Our story

Shimmy Shake began in 2007 as part of one of the shows of the LiteSide Festival (2006–2012), responding to the growing need for a platform for this emerging dance genre. From 2006 to 2012, the annual LiteSide Festival – Oriental Underground in Europe took place at various locations in Westergas Park, Amsterdam.

The festival was created by Gail Pilgrim as a response to increasing polarization toward migrant communities from the (Middle) East. LiteSide highlighted cultural exchange and artistic dialogue—look at the LiteSide!

In 2007, by organizing a local Fusion Bellydance competition, Pilgrim connected with Dutch dancers, aiming to place them on stage alongside international stars. This competition evolved into a national Talent Search, held in five cities.

In 2014, the organization moved to Rotterdam and began operating full-time as Shimmy Shake, organizing the Shimmy Shake International Festival (2014–2020), by then fully established as an independent organization. After 2014, the concept expanded into a year-round, multi-layered Dance Development program, including coaching, workshops, and masterclasses at all levels. A strong international program developed, and the results of all projects were showcased during the festival.

The Growth of the Activities

Shimmy Shake’s projects continued to grow and evolve. One example is the successful Talent Development program, which became a two-level experience.

In the first half of the year, a national Talent Search selected 12 dance acts for coaching. In the second half, Step Up followed: five acts were chosen from the first group and performed as the opening act for the professional show at the Shimmy Shake Festival.

In 2016, we launched the Talent Carnival—a joyful day in the garden and theatre of ’t Kapelletje in Rotterdam. The 12 coached dance acts performed both indoors and outdoors, alongside a market, open stage, free workshops, and a picnic.

We were also involved in international artistic exchanges, including a co-production with the Hannover Festival (2018), and organized Dancers Dealings, a professional development day focused on learning how to do business as a dancer.

Another successful project (2017–2020) was Golden Girls, created in collaboration with Combiwel Rotterdam. We offered Fusion Bellydance classes for women over 60. The participants grew so confident that they created their own dance act and performed during the Shimmy Shake Festival.

LiteSide Festival

LiteSide Festival was created to show how culture is enriched through immigration. The festival highlighted top contemporary artists with roots in Arabic, Turkish, and Iranian cultures—artists who blended multiple worlds to create work that was innovative, powerful, and appealing to a broad audience.

East met West, inspiring new perspectives and creative resources. In 2007, the emerging Western dance genre of Tribal Fusion Bellydance was introduced into the LiteSide program.

LiteSide was a multidisciplinary festival and helped launch the careers of many now well-known performers, writers, and artists. Projects included Words as Weapons (literature), Sacred Street Art (responsible open-air art projects), Hammam Stories (immersive theatre by migrant women, sharing life stories set in a hammam), and more.