Helena Vlahos, the recipient of MECDA's 2011 Arizona Lifetime Achievement Award, shines brightly in the belly dance community, embodying her culture, elegance, and authenticity. Besides being a featured dancer in DVDs such as "American Belly Dance Legends" and "Dance Little Gypsy", she was also nominated for MECDA's Favorite Arizona Cabaret/Oriental Dancer 2011, and has served on the Executive Panel of Judges for Tonya & Atlantis'™' Belly Dancer of the Universe Competition every February in Long Beach, California, since 2005.
Born on the small island of Hydra (Ydra), Greece, surrounded by the expanse of the crystalline blue Aegean Sea and sky, Helena’s early life was coloured with the music, rhythm, and dance of her homeland. Though Greek music is a genre in itself, its proximity to the Middle East, along with its history, infuses it with Arabic and Turkish influences. As a result, young Helena was immersed in a kaleidoscopic soundscape filled with Middle Eastern melodies and rhythms.
At eight years old, Helena’s family migrated to the United States, arriving in New York City before settling in Los Angeles, California. Despite the significant change in geography, Helena never lost her passion for dance. The idea of dance as a viable profession, being deeply rooted in Greek culture, helped her family embrace her interest in dance as both natural and appropriate.
Helena took the first step in her journey when a distant relative, FoFo De Milo, A Greek-American dancer/entertainer and the first owner of the Greek Village Restaurant in Hollywood, saw her dancing at family functions and offered to mentor her. Heena’s time with FoFo taught her professionalism and creativity, which later took her to great heights.
In 1964, FoFo took her to the newly opened Athenian Restaurant in Los Angeles, where she was promptly encouraged to dance, which impressed the owner and led to an invitation for her to perform at the restaurant's Grand Opening. Her first performance earned great applause and solidified her confidence. The restaurant owner hooked her up with an improvised costume and christened her with the stage name “Zaida,” creating a new Star in Southern California that night.
A glimpse of Helena’s determination towards her profession showed when the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms received an anonymous tip that a sixteen-year-old girl was performing at the club. Despite being briefly detained, Helena was unfazed and returned to the stage after mere two weeks, a testament to both her resilience and the deep support of her family and mentors.
Even as a teenager, she looked mature enough to work the clubs, and as a natural-born night owl with an inborn affinity for the dance, Helena was set for success.
Over time, advice from her sister Maria and criticism from ‘old geezers’ at clubs helped her coordinate different parts of her body for an elevated performance. She overcame her pride and embraced the guidance that taught her how to use her hands effectively, much like Marliza. She did her acts in multiple well-known clubs and restaurants like The Fez, The Seventh Veil, Egyptian Gardens, and Greek Village, performing multiple nights a week.
Her time at Shakour’s Oasis was a turning point for her, as she enjoyed direct collaboration with musicians, notably Oud master Khamis El Fino Ali and vocalist Najib Khoury. They tailored their performances to match her movements. These experiences refined her intuitive musicality, which is an essential trait in the Raqs Sharqi tradition. In this form of dance, the rapport between the dancer and musicians shapes the narrative and emotional content of the performance.
Arguably, Helena Vlahos’ most iconic contribution to belly dance, her “Nine Quarters' act came to life when a patron tossed a bill onto her body, and Helena’s muscular control resulted in the bill flipping upward, sending the audience into a frenzy. Helena recognized the theatrical potential of her unique act and practiced by challenging herself. She started with bills, moved on to coins, and ultimately decided to use quarters as her coin of choice.
Her performance involved balancing nine quarters in a row on her stomach, then employing her abdominal muscles to flip each coin, sometimes in a sequence and other times in alternating patterns.
The difficulty of the act lay in the extraordinary abdominal isolation and muscular dexterity required. As Helena has often explained, mastering this move involves not only creating and manipulating multiple folds in her belly but also sequentially isolating different muscle groups to flip the coins in precise directions. The act is iconic not only because of its beauty but also because no one else has managed to replicate her nine-coin feat to date. Her performance, besides capturing the public's imagination, has earned her a mention in the Guinness Book of World Records for "Unique Abdominal Dexterity."
She showcased her talent on several television programs from the late 1970s through the 1980s, including "That’s Incredible!," "AM Los Angeles," "The Merv Griffin Show," "The Mike Douglas Show," and "Spectacular World of Guinness Records." These appearances not only introduced her specific skill to a wider audience but also played a significant role in popularizing belly dance as a respected performance art in the United States.
In many interviews, she has elaborated on the transformative power of dance in her life, describing it as a sanctuary of security and a source of control. Despite her introverted nature as a child and at school, the stage was her place where her shyness melted away. With the music and the spotlight, she was always confident. Each movement she executed was infused with passion and purpose, allowing her to express emotions that words could not capture. To her, dance was not merely a hobby but an intricate connection to her inner self. The experience made her feel vibrant and alive. Her profound connection to dance has established her reputation for her remarkable ability to "show her music" through movement.
It is crucial for a performer to not only master the art of performing but also to navigate challenging situations with a sense of humor. Helena shares numerous experiences where she learned to make light of herself in those moments. One such incident was her ‘Sultan Act’ (getting a man from the audience to join her onstage) at the Barefoot Bar of the Vacation Village Hotel at Mission Bay in San Diego. The performance ended in chaos when Helena playfully bumped into the man, and to her surprise, he bumped her back, sending her off balance. The stage was too small to accommodate both of them, and as Helena struggled to maintain her balance, she inadvertently grabbed the man's crotch, clinging to it for a considerable amount of time. While the moment was entertaining for the audience, it was quite mortifying for her. She learned not only to be open to the gifts of well-intended criticism but also to be capable of laughing at herself.
Helena’s dance has taken her from L.A. to Hollywood, traveling up and down the California coast, as well as in Houston and Austin, Texas. She has also performed in locations across Ohio and Georgia, and even in Hong Kong. While Helena's dance journey has taken her to many wonderful places, the American West remains her favorite region.
Now, after over thirty-six years in the dance and having been witness to the slow but steady exit of one good club after another, Helena moved back to Los Angeles in the fall of 2011, where she teaches and performs when not traveling for master workshops. Helena’s teaching style is widely regarded as both nurturing and rigorous. She coaches dancers to honor the traditional forms and improvisational nature of Raqs.
Sharqi, while fostering each dancer’s personal expression and innovation. She is regarded as generous and insightful. Over the years, Helena has mentored dancers who have gone on to win titles in competitions, including the BDUC, often thanking her for launching their art.
Helena comments that with the disappearance of good places for dancers to perform, the spirit of dance is carried by the dedication of the performers who work hard to keep it alive.
Helena has come a long way since being born in the spring of 1948 on an island off the northeast coast of the Greek Peloponnese. From her beginnings as “Shadia” or “Zaida,” she has evolved into a beautiful, mature woman with a dauntless spirit, grace, humor, and the polish that only life's experiences can provide.
Throughout her career, Helena has played a crucial role in defining the "golden age" aesthetic of American cabaret belly dance. She successfully transformed belly dance from a misunderstood novelty act or erotic entertainment performance into a celebrated art form worthy of the most prestigious stages.
Helena has introduced millions to the athleticism and artistry at the core of belly dance, helping people see it not just as a form of recreation but as a viable and respected profession.
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