Layla says: (Quote from Platinum 5/06)
"I'd like to tell you about a wonderful male dancer whose life was cut short all too quickly by cancer. He died in 1992 while in his early 30's. His name was Sergio. As a dancer he was charming and charismatic with a dance style that was powerful and magnetic. You just couldn't take your eyes off him. As a person he was sensitive, spiritual and really witty. He touched our lives in a profound way and was loved by many in our dance community. He is sorely missed. I will soon be adding a page to my website celebrating Sergio's life as a teacher, performer and friend..."
and here it is: I REMEMBER SERGIO!
Sergio was not only a great dancer but also my friend, his love for the dance came from very deep inside of him, and the audience felt it. He was everybody's friend, a gentle soul and a warm human being." - Mimi, NYC
"I was fortunate to share the stage with Sergio in his prime and of course in my prime. We were a dance duet act for many years and he starred in many stage shows that I sponsored. What I most admired about Sergio was his incredible command of the Middle Eastern rhythms. He would excite the audiences to a frenzy and calm them mystically all at the same time. My love for him was as an artist and a generous human being. As I said, I was one of the fortunate ones" - Amara Al Amir, NYC
Sergio was such a beautiful soul and his tenderness as a human being exploded in his firey performances. We had a discussion once about where we feel the music. I told him I felt it in my sternum and he said that he felt the music in his gut. His was a gut reaction to the music.... Remember how he sweat as he danced, wiping the sweat from his brow like a windshield wiper and then sprinkling the audience with it - the ladies would go wild! And how he magically made his veil appear from nowhere. Sergio, we miss his gentle soul, his mischievious smile and his firey dancing... - Aszmara, NYC
"He guest taught the advanced class at my studio on several occasions and also performed at one of my dance parties. We all loved him and his dancing!" - Anahid Sofian, NYC
"He was a very sweet and gentle person" - Serena, NYC
"When I think of Sergio, I smile. He was by far, one of the best dancers - male or female - that I have ever met. When I try to describe Sergio's dancing to my students, I cannot find the words that even come close to describing his talents. To see him sitting in an audience thick horned rimmed glasses, quiet, polite - then transform into the smiling, flirty, phenomenal "Sergio" 20 minutes later has always reminded me of the transformation one would see with "Superman". He certainly had the talents of a "Superman" on the dance floor. Sergio was high energy with moves that were crisp and clear. Timing was always precise. And Charisma?...well, he had a smile that would make you melt off of your seat. Yes, I remember Sergio! And he will always be alive within me every time I perform - he was such an inspiration!"
- Shalimar, www.bellydanceconnecticut.com
I first met Sergio in 1975 at a seminar I was teaching for Sheri Miller in East Hartford, CT, when he was a student at the High School of Fashion Arts in Manhattan & was there to help Paul Monty with his vending & check out the Oriental costume designs worn at that time.
My class & performance fascinated him. He asked me if men can do this dance. "Of course!", I answered. "It's a folk/ social dance & the last time I looked, men are still folks, even though you guys don't always act like it."
He asked about my classes in NYC & started attending them the next week - I was in easy walking distance of his high school.
He was extremely talented & was also interested in the culture & history that goes with the dance, a very unusual thing at that time. Sergio quickly became a treasured friend.
Dr. Paul Monty, the "inventor" & first sponsor of Mideastern Dance seminars, was his mentor & quickly began featuring him as a solo performer at seminar concerts - the first in Chicago. I was teaching/ performing at that seminar. Sergio wowed the huge crowd!!!
He was the first lead male dancer in my dance company & you can see him in a performance with my Casbah Dance Experience at the Riverside Church Dance Festival, 1986 on my #1 video/DVD.
While I still miss him sorely, I am comforted in knowing that he was very happy with his beautiful new house & life in San Jose, Costa Rica & that his end was quick, with little suffering.
Id like to believe that he's dancing away in heaven.
- Morocco, NYC
"I'd like to tell you about a wonderful male dancer whose life was cut short all too quickly by cancer. He died in 1992 while in his early 30's. His name was Sergio. As a dancer he was charming and charismatic with a dance style that was powerful and magnetic. You just couldn't take your eyes off him. As a person he was sensitive, spiritual and really witty. He touched our lives in a profound way and was loved by many in our dance community. He is sorely missed. I will soon be adding a page to my website celebrating Sergio's life as a teacher, performer and friend..."
and here it is: I REMEMBER SERGIO!
Sergio was not only a great dancer but also my friend, his love for the dance came from very deep inside of him, and the audience felt it. He was everybody's friend, a gentle soul and a warm human being." - Mimi, NYC
"I was fortunate to share the stage with Sergio in his prime and of course in my prime. We were a dance duet act for many years and he starred in many stage shows that I sponsored. What I most admired about Sergio was his incredible command of the Middle Eastern rhythms. He would excite the audiences to a frenzy and calm them mystically all at the same time. My love for him was as an artist and a generous human being. As I said, I was one of the fortunate ones" - Amara Al Amir, NYC
Sergio was such a beautiful soul and his tenderness as a human being exploded in his firey performances. We had a discussion once about where we feel the music. I told him I felt it in my sternum and he said that he felt the music in his gut. His was a gut reaction to the music.... Remember how he sweat as he danced, wiping the sweat from his brow like a windshield wiper and then sprinkling the audience with it - the ladies would go wild! And how he magically made his veil appear from nowhere. Sergio, we miss his gentle soul, his mischievious smile and his firey dancing... - Aszmara, NYC
"He guest taught the advanced class at my studio on several occasions and also performed at one of my dance parties. We all loved him and his dancing!" - Anahid Sofian, NYC
"He was a very sweet and gentle person" - Serena, NYC
"When I think of Sergio, I smile. He was by far, one of the best dancers - male or female - that I have ever met. When I try to describe Sergio's dancing to my students, I cannot find the words that even come close to describing his talents. To see him sitting in an audience thick horned rimmed glasses, quiet, polite - then transform into the smiling, flirty, phenomenal "Sergio" 20 minutes later has always reminded me of the transformation one would see with "Superman". He certainly had the talents of a "Superman" on the dance floor. Sergio was high energy with moves that were crisp and clear. Timing was always precise. And Charisma?...well, he had a smile that would make you melt off of your seat. Yes, I remember Sergio! And he will always be alive within me every time I perform - he was such an inspiration!"
- Shalimar, www.bellydanceconnecticut.com
I first met Sergio in 1975 at a seminar I was teaching for Sheri Miller in East Hartford, CT, when he was a student at the High School of Fashion Arts in Manhattan & was there to help Paul Monty with his vending & check out the Oriental costume designs worn at that time.
My class & performance fascinated him. He asked me if men can do this dance. "Of course!", I answered. "It's a folk/ social dance & the last time I looked, men are still folks, even though you guys don't always act like it."
He asked about my classes in NYC & started attending them the next week - I was in easy walking distance of his high school.
He was extremely talented & was also interested in the culture & history that goes with the dance, a very unusual thing at that time. Sergio quickly became a treasured friend.
Dr. Paul Monty, the "inventor" & first sponsor of Mideastern Dance seminars, was his mentor & quickly began featuring him as a solo performer at seminar concerts - the first in Chicago. I was teaching/ performing at that seminar. Sergio wowed the huge crowd!!!
He was the first lead male dancer in my dance company & you can see him in a performance with my Casbah Dance Experience at the Riverside Church Dance Festival, 1986 on my #1 video/DVD.
While I still miss him sorely, I am comforted in knowing that he was very happy with his beautiful new house & life in San Jose, Costa Rica & that his end was quick, with little suffering.
Id like to believe that he's dancing away in heaven.
- Morocco, NYC
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