Dancing On A Scarab

A Very Very Brief History of Belly Dance by Sausan

2020-04-22T18:12:00.001-07:00

Beyond The Bagdad

2017-01-23T15:37:00.003-08:00

Sausan and Jad Elias

When, one evening in 1980, I opened the front door to a small, dark nightclub on Broadway Street in San Francisco known as The Bagdad, I unknowingly stepped onto a flying carpet and entered into a magical way of life. At first, the stained carpet and dank and dingy smell-of-stale-smoke room seemed unpleasant but it was only for a brief moment. It took just a nanosecond to know that this dank and dingy second-hand smoke-smell wore the telltale signs of fun and energy-filled nights' song and dance aftermath, and I was eager to dive...er....dance right on into it.

Not many people know this, but under the dressing room tucked away in the back of the nightclub was an operational kitchen. A stove, asink with sprayer, a dishwasher...it was small, but it was there. Why wasn't Jad using it?

Jad asked me once, "What do you think this place needs?" I thought about the kitchen sitting empty and bare at the back of his place and said, "There's a kitchen right there!" I said, pointing. "What about some appetizers or something? " "You mean like humos? I'll think about it." was Jad's reply. Nothing ever came of our short conversation. But, it didn't really matter. I was dancing for my life. Those nights at The Bagdad set me wild and free. Dancing to the live tunes of Middle Eastern musicians behind me nourished my soul and filled my heart. Anyone, I thought, who was a serious belly dance student and who wasn't dancing at The Bagdad -- or any other nightclub like it -- was just, well, simply just plain dumb (no offense to anyone).

So, it wasn't the money that had enticed me to go there on every occasion after that night. Twenty-dollars for three shows, even in the 80's, was pittance; it was the place and the opportunity to dance to live music. It was the rainbow and the pot at the end of that rainbow, all rolled into one that kept me going.

Sausan in a back bend!

Those years of dancing at The Bagdad were priceless. Almost every night I eagerly headed toward that magical place on Broadway and danced my heart away to the music of the Middle East from 9PM to 1:30AM. It was better than drugs. It was my drug. And, oh, what a drug it was! I couldn't get enough of it.

The musicians I met, and have kept as friends until now, engulfed me with the exotic music of the Middle East, and I danced to it night after night. Owner, Jad Elias, played Oud, hired the dancers, and kept the place going strong until its doors closed in 1984.

The Bagdad is now closed -- a beautiful memory of a magical time and place to many dancers, and an amazing little nightclub that took many of us out of daily reality. But its closure wasn't the end of dance or of me. It was only the beginning.

I opened Al-Masri in San Francisco in 1999. So fierce were my memories of and the longing for the magic and excitement of The Bagdad and what it had done for me that I wanted to continue it's dance and music legacy in my own place, with the same type offerings to up and coming dancers.

The Bagdad may have closed it's doors, but it really didn't go anywhere. It just moved up the street to another part of the San Francisco Bay Area. This places were called The Petra, The Grapeleaf, Amira's, Pasha, Arabian Nights, and others. And, as these musicians and dancers became my friends, we all were headed in the same direction and danced in the same circles and places after the closure. We, unknowingly, yet altogether, continue to create the magic for our dance.

Sausan with Al-Azifoon

The best thing any dance student can do for herself is to continue to challenge her dance knowledge with her performance to the tunes of live music, new each and every time regardless. It's completely different from dancing to prerecorded music. Prerecorded music is predictable, memorizable, maybe even boring. Live music is exciting, challenging, instantaneous. To dance to live music is to learn nuances, work with individual techniques, and bond with musicians and other dancers overall.

Do this for yourself. Like the Bagdad, Al-Masri is today's magical place, transporting everyone who enters its doors to a magical place outside the boundaries and predicable rituals of everyday reality. Create a night for yourself and indulge in the excitement of live music and exotic atmosphere.

Years from now, like me, you'll be able to tell your own story of your own magic that only happens when like-minded people like yourself get together and contribute to a creation. It's a very personal experience, and an amazingly wonderful feeling. You may even become hooked. Perhaps, you'll even open a place of your own and offer the same magic to the newbies of the next dance generation. Just don't miss out on your own!!

Valentina with Musa Hanhan and Imad "Ed" Mizyed

If you are an aspiring dancer wanting to take that extra step toward bettering your knowledge in this dance, you must sign up to dance to live music. It's the best thing you can do for yourself. In doing so, you become connected to the culture, the music, the language, the musicians, the players, the country, the dance, and most importantly, yourself and your self-esteem.Once you are signed up, though, don't stop there. The the next step toward perfection and contact all of your friends, co-workers, family, acquaintances, contacts -- everyone. It not only helps you to established yourself as a force to be reckoned with, but it supports the venue and the person who hires the musicians to play. It's a win-win situation! To schedule, contact Sausan:
415-876-2300; 415-867-6754
sausanacademy@gmail.com

Tahneen
Hussain Resan, Marti Coyne, Liz Stuart,

Michael Fair, Linda Grondahl

Arabian Passion: Imad "Ed" Mizyed, Khahdar Keileh,
Nazir Latouf, Reda Darwish

Caravan Band - Last Sunday
Amina Goodyear, Younes, Makboul, Jelal Takesh, Susu Pampanin

Linda Grondahl with Pangia Band

Mimi Spencer, Marti Coyne, Mary Ellen Donald, Linda Grondahl

His Do-ness

2017-01-17T12:27:00.004-08:00

Not everyone knows this, but my very good friend Don K has a nickname. It's "Do"

Don and me, circa 2000

It was given to him by my late partner, Hatem, who used to repeat his nickname whenever Don happen to declare an idea or slogan that on the onset seemed really over the top. ".....Do ....Do ....Do...." So contagious was this nickname to people who heard it that many of them who still know him still call him Do. Me? I like to call him Don.

Don takes me out to lunch at least once or twice a month. We meet at a designated location, and then he suggests a place and we go there. I was busy all week, but on Thursday, Don called and asked whether I had time to have lunch. Of course, I said yes. We agreed to meet at the corner of Haight and Clayton at noon.

Around 11:00 A.M. I decided to kill two birds with one stone and go first to Ace Hardware and Plumbing on Geary Street to pick up a part I needed for my restaurant sink sprayer. Besides, the sun was out; and after a long and wet storm, I was glad to go out.

For some unknown reason, except to say that I wanted to take it slow and easy and enjoy the beautiful day, I chose to drive down Cabrillo Street, a quiet residential street that runs parallel to Geary Street about four blocks south. There was literally no one in sight, and only other cars on the street at that time were the ones that were parked by the curbs.

About twenty blocks into the drive, around Twenty-seventh Avenue, I noticed something lying in the gutter. I looked again, and saw a gray and black backpack halfway on the sidewalk and halfway in the flooded gutter. In an instant I thought, "I need a backpack. I could use this backpack." Remarkably, where the backpack was lying was right next to the only available parking place on the block. I thought, "This was meant to be!"

I pulled into the parking space having just felt like I won the lotto and parked my car. How cool to find a backpack in the middle of the curbside! It's a small item, but I needed one! I was in seventh heaven.

Mindlessly, I bent down and lifted the soaking backpack upright. It felt heavy. There was something inside of it. I opened it up and saw a pair of running shoes. My mind was now racing -- how cool! The backpack came with running shoes that looked to be my size! What a double score! I then noticed that next to the backpack was a windbreaker much the same color as the backpack. Neat-O! A backpack, a pair of running shoes, and a windbreaker! This was getting even better! Curiously, I lifted the soaking windbreaker up to see if it were my size and out tumbled a wallet! Wow!

What I had imagined was the score of the century with a new (used) backpack, a pair of running shoes, and a nice windbreaker was fast becoming a story that I've seen happen many times in the parking area of the Cliff House at Point Lobos. My heart sank into my stomach as I reached for the wallet. Someone, I was thinking, got her backpack stolen. Someone, I was thinking, had broken into a car, snatched the prized solution to a quick fix , drove off, taken what they wanted out of it, and then ditched the quick fix shell and all of its useless contents by the roadside. My heart was breaking.

I placed all of the items in the back of my car, except for the wallet, which I put on the front passenger seat and sat in front of the steering wheel thinking about my next move. It had all been too much! Too overwhelmed with what just happened, I decided to think about my next move on my way to the hardware store. I've always felt intensely nervous at going through other peoples belongings, and even now in the midst of this catastrophe I was unable to go through this very private wallet. But I knew I had to do something. Someone had just been robbed, and I had their very precious items in my car.

I found parking right away on Geary Street in front of the hardware store. I carefully picked up the soaking wallet that had been sitting right next to me screaming to be looked at, and opened it. My mind was exploding. Credit cards, airline ticket stubs, a driver's license...it was a lot to digest.

Nothing is worse than being robbed of your most private and cherished possessions. And they are ALL private and cherished possessions.

Looking through the wallet, I tried to find something that had a phone number on it. One of the cards that was lodged in one of the slots that housed the credit cards gave me the first clue. This person was a faculty member of an out-of-state university. I located the university on my cell phone, went to the faculty page, and called the number associated with the member. Of course, a message came through telling all that there was no getting this person until the end of a vacation period except in the case of an emergency where the number "0" would get someone to handle the emergency. I pressed "0"; this was an emergency.

I explained what had happened to this emergency person and how I had come upon this abandoned backpack with all of its contents. Right away, she told me how the owner of this backpack had just called her not minutes before my call, and had told her that she had just been robbed. I gave her my phone number, hung up, and waited for the next call. It came in an instant.

Joy and jubilation poured out at the other end of the call. Where did I find the bag? What was in it? I told her everything. She was elated. Just less than thirty minutes had elapsed since her car had been broken into at the Legion of Honor and my call to the university. But the most endearing question was, "Is there a journal in the backpack? My daughter has a journal. She's crying because the journal was in the backpack. Can you please see if there is a journal in that backpack?"

No daughter keeps a journal except the daughter who is growing up and noticing beauty and love around her. I figured she must be around 12 to 13 years old. Daughters of this age write important stuff in journals along with the emotions attached to this stuff, the wishes, and the hopes and dreams surrounding the experience of this stuff. Some of these entries can be quite private. I know. I still have my own journal. I told her to hang on. I searched the backpack, looking in every compartment, and telling her of every move I was now doing. There was a pair of running shoes, some granola bars, a roll of Mentos, some more candy bars, but hold on, I'm not done yet. "My daughter is crying. We just need to know if the journal is in there. She's been crying ever since we found out the bag had been stolen." I opened the last compartment and reached down to the bottom. There is was, the prized journal, in tact, dry, and unharmed. "It's here!! It's here!!" I said.

The rest of our short and excited conversation was about the story and the sound of relief and gratitude. We agreed to meet at the corner of Haight and Clayton since I was going there anyway. I finished my business with the hardware store, got back into my car and drove off.

As I headed to our prearranged destination, I decided in the interim that I would drive passed the spot where I found the backpack, just in case there were something I missed. In all of my excitement, I turned onto Cabrillo Street and suddenly discovered that I had turned onto the lane for incoming traffic, opposite of the lane I was supposed to have turned into! Not only that, but right in front of the car where I was now driving next to up the road was a police car! A close call, and thinking fast, I slowed down and cautiously swerved into the correct lane. What was I thinking????

I managed to get to my destination at Haight and Clayton with no further mishaps and parked my car. I grabbed the backpack with all of the precious contents and headed toward our rendezvous point. The sidewalk corners appeared to be empty and I looked around. Suddenly, I saw someone waving across the street. "There's my backpack!"

Nothing feels better than to make another person's day. It's more than a win-win situation and I felt all giddy inside as I handed over the backpack. The young girl who had lost her journal looked at me with swollen eyes. If there had been any money in that wallet, I thought, it was worth losing for the safe retrieval of that journal and a hugely happy beautiful smile. Everything that had been taken from these innocent out-of-town vacationers, doing nothing more than enjoying a sunny day in our beautiful city of San Francisco, had just been returned in less than one hour of experiencing grief and anxiety over the loss of personal and financial information. It could have been devastatingly worse in more ways than imaginable. One of these credit cards lodged in the found wallet had not yet been activated and the sticker was still attached. That, and the driver's license...well, one can only imagine.

Hugs and thankyous followed and then it was over. I turned and headed down the sidewalk to find my friend Don.

After a few minutes I met up with Don, eager to tell him of my adventure. Before I could say anything, he said, "Would you like to eat here," and pointed to a small eatery, "or would you like to eat at The Hippy Thai place?" Without thinking, I said, "The Hippy Thai place."

Now, you may be wondering, how does this all relate to His Do-ness???

Don and me, February 12, 2017

Don is a beautiful and unusual fellow. His one-liners are thought-provoking as well as mind-blowing. One one-liner I keep remembering is one that he came up with -- "If you see yourself beside the point, move the f**king point." How simple is that???

So, it was because of His Do-ness that led me on this amazing adventure, that got me to stumble upon a stolen backpack. Don had asked me to have lunch with him on that Thursday, and I had started off toward that lunch date with a side trip down Cabrillo Street where I had stumbled upon this backpack. Then, later, as I headed back toward Cabrillo Street, I had turned into the opposite lane into the oncoming traffic but had been spared a possible crash. A police car had been in the opposite lane alerting me to my mistake. Yet, this, in and of itself, was also a telling tale. The traffic rules in Thailand are opposite the ones here in the United States. They drive on the left side of the street, and I had turned into that left side of the street heading back up Cabrillo. And then there was our lunch date which took place at the Hippy Thai restaurant. I know.... You're still a little confused....

Aftermath:

Money is not the root to all happiness, but it is a means to an end; and certainly, with enough of it, brings peace of mind. While sitting and having lunch with His Do-ness, I received a text from the backpack owner. "Thank you so much once again. My daughter's journal was so precious to her. It stinks to lose my cash but all in all life is good. We really appreciate your kindness!" I wrote back: "Cash can be replaced. It's only a piece of paper with a small amount of cotton in it and has no value in and of itself. The only thing you can do with it is to 'give' it away. Most important are your experiences. I'm glad your daughter got back her experiences. Best to you. Hope to see you sometime again in the future."

As I got back into my car after lunch, I realized that the knitted hat that I had picked up with the backpack was still in the back of my car. I texted: "Lol...got back into my car and saw the knitted hat. Let, me know if you want it. I can send it or whatever you want." The response: "Oh wow, the gift that keeps on giving. :-) My cousin and her daughter will be out in the City tomorrow, maybe their path will cross with you. I will stay in touch. Thanks!"

It wasn't until the following Sunday that someone came to pick up the hat. "I can't believe we got everything back! And not even a half hour from the time someone broke into our car!" I saw the broken back window. "How much money was taken, if you don't mind my asking," I asked gingerly. "It was only $150." She said. "That's NOTHING!" I stated emphatically, thinking that that's a dinner for four in most restaurants. But for a university faculty member, it might have been different -- until now.

Don is a very magical person. And this account just proves that one more time. Had I not had a lunch date with His Do-ness, I would have, instead, taken the usual Geary Boulevard route to the hardware store to get the part. I would not have stumbled upon the backpack and all might have been lost. But because of His Do-ness's magical energy, my trip took a different route, gave back the precious connectivity to the lives to innocent people, and in the interim hinted to me what kind of restaurant we would be lunching in. At six degrees to separation, His Do-ness brought this theory of separation to the First Degree and I was gifted with meeting a beautiful and loving family.

I still can't find myself calling my friend Don with his nickname Do. But that doesn't change the fact that His Do-ness is a magical person as he has always been to me, and a great friend at that, always having been there through the best and worst of times. Though he will always be Don to me, his Do-ness still is and will always be the "Do".

Heck, it was because of the Do and His Do-ness that prompted me to write this blog about the Do-ness and the Do-ingly adventure. And how cool is that??? :-)

And no doubt, a young girl, who has been reunited with her journal, is writing the amazing stuff about the same kind of adventure....

....and it just might be the next best seller!!

Epilogue.......

I received this card last week with a gift of caramels wrapped in a really nice cloth. Thank you. I'm just glad everything I found in the gutter got back to its proper home. :-)

Tasting Halal

2017-01-13T23:57:00.000-08:00

Owning a restaurant is truly an experience in of itself. Just when I think I’ve heard it all, someone calls and explodes my brain again.

So here is the conversation:

Friday night about 6:30pm. Phone rings. Caller ID says anonymous. I answer.

“Hello, Al-Masri Egyptian Restaurant. May I help you?”

“May I speak to the manager?” asks an agitated male voice on the other end.

“Who is calling,” I answer, “what’s your company name and the purpose of your call?”

I’m always cautious when it comes to people calling to ask to speak to the owner or the manager. I figure that if the caller had done his homework, like visited to my website or dined my restaurant, he’d know who the owner was or at least know the name of the owner. So right off the bat, I knew there was something fishy about this call. Fishy further because there is no manager. It’s just me and my waitstaff.

“I just want to speak to the manager.”

Again, as politely as I can, I put forth the questions of who is calling, what’s your company name, and the purpose of the call.

“You’re very rude!” is the reply.

Rude? How was I being rude? I had just answered the phone very politely and identified my business. Now, I was asking for information that, when I was growing up, was standard practice of responding after the pick-up of the receiver on the other end......’hi, my name is blah blah blah, and I’m calling from blah blah blah (if there were a business involved), and I’d like to speak to the person in charge because blah blah blah....

Instead, “Why do I have to answer your questions? I just want to speak to the manager.”

All aside, I take a stab at my intuition and ask, “Are you calling with a complaint?”

“Yes, I have a complaint.”

“What is your complaint?” I ask, and then say, “I’m the owner.”

“Well, you don’t sound like the owner. I think you’re just saying that.”

My eyebrows rise. “Yes, I’m the owner, what is your complaint?”

“Well, I don’t believe you. But, okay, I had dinner at your restaurant last night and ate the meat.”

“Okay......” I say slowly.

“It didn’t taste Halal.”

Huh? It didn’t taste Halal??? For those of you who don’t know what Halal means, it means denoting or relating to meat prepared as prescribed by Muslim law. The Jewish religion refers to their food preparation as Kosher.

“Well, I don’t know what to tell you,” I respond with as much composure as I can muster, “I do my meat shopping at Restaurant Depot and I buy the meat there that is stamped Halal.”

“Well, it didn’t taste Halal,” he again said.

All this time, I’m thinking, ‘What does Halal tasting meat taste like?’ I mean, even my Islamic friends confess that there is no difference in taste.

“Well, I’m sorry. I don’t know what to say.” I reiterate, “I get my meat from Restaurant Depot in San Francisco, and I buy only the meat that is packaged with the word Halal printed on the package. I’m sure that Restaurant Depot is properly conforming to packaging rules and requirements legally.”

Then I ask him, “What does Halal meat taste like?” I was curious. I've never been able to taste any difference.

He answers, “I had your salad and that was really great. And I also had one of your soft drinks called Jack Daniels. That tasted really good. But the meat did not taste Halal.”

So, now I’m in a real dilemma. I’m thinking, the meat doesn’t taste Halal and the Jack Daniels soft drink was really tasty! If this fellow wants his meat to be prepared by Islamic law, then what does he know about drinking Jack Daniels? And, does Jack Daniels actually offer a nonalcoholic drink? I didn’t think so.... I'm also thinking, someone took this fellow to a Middle Eastern restaurant and somehow unknowingly ended up with a Jack and coke.... This was amusing! No wonder it tasted good!

“Jack Daniels soft drink?” I ask him. “Jack Daniels is hard alcohol. There is no soft drink made by or called Jack Daniels. Are you sure you had a soft drink called Jack Daniels?”

“Well is was like a Jack Daniels. Anyway, it tasted good.”

“I don’t serve Jack Daniels in my restaurant. I don’t have a liquor license. I have only a beer and wine license.”

“Well it was a soft drink with the name Jack Daniels.” Now, I'm thinking that what he drank was a Jack and coke on the rocks and probably thought it was just a Coka-Cola. I'm sustaining some chuckles. Someone had played this fellow! Of course the Jack Daniels tasted good! it was probably his first.

This conversation was fast becoming quite amusing! Laughing softly under my breath, I realized I was starting to have a fun with this devout Muslim fellow whose preference was to Jack and coke rather than the meat dish he had eaten, when it hit me like a thunderbolt right between the eyes!

“Did you say you had dinner at my restaurant yesterday?” I asked.

“Yes!” he said emphatically. “And the meat did not taste Halal!!”, as if he was waiting for me to do something about it.

“Well, that’s really funny,” I respond, “because I was closed yesterday. I don’t open my restaurant on Thursdays any more. I’ve been closed on Thursdays for over a year!”

Silence...then click.

Must-Know Music for the Performing Belly Dancer

2017-01-13T14:05:00.003-08:00

When I started belly dancing back in the early 1970s, I had no idea about a long list of music I was supposed to or would need to know. I just thought that belly dancing would be all I would have to do! Little did I know the complexity of this dance -- and the music. Who knew that there was a long history behind what I had just step into?

It's important to know the music you dance to if you want to complete your studies as a belly dancer. It's also equally important to know who wrote it, who wrote the lyrics, what the lyrics say and mean, who sang it, and if applicable, who it was written for and who originally danced to it. And I'm not talking about the modern stuff. I'm talking about all the classic stuff -- the music of the Golden Age of Egypt.

In 1999, I installed Dish on my roof, ordered the Arabic channels, and tuned into LBC -- Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation. For the next 15 years, I sat glued to the tube and watched movie after Egyptian movie, learned about the actors, identified the musicians, and studied the dancers. I even went as far as to record about 500 of these classic Egyptian movies. I've since replaced Dish with Youtube and continue to enjoy many of these movies over and over when I get the time.

Fast forward....

I have compiled a list of "must-know music for dance", offering a one-hour class on each piece along with a CD of different renditions of the piece, the names of the composer, lyricist, translation, singer, and some history. I have entitled my series "Must-Know Music for Dance Series".

Below are the fliers of the music on the list. Series 4 just started!!! Drop-ins welcome!!! And I'll be repeating this course series again and again.

Disclaimer: This course is continually edited and updated.

Stop in and check it out!!

www.sausanacademy.com

sausanacademy@gmail.com

415-867-6754

The Deal on Sunday Nights at Al-Masri Egyptian Restaurant in San Francisco

2015-12-28T21:30:00.000-08:00

Running a restaurant is no easy task. It takes real guts and a strong solid character, both of which I've had to develop; especially when the ethnicity of that restaurant doesn't even belong to my ethnic background! It also takes...to say the least...a lot of luck and a whole bunch of perseverance.

It's easy for me to say that one of the biggest joys I've ever experienced is that of someone telling me how delicious the food is that I cook, especially when it's out of the mouth of an Arab. When I hear that, I'm on Cloud Nine, and I know I've accomplished something. And, I'm very proud to say that I am told that almost every time. Which goes without saying that it's even harder for me to take criticism, especially when it's given by people who don't even know what they are talking about. I mean, take mulukhiya, for instance….

Growing up in Spain and Thailand, I never dreamed I would be running, much less owning a restaurant of any kind, and in one of the restaurant capitals of the world, San Francisco -- the City who made Rice-a-roni a San Francisco treat. Sure, we all know it's a San Francisco treat, but, realistically, where do you think the idea for Rice-a-roni came from? According to the people who love to criticize my rice pilaf, made specifically the Egyptian way -- the way it has been made, like, since forever -- I'm cooking up the San Francisco treat and passing it off as Egyptian!

Fear and anxiety can get the better of you, and it has gotten the better of me -- more than once; heck more than a dozen times; I'll be honest, almost every day. All I knew before was how to take dictation at 140 wpm and type letters at 90 wpm for a corporation with benefits and a monthly check. But once I learned how to master the necessary processes dictated by the City, State, and Federal government Small Business requirements, the long haul of owning a restaurant took on a different meaning. Problem is that, by that time, I had spent so much time, money, and sleepless nights, in all that trial and error, start-up reality, and retraining policy, that by the time I became somewhat knowledgeable about what needed to be done or have happen, I wistfully found myself in what my mother used to say, "up a creek without a paddle.", only it wasn't just a creek.

Don't get me wrong. I love my little restaurant, and I wouldn't change what I have for the world. My paycheck may not come as a corporate monthly deposit into my bank account, but it works for me; and, more importantly, I'm my own boss. All the rest is now small stuff.

But being the boss also takes on an altogether different reality. All my former bosses in the corporate world were either somewhat of a bit of a tyrant, a suck-up, a yes man, or a mealy mouse, so I never really had a solid role model in how to emulate what a boss should be. That, too, has been a learning process; and that, too, has come at a cost.

I've learned that it's really all about confidence and how one treats people, but it's not all that simple. Learning how to "boss" takes a lot of training, and it all comes from experience.

Seven years ago, I re-introduced live music to Al-Masri Egyptian Restaurant on Sunday nights, and since have made it mainstream on almost every Sunday night. Along with live music, I provide an all-you-can-enjoy buffet dinner, which includes an appetizer with bread, salad, rice pilaf, about six to eight entrees, and around two vegetables, as well as dessert. Providing the food is not all that expensive, but it's also no easy task; I shop and cook all day. Additionally, offering live music on those nights by some of the best in the business can really raise the expenses to my overhead.

So, to keep these Sunday nights going, I take the regular nightly menu away and do something different. For only $25, one can come in, dine leisurely, fill his/her plate up as much and as many times as he/she wants, provided there is no unnecessary uneaten food waste, and watch some of the best dancers dance and listen to some of the best musicians play. Heck, the movie theater down the street from Al-Masri charges $10 for ONE two-hour movie, including popcorn and a drink. But is it LIVE? And it's popcorn and ONE non-alcoholic drink!

So, I guess by now you're wondering, what's my point??

On several occasions during these Sunday nights, some people have come in to see the show at Al-Masri. They are told at the onset and upon entering the front door that the offering for the evening is an all-you-can-enjoy buffet dinner along with live music and six to twelve different belly dancers, which they can sit and watch while eating for the entire six hours (we open at 5:30pm and the show ends around 11:30pm) for only $25. That's a far cry from a two-hour movie, popcorn, and one non-alcoholic drink. However, once they hear that they have to buy dinner at $25 or pay a $20 cover charge to stay and watch the show and enjoy the live music -- which I've hired for them to enjoy -- it becomes apparently as horrifying as highway robbery!

So, I guess I'm a little confused. Apparently, movie goers won't question paying $10 to see a two-hour movie and get a cup of popcorn and one non-alcoholic drink. But those same people will visibly convulse uncontrollably at paying a $20 cover charge for an endless glass of lemon-flavored water -- a lot more drink than one drink at any movie theater -- and six hours of live music and belly dance entertainment! I say, splurge! Pay that extra $5 and have dinner all night long! That cup of popcorn isn't going to last through the entire two-hour movie, and the second one will probably cost you five bucks!

Bottom line, like the movie theater down the street, I have overhead as does every business in this country. I love seeing my dining room filled to the max, and I know that the max loves participating in these fun-filled Sunday nights of live entertainment. Movie goers don't just walk into the theater and expect to watch the movie for free, do they? Then why do some people walk into my restaurant and think they can sit at one of my tables and watch the show for free? No other business tolerates that.

So, let me take a moment at this time to thank all of you who unhesitatingly and very happily forked over $25 for the all-you-can-enjoy dinner buffet, and who also enjoyed live music, belly dancing, and, frankly, a fun-filled evening of live entertainment; for without you, my Sunday nights would have closed long ago.

I fully support the movie theater down the street, and encourage everyone to go and watch a two-hour movie of their choice when it comes to town with popcorn and a non-alcoholic drink at least once for $10. But know that, while you're waiting for the next blockbuster to arrive, $25 will get you into Al-Masri for a different show every single time you come, freshly made Egyptian food, and at least six hours of live entertainment, which, by the way, unlike inside any movie theater, you are fully welcome to participate in. But if you've already been to the movies and are too full with popcorn and the one beverage to partake in the all-you-can-enjoy dinner buffet, expect to pay a $20 cover charge to have the special privilege of sitting at one of my tables inside the ONLY Egyptian restaurant in Northern California, and enjoy the live cultural entertainment and an endless glass of lemon-flavored water. You're even welcome, in fact, encouraged to participate in it if you want.

Hope to see you at the next Sunday night all-you-can-enjoy dinner buffet and live entertainment, even if you've already been to the movies down the street at the local movie theater.

Videos on the Egyptian Dance Code® (EDC®)

2013-03-13T22:50:00.001-07:00

Hi, Everyone....

I've made and uploaded some videos about the Egyptian Dance Code®. These are short trailers to my complete instructional videos, which are in the works. My phone number has been changed. The new number is 415-867-6754. The one listed in the videos (415-262-0175) no longer works.

1. A short video about my Bio and the Discovery of the Egyptian Dance Code® (EDC®).

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2. A short video about the Five Major Differences in the Sausan Academy of Egyptian Dance class curriculum with regards to the Egyptian Dance Code® (EDC®) as compared to other belly dance schools.

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3. A short video about the One-Year, Four 12-Week Program in Classic Egyptian Style (CES) Belly Dance and what you will learn from it and the rewards gained as a result of that.

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4. A short video Identifying, Describing, and Demonstrating the Egyptian Dance Code®.

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More videos to come....

Pow Wing Chung!

2013-01-07T19:46:00.000-08:00

Rock-Paper-Scissors. It's a hand game two people play for the same outcome similar to coin flipping, drawing straws, or throwing dice.

When I was growing up in Bangkok, Thailand back in the 1960s, my first experience with what I later learned was Rock-Paper-Scissors was in the first school I ever attended called, at that time, Holy Redeemer School located off of Soi Ruam Rudee which was then a small extension off of Wireless Road or Thanon Witthayu. Holy Redeemer School, now called Ruamrudee International School, was then a Catholic school which accepted English-speaking as well as Thai-speaking students. The English speaking students had a separate area for learning from the Thais. But when it came to physical education and games, and recess and lunch periods, we were all basically thrown together. And being kids, we all got a long.

Being now part of the Thai culture and being as young as I was, I naturally learned the ways of the Thais, and eventually picked up some Thai expressions. One of these expressions came in the form of preliminary choosing of sides in certain games at school or with the neighborhood Thai kids. If there were more than two people in a game that needed side choosing, we all gathered around in a circle -- three or more of us Thai and English-speaking alike, and facing each other, would place our right hand inside the circle along with the hands of everyone else participating. We'd then begin frantically waving them back and forth all chanting, "TEE Toe Pah TOO KAI Shy Auk!" At the moment the word "Auk" was uttered our hands would either turned down or turn up. This was how we chose sides.

If there were only two of us, we'd play the Rock-Paper-Scissors game; only, we didn't call out "Rock, Paper, Scissors", we called out "Pow Wing CHUNG!" Chung would be the word that would bring our choice of hand gestures out in the form of the tight fist, the two pointed fingers, or the entire outstretched palm, which, of course, look like a rock, a pair of scissors, or a piece of paper.

My sister, Mary, and I grew up together in this culture, and for the first four years of my schooling at the Holy Redeemer School, we immersed ourselves in the Thai ways. And for these first four years at the school, I played these two Thai side choosing games. It was the most natural thing to do along with playing with the Thai neighborhood kids.

In 1964, I was pulled out of Holy Redeemer School and was placed in the International School of Bangkok, then located on 36 Sukumvit Soi 15. This International School of Bangkok, or ISB, catered primarily to English speaking students, mostly American. Thai citizens were not eligible to register at ISB. Suddenly, there was no more Pow Wing Chung or Tee Toe Pah Too Kai Shy Auk. I felt like something had been taken away from me. But I also felt like I had somehow come home. This would become my first real indoctrination into the American culture in a foreign country.

I learned fast to stop these expressions at this school. Kids can be cruel. But they have stayed with me until today.

When I see someone calling, "Rock, Paper Scissors", I still hear "Pow Wing Chung!"

Scaraboo

2013-01-01T20:51:00.002-08:00

Scarabs. Rhymes with Arabs. But back in 1960 little did I know that this little beetle would turn out to be the icon of my passion.

In 1960, when we moved to Bangkok, Thailand from Madrid, Spain, the world seemed to offer abundance of excitement. I nestled into this culture as if it were my own. I was just starting to come alive in my own consciousness as I marveled at life around me.

One of the things that my family would do was to go to the local Weekend Flea Market out in the middle of Bangkok proper. It was an open air flea market that covered an entire football or larger size park. At that age, everything seemed gigantic. Some parts of that flea market were covered in tents, others were simply covered with the overhanging branches of large trees. There, I remember strolling around hand-in-hand with my parents taking in all the smells of the live caged animals, the chatter of a foreign language, and the aromas of grilled outdoor food.

The first time I saw the iridescent green and blue shiny wings of the Thai Jewel Beetle was at one of these rare outings at the Weekend Flea Market. I was drawn to the allure of these moving jewels as they crawled about all over each other in a large box. The man in charge of this box reached down and picked one up. With the other hand, he took a black string and tied it around the large bug between its thorax and abdomen and then let the bug go. As he let go this fascinating large shiny moving bead, it spread its wings and began flying around, still attached to the string in which this man held in his hand. The man grinned at us with a toothless grin. That day, my father bought each one of us a Thai Jewel Beetle. It was on that day that I began a life-long romance with the beetle.

By the time I was ten, I had accumulated about a dozen of these beauties which I housed in a large fish tank. I cared for them deeply and hiked about a quarter of a mile from our house on Soi Sawadii (Soi 31) across a large field to gather the small leaves from a remote bush that were the diet of these flying emeralds. And then I would hike back carrying the leafy food for my lovely bugs.

Back at home, I would then take each beetle in hand, put the leaf in front of them, and watch as they chomped away at the leaf. It was fascinating -- beetle in one hand and leaf in another hand. Most kids have dogs or cats -- and I did too, but these flying shiny iridescent gems were different. These flying shiny iridescent gems were beautiful. But even back then, as I now recall my adoration of these Thai Jewel Beetles, I couldn't really understand then -- or now -- why I was so drawn to them. After all, these were bugs, not warm furry animals.

In 1965, we moved to Soi Seang Mukda (Soi 43), and it was before the move that I decided to let these beauties go free. I gathered up each beetle, put them all in a brown paper sack, and set off across that field toward the security of that leafy bush that was their diet. There, I set each one of them free happily knowing that within their reach, there was plenty of food. Except for the rare occasion back at the house when they somehow rolled onto their backs and made a loud buzzing noise with their wings trying to right themselves, to which I would let out a loud blood curdling scream, they were beautiful in the sunlight as I watched them crawl away to freedom.

But my love affair with shiny insects did not end with the setting free of these jeweled bugs. The costumes I would later make for a dance I would later study often resembled the iridescent colors of the Thai Jewel Beetle. And the dance I would later study would embrace a beetle icon of its own, a beetle called a Scarab, though not often seen as shiny as the one I fell in love with at the Weekend Flea Market in Bangkok, Thailand. And unlike the Thai Jewel Beetle, which ate the leaves of a very specific leafy green bush, I would soon learn that the Scarab survives and lives solely on a diet of the dung dropped from the back ends of animals.

My life long love affair with a beetle has been amazing. After I returned to the United States in 1969, I discovered Ladybugs. They were tiny little things, but in retrospect, I now see them as the five-year interim bridge that connected me from the Thai Jewel Beetle of my nine years in Bangkok to my 40 years later of study of belly dance and its icon -- the Egyptian Scarab.

Today, a stylized likeness of the Scarab beetle adorns the dance floor of my little Egyptian restaurant, Al-Masri, in San Francisco taking up about a ten-foot square space. And, although black is the most common color for a Scarab, they do come in similar iridescent hues. The stylized drawing of the Scarab on my restaurant dance floor encompasses the hues of the iridescent green and blue colors of the Thai Jewel Beetle to which I was so drawn over 45 years ago.

The Scarab Dung Beetle was once worshiped by ancient Egyptians. They saw the sun roll across the sky just as the Scarab rolls a ball of dung across the ground. To the ancient Egyptians, both the sun and the ball of dung, in similar respects, gave life to the world as they saw it. It is yet one more poetic reverence to the sanctity of life of which I can only guess the ancient Egyptians having.

I've always lived in awe of the beetle. A survivor of millions of years, it continues to adapt and flourish, with more species being discovered every day. It's a wonderful bug. So, it is of no coincidence that, in coming full circle with it from my first encounter of this hearty dazzling insect back in Bangkok to the present more revered one of the Egyptians, I've adopted it as my dance academy logo. It has played and continues to play a significant part in my life, representing my spirit and my livelihood both in my restaurant and in my dance academy.

I have great respect for the beetle in its various forms. And for that, it's only fitting that I honor and embrace the beetle for many reasons -- some of which I've now shared with you -- and to dance on it in Scarab form in my little Egyptian restaurant, in celebration of life, beauty, and tenacity just as these hearty little insects in many of its forms so illustrate time and time again.

I have learned much from this amazing bug.

2013 and the Al-Masri Extensions

2013-01-01T13:17:00.002-08:00

Al-Masri Egyptian Restaurant is my little restaurant located in San Francisco at 4031 Balboa Street. I opened on December 17, 1999; so, that makes it over 13 years of being in business -- despite all the pitfalls and questionable decisions I encountered along the way. Wow, how times flies! And, although I'm the sole surviving anchor to this beautiful little 49-seat exotic eatery, my fervor remains steadfast as ever, harboring a vision that encompasses more than just a dining establishment.

As part of that vision, under the umbrella of Al-Masri, I opened my dance school, the Sausan Academy of Egyptian Dance in 2004. Out of that have come the most dedicated of students and best of friends I could have ever imagined having. A curriculum I formulated is broken down into four semesters with a goal of one year learning this dance. A key discovery to the expression of this dance, I called it the Egyptian Dance Code® (EDC®) and registered it with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. It's an exciting discovery, as well as infectious to all of my students, as they go through the initial four semesters of learning this dance using the Sausan Method, and evolving into potentially striking performers. Several of my graduates now dance as featured dancers at Al-Masri carrying on a tradition of authenticity both in dance and performance. Seven-Day EDC® Intensive Seminars, Weekend EDC® Workshops, educational videos, and so much more have come out of this dance school. And as a result, brought about from all my accomplished the graduates, the Sausan Ensemble Egyptian Dance Company was born.

Recently, in December of 2012, I launched a new little extension of Al-Masri and called Bitchin' Baklava. Already seen by thousands of people on the Internet and ordered by a few dozen of them, Bitchin' Baklava is proving to be probably the next hotest offering to the public. The fillings are endless. Just yesterday I cooked up a filling I call Sweet Piggly Pecan; a concoction of ground pecans, rehydrated golden raisins, and crispy bacon. Scrumptious! There are others that salute Valentines Day, Hawaiian flavors, the peanut butter and jelly in all of us, and a filling with some spicy jalapeño added. Yes, flavors are a-happening!

There is so much to live for the year 2013! Cooking classes, Egyptian inspired operetta performances, more intensive Egyptian Dance Code® workshops, language classes, documentaries, and quite possibly the publication of my book, Celebrating on a Scarab. Just waiting to get my new computer.

It's been a long journey from 1999 to now, with one huge deviation back in 2005 to 2007 which pushed me off a cliff out of which I've been climbing since 2007. But I'm looking at a clear horizon and a starlit night sky with clarity and conviction. NOW is my time.

So, take time to stop in Al-Masri Egyptian Restaurant, order some Bitchin' Baklava, watch my Sausan Academy of Egyptian Dance graduates perform, and then, when it's published, go out and buy my Celebrating on a Scarab book. Instructional dance videos on the Egyptian Dance Code® to come as well as a cook book or my restaurant's recipes.

Have a wonderful and prosperous New Year.
Hope to see you all soon at Al-Masri or under one of its extensions!
Comments always welcome!

Bitchin' Baklava

2012-12-29T14:48:00.003-08:00

Ever since I made my first tray of baklava back in 1986, I've so enjoyed offering it to friends and family. In 1988 I began selling it wholesale to Wholefoods in Marin County, and was on my way to getting it to other stores but got waylaid on other projects I was working on at that time.

New store managers and policies in the interim changed the status of my baklava at Wholefoods, but, besides offering it at my restaurant, Al-Masri Egyptian Restaurant in San Francisco, I've since began to make it again for other local coffee shops. One of them is Simple Pleasures on 35th and Balboa Street in San Francisco. And Groupon.com ran a pilot promotional program called Grouponicous, which featured a sample box of my Bitchin' Baklava for $60 (included shipping and handling), discounted to $30 to buyers just this past Holiday season. Over 20 were sold and were either picked up or I mailed them to the buyer.

In each promotional box I placed two baklava squares each of the following fillings:

• Walnuts
• Walnuts with Semi Chocolate Chips
• Almonds
• Almonds with White Chocolate Chips
• Hazel Nuts
• Hazel Nuts with Milk Chocolate Chips
• Cashew Nuts
• Cashew Nuts with Reese's® Peanut Butter Chips or Butterscotch chips

I'm working on a new website called www.bitchinbaklava.com. I plan to launch it before January 31 in time for Valentine's Day. I hope you'll visit it from time to time. It will feature my baklava with different delicious fillings. Some of them will include those I have already mentioned and some new ones like:

• Aloha Hawaii - Macadamia nuts with dried coconut and candied pineapple.

• Pistachio Pistachio - Pistachio nuts exclusively.

• PB&J - Peanuts with Reese's® peanut butter chips, and gold and dark raisins.

• COW-abunga - Walnuts with dried cranberries and candied orange peal.
• Devine Valentine - Pistachio nuts with dried cranberry and more!
• Sweet Piggly Pecan - Pecan nuts with bacon bits and golden raisins.
• Design Your Own Baklava (DYOB) - Choose your own filling!

Boxes contain 16 squares and weigh around two and a half pounds to three pounds. Shipping and handling is $7.00 in California and $13 outside California. Price range per box depending on fillings will be around $35 to $55 per box.

I'll look for your order!! They are all hand made, hand packaged, and hand mailed with all the love, care, and deliciousness that each one comes with.

Why not put your order in today?
Email me at chefsausan@gmail.com.
Comments also always welcome.

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Bitchin’ Baklava
by Al-Masri Egyptian Restaurant
4031 Balboa Street, San Francisco, CA 94121
www.bitchinbaklava.com
www.almasrisfca.com • www.sausanacademy.com
415-876-2300 • chefsausan@gmail.com

Ingredients
Layered phyllo dough (Enriched bleached wheat flour [bleached flour, niacin, iron, thaimin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid], water, modified food starch, corn starch, canola oil, salt, vital wheat gluten, preservatives [sodium and/or calcium proprionate, potassium sorbate], dextrose, maltodextrin), Sugar , unsweetened butter, Fillings (see below) cinnamon, nutmeg, orange blossom water, lemon juice, pistachio nuts

Fillings
As labeled with the following one or more fillings

Actions
Hand made, hand crafted, hand packed.
Thank you for your order.
Please order again!

The Rest of the Story.....

2012-12-27T00:13:00.001-08:00

Dear Friends and Readers:

As many of you know, I started to write my book in a blog entitled An Al-Masri Story. It's a story about the "blow-up" of my restaurant after Hatem, my business partner, was hospitalized with a head injury. And, as you know, I sort of bogged down and stopped writing. But, I hadn't gone away. In the interim, I was gathering evidence and documentation. I'm still in the process of continuing with that blog.

Adib Nassar informing me of Security

While I was away from this blog story since October of 2011, I tried to reach out and communicate with the Nassar family through written correspondence, but to no avail. I then attended the Lebanese American Association (LAA) Gala Dinner at the San Francisco Hyatt Regency last November 3, and made it a point to shake the hand of Adib Nassar, President of LAA and father to the two young girls who had been a part of my life since the inception of Al-Masri. To my surprise, Mr. Nassar vehemently told me, under no uncertain terms and after I had asked him if he had been getting my written correspondence, that I would be thrown out by security if I were to make a scene. He said he had already spoken to them after he had seen me walk into the hall. Oh, he also said that he was throwing my letters and packages into the garbage without reading any of it because "that's where they belonged." Apparently, he had seen me come into the reception room with two of my good friends prior to our contact and became alarmed for reasons he, himself, would only know -- perhaps brought about by a guilty conscience? I guess he wasn't aware of how much I had once been a part of the Lebanese community. In fact, Adib Nassar's brother, Dia, used to work for my former husband when we both had The Grapeleaf Lebanese Restaurant in San Francisco. Stands to reason why I would attend an LAA event. Needless to say, I don't think he and his family, including his daughters, were prepared to see me and deal with my presence after being absent from the Lebanese community for over six years.

For these past six plus years, I've thought intently about the Nassar's unabashed denial and the grave injustice that was dealt me after Hatem's head injury. And, as many of you have come back to Al-Masri, for which I am so hugely grateful, I think you -- my friends and supporters -- should know the truth of how I came back to an Al-Masri that had been raped, plundered, and pillaged; and about my subsequent six-year struggle to bring it back to where it is today.

Checks forged with Hatem's name,
and one of many that was written to someone
not affiliated with Al-Masri

As I have not had any response from the Nassar family, to date -- written or verbal -- to my multiple attempts at reaching out, I'm now offering, for your perusal, the opportunity to read my written correspondence to Adib and Patricia Nassar, parents to Samar and Gabriela, so that you may see for yourselves what I have had to deal with. I know that many of you have been curious but have been too polite to ask. To date, I have not been offered any kind of compensation or been given any kind of apology or the slightest bit of acknowledgment or rebuttal from anyone in that family for what happened. None of the Nassar family is taking any responsibility, yay or nay; and, in fact, during our conversation at the LAA Gala Dinner, Adib Nassar insisted I just forget all about it, as if it never happened. Was this another admission of guilt? After all, why was he insisting I forget something just after stating emphatically seconds before that he didn't read what I had sent to him but threw it away instead? The problem is that I simply cannot, and this is what I told him. This really did happen; they knew all about it -- before it was going to happen and after it happened. I have proof of it happening; and copies of this proof as evidence of it having happened, in the form of canceled checks, forged checks with Hatem's name, and other documents along with the below correspondence, were sent to that family. Yet, to date, I have heard nothing nor gotten anything from them.

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These checks are a small sample of the sums that were paid to Gabriela's and Samar's personal utilities, health care, and personal phone bills. From 2006 to 2007, Al-Masri accounts were pilfered on a regular basis under the auspices of trust.

Checks were also made out to Gabriela Nassar, by Gabriela herself, and signed by Gabriela, then deposited into her personal accounts. There are no receipts that pertain or match to these checks or identifiable documents as to why they were written. Gabriela was paying herself.

The checks here are only samples of January and February of 2007. They get written out in larger sums as the year goes by. I think Gabriela and Samar were paid handsomely!

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It has been over six years since I took back my beloved Al-Masri. After many heart aches that have furrowed my brow and volumes of tears that have been shed, I think now is the time the world knows what happened. It's been too long and a long time coming. This is a moment of sharing with all of you. There is justice in writing a blog even when a Police Report, which I eventually submitted, doesn't offer any.

Here are the three letters I wrote to the Nassar family to which I have never received any acknowledgment, rebutal or repudiation to any of them.

In other words, here is the rest of the story.
Please comment or pass along my blog story.

(Just as a matter of information, my partner Hatem, passed away of lung cancer in August of 2008. He had been diagnosed long before time spent in the hospital for his head injury. He is sorely missed by those who loved him. The restaurant theme was a vision of his, which he made come to fruition, but belonged to Yours Truly long before it opened in 1999 until present.)

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October 31, 2011

Dear Adib and Patricia:

I have struggled during the past four plus years -- since around the time Hatem was admitted with a brain contusion into the hospital and especially after he passed away -- to come to terms with the extreme upset and anguish that ripped through my life about that time from certain discoveries; discoveries I was forced to face that ultimately resulted in the loss of my home in San Bruno, my dance studio on Geary Boulevard, and my restaurant on Balboa Street, along with the loss of my financial status and welfare; and the loss of Hatem’s home on Twenty-third Avenue where your daughters used to live, as well as his wife’s loss of financial status and welfare. But most of all, I have had to reassess my trust in humanity, which was unduly compromised to the enth degree by the malicious and thoughtless actions of your two daughters, Samar and Gabriela. I know that you know of what I am writing about.

I am writing today to offer information, information which I think you should know about from my side, nothing more; any amount of which you may or may not know. Either way, after reading this letter, you will most likely know more than what you knew before. What you do with this information is what you will do with this information, but I write it because of a conversation you, Adib, had with me outside Al-Masri in the garage one evening during the first week of April 2007, while Hatem was laid up, wherein you tried to warn me about something Samar was going to do if I did not meet with her demands; a warning that indicates to me you knew what she was going to do or may have been capable of doing at that time, and that you were going along with it. I also write because of a statement that you, Patricia, said to me on that same evening asking me (to my surprise) not "hurt" Samar to which I replied "never" indicating that you knew of something of Samar's premeditative plans. Both of you were dining at Al-Masri "on-the-house" on that evening as I found no dinner check later that month for your table that night.

But mostly, I write this letter to the both of you, without accusation or threat to anyone mentioned, solely as a personal and private rendition of my own experience as I lived through it. In other words, I write it for your information only.

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Samar indicated via a third party and perhaps to you that she was never compensated for her participation here at the restaurant, which she incorrectly called "employee-type work". Let it be known that, while Samar and Gabriela were not deemed "employees" of Al-Masri, upon going through my restaurant files, year by year, from 2000 to 2007, both she and Gabriela were indeed compensated handsomely in trade, or otherwise, during the time they were involved in the restaurant; an involvement that came under a verbal agreement by all involved that included both an accepted and self-proclaimed learner/honorary status, and where both were knowingly and willingly placed on the "honor system" and under my complete trust as owner of Al-Masri while they were affiliated with my restaurant from 2000 to 2007.

I offer the following (incomplete) list of compensation:

1. Private scholarship-type lessons in belly dance for around five years for Samar and around one year for Gabriela.
2. Private scholarship-type lessons in paint and art technique for around seven years for Samar. Lessons and subsequent projects included all paint/canvas/art materials, paid for by Al-Masri accounts.
3. Private children's parties including room rental, food/drinks, graphic design, printed material, publicity, time/energy spent obtaining food/drinks, cooks time, paid for by Al-Masri accounts. All revenue negotiated for children's parties was paid to Samar.
4. Graphic design and printed materials to Western Flavors & Fragrances, paid for by Al-Masri accounts.
5. Paid performances to Samar from the Fine Arts Museums and other reputable venues under the Al-Masri umbrella; specifically but not limited to:
    A. Women of the Nile at Rosicrucian Museum - 1999
    B. Eternal Egypt Exhibit - 2001 and 2002 (two performances)
    C. Grand Opening of the new De Young Museum - 2005
    D. Dancing on the Nile - 2006
6. Kaiser Permanent Health Insurance Premiums to Samar and Gabriela, paid for by Al-Masri accounts.
7. Payment checks of a personal nature written by Samar for house appraisals, paid for by Al-Masri accounts.
8. Car payments for both Samar and Gabriela, paid for by Al-Masri accounts.
9. A gasoline credit card provided and paid for by my late mother, and additional gasoline compensation to both Samar and Gabriela after the death of my mother, paid for by Al-Masri accounts.
10. Performance costumes, jewelry, and accessories for use at Al-Masri or by Al-Masri contracted events both by Samar and Gabriela, paid for by Al-Masri accounts. These costumes were later removed from Al-Masri premises.
11. Musical instruments, paid for by Al-Masri accounts. These musical instruments were later removed from and/or were never returned to Al-Masri premises; specifically but not limited to one Yamaha S90 88-Key Weighted Action Synthesizer.
12. Sony camcorder, paid for by Al-Masri accounts and later removed from Al-Masri premises.
13. Computer peripherals, paid for by Al-Masri accounts and later removed from or never returned to Al-Masri premises; specifically but not limited to:
    A. Scanner(s)
    B. HP Photo printer
    C. Printers(s)
    D. LCD Screen(s)
    F. Keyboard(s)
    G. Hard Drive(s)
14. Various and sundry PC and Apple software including but not limited to Dreamweaver, Norton Anti-virus, font and other pertinent and related administrative, graphic, and technical software, paid for by Al-Masri accounts and later removed from and/or never returned to Al-Masri premises.
15. Unlimited access to Al-Masri restaurant food and drink, paid for by Al-Masri accounts.
16. Consistent periodic cash payments made to both Samar and Gabriela, provided by Hatem and myself, and taken from Al-Masri accounts.
17. Kitchen multi-gallon soup pots, steam table, dishes, eating utensils, knives, cutting boards, cookie jars, commercial bakers cabinet, washer/dryer, storage containers, paid for by Al-Masri accounts and later removed from Al-Masri premises.
18. Private scholarship-type lessons in cooking and food preparation for around five years for Samar.
19. Dinners offered “On the House” to discretionary friends and family, like yourselves, paid for by Al-Masri accounts.
20. Dinners paid for with cash to Al-Masri of which such cash is not accountable and dinner checks not made taken from Al-Masri accounts.
21. Furnishings, upgrades, and six months rent free in Hatem’s house on Twenty-third Avenue, San Francisco, CA.

Not only were your daughters compensated handsomely for their participation in the restaurant under these compensatory arrangements, many of them made without my knowledge or approval, they were, in fact, treated very well and with the greatest respect and keen attention to their safety.

---------------------------------

Upon entering my restaurant back in mid April 2007, a few days after Hatem had informed Samar of his intent to close it temporarily for assessment reasons due to his extended stay in the hospital and subsequent recuperation at his home in mid April 2007, I noticed that Samar and Gabriela had seemingly completely vacated the premises. I then saw to my shock and horror that my kitchen was covered in rat and mice feces and urine that were strewn about on all stove tops, counter tops, bread bags, pantry shelves, and all open and closed containers. I further discovered that both my kitchen ventilation system and my dishwasher were both broken, and that the faucets to the kitchen sink were non-functional and had been replaced with non-commercial faucet knobs. And, beneath the stovetop burners lay a one-half inch thick layer of blackened compressed rat droppings and other questionable debris. One can only wonder how long the rodent infestation had been going on, for it wasn't an event that might have taken place in one weekend as indicated by the amount of droppings that had accumulated. One can also only wonder why none of this was ever wiped down or cleaned up. I found the place to be such a disgrace as well as alarming at the amount of visible filth that was present, as the restaurant was still in operation up until the time Hatem sent the email to Samar pertaining to the temporary closure just a few days before. It's no wonder that the Department of Health didn't have a say in its condition.

While I was cleaning the mess both upstairs and downstairs, assessing the damage and filth and thinking about what needed my attention first to keep my restaurant afloat during this confusing and stressful period of time, I further discovered that the lesser of the two office computers, which had been left in the office, had had it hard drive completely erased and all intellectual and digital data had been removed from it; data which would have helped in the continuing operation of the restaurant after your two daughters' unannounced leave.

These intellectual data, that are the property of Al-Masri, included the following:

1. Al-Masri website URLs which I purchased with Al-Masri funds in 2001/2 and in 2005 and which were placed under Samar's name without my knowledge or approval in 2005.
2. Al-Masri customer/client list with postal addresses, email addresses, and telephone numbers accumulated from 2000 to 2007.
3. Al-Masri website files pertaining to the upload and maintenance of the Internet website, designed by Hatem and entrusted in Samar’s care.

To make matters worse, only couple weeks later, I was then contacted by my personal banker who was also the bank manager of the then Washington Mutual Bank on Irving Street only to be told that Samar, who had been entrusted and placed on the bank signature card earlier that year before Hatem’s fall, had been in the bank on that morning and had tried to close down my business account.

In addition to all that was taken from Al-Masri as listed above, I, now in my day-to-day efforts to keep the restaurant alive and open to the public, was informed by various vendors, with whom I am now doing business again, that your two daughters were spreading stories about closing Al-Masri and announcing that a new one would be opening in the East Bay, and that Al-Masri belonged to Samar as the rightful owner. I have this information in good standing with several salespeople from reputable restaurant and food vending businesses.

I am still stunned by Samar’s and Gabriela’s blatant disregard for me, my restaurant, my livelihood, and my welfare. In my many years of knowing Samar, I loved and treated her has the daughter I never had, and I gave her some of my most treasured possessions including the following:

1. My wedding dress, which was my mother's wedding dress, and which I regard as priceless.
2. Original 1960’s/1970’s LPs worth thousands of dollars.
3. Vintage crystal costume jewelry worth thousands of dollars.
4. Leather, wool, and sheepskin coats worth thousands of dollars.
5. Musical instruments worth thousands of dollars.
6. Vintage belly dance costumes which I deem priceless.

I also loaned her a set of vintage China that I had bought when I was 20 years old, decorated with little blue and yellow flowers along with serving platters, bowls, gravy boats, etc., (the whole works) for 15 people worth thousands of dollars, which I found out a few weeks after that she had given it away to a friend as a wedding present. This China set was a "loan", and I had specifically indicated this to her when I entrusted it to her care, but she apparently gave it away with little regard, if any, to my wishes or my feelings.

And during this tyrannical rampage and destruction of my restaurant and ultimate livelihood, she had the scornfulness to sue me for one-third of my restaurant, the very thing she had so vehemently and passionately tried to destroy. In fact, in total, I was sued seven times from various vendors and businesses from the fallout of this extreme calamitous occurrence. Indeed, I was also faced with unpaid business taxes to which interest and penalties had accumulated, and for which I am still today struggling to pay.

To date, as I publicize my dance classes, I sometimes receive emails from Samar's numerous students who have signed up at Hipline Fitness Center who ask about my academy classes. Of course, I tell them always that I was Samar's and Gabriela's former and primary teacher. You can imagine their surprise at that bit of information. Some of these women go on to enroll in my dance academy, and when they do, they bring in some used costumes that they bought from Hipline; costumes that are some of the many that were removed from Al-Masri.

------------------------------

Since Hatem’s death in August of 2008, I find it rather odd that neither of you have ever called to inquire about me nor about Hatem’s wife. Yet, while Patricia lay in the hospital in an apparent life-threatening situation back before his death, Hatem made it a point to call you, Adib, and inquire as to Patricia's health on a daily if not consistent basis. Moreover, Samar and Gabriela never called to offer their help during Hatem’s illness nor convey their condolences after Hatem’s passing; and this after everything Hatem and I did for them.

When Samar left Al-Masri, taking with her everything that allowed the restaurant to function successfully, everyone assumed Al-Masri had closed for good. One former customer even came forward and said that she had gotten an email from the restaurant return email address to that effect. One wonders who else got this email since I no longer had access to that email list. With no URL, no website, no customer list, and no working computer, there was no income. There was no business. There was nothing to pay the bills or the expenses or the mortgages. And when Samar refused to pay the rent in the house she was living in that belonged to Hatem during the last six months of occupying it, he lost his house to foreclosure. Because of this domino effect, I also lost my house. And, as I then turned all my attention in my own survival and the survival of my restaurant to try to get back some degree of business (and sanity), I consequently lost my dance studio and was sued for breaking that lease.

----------------------------------

Both of you may think that all of this is really none of your business and both of you may ask how any of it may pertain to either of you. And, to this, I have to wonder what kind of children you raised so as to turn so violently against the very people who loved and supported them. While you may not feel responsible for their actions, they are still your children; children who caused great harm -- harm that both of you knew was going to happen -- and devastatingly financial loss to more people than just Hatem's wife and myself. These are your children. You are their teachers; their role models. How do you account for their actions? How do you account for your actions in the wake of theirs?

I have calculated a ballpark figure of about 2.8 million dollars worth of loss and destruction caused by the actions of your daughters, which includes the loss of both houses, the tax issues, all the lawsuits and attorneys fees that resulted, loss of personal possessions as a result of house foreclosures, and the loss of business and revenue that I have incurred to date in the wake of their actions. I have not placed a value on stress, mental and physical anguish, and slander, but if I were to give value to that, it would be considerably and geometrically higher.

Because of all of this, I am seriously entertaining the thought of writing a book about this period of time in my life. It does contain a lot of intrigue and other public-hungry and juicy infomation. If I can write a multi-page letter like this one in only a few days, imagine how fast I can write a book!

I have related these experiences and the possibility of writing a book to numerous friends, especially to those who were there with me when all of it was happening, and they all concur that a book would be in order. They all witnessed first hand what was happening. I have, in fact, begun to write an outline highlighting the events that will be the foundation to each chapter. Although I would most definitely change the names in my book, to protect the "innocent", I would most likely indicate same in the preface. Anyone reading it would then correctly assume about what and whom I may be writing.

I think that this book would serve its purpose twofold. First, it would help me to get beyond that which was dumped on me during Hatem’s cancer illness and subsequent death; and second, it would bring in the much needed revenue that would cover at least a percentage of the monetary loss I have incurred and of what was taken from me. I think it is a step in the right direction. It might even do well in a movie.

Earlier this year, after four years of vigilance, I finally got back my website URLs which were always legally mine. I can only summarize the Samar had grown weary of paying the annual fee to keep them from me. Why she kept them at all is a wonderment. They were of no value to her except to keep me from realizing a successful business. But, as you can see, I am still going strong. And, after four plus years, my attorney is going to get his final payment in a couple of months. All of this could have been preventable had both of you done some investigation of your own into what really happened at Al-Masri.

As an aside, I still wonder if Al-Masri was ever broken into or vandalized in late March 2007, as Samar had told me, where she contracted with a locksmith to changed the locks and specifically told me not to give a key to Hatem. I never saw a police report, and none seems to have been filed either in the Sunset or Richmond District Police Department when I went to go get it. What did you teach your daughters?

-------------------------------

Most, if not all, employees go to work at any given business and retire expecting nothing more than a gold watch and a letter of appreciation. They give a life time and work and energy as required and are rewarded with far less than what your daughters ultimately received in a much shorter time. These employees are not given, nor do they take, nor expect, nor feel entitled to any percentage of that business for which they have worked, like what Samar, who was not an employee but more like a daughter to me, had taken or had tried to take from me.

I have put a 2.8 million dollar ballpark figure on the loss I incurred. But that's only for materials and objects. How does one put a price on love? Or on betrayal, for that matter?   I had nothing but love for your two daughters. I gave them everything, including myself and my time, unselfishly. Yet, in this expression of my love, I was handed nothing less than the flip of a middle finger; a betrayal that even I cannot comprehend. And with that came rumors, which I often hear, that Samar is self-taught in belly dance because of her Lebanese heritage, that she produced all the events at the Fine Arts Museums on her own during the time she was affiliated with Al-Masri, and that she actually owned Al-Masri outright. All of this couldn’t be further from the truth, as I am sure you will agree.

I am in awe at how all of you, and your daughters, treated and ultimately repaid me for my kindness and generosity. I didn't deserve this maniacal undertaking by your daughters along with your ambivalence in attitude and concern during this period and its aftermath. I never hurt Samar. I never hurt Gabriela. I welcomed both of them into my life and into my heart and into my restaurant and dance academy with no expectation from either one of them except that of loyalty, trust, and respect -- reasonable, to say at best. I gave both of them my treasured possessions, my support and encouragement, and the benefit of my life's experience, unquestioningly, through the teachings of the dance and the workings of the restaurant.

I also never hurt either of you, Adib and Patricia. In fact, I welcomed the both of you into my establishment (my home) with open arms, respect, and free dinners and drink each and every time.

Again, this letter is written and sent to you for your information only. No threats; no accusations; no actions taken. I just thought you both should know the other side of the story. And, if you do indeed truly believe I did deserve this, I ask only that the both of you meet me on neutral grounds and enlighten me.

Respectfully,

Susan F. Molthen

-------------------------

April 24, 2012

Dear Adib and Patricia:

I want to thank you for answering my call to you last November 17, 2011 acknowledging receipt of my letter to you dated October 31, 2011. I also want to thank you for asking me what to do about it. It indicated to me that you were open to communicating about the horrendous destruction your two daughters did to me, my life, my business, and to others affiliated with me and my business.

As promised in my last email to you on April 18, 2012, I am following up with information regarding the sum totals of monies spent by your two daughters, Gabriela and Samar, for the years of 2005, 2006, and 2007 from my business account. These totals are taken from the restaurant business records as your daughters left them when they vacated my restaurant in April 2007.

As stated in my email to you on April 18, 2012, a total of over $37,000 in 2006 was spent by Gabriela and Samar on themselves for personal items using Al-Masri business revenue. And, as I indicated in a Christmas card I sent to you last December, a total of over $30,000 was spent. For 2007, which includes the Months of January through April, I have come up with a total of around $16,000 for a grand total of over $83,000 spent on personal gain for the years 2005/6/7.

These funds, as listed specifically in detail in my bank statements and/or correlated with invoices where applicable, were spent on the following but not limited to:

• women’s apparel (clothing, shoes, accessories) bought in various stores including Nordstroms, J. Peterman, Mervyns, Ambiance, and others;
• personal home decor items including rugs/carpets, window shades, and non-Al-Masri paint colors for which I have the invoice but cannot find the actual items in the restaurant;
• POS payments for personal items bought such as cookware, fabrics, reference books, compact discs, beads, which invoices are not in the physical records but are documented on the bank statements;
• Nail and beauty salon POS payments;
• various and sundry gasoline service station POS payments where Al-Masri either filled up your daughters’ gasoline tanks and/or paid for work done on their cars;
• receipts from an optometrist for Gabriela’s glasses, canceled checks for Gabriela’s voice lessons, receipts from a medical doctor for Samar for some medical tests, and receipts for vitamin/nutritional supplements.

I have also found receipts where funds were spent on underwear, costume jewelry, nail polish, hair cleaning and conditioning products, fragrances, and makeup. There are POS payments for dining in other places, and for food items bought at various grocery stores for their personal consumption. These grocery store receipts list hot dogs, pork chops, and other items not on my menu. Most of these POS payments or receipts are from Walgreens, Safeway, Andronico’s, Bed Bath & Beyond, and others And, not least, there are payments made to Hostway paid from my business account for my website, almasrirestaurant.com and almasrisf.com, long after Samar changed all the website ownership over to her name.

Moreover, checks written and signed by your daughters also show that Al-Masri paid for your daughters’ Kaiser insurance, car insurance, car payments, personal household utility usage, cell phone usage, television cable, parking tickets, Fastrak passes and penalties, tow charges, personal dry cleaning/laundry, credit card payments, and payments made to Gabriela’s personal bank accounts with no supporting documents.

But most disturbingly, I found hundreds and thousands of dollars being siphoned systematically out of the Al-Masri bank account on a weekly basis with withdrawals using ATM cards or personally withdrawn, including during the time Hatem was in the hospital. All of this siphoning and personal shopping from my business account resulted in an average of over $250 a month in overdraft fees, bounced check fees, and insufficient funds fees. Over this two year and four month period, over $7000 was charged to my account by the bank for these fees.

Looking around my restaurant, aside from what I listed in my letter to you of October 31 and my subsequent email to you of November 1 (copy enclosed), I have further discovered that there are 12 chairs missing as well as my $1500 custom-made striped and lined curtain randomly cut in half with a pair of scissors. I also have 12 additional table bases and 12 table tops which were ordered from a restaurant supply warehouse for reasons unknown. And, the simple dial-style thermostat in the dining area was replaced with a completely computerized thermostat with no instructions left on how to operate it.

So, again, I ask the both of you, where and how is it that I hurt your daughters, Gabriela or Samar? With over $83,000 taken by your two daughters and another $7000 in fees claimed by the bank for their selfishness, where is the evidence that they were hurt or never paid?

While I struggled to maintain my own health during those years without any kind of insurance, sought means of procuring finances to pay for my own house note as well as other utility/car/home insurance expenses, allowed my own dental needs to go unaddressed because I was told that the restaurant was not doing well, I now see how your two daughters were carelessly and selfishly buying and spending on themselves what was my livelihood. Your daughters’ evident misappropriation of funds from both restaurant-generated business and from the refinance of my home and second mortgage leaves me numb and bewildered at the insensitive nature and measure of your daughters’ behavior. But your apparent non-acceptance of responsibility by rewarding their actions with an all-expense-paid trip to Spain is, to me, mind boggling. Had you known the extent of their actions, would you have still flown them all to Spain in a celebration of the destruction of my life? Please tell me how did I destroy theirs? How did I hurt them? What stories did they tell you?

I have offered and continue to offer this information to you and other like information since my first letter back in October 31, 2011. I have also offered you opportunities to call me and to talk more about what your daughters did and to show you proof of their destruction in the documents I have with the amounts of money that were taken from my bank account. This letter is again an attempt to urge you to be forthcoming in your offer last November 17 to help do something about it -- even if just to talk about it. They are YOUR daughters.

As I stated before, I do not write to accuse or to threaten anyone. I write to offer you information only -- information that I am sure you were not made aware of until my first letter to you on October 31, 2011. While I no longer have the legal right to pursue criminal action against anyone, and I am not planning to do so, I may have other options or means for some recovery which have become available to me.

I understand that you have co-signed on a house note with Gabriela in the purchase of a home in Dublin. I wonder where Gabriela got enough money to do that. Certainly, her part-time job at the Moonstruck Chocolate Company shop on Chestnut Street couldn’t have paid her enough to acquire a down payment on a house. And since both of your daughters have emphatically claimed that I never paid them, where did Gabriela get all that money?

That being said, I sincerely hope to hear from you and Patricia at your earliest possible convenience. I hope to have spoken to your conscience and appealed to your sense of humanity for the wrongdoings of your two daughters. Perhaps I can speak to your Christian faith as well of which you and I both share and are a part. Do you really think I deserved what I got for trusting and believing in your daughters? A meeting would bring some measure of peace. Do you not think you owe me that much?

If I don’t hear from you, I will fairly yet regrettably assume that you don’t think yourselves measurably responsible for the outcome of your daughters’ behavior -- having been the parents and, therefore, the teachers of them -- your offspring -- in their learning of life; and how their behavior ultimately destroyed ruined the lives of the people who love them the most, made them feel safe, and cared about their feelings, outside of their own biological family.

I will await your call.

Sincerely,

Susan F. Molthen

Enclosure: As stated

PS. I have written a letter to Samar requesting that Hatem’s paintings be returned to his grieving widow, should she have them or know where they are. I have not accused anyone, only that since Samar resided in his home that she may have taken his painting for safe-keeping for which I have thanked her in the letter. If you have seen these paintings, please do what you can to return them to Rosemary. She is in deep mourning still for the loss of her husband. The return of his paintings would ease that loss tremendously.

----------------------------

October 25, 2012

Dear Adib and Patricia:

It has been almost one year since my initial letter to you last October 31, 2011 telling you of the rampage that your two daughters went on, causing my life undo stress, heartache, hardship, pain, and suffering out of which I am still trying to recover. I’m still waiting for an answer from you as to why I was the target for such malicious actions.

I have sent Samar and Gabriela a letter regarding Hatem’s paintings but have heard nothing. I have also sent you the same letter. No response. Moreover, I have also sent letters to my former student, Ghermanie, in care of Hipline studio only to have these letters returned and being told that nothing from Al-Masri or me will be accepted. Again, what did I do to cause such hatred in both of your daughters? If it was so bad, then why do they both not answer to my allegations? Why don’t YOU answer me?

Numerous Hipline students are migrating over to the Sausan Academy. Not a single one of them have said that I was your daughters’ teacher of this dance. Samar came to me for dance lessons for over almost five years, and Gabriela took lessons from me for almost a year. Do they think that they both learned this dance miraculously because they are of Lebanese descent?

I have enclosed two volumes (2005 and 2006/07) of copies of documents for your information. These include canceled checks written by Samar and Gabriella to themselves, for their home utilities, for their personal beauty products, for their lunches, for their personal fashion apparel, for their traffic tickets, car tows, insurances -- both car and health, -- and much much more. It sickens me. I have made copies of my bank statements for the years 2006/07 to show you how much money was being raped (withdrawn) from my bank accounts and how I suffered thousands of dollars in overdraft and bounced check fees because of their selfishness and greediness as evidenced by these withdrawals. I’m still looking for my 2005 bank statements. I have made copies of receipts given to my bookkeeper as tax write-offs to show you how much they were buying for themselves and not for the restaurant, receipts that include trips to Pure Beauty, Andronicos, Walgreens, gas stations, health stores, dry cleaning, Nordstroms, Ambiance, Squat and Gobble. You will also see that a lot of money was being taken by Gabriela and funnelled into her Washington Mutual accounts and Citi Bank Accounts. And some canceled checks and bank statements seem to be conveniently missing. Is this what you taught your daughters to do?

I am also enclosing the letter dated April 24, 2012, (Certified Mail Receipt No. 7009-1680-0001-2004-1294), which you apparently chose to ignore to pick up from the Post Office, that told you I was researching years 2006 and 2007. This letter explains the further atrocity that was being generated by your two daughters during this period, yet you chose to ignore it.

For the year 2005, your two daughters managed to walk away with around $33,490. For the years 2006 and 2007, the total was around $81,239 for a total of $114,729. Now, I have the proof, and it is in your hands. And these amounts do not take into account the large amounts of hard cash that was being taken from my customers -- one of which I know of where Samar’s friend, Michael Williams, had paid for his party in cash via an envelope, handed to her in his car. There is no dinner check to indicate that there was ever a party, yet I was there that night and witnessed the party.

When I submitted a police report on Samar a couple of years back, Samar indicated to the detective when he contacted her as a result of my police report that she never got paid. I think she and Gabriela got paid quite handsomely, don’t you? Gabriela and Samar both each received $57,365 in a 27-month time span, which averages out to around $2,125 each, a month. I lost my house and my home, my dance studio, and almost my restaurant had it not been for the kindness of a few of my close friends who watched me go through this terrible crime. Hatem’s wife lost her house on 23rd Avenue in which Samar was living as well as large amounts of money taken from her credit cards in the guise of restaurant operation to supplement Gabriela’s and Samar’s lifestyle. And you apparently rewarded them with a trip to Spain. Consequently, Samar and Gabriela procured a house and a dance studio. And now, they have a second studio. I wonder where the money came from -- just a thought.

If you think that this is going to go away, I can assure it will not. I may not have legal recourse but the tangible proof I have, and which you now have, speaks volumes of your daughters’ character. And, the world is small, isn’t it? And, I’m sure you know that the Universe has a way of righting all things wronged.

Again, this letter is not a threat to the both of you or to anyone affiliated with you. It is only to provide you with information and tangible proof of what your two daughters did. I did not make this up -- hard tangible proof of a chronology of a crime I can’t even fathom but that is glaring proof that it did happen. And both of you knew she was going to do this!! How can you both ignore this?

I’m still waiting for your call as you offered in our conversation of November 17, 2011, to see what you want to do with this.

Sincerely yours,

Susan F. Molthen

Enclosures: As stated

The Orchid Room

2012-12-21T11:29:00.000-08:00

Booze and stale cigarette smoke. Mmmmmmm.... Perfume to my olfactory senses.

It all started when I was about five years old. Thailand was just beginning to get hit with its first contingency wave of American influence and change back in the early 1960s and night clubs catering to the "farang" were popping up all over Bangkok proper. Imitating the American lead, Thais also frequented these sleazy bars.

Among these night spots was one unassuming one in particular called The Orchid Room. Its location was in a downtown plaza named Gaysorn. In a few years this plaza would become one of the many hubs of Bangkok, and in the early 1960s the place to be if you were an American was in The Orchid Room right in the center of Gaysorn Plaza.

One of the unique things about Bangkok back then was that anyone could frequent these night clubs. And, I mean anyone. That also included any age, any gender, any ethnicity -- in a word, ANYone; so, when Gaysorn Plaza held an annual festival event one evening, The Orchid Room was open for business and in full swing.

I remember this one particular night....

I'm five years old. I'm just beginning to realize my surroundings. The air is warm and the sky is dark with shining stars, and I feel a new feeling of excitement. This night is magical. There are lights everywhere. The street is filled with people and street food vendors, and they're all walking around, talking and eating. Mom has a hold of my hand and that of my sister, Mary, and we are walking down the middle of the street with people strolling about all over the place. Dad appears from around the corner and says something about an orchid and mom nods.

I see floating balloons of every color over head. Mom gives the man some Bhat (Thai currency) and the man gives her two balloons. One she ties on Mary's wrist and one she wants to tie on mine, but I want to hold it in my hands, so she lets me. We continue walking and suddenly, my balloon floats away. I yell something, and mom looks down at me and says, "Well, that's what happens when you don't let me tie the string to your wrist. Now, make a wish and let it fly away." I miss my balloon. Mary still has hers.

We walk through a large door and into a dark, dimly lit smoke filled room. Outside, before walking in, is see a flashing neon light. It is a pink flower and it looks like an orchid. The room is packed with people. There is a bar to the right. Dozens of small round tables with filled glasses on them fill the room and lots of people are sitting in chairs or standing. Dad is sitting in one of them. Mom takes us over to his table and I sit down. I look around, smelling the smoke, watching everyone drinking, laughing. I hear the chatter and take in the wonderment. I'm only five years old.

This was my first experience of life at night, and the excitement of it would last me a lifetime. The infectious and addictive sense of that night, sitting there in The Orchid Room with all those grownups and my mom and dad and Mary, had seeded itself; and, what I would later discover as Night Life, had taken hold and claimed my reserve through a laughter crazed and smoke filled room of a neon lit purply-pink orchid plant. The Orchid Room had changed my life forever.

Back in the United States after some 15 years of living overseas, I frequented many disco clubs and felt at home inhaling the stale smoke while sipping my glass of wine or two during the years of my youth. Later, I would take belly dance lessons in Sacramento and then begin performing on the small stages of local San Francisco belly dance night clubs on Broadway Street to the wee hours of the morning. There, the lingering cigarette smoke would hang in the air and filter through my costumes as I danced for the patrons. And, as I would dress for work the next day, I would walk out to the living room where I had left my costume just a few hours earlier, having departed the night club after an evening of dancing, and I would take in the aromas of the evening as that stale smoke and booze molecules escaped my costume drifting into the confines of my apartment. It was The Orchid Room all over again.

The Clean Air Act and the No Smoking laws put an end to smoke clouded night spots. And, although I know that second-hand smoke can also kill, I still miss the chatter and clatter of a hazy night club as people light cigarettes and let drift the lazy smoke into the room. It would fill my senses as it once did decades ago inside The Orchid Room.

Sometimes, when I get a little nostalgic, I'll wander upstairs to where my costumes are now stashed. I'll open the costume cases and bring these now old and worn costumes to my nose, and I will inhale deeply the still faint scent of stale smoke, and the excitement and magic of Night life will once again fill my senses.

And I'm the Orchid Room all over again.

Filing Frenzy

2012-10-16T15:10:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder about life? I do. Life is all about filing. Life is one huge filing cabinet with a system, and each drawer a chapter in the life's filing cabinet, and each file an incident or an experience of that life's file drawer. That particular filing system is call the brain.

And then there's everything else in life that gets filed away.

It goes without saying that all important papers get filed away, but what about garbage? That gets filed in the garbage bin, probably located under a sink or next to your filing cabinet or desk of drawers. And when that bin gets filled, all of that gets filed in the garbage bins outside for the city to pick up and file in their system. And I'll bet there are at least three color-coded files for that out in your garage -- compost, recycle, and all the rest -- mandated filing by the City.

Dirty clothes get filed in the clothes hamper which is filed somewhere in your home. When the clothes hamper gets filled up, the clothes get filed by color and type of fabric into a temporary file called the washing machine, which is most likely filed in the garage or laundry room. Mine is filed inside my kitchen.

So, after the clothes are all washed and dried, they all get filed back into their respective drawers and closets. The detergent gets filed back with the fabric softener and the anti-static sheets. And that process of filing waits to happen again.

And what about when you go down to get something to eat? Eggs, meat, vegetables, soft drinks, butter -- all filed in the refrigerator. And I'll bet each one has its respective shelf just like a filing cabinet -- butter is in its little compartment, eggs are in their egg compartment, the ice is in the freezer file as is the ice cream. And that refrigerator? Mine is filed in the kitchen near the stove, sink, and washing machine.

And after a hard days night, you'll do what I do -- file myself in my bathroom for a long hot shower. The soap I use is filed in the soap dish which is filed on a hanger over the shower head. The shampoo is filed in one corner of my bathroom, the wash cloth is filed on a hook next to my soap dish, and my razor is filed under the soap. Water spills out of its respective file, lands on me, washes off all of the crud that got filed on my skin, and then goes down the drain and gets filed somewhere in the City's water reclamation facility. The towel that I've filed over my curtain rod gets filed back once I use it. The moister left over on that towel evaporates and get filed back into the atmosphere. And after I brush my teeth, my toothbrush and toothpaste get filed back in a small cup that's filed in the corner of my bathroom sink.

My TV is filed on top of my dresser, my computer is filed on top of my desk, and my desk and dresser are filed in my one bedroom office apartment, which is filed in a building that is filed on Balboa Street which was filed a long time ago in San Francisco.

Trouble is, that on my desk where my computer is filed, lay bunches of papers that need to be filed in an actual filing cabinet! Imagine that! And all the VHS cassettes where my Egyptian movies are filed, need to be filed back in the book cases, which are filed in another room. I've called this my temporary file.

I'm currently filing my shoes in the middle of the floor where I removed them just minutes ago from having previously filed them on my feet, and I doubt I'll remove them from that temporary file. There are a couple of used plates and utensils where I had filed some milk and cereal in one of them, and some ground seasoned beef and baked fish in another -- now filed in my stomach, on my office desk, and if I don't file them in my temporary kitchen sink file, I'm apt to cover them up with more un-filed paper work.

God, I HATE filing!

Well, I guess I'll close now, and file this blog in my Pondering on a Thought blog file under the title, Filing Frenzy, and hope that it gets picked up and read by some of my followers, who, by the way, are filed in my Gmail email account and in my personal circles files in my Google+ file.

What haven't YOU filed today?

Surviving Concavity

2012-10-16T13:28:00.000-07:00

I hate rejection. It's painful. When I come face to face with rejection it jars me to the core. And if I'm not careful, I allow it to sink me into a deep depression -- but thankfully only for a day or so. Then I climb back out after a long thought process, and put my life back in perspective.

A little fresh air and sunshine don't hurt none neither.

I'm told that sharing rejection that leads to depression helps, so, here goes. I'm going to open my life up a little and share some of my most significant rejection moments that have lead to some of the worst depression moments in my life. Hey, the good thing is that I'm still here to talk about them.

My first rejection was the worst. I think we all experience this, don't we? I fell in love in the Seventh Grade with a dazzling gorgeous fellow named Jen. He was tall and beautiful, and he actually gave me some attention. Maybe that's why I fell in love. For the next two years I saw him hug and kiss a pretty young blonde, and every time I saw this, a dagar shot through my heart. It would be the first of many to come.

In high school, my heart went out to a young boy by the name of Chris. He was kind and gentle, and he was, at that time, going blind. But I loved him nonetheless. He was also the lead guitar in a band, and I spent many moments in the same garage with him and his fellow musicians. Those were lovely moments. A year later, he was the proud father of someone else's baby girl.

I left for Sacramento to start my life and, like a kid in a candy store, I fell in love a lot. Life was grand! But I ended up with a guy named John who, after three years, liked to use me as his personal punching bag. After the third time, I felt I had had had enough; and, quite frightened, I escaped to San Francisco to save my life, with a new job, and new everything. No ties. No friends. No connections. Everything ripped away.

I went to work with the USPS and fell in love with a gorgeous fellow there by the name of Chuck. We dated for about two years or so. We broke up over differences, and, though I tried desperately for a year to win him back, the young woman from the mail room soon appeared after that, parading herself on his elbow.

Each of those heartbreaks was painful, especially when the aftermath of them was flaunted right before my eyes, and things were ripped from my life. But I always pulled myself up and continued on.

During my time in the USPS, I was wrongly accused of dealing drugs by the Postal Inspection Service. I knew the people that were dealing the drugs; I was just not one of them. After the painful and arduous interrogations, I was able to clear my name but the gossip stories in that corporate world had already taken hold. Reluctantly, I quit the Postal Service.

During those interrogations, I met my husband, Gabe, and we were married in 1986. He owned a restaurant in San Francisco, and I went to work for him as a dancer and partner. I lived the artist dream. Ten years later, we were divorced because of his complaints that I had an inability to bear children. I already knew from my past I could have them. The hole that I was left in because of his reason for divorce was deep and dark, but I managed to crawl out of that one and get on with life.

I met my late partner, Hatem, during that bout of depression and with promises of fame and fortune, I latched on to his reigns. And, having bought the restaurant lease before my divorce, for the next two years I rode on a new high in a new restaurant and with a new future. Then, because of certain circumstances, the floor fell through, and I no longer had his support. That relationship snowballed downward and took with it all the connections to my biological family.

In that snowball, I was handed a lawsuit from my landlord who was doing his best to break my lease. I had put so much into my restaurant and now I was on the verge of loosing it. After a year of depositions and discoveries, I prevailed but at a large monetary cost, physical anguish, and lost sleep.

Then, the two young girls, "S" and "G" (names changed to protect the guilty), who were involved with the restaurant at the time of my partner's cancer diagnosis, saw an opportunity and climbed aboard that snowball ride, pilfering all my assets and bank account. In the interim, my partner passed away of a lung disease in 2008. When I emerged from that roller coaster ride, I had nothing but the clothes on my back, six lawsuits, and a restaurant in badly need of repair, marketing, and business, and an empty heavy heart.

Four years later, while going through my books, the discovery of $2.8 million of stolen and embezzled monies spiraled in my brain as I found out that these two girls, whom I had trusted with my heart and soul, had otherwise spent all of my savings and earnings on everything but what they were supposed to have spent them on. Because my partner was no longer around to state his case, all I was able to do was file a police report. There are now two dance studios and a house in their names in the East Bay as a result of that crime.

After that significantly depressing chapter of my life, out of which I was still climbing, a fellow -- at my request -- by the name of Max stepped in to help me recover from the loss, and acted as partner and supporter. A year later I discovered that he had double tipped all of my customers to the tune of around $5,000.

And then there was my Navy captain Marcus, a fellow I used to know in the Seventh Grade. I met up with him and I thought he was it. He promised me the world and for the next eight months I was on cloud nine. Then nothing. No word. No letter. No email. After about five months of wondering I did a search on the Internet. Yep. There it was in the local newspaper. Married about the same time he quit calling.

Depression paralyzes and obscures life. It holds one back from making timely and wise decisions. While I never in my life really had the support of my family, I never thought they would turn on me. I never thought my close and trusting love relationships would betray me as deeply as they have. I never thought I'd turn out to be a possible homeless person.

But here I am.

I have found out that family is the family you choose, not the family to which you are born. And the family you do choose in life can also betray you, but that's a chance one needs to take. I have found that no matter how depressing life can be that there is STILL life out there, and that all I need to do is to search and find it in the core of my soul. I have found out that no matter how many betrayals I have encountered, I will continue to trust, for without the ability to trust, there is no life. I just won't again trust the people who betrayed me.

I don't know why I leaned so hard against the very people who betrayed me. I believe it is because I failed to see the greatness in myself, and so I turned to those who I thought knew all the answers. Each time I was plummeted into oblivion, it was I who found the courage and the resources to climb back out.

Having survived these rejections and the accompanying bouts of depression has not been easy. It would have been easier to give up. To throw in the towel. But in not giving up or giving in is evidence of how great I am or can be.

I'm working toward that goal, now -- to be greater than I have ever been in the past. I'm in in command now. I'm at the wheel. And even though I still go through bouts of depression just thinking about what my life has been like and what I've been through and what I have lost, I know that I will be OK.

There are still many many years to come, and many many things to accomplish, despite any rejection that may come my way again. I still have my health (knock on wood.)

Like I said, I'm in command now.

Song Scape

2012-10-01T08:46:00.000-07:00

When I a little girl, my mother would always sing to us -- my sister and I. One song in particular, she used to sing, was Sunbonnet Sue. My mother wasn't one with a singing voice, but when she sang that song, I felt warm and secure. At that very moment in my very young mind, I was the only one that mattered to her.

Sunbonnet Sue was written by songwriter Will D. Cobb back in 1906. A 1908 rendition by Harland is uploaded on Youtube.com. Listening to this recording brings back clear and beautiful memories of me standing next to my mother, combing her hair while she sang Sunbonnet Sue.

As I got older, I became ammusingly aware of the many songs that were written in honor of my name sake -- Sue, Susie, Suzy, Susan, Susanna, Suzanne. So I went on a search. Song writers, it seemed, were -- have been perpetually in love with some form of Susan since the mid 1800s.

In 1979, I walked into The Bagdad cabaret and nightclub, then on Broadway in San Francisco, and met with owner Jad Elias. A budding belly dancer with visions of grandeur and high expectations, I introduced myself to him. What quickly spilled out of his mouth left me standing in amazement.

I danced at The Bagdad for the next three years and feasted on the sweet lyrics of many an Arabic song, and one American one in particular. This highly respected Arabic musician often honored me from time to time, sometime on stage, with If You Knew Susie Like I Know Susie.

While, I'm sure this is not a complete list (and it is a work in progress primarily for my own knowledge), and while some of these songs have been re-recorded by different artists, this is what I found:

1848: Oh Susanna by Stephen Foster

1925: Oh Susanna by Arthur Fields
1925: If You Knew Susie Like I Know Susie sung by Eddie Cantor
1928: Sweet Sue, Just You by Victor Young and Will Harris, sung by Bing Crosby

1945: Souix City Sue by Geme Autry

1957: Susie Q by Dale Hawkins
1957: Wake Up Little Susie by Everly Brothers
1957: Peggy Sue by Buddy Holly
1958: Little Suzie by the Blues Musician Ray Bryant
1958: Susie Darlin' by Robin Luke
1959: Suzy Baby by Bobby Vee
1959: That's My Little Susie by Ritchie Valens

1961: Runaround Sue by Dion and the Belmonts
1962: Susie Darlin' by Tommy Roe
1963: Sue's Gotta Be Mine by Del Shannon
1963: Tra La La La Suzy by Dean & Jean
1967: Susannah's Still Alive by Dave Davies
1967: Suzanne On A Sunday Morning by Ricky Nelson
1967: Susan by The Buckinghams
1968: Suzanne by Leonard Cohen
1968: Suzie Q by Creedence Clearwater Revivial
1969: Hello Suzie by Amen Corner
1969: Sorry Suzanne by The Hollies
1969: A Boy Named Sue by Johnny Cash

1970: Wake Up Little Susie by Marty Wilde
1971: Susan Van Heusen by Gilbert O'Sullivan
1972: Suzanne Beware Of The Devil by Dandy Livingstone
1976: Susan by The Spinners
1977: Wake Up Little Suzy by Mike Berry

1981: Runaround Sue by Brittish pop group, Racey
1981: Wake Up Little Susie by Simon and Garfunkel
1984: Susanna by Art Company

1997: Susan's House by The Eels

Susan Song by songwriter Tom Glazer
Susan's Song by Al Jarreau
Susan HimmelblÃ¥ by Kim Larsen

19XX: Oh Sweet Susannah by Mooney Suzuki
19XX: Susan by Aimee Mann
19XX: Susie Q Sailaway by Self
19XX: Suzy Lee by The White Stripes
XXXX: Susanville by The Vandals

Paper Chase

2012-08-29T12:02:00.000-07:00

Every Friday, I wake up, get out of bed, and have my two and a half cups of coffee. And every Friday, I hop into my car and go shopping. I own a restaurant and Friday is restaurant-shopping day.

My first stop is at Costco. After stuffing my shopping cart with the items I need, referring to a piece of paper with a list of these items including coffee, I go through checkout. Since I own my own business, I am presented a piece of paper that I sign so that I don't have to give the tax man extra pieces of paper. I'm then presented with another piece of paper that tells me I need to give the checker my piece of paper with my signature on it promising that I can afford to take home all of these items and that Costco will eventually get enough pieces of paper to cover the worth of these items; which, by the way, seem to be worth more today than they were worth last Friday. We exchange pieces of paper and I walk out with my items, but not until the door guard puts his/her mark on the piece of paper I was handed by the checker. Now I have a piece of paper with a pink squiggle on it or blue or green, which I stuff into my back pocket.

My next stop is a grocery store in South San Francisco called Manila Oriental Market. Now, this is where it gets interesting. After loading up my cart with more items from the same piece of paper I took with me to Costco listing my items, I go through checkout. Manila Oriental Market has an incentive for shoppers to buy more than they probably need. For every ten dollars worth of non-sale items, they will give you a one dollar paper coupon good at their on-site deli. So, as I go through checkout, I get a piece of paper that tells me how many pieces of paper I need to give them for the piece of paper they just gave me. As we exchange pieces of paper, I take my piece of paper and direct my shopping cart toward the customer counter checker. She will give me one piece of paper for every ten pieces of paper I just gave to the first checker, good at their deli.

As I hand over my piece of paper to the customer counter checker, she checks off my sale items, takes the difference of that sum from the total sum and gives me back several pieces of paper in exchange for having shopped at that store, good at their deli. I then give her two more pieces of paper and ask her to give me two lottery tickets. So, in exchange for my two pieces of paper, she gives me two pieces of paper which could -- or could not -- potentially land me a million or more pieces of paper. I then step aside and take my one-week old pieces of paper, purchased the Friday before, and scan them for potential millions of pieces of paper. I know it's a futile activity because more often than not, those two pieces of paper will end up in the round file with all the other pieces of paper.

I ditch last Friday's pieces of paper, take my five or more other pieces of paper and head for the deli. I then file my two new pieces of paper good until next Friday in my purse, and stuff the marked up checkout piece of paper in my back pocket along with the piece of paper I got from Costco with the door guard's color-of-the-day mark.

As I walk out of the market with a bag full of Chinese food which I got from the pieces of paper that the checkout person gave to me after handing her the initial checkout piece of paper, I head for my car, and I ponder this thought....

The world really does run on agreement. Money, in and of itself, has no value. Paper coupons, in and of themselves, have no value. Lotto tickets, in and of themselves have no value. They are just stupid pieces of paper. We only give them value as part of a global agreement. So much paper is exchanged under agreement.

I wish I had more pieces of paper hidden under my mattress or in my bank account. I know that these kinds of pieces of paper won't buy me love, but they will buy me peace. And heaven only knows how much peace I wish I had now. In fact, the whole world is in much need of peace.

But here's the flip side......

Friendship and trust can "buy" peace just as pieces of paper can, but the cost is not measured in the worth of these pieces of paper, and the return of this investment is always priceless. Paper may or may not come into that equation, but just the word -- and not pieces of paper -- of one person can build or demolish a nation, a friendship, someone's trust. Too much emphasis is placed on worthless pieces of paper and not enough on the word of someone. Under today's global agreement, we have lost the human element of one's word and compassion, and have replaced it with pieces of paper -- pieces of paper, which many of us hoard under our mattress or in a bank because of the global thought that money can buy you anything.

As I walk out of Safeway -- my last stop, and head for my car, having just visited my bank and having just gotten a bunch of pieces of paper that will make my business transactions easier for the evening, I notice a single, solitary person in the midst of many. That person has a cup in front of himself. "Can you spare some change?" [Translation: Can you spare some of your pieces of paper? I need some and don't have any to visit the deli or throw into the round file.] My first inclination is to walk past that person. I see it happen every time. But, I think to myself; I have friends who have been there for me with pieces of paper when I didn't have any, and who have brought peace to my life with their word and their trust and their compassion, and who have not judged me or demanded anything in return for their pieces of paper. And because of them sometime before today, tonight I will have more pieces of paper by the end of the evening's business.

I reach inside my purse and I give this person some of my pieces of paper; in fact many of them. I have enough pieces of paper to keep me afloat -- under my mattress and in the bank. At least, for a small interim, I know I will have given this person some degree of peace. Maybe it will help him toward his next meal. Maybe it will buy him his next fifth of whiskey. Maybe it will get him his next fix and I may not see him tomorrow. But I don't know that. And I'm not going to judge his predicament. I will just know that I will have brought him some degree of peace.

And if we had more peace in this world, the world would be a better place.

CV/Resumé: SAUSAN

2010-04-20T22:55:00.000-07:00

4031 Balboa Street, San Francisco, CA 94121-2516

415-876-2300 • FAX 415-668-5229 • Voice 415-262-0175

December 28, 2016

CV OF SAUSAN

Sausan is the Master Teacher of the Sausan Academy of Egyptian Dance (SAED) (www.sausanacademy.com) since 2004, and Artistic Director and Choreographer of the Sausan Ensemble Egyptian Dance Company (SEEDC) since 2009. She is also the Owner and Chef of Al-Masri Egyptian Restaurant (AMER) (www.almasrisfca.com) since 1999 and has been selling baklava online since 2012 under the name Bitchin’ Baklava (www.bitchinbaklava.com). All companies/businesses are affiliated and are located and operate at 4031 Balboa Street in San Francisco, California.

A belly dancer since 1972 with prior study in Flamenco, Sevillanas, Thai Classical Dance, English Highland, and Scottish dance, Sausan has focused her dance studies on the dance of Egypt, its culture, cuisine, arts, and history. As a result she has worked closely with the Fine Arts Museum, the Ethnic Dance Festival, and the Natural World Museum in San Francisco, California; the International House and the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology at U. C. Berkeley, California; and Stanford University, Palo Alto California since 1999 in participating, producing, choreographing, and/or directing many of its events. A veteran of the United States Navy Reserves of 22 years, Sausan has danced all over the world on and off overseas military bases and has been awarded Letters of Appreciation for her goodwill entertainment to the deployed troops of the United States armed forces.

1999 - Present

ON-GOING AND SPECIAL SAED DANCE CLASSES

An all-inclusive, personally developed and academically outlined, non-conventional curriculum featuring a complete one-year study divided into four three-month semesters designed for beginner to advanced; since 2004. Classes include Dance Principles and Technique, Theory and Philosophy, Expression and Attitude, Music Interpretation and Application, Dance History and Culture, Celebration and Cuisine, Performance and Critique.

1. Primary Course - Upper Body Technique - Feminine Expression; Pain, Passion, & Joy Facial Expression

2. Secondary Course - Lower Body Technique - Masculine Expression; Achieving and Dancing with “Nephis”

3. Tertiary Course - Entities of Music and Expression - Dissecting and Deciphering music; Movement Expression

4. Applied Basic Principal Course - Study of one specific piece of classic performance music; Recital

5. Post Graduate/Continuing Education - Study of additional classic music and applied movement; Performance

SPECIAL COURSES

1. Must-Know Music For Dancing - Individual dance classes in the study of individual pieces of classic Egyptian music.

2. Crash Courses - 5-Hour Workshops in Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Courses.

3. Single Cane & Double Cane Technique - Offered periodically.

4. Intro to EDC® Free Courses - Offered periodically

5. Kick-Ass Hips-On Drum Solo 101 - Study of drum riffs and drum solos

6. Classic Music of Light Rain - Individual dance classes in the study of the music of Doug Adams and Light Rain

7. History and Art of Belly Dance - Offered periodically.

8. Graceful Arms ala Samia Gamal, Nagwa Fouad, and Suhair Zaki - Offered periodically

9. Sagat - Patterns in Music - 101 - Also known as finger cymbals or zills. Offered periodically

TRADEMARK REGISTRATIONS

Egyptian Dance Code® (EDC®) - August 11, 2009

Registration No. 3665396; Service Mark Principal Register; Serial No. 76692633, Filed 9-9-2008

IC 041. US 100 101 107. G & S: Educational services, namely, providing classes and workshops in the field of authentic

Egyptian style belly dancing technique and movement vocabulary.

FIRST USE: 20030924. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 20030924

MAJOR PERFORMANCE VENUES

1. Women of the Nile - Rosicrucian Museum, San Jose; June 20, 1999

Solo performance by SAED graduate, Samar Nassar; Choreography inspired by Sausan

2. Eternal Egypt Exhibit - Gould Theatre at the Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco; May 1, 2001

Solo performance by SAED graduate, Samar Nassar; Choreography inspired and produced by Sausan

3. Eternal Egypt Exhibit - Gould Theater, Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco; October 2002

Cuisine Lecture by Sausan, Al-Masri Egyptian Restaurant on Egyptian Cuisine; Materials provided by Sausan

4. Eternal Egypt Exhibit - Tented Courtyard, Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco; October 2002

Lelah Masriah (Egyptian Night)

Solo performance by SAED graduate, Samar Nassar; Choreography inspired by Sausan

Cuisine catered by Al-Masri; over 400 participated

5. Natural World Museum Opening Gala Celebration - The Presidio, San Francisco; October 1, 2004

Solo performance by SAED graduate, April “Amany” Espaniola; Choreography inspired by Sausan

6. Grand Opening of the de Young Museum - de Young Museum, San Francisco; October 15, 2005

Solo performance by SAED graduate, Samar Nassar; Choreography inspired by Sausan

7. Grand Opening of the de Young Museum - de Young Museum, San Francisco; October 21, 2005

Solo performance by SAED graduate, April “Amany” Espaniola; Choreography inspired by Sausan

8. Dancing on the Nile: A Story of the Raqs Sharki - Koret Auditorium, de Young Museum, San Francisco;

January 6, 2006,

Performances by graduates, Samar Nassar, Andrea Aranda, and Angela Caron of the SAED

Choreography inspired by Sausan; Produced by Sausan; Materials provided by Sausan

9. 2006 San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival V.I.P. Gala - Palace of the Fine Arts, San Francisco; June 1, 2006

Solo performance by SAED graduate, Samar Nassar; Choreography inspired by Sausan

10. Grand Opening of the King Tut Exhibit - Wilsey Court, de Young Museum, San Francisco; June 26, 2009

Performed by graduates of the SAED; Produced, directed, and choreographed by Sausan

11. Belly Dance Belt Workshop - Piazzoni Murals Room, de Young Museum, San Francisco; January 22, 2010

A costume workshop taught by Sausan; Materials and instruction provided by Sausan

12. Grand Finale of the King Tut Exhibit PRE-SHOW - Al-Masri Egyptian Restaurant, San Francisco; March 21, 2010

Afra Al Saeed (Weddings of the South); An Egyptian inspired Operetta

Performed by the Sausan Ensemble Egyptian Dance Company; Produced, directed, and choreographed by Sausan

13. Grand Finale of the King Tut Exhibit - Wilsey Court, de Young Museum, San Francisco; March 26, 2010

Afra Al Saeed (Weddings of the South); An Egyptian inspired Operetta

Performed by the Sausan Ensemble Egyptian Dance Company;

Produced, directed, and choreographed by Sausan

14. SpringFest: Edith Coliver’s Festival of Cultures - Main Auditorium, International-House; U. C. Berkeley,

Berkeley; April 17, 2010; Performances by Sausan Ensemble Egyptian Dance Company;

choreographed by Sausan

15. The Conservator's Art: Preserving Egypt's Past; Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology, U. C. Berkeley,

Berkeley; April 29, 2010; Performances by Sausan Ensemble Egyptian Dance Company

16. Grand Finale of the King Tut Exhibit POST-SHOW - Al-Masri Egyptian Restaurant, San Francisco; May 23, 2010

Afra Al Saeed (Weddings of the South); An Egyptian inspired Operetta

Performed by the Sausan Ensemble Egyptian Dance Company

Produced, directed, and choreographed by Sausan

17. An Egyptian Performance - International House, U. C., Berkeley; February 3, 2011

Afra Al Saeed (Weddings of the South); An Egyptian inspired Operetta and Tribute to Egyptian Musicians

Performed by the Sausan Ensemble Egyptian Dance Company

Produced, directed, and choreographed by Sausan

18. SpringFest: Edith Coliver’s Festival of Cultures - Main Auditorium, International-House; U. C. Berkeley,

Berkeley; April 16, 2011; Performances by Sausan Ensemble Egyptian Dance Company;

choreographed by Sausan

19. First San Francisco Bay Area Belly Dancers Consortium -

Golden Gate Music Concourse (Bandshell), San Francisco; October 16, 2011

Performed by members of the Sausan Ensemble Egyptian Dance Company

(Valentina, Oksana, Nicole and Sausan); and invited local teachers of the San Francisco Bay Area

Produced, directed, and choreographed by Sausan

20. An Egyptian Performance - International House, U. C., Berkeley; February 2, 2012

Afra Al Saeed (Weddings of the South); An Egyptian inspired Operetta and A Celebration of Egypt

Performed by the Sausan Ensemble Egyptian Dance Company

Produced, directed, and choreographed by Sausan

21. SpringFest: Edith Coliver’s Festival of Cultures - Main Auditorium, International-House; U. C. Berkeley,

Berkeley; April 21, 2012; Performances by Sausan Ensemble Egyptian Dance Company

Performances choreographed by Sausan

22. San Francisco Free Folk Festival

Presidio Middle School, Faith Petric State Auditorium, San Francisco, California June 10, 2012

21. SpringFest: Edith Coliver’s Festival of Cultures - Main Auditorium, International-House; U. C. Berkeley,

Berkeley; April 20, 2013; Performances by Sausan Ensemble Egyptian Dance Company

Performances by Sausan Ensemble Egyptian Dance Company

22. SpringFest: Edith Coliver’s Festival of Cultures - Main Auditorium, International-House; U. C. Berkeley,

Berkeley; April 12, 2014; Performances by Sausan Ensemble Egyptian Dance Company

Performances by Sausan Ensemble Egyptian Dance Company

23. Inner Sanctum Symposium on Infinite Possibilities - Isis Oasis Temple, Geyserville, CA, August 23, 2014

LECTURES AND DEMONSTRATIONS

1. Hollywood on the Nile

Stanford University, Palo Alto, California; April 15, 2006

Demonstration by SAED graduates, Andrea Aranda and Jean “Samia” Shanahan

Catered by Al-Masri Egyptian Restaurant

2. Golden Drops of the Sun

Pigot Hall, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California; May 3, 2007

Sanford Performance Series

Demonstration by SAED graduate, Jhermanie “Aswan” Woods

3. An Evening with Egyptian Director: Marwan Hamed

Building 300, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California; May 7, 2007

The Yacoubian Building with Yousra

Catered by Al-Masri Egyptian Restaurant

4. A Gathering for Belly Dance Fun and Education

Al-Masri Egyptian Restaurant, San Francisco, California; November 2, 2008

Hosted by Bay Area Simmons Alumni Community

Demonstration by SAED graduate, Mary “Fayruz” Brodie; Catered by Al-Masri Egyptian Restaurant

5. A Gathering for Belly Dance Fun and Education Lecture Luncheon

Al-Masri Restaurant, San Francisco, California; January 11, 2009

Hosted by LaMonica from Meetup.com

Demonstration by SAED graduate, Mary “Fayruz” Brodie; Catered by Al-Masri Egyptian Restaurant

6. Ritual Dinner - International House

U. C. Berkeley, Berkeley, California; October 26, 2009

Demonstration by SAED graduate, Mary “Fayruz” Brodie; Catered by Al-Masri Egyptian Restaurant

7. Golden Age of Egypt

Contra Costa County College, San Pablo, California; April 20, 2010

Hosted by Asata, Belly Dance Instructor and graduate of the SAED

8. American Research Center in Egypt

Phoebe A. Hearst Museum Reception, U. C. Berkeley, Berkeley, California; April 23, 2010

Demonstrations by SAED graduates, Mary “Fayruz” Brodie and Melinda Herrartes

9. SF Gate and San Francisco Chronicle

San Francisco, California; August 15, 2010

Interview by Mike Kepka of SAED graduate, Mary “Fayruz” Brodie; Al-Masri Restaurant

(www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2010/08/15/cityexposed.DTL)

10. Golden Age of Egypt

Contra Costa County College, San Pablo, California; November 9, 2010

Hosted by Asata, Belly Dance Instructor and graduate of the SAED

11. Golden Age of Egypt

Contra Costa County College, San Pablo, California; May 20, 2011

Hosted by Asata, Belly Dance Instructor and graduate of the SAED

12. RAQS EGYPT, The History and Future of Dance in Egypt, and its practice and Performance in the USA,

Panel Discussion: The Americanization of Egyptian Dance; San Francisco, California; November 6, 2011

Hosted by Karim Nagi, Egyptian Raqs Sharqi Dance master

13. San Francisco Free Folk Festival

Presidio Middle School, Dance 2 North Gym, San Francisco, California June 10, 2012

14. Egyptian Night - International House

Food/Menu Consultation and Egyptian Dance Entertainment, at International House, U.C. Berkeley;

April 10, 2013

14. San Francisco Free Folk Festival

Presidio Middle School, Dance 2 North Gym, San Francisco, California June 8, 2013

15. Inner Sanctum Symposium on Infinite Possibilities - Isis Oasis Temple, Geyserville, CA, August 24, 2014

16. The History and Art of Bellydance

San Francisco Public Libraries - Middle Eastern Awareness Month

West Portal Branch - September 10, 2016; Alonna Haulcy performing

Richmond Branch - September 17, 2016; Chloe Shively performing

17. Belly Dance Class and Demonstration

San Francisco Public Libraries; Mission Bay Branch Tenth Anniversary - October 29, 2016 (UPCOMING)

TEACHER SPONSORED CLASSES, WORKSHOPS, AND SEMINARS

1. Jodette of Sacramento (Sacramento, California)

• May 14, 2005 - Workshop; Original Choreography to Ali Loz

• May 2006 - Workshop; Original Choreography to Taht El Shibek

• May 2007 - Workshop; Original Choreography to Tales of the Sahara (Jalilah 6)

• June 29, 2008 - Workshop; Original Choreography to Seit El Houssen (Suhaila 3)

• January 14, 2009 - Workshop; Original Choreography to Amany Fe Al Sharq

• May 15, 2011 - Workshop; Original Choreography to Lissa Fakir

2. Jaleh Bellydancer Extraodinaire! (Seattle, Washington)

• October 15, 2005 - Workshop; Intro to EDC®

• October 16, 2005 - Workshop; Original Choreography to Seit El Houssen (Suhaila 3)

• June 10, 2006 - Workshop; EDC® Basics

• June 11, 2006 - Workshop; Drum Solo Technique using EDC® Basics

3. Shayna (Hayward, California) - January 3, 2006 – Workshop; EDC® Overview

4. Asata (Berkeley, California) - October 7, 2006 – Workshop; EDC® Overview and Arabian Nights Show

5. Yasameena of Kismet 27th Annual Belly Dance Festival (Salt Lake City, Utah)

August 18, 2007 – Workshop; Introduction to EDC®

6. Malia of Hawaii (Oahu, Hawaii)

• November 14, 2009 - Workshop; EDC® Overview

• November 15, 2009 - Workshop; Original Choreography to Layali Zaman with cane

7. Elana Quihuis (Santa Rosa, California) - November 13, 2010 - Workshop; Introduction to EDC®

8. Las Vegas Bellydance Intensive (Las Vegas, Nevada)

• September 6, 2014 - Workshop; Dissecting Classic Egyptian Music for Dancing

(performance added September 5, 2014)

• September 2, 2016 - Workshop; Graceful Arms (Festival was cancelled prior to completion of workshop)

9. ComicCon, Marriott Marquis, San Francisco, California

• September 3, 3016 - Class in Belly Dance

10. Shimmyathon (White River Junction, Vermont) (UPCOMING)

• April 15, 2017 - Workshop; Graceful Arms A La Samia Gamal, Nagwa Fouad, and Suhair Zaki

SAED SPONSORED WORKSHOPS AND SEMINARS - Sausan Teaching, San Francisco, California

7-Day Intensive Seminars (7-DIS)

1. January 2005 - 4-Day Intensive Seminar, Level 1 (pilot)

2. January 2006 - 7-Day Intensive Seminar, Level 1

3. July 2007 - 7-Day Intensive Seminar, Level 1

4. March 2008 - 7-Day Intensive Seminar, Level 1

5. September 2008 - 7-Day Intensive Seminar, Level 1

6. September 2010 - 7-Day Intensive Seminar, Level 1

7. May 2011 - 7-Day Intensive Seminar, Level 1

8. September 2011 - 7-Day Intensive Seminar, Level 2

9. September 2012 - 7-Day Intensive Seminar, Level 1

10. May 2015 - 7-Day Intensive Seminar, Level 1

11. August 2015 - 7-Day Intensive Seminar, Level 2

3-Month Intensive Seminars (3-MIS)

1. January 2016 - 3-Month Intensive Seminar, Level 1

Workshops

1. 2003 - 2007 - Several Egyptian Dance Choreography Workshops

2. November 23, 2008 - Workshop; EDC® Finger Cymbals Technique

3. November 16, 2008 - Workshop; EDC® Overview

4. December 14, 2008 - Workshop; EDC® Overview

5. December 29, 2008 - Workshop; EDC® Overview

6. April 5, 2009 - Double Workshop; Beginning Cane Technique (Cane L1); Continuing Cane Technique (Cane L2)

7. April 19, 2009 - Workshop; EDC® Finger Cymbals Technique

8. November 6, 2010 - Workshop; Intro to EDC®

MEDIA PRODUCTION - Research, author, compilation, design, production, ad sales, and distribution

1. Costuming Made Easy - Costume instruction booklet; Circulation: 2500; Greater Bay Area; 1986 - 1999

2. Mohamed Ali Street Corner - Free Quarterly Newsletter; Circulation: 2500; Greater Bay Area; 1986 - 2001

3. Sausan Resource Directory Guide - Free Annual Magazine; Circulation: 12,000; Worldwide; 1993 – 1997

4. Dancing In Egyptian Film - DVDs of Egypt’s Golden Age Dancers; currently 28 individual DVDs; 2003 - present

5. Primary Course Material - DVD and Booklet accompaniment to the Primary Class; 2005 - present

6. Secondary Course Material - DVD and Booklet accompaniment to the Secondary Class; 2005 - present

7. Playing Finger Cymbals with the EDC® - CD and Diagram of Cymbal Patterns; 2005 - present

ARTICLES - (Authored) - Gildedserpent.com

1. Dancing in North Beach - July 17, 2004;

(www.gildedserpent.com/articles25/sausannorthbeach.htm)

2. The BDSS Experience and Miles Copeland; Doing What He Does Best - March 3, 2005;

(www.gildedserpent.com/art30/sausantalkmiles.htm)

3. Nakish- An inteview with "The Lady with the Eyes" - March 8, 2007;

(www.gildedserpent.com/art39/SausanNakishInterview.htm)

4. Who Really Gave Us This Dance? - January 18, 2007;

(www.gildedserpent.com/art39/SausanEgyptgavedance.htm)

5. Taheyia Karioka, Queen of Oriental Cabaret Dance - April, 14, 2008;

(www.gildedserpent.com/art43/sausanTK.htm)

6. The Egyptian Dance Code: Technique to the Perfect Dance - June 3, 2008;

(www.gildedserpent.com/art44/sausanedc.htm)

7. Jodette: Undeniably Authentic - July 12, 2008;

(www.gildedserpent.com/art44/sausanjodette.htm)

8. The Magic of The Grapeleaf - March 29, 2011;

(www.gildedserpent.com/cms/2011/03/29/sausan-grapeleaf-restaruant/#axzz1I0flXC3E)

9. The Ballet-ification of Belly Dance - November 1, 2011;

www.gildedserpent.com/cms/2011/11/01/sausan-ballet-ification-belly-dance/#axzz1teQhY5zx)

10. Egypt’s Golden Age; A Timeline & Synopsis - December 9, 2011;

(www.gildedserpent.com/cms/2011/12/11/sausan-egypts-golden-age/#axzz1teQhY5zx)

11. Nightclub and Restaurant Gigs, Paid Auditions or Justified Entitlement - January 12, 2012

(www.gildedserpent.com/cms/2012/01/12/sausan-restaurant-gigs/#axzz1teQhY5zx)

ARTICLES - (Authored) - various dotcom e-zines

1. Authtentic Egyptian Dance, and the “It” of It.

Identifying what makes Egyptian Dancers look Egyptian and why Western dancers look Western

(www.ishimmy.com/Columns/Featured_Articles/Authentic_Egyptian_Dance_and_the_It_of_It/)

A feature article in iShimmy.com, January 9, 2012

ARTICLES - (non-Authored)

1. Sausan’s Saga at the Grapeleaf Restaurant

A review of the old and new restaurant in Gilded Serpent, November 12, 1999 by Dhyanis

(www.gildedserpent.com/articles5/sausanbydhy.htm)

2. Sausan’s First Egyptian Dance Seminar

A review of the Egyptian Dance Code® seminar in Gilded Serpent, August 16, 2005 by Melinda Herrarte

(www.gildedserpent.com/art32/melindasausanworkshop.htm),

3. SAUSAN - Honorary MEDLS Member of the Month - Academia

An interview in Middle Eastern Dance Leaders Society (MEDLS), July 2008 by Amara Al Amir

(www.amaraalamir.com/amara/MEDLS/sausan.htm)

4. Annual Belly Dancers in Paradise Dinner Show/Workshops,Waikiki, Hawaii

A review of EDC® workshops in iShimmy.com, November 21, 2009 by Nizana

(www.ishimmy.com/Columns/Reviews/Show_Review__Belly_Dancers_in_Paradise_Show_and_WS_in_Waikiki/)

5. Dancing Like An Egyptian

A feature article in Yallah Magazine, Winter 2011 by Ivana Lodovici

(Yallahmagazine.com)

6. Falafel: Bay Area Fills Void for Filling Street Food

A feature article in SFGate.com and San Francisco Chronicle on Al-Masri falafel,

March 6, 2011 by Amanda Gold, Chronicle Staff Writer

(www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/03/04/FD4M1HHHV6.DTL#ixzz1teaj6SHQ)

7. Sausan Molthen

A feature article in SFGate.com and San Francisco Chronicle,

September 15, 2011 by Lisa Wallace, Chronicle Staff Writer

(www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/09/15/DDL51KKTU5.DTL)

8. Sausan

A feature article in Zaghareet!, (Front Cover)

January/February 2013 by Anna Maria Cancelli

9. Sausan

A feature article in The Belly Dance Chronicles, (Front Cover)

January/February 2014 by Ma*Shuqa Mira Murjan

10. Restaurateur, dancer teaches others how to move like an Egyptian

A feature article in SFGate.com
September 5, 2016 by Kat Duncan, Picture and Video Editor

(http://www.sfchronicle.com/thetake/article/Restaurateur-dancer-teaches-others-how-to-move-9191969.php)

11. Egyptian Dance Teacher Instills a Sense of Control

A feature article in SF Chronicles, Section C - Bay Area “Regulars”, front page

September 5, 2016 by Kat Duncan, Picture and Video Editor

RECORDED INTERVIEWS

1. InPower Coffee Break Podcast By InPower Coaching,

Women’s Empowerment through Belly Dance, Episode 5, July 4, 2016

(https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/inpower-coffee-break-podcast/id1114394896?mt=2)

2. Bell Ddance Geek Clubhouse by Nadira Jamal

Geek Out with Sausan - Egyptian Dance Code®, Episode 35, July 18, 2016

(http://www.bellydancegeek.com/2016/07/geek-out-with-sausan/#recording)

3. InPower Coffee Break Podcast By InPower Coaching,

Sausan shares insights for movement helping with confidence, Episode 5, September 29,

2016 (aired October 4, 3016

(http://inpowercoaching.com/october-4-sausan-self-esteem-movement/)

BENEFITS

1. Sausan’s Birthday Bash and Vintage Night, Al-Masri Egyptian Restaurant, San Francisco, California

Every August, 2010 - present

TELEVISION

1. Bay Area Egyptians Keep Close Eye on Uprising - KGO Channel 7 - February 2, 2011 by Tomas Roman

(abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/east_bay&id=7934360)

INTERNET

1. Sausan Academy of Egyptian Dance - January 2000

(www.sausanacademy.com)

2. Al-Masri Egyptian Restaurant - December 17, 1999

(www.almasrisfca.com)

3. Bitchin’ Baklava - November 2013

(www.bitchinbaklava.com)

4. Sausan Ensemble - An Egyptian Dance Company - June 26, 2009

(www.sausanensemble.com)

5. Chef Sausan - 2014

(www.chefsausan.com)

6. Raqs Al-Masriya - An Internet Belly Dance Challenge - December 2016

(www.raqsalmasriya.com)

ASSOCIATIONS AND MEMBERSHIPS

1. Middle Eastern Culture and Dance Association (MECDA) - San Francisco Bay Area, 2011 to present

(www.sfamecda.org)

2. Lebanese American Association (LAA) - San Francisco Bay Area, 2012 to present

(www.laa.org)

3. American Legion - San Francisco Bay Area, 2014 to present

4 . United Nations Association (UNA) - San Francisco Bay Area, 2013 to present

(http://www.una-sf.org)

5. Egyptian American Association (EAS) - San Francisco Bay Area, 2011 to present

(www.eascafe.org)

PERSONAL PERFORMANCES SINCE 1974

1. National: Alaska, Aleutian Islands, California, Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, New York,

Oregon, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin

2. International: Antarctica, Crete, Germany, Guam, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico,

New Zealand, Sicily, Spain, Tahiti, Thailand

3. Cruise Liners: Achille Lauro 1977; Holland America 1982; Princess Cruise Lines 1983

INSTRUCTORS SPONSORED

1. Mahmoud “Max” Hamoda - 2010

2. Mohamed Shahin - (www.mohamedshahin.net); February 18/19, 2012

FESTIVAL PERFORMANCES

1. Carnival of Stars International Belly Dance Festival, Richmond California

(www.carnivalofstars.com); 2008 - present

2. Desert Dance Festival, Milpitas and San Jose, California

(www.desertdancefestival.com); 2010 - 2016

3. Berkeley Yacht Club, Berkeley, California; 2006

ARTISTS’ PROMOTIONAL EVENTS HOSTED

1. Bay Area National Dance Week, San Francisco, California; 2007 - present; (www.bayareandw.org)

2. San Francisco Free Folk Festival, Presidio Middle School, San Francisco, California; 2012 - present;

(www.sffolkfest.org)

3. Teacher/Student Showcase Nights, Al-Masri Egyptian Restaurant, San Francisco, California;

2008 - present

• Amina and the Aswan Dancers - (www.aswandancers.org)

• Asia and Troupe Arabesque - (www.arabesquebellydance.com)

• Delphine Scott - (www.emeraldfest.com)

• Dhyanis - (www.dhyanis.com)

• Jizan

• Ma*Shuqa Mira Murjan - (www.mashuqa.com)

• Malia DeFelice - (www.bellydancer.net)

• MECDA Spring Dancers’ Night - (www.sfbmecda.org)

• Nanna Candelaria - (www.bellydancingbynanna.net)

• Nayia and Numa’ir - (www.naiyaraks.com)

• Sharifa and Troupe Tangiers - (www.sharifaandpaul.com)

• Stasha - (www.stashamania.com)

• Suhaila Salimpour - (www.suhailainternational.com)

• Talia and Dansoleil Belly Dance - (www.dansoleil.com)

• Tatseena - (www.tatseena.com)

• Tina “Taheya” Turnini

• Yolanda - (www.yolandabellydance.com)

4. Special Headliner Performance Showcases Al-Masri Egyptian Restaurant, San Francisco, California;

2008 - present

• Adriana - (www.adrianabellydance.com)

• Ali Thabit - (www.earth-goddess.com)

• Amina Goodyear - (www.aswandancers.org)

• Andrea - (www.andrearaks.com)

• Dangerous Beauties - (www.dangerousbeautiesbellydance.com)

• Dr. Samy Farag - (www.samyfaragmd.com)

• Leila Farid of Cairo - (www.leilainegypt.com)

• Malia Delapenia - (www.maliainhawaii.com)

• Mary “Fayruz” Brodie - (www.fayruzsf.com)

• Melinda - (www.bellydancebymelinda.com)

• Sahra Saeeda - (www.sahrasaeeda.com)

• Tonya and Atlantis - (www.BDUC.com)

• Three Sisters Dance - (www.threesistersdance.com)

• Valentina - (www.valentina.com)

5. SAED Quarterly Graduate Debut Recitals, Al-Masri Egyptian Restaurant, San Francisco, California;

2004 - present

ARTISTS’ PROMOTIONAL/ADMINISTRATIVE CLASSES

1. Boot Camp for Artists - CouterPULSE, 2012 by Jessica Robinson Love

(counterpulse.org/programs/boot-camp-for-artists/)

FISCAL SPONSORSHIP

1. Dancer’s Group - (dancersgroup.org/); member since 2010 - 2015

HOSTED MUSICIANS

SABABA - Musa Hanhan and musicians

ARABIAN PASSION - Nazir Latouf, Imed “Ed” Mizyed, George Dabaie,

PASHA BAND - Amina Goodyear, Susu Pampanin, Husain Resan, Jalal Takesh, Younis Makboul, Dr. Nazih

JAZAYER - Mimi Spencer, Devija, Vince Delgado, Mary Ellen Donald

AL-MASRI PASSION - Nazir Latouf, Reda Darwish, Khader “Ken” Keileh, Imed “Ed” Mizyed

LIGHT RAIN - DeAnn & Doug Adamz and musicians

CARAVAN BAND - Amina Goodyear, Susu Pampanin, Younis Makboul, Jelal Takesh, Dr. Nazih

TAHNEEN - Linda Grondahl, Husain Resan, Marty Coyne, Liz Stuart, Mike Fair

AL-AZIFOON - Yosifa Rose, Nathan Craver, Mark Bell, Ling Shien

AL-MASRI PASSION - Nazir Latouf, Reda Darwish, Khader Keil

MID-EAST TAPESTRY TRO - Vince Delgado, Coralie Russo, Tom Shrader

CORAL ROSE - Coralie Russo and Company

PANGIA - Pat Olson and Company

Mohamed Ameen

Jad Elias

CONSULTATION

1. Re-Orient, War and Peace - Hafiz Karmali, Director; Golden Thread Productions - October 24, 2012

SPECIAL GUEST PERFORMANCES BY SAUSAN

1. San Francisco Belly Dance Intensive - Sumaia and Karen Iliana, Directors/Producers;

Marrakesch Restaurant, San Francisco, October 26, 2016

-----------------------------------------------------------------

BELLY DANCE RESUME

Pre 1999

MUSICIANS SPONSORED

1. John and Helen Bilezekjian - (www.pinkgypsy.com/bilezikjian.htm)

The Grapeleaf Restaurant, San Francisco, California

Petra Restaurant, San Bruno, California;

INSTRUCTORS SPONSORED

1. Amaya and Bert Baladine -

(www.wisewomandancer.com/index.php?pag=cms&id=181&p=bert-balladine-tribute.html); 1995

2. Amaya - (www.wisewomandancer.com); 1994

3. Ibrahim “Bobby” Farrah - (www.ibrahimfarrah.com); 1993

4. Rhea of Greece - (www.daughtersofrhea.com); 1992

5. Shareen El Safy - (www.shareenwlsafy.com); (three times); 1991

6. Tonya and Atlantis - (www.tonya-and-atlantis.com); (two times); 1990

7. DeAnn Adams - Light Rain; 1989

8. Sahra Saeeda - (www.sahrasaeeda.com); (two times); 1988

9. Alexandra King - (www.alexandraking.com); 1987

10. Giselle - 1986

11. Rita “Rebaba” Alderucci - Hahbi’Ru; 1985

12. Ma*Shuqa Mira Murjan - (www.mashuqa.com); 1984

OTHER CLASSES TAUGHT

1. Burlingame Recreational Department Belly Dance Class - Burlingame, California - 1988/89

2. Leah of Belly Dance! substitute teacher - Walnut Creek, California - 1990 (www.bellydc.com)

TELEVISION

1. One Thousand and One Nights with BatSheva - 1988

FESTIVAL PERFORMANCES

1. Milbrea Fine Wine and Arts Festival, 1977 - 1984; Millbrea, California

2. Rakkasah International Belly Dance Festival, 1980 - 1988; Oakland & Richmond, California

3. San Bruno Street Festival, 1983 - 1988; San Bruno, California

4. Fantasia Belly Dance Festival, 1983; Seattle, Washington

5. Desert Dance Festival, 1983 - 1995; Milpitas and San Jose, California

6. Summer Caravan, 1987; Pleasant Hill, California

7. Zucchini Festival, 1988; Hayward, California

8. Belly Dancer of the World Competition, 1989 - 1990; San Francisco, California

9. Belly Dancer of the Universe Competition, 1995; Los Angeles, California

BENEFITS

1. Aids Benefit for Kamaal and Vince, Lyon’s Club, 1989; San Francisco, California ($4000+ raised)

BELLY DANCE CLASSES TAKEN FROM

1. 1974 - 1977 - Jodette’s Belly Dance Academy, (www.jodettes.com), Sacramento, California

2. 1977 - 1979 - Farida Karoon, Palo Alto, California

3. 1979 - 1984 - Nakish, San Francisco, California

BELLY DANCE ONE-DAY WORKSHOPS TAKEN FROM

1. 1981 - Yousry Sharif - www.yousrysharif.net

2. 1982 - Mahmoud Reda - www.faridafahmy.com

3. 1983 - Raqia Hassan - www.raqiahassan.net

4. 1985 - Dahlena - www.dahlena.com

PERFORMANCE VENUES

1. 1975 - 1977 - Green Acres, (Bar/Nightclub) Lodi, California

2. 1975 - 1976 - Sacramento County Fair, Sacramento, California

3. 1979 - 1980 - The Bagdad, (Nightclub) San Francisco, California

4. 1979 Casbah, (Nightclub) San Francisco, California (guest performances)

5. 1980 - 1982 - Greek Taverna, (Greek Restaurant) San Francisco, California

6. 1980 - 1982 - Athena Taverna, (Arabic Restaurant) Oakland, California

7. 1980 - 1982 - El Mansour, (Moroccan Restaurant) San Francisco, California

8. 1980 - 1982 - Marrakesch, (Moroccan Restaurant) San Francisco, California

9. 1980 - 1982 - Pasha Restaurant, (Moroccan Restaurant) San Francisco, California (guest performances)

10. 1980 - 1983 - Eastern Onion, (Singing Telegram Service) San Francisco, California (belly grams)

11. 1982 - 1984 - Casablanca, (Middle Eastern Restaurant) San Bruno, California

12. 1982 Santa Clara Annual County Fair, Santa Clara, California

13. 1982 Zorba’s, San Rafael, California

14. 1982 - 1999 - Grapeleaf Restaurant, (Lebanese Restaurant) San Francisco, California

15. 1983 Amira, (Middle Eastern Restaurant), San Francisco, California

16. 1984 - 1986 - Arabian Nights (Middle Eastern Restaurant), San Francisco, California

17. 1984 - 1985 - Kasbah Moroccan Restaurant, (Moroccan Restaurant) San Rafael, California

18. 1984 - 1990 - Petra Restaurant, (Lebanese/Palestinian Restaurant) San Bruno, California

19. 1988 Bimbos, (Nightclub), San Francisco, California

20. 1999 - Pres. - Al-Masri Egyptian Restaurant, (Egyptian restaurant) San Francisco, California

ARTICLES - Authored and non-Authored

1. The Caravan Magazine - 1982; Cover Dancer

2. Milbrea Sun - 1984

3. Sasebo, Japan, Base Newsletter - 1884

4. Zaghareet Magazine - 1985

5. Jareeda Magazine - 1987

6. Habibi Magazine - 1988

LETTERS OF APPRECIATION

1. From D. S. Albright, Jr., Rear Admiral, USNR-R, Treasure Island,

San Francisco, California, January 28, 1980

2. From Officer in Charge, Fleet Surveillance Support Command, Detachment 1, Amchitka Island,

Alaska, FPO Seattle, Washington, November 6, 1989

CD COVERS

1. Cocktail Bellydance with Sausan; 1993

(www.bellydance.org/shop/cocktail-belly-dance-with-sausan-p-25135.html)

2. Nazir Latouf LIVE; 2016 (music editing)