Bellydance Superstars to Perform in CFA on Nov. 15

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Center for the Arts at the University at Buffalo will present Bellydance Superstars at 8 p.m. on Nov. 15 in the Mainstage Theatre in the Center for the Arts on the UB North (Amherst) Campus. The performance is sponsored by KeyBank. A pre-performance talk will be held at 7 p.m.

Tickets for the performance will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Aug. 21.

The Bellydance Superstars is an extremely popular professional troupe that has brought the art of sensuality in motion to large audiences in more than 15 countries. The Bellydance Superstars are the world's premier touring bellydance troupe. With enthralling performances and mesmerizing choreography, the troupe has garnered international acclaim from critics, instructors, dancers and fans alike as they bring this ancient art form to mainstream audiences.

Comprised of America's best-known and most sought after bellydancers the troupe is the only professional dance company of its kind on tour. The "Raqs Carnivale" show features all new choreography, costumes and production. The Bellydance Superstars exhibit an intoxicating spectacle that transports the audience to a distant time and place, performing a cross-section of Tribal, Egyptian and Cabaret styles.

From their beginnings as part of the 45-city Lollapalooza rock tour in 2003 (performing to over a half million people and called a "must-see" by Rolling Stone Magazine), to their stint at the famed Folies Bergere in Paris in February 2005, the Bellydance Superstars have set a new standard for bellydance and have proven its wide appeal to a Western audience.

The Bellydance Superstars are dedicated to celebrating the art form of bellydance and elevating it to its rightful place among dance genres. Countless television appearances and impressive press coverage have added huge impetus to an already-growing interest in this most feminine and sensual dance art that celebrates all women.

The troupe has been chronicled in the documentary "American Bellydancer: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Dance," which was chosen for screening at the Tiburon Film Festival.

The troupe is the brainchild of music business mogul Miles Copeland, a legendary impresario who has served as manager, agent or record label chief for acts including Sting, The Police, The Sex Pistols, REM, The Moody Blues, and Blondie.

Tickets for Bellydance Superstars are $25, students $10. Tickets are available from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday in the Center for the Arts Box Office and all Ticketmaster locations, including Kaufmann's. To charge tickets, call 852-5000; in Canada, call 1-416-870-8000. For group sales, call 645-6771. For more information, call 645-ARTS. The Center for the Arts is a Ticketfast location. Students (of any school) must present valid student ID at the Center Box Office to receive discount.