Rita Dyan - Farah - June 29, 1968 Busch Barbecue for Edison employees

Rita's first So Cal performance, June 29, 1968. Fresh from the tullies, lol (El Paso, TX). BABY bellydancer here. You can really see the flamenco and dabke influences. That was Rita's first formal training; many thanks to the Haddad, Shaheen and George families, St. George Haflas, and her Saudi/Kuwaiti *brothers* at TWC (later UTEP). Sharing their customs, dance and folkloric information was a blessing to her. (The costume was straight out of James Bond.) Then headed out to California and proper instruction. Saw Diane Webber and Jamila Salimpour was blown away, and it finally came together. It gets better with succeeding vids. Best ones are still waiting to be dubbed onto DVD from Super-8 film.

Added 30 Mar 2026