DANCE FESTIVAL: Harlem Hafla – BELLYDANCE WITH SOUL! Celebrates Dancers of Color

Returning to New York for its eighth appearance, Harlem Hafla is excited to kick-off the summer season with exhilarating daytime belly dance workshops and an evening stage performance, Harlem Hafla—BELLYDANCE WITH SOUL ! A Festival Celebrating Dancers of Color on Saturday, June 28th from 7-9pm, hosted by teacher/performer/troupe director, Brandy Asmara, featuring an accomplished lineup of dancers at Robert F. Smith Center for the Performing Arts at Riverbank State Park (679 Riverside Drive & West 145th St New York, NY) with tickets available for $25.

This year’s headliner is Master Performer and Instructor, Rachid Alexander, an internationally acclaimed male belly dancer known for his powerful stage presence, technical precision, and mesmerizing performances. Originally from Curaçao, Rachid blends traditional Middle Eastern dance with his own unique flair, expanding the boundaries of the art form. With years of classical training and deep cultural respect, he has performed across Europe, the Americas, and the Middle East, earning a dedicated global following. His dynamic style combines strength, grace, and fluidity, captivating audiences and inspiring dancers of all genders. In addition to performing, Rachid is a sought-after instructor and choreographer, committed to sharing the joy, discipline, and expressive power of belly dance with the world.

SPLASH sat down with powerhouse Brandy Asmara to learn more of what goes into putting together this magnificent event.

SPLASH: What is Harlem Hafla?

BRANDY: Harlem Hafla is a Harlem-based annual event that brings belly dance education and entertainment to the community. Harlem is where I’m from and where the event takes place. “Hafla” is an Arabic word that means “gathering” or “party,” typically where there is music and dance. 

During the daytime, classes are given by an expert in the field. I choose an expert of Color because, typically, we are the last ones to receive such opportunities within this dance genre.  There are so many Black people doing a great job teaching belly dance at the classroom level but you rarely or never see them perform onstage, in restaurants, at weddings. The power to hire is usually out of our hands. 

I personally had a hard time getting hired to perform or to teach, even at ten years in! It was like dealing with a secret club that excluded Black belly dancers. Harlem Hafla was created due to the need to diversify the belly dance field. 

At first, it was completely out of pocket—my pocket. It took an additional four years to get my first grant to keep funding it. The fight is hard but I feel lucky every year that we get grant money. Still, I do it to create equity in this dance. There is a need to showcase and to pay these beautiful, skilled performers. 

SPLASH: How did you get involved in belly dance?

BRANDY: I am an English Teacher by day so I was often  in the New York Public Library gathering resources. This was before we used computers and the internet as much as we do now. 

One day, I was in a long line to check out items and noticed some belly dance exercise VHS videos. I stepped off of the line and checked them out as well. 

I enjoyed the workouts and began borrowing more videos, buying videos and music, then started taking classes in Midtown Manhattan. This led to my travelling a bit to see shows or to take workshops. 

One thing I noticed was the lack of people who looked like me in positions of decision making in this dance. I did most of my performing in Maryland during this time because there were so few performance opportunities in New York. I figured if that was true for me, it must be true for other dancers of Color—which turned out to be the case, particularly if the dancers were Black. 

This was odd to me because so many of the movements were created right in Africa—but we’re not welcome to perform it? That, in my mind, was wrong.

SPLASH: What do you want audiences to understand about belly dance and the perception of dancers of Color? 

BRANDY: The stereotypes about this dance and dancers of Color are a limiting factor. I want people to get involved at the level where they are most comfortable. Take a class. See a show. Grow in this art form. 

If you’re a person of Color, you belong just like anybody else, regardless of how the industry can treat us. Regardless of age, shade, size, gender, hair texture and, of course, color—you belong. 

I also want people to feel empowered to create what they want in this, whether it’s just beginning, solo dancing, troupe dancing, taking a class… get the skills and get involved. As people of Color, we are familiar with similar music and dance traditions that make belly dance second nature for most—so give it a try!

Lastly, belly dance can aid with so many ailments, such as high blood pressure, strokes, fibroid tumors, infertility, obesity, and depression. These are ailments that often affect people living in Urban communities. That should be reason enough to give it a try.

SPLASH: Tell us about your 2025 headliner, Rachid Alexander. Are there many male belly dancers? How do audiences perceive them?  

BRANDY: Rachid was chosen for his skill level both as a teacher and performer. He is an awesome dancer! 

I’ve had other male dancers in the show as I believe in diversity of all types but bringing Rachid in is something I really look forward to. He is originally from Curacao but now living in Amsterdam so Harlem Hafla is flying him in. If you look at his YouTube videos, you’ll see that he has tens of thousands of fans worldwide. In the Middle East, however, it can be a different story. 

In Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt, both men and women belly dance as a social dance. But in performance, male dancers are not as popular as female dancers. There are stereotypes around them that are unfair. 

Rachid, however, is well received by audiences due to how highly skilled he is and we are beyond excited to have him performing for us at Harlem Hafla, 2025!

SPLASH: Do you think belly dance has played or can play a role in bringing about awareness and appreciation of Middle Eastern culture and people, as a unifying cultural force?

BRANDY: That question is worthy of a book but I’ll attempt to answer it fairly. Belly dance can be a unifying cultural force and it has been for many reasons. 

The music and the food at Arabic restaurants draw eclectic crowds here in America, for example. So it is with the dance. In modern times, we see Shakira and Beyonce belly dance with Latin or R&B music. I have heard samples of James Brown and the Egyptian pop singer Hakim in the song “Layla” and I have heard musical parts of the Egyptian Abdel Halim Hafez classic, “Khosara, Khosara” in Jay-Z’s “Big Pimpin’.” Further, the pop song, “Bas Ellak Habibi” samples Sarah Vaughan’s “Eternally”. 

In Egypt, there is a music and belly dance form called “Shaabi,” which is a “street” style that brings together elements of Hip Hop and Arabic music. 

Here in America, as belly dance became popular in the 1960s and 1970s, venues would bring together musicians and dancers from Middle East North African Hellenic Turkish (MEHNAT) nations such Egypt, Greece, Lebanon, Turkey, Morocco, allowing their distinct styles to meld into what became American Cabaret style (AmCab).

Almost like the Creole versions of languages, they blended original and new elements such as Ballet, Indian, Latin, West African music and dance further developing and varying styles of belly dance. 

We love to see people of all cultures participate and have a good time. 

The flip-side of this, unfortunately, is that bringing such diverse groups together can occasionally trigger prejudices and/or stereotypes. But I believe we have the power to erase these negative mindsets if we wish. 

I have experienced and have seen dancers rarely being chosen to dance due to size or skin color. Neither should be a factor. In so many belly dance shows that I have attended, you see few or no Black people involved. 

I asked the show producers, “Did you try? Did you even look to diversify or do you believe that there are no Black dancers, musicians, photographers, videographers or dee jays?” Do you believe Blacks are only good enough to dance in the chorus or not at all? I have even heard show creators say the most horrible, unrepeatable things about Black dancers. 

I go out of my way to hire as many dancers of Color as I can in Harlem Hafla because, again, we are the last ones chosen, if at all. 

Back to your question, I think belly dance brings about appreciation as it is such a beautiful art form and people find themselves recognizing certain hip movements, rhythms, or hand movements that they can relate to. 

The awareness needs to grow and the stereotypes need to be diminished. This is not just within the dance but with the cultures in general. The people involved come from all walks of life, and all levels of aptitude. 

We are also participating in others’ cultures, so it is also important to recognize the foundations of belly dance, which is a form of dance that started in Africa, the Middle East, and Greece. As it migrates, we as people need to drop the stereotypes and prejudices that we bring to it in order to enjoy it more fully or we risk stagnation. 

For more information about Harlem Hafla, or to take belly dance classes with Brandy Asmara, please contact her at He*********@*ol.com.

To purchase tickets, please visit.