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The clubs
Here is where the magic happened. You could go and hear live music and see belly dance performances seven nights a week. These are the original places where everyone knew your name and looked for you to come in.
“(the nightclub)...is really a spin off of the old coffee houses where musicians gathered and men sat and smoked their water pipes. It is a different ambiance, a different setting, but it really is an old musical tradition. ”
The musicians
Back in the “Nightclub Era”, the musicians who played in the clubs were primarily Armenian, Greek, or Arab (Syrian or Lebanese). They often worked in multiple clubs, in addition to playing private gigs, kefs, and hafli. The musicians listed below are some of the most influential of that time:
Mike Sarkissian
The dancers
“Dancer zero” was most likely a woman of the culture, but American dancers quickly learned how to perform belly dance. There was lots of nightclub work and plenty of opportunities for all.
Dancers of the 50s - 60s
Dancers of the 70s - 80s