Serena Wilson

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Serena Wilson

Born Serene Blake
August 8, 1933
New York City
Died June 17, 2007
Cause of death Pulmonary Embolism
Occupation Dancer, teacher, choreographer, lecturer, author.
Known for Breaking ground for the art of belly dancing in the United States.
Spouse Alan "Rip" Wilson
Children Scott Wilson

Serena Wilson (August 8, 1933 – June 17, 2007), often known just as "Serena", was a well-known dancer, choreographer, and teacher who helped popularize belly dance in the United States. Serena's work also helped legitimize the dance form and helped it to be perceived as more than burlesque or stripping. Serena danced in clubs in her younger years, opened her own studio, hosted her own television show, founded her own dance troupe, and was the author of several books about belly dance.

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[edit] Early Years

Serena was born Serene Blake in 1933 in New York's Bronx. Her parents were vaudville performers with their own show, Blake & Blake, which featured a variety of comedy and musical numbers, some of which Serena performed in as a child. As a young adult, Serena officially changed the spelling of her name from "Serene" to "Serena".

Serena also began studying with famed dancer Ruth St. Denis who was well-known for her interpretations of Oriental and Oriental-style dance. In 1952, Serena married Alan Wilson, also known as Rip, a musician, percussionist, and leader of a Dixieland band, a combination which complemented Serena's own background. In the mid-1950s, Serena gave birth to their son, Scott.

Not long after their marriage, Rip's band was booked for a gig with a Middle Eastern theme that required a belly dancer. In spite of the clash of styles, Rip quickly got hold of the music for popular Middle Eastern standards like Misirlou, and recruited Serena to be his dancer, an idea which Serena felt her studies with St. Denis had prepared her for.

Serena's dance ended up being rather awkward, according to her husband, as she apparently wasn't sure what to do with her hands during the dance, a fact which she disguised by carrying a vase on her shoulder throughout the performance. The pair were nonetheless a success, a fact which inspired Serena and Rip to develop and pursue a life-long interest in Middle Eastern music and dance.

Rip took up Middle Eastern drumming and frequently performed with Serena as she honed her skills by dancing at a club in Chelsea, called The Egyptian Gardens, in an area then known colloquially as Greektown for the large number of Greek and Middle Eastern cabarets lining the street. It was not long before Serena had become one of the most popular belly dancers in the city and even performed for various city officials.

[edit] Middle Years

After establishing herself as a performer of belly dance, Serena went on to expand her vision of belly dancing in the United States. In the mid-1960s she began teaching the dance, opening her own studio, Serena Studios, on Eighth Avenue in New York City. In the 1970s she also started up her own TV show, known alternately as "Serena" and "The Serena Show", which served as a means of educating the masses about belly dancing, and billed itself as "The fun way to beauty, grace, and a youthful figure."[1]

Serena and Rip's son, Scott, continued the family tradition of enthusiasm for Middle Eastern music and culture by dedicating himself to the study of the oud, an Egyptian lute or guitar. Serena also began writing the first two of her books about belly dance, The Serena Technique of Belly Dancing and The Belly Dance Book.

Serena and Rip's success continued unabated until the Gulf War in 1991, when American attitudes towards all things Middle Eastern soured.

[edit] Later Years

In spite of the biases in American popular culture against the Middle East, Serena continued to perform in a number of Egyptian folkloric shows and appeared a number of times as the lead dancer in the New York Opera Company's production of Aida.[2] She also managed to continue her work at her studio, teaching the dance and choreographing routines for her dance troupe, Serena Dance Theater, which they performed throughout New York City. Serena's studio also provided a hired dancer service, with dancers trained in Serena's style and technique available for performances at traditional Middle Eastern weddings and other social events. Notably, in keeping with Serena's long-held belief that belly dancing is not comparable with stripping and erotic dance, her studio will not provide dancers for events in which their performance might be over-sexualized, i.e. for bachelorette parties, but not bachelor parties, for bat mitzvahs but not bar mitzvahs.[3]

In June, 2007, Serena abruptly died of a pulmonary embolism. She had been scheduled to dance in Greenwich Village with her son's Middle Eastern band, Scott Wilson and Efendi that very night. She is survived by her son Scott, and her husband Rip, both of whom continue to carry on her passion for Middle Eastern music and dance. Serena's studio in New York also continues to hold classes and provide dancers for performances.

[edit] Further Reading

  • Wilson, Serena. The Belly Dance Book. (McGraw-Hill 1983)
  • Wilson, Serena. The Legacy of Little Egypt: A History of the Belly Dance in America. (Serena Studios, 1994)
  • Wilson, Serena. The Serena Technique of Belly Dancing. (Drake Publishers 1972)

[edit] Video References

[edit] Sources

[edit] Citations

  1. ^ The Serena Show
  2. ^ Serena Studios: About Serena.
  3. ^ Fox, Margalit. "Serena Wilson Dies at 73; Popularized Belly Dance." The New York Times: June 24, 2007.


Persondata
NAME Wilson, Serena
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Serena; Blake, Serena; Blake, Serene
SHORT DESCRIPTION Popular American belly dancer, dance teacher, choreographer, author, and host of instructional TV series, The Serena Show.
DATE OF BIRTH August 8, 1933
PLACE OF BIRTH New York City
DATE OF DEATH June 17, 2007
PLACE OF DEATH New York City