Sawako Tribal Bellydance

Over the weekend we had the chance to shoot Sawako Ama. Tribal Belly Dancer. 
Photographer Ed Carly assisted me in this shoot and we had a blast.  We shot at her Dance/Yoga Studio.  Her studio had a beautiful aroma of incense in the air.. 

We shot for about 3 hours altogether and we got some amazing images.  Sawako is from Japan. She was born and raised in a Buddhist temple in the south part of Japan, Later in life she traveled and settled in Sacramento.  She teaches Belly Tribal Dance in her studio in Fair Oaks, California.   She was featured in the Sacramento Press News. “Sawako Ama was my favorite. She kept my attention,” said Merssia Enriquez.

You can read more about her and get direction to her studio here: http://www.meetup.com/sawako-tribal-bellydance/members/12330600/

We shot lots of action images of her dancing.  For now here is a standing portrait for her files.  Lighting, One 45 degree back camera right and one Soft Box Spot in front.

Belly dance or Bellydance is one of the most exotic and can be one of the most erotic forms of dance.

Western-coined name for a traditional Middle Eastern dance, specifically Egyptian ghawazi dance in the 19th century, and raqs sharqi (Arabic: رقص شرقي‎) in the 20th century. The term is sometimes extended to include all traditional Middle Eastern dances.
The term "belly dance" is a translation of the French danse du ventre which was applied to oriental dance in the Victorian era. The term is somewhat misleading, as every part of the body is involved; the most featured body part usually is the hips. Belly dance takes different forms in different regions, both in costume and dance style, and new styles have evolved in the West as its popularity has spread globally.
Other traditions either included under the term, or often cross-trained by belly dancers include Romani dance, Persian dance and the dances of Central Asia.