Genre:
Culture & Society
Release Date: 08/02/2005
SubTitles: French/Espanol/Ger/AR
Dubbed: English
Sound: DD2
Run Time: 88 Minutes
Distributor/Studio: Ark 21
In the 1970s and '80s,
Miles Copeland became a force in the music industry by taking paths other folks wouldn't follow; he helped bring
new wave rock to the top of the charts as manager of
the Police (and later guided
Sting's solo career) while also running the
IRS Records label, which helped edgy acts such as
the Go-Go's,
R.E.M.,
Wall of Voodoo, and
Fine Young Cannibals reach mass-market success. Following the dawn of the new century,
Copeland was searching for a new challenge, and looked to the Middle East, where he spent time as a child (his father was attached to the CIA).
Copeland struck upon the notion of bringing Middle Eastern music and dance to the West with a show that would present belly dancing in a theatrical context, much as
Riverdance had done for
Irish music. However,
Copeland's dream was neither a sure thing nor simple to realize; many of his performers were torn between a desire for greater recognition and fears of seeing their culture trivialized and distorted in the interest of the marketplace, while many Western audiences were not immediately receptive to Middle Eastern art in the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Documentary filmmaker
Jonathan Brandeis followed
Copeland as he assembled his troupe and put them on the road, and
American Bellydancer offers a glimpse of this sometimes difficult merger of art, culture, and commerce.
~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
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