and such should not have been a surprise to anyone, since a pamphlet published by the LV Convention Authority was sent to them explaining such things.  Some venders decided the added expense made the event too costly and others decided to take the gamble.  My suggestion for IBDC 2008, maybe extra fees, not normal for most Belly Dance events could be explained on the vending section of the web site.

While visiting with my vender friends, I collected business cards, so I would know who all was there.  Some of the venders included: Las Vegas Bellydance Intensive, Egyptian Essences, Dahlal International, Rashid Music Sales, Audrena's Bazaar, Saroyan Mastercrafts, Diamond Pyramid, Ancient Spirits, Babylon Breeze, Goddess Wear, and Egypt National Tours.  Many of the workshop instructors also had booths.  There was certainly enough variety and merchandise for those attendees wanting to shop.  Many venders did not do well, while others were very pleased.  This is the norm for any Belly Dance event.

I was asked to judge the contest by Aradia, one of the IBDC organizers and a well respected member of the Las Vegas Belly Dance community.  I was thrilled and honored to judge.  I volunteered to be the back up judge if needed.  I like to judge and at events like Belly Dancer USA and Double Crown I have often judged several categories.  I started off being scheduled for one category and wound up judging all three days.  The funny thing was that I always judged Stage One, with the same staff and always wound up in the same seat no matter who else was judging.

Tuesday I judged two categories.  First was the "Little Isis" category. This was the children's category. There were 5 very talented young ladies in this category.  The Champion, Monique, from Puerto Rico was absolutely amazing!!! First Runner up was Faith from Nevada. Second Runner up was Lorelei from Alabama.  Next I judged the "Juniors" category. This was the category for young adults & teens. There were 9 ladies in this category. The Champion is Lee Minsun of Korea. First Runner up Roxana of California. Second Runner up Jeli of California. The dancers were all very talented.  The prizes were amazing $1,000 - $500 - $300. Certainly more than we can afford at Wiggles of the West. But then again, the IBDC had big sponsors such as Egypt Air.

I didn't stay to watch the Folkloric category and I have not heard who won.  I went over to the second contest stage to see the end of the "Fusion Solo" category.  I had heard it was a big category.  I got to see the last half, amazingly talented dancers performed. The Champion ($1,000) was Viviane of Texas. First Runner up ($500) is Aubre of California. Second Runner up ($300) was Ari Shlam of Puerto Rico.  I heard that Ari Shlam is Monique's father and is just as amazing a dancer.

Wednesday I judged the "Advanced" category. The Champion is Andalee of California winning a trophy, $1000, and tickets to Egypt on Egypt Air. First runner up is Lucia of California ($500). Second Runner up is Sacha of Nevada ($300). There were 14 amazing ladies in this category.

After our work was done, I went over to Stage 2 to see the last part of the "Professional" category. 25 dancers competed in this category.  I arrived in time to see Nadira do a dynamite dance.  And long time friend Lara of Arizona also did a fabulous job.  Not to say the others were not just as amazing, but these two are friends.  Una amazed yet another crowd with her famous belly chain.  In this category the winners were to be crowned and given there prizes at the Friday dinner show. The Champion is Aubrie of California, First runner up is Oreet of New York, and Second runner up is LaUra of New York.

Thursday I got to watch the Fusion Troupe category.  I was happy just to sit on the sideline and yell, Zaghareet, and applaud. The Champions are Tabu from Las Vegas winning $3,000. They were amazing! First Runner up went to Ethnophonica also a Las Vegas group ($2,000). They did a great African/Bollywood inspired piece. Second Runner up was Jewels of Miehana from California ($1,000). Fusion Troupe Category was almost canceled, due to lack of entries, but then 3 troupes stepped up and entered saving it.

I judged the “Oriental Troupe” which followed. The Champions are Kim Youngmi & Kim Hyunjin from Korea ($3,000). First Runner up is Fleur's d Egypte from Washington ($2,000). Second Runner up was Bellydance Odyssey Raks from California ($1,000). This category had 13 troupes and was a very tough competition.


Jalilah, Vasti, Jasmine, Shakira, and Janie at the IBDC
Monica took the photo


After I finished my judging duties I ran to the other stage, just in time for the awards for "Intermediate" category. Unfortunately I didn't get to see any of the dancing there. Champion is Namira of Lake Tahoe, California (past Rising Star and 2nd place Entertainer 2007). She won $1,000 and tickets to Egypt! First Runner up is Lili Rosa of New York ($500). Second Runner up is Isis San Miguel from Florida ($300).  This ended my involvement and attendance at IBDC.

When we arrived on Tuesday, we were introduced to Alex (the owner) for the very first time, by Harry Saroyan.  I explained who I was and that I was there to judge the contest and show my support for a new event.  Bill and I pointed out a couple of things we noticed right away, like the lack of good signage near the casino area.  I noticed the signage improved by Wednesday.  We also suggested a few other things, like consolidation of space and a casino closer to the main Strip.  He thanked us, said he had realized that and asked what he could do for us.  I asked for a Press Pass, since I planned to write a review.  Alex arranged for both Bill and I to get Press Passes.  Both Alex and his staff all said the same thing, that they realized that the first year is a learning experience and that they were learning fast.

Thursday I got to the IBDC early to see some of the Festival dancing, before the contest started.    I went to the check in desk to get the daily list of contest performers and festival dancers.  The program did not have any of this information in it and turned out to be all advertising.  I was greeted by Mike, the Media Director, for the event.  He was wondering where I got my Press Pass, since I wasn't on his list, so I told him.  We talked about all sorts of things for nearly a half hour.  He did not have a lot of knowledge about Belly Dance.  My suggestion for IBDC 2008, all staff members should be better educated about Belly Dance and Belly Dance events.

My further suggestion for IBDC 2008.  Do not divide your audience.  Having a dinner show every night at the same time the contest is going on forces people to choose.  This dilutes the size of the audiences for both, which is unfair to the performers.  Also having two stages of contests further dilutes your audience.  Start the contest earlier so it can all be on one stage.  Schedule the dinner shows for nights when there is no contest.  Ticket prices for the contest and shows were also too high for the average attendee.  And lastly the program for an event should contain the information that was doled out to us on a daily basis, not just be all advertising.

At the time of publication, word has it that contest winners and at least some workshop instructors have not been paid.  Gold Star is still promising to pay everyone.  I’m sure with the massive amount of money that was spent in space rental alone, the event lost a lot of money.  If there is going to be another IBDC, everyone must be paid first, before any further plans.  Unfortunately, even that may not be enough to bring some disappointed attendees back to this event.  It is a shame, because it had so much potential. 

The Las Vegas Belly Dance community deserves huge kudos.  They supported the event by volunteering as support staff for all aspects of the event.  Aradia and Amira did amazing jobs.  They also unfairly took the heat of people’s disappointment, because they were the visible ones.  The LVBD community is to be highly praised.  I am pleased and honored to be a part of this community.

I enjoyed the event, because of all the fabulous talent I got to experience.  I was treated well and with respect at all times.  And I enjoyed being around all my friends.  Would I attend again?  That is a decision I will make, like many others, when and if the time comes.