Letters

Beware old habits

Dear Editor:

I think the redevelopment of downtown Mobile is a worthy endeavor. However, I see one glaring, fatal and overshadowing flaw with all the community excitement. This construction activity is like taking an old inhabited building, gutting it, and then renovating it, giving it a new façade only to then allow the former residents with their old chronic ways and old attitudes to move back in. At the end of the day, has anything really changed?

The real community leaders should acknowledge and address this long overdue, underlying and rotting condition about Mobile, now or watch this town surely go-bust once more after this current economic wave comes to a crashing end. Look no further than to our last major boom during the Second World War, the build up in this port city with Brookley Air Base and then its untimely closing, while serving as the city’s largest employer, in the early sixties, etc.

The base closing left profound psychological scars on this town and its people for many decades.

“It is all fun and games, until somebody gets hurt.”

Ted Burnett

Daphne, AL

The outrage continues

To the editor:

I just finished reading your article “History for the Rewriting” (Holbert, 7/17/07-7/30/07) and am compelled to write. I am overwhelmed at how out of control this situation has become. As a taxpayer, I find it unbelievable and appalling to know that my tax dollars will pay for this criminal’s fortunate lifestyle for years to come.

This woman only worked for Bishop for 26 years. How is it that she has gained over half a million in retirement and where on earth does the $150,000 of tax dollars money come into play? What is she being compensated for? AND what do you know of that I can do as a citizen about this situation?

I don’t think that I am the only one who feels like this is an injustice to the people of Alabama.

Amber Emrich

Mobile, AL

Perplexed over parks

To the editor:

First of all: I love the publication and greatly enjoy the articles. I just want to make sure I understand this correctly. The city’s newest park has bathrooms that don’t operate properly due to the lack of permanent electricity. What was the cost to construct these dysfunctional bathrooms? Who’s responsibility was it to ensure that all facilities were functional?

It’s as if the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing. Now they want to waste away the unique opportunity that we’ve been recently presented. For what? A clock tower and a fountain that shoots water choreographed to music? Among other features! We can’t even provide electricity to an underutilized park in downtown now! Let’s use this opportunity to create a multi-use open air market type space for the public to use in a way that will contribute to downtown.

Lewis H. Golden

Mobile

Get it right for once!

*To all Clear Channel Executives

Please do something right before selling WPMI TV. The station is going downhill fast under the direction of General Manager Bob Franklin. His new hire, evening anchor Raquel Eatmon is quitting, while she can’t say it publicly the main reason is her dislike for Mr. Franklin’s leadership.

Mr. Franklin would probably prefer if all of you didn’t know about this since he spent $50,000 on research to find Ms. Eatmon and more than $10,000 to move her to Mobile, money wasted.

Read the recent articles, does this sound like a great station to you? WPMI is at a very dysfunctional level under Mr. Franlkin and when Ms. Eatmon says “I’ve never worked at a station like NBC 15,” the community knows what she means and that is the station is a huge mess.

Despite Mr. Franklin’s recent braggings about a great May ratings book, those numbers are false and skewed to make things sound better than they really are. Mr. Franklin needs something to back his horrible decisions, but take a real look at the real numbers and you will see WPMI TV is still in fourth place for local news and the news of Ms. Eatmons’ departure is drawing more negative talk in the community.

I work in sales, and as you know public perception is a key to getting advertisers. This kind of negative publicity is hurting you, me and the entire staff at WPMI TV….

Please do something! Everyone working at WPMI except for a few people he closely aligns with are afraid of what Mr. Franklin is doing to their lives and the reputation of the station. Most won’t say anything publicly to you or him in fear of losing their jobs.

Angel Kelsay

Getting a belly-full

Mr. Phillips:

I read your review about Poseidon’s and the belly dancers. Apparently, you caught the Satuday show with the “Tribal Style” dancers. It is an interesting style because it is all improv, but it is not totally suited for restaurants, especially small restaurants like Poseidon’s.

Now, the reason for my response. You need to catch the Friday show with dancers from the Zuri Dance Company of Mobile. We perform the more traditional style of belly dancing – the style that one usually expects to see in a Middle Eastern restaurant – Egyptian cabaret and Egyptian folkloric. By the way, these are the styles from which the tribal syle has evolved. There is not a lot of loud (and sometimes scary) zaghareeting (the trilling of the voice that you heard) nor is there a lot of finger cymbal playing – any member of Zuri can do these, of course, but we usually reserve these skills for larger venues. If finger cymbals are played by Zuri at Poseidon’s, they are usually muted so as not to disturb the patrons. As much as I love finger cymbals, they can be a very obnoxious instrument, especially if they are played incorrectly or in a small, confined space.

As director of the Zuri Dance Company, I would personally like to invite you to catch one of our Friday performances at Poseidon’s – I think you would be pleasantly surprised. And, I hope it would inspire you to write a somewhat more favorable article about belly dancers in general.

Jane McWilliams

Zuri Dance Company of Mobile

Mr. Phillips:

You did a wonderful job reviewing the food at Poseidon’s, congratulations.

But, please, come by on a Friday night and see the other group that dances there. The girls you saw are part of the Gypsy Chicks and they perform American Tribal Style bellydance. The Zuri Middle Eastern Dance Company dances on Fridays and performs Egyptian Cabaret style bellydance.

These are two totally different styles and we of Zuri would appreciate not being lumped in together with other styles. We do not yell or play zills loudly in a small restaurant and our type of belly dance is either choreographed or true improvisation.

Rebecca Hyre

To Mr. Phillips:

My name is Cheryl Pierce and I am the Public Relations/Advertising contact for the local Zuri Dance Company. I read with surprise your comments in the recent issue of Lagniappe. Although it is known that articles in Lagniappe are expected to be edgier than other publications, I was a little taken aback by your comments about the belly dancers.

Although it is understandable how you may have felt that Saturday night that you were there and were presented with the tribal style belly dance, I wanted to let you know that all belly dance is not the same and we of Zuri would appreciate your making the distinction that there are differences in belly dance and the ways in which it is presented to the general public.

Your article gave the impression that all belly dance presented at Poseidon’s on Friday and Saturday is the same. It is not. On Friday nights, members of the Zuri Dance Company perform. On Saturday nights, it is a local tribal dance group called Gypsy Chicks.

What you saw on Saturday night was referred to as “American Tribal Style” and what is more traditional Egyptian style is seen on Friday nights. Until you see both it is not possible to explain adequately the difference, not only in presentation, but also in movement, elegance, costuming, presentation, and audience interaction.

What you experienced on that Saturday night is a relatively new style of belly dance called “American Tribal” which was started several years ago by a woman in California. It is indeed mostly improvised and the dancers play off each other as they basically perform “for” each other and not the actual audience….

While I can understand that the “energetic voice curls” you heard may have “wore” you down, please let me say that these “voice curls” are actually called “zaghareets” and are used throughout the Middle East to signal pleasure and appreciation. This is not something that Americans are used to. We are taught that sitting quietly and clapping where appropriate is the proper way to show appreciation. In the Middle East, exuberance is more outright. However, most is done in America in accordance with the nuances of the environment in which one is dancing.

Also, you stated that the overall performance you saw was “mildly impressive”. Although Zuri does NOT dance in the tribal style, preferring to stay as true to the original art form as possible, I would invite you to attend, free of charge any one of Zuri’s many classes. Although the dancers that you saw were described as “hobbyists, not professionals” what you did see was very hard work. Belly dance is not easy. In the spirit of offering you a chance to understand just how hard belly dancing is even for “hobbyists” I invite you to learn with Zuri. It will definitely inspire more than a “mild” appreciation for the dancing of which you were not particularly fond.

Also, we, the Zuri Dance Company, invite you to get to know us and learn more about the ancient art of the belly dance. Our web locations are listed at the top of this email. Our next public performances will be at the Mobile Bay Women’s Exposition, August 25-26, 2007; at BayFest October, 2007; Mobile International Festival, November 2007; and, or course, every Friday night at Poseidon’s.

Shimmies!

Cheryl Pierce aka Ziva Diva

Zuri Dance Company

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