"The Dream" Bellydance Music Video!

"Tonight in this room full of music’s dreamers, we remember that this country was built by dreamers, for dreamers, chasing the American dream." 

- Camila Cabello at the 2018 Grammy Awards
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If you've ever had a dream and went for it.

If you were ever moved by the rhythm and flow of life.

If you've ever wanted to shared that joy with others through music.

This is our (and YOUR) song!
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My name is Mi-Ri and I've been an active dancer, collaborator and producer in the Los Angeles bellydance community since 2006.

By some magical fate, my journey of dance guided me to meet and fall in love with the man who is now my husband, the gorgeous and talented actor and percussionist, Marc El Khoury!

Together, our passions for rhythm, movement and expression grew bigger and braver, and at the end of last year, Marc collaborated with music producer Ely Akl at Wavestar Entertainment to create his first bellydance track, an exciting new drum solo with techno influences.

The track is called, "The Dream" and its creation couldn't be more relevant than it is now.

Making a music video for “The Dream”, a video blending and bridging the American and Middle Eastern nightclub cultures of rhythm and vibration, is the passion project we are seeking your support with to elevate it into existence.

In the video, we follow our “Dreamers”, Marc and our good friend Jasmina, who’s true life stories and dreams touch me deeply, as they lay aside their fears and move forward with courage to live their dreams every day.
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Marc quite literally left everyone and everything that he knew and loved in Lebanon to follow his bold and unlikely dream of thriving in Los Angeles as an actor and musician. He came here alone, knowing no one.  And four years later, he is now hired all over LA as an actor and musician.

Born to a mother who performed, then becoming a performer herself, Jasmina had a dream for herself to become an enigmatic and sought-after bellydancer and took advantage of every opportunity to live in that dream to make it real. She now runs a dance studio in Van Nuys and performs throughout Southern California and internationally. She is also the recent Bellydancer of the Universe Hall of Fame Champion!

The music video we are creating follows these two dreamers as they courageously forge their paths against the odds to make their dreams a reality. Building a bridge to a culture -- foreign to each of them -- through rhythm and dance.
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Picture this with us:  We see a woman getting ready to head out to a nightclub where there will be a live middle eastern drummer, representative of the culture and dance she treasures with all her being.  

We also see the drummer getting ready for his gig. He's left his home country to pursue his dreams in a new land and this is the first gig for him in an American nightclub.

Once the two are in the same space, jamming and connecting, they are magically transported to a gorgeous Lebanese nightclub, with people of all ages dancing.  The scene is lively and colorful showcasing local dancers and local companies each performing to their own section of the solo.
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With this project, we intend to reach and represent our local bellydance community and cultural dance roots, as well as reach greater American and Lebanese news outlets.

Our greatest hope and dream for our project is that it may inspire DREAMERS to never stop the pursuit of their dream and the taking of action necessary to make it happen… much like creating this video.
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"It takes a village to raise a child"...or a music video! :)

While we are all committed to creating our dream, no matter what, production will be smoother with the extra energy that only money can provide!

70% of the funds will go to production costs of hiring the camera man for two days, rental equipment, catering for the 30+ cast & crew, transforming two venues, gas reimbursement for extras, advertisement and pre- & post-production costs.

30% of funds will go toward reimbursing personal costs AND throwing a single-release celebration for all of our sponsors (that means you!)

$5, $10, $55...whatever amount you can give IS effective AND appreciated!
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Our dates are ALREADY set.  We begin 3 days of filming on March 3rd so we will raise our funds and the good vibrations by February 28th!

With so many variations of culture in the middle east as well as in America, we would like to throw our unique perspective into this conversation by highlighting the diversity of the people, the music, the lifestyles we recognize and love within this rhythmic expression of music and movement.

Your support of this project will serve to amplify our collective voice. We believe that connecting through rhythm, art, dance and the sharing of our dreams is the ultimate healing our planet needs.  And this is a song you'll love to shimmy to!  
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Thank you for believing in “The Dream”, ours as well as yours, and we cannot wait to see you all at the single-release/ screening party where we celebrate YOU!