Belly dancing at the UN

This past Friday was a very special (and belated) Diwali celebration held at the United Nations in New York.  My good friend, Julia Kulakova, was not only performing some very seductive and quite aggressive belly dance (knives included!), but she was also celebrating her birthday!  I was fortunate enough to catch Julia's piece as the very last performance of the evening, however I did happen to miss all of the other exciting Indian dances that had happened earlier.  Apparently there were some phenomenal Bhangra dance groups, classical Indian dancers, and of course some Bollywood favorites.  An added bonus to the entire evening was the huge spread of Indian curries, rice, naan, and other delicious Indian delights, filling the room with their warm smells of spices and sauces. Julia's dance, as you can see from this video, includes some fancy veil work, the hidden identity of the dancer by use of multiple veils, and then a grand dramatic finish with two daggers that she had hiding in a conspicuous area in her costume.  I could just imagine watching this performance in a dark and forbidden place in some mysterious, Turkic country...

Happy Birthday, Julia, and thank you for sharing your dance!