Dondi Goes to Hollywood

It wasn’t until I was living in Hollywood that I realized I could make some money from belly dancing. I was studying acting with Stella Adler and struggling to book roles in film and television. I had practiced dance on my own through the years but returned to classes through Anisa (Studio City) and soon found myself dancing at parties in Beverly Hills.

But acting still reigned. With the probability of gaining my Screen Actors Guild card, commercial and film work, I moved to Miami in 1991. My career in acting flourished with over 100 national and international commercials, parts in film, videos and theatre and so did my "hobby" of belly dancing.

A true highlight at that time was being chosen to dance for Omar Sharif’s private 60^th birthday party. It was a small party of 10-15 people. Omar Sharif was smiling, clapping his hands and dancing with me while I shimmied my way around the patio of a beautiful mansion on a small island off Florida.

The book BELLY LAUGHS published through Talion Press last year highlights this experience and others that I’ve had in my career.

Dondi & Omar Sharif >>
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Changed Forever

In 1993 I moved back to San Diego and began dancing in clubs. I have to say that this is not my favorite venue but it has given me the "word of mouth" I needed to gain contracts in other countries. Because of the exposure in the clubs, I have been privileged to dance in Mexico, Germany, England, Switzerland, the Middle East and the South Pacific.

One lucky contract in Australia allowed me, Titanya and our mom to all work and play together in Sydney and Tasmania. But the contract that changed my dancing forever was a contract to Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Dancing in the Middle East is VERY different than dancing in the U.S. But, near the end of Ramadaan, 1998 I contracted to the Persian Gulf for the celebration of Eid El Fitr and performed in clubs for 1-2 hours every night for seven weeks. I was forced to change my dance from an exuberant, energetic, wild, Turkish type of style to a more refined, controlled passionate Egyptian type of style. Through this change I had to search my soul and body for strength, confidence and meaning. I lost and found my mind many times in the process. I still do.