Serena Wilson, often known just as "Serena", was a well-known dancer, choreographer, and teacher who helped popularize belly dance in the United States.
13 Facts About Serena Wilson
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Serena Wilson danced in clubs in her younger years, opened her own studio, hosted her own television show, founded her own dance troupe, and was the author of several books about belly dance.
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Serena Wilson was born Serene Blake in 1933 in New York's Bronx.
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Serena Wilson began studying with famed dancer Ruth St Denis, well known for her interpretations of Oriental and Oriental-style dance.
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In 1952, Serena married Alan Wilson, a musician, percussionist, and leader of a Dixieland band, a combination which complemented Serena's own background.
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In spite of the clash of styles, Rip quickly got hold of the music for popular Middle Eastern standards like Misirlou, and recruited his wife to dance, which Serena Wilson felt her studies with St Denis had prepared her for.
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Soon, Serena Wilson had become one of the most popular belly dancers in the city and even performed for various city officials.
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Serena Wilson began writing the first two of her books about belly dance, The Serena Wilson Technique of Belly Dancing and The Belly Dance Book.
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In spite of the bias in American popular culture against the Middle East, Serena Wilson continued to perform in a number of Egyptian folkloric shows and appeared several times as the lead dancer in the New York Opera Company's production of Aida.
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Serena Wilson continued teaching at her studio and choreographing for her troupe, Serena Dance Theater, which performed throughout New York City.
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Serena Wilson's studio provided dancers for hire, with dancers available for performances at traditional Middle Eastern weddings and other social events.
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In June 2007, Serena Wilson died suddenly of a pulmonary embolism.
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Serena Wilson had been scheduled to dance in Greenwich Village with her son's Middle Eastern band, Scott Wilson and Efendi, that very night.