by Natasha Khairullah
Staff Writer
Murray Hill residents will soon get a taste of India ... and China ... and Australia.
Samadhi, an alternative dance company and home of the Beledi House Cafe, opens the doors of its Edgewood Avenue location Saturday and promises international entertainment, cuisine and decor. According to its owners — Amy Tucker, Kelly Key and Leslie Faircloth — Samadhi’s goal is to provide women with an entire multicultural experience. From the food to the type of dance performed and studied, Samadhi’s promises a comfortable environment with an appreciation for diversity.
“We don’t want Samadhi to come across as a Thai place or a Chinese place,” said Tucker, “but more of an international destination.”
Samadhi is located in the heart of Murray Hill’s shopping plaza in the space that formerly housed Slacker’s Museum. Tucker, Key and Faircloth – all three of whom are professional belly dancers – met three years ago while performing with a local dance troupe and soon came up with the idea of opening up a dance studio.
“It was something we always wanted to do and we knew we wanted it to have a women- and family-oriented environment, but we had to find the right place,” said Key. “When we found this spot, we fell in love.”
Part of the building’s layout that attracted them so much, Key said, was its cafe-setup from when it was Slacker’s Museum.
“The art gallery/ice cream parlor had all the right hardware in place to make a cafe work,” she said. “The idea for a cafe wasn’t originally on the agenda, but we knew it would only help with the energy we’re trying to create.”
Though the cafe’s menu is still being developed, the owners say guests can expect a variety of international items like real Italian gelato, homemade Mexican salsa, a wide assortment of teas, coffees and Chai teas and flavored tobacco water hookas. Key said there is also talk of theme weeks during which various nation-specific dishes will be served.
“For example, my mother’s an Aussie and I was thinking of perhaps featuring an authentic Aussie dish that people may not be familiar with,” said Key. “One this week, another one the next.”
“We want people to be able to gather and socialize and enjoy waiting because they want a place to hang out and really immerse themselves in the culture we’re creating,” said Tucker.
Adjacent to the cafe is the dance studio where women and children can both come and take dance lessons in a number of dance forms including American Tribal-style belly dance, Cabaret, Urban Tribal belly dance, aerobic belly dance and Tai chi. For children, a special ballet and tribal belly dance class is offered.
“The children’s group is all little girls and their tummies are covered and it’s a very beautiful and fun way for them to express themselves,” said Key.
Samadhi’s objective for the dance classes is to empower women, said Tucker.
“We’re really about being female-focused and focusing on female empowerment,” she said, adding that in the past, belly dancing has been seen as only a way for women to lose weight or to provoke men.
“What we’re doing is affirming and inviting all body types to come do this dance form,” said Tucker. “This is not a sexual form and we’re not endorsing the perfect body image, but we want to get together for celebration. We want women to embrace themselves.”
Future plans for Samadhi include live music, catering for family-oriented events, children’s night on Wednesday and open-dance Friday nights where guests can come watch professional belly dancers and drummers.
“Ultimately, what we really envision is kind of a hodgepodge collection of different cultures and different music, different dance and different food — all in the hopes of achieving unity,” said Key. “At this time in our world, we need to bring as many people together as we can and not be so divided. That’s what Samadhi is trying to do.”