Monday 29 October 2012

Flashmob!

I just realised that I didn't post about what an amazing success the Bellydance Flashmob was, back in July!

See for yourself! Thanks to Emma Chapman for filming and sharing this vid.


The Big Dance was a brilliant weekend in Edinburgh. There was dancing everywhere - although this was my favourite for sure! It was lunchtime on Sunday at the National Museum of Scotland, busy with families and tourists, and suddenly - there we were!

I'm the one in the blue trousers, by the way! I organised the event, and prepared the Egyptian and joint choreographies, which I taught to my student in class, and to anyone else who was interested via YouTube tutorials.

I feel so excited, privileged and lucky to have the chance to organise an event like this, and to have the chance to dance with so many great dancers. We have a great community here in Edinburgh, and it's great that Egyptian, Tribal and fusion dancers can work together to make something this good.

Monday 15 October 2012

November Fun

There are so many bellydance events coming up in Edinburgh next month!

On the evening of Sunday 4th November, the lovely Pheonyx Dance is organising her second Masquarade Hafla at the Church of the Good Shepherd at Roseburn. We are to wear a mask and dress up for this halfa, because after all, it is Halloween!

The cause for the Pheonyx Masquarade Hafla will be orphans in Scotland and abroad. Proceeds will go to charities supporting orphans, including SOS Children's Villages and Mary's Meals. Donations of raffle prizes are welcome.

Bring your own food and drinks for this one, and there is also space for souks. More details are from neimahsafi@hotmail.com
 
The following week it's time for the Pyramid Awards 2012 at the Minto Hotel in Newington. As far as I know the Pyramid Awards have been the only bellydance competition in Scotland, and this is the third time they've taken place. The competition starts the evening at 8pm on Saturday 10th November, with competitors being asked to improvise to music of the judge's choice. Those who progress to round 2 then get to perform their own piece. There will also be a "star studded show, with International performers, selected dancers from Edinburgh and surrounding areas", and an Arabic Disco till 1am. 
 
There are also workshops the following day. You will find more details on Fereshteh's website.

The next weekend is even busier. On Friday 16th November the lovely Sara Gollan is organising a hafla to raise money for Alzheimers Scotland, as she will be taking part in a firewalk for that charity! The venue is The Quay in Musselburgh, and tickets are £8. I'll be compering the evening so come and give me big supportive zhagreets from the audience. You can get in touch with me for more details or if you want to dance!

Then you have the Saturday night to recover before the Edinburgh Egyptian Dancers Hafla on Sunday 18th November at Revolution nightclub on Chambers Street. This is Edinburgh's longest running hafla and is always smashing and recommended. Tickets are usually £10 and available on the door.

If you've never been to a hafla before, it's essentially where bellydancers go to dance and watch other dancers perform. They range in formality and variety but we usually wear lovely things, make lots noise and get a good party atmosphere going! You don't have to dance if you don't want to - it's fine to watch - but if you're having fun then clapping and cheering are compulsory.
 
What you waiting for? Find something to wear, bring a friend and get ready to dance or cheer!

Saturday 29 September 2012

Shimmy in the City - competition report

I have competed, I have survived, and I'm going to tell you all about it.

The second Shimmy in the City bellydance festival was on 20-22 September 2012 in Croydon, London. I went last year and had a great time. This year, I took part in the competition as part of The Peacock Project, a six-dancer troupe from all over the UK (Edinburgh, London, Cambridge and Exeter). We were Caroline the Peacock, Emma the Peacock, Hannah the Peacock, Moyra the Peacock, Zafirah the Peacock, and me.

And yes, we know that Peacocks are really male, but Peachicks are babies and Peahens are dowdy, so we're happy to be female Peacocks!

Emma the Peacock has blogged about the Project before - her article  sums it up. We decided a year ago to compete this year, and started working on our choreography in early 2012. So, for about nine whole months, the Peacock Project has been a big part of my life. The Edinburgh girls have been practicing weekly for about the last four months. The six of us have got together for five full days of practice, including one day spent at The Big Dance, where we had our first performance.

At first I felt overawed to be part of the Project - four of the girls are experienced in  bellydance competitions, and they include my most favourite dancers I know! I didn't feel remotely confident about my dance abilities or my choreographing. I was really nervous when we got together for the first time. But as the months went on, our choreography took shape and I felt better and better - about my own contribution and about what we were creating. It was such a luxury. By being a Peacock, I got to know friends even better, learning about them by learning how they work. I got to work with and learn from some brilliant dancers whose work I really enjoy and respect. And I got to dance, dance, dance, and get to a place where I was being the very best dancer that I could be.

By the time the competition came round, I was really, really excited. I've been taking on board a lot of NLP thinking recently, and I've been a fan of Paul McKenna since I prepared to dance with the Baladi Blues Band in January. I know it improves my performance, makes me feel better about myself and helps combat my nerves. I felt really positive about the competition, and wasn't letting any negative thoughts get into my head.

For me, walking on the the dancefloor thinking "well, we probably won't win but..." would have made entering the competition pointless. As far as I was concerned, we'd already won, and this was effectively a pressure-free performance to be enjoyed! It worked for me, I didn't feel nervous and I danced to the very best of my ability. I suspect that I was getting on the nerves of some of the other Peacocks with my relentless positivity!

Our day started with make-up and general Peacock Preening at 9.30am, and I have no idea where the next four hours went - before I knew it, we were dancing for the judges in our gorgeous peacock costumes and a haze of glitter spray. The judges were Kazafy, Orit and Aziza - three brilliant dancers and teachers. Still, nobody was going to faze that day! There was a small audience - I'm sure almost all of them were there to cheer on particular dancers or troupes, but there was still a good response.

Last year there were plenty of UK entries in both the solo and group competitions, but this year I was surprised that we were the only group from the UK. Emma the Peacock also entered the soloist competition, and was the only UK dancer.

I don't have a photo of the Peacocks in our costumes to share, sadly - we were too busy thinking about the dance to have our picture taken.

When the competition was over, we went to the pub. It was so lovely to be with the Peacocks, enjoying a Friday afternoon beer and chatting. I still felt upbeat and positive about a job well done, and relentlessly happy!

The results were announced at the hafla in the evening, about ten hours after the competition. I was so tired by then, all I wanted to do was go to bed! So when we weren't the winners or the runners up, I was disappointed but my first thought was "okay, time to get some sleep!".

The next morning was different. I was crying into my breakfast. I was so very, very disappointed, and just wanted to be at home with my family instead of in a hotel in Croydon. I really, really wanted to win - why else would I have entered a competition? - so losing was really tough. My mum texted me with a message which was the closest thing to a hug I've ever had from a mobile phone - she said "what you're experiencing is a reaction to having given your all." Spot on - there is no shame in being disappointed when I haven't got what I wanted. I sat and read the sections about failure from one of my favourite books, Unlimited by Jillian Michaels. Although I still felt miserable, I was proud of how I felt.

And frankly, having 12.5 hours of dance workshops over the next two days was a pretty excellent way to take my mind off it!

A week later and I still don't feel that I'm back to myself yet. It was such an emotional experience, and I feel pretty washed out, like I'm not feeling everything properly. I'm better than I was, and I'm not miserable, just off-kilter.

Would I do it again? I will jump at the chance to keep working with the Peacocks if I can. What a group of women, what a group of dancers! We've built lots of bonds and I don't want to lose that.

Would I compete again? Actually, yes I would. I'm a little surprised at myself but here's my logic. Despite the limitations of competitons - you don't necessarily get feedback; the judges can (and do) change the rules at their whim; and dance is making something personal and expressive, not something that anyone can judge for other people! - there is a positive. A competition is a reason to be the very best dancer that you can be. I realise that every day, every hafla, every dance should be a reason to be that dancer, but in reality, I know I can't be that focussed every single time. Having that one-off critique is an opportunity to be, as Cookie Monster says, "the best Cookie me can be." And maybe, with the right support and coaching and practice (lots and lots and lots of practice), I might be up for that in the future!

Wednesday 29 August 2012

September 2012: New Term


If you'd like to come and dance with me this term, here's what you need to know.
  • Beginners are very welcome.
  • Beginners classes aim to teach you the basic building blocks of Middle Eastern dance, and give you a guide to the various styles of dance and music. Improvers classes are more specifically in modern Egyptian style bellydance.
  • We usually dance in bare feet, but dance shoes (not trainers) are fine too. Wear something that doesn't restrict your movement, and makes you feel comfortable and confident.
  • You might like to wear a scarf or something similar around your hips.
  • To book for classes at Dancebase, Grassmarket, please get in touch with Dancebase directly. These classes are on Wednesday evenings, at 6.30pm for beginners and 7.30pm for improvers. Classes begin on Wednesday 12th September. Terms costs £78.
  • If you'd like to come to Thursday evening classes at The Fisherrow Centre, Musselburgh, just come along and join in. Beginners class is at 7.30pm, and at 8.30pm it's improvers and performers with performance troupe The Helwa Hurdies.  Classes begin on Thursday 6 September. Term costs £64 or £55 concessions (unemployed, over 60).
Get in touch if you want any more information. I hope to see you soon!

Sunday 19 August 2012

Wild and organic times with Lorna of Cairo

Lorna of Cairo has been back in the UK for Ramadan, and included in the dates for her UK tour were a performance and an afternoon of workshops in her home city of Edinburgh. I was lucky enough to organise them, as well as enjoy them!

The lovely ladies at Lorna's "Organic Style" workshop
There was sunshine on Leith when Lorna performed at Mimi's Bakehouse on The Shore, Leith. The sun was blazing through the window as Lorna danced and a wonderful audience of her hometown fans enjoyed.
Lorna and cake, in the sunshine at Mimi's.
Lorna dances saidi-style with a stick, which pretends to be a cakestand.

Even better, it was cake for dinner! Mimi's specialises in afternoon teas - scones, little sandwiches with no crusts, and cakes, on a tiered cake stand, with lovely tea. The only difference for this performance was - it was the evening, not the afternoon! What a luxury - not only wonderful bellydance, but cake for dinner!
Lorna also spoke to us for a while about the changes she's seen in Cairo as a result of the Arab Spring revolution in Egypt last year. Sadly, the changes have not been all good. Feelings of hostility towards non-Egyptian women have increased, and many ex-pat women have felt less safe and less welcome in the country. It was sad to hear that people who have chosen to live in that city, because of their love for the city and its way of life, are feeling less comfortable as a result of what has effectively been, increased democracy.

Lorna's workshops were fantastic.  There were two sessions: Organic Style, and Wild Saidi: Swing your Stick with Style, and both were well-attended and very well recieved.

For me, the key message of Organic Style is about letting your own background, dance style and personality determine your bellydance. We worked on leading the moves from the solar plexus as well as the pelvis and core, and on how to build your own moves, getting away from the "stock phrases" that most of us continually fall back on. Lorna showed us so many beautiful arm movements which evade me so often, and Lorna suggested that this is because I am more inclined to think about arm positions rather than movements. A lot of work is needed - for me, at least - to really incorporate what I learned into my dance. So much food for thought.

Lorna is one of the few dancers working in Cairo at the moment who has developed her own defined style of saidi, and she taught us the principles - finding th heart and essense of saidi dance, and making it your own. We had a wild time, going right from stick basics to, in the end, working on our own stick work in not just saidi style, but in baladi, pop, ballet and even sha'abi style.

I feel, again, very lucky to have the chance to work with such a giving, helpful and talented dancer and teacher - and to be lucky enough to count her as an extremely good friend.   

Wednesday 20 June 2012

Bellydance Flashmob (and how you can join in)

If you don't already know about the Bellydance Flashmob planned for Sunday 1 July as part of The Big Dance, this is your invitation to get involved!

What is a flashmob? It's when a group of dancers turn up unannounced, dance, then leave. Have a look at this one:

Our flashmob will happen in Central Edinburgh at lunchtime on Sunday 1 July. I will tell you the exact time and location shortly before it happens - it's important that we surprise the public!

There will be:

  • a veil introduction, and dancers with veils will gently "clear" the general public away from our performance area (30 seconds)
  • an opening Egyptian-style bellydance choreography (1 minute)
  • an improvised American Tribal Style section (1 minute)
  • a bit more Egyptian style choregraphy (40 seconds)
  • a tribal fusion/Bollywood section
  • and finally everybody will dance together for another half minute, before posing for rapturous applause and leaving, as suddenly as we appeared.

Fancy it? I hope you do! You can dance as little or as much of the flashmob as you like.

As many people are possible are invited to get involved. The choreographies are designed to be easy-peasy - so that anybody - beginners, improvers or advanced dancers - can learn them, turn up and join in.

You can wear whatever you like - full costume, jeans and a hip scarf, or just your everyday clothes. It's up to you.

If you'd like to learn the choreographies (apart from the Americal Tribal Style section, which will be improvised), they are available on a playlist on my YouTube channel.

If you want a written note of the Egyptian-style choreographies, get in touch with me.

There will be a rehearsal for the Flashmob, at Dancebase on Sunday 24 June, 3-5pm (tbc).

I really hope you'll get involved and help make it a success that people won't forget! And please, feel free to invite anybody you know who might be interested. The more dancers who learn the choreography and join in, the better.

The choreographies have been put together by me, and Roberta Beakbane; Susan Tonner is in charge of the ATS section, and Moyra Banks is heading the veil girls.

If you want to know more about The Big Dance and the myriad of events taking place over the weekend of 31 June/1 July, visit bigdanceedin.co.uk

Sunday 10 June 2012

A Bit More Cairo on Duke Street

Leith Festival Hafla
Tuesday 12 June 2012, from about 8pm (but you can come any time if there's still room to get in)
The Parlour Bar, Duke Street, Leith

Event poster by Shelley Skail (who rocks)
This will be the second Leith Festival Hafla I've organised. Last year's was fantastic, and despite the downsizing of the Festival, we're going ahead with another one.

Me dancing at last year's Leith Festival Hafla

I've tried to get as many dancers from Leith as I can. New to Leith is the brilliant Moyra, an established dancer and teacher, graduate of Shafeek's stage school, the UK's first and only professional performance course in Arabian Dance Arts. Leith and Pamela, Leith dance stalwarts and two-fifths of local dance troupe Zahira, will dance in duet form. Beautiful Beth has performed at Shimmy by The Shore, and is exploring new fusions in her bellydance. I can't wait to see relative newcomer Ruth perform, another Shimmy By The Shore dancer. Newcomer (to Edinburgh) Emily will be dancing at her first Edinburgh hafla. And there will be more!

The venue is The Parlour Bar on Duke Street, now established as a smashing, friendly pub which serves smashing tea and biscuits,  well as the usual shandy-business, plus a tasty range of drinking snacks including Monster Munch (all flavours) and wasabi peas. During the day they regularly entertain smaller customers with boxes of Lego and colouring-in.

If you would like to come along and enjoy the performances, it's free entry, just hitch up and get yourself a comfy seat (there are settees as well as bar stools). Come on out for a fun, schoolnight hafla and catch a wee bit of what's left of the Leith Festival ambiance!

Great bellydance depends on a great audience, but don't worry if you've never been to a hafla before, I promise I'll be gentle with you. You won't have to get up and dance - unless you want to!

Wednesday 16 May 2012

Club Bellydance comes to Edinburgh!

Just eight days to go until Club Bellydance - it's going to be an amazing, massive-deal of a show! and I cannot WAIT!!

Club Bellydance is an offshoot project from the Bellydance Superstars, sort of like their outreach project. They say it gives them a chance to engage better with local bellydance communities, and in Edinburgh, they will put on a show along with local teachers - including yours truly.

The first half of the show will be performed by local talent, and the second by BDSS. In Scotland, the local talent is great:

Kerimeh Irvine
Moyra Banks
Suraya Ahmed
Sarah Pulman
Nicola McLaren a.k.a Nicki
Elspeth Alexandra
Sarasvati Tribal: Laura Monteith (Troupe Leader), Stef Scott, Alison Kilgour, Amanda Robertson a.k.a Tigerlily
Katra Tribal: Susan Tonner
Elaine Hughes: ATS (American Tribal Style)
Paula Sana: Urban Belly Dance

And here we all are, looking awesome:
We've spent the last few months in rehearsal, challenging ourselves in so many ways - working with new dancers, putting together new choreographies, not to mention my personal bugbear, sewing, aargh!!!  It's been an amazing journey and the best bit is yet to come!

After last week's rehearsal we visited the Pleasance Theatre to see the view from the stage and check exactly how far the curtains are from the changing room. It's made the whole adventure even more exciting (and just a tiny bit more nerve-wracking!)

Please come along to the show - I'll be dancing baladi (in a beautiful new dress by Celia Buchan, woop!!) and I would love to hear a ton of noise from the audience when I perform! You can get tickets from The Pleasance, but remember if you buy them on the night, they'll be £15 and not the £12.50 you'll pay in advance.

Off to rehearse!

Sunday 22 April 2012

Workshop review: Golden Age of Bellydance with Emma Chapman, 21 April 2012

This was Emma Chapman's first workshop in Scotland. I saw her perform at last year's Shimmy in the City and thought she was amazing. When I heard she was coming to Edinburgh I asked if she would consider teaching, and she said yes.

Emma Chapman
Emma had chosen Samia Gamal and Zeinat Olwi as the inspiration for this lovely workshop, and taught some of their signature moves. Emma explained the moves very clearly in technical terms, and encouraged us to dance the moves ourselves. She taught us a loose choreography, using a different move for each section of the music, but without strictly setting the counts or the timing, allowing us to interpret the music for ourselves. I felt that this made it easier for dancers of different levels to make the most of what was being taught, without having to learn at an uncomfortable pace. (I had run 18 miles earlier in the day and was quite glad that I didn't have to keep up with a fast pace!)

Emma was very clear about what she was teaching, and gave very clear answers to questions. She is a very friendly and smiley teacher, and, like Samia and Zeinat, made it all look terribly easy! When Emma moves, she gives the impression that she's got no weight on her feet - as if she's permenantly dancing on air! And her hip work is incredible - she has such control and precision in her pelvis!

This was a rewarding and enjoyable workshop with a skilled and generous teacher. Learn from Emma if you get the chance!

Saturday 7 April 2012

Summer term 2012

Get dancing with me this term!
 
Classes will resume in the week beginning 16th April. New students are welcome at classes at Dancebase and at the Fisherrow Centre, Musselburgh!

Wednesday evenings, 6.30 for beginners, 7.30 for improvers at Dancebase on Grassmarket, Edinburgh. Please book through Dancebase for these classes.

Some of  Fisherrow Improvers, aka the Helwa Hurdies
Thursday evenings 7.30pm for beginners and 8.30pm for improvers/performers at The Fisherrow Centre, Musselburgh. There are only 8 weeks of classes in Musselburgh so the term costs £38 (£35 concessions).

This term we have two haflas (belly dance parties) coming up so there's lots to work towards (although nobody *has* to perform if they don't want to, but it *is* fun!). On Thursday 3 May we will be raising money for The Moonwalk at The Meadows Hotel, and on Thursday 28 June it's the annual Musselburgh Hafla at Musselburgh Rugby Club.

Club Bellydance - get your tickets now!
There's no class at Musselburgh on Thurday 24 May because I will be performing in Club Bellydance at The Pleasance Theatre, Edinburgh, along with other local teachers and some of the Bellydance Superstars. I hope you can come along, support me and enjoy the show!

The albums I've chosen for this term are available on iTunes. Students will not need to buy these, but if you'd like to practice or get into Middle Eastern music, these will be the tunes I'll be using in class.


10 Songs Every Bellydancer Should Know - Various Artists
Virginia Presents Khan Al Khalili - Al-Ahram Orchestra
Now That's What I Call Arabia 13 - Various Artists

If you're new to bellydance, have a look at my About Belly Dance section. In class we wear comfy clothes - leggings or joggers are fine - and dance in bare feet, dance shoes, or non-slip socks. Sparkles and sequins are very welcome too, as is wearing a scarf around your hips.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Tuesday 7 February 2012

Dancing with the Baladi Blues Band

I think I had the best dancing experience of my life on Sunday night.

NADA, the Northern Arabic Dance Association, brought the Baladi Blues Ensemble to Edinburgh for workshops and an evening show. It was brilliantly put together by Susanna of Habiba Dance, and I am very grateful to Susanna for giving me the chance to both teach a beginners workshop on the day, and to do a solo with the band in the evening.

In Edinburgh there aren't many opportunitites to dance with a baladi band. When Susanna first suggested that I dance with them I was very reluctant, convinced I was simply not good enough - especially when the other names on the bill included Lorne McCall, my first bellydance teacher; Susanna herself; and the amazing Kerimeh. On further reflection, I felt even more reluctant. A baladi band specialises in improvisation, so I wouldn't really be able to know what they were going to play - it might not be the same as the version I would have practiced to.

Luckily, I have very good bellydance friends whose opinions I trust. They told me to go for it, to film it, learn from it, and most importantly, NOT to pass up the opportunity to dance with a live band!

I spent most of January getting my head in the game. A mixture of positive visualisation, hypnosis and preparation really helped me to quieten down my inner critic and left me feeling much more positive about all my dancing. I worked at my make up and presentation much more than I've done before. Listening the the music came second - and choreography was almost out the window!

When the evening of the gig came, I worked hardest on not losing my nerve. Too often when the nerves begin to kick in, I think "oh well, I'll give it my best shot and it'll soon be over - maybe I'll be okay." Thoughts like that mean the mist descends and when I come off stage, I remember nothing about my performance. But this time, I was not at home to such mediocrity! I kept myself tall, kept visualising me dancing my best, engaging with the audience and the music, being alert and aware all the way through the dance.

Not one single bit of me panicked. I felt joyful and calm when I danced - excited, not scared - clear-headed, not startled. I could feel the band encouraging me to dance - you don't get that with CDs. From the afternoon's workshop, I'd learned that the band want to have a dancer to play for because it influences how they play - I knew they were watching me and responding to how I danced. That didn't feel scary - it felt really, really special. I knew lots of friends and students were in the audience, and I wanted to be the best I could be for them, as well as myself.

So, here it is - my favourite performance so far. 


The immediate audience response was really good. I felt ten feet tall when I left the stage. As the evening went on, the feedback got better and better. I had great comments from dancers I'd never met before, lovely compliments from a member of the band, and dancer friends who told me they hadn't seen me dance that well before.

The mental preparation was the key. It reminded me of giving birth! When I had my babies, I wrote my birth plans, talked to the experts, visualised what would happen, packed my bag, planned all the details - and did my best to make sure it went according to plan. Only, this performance didn't hurt nearly as much as giving birth, and I didn't have to change any nappies when I got home. (I had a toastie and a cup of tea. Much more relaxing.)

Thank you so much to Susanna, NADA and the Baladi Blues Ensemble. I don't think it's overstating it to say this performance has changed my life.