Suhaila Salimpour Photo Gallery 1977-1990
Since I was born, I have been in the public eye and photographed.
As belly dance is a performing art, the visual is important. Therefore, my mother, Jamila Salimpour, was adamant that we needed a professional photoshoot every year. Accordingly, she wanted to have a professional and responsible representation of the dance.
Jamila sought out the best photographers she could find, looking for those with experience photographing dancers and actors. And the annual photoshoots were the only means we had of getting high-quality photographs.
My mother preferred using the Romaine Studio in San Francisco, which included talented photographers like Jitsuo Yamamura. She told me that they preferred working with dancers for the energy and body lines. The meeting of two creatives, the photographer and the dancer, resulted in magic.
This gallery of photographs from 1977 to 1990 represents a part of my belly dance career.But it also represents a specific time in photograph history.
Keep in mind that when I was growing up, we didn’t have cell phones. Digital cameras weren’t really available to most people until after 1990. Photoshop was developed around 1987.
Suhaila Salimpour
Click on a photo to see the caption including year and photographer information.
