Amar Gamal (born Teresa Infante c. 1975) is a Cuban bellydancer who grew up in Florida.
Early life and education edit
Gamal, born Teresa Infante,[1] grew up in Miami where she learned to bellydance[2] at the age of thirteen.[3] At thirteen, she began performing with the Mid-Eastern Dance Exchange company, based in Miami Beach. One of her directors at the time was the well-known dancer, Tamalyn Dallal,[citation needed] who had inspired her when she was younger.[1]
Gamal went on to become the first dancer to audition with bellydancing techniques and be accepted at the New World School of the Arts' Performing Arts School.[citation needed] While a senior at the New World School of Arts, Gamal also taught dancing to young children.[4] She trained in other types of dancing,[5] such as ballet, jazz, tap, flamenco and modern, while at that school.
Gamal graduated with a degree in psychology at Bridgewater State College in Massachusetts.
Career edit
After graduation Gamal performed during the NFL's Super Bowl XXIX in 1995, and participated in the Miss World of Bellydancing contest of 1996, before dancing for five different dance companies.
In 1997, she performed at the Gianni Versace fashion show. In 1998, she participated at the Oriental Dance Production, in Lexington, Kentucky. During the late 1990s she has performed in Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti and Costa Rica.
In 2002 Gamal earned first place in the Mondo Melodia Bellydance Breakbeats competition[6][7] and was chosen to participate in the release tour of a CD — Bellydance Superstars — released on November 12.
Gamal was a member of the Bellydance Superstars, a professional dance company that was founded in 2003[2] and toured the United States in 2004.[8] She founded the group BellyQueen with another dancer named Kaeshi Chai,[3] and Jenna Rosenberg was also a member of the group.[1]
Gamar has taught belly dancing in Los Angeles and San Francisco, California, in New York City and in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
She appeared as herself in the 2005 documentary, "American Bellydancer". In 2002, she had appeared in a concert DVD, "Bellydance Superstars". On 11 March, 2008, Gamal released a video titled "Mastering the Dance: Amar Gamal".[9]
References edit
- ^ a b c Levin, Jordan (2002-01-10). "Orientalia celebrates the exotic". The Miami Herald. p. 300. Retrieved 2022-08-12.
- ^ a b Brunt, Jonathan (2005-01-24). "Moving into the mainstream". The Spokesman-Review. p. 6. Retrieved 2022-08-12.
- ^ a b Hoye, Sarah (2004-03-24). "And now, an act the whole family can enjoy". Lexington Herald-Leader. p. 2. Retrieved 2022-08-12.
- ^ Duhart, Olympia (1993-08-05). "The steps of summer". The Miami Herald. p. 100. Retrieved 2022-08-12.
- ^ "Clipped From The Miami Herald". The Miami Herald. 1994-03-19. p. 140. Retrieved 2022-08-12.
- ^ "Briefs". The Middletown Press. 2004-06-15. Retrieved 2022-08-12.
- ^ Swoboda, Victor (2007-11-24). "Gut-level diplomacy". The Gazette. p. 64. Retrieved 2022-08-12.
- ^ Clear, Marty (2004-02-26). "Belly dancing breakthrough". Tampa Bay Times. p. 105. Retrieved 2022-08-12.
- ^ "Mastering the Dance: Amar Gamal". Amazon.