East Tennessee mom shakes things up at Cairo Cafe

On Friday and Saturday nights, an East Tennessee mom lights up the Arabian nights at Cairo Cafe, the Mirage on Gay Street.

A 34 year old from Cleveland, Tennessee, Arella went looking for an exercise video and found "Oriental dance," the correct name for what we call belly dancing.

Arella had always been a big fan of all kinds of dancing from ballet to clogging, but the belly dance video proved harder than it looked. She found a teacher in Chattanooga who showed her how it was done, and soon Arella was performing at Middle Eastern restaurants around the South and loving it.

The exhilaration for Arella starts with the first beat of the drum. She said, "It starts in the back of my neck, goes down my spine, and into my heart and then I just feel it."

Husband Rico Silvera never misses a performance. And though the traditional costumes are a little on the revealing side, he says it's all part of the art form. "There's no reason to get jealous. Obviously my wife is a beautiful woman, but she's also an artist," he said.

Arella performs at the Cairo Cafe, the Mirage on Gay Street every Friday and Saturday in November, except Thanksgiving weekend.

Arella teaches belly dancing in West Knoxville just off the Cedar Bluff exit. For details, you can give her a call at (423) 400-7046 or visit her online at www.myspace.com/bellydancerarella