Baldwin bellies up for charity

A shimmying, shaking, quaking troupe of dancers from the Harem Belly Dance Studio of Baldwin appeared at Adelphi University recently for a fundraiser combating breast cancer. The event allowed the dancers to showcase their skills, but also gave audience members the opportunity to join in and learn some belly basics.

“When people care about helping each other, we see that amazing things can happen,” said Aviva Khadra, director of the Harem Belly Dance Studio. “We were very excited to come together with dancers, musicians, health care professionals and friends in the community to support the Adelphi Breast Cancer programs. The day was filled with dancing and music to celebrate life. We continue to be inspired by all those involved with the Adelphi program and hope to make this an annual event.”

Khandra, who grew up in Oceanside and now lives in Baldwin, began performing Hawaiian and Tahitian dance professionally at the age of five. She has performed numerous times on television, at Lincoln Center in New York and Epcot Center in Florida. She has also performed in Egypt and Turkey. For information about the Harem Belly Dance Studio in Baldwin, see www.bellydanceli.com.