Bellydance goes from bars to Byham

A former rock ’n’ roll manager hopes that by taking bellydancing out of bars and restaurants and bringing it into the Byham Theater, he will be able to teach Pittsburgh audiences to appreciate an aspect of Middle Eastern culture. Bellydance Superstars

“Bombay Bellywood”

Today 7:30 p.m.

Byham Theater

$20.75, $32.75, $37.75

www.pgharts.org or call (412) 456-6666

A former rock ’n’ roll manager hopes that by taking bellydancing out of bars and restaurants and bringing it into the Byham Theater, he will be able to teach Pittsburgh audiences to appreciate an aspect of Middle Eastern culture.

Performing almost 800 shows in 22 countries since its creation in 2003, Bellydance Superstars has performed for a vast array of audiences. The dancers have dance backgrounds ranging from classical ballet to traditional Egyptian. Using Egyptian and caberet styles, the group hopes to change people’s perceptions of the art of bellydance internationally.

Miles Copeland III, founder and producer for the production, has made a global name for himself with his management of musicians like the Police, Sting and the Go-Gos. This is Copeland’s most recent venture within the entertainment business, and although it is different from a rock ’n’ roll band, he finds it even more rewarding.

“When I look at my rock ’n’ roll world to what I’m doing now, the bellydance world is more rewarding because there are so many more of these social and cultural aspects to it,” Copeland said. “This has another dimension to it that is really interesting.”

Copeland’s Bellydance Superstars say they are  the only touring professional dance group of their kind. At first, it was a struggle to get people to realize that bellydance was something that could be interesting — the same type of struggle that Copeland had when he was first trying to promote the Police. People shrugged off the band’s new-age music, just like people shrugged off bellydancing as a new-age performance.

“We had to overcome a lot of prejudice both from the community, who were suspicious, and from the media who thought that this art form was only for men and people who were from the Middle East,” Copeland said.

Originally, bellydancing was performed in settings where the audience was distracted. Typically performed in a restaurant environment, bellydance has not been given the esteem that riverdance or ballet has achieved by being performed in theaters. But, country by country, the group is showing the art form in theaters and trying to change these perceptions.

“Bellydance Superstars as a company does something that nobody thought possible,” said Petite Jamilla, a dancer for Bellydance Superstars.

Jamilla has been with Bellydance Superstars since 2004, and she said the experience has been culturally revealing.

“For the Arab community, I can’t even tell you how many comments we get from people telling us ‘I’m so proud to see bellydance in such a huge production, put in a theater and people respecting it and clapping for it and appreciating it without a dinner in hand or next to alcohol or without it being in a restaurant,’” Jamilla said.

Through the art of dance, the group has brought together two cultures that have had a rocky path toward acceptance.

“When I have Middle Eastern people come to see the show in America, I am always approached and told how wonderful it is to see and feel that their culture does have relevance, and Americans are appreciating something from their culture,” Copeland said. “While Bellydance Superstars doesn’t politically advocate this acceptance, I think that it has a stronger impact on American life because it is a subtle infusion of Arabic culture.”

There is a powerful element to art that can impact society because of its cultural significance. Whereas Bellydance Superstars does not make it its agenda to heal political and social tensions with the Middle East and America, the possibility of making people more open-minded through dance is a beneficial side effect for this company.

The group’s mounting success has given Copeland some future goals.

“I’ll feel we really accomplished something when the Queen of England calls us to do a royal variety performance,” Copeland said. “I’ll be waiting for that call.”