Performers: Jewels of the Valley

For over a decade the Alamosa-based dance company The Jewels of the Valley has played an integral part of bringing the art of belly dance to the San Luis Valley and has been a mainstay in entertainment at the SummerFest on The Rio. Each performance features a unique blend of classical and contemporary technique, precise musicality, and colorful costumes,to spectacular and diverse rhythms.

With over 20 years of performance and teaching experience including her travels and studies in Turkey and performances in Egypt with Denver-based Egyptian folkloric dance troupe Bent El Balad, Shariffa-aka-Kelly Kerns, is the founder, artistic director, choreographer, and principal fancer of the Jewels of the Valley. Company members Audrey Liu and Nikita Lara share a love of dance and have spent several years performing with The Alamosa Folkloric dance company-Semillas De La Tierra. Nikita has also spent three years performing with the Adams State College Theater Department.

Live music is playing an important and exciting role creatively blending dance to intricate percussive rhythms.

James Doyle teaches percussion at Adams State College and has been playing percussion for more than 20 years. He's performed on four continents and enjoys collaborating with other art forms, particularly ethnic dance.

James began performing with Shariffa in the spring of 2007 and their collaborations have thrilled audience members throughout the valley.

Special Guest Artist Frank Farinaro is Colorado's first professional male belly dancer. He is a life-long dancer who studies many different styles of ethnic and contemporary dance. He has tinkered with cabaret style in 2001, but fell in love with American tribal style in 2005. Although he is mainly self-taught in his craft he has trained with members of Blue Damsel, Unmata, Urban Tribal Dance Company, The Indigo and The Belly Dance Superstars (of which he hopes to be the first male signed).

Frank has performed and/or taught in 20 cities across 4 states as well as teaching up and coming male belly dancers in the U.S., Bulgaria, Israel, Germany and Mexico via the Internet.

In his performance during the SummerFest on the Rio,Frank will perform a fusion of styles including tribal, cabaret, folkloric, hip hop, hula, Indian, Afro-Brazilian samba, latin, ballet, and jazz.

He will be teaching a dance work shop at 5:00pm after the performance at the Rex center in Alamosa focusing on his own technique of Tribal Fusion. For more information Please contact Kelly-Shariffa at (719) 672-3031 or visit her web site at www.shariffabellydance.com.