Khaled Golden Hips Bev`s Baladi Bazaar Adventures in

Issue 45 | Winter 2010
In this issue
Khaled Golden Hips
Bev’s Baladi Bazaar
Adventures in Morocco
Tribaltales
“Candi’s farewell to JOY”
Report on page 28
Contents
Khaled
Mr Goldenhips 5
Hair-Raising Tales 13
Lorna Gow 22
The Magic
of the Music 43
The Biz of
Belly Dance 8
Becoming a
Belly Dance Diva 15
JoY Report 28
Moroccan
Adventures 48
NADA Editorial
4
Khaled
‘The Man with the Goldenhips’ interview
5
The Biz of Belly Dance
Interview with Beverley Smith
8
Hair-Raising Tales
Advice on what to wear
on your head when dancing
13
Becoming a Belly Dance Diva
Advice on shoes for dancing
15
Hit the Street with Neat Feet
Footcare advice for dancers
17
Belly Dance Diaries
Girls on film. Another photo shoot experience
from Beth Hallam
19
Gypsy Dance with Sylvia Zalas
Bridie Przibram on her experiences
at Sylvia Zalas workshops
20
Lorna Gow
Workshops and in performance
22
Talking with Siouxsie
Further thoughts from our very own
Belly Dance Academic
24
Adventures in Finland
A tale of FCBD Teaching
26
Jewel of Yorkshire
October festival report
28
NADA Celebrates
31
New NADA Insurance Scheme
31
Broadening the Appeal
Thoughts on the UK Belly Dance scene
32
How Young is Too Young
Arabic Dance and Child Protection.
Practical considerations
34
Shimmy Stateside
Deirdre MacDonald on her experiences
dancing in America
36
Belly Dance Teaching
Accreditation at last !
37
Reviews
CDs, Book reviews
40
Introducing Madam Kay
Our very own NADA ‘Agony Aunt’
41
Just Because Update
42
Meet Jo our new Researcher
42
The Magic of the Music
From Yasmina of Cairo
43
A Moroccan Adventure
Trip to Marrakech with Nawarra
48
Tribal Swiss with Meissoun
53
NADA Dance Diary
54
NADA Member Teachers
55
NADA Membership Form
58
Cover photo of Khaled by Tracey Gibbs.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of NADA.
3
I’d like to welcome Jo Hirons onboard the magazine as our researcher
and also thank her for her interview with Bev Smith (That’s one of
hers I’m wearing).And another welcome to the guy who has laid out
this magazine: our new compiler, Ric Gibbs. It goes to show what a
wealth of talent we have “oop north”. Having said that, we’re always
pleased to hear about the exploits of bellydancers, writers and designers
from anywhere. Blow your own trumpet about your achievements
in our community or tell us about someone you admire. This issue
we also celebrate one of the talented men of belly dance: Khaled
Mahmoud. He has made such an impact on many of us here in the
UK as a performer and teacher. We really are very lucky to have him!
Next year is our fifteenth birthday and together with the fact that we have
our own NADA insurance scheme, this is a very good reason to be a
member so spread the news. Watch Facebook and the website for news of
events and developments of our association. Why not join us in Liverpool
at the AGM in March?
And what did I promise you? A knitting pattern - well I nearly got there!
Hunt it down there’s a ‘crochet one’ somewhere in this issue! Liz
Photo by Anne Kingston
NADA Editorial
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Co-ordinator
Anna Bisco
07710 403742
[email protected]
Web Co-ordinator,
Dance Diary Events,
Publicity and Membership
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heather_cc @hotmail.com
Send cheques, made out to NADA to:
Heather Charlton, 20 Carrholm Crescent, Leeds L27 2NL
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4
Khaled Mahmoud
The Man with the Golden Hips
Photo by Tracey Gibbs
In the UK Belly Dance scene there are only a few dancers that, for me, stand out as true super stars. Egyptian born
Khaled Mahmoud is certainly one of them. Since arriving in England in 2001 he has inspired so many women and men
to dance not only as performer and teacher in the UK but internationally. Fondly know as ‘Golden Hips’ it is a name
that has been well earned. His incredible shimmies are as famed as is his warm, friendly and supportive and enthusiastic
approach to teaching. So where did he come from, what makes him tick and what next? NADA went to find out!
Can you tell us a little background
info about yourself?
I started dancing at the age of 7
at a neighbour’s wedding. I was so
small they had to put me on a table so
everyone could see and they all loved
my dance. After that I was in popular
demand for weddings. I studied Ballet
for six years and it has helped me to be
an Oriental dancer because a lot of the
moves come from ballet.
Ibrahim Akif was my first teacher,
he taught me a lot about the dance and
he was my inspiration. I prefer to dance
Classical Raks Sharqi but I enjoy all
styles of Oriental dance.
The first big festival I danced at was
in Stockholm eight years ago, we just
went over to Stockholm to see what the
festival was like and they gave me the
chance to dance in one of their shows,
the audience were amazing. This was
where my first big recognition came
from and it has grown ever since.
What are you up to in the UK
and overseas at the moment?
I have had many bookings for
festivals and workshops all over the
world in 2010 and some are planned in
already for 2011. I will be travelling to
Russia, USA, Canada, Japan, Europe
and here in the UK, I am looking
forward to them all.
You’re internationally famous on
the Belly Dance circuit, did you ever
plan or expect to be so successful?
I always accepted what I had and
never expected to be so successful, it
was my dream to be a great dancer.
What drives you to teach and
perform? Is it simply a love of the
dance or is there more to it?
I love the music and it inspires me
to perform and teaching always gives
me a lot of satisfaction knowing I am
passing on my knowledge.
What do you think of the current UK
Belly Dance scene and does it strike
you as different in any particular
way to any of the other countries you
have visited to teach in?
People here are very good and
friendly, a lot of the ladies take up
Belly Dancing for a hobby and would
never use it professionally. The dancers
that take it seriously, that is not just the
UK it is every country, are a very high
standard.
5
Which aspect of being a dancer do
you love the most?
I love all the aspects of being
a dancer, everything compliments
each other, when you hear a piece of
music you want to dance, you then
make a choreography which leads to
either performances or teaching that
choreography at a workshops.
What draws you to choose a
particular piece of music to perform
to and where do you find the music
you use?
Congress 2009 was great and
I enjoyed it a lot. I work on my
choreographies at home before big
shows and a good audience will help
your performance. I did not expect to
get the amazing reception I got, it was
very uplifting and sometimes a little
overwhelming but that is the support I
get from the English audiences.
The most exciting experience
you’ve had Belly Dancing? - I heard
something about you performing for
royalty?
The most exciting experience for me
was when I danced for the first time at
the Nile Group Festival in Cairo with a
live band, working with the musicians
and every instrument is something I
will never forget.
At the Belly Dance Congress 2009
your performance brought the
house down. How did you prepare
to perform and did you have any
idea you would get such an amazing
reception from the audience at
the Congress? How did it feel?
Being a Male Belly Dancer has
helped my career a lot because I always
get a good reception wherever I go.
Photo by Tracey Gibbs
I have many CD’s some I have not
had the time to listen to yet, I know
when I hear a good piece of music I
want to choreograph a dance to. Only
the other day we were in a taxi in Cairo,
Arabic music was playing and I knew I
wanted to dance to that piece of music,
I have now bought the CD.
Do you think it has helped or hindered
your career being a male dancer?
Do you have any male students and
would you like to see more men going
to classes?
I have had a number of
male dancers attend my
workshops and most of
them are very good, they
pick up the moves perfectly.
How do you cope with all the
attention you get from female
fans?
I have very good hosts at each
place I visit and they look after
me very well. Without all my
fans I would not be where I
am now.
As a male dancer it must be almost
impossible to buy costumes off the
shelf. What do you look for in a
costume and who makes them for
you? Is it frustrating to not be able
to buy something off the peg?
I have all my costumes made,
some are made in Egypt by different
designers, in England Mandy (Shimmy
Shop) has made some of my costumes
and I make some for myself.
Who is your favourite
(current or from the past)?
dancer
I have a few favourite dancers like
Randa Kamel, Nour, Kamelia and
folkloric Kazafy just to name a few.
Where do you think the Belly Dance
scene is going in Egypt?
In Egypt we have a lot of good
dancers like Randa Kamel, Nancy,
Dena, Kamelia, Nagwan, Lorna from
England are just a few names so the
market is going up and we have some
good younger girls training to become
professional.
If you could give just one piece of
advice to dance students what would
it be?
Listen to and know your music
before you starting dancing, then your
music will tell you what to do.
Your wife Sheila is a familiar face
at many dance events and seems to
play a key role in the runnings of the
Khaled dance empire. Can you tell
us a little about the part she plays in
your dancing career?
Behind every great man is a
woman and Sheila is my lovely wife
and manager, she looks after all my
paperwork, makes sure I have my visas
for all the different countries I visit,
without her I would not be as successful
as I am now.
What do you do to relax and take
time out from Belly Dancing?
Sheila and I like to go away on
holiday to a place where there is no
Arabic music and no Belly Dancing
so we can totally relax or go away and
visit family and friends
I have a few favourite dancers like
Randa Kamel, Nour, Kamelia and
folkloric Kazafy just to name a few.
6
Photo by Tracey Gibbs
Impressions
of Khaled
I first met Khaled in Cairo on one of Sara Farouk’s trips.
He had never left Egypt at that time and hardly spoke a
word of English but we all knew after our first dance lesson
with him that he was going to shine. As well as fabulous
technique he had a genuine warmth to us as students
and seemed to care that we understood what he meant
and enjoyed ourselves. I do remember our stunned faces
when he turned up for our second dance lesson in a pair of
shorts! He and I have been teaching at JoY since the start and it
is always lovely to meet up again and have a few laughs. As
the JoY compere it’s been a pleasure to watch him perform
over the years, always stealing the show and working his
socks off to entertain the crowd. He is a kind hearted person,
an excellent teacher and the consummate performer.
Egypt’s loss is definitely the UK’s gain.
Anne Kingston
Most JoYs, I have had the pleasure of being in the
class of one of the most sensitive and giving of teachers:
Khaled Mahmoud. His precise and delicate demonstration
and attention to students’ needs makes him one of the
finest teachers we are lucky to have in this country. You
don’t always get what you expect in a ‘Khaled’ workshop
but I find I’ve always got what I need! I get a layer of
dance knowledge, I won’t get anywhere else because of
the experience that he is always willing to pass on in the
most generous manner. I’ll bet many a visiting teacher
from the lands of dance are somewhat non-plussed by the
plethora before them of middle-aged and even OAP’s like
myself. I have never got the impression that I am any less
important than any other student with Khaled. I have been
reprimanded, encouraged and reassured as if I were potential
Superstar material! When I watch the man perform, I know
I am privileged to see one of the finest Oriental dancers
living on our shores. He never fails to charm.
Liz Jarrett
Photo by Brian Jarrett
My personal impressions of Khaled are that he is not
only a very inspiring dancer but also a very genuine and
giving person. There’s something so warm and unique
about his personality and he always shares this in his
performances. As a technician he is incredible but it’s not
that which makes him a performer I will never tire from
watching. He connects with his audience on a much deeper
and more joyful level. The first time I saw him perform was
at JoY in a white galabaya and gold hip scarf. I was totally
wowed and have been a big fan ever since.
Anna Bisco
7
When Goldilocks pays a visit to
the Three Bears she finds things
that are too big, too small, too
sweet, too uncomfortable, and
too wrong in however many ways
the storyteller chooses to
decorate the story, until she
lights upon things that are just
right and just what she wants at
that very moment, just as if they
have all been made for her.
The Biz
of Belly Dance:
Beverley Smith
Interview by Jo Hirons
If you’ve ever paid a visit to the Baladi Bazaar, run by Leeds dancer Beverley Smith and appearing at festivals, shows,
and haflas, you’ll be forgiven for having your own Goldilocks Moment. There, sooner or later, you’ll find just what you
were looking for. It won’t be too big, or too small: and it will be absolutely just what you were looking for!
8
Photo by John Minary
NADA had to find out how Bev combines a busy teaching and performance schedule with designing all the lovely
Baladi Bazaar costumes and discovered a dancer who laughs to find her business is just like her clothes, being just
right, neither too big, nor too small – and found just when she needed it.
Photo by Heino Olle
I was probably the only Punk in Liberty print tops and
cashmere bondage trousers! I’m not sure whether that ’s
exactly Punk or not, but the combination must have
worked because people started to ask me to design for them.
Photo by John Minary
Bev and Andrea Olle perform Khaleegi
Egyptia members, Paulette Wray, Andrea Olle, Helen Abrahams, Meeee, Wafae Chapman and Angela Longden
9
Photo by Heino Olle
Bev’s Khaleegy dresses
Most women have
curves – I know,
I’ve got lots of them!
I like to make
simple , classical
designs that flatter
a woman’s shape ,
and I try to make
sure I have a
variety so dancers
can mix
and match .
10
Advertisement
Jo in Bev’s coat
So, tell us how you started on a life of Belly Dance?
After a quick adding up in my head, I think I’ve got to 22
years “behind the coin-belt”! I’d always loved shows and
colour and costumes but never connected myself with them
– I naturally assumed I would always be in the audience. All
that changed when I went to see a Flamenco show. I loved
the passion, flowers, and fringes of the Spanish dancers, but
it was an Arabic dancer, demonstrating flamenco’s ancient
history who grabbed and held onto my heart. I’d never seen
anyone move like that: so powerful, so beautiful, so soft, and
strong, and feminine. I had to know more and couldn’t rest
until I found someone to teach me.
I was very lucky to find Betty Thompson who had learned
to dance whilst living in the Middle East and was teaching
on a small scale. Teaching then was nothing like it is now!
My first lessons were in Betty’s kitchen so she could bring
me up to speed with the rest of her class, and also suss out
that I really did want to learn. I arrived just at the right time
– Betty was one of the founders of Leeds Arabic Dance and
things were beginning to happen. Within two years I was
out performing with Betty’s troupe Arabesque and helping
her organise events and workshops. Betty became one of
my dearest friends and, although now retired, she remains
a constant inspiration: she’s tall, refined and graceful, so
elegant, and she can make you cry when she dances.
I’ve been teaching since 2003. The time was right for me
to spread my wings. I started small and now teach six classes
a week. I’ve been very lucky in my students and had a lot
of support and encouragement from friends and family as
well as from other teachers and performers. Ironically I got
to know Margaret Reddyhoff, one of the other founders of
Leeds Arabic only in the last few years of her life. Margaret
recommended me to succeed her in teaching at the Yorkshire
Dance Centre and I feel that in many ways I’m carrying on
where my own teachers left off. That makes me feel excited
AND responsible!
I founded my own troupe, Egyptia, in 2005 and we’ve
since travelled all round the country. I love creating group
choreographies and it’s a real challenge to find something
to showcase all the different dancers a troupe contains. We
have twice been invited to put on our own stage show for
Knaresborough’s Feva Festival which has taken me fullcircle to the stage show which started me off as a dancer. As
a performer I’ve become Hazarah, as a business I’ve become
Baladi Bazaar, and, just in case I had any spare time, I’ve
helped co-found Qamar14, which has been hosting some
great shows and workshops.
How did you start designing dance costumes?
Designing actually came first! I studied Fashion Design
at Leeds’ Jacob Kramer College and then went on to work
in the Design Room of a top fashion house. It might sound
glamorous, but the company fell on hard times and closed.
We were all made redundant, like so many others in the UK
textile trade since clothes could be made so much cheaper
and on a large scale in the Far East. I couldn’t find a job and
needed to make ends meet. Dress-making was all I really
knew how to do! I had a spare table and a sewing-machine
so I set myself up in business.
I always made my own clothes and dance costumes. I’m
lucky being small – I could justify buying a bit of expensive
material because I wouldn’t need very much! I was really
into Punk fashions at the time, but wanted The Look in
lovely and unusual fabrics – I was probably the only Punk
in Liberty print tops and cashmere bondage trousers! I’m not
sure whether that’s exactly Punk or not, but the combination
must have worked because people started to ask me to design
for them. It started small, but pretty soon I had a long list
of clients wanting exclusive made-to-measure designs, the
very latest London and continental looks at Yorkshire prices.
That’s what I did for 25 years. My old clients still try to
persuade me to go back to designing for them, and I could
set up again tomorrow if I wanted to, but sometimes you can
do things for too long, and it did get terribly stressful when
everybody wanted things all at once for Christmas parties or
holidays. In many ways I’d been too successful, and I didn’t
want the headache of taking on staff or finding premises.
I needed a change. Dancing had become more and more
important, and it was time to see where that could take me.
Jo in a Bev baladi dress
11
Your designs are very distinctive - How do you decide on
what styles to offer?
Most women have curves – I know, I’ve got lots of them! I
like to make simple, classical designs that flatter a woman’s
shape, and I try to make sure I have a variety so dancers can
mix and match. Simple shapes can then be embellished or
accessorised. You can take the same basic style and make it
earthy, and folkloric, or you can make it glitzy and glamorous.
You can make it demure or revealing, according to your
mood. Some dance costumes can absolutely overwhelm the
dancer. I’ve heard women say they’re scared of ever buying
their own costumes because they think they can never live up
to all that gorgeous material and all those rhinestones. I try
to make affordable things that people want to try on and will
make them feel fabulous.
Dancers today are used to travelling around. I think
my designs also sell because they’re lightweight and easy
to manage. If you’ve got a busy schedule, your costume
shouldn’t give you extra headaches! I try to make a dancer’s
core wardrobe: baladi dresses, galabeyas, and saiidi dresses
for classical and folkloric Egyptian; glitzy cabaret two-pieces;
flared trousers and mermaid skirts for funky pop pieces
or Isis numbers; something a bit special for that first solo.
Cover-ups, too, are vital. I make a series of coats, candouras,
and khaleegy thobes which can be performance-wear in their
own right, but which also hide your solo costume for that
all-important reveal!
I buy small amounts of material to ensure that I only make
a very few of each individual costume. This means you’re
unlikely to find someone else wearing exactly the same
piece and it means I’m always working on something new
and different. We’re lucky to have a lot of Asian fabric shops
in Yorkshire – I can buy exciting figured velvets in winter
and lovely saris all year round. I love a bargain and often
buy more than I can carry at sale time. It’s a treat too to go
searching for the perfect matching braids and ornaments.
How has your business developed, how do you see it
growing? Or do you like it just as it is?
Honestly, it just grew! At first I worked because I had
to. Then it was a pleasure to make costumes for friends
and fellow dancers who admired my own costumes. Then
I started to tell myself I could make more costumes to pay
for my own dance workshops and other expenses. And then
I found I could make a living as a designer AND dancer.
I’ve started to expand my range with things brought back
from Cairo and to tell myself I could expand things just a bit
more to pay for even more trips to Cairo… It’s tight, and it
probably always will be, but I wouldn’t swap it!
Where do you get your inspiration for your designs?
If I started to tell you about all the dancers who inspire
me and just what it is that gets me going about each one I’d
be here all night! Mona Said, Fifi Abdou, Randa Kamel, the
Brazilian Sorraya, Lulu Sabongi… I think when you see and
remember performances by great dancers their costumes are
part-and-parcel of your memories: they know themselves and
their dance and choose what they wear to compliment every
nuance. I remember the shapes and flow of performances that
move me and try to recreate them. I’ve also been dealing with
fabric for a long time now: when I see something gorgeous
I know what it will do and how it will move. It’s exciting to
find the costume that brings the material to life – and then
12
find the dancer it’s made for!
Do you advise your customers as to a suitable design?
No. I usually find dancers tell me what they want, or what
they want the costume for and we take it from there. If they
like a particular style but want, say, a different neckline, or
a narrow skirt with side splits rather than a full skirt, I can
usually modify the existing design. I will alter anything you
find in Baladi Bazaar to make it fit you, if possible, and I do
made-to-measure and mail order. I always say: If you don’t
see what you want, please ask. Tell me your favourite colours
and whether you like things pretty or plain.
I like to make sure things fit properly so they flatter
the wearer and move with her as she dances. I hate seeing
costumes that reveal underwear or threaten to expose rather
too much altogether! A dancer should always look fabulous
– and that means classy as well as sexy.
I also try to take some of the grief out of buying costumes.
As we curvy women know, a costume’s bra is often the most
troublesome thing in the whole ensemble. If my design comes
with a bra, it has to match and fit well. So I will make one to
your specific size requirements or, if you prefer, I will cover
and adapt a bra you send me to match your new costume; or
I will send you the material and beading so you can cover
your own bra. Whatever it takes! Just recently I’ve started
making up some design catalogues so people can see the
whole range, see what other dancers do with the costumes,
and so get their own ideas of what they might like to order.
What designs and products have pleased you the most?
I love it when I see dancers looking good in things I’ve
made. Costumes definitely look better with bodies in them!
I love to see how people wear my designs and how they
accessorise them. Just at the moment people are telling me
they love the long, trailing sleeves I’ve been adding to some
of my baladi dresses.
I’ve been lucky, too, in the dancers who buy my costumes.
I love it when I see one of my costumes up on stage and
when dancers come back for their second and third costume.
And of course, there’s Egyptia, an all-dancing catalogue of
all my designs!
What is your main aim when costuming a dancer?
Each and every one of us at some point or another saw our
first real bellydancer and said: “Wow!” It’s either what got
us here in the first place or what keeps us going, week after
week. If a dancer browsing my rails with her friends takes
one of my costumes to go try it on and emerges wearing it
from the Ladies Loo, or wherever, so all her expectant friends
take one look and go: “Wow!”…then I’ve done my job. If all
her friends want one too, then I can go to Cairo or take that
extra workshop and get my own fix of the wow factor!
When I worked in Fashion Design I never saw anyone
wearing my work – now I see it all the time and by wonderful
people. To let you into one more badly-kept secret – I love
what I do and quite often say wow!
Thanks go to Jo Hirons who interviewed
Bev Smith of www.bevbellydance.co.uk
Lulu Sabongi
. . . Hair-Raising
Tales
By Rita Williamson
As someone who is rather follicle-y challenged
the notion of head wear when belly dancing has
always been a bit of a nightmare. So, when Liz
wanted to do a piece on ‘heads’ I felt I ought to
address the issue once and for all.
Photo by Brian Jarrett
The Top Bit
of Top to Toe
The main thrust of this piece is: what do we wear
on our heads when dancing?
Just Hair
The simplest option is ‘nothing’. But of course there are
caveats to that. If you have luscious long hair, you may not
need anything (think of Leila). Exotic cuts and stunning
colours can look every bit ‘the business’ when dancing, and
you don’t have to worry about things snagging, dragging or
falling out.
Girls with super curly (let’s NOT say frizzy!) have their
own day-to-day crosses to bear, but for dancing, they need
nothing else, and don’t we envy them?
If you have short hair, you could choose to wear a long
wig, but short hair is good too. For good ideas of how to
wear short hair when dancing, look on www.shira.net/
costuming and follow links for headwear, hair styling and
short hair. Also, www.farfesha.com/pages/hairs_to_you.html
has general hair advice.
Photo by Mark Williamson
Hair Disguises
Going ‘au natural’ is only for hair in great condition. If you
have hair that is fine or limp (like mine), you probably have
to think about a hair disguise when dancing.
Jane Allen doing a folkloric dance .
Great ‘turban’
When I got into the dance (late 1990’s) the fashion was for
‘crowns’, modeled on a headband they were upright, jeweled
‘tiaras’, that looked effective but were the devil to keep on.
They remind me of the spiky crown the Statue of Liberty
wears. That fashion faded, but it had its charm.
Obviously a simpler alternative to the crown is the Alice
band. It’s the work of minutes to decorate a simple padded
Alice band (Claire’s Accessories/Accessorize shops sell
trillions), to match your costume. These have many benefits:
they take your costume up above your neck so the look is
more complete; they keep uneven hair off your face – and
you want people to see your face, it’s a major tool in the
dance, they are dead simple.
Once again, back in the 1990’s a head band was derigueur, however, they were usually padded and were vaguely
suggestive of sanitary pads. Still, they worked and still do.
These days when you buy your costume it still comes with
arm bands and a headband, but the headband will probably
be a single layer of decorated cloth. These are great, but you
really do need decent hair to trail out the back.
Wide headbands look really good if you have a lot of hair
(they look a trifle 1930’s starlet) but you can have much more
bling on them with generous dangly bits in lieu of earrings.
Scarves are a great alternative to headbands. Scarves
edged with beads or coins look the part. Simply fold into a
narrow length and tie under your hair at the back, let the ends
dangle attractively (not often you can say that!).
Fake Hair
Now, I shan’t go into wigs here because I’ve never bitten that
particular bullet so can’t advise, and anyway, Anna Bisco
did a great article in Issue 38, you should re-read that.
However, there are endless other fake hair opportunities.
Pony tail clips-ons, clip-in hair extensions, ¾ wigs and hair
falls. I recently bought a ‘rat on a comb’ and have yet to
use it, but it’s a simple way of adding to your own hair and
if you cover up the join between real and fake hair, with a
bejeweled headband, no one need ever know it’s not your
13
Photo by Brian Jarrett
Anne White at JoY
own luscious locks.
If you have long hair or medium hair, you can put all sorts
of bejeweled and beflowered clips into your hair. I flirted
with medium length hair for a while and enjoyed being
able to put my hair up with a simple crocodile clip that was
decorated with stuff to match my costume. I also put it up
when I danced in class. What happened after that is that on
every other day I just dragged it back into a lackluster pony
tail. Rather boring, so I returned to short hair with a style (I
use the term loosely).
But anything you clip into, put on or add to your hair is a
good addition.
For tribal dancers the opportunities for fake hair are
wondrous and although the tribal bug hasn’t bitten me,
I adore the hair and turbans it allows.
www.blackwillowtribal.co.uk/4.html
www.magic-tribal-hair.com/hp_fakehair.htm
These links are good to look at for ideas and styles. I’ve
never used them so can’t recommend them for purchasing,
but the pictures are good.
Turbans
Every tribal dancer and every troupe have their own favourite
styles and ways of doing things, but here are a couple of links
to turban-tying tips, that might be of interest.
www.davina.org/turban/sample2.html
www.farfesha.com/pages/turban.html
Tying turbans is an art. It’s not just a tribal thing either, take
a look at the picture of Jane doing a folkloric dance, great
‘turban’. But you have to practice and practice again because
it is a law of the universe that if headgear can unwind, snag
or fall, it will.
What NOT to wear
Now, I intend no disrespect for this company (I’ve had great
service from them in the past) but the head wear shown here
is perhaps the best example I’ve seen of what NOT to wear
on your head as a dancer.
w w w. t u r k i s h e m p o r i u m . c o . u k / d a n c e - a c c e s s o r i e s headwear-c-7_20.html?osCsid=b15022b6664d8f93895e759
d2a57354e.
This is fancy-dress belly dancing.
Like every other aspect of this fascinating dance of ours, to
do it properly and to understand it properly you should do
some reading and research around it. Lastly, I would suggest
that if you have headwear that makes you nervous – ditch it!
Your worries will show on your face and we can’t have that.
Lucy with crown
14
Becoming a
Belly Dance Diva
. . . from toe to . . .
By Liz Jarrett
It’s true that many of us belly dancers would prefer to dance in our
bare feet. We sometimes feel we are compromising the dance if we
wear shoes. We are disappointed when we have to think in terms
of donning shoes to dance in or, of course, we just don’t know how
to. Then along comes reality and the floor of the venue is just too
dangerous for our plates of meat or Doc has told us we are doing
ourselves a mischief by continuing to dance unshod. Not only are
restaurant floors not the cleanest, there may be debris including
broken glass. We may feel as safe as houses in our plush dance
studio but not everyone teaches in one and there are
splintered floors and torn vinyls to cope with,
and this can apply to ballrooms or stages.
Then there is backstage and in the wings
to contend with... so we may have to give
in. Well, what do we wear to keep the look?
The jury has been out some time.
Sahira
of Germany
And should we worry too much? No, you can look at the
great dancers of the past proudly dancing in shoes and see
Turkish dancers in Istanbul teetering on real nose-bleeders.
The real problem is to match the costume to the footwear.
I spoke (via the internet) with a number of dancers and below
are their experiences and recommendations.
Ballroom shoes
Maybe these work the best for belly dancers because there is
so much choice. You could buy exactly the colour to match
your costume or go metallic (as Sahira of Germany does in
this photo). Some are shoes, some are open toed sandals,
some have ankle straps, some do not, heel heights vary and
you can even get different widths. You can reinforce the
soles. Pricewise, you probably get what you pay for! Easy to
get from the High Street or internet.
Belly dance and ballet slippers
Belly dance slippers are very like ballet slippers and are
usually gold or silver with a pointed toe and elasticated edge.
You can see them put to good use by Sahira of Germany.
They have a soft sole and upper, either leather or soft fabric.
They feel as if they mould to your feet and they will give
some protection. They have an “indoor” sole of suede but
you could reinforce this.
You can get these from vendors such as www.aladdinscave.
com .
You could get ballet slippers and customise them to match
your costume. Well-known firms are Capezio and Bloch. In
the same way you reinforce the sole and add a strap if there
isn’t one. Of course ballet slippers are for ballet (I hear you
say) but they can be disguised well with dye and appliqués.
15
Other dance shoes:
Jazz boots and sneakers
Lace-up style, they do offer more support but even if they are
not black you would have to choose the right costume and
occasion to wear these. They are perhaps better for class but
might work for tribal and folklore. Again the regular dance
shoe suppliers
Ghillies
As used by Scots and Irish dancers, they are soft flexile
leather shoes with lacing that goes up to the ankles. You
could adapt them for wear with belly dance costumes, again
with thought to the whole look and the style of dance, by
reinforcing the sole and maybe swapping the laces for cords
or ribbons.
Hermes sandals
The Grecian goddess look might work with floaty costumes.
They are often in a fine material and, nude colour but also
found in metallics. Long laces go into loops and can be
worn tied on the ankle or up the leg. There are small heels
on some and the protection is for your sole. A similar style
are gladiator sandals but these lace direct to the sole. These
are specially produced for dancer but you may find High St.
styles that are safe to use.
Dance Paws
Dance Paws protect your feet but it looks like you’re
barefoot. They provide comfort for the ball of the foot.
Flexible and non-slip they, prevent skin tears, blisters, and
friction burns. There are toe holes for your foot and you can
wash them. They are not of course full sole protection but
maybe ideal for stage. They’d be somewhat “work-a-day”
for more glamorous gigs. There is also a fun version on the
market called Und-eze.
As I hate rough floor-panels, gooey floors or dancing into
glass-pieces, I always wear embroidered ballet-shoes in gold
or silver matching my costume. I also wear ballroom-shoes
(eg. in restaurants or for very elegant and posh events) - the
Latin-dance version in gold or silver with some glitter on.
Sahira Tu Farach (Bhuz) I hope we’ll hear more from Sahira
about Belly dance in Germany.
I haven’t worn them to perform orientale for a while
but I like dance shoes for practice (ballet slippers, currently
split soles) and I use a pair of ballroom shoes for meleya/
ghawazee etc. I was quite keen on wearing backless shipship type shoes for meleya but found that mine were just
too rubby on the tops of my feet and too easy to step out of,
which says a lot about how I must step when dancing. Would
still like to give it a go sometime though.
I have what I term “Princess and the Pea” feet - the soles
are heavily calloused, enough for me to be able to step on
small bits of glass and just pick ‘em out sometimes, but I
can still feel ‘anything’ under them. They’re really sensitive.
They blister at a glance.
So I have to be particular about dance shoes - they MUST
fit well, I can’t risk buying them online - but in a good pair
I feel very secure and capable of doing everything. My
ballroom shoes are not as high heeled as I would prefer,
aesthetically, but they’re fantastic little workhorses and very
comfortable.
Zumarrad NZ (Bhuz)
Gill O’Flaherty in
High Street “gladiator ”
sandals.
Belly dance and ballet
slippers put to good use
by Sahira of Germany.
16
I used to go all barefoot, but I’m either practicing, teaching,or
performing every day of the week now, so I wear shoes to lessen the
wear and tear on my feet... and to protect the “money makers”! lol
For class, I just wear foot undies. They protect the balls of my feet
and make it easy for me to spin. For practice at home, I go barefoot
as I have carpeted floors.
For gigs and performances, I either wear ballet slippers or nude
gladiator sandals w/suede soles. These protect my feet from sharp
items in the grass and gooey venue floors. I like the ballet slippers,
but really do not like the gladiator shoes... I always trip with
them on!
Lesedi USA (Bhuz)
Sabine in Herme sandals.
Long laces go into loops
and can be worn tied on
the ankle or up the leg.
Meleya is definitely the only style where I think shoes really add to
the performance for me! I’m still on the hunt for the perfect pair of
Cheb Chebs (shoes) so I trim up my dance shoes instead. Having a
pair of heels on helps give you that extra sassy swing to your step for
some cheeky Meleya and it’s even better if they are slip ons so you
can clomp around a bit and take one off and waggle it at someone!
Anna Bisco
I buy the cheapest I can find, as long as they hold my toes
and ankles in place, so I stay away from slingbacks,
I prefer 31/2 to 4 inch slim heels. If I could walk
around town for a few hours in them then I can
dance comfortably in them.
Nancy Johnston who regularly performs
in shoes.
Hit the street with
neat feet!
Foot care for dancers
By Gill O’Flaherty MChS, DPodM, HPC reg Podiatrist/chiropodist
Having some post operative time on my hands, Liz
has persuaded me to put my 37 years of professional
experience to good use and write an article on foot care
for dancers.
Stresses on our feet, whether dancers or not, are huge,
bearing in mind they bear the full impact of our weight for
a great deal of the day, and are usually neglected and only
noticed when they start paining us.
But as dancers, our feet are usually exposed. We might
spend a fortune on glittery costumes, but often the look is
spoilt by ugly/neglected feet. I will be giving you some
tips on how to keep your feet healthy and looking the best
they can look, by offering solutions to some common foot
problems, and think about the age old question: is it best to
dance in bare feet or in shoes?
Shoes or bare feet is often decided by the style of dance
you are performing or whether in class or for an audience. If
you have good circulation and are not prone to cold feet, you
may prefer to dance in bare feet. The benefits of this are that
you will be able to fully utilise your intrinsic foot muscles
for balance and position, not to mention showing off their
beauty and colourful nail varnish!! The risks of bare foot
dancing include cramp at in inopportune moments if you do
have poor circulation, and there is a risk of damage from
sharp objects, slips on wet patches etc on the floor whilst in
class or more especially if you are performing in a restaurant
etc.
So shoes may give protection from external factors, but
also internal factors e.g. if you are spinning or swerving a
layer between your skin and the ground may prevent shearing
stress which can lead to inflammation and pain in the balls of
your feet, not to mention blisters.
17
However, there are some risks of wearing shoes. You can
be wobbly or even fall off high heels or sling backs/backless
shoes. Ideally, if you are in a cabaret style outfit and require
shoes, go for ones with a back to the heel, a strap across
the instep and a heel of 2” or less. Avoid stilettos. Go for a
thicker heel for increased stability. Ballroom shoes are ideal.
For tribal styles you can use flat/strapped shoes/sandals,
preferably with a back to the heel for stability. Ballet pumps
for class are ideal. Avoid plastic/patent leather shoes as this
will make your skin sweat and become inflamed and prone
to blistering, even if you wear hosiery.
If you are diabetic you should never dance in bare feet as
you may have compromised circulation or lack of feeling in
your feet, which could lead to damage/serious problems e.g.
ulceration and gangrene.
Common problems
Deformities can include bunions, hammer or mallet toes,
enlarged bones in the mid foot. Most commonly these are
caused by badly fitting footwear, but often may have a
genetic factor. The only cure for deformities are orthopaedic
surgery.
To avoid deformities in the first place, shoes for everyday
wear should have a fastener as already mentioned, and have
a toe box deep and wide enough to accommodate the toes.
If you are unsure if your shoes are squashing your feet, try
drawing round your naked foot when you are standing, cut
out the shape and put it in your shoe. You will be able to
see if the cut out fits, and if not you are damaging your feet.
Prolonged wearing of such can lead to nail problems, corns
and callous. (I’m sure you can get away with wearing high
heeled pointy shoes for occasional wear. Personally I adore
my 4” purple glittery court shoes!!)
Nails that get squashed in footwear (or too tight hosiery)
can get miss shaped, and instead of being flat, they can
become horseshoe shaped and develop hard skin and corns
around the edges. If your nails are cut badly, this can lead
to an ingrown toe nail which is where a spike of nail is left
down the side of the nail and grows into the flesh leading to
extreme pain, infection and overgrown tissue. The solution
to the above is nail surgery where part or all of the nail is
removed under local anaesthetic by a podiatrist.
To prevent the nail problems in the first place, cut nails
straight across, never down the sides, file them to make sure
there are no sharp edges that can dig into the next toe, and
make sure your shoe fits correctly. Wearing nail polish will
not harm your nails and can make them look pretty and cover
up such things as bruising and fungal infection of the nail.
If you are giving your nails a pedicure, don’t push back the
cuticles, as you might with your finger nails, as this can lead
to breaks in the skin and potential infection.
Callous is hard skin, often caused by pressure from shoes
or from the ground on your deformities. Callous is commonly
found on the tops of toes, the side of the big toe, the sole of
your foot and around your heels. This can usually be gently
filed away with a foot file/emery board and softened with
moisturising cream.
Corns are like callous but, contain one or more central
nuclei of hard skin, which is at the highest pressure impact,
again found on prominent pressure areas. These will not
clear up with filing and need to be professionally and
painlessly removed by an HPC registered podiatrist. Avoid
the use of over the counter preparations for corns, as these
18
generally contain acids which can burn the surrounding skin,
or, if your corn is already inflamed, burn right through the
corn and cause a painful infection/foot ulcer. Also avoid self
treatment with a blade, as if the corn bleeds, it can cause a
blood vessel and nerve ending to raise up permanently in the
corn, which becomes extremely and permanently painful.
Dry skin. We moisturise our faces every day, but sadly the
skin on our feet can be forgotten. To keep your skin healthy,
wash and dry feet thoroughly every day, and use a daily
moisturiser all over your feet (except between your toes
where the skin is usually quite moist enough).
If, after daily moisturising, your still have what looks like
dry skin, you may have a fungal infection of the skin and
would be advised to check with a podiatrist.
The risk of leaving skin very dry especially around the
heel, is that due to the reduced elasticity of the skin when
dry, it can crack when stretched (as in every day movement)
which can lead to pain, bacterial infection and possible
ulceration .
Infections
Fungal infections can effect the skin (as above) and the nails.
When the nails are affected, the nail can become either white
and patchy or yellow and crumbly, depending on the type
of fungal spores causing the problem. Fungal infections are
difficult to resolve. You can get various sprays/creams for
skin and paint/tablets for nail infections.
Verrucae are caused by a virus and are the same as warts
that can be found on the body, but grow inwards if they
are on a weight bearing area. Some times they are painful,
sometimes not. They are best left to auto resolve, which can
take anything from 2 weeks to 2 years or more.
Both verrucae and fungal infections are contagious, but
thrive in warm moist conditions, e.g. bathrooms, swimming
pool environments. On a dry dance floor, dancing in bare feet,
you are unlikely to catch these or pass them on to others.
Blisters are caused by rubbing, usually of moist skin, as
already mentioned, with new /patent leather/plastic/canvas
shoes, which neither fit properly nor have not been “worn
in” to enable the material to stretch to accommodate your
deformities. Never pop blisters as this can lead to infection.
Cover with a dry dressing or purpose made blister dressing
from the chemists, and avoid repeating the cause.
Biomechanical problems
Pronation (in rolling of the foot), plantar faciitis (pain in the
heel and arch) are common problems for which you can buy
over the counter insoles to help. But you would be advised
to see a podiatrist for a correct diagnosis, and a prescribed
orthotic (made to measure insole). You may also be prescribed
a stretching/exercise programme to help.
So, to sum up how to keep your feet healthy
and beautiful:
• Wash and thoroughly dry your feet daily
• Use a daily moisturiser and regularly file
calloused areas
• Cut nails straight across and file smooth
(to leave no sharp edges)
• Wear correctly fitting footwear for the majority
of the time
It never ceases to amaze me what
twists and turns (pardon the pun)
the life of a belly dancer can take.
As well as preparing for my next
solo… in my sparkly new Urban
Dervish number…I am currently
getting very excited (and a little
anxious too) about a photo shoot
that I’m going on at the weekend. Belly Dance
Diaries
Girls on film . . .
another photo short
experience from Beth Hallam
Earlier this year I had some shots done at a studio in Manchester where I was allowed three changes of outfits. Naturally I took
my first and only costume (at that time) with me, had a dance and play around, and thanks to some good lighting, great photography
and a bit of cheeky airbrushing, I came away with some pretty amazing pictures. Being the modest creature that I am (ahem!) I
immediately posted them on Facebook. Well I’ve never received so many compliments before, it was wonderful…but the most
amazing thing about posting those pics are the wonderful opportunities that have since come my way. Now I could be wrong and it could be my increased levels of confidence, or my undoubtedly superb dancing skills (hmm), that
have brought about these opportunities, but I can certainly say that my life is becoming more exciting by the day. In the last few
months I have joined Book a Belly dance agency and, as well as receiving offers for potential future gigs, have already danced at a
mendhi with Loveday and Jill, which was an absolute delight. I have also been taking advantage of some existing and newly formed
contacts who just happen to work in the field of photography. My next shoot comes as a result of a message I received from the father of an old school friend who contacted me after seeing
my dancing pictures online. Since re-setting up his business after retiring, he has begun building on his portfolio and is keen to get
some of his own dancing shots, which is where I come in; he has asked me to don my costume(s) and dance, so he can capture the
art of belly dancing in motion. Now despite my initial shock of being contacted by an old best mate‘s dad, I have since jumped at the
chance and am currently getting very excited about modelling again, especially considering I now have more lovely new costumes
to show off!
If all goes well, which I suspect it will, having already seen samples of his work, then I should have some more great shots to add
to my professional collection – yippee - and who knows the opportunity to do even more dance modelling - hurray! I suppose I ought to add a postscript to Beth’s story. If you do have someone offer to take your photograph in costume in a studio
situation or in action, please first, like Beth, make sure you know that person. And make sure you know what they are going to do
with the image.
More from the Wise Fool
When Nasrudin was a magistrate, a woman came to him with her son.
“This youth,” she said, “eats too much sugar; I cannot afford to
keep him in it. Therefore I ask you formally to forbid him to eat it,
as he will not obey me.”
Nasrudin told her to come back in seven days.
When she returned, he postponed his decision for yet another week.
“Now,” he said to the youth, “I forbid you eat more than such and
such a quantity of sugar every day.”
The woman subsequently asked him why so much time had been
necessary before a simple order could be given.
“Because, madam, I had to see whether I myself could cut down on
the use of sugar, before ordering anyone else to do it.”
19
Gypsy Dance
with Sylvia Zalas
By Bridie Przibram
Five years ago I was a newbie belly
dancer (I won’t say ‘baby belly
dancer’ – I was 40!), taking my
first steps in the then quite new and
small world of Tribal Style belly
dance. I attended the first Tribal
Ford Weekend at Ford Castle in
Northumberland with my friend and
dance-partner Sally. We met many
influential and inspirational people
there, as well as learning a lot about
what we did and didn’t like about
belly dance festivals. This, however,
is not going to be a write-up of that,
nor an analysis of what has happened
in the Tribal scene since then, but of
the inspiration sparked in us by one
woman – Sylvia Zalas.
Sally took a class with Sylvia on
the Saturday at Ford, while I was, I
believe, off doing something useless
like learning Bollywood style with
Samantha Riggs. She came back totally
buzzing, and with bleeding feet, from
Sylvia’s class, and forced me to come
with her to the Sunday class. From that
moment I was hooked.
20
Fast-forward 5 years. Sylvia hasn’t
been seen or heard from outside the
North East of England for many years.
Every Spring, Weird Sisters organise
a dance day, where we get a national
teacher over to Wrexham to teach a
workshop, and throw a party in the
evening. The scene in Wrexham is so
small that we rely on getting dancers
in from all over North Wales and the
North West of England to make it worth
our while, so we try to bring along
teachers who will appeal across the
board to tribal dancers, cabaret dancers
and also our friends in Deva Flamenco
from Chester. Every year Sally said
‘Get Sylvia Zalas!’, but we never did.
This year, I ran out of excuses not to
ask Sylvia. With the help of Kay and
Christine at Farida Dance, I tracked her
down. Would she come to Wrexham
to teach and perform for us? She said
yes!
After further 3 months of willshe, won’t-she turn up, the legendary
Sylvia Zalas was sitting in my livingroom, prior to teaching her workshops,
drinking tea. We talked , and after getting
over my ‘Sylvia Zalas is drinking tea
in my living-room!’ fan-girl nerves,
I learned that she had dropped out of
teaching dance to concentrate more on
her community work, and breeding and
showing her chihuahuas.
For those who don’t know anything
about Sylvia, her official biography
tells us that she was taught traditional
Polish gypsy dancing by her mother,
who ran a children’s dance troupe
which toured festivals, eventually
winning lots of prizes. As the children
grew up, most of them moved away
from dancing, but not Sylvia. She went
professional, eventually becoming lead
dancer with the Polish Gypsy music
and dance band, Terno. She toured the
world with Terno, eventually settling in
the North East of England around the
turn of the millennium. She continued
to teach and perform around the North
of England in between working as a
liaison with the Polish Community in
Sunderland, bringing up her daughter
and showing her chihuahuas.
After a lively warm-up, Sylvia proceeded
to put us through our paces. Her style is
lyrical , emotional , and deceptively simple .
She breaks down the components of each step
precisely, from the footwork , to arm-work ,
to what you do with the skirt.
So, how would she fare teaching 20
mixed ability Tribal and Middle Eastern
belly dancers and Flamenco dancers?
Easy: she kicked our butts!
After a lively warm-up, Sylvia
proceeded to put us through our paces.
Her style is lyrical, emotional, and
deceptively simple. She breaks down
the components of each step precisely,
from the footwork, to arm-work, to
what you do with the skirt. Sadly
for us, she has lost quite a bit of her
Polish accent, losing in the process the
charming phrase ‘Grrab Skirrt!’ that so
enchanted us 5 years ago. But no loss
of style, no loss of charm or passion.
The steps appealed to all dancers alike.
After 3 hours of this, including a very
welcome rest break in the middle,
we were exhausted from all the skirtflailing, leg-kicking and jumping
around, including a bitch of a step
where one is required to hop from one
foot to the other with the legs crossed
at the ankles. Try it, it hurts! But Sylvia
did it all without breaking sweat or
seeming to pause for breath.
She taught us a very simple but
effective choreography to a song by
Terno, the band that she used to dance
with in Poland.
Later that evening she starred at a
charity hafla that we had organised.
There were over 100 people crammed
into a too-small venue, and she wowed
them all. Swirling her huge skirts she
jumped and kicked her heels all over
the stage. After her solo piece, she
invited all of us who had been at her
workshop to come up and dance the
piece she had taught us with her, which
was quite a spectacle. It was thrilling
to have her with us and to see that she
has not lost any of her magic. I hope
the weekend inspired her to start up her
classes again, as she is a unique talent
who deserves to be experienced.
Our friends from Deva Flamenco
were so taken with her style they have
invited her back to teach in Chester on
October 30th.
Photos by James Lacey.
21
Lorna Gow
Workshop and in
Performance
Leeds 21st August 2010
Lorna Gow is in the UK; it is Ramadan and all the Cairo based
dancers are out and about earning the best part of their annual
income outside Cairo. I attended her second workshop in Leeds,
the ‘Lorna Gow style’ one. The first workshop attendees were
finishing and the participants looked happy and exhausted. It
took me a minute or two to focus in on who Lorna was in the
crowd of sweaty bodies. At first, she does not look particularly
striking but her movement and command of the dancing with the
music was strong, it was definitely her. Even more convincing
was when she spoke, that thick Scottish accent gave her away, and
as the last workshop completed and you watched her command
of the dance and music you were reassured that this is a Cairo
based dancer.
22
Photo by Brian Jarrett
By Siouxsie Cooper
I warmed myself up, thinking to myself that I need to be
limber for this one. You get a measure of the working levels
from the redness and sweat from the previous workshop.
Doing a Lorna workshop there is a need to have some level
of cardio fitness and physical dexterity. Watching Lorna do
the “Lorna Wiggle”, you also sense that there is something
of a gymnast about Lorna. During the workshop, we spent a
lot of the time taking Lorna’s lead in an improvised set. You
needed to be in good physical condition, the whole workshop
challenged your hand-eye-body-ear co-ordination. It made
you realise the athleticism and fitness these Cairo dancers
attain from dancing every night, even in rest mode I noticed
Lorna was always flexing her buttocks and other muscles; a
true pro!!!
Lorna has an approachable style, the workshop was
filled with a lot of well known characters in the Yorkshire
dance scene, and later I found out that many of them were
overwhelmed by the thought of working with a “star” from
Cairo. Lorna has made it in the eyes of many British Belly
Dancers, and in effect she has; she is dancing in Cairo as a
professional dancer. From her interview, Lorna mentioned
how much she has learnt and one of the lessons was about
learning to be a star. “There are Diva like star qualities
expected of a dancer out there,” she explained to me, also
she also very candidly admitted to the fact that it does not
come easily. Her strong Scottish Calvinist background does
not fit easily with the Diva persona expected in Egypt from
their dancers.
I think it is essential, before we all get starry eyed, to put
Lorna’s dance status into focus. There are larger stars in Cairo
– without doubt - and Lorna was lucky to get her dance break
on the Pharaoh - a 4 star floating restaurant and dance venue
in Cairo - but it does not detract from the fact that she has
achieved that rare thing of becoming a professional dancer
in Cairo. From her interview you also become very aware of
the strains, the pain and the unknowns she went through in
the first year to get there, she calls this first year “The worst
year of my life.”
In her workshop and in her interview, Lorna was very
clear that her understanding of her art form, and of the culture
within which the dance is situated, is an ongoing project of
learning, studying and finding out through mistakes and faux
pas what is what, who is who and how she needs to do it. She
admits her dance learning never stops; in effect it is a work in
progress. From just the workshop you sensed the complexities
and depth of her dance, performance abilities and strengths
which come from the fact that she is still willing to learn. I
commend women like Lorna for being open to saying “I am
still learning”, and I think for many students it is refreshing
stance to take; possibly popping the “star” bubble a bit.
I asked her about her progress and development as an
artist and she reaffirmed that she is “Still learning and when I
think I have got it, there’s a whole new episode of learning to
get to grips with.” At the moment she is learning to deal with
her musicians and “Learning to treat them bad” because, as
she has found out, they have no respect for her if she is too
good to them. “It is sad it has to be like this,” she admits “but
it is true.” She describes it as a mixture of boosting their ego
but not too far so that they get complacent.
Her recent gig in London, with Manchester based Medhat,
was a good example of her new found authority with tabla
players. Audience members in London might recall that
Lorna moved her hip, looked at Medhat and pointed, he
accented her move, and then she moved again, pointed and
showed him where her hip has moved and gestured him to
accent the move again. A step by step, almost comical act,
of the dancer teaching the drummer by example!!! If you are
not aware Medhat is a well known tabla player for the Nile
Band, he is a musicians’ musician, but not particularly good
at taking the lead from the dancer (I have my information
from two other leading dance artists in the field, as well as
a musician).
Whereas in Leeds, we watched with deep satisfaction as
Lorna and Rhythmic Ginger made beautiful music/dance
together, their drum solo work was an amazing example
of the joint collaborative effort and delight performers
can attain. You get the sense that what Lorna mentions in
both her workshops and in an interview come to fruition
in performance, in effect, she is living the dance! In the
workshop she showed us several methods of livening up your
drum solo, giving us pointers on how to use the space, vary
the hip, arm and chest accents and invest some surprise in
your work. Again, Lorna emphasised the need to not dance
‘by numbers’ but to use your wit, your dance ability and your
musical ear to great effect and produce something dynamic,
interesting and unique to you, the dancer in performance.
The other new and emerging lesson, she feels she is
learning, is how to deal with your audience. She mentioned
in the second workshop several dynamics that are essential
in Egypt, and differ from performing for a UK audience.
According to Lorna’s observations and learning the Egyptian
audience is very much part of the dance work. Lorna admitted
to finding the difference a complex thing to traverse and get
across to her UK audience. She is finding that as she gets
more deeply involved and embedded in the dance culture of
Cairo, the less inclined she is in making the switch to what is
expected of her in the UK. She is very aware of the different
audience demands on her dance work and performance.
“The UK audience still want tricks,” she explains, whereas,
these tricks don’t work and are not part of the dance in Egypt.
In the workshop, Lorna mentioned regularly throughout
that she was not interested in promoting Lorna clones,
she wanted her students to understand that it is them, they
are the dancers, and they are women with personality and
performance strengths that she wants to encourage.
It takes guts to make these teaching and performance
demands on your student audience, especially when, in the
UK we are taught to see and know dance to be separate
. . . we watched with deep satisfaction as Lorna
and Rhythmic Ginger made beautiful music/dance together,
their drum solo work was an amazing example of the joint
collaborative effort and delight performers can attain .
23
from everyday life. We have the American invention of
professional dance from the beginning of the 20th century,
which established dance conservatories, dance on stage and
dance as something someone “professional” does for money
and as the audience member, you sit there – at a distanceand clap at the appropriate moments.
By comparison, Lorna showed us how you tease your
Egyptian audience, you are cheeky, and you are forthright,
get brassy, rude, funny, tender, emotional, coquettish and
vulnerable. All these personas and parts of a woman’s
personality should come through the dance, in performance.
The Egyptian audience member wants you to stare at them,
take your eyes off them and then come back to them. It makes
for a special moment, a dancer/audience exchange through
actions and gesture that means something very special to the
audience member; they are involved and know it!!!
I enjoyed her workshop, Lorna was a bit self conscious
about talking, but the information and demonstrations we
got were significant and we needed the addition of words,
explanations and anecdotes. I would highly recommend her
work, she is lovely woman, she has a profound connection to
the dance through her professional work, but you also sense
– like she did – that fate was driving her into the dance in
wild, spectacular and meaningful ways. She admits to having
learnt a lot about herself and to having “grown up through
dancing in Cairo.” As a woman I like her, as as a dancer I
think she is great and more importantly as a teacher she has
a lot to give and I predict a lot more.
After her 2 hour show, I went downstairs to compliment
her work and discuss further some of the issues from her
interview. Lorna is funny, she is very down to earth, and
she gets back into her black clothes, checks her make up,
she self-depreciating says “Well, that was OK” and starts to
talk about the Salsa night we have planned for afters. Then
an older woman came out of the toilet cubicle, her eyes
were damp and she looked at Lorna, before I knew it I was
welling up and I could see Lorna was straining to keep it
together. The older woman just said “It was wonderful, you
were wonderful and I feel so emotionally moved by your
performance” and then she hugged Lorna and wept loudly.
It was very moving and I was holding onto the bathroom sink
trying to compose myself. And then it occurred to me that
this is “it” this is what the dance “is” about and there is no
point in hiding it.
Funny for it to take a random woman, who comes out
of the toilet, a woman of many years, to be there and to
confess and demonstrate her tears with no apology. After
the woman left, Lorna gave me a knowing look and we both
tried to get back to the dance space upstairs composed and
in a serene manner. As we tried to keep it together it was
obvious that both of us needed to say something; instead we
nudged each other, wept a bit and mentioned how moving it
can be, this dance in all its glory. I realised this dance takes
us, the audience/participants to a place where there are no
words, only physical gesture, eye contact and a knowing
sense that there is a deep connection through the music,
through the dancer and the audience interaction. This space
describes and defines a woman friendly space; a space that
is rarely found in our fast paced society. It is, without doubt,
a magical space that never ceases to amaze us, and possibly
drives dancers like Lorna onwards into their work and their
teaching!
24
Talking
with
Siouxsie
Siouxsie Cooper has been employed as lecturer in nonWestern dance at a NW university and is currently
working towards her Ph.D.
How far should we take MED and experiment with it
as in fusion belly dance?
As far as you like. I have done some great stuff in a
Performance Art context, something I have not really shared
in the larger Belly Dance scene, partly due to the difference
in contexts and partly in fear of more rejection. I’ve worked
in wardrobes with ooze coming down my back, I’ve given
participatory workshops for professors, I assembled an
Anglo Egyptian tea room and performed a female grotesque
character, I’ve been a talking walking dancing jiggling Belly
Dancer, I’ve directed and performed the Vagina Monologues
at a regional Hafla etc....... it goes on.
I think the question of experimentation has been a
controversial one for some time. I think the controversy
has something to do with the concepts people have around
tradition, authenticity and ownership of the dance. I also
think there is a misnomer circulating about what dance,
dance theatre and dance performance really are in both the
UK and in Egypt.
Number one rule for any researcher, thinker and maker in
this dance world is to remember that the very act of repeating
what your dance teacher teaches you is another act of copying
and in effect altering the form. There is no such thing as an
authentic referent in this dance form or any other art form.
It is a nice cosy thought and many who first experience the
wholeness of themselves in the dance are not foolish to claim
or desire that wholeness a fixed past could give them. I did,
we all do. But it is a lacklustre desire and useless one.
The fact is it is not fine how it is. The belated revision
of the awful fluffy-floaty-ness of belly dance with
Salome veils attached needed revising, big time. Phew!!!
Sounds harsh, it is actually meant to be empowering
which by definition is what a lot of women say they get from
this form. I think those of us who stick around longer than a
decade and apply our intelligence and our experiences to what
we do, start to get closer to the core reasons that are rooted in
ourselves and reflected through the dance. The dance gives
us the tools for self discovery and self actualisation, we are
the loci of the dance.
Of course we cannot escape the fact that it is a form and
a cultural form with a geographical location attached (not
meant flippantly). There are many common shapes and
rhythms and codes found in the dance that many people
recognise. You only have to go to a handful of classes to
realise the extent to which people agree, loosely, on what
constitutes a figure of eight. What is happening, and I have
recognised this change in my work and a few others, is there
is a need to get inside the movement more fully. Like any
dance form it takes rigor, practice, repetition and years of
doing it. In fact I would argue that there has been an equal
upsurge in reactions to the large amount of variation and
fusion out there in the reactionary camp, as there have been
in the revisionist camp. I am interested in the revisionist one
not the reactionary one.
The reactionary one keeps referring to spurious claims
about Goddess worship, the stars, the womb and other
essentially feminist concerns. They are not without some
semblance of routes to understanding the origins of the
movement form but I think they are tricky notions of what
constitutes “femininity” and in this dance they often connect
to a very dodgy Orientalist mythos that I would not touch
with a barge pole. Although I do have to deal with it.
I would agree with Helene Erikson, the American dance
ethnologist, who constantly defends her position against
the temptation to contemporise a traditional form. In many
of the multiple ethnic dances she performs all around the
world, she states that “there is juice in the traditions” (2004).
Equally I would defend the work of some controversial
figures like Hilal who say “that deep inside the form you find
the essence” (2008) and in Grognard’s instance “you have to
re-remember what you know, what you take for granted and
break it again, find it again” (2009).
The revisionist one is an interesting area. I think ATS has
grabbed onto something, generously at the beginning and
unfortunately these days there is a tight grip on the themes
and uniform of the ATS form. ATS brought in ideas of
sisterhood, group dance, ethnicity and identity politics of the
form. ATS in the beginning was extremely earthy and heavy
which contrasted with the heels and wafting commonly
attributed to American Cabaret. ATS has shot through the
ranks of the belly dance brigade and taken a lot of interest
away from the Egyptian inspired form. ATS is a cut and
paste of many Middle Eastern, Central Asian, North African
and even Spanish styling, movement vocabulary and syntax
which has been extremely successful. But it is an Orientalist
pastiche and in some ways the core of ATS is troubling
for academics and dancers alike. The empowerment has
come at a price. The women have built on the high effect
juxtaposition of languid hip movements and no smile. The
effect is dramatic but how many more times do have to see
something that ends up referring to the early vaudeville hip
bumps and grinds of the late 19th Century? I also find the
Rachel Brice’s Urban Tribal aspect thrilling and then that is
it. The effect and display in the BDSS is great but like a few
commentators mention the performance lacks the sex in the
dance. I would argue the sex in the dance is the part where
“the juice is stored.”
The Raks Sharki or Oriental Dance lot, the ones interested
in the the dance found in Egypt, are now up in arms. Quite
rightly so. I think the change in tactics has something to do
with the “Make your Husband a Sultan” scenario attached
to the late 1960s-1970s version of the dance that kept
reappearing, even in the 80’s and 90s with the onset of some
pretty good feminist leanings away from it. The revisionists
are shouting about the loss of their dance form that initially
they felt was fine as it was. The fact is it is not fine how it is.
The belated revision of the awful fluffy-floaty-ness of belly
dance with Salome veils attached needed revising, big time.
Phew!!!
So here is where the experimentation comes in. I don’t
think experimentation and discovery necessarily means to
move away from the focus of the form. I would be inclined
to say it is in the eye of the storm. Dancers are talking to me
about the essence they find in their dance and how they teach
it. It has to be said these essences are different, only slightly,
but the results are still stunning. People are cross examining
what they know to find out what they are realising they have
missed, omitted or have added. There is a sense of building
personal ownership of the dance at last.
. . . “you have to re-remember what you know,
what you take for granted and break it again ,
find it again” . . .
25
Adventures
in Finland
A tale of FCBD Teaching
By Lisa Thompson
Way back early in 2009 it came to my attention and that of my dance partner that Carolena was being
hosted in Finland by Hannele specifically for General Skills and Teacher Training courses. We had attended
the General Skills in October 2008, as a pre-requisite of being able to do the teacher training, and after
much discussion, we both decided that we would put our names forward to be accepted onto the scheme.
Hannele confirmed that we had
places on the course so wheels were set
in motion for flights and hotels.
I hate flying, but the most wonderful
sights were to be had when flying from
Helsinki to Pori Airport in a tiny twin
bladed plane over such a beautiful
country. After a taxi drive through pine
forest, we arrived at our destination
in Pori. It was a spa resort which was
practically on the beach!
There were four of us travelling from
UK specifically for teacher training
and were a little apprehensive as the
rest of the ladies had been there for the
General Skills.
The next morning, feeling a little
anxious, I stepped through the door
of the studio to be greeted by a truly
international group. There were
ladies from Finland, France, Norway,
Russia, Austria, Italy, South Africa
and of course the UK. Everyone was
welcoming and friendly and I was put
at ease.
I was looking forward to seeing
Carolena again as she is such a warm
and supportive teacher and mentor.
She arrived not long after and promptly
insisted on a quick catch up and a hug
before commencing with the course.
After a round of introductions and
getting to know one another and a
huge group welcome from Carolena it
was time to get on our feet. We started
with gentle stretches and the Puja and
Carolena led the entire group to a track
by Helm just to get our dance vibes
flowing. After answering some general
questions, Carolena started to lay out
cards on the floor with various topics
26
on them. These ranged from posture
through all the foundation moves.
We were to pick a card and spend 10
minutes going over how we would
teach the topic on the card.
I don’t think I’ve ever been so
nervous. I was more nervous than I
was the first and only time I performed
knowing that Carolena was in the
audience! After the initial scrabble for
cards, I picked up the card that said
“Shimmy”. My task was to “teach”
the group how to shimmy in a clear
and concise manner, whilst afterwards
the group fire questions at me that a
typical group of students may ask you
as a teacher. I was acutely aware that
Carolena was sat on the floor to my
right and I totally went to pieces.
Whilst assessing how I was
teaching the step, Carolena also
offered alternative
solutions and
encouragement as how it could have
been conveyed to the group. Overall
she was happy but I know I wasn’t!
After those topics were “taught”,
there was a general question and answer
session before picking more topics to
be taught over the afternoon and the
next day. These were the more complex
steps within the repertoire. There was a
scramble with people wanting to pick
their favourite moves and I chose to
teach Ghawazee Shimmy Combo!
During lunch we sat and discussed
each others’ moves and little things we
may have forgotten or things we had
added. It suddenly dawned on me that I
had picked another shimmy step! After
a quick stroll in the fresh air, I adjusted
my ideas and headed back up to the
studio.
I wasn’t expecting to be teaching
my step until the following day so I
had relaxed a bit after getting over my
nerves and was surprised when I was
asked to step on up and teach the GS
Combo!
As I walked out to the front of
the class, Carolena gave me a warm,
encouraging smile which filled me
with confidence. I took the class
through the step, using analogies as I
could. I finished my topic, answered
questions and then Carolena critiqued.
This time I was much happier with my
performance .
As that day’s instruction was over,
we all disappeared to reflect on what
we had done then met up for dinner.
We could walk along the beach and we
were able to use the studio just to get
together and dance. It was amazing to
be able to dance with dancers from all
over the world and all dance the same
steps.
The following day, we followed the
same format in the same supportive
atmosphere. We danced together as a
group following Carolena. Then it was
Certificate time! Megha (the Director
of Devyani) had arrived to see us all
receive our Certificates from Carolena.
There was much zahgreeting, clapping
and cheering when each and everyone
of us took our turn to sit with Carolena
to receive them. We all spent a long
time chatting and hugging one another.
Now I am qualified to teach a dance
form that I love!
The training course for me was
fabulous in helping my teaching skills
Photos courtesy of Lisa
and conveying the intention of a move
in our dance repertoire. It was also
a fabulous opportunity to hear how
Carolena would confront a difficult task
or a student who may have difficulty in
comprehending what was required for
a move.
Not long after returning from
Finland, I was accepted as a Sister
Studio and am proud to be a member of
the FatChanceBellyDance family.
Lisa Thompson is a fully qualified
teacher of American Tribal Style and a
FCBD Sister Studio.
Lisa’s fascination with bellydance
began at the end of 2006 when
her cousin Kirsty invited her to her
bellydance group’s Christmas Hafla.
In the New Year she sought out classes
locally and tried out different styles.
It wasn’t until she saw the Bellydance
Superstars at Folies Bergeres DVD
that she was mesmerised by the tribal
element of the show. Lisa then embarked
on a journey all things tribal along with
Kirsty. Lisa attended Raqs Britannia
in 2007 where she took workshops
with Rachel Brice and Sharon Kihara.
A workshop with Rachel Brice set her
(and Kirsty) on a tribal course that
led to receiving her Teacher Training
certification from Carolena in a truly
international course, held in Finland.
Kamara troupe grew out of a core
of beautiful, dedicated students, who
Lisa not only directs but is a member
herself. Their website is
www.kamaratribal.com
Lisa currently teaches in Swindon,
Andover and Basingstoke.
27
Lulu Sabongi
was wonderul ,
she seemed to fill
the stage with
her presence
and emotion .
Jewel of
Yorkshire
October 2010
The Jewel of Yorkshire festival held in Saltaire twice a year has become a must-attend for many
dancers across the region and beyond. For me, one of the best parts about attending JoY is seeing
old friends again, and hopefully making new ones. Perhaps the fact that we all share a love of the
music and the dance in its many forms means we instinctively know we are among friends even if
By Trisha Champion
28
Photo by Brian Jarrett
our tastes don’t coincide!
April saw the introduction of Friday nights to the JoY
weekend, with a bellydance competition, (covered in the
last NADA magazine). NADA is currently on a mission
to encourage more live music and as Friday night usually
includes a committee meeting of some sort, Anna suggested
booking a band and making a night of it. There was a longish
exchange of emails on this subject, as it does add to the cost of
the weekend, but we decided to go ahead with it. Fortunately
it paid off, and we were even able to make a small donation
to Just Because. I’m hoping this can be a regular feature
of the October weekend as I really enjoyed the night. Guy
Schalom’s Beledi Blues Ensemble (Guy, Adam and Sheik
Taha) were the musicians of choice, and a few dancers were
selected to perform. There was also plenty of boogie time,
which was just as well, we used it all! The room at the pub
was quite small considering the amount of people there, but
that just contributed to the intimate atmosphere and meant
that you got to say hello to everyone. The performances
were quite lovely, including the impromptu given by Lulu
Sabongi, and it was great to see so many people getting
up and dancing together. There were friendly “dance-offs”
between friends old and new, as well as Guy and Adam in
“Duelling Tablas”. My personal best bit of the night though
was realising that when I was dancing to the accordion line,
Sheik Taha was following ME! How cool is that! It was so
much fun. I’ve danced with drummers before, but to be able
to dance to accordion is something you only get to do in Egypt
normally! Dancing to live music is a wonderful experience,
and something we should all have the opportunity to do.
So what did I do this time? 2 technique workshops; in
hindsight I should have picked different ones, but like I say,
I can have another try in April, and I did pick up some tips
from each of them. I did 2 with Khaled. They had different
names, but turned out to be broadly similar to each other. He
teaches technique through choreography which can be hard
Ozgen’s “veil cloak” was spectacular.
Photo by Brian Jarrett
There is always a fine choice of workshops to suit all
tastes, abilities and pockets. As a teacher I try to choose
some for technique and some for myself. It’s hard to please
everyone, but the choices available mean you can stick to
your genre if you want, or try something completely new.
Or even something that doesn’t involve dancing! Drumming
and Arabic workshops have long been a feature of JoY, but
costuming and make-up workshops are becoming more
popular. So you could book yourself a complete package;
find out how to make a costume, learn a dance or style,
and get some make-up tips to go with it! It’s good to see
such variety offered, from Oriental to Tribal and all stops in
between; technique heavy to pure escapist fun. I find it so
hard to choose as there are always clashes, but even when
I get the choices wrong (as I did this time) it’s ok, I can try
again in 6 months!
I’m always impressed by the quality of the teachers that
Mandy and Chris book, and the care that goes into the topics
of the workshops. It must take hours and hours to arrange
an international teacher, yet Mandy doesn’t let that stop her
finding the best for us, whether it’s a home-grown teacher
offering a new twist, or a headline “away” teacher sharing
their experience and knowledge. The whole team is so
well practiced that even a crisis like half the teachers being
trapped in foreign airports in April didn’t seriously affect the
overall JoY experience. No crises this time though; another
opportunity for this great team to do their thing.
Enough advertising; JoY is fabulous and everyone should
go. I have been attending twice a year for the last 4 years, so
while I haven’t been to all of them, I feel like an old hand.
It’s great to hear from newbies that they enjoyed themselves
so much that they can’t wait for next time. I was amazed how
many people were there on Sunday this time. I know April
was unusually slow, but it did seem as if more people are
making a whole weekend of it.
29
if that’s not how you are used to learning. Khaled is a good
teacher, I learned 2 new things and a workshop with Khaled
is never a waste of time. I also did a tribal choreo workshop
with Chris and her body double (Chris had a broken toe and
couldn’t do some of the step work). Now, I don’t “do” tribal
really. I don’t want to be in a tribe, I like my sequins, and I
prefer to improvise Egyptian style, but tribal is lots of fun.
The last choreo I got from Chris went down very well with
all my students, so I thought I’d get another one. The new
step patterns I learned have given me loads of ideas, and my
young students and I have taken a liking to a couple of tracks
off the CD so I may get them improvising!
The JoY shopping experience is a revelation to those
who’ve only been to local haflas. Although there is a limit
to the amount of stalls the hall can accommodate, there is
still plenty to choose from. Costume stylings range from
full Cairo bling to practice skirts and tops and everything
in between. There’s always a fairly stunning range of Tribal
costuming available as well as jewellery for everyone and a
massive range of CDs and DVDs alongside the best dance
pants the internet has to offer. They may be pricey, but they
are totally fabulous and worth every penny.
The Saturday night entertainment is billed as a hafla,
but really its one of the best bellydance shows in the UK.
There are performances from most of the people teaching
over weekend, and sometimes a “preview” of someone
not teaching till next time. It’s impossible to pick a single
favourite, not just because everyone’s tastes are different, but
because the standard is so high; I usually end up raving about
3 or 4 (or 5 or 6!). The performance destined to be “mosttalked-about” this time was the “Helwa” show brought to us
by the fabulous Candi and Banat Eshourak. Candi claims to
be retiring next year (yea right) and this was intended to be
her Farewell to JoY performance. Mark Hurd has posted the
video on YouTube with a censor’s warning to those afraid
of the colour pink. It was just amazing, and SO Candi! Pink
trousers and vests, pink wings, pink banners and boxes, and a
stunning pink costume with pink flowers. Personally I think
they should have added some pink, but that’s just me. Candi
really wanted to do an “Asmehan” style show, and that’s
just what she gave us, but with her own (pink) twist. The
show is going on the road, so if you want it for your event
or hafla, I’m sure Candi could be persuaded to do it again.
Ozgen’s “veil cloak” was spectacular and I particularly
liked his hip belt as well as his floor work. Kazafy danced 3
times, I wasn’t struck on the first one, but his Hagalla with
Tracey fresh from the Farha Festival in Luxor was fun, and
his joyous (sorry!) Saidi was amazing. He looked as though
he was enjoying every minute. Lulu Sabongi was wonderful.
She isn’t very big in real life, but seemed to fill the stage with
her presence and emotion. And there was me. Yes, little me
dancing to Adam’s tabla in the interval. I was the only one
who got up so I had him all to myself. Lots of fun, and I shall
do that again. But no matter who else is there the undoubted
King of JoY is Khaled. Non-stop shimmy, a great entertainer
and a completely charming guy. We missed him in April and
it was great to have a JoY show with him.
The Saturday night entertainment also includes a disco.
We keep forgetting about Stephen, all alone with his DJ
kit upstairs. I have promised to stop by next time; they are
allowed to stay till 11:45 on Saturday nights, so if the show
goes to plan there should be time afterwards for a bit of
boogie.
Warm thanks and congratulations to Chris, Mandy and
their team of stalwart helpers without whom none of this
would happen. They all put so much into organising the
things we’d miss if they weren’t there (sound systems,
reception, booking in, rearranging the hall, all that stuff) they
deserve our deepest thanks, so remember to say hello next
time you pass a JoY helper!
Photo by Brian Jarrett
Kazafy’s Hagalla with Tracey
fresh from the Farha Festival
in Luxor was fun .
30
NADA celebrates 15yrs with live
music events and much more!
As Co-ordinator of NADA I am very excited to be
approaching our 15 year anniversary. Many people
have worked on the committee and contributed to the
organisation and magazine over the years and it’s a great
privilege to be part of NADA as it celebrates 15 years of
contributing to and supporting the development of Belly
Dance in the UK.
I am thrilled that our insurance scheme is now up and
running and will be there to offer our members piece of mind
at a competitive rate, taking the services and support offered by
NADA to a new level for 2011 onwards. The appointment of Jo
Hirons to research the origins of Belly Dance in the UK will also
bring exciting and original new content to each of your NADA
Mag editions in 2011. We also welcome back the enigmatic
Kay Taylor as a regular contributor with her new column ‘Ask
Madame Kay’ to share her advice on anything Belly Dance
related that takes your fancy!
Celebrations go hand in hand with any anniversary and
we have many exciting things planned for 2011. Our AGM in
March will include some great workshops from Kay along with
lots of surprises and an evening hafla to boogie the night away.
In 2011/2012 we have also pledged to promote live music
and are aiming to support 4 dance communities in putting on
events with Live Arabic music from the Baladi Blues Ensemble.
If you managed to attend the NADA Friday night with the Band
before JoY you will know what a great opportunity this is to
work with a band who not only sound amazing but love to work
with and support dancers!
If you would like to be part of this we need NADA members
who are Belly Dancers/teachers based in areas with a strong
interest in Arabic Dance and music to apply. You must be able
to show that you have little opportunity to get access to live
music on a regular basis and also want to get your wider local
community involved!
We will be looking to help host these events by providing
promotional and planning support along with some funding.
Each event will be bespoke to the area hosting it and could
include anything from a show with dancers and the live band to
workshops with the band and local community events.
We will consider all applicants and then create a shortlist to
approach in more detail to discuss how an event could work
in your area. If you would like to be considered please send
your name, address, number and location to me by email or mail
along with answers to the below questions;
[email protected] or Anna Bisco,
130 Hawksworth Road, Horsforth, Leeds, LS18 4JJ.
1. Why do you think your Belly Dance community would
benefit from a live music event?
2. Why do you think your local non-Belly Dance community
would benefit from a live music event?
Happy Dancing
Anna
The new NADA insurance scheme
You’ve all heard the rumours and it’s all true. NADA
now have an insurance policy which is available to all
members who teach and perform to cover them for
Public Liability.
As all good teachers know public liability insurance is an
important responsibility of being a teacher and offers you
protection in case anyone tried to claim against you for injury
or accident resulting from them being in your class. If you
teach in certain buildings or institutes they will state that they
have Public Liability however more often than not this is just
for the building rather than you as an individual so please
check these in advance. Having your own policy allows you
to teach in any venue and also covers you for performances
which are likely to be in numerous venues also.
The policy covers you for all forms of non partner dance
excluding Break dance, pole dance, martial arts or any form
of dance involving naked flame. Full details of the policy can
be provided on request.
We understand that you may wish to join through the year
depending on when your current policy expires so we have
put a pricing structure in place to reflect this. The pricing
structure is as follows; If you join between 1st November & 31st January - £40
If you join between 1st February & 30th April - £30
If you join between 1st May & 31st July - £20
If you joint between 1st August & 31st October - £10
After your first year or pro-rated year your policy will be
renewed annually on the 1st November.
If you would like to join the insurance scheme
please complete the attached form or email
[email protected]
if you require more information.
Disclaimer
Please note that NADA cannot endorse a teacher simply because they are members of the insurance scheme and can take no
responsibility for the quality of the teaching.
31
Broadening the
Appeal (Part 1)
By DJ Ali Khat
Last year there was a low-key news item about the impending extinction of one of the UK’s rarest breeds; not yet another
songbird or small mammal but the Morris Dancer. The justification for taking this as the inspiration for this piece is that
one theory has it that when introduced to Britain it was originally known as ‘Moorish Dancing’ – presumably having been
brought back from the Crusades. This could be true as we can see vestigial resonances in the use of sticks, bells (sagats?)
and handkerchiefs (veils?), while many of the hoppy, skippy and leaping moves remind one of folkloric dances from the
Middle East. Anyway, the story was that due to a shortage of new recruits with the long-term commitment and interest
necessary for a sustainable future, many Morris sides were folding as older members retired or younger ones went off to
do other things.
This got me thinking about the state
of the UK bellydance scene. On the
part of the South Coast where the writer
is based the scene peaked about three
or four years ago. Since then we have
seen an increasing number of events
being cancelled and a subsequent
decline in the number of events being
staged. Furthermore, anecdotal research
indicates that student numbers are
down at very many weekly classes and
workshops. Over this period we have
also had the emergence of a number of
‘mega-events’ featuring a larger number
of more famous stars. The attendance
figures have not always been in keeping
with expectations given the size and
apparent appeal of these spectaculars.
The accounts of these operations are,
of course, confidential, but one does
not need an MBA degree to do a rough
comparison of likely costs and income to
appreciate the necessary investment and
risks involved. In addition there is the
impact that these events may have had
on smaller ones.
The bellydance pound is being
squeezed by other financial priorities.
The recent decline in the value of
Sterling alone will have been responsible
for curtailing our purchasing power. The
pound’s weakness against the dollar
and the euro are well known, but not so
very long ago we were getting twelve or
eleven Egyptian pounds for one of ours,
now it’s about nine. Over the same period
similar weakness has occurred against
such currencies as the Turkish lira and the
32
Indian rupee. So wherever the goodies
originate from, they are likely to be more
expensive than a few years ago.
This may simply be a matter of the
recession, ‘product life-cycle’ or fashion,
but, those of us with an interest in keeping
the scene alive and saving it from the fate
which appears likely to befall morris
dancing, should perhaps be considering
what can be done to reinvigorate it. I
should, at this point, declare my interest
to place my comments into perspective.
Having been a world music DJ for some
time and on the fringes of the bellydance
scene through my wife’s involvement, I
started to specialise in providing sound,
lighting and DJ services for bellydance
events in the early 2000’s. I have therefore
watched the scene develop for more than
a decade.
Of course, by far the easiest way to
grow the bellydance scene is to get it on
TV. What ‘Strictly’ has done for ballroom
and Latin, ‘BellyTelly’ could do for us.
But is that really what we want? The
power of TV is such that classes would
be swamped by absolute beginners
with no real interest or commitment to
Arabic dance, who were merely jumping
on the bandwagon of the latest craze.
As a response to this anyone who had
been to three or four classes and has
access to YouTube will be starting their
own classes and inevitably bringing the
dance into disrepute due to their lack of
knowledge and experience. Such a tidal
wave of popularity could also attract
further opportunistic interest from big
business in the media or leisure industries
with no understanding of the dance, the
background culture or the dance scene.
Growth needs to be organic, attracting
and retaining those with a genuine
interest in the dance for its own sake.
We can all remember when there
were only four (or fewer) channels on
TV. Now there are as many as you want,
but is there really any more choice? The
same has happened with dance teachers.
We all know of people who, after doing
a year or two of weekly classes with one
teacher, decide, “I can do that” and start
their own class operating on the principle
of ‘in the land of the blind, the one
eyed man is king’ and relying on being
one lesson ahead of the class. The poor
innocent beginners, knowing no better,
are too often left with the impression that
Arabic dance is no more than a sequence
of half a dozen moves performed against
a backdrop of Egyptian, Lebanese or even
Western pop. The result is something
devoid of any stylistic, let alone cultural
association with the Middle East.
To compete with those students who
though beginners themselves, start
teaching long before they are ready,
is always going to be difficult as their
potential students are unlikely to know
the difference between the charlatan
and the genuine article. Anyone
unscrupulous enough to deceive their
students into believing they are an expert
when they are not is unlikely to worry
about exaggerating or falsifying their
CV, so relying on your experience alone
may not be enough. There are, however,
some things that can be done to help. Cut
down on the routines. Teach ‘cookery’
not recipes. This will demonstrate
that there is much more to learn than
‘dancing by numbers’. The acquisition
of a recognised qualification such as a
JWAAD diploma, is also a good way
to differentiate the serious teacher
from the precocious beginner. First aid
qualifications and appropriate insurance
cover are as essential to a competent
teacher as insurance and PAT certification
is to the DJ.
The above is merely the worst example
of how ‘teachers’ might fail to promote
enthusiasm, passion and commitment
in the dance. This is, however, a natural
result of much uninspired teaching
already being perpetrated by many who
should know better. Even some capable
and experienced teachers make the
mistake of teaching routine after routine.
No mater how many recipes I follow, or
even commit to memory, I will never be
a cook. The same is true of students who
only ever learn routines. They remain
incapable of improvisation and in the
unlikely event that they ever make it to
a hafla will only take to the floor when
a familiar track from class is played.
More attention needs to be paid to the
basic foundation of listening to, feeling,
following and interpreting the music.
For beginner classes routines are a copout to kid students that they are learning
to dance when they are not. A handy
shortcut to a performance at a student
show! I would not wish to deprive
anyone of the exhilaration of that first
performance, but there is more to dance
than classes and shows. Improvisational
and interpretative skills need their place
along with routines. This will sort the real
teachers from the bandwagon jumpers.
OK, that’s teachers dealt with, for now.
I conclude the first part of this
article with a shot at the obsession with
‘standards’ in the dance over recent
years, which has had a negative impact
on many dancers. We have heard many
times comments like, “We’re housewives,
not professional dancers.” “We do this
because we enjoy it, not because we want
to be star performers.” or, “We go to class
for fun, not to prepare for a competition.”
and, “All this about standards is enough
to put you off”. As one UK-based male
dancer is on record as saying, “It is not
a maths exam.” So let’s aim to inspire
enthusiasm and passion, which will
inevitably lead to a desire for excellence,
and put the fun back in to dancing.
Some will no doubt disagree with this
analysis and I and the magazine welcome
alternative views on anything contained
in this article. I intend no criticism of all
those wonderful, hard working teachers
who are totally committed to doing the
best they possibly can for their students,
who may feel they’re being got at. If
this reads like an “I blame the teachers”
diatribe it is only because it is the teachers
that are at the centre of the UK’s Arabic
dance community and who are best
placed to influence its development.
In the second part of this exploration
we will look at the subject of male
participation in the UK Arabic dance
scene.
DJ Ali Khatt
[email protected]
www.djalikhatt.webeden.co.uk
DJ Ali Khatt is a world music DJ
specialising in the Arabic dance scene.
He is based on the south coast in West
Sussex. In addition to his DJ work, he
regularly provides sound and lighting
for shows and haflas in all parts of the
country. For the last 5 years he and
his wife Gillian (Shiraz) have run the
Orient Expressions monthly hafla. He is
represented in the North by the Book a
Belly agency.
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33
How young
is too young ?
Arabic Dance and Child Protection.
Some Practical considerations.
By Alex Gledhill
I really enjoyed the recent debate in NADA re involving children and young persons in Arabic Dance
and I particularly look forward to further comments about the differences in cultural context. What was
not mentioned at all were child protection requirements, so here goes, for your consideration. What I say
will apply to England and Wales. Scotland will have its own version of CP requirements and Scottish law
is often light years ahead of English Law.
CRB Checks
Anyone
involving
themselves
in activities with children or young
persons on a voluntary or professional
basis is expected to be CRB checked.
This includes everyone from Brownie
helpers to Lollipop ladies ... and us.
A Criminal Records Bureau Check
will show up any previous convictions.
From a child protection point of view
what is relevant are those convictions
which may have implication as to
whether or not the person checked is
safe to be working with children.
So if someone had offences for say
assault or domestic violence, serious
consideration would have to be given
as to whether that person was okay to
be working with children, whereas if it
showed that you had nicked a Mars bar
from Woolworth’s ten years ago that
would not have such relevance.
If you are employed e.g. by a
school or Adult Ed College you will be
‘CRB’d’ by them for working with both
children, young persons and adults.
If you are self employed you need to
arrange a check for yourself. This can
be done by calling the CRB agency and
asking what establishments in your area
will do a CRB for you. I obtained one
34
from my Local Education Authority a
few years ago.
If you are self employed in my
experience you will almost never be
asked by parents if you are CRB’d. In
over 30 years of private teaching I have
never been asked for my qualifications
or about any CRB checks. What I
would say that nowadays more parents
stay and sit in on lessons but this
could be for any number of reasons eg
transportation convenience.
So if we will never be asked about
CRB why bother to get one? Well it
shows that you have given serious
consideration to and have knowledge
of CP requirements, it shows
professionalism. It also shows that you
are confident you are an appropriate
person to work with children and young
persons and consider it proper to subject
yourself to monitoring. If anything goes
wrong it will demonstrate that you do
have appropriate CP knowledge.
Vetting and Barring Scheme
The vetting and barring scheme
was almost brought in by the last
Government. It came in for massive
criticism because it seemed to plan on
vetting the world and his dog. The new
government has put it all on hold so
watch this space...
Insurance
Does your insurance insure you for
teaching children and young persons?
If you are going to drive them, is this
insured on your driving insurance? Is
your dance venue insured for children
and young persons? We do live in a
compensation culture and teachers
need to be protected with appropriate
insurance.
CP Knowledge
You need at least a basic working
knowledge of CP to include;
1 Being able to spot children and young
persons in difficulty
2 Have knowledge of different forms
of abuse; i.e. through neglect, sexual,
emotional, and physical harm and
exposure to harm by a third party
(Domestic violence)
3 Dealing with disclosures and making
difficult decisions about particular
situations
At the end of the day it is
everyone’s responsibility to look
out for children and young
persons and take action
if needed .
4 How to share any concerns. If in
doubt you can call your Local Authority
Social Care (Social Services) office for
advice.
5 How to organise your class to avoid
any CP problems arising in the first
place. It’s all for your protection and
benefit as well!
6 You need to know enough to be
able to form your own view about any
particular situation because no two
situations are ever alike.
At this stage of reading this you
may be thinking that you are involved
in Arabic dance for fun and light
relief not to get heavy about serious
matters. But if you are wanting to start
including children and young people
under 16 in your classes you do need
to address CP issues. The idea is not
to be restrictive but to be prepared to
avoid any awkward situation arising
in the first place and if something does
crop up how to deal with it. The reality
is that whether we like it or not there
is a lot of abuse around. Of particular
relevance is the fact that there is sexual
grooming and exploitation of young
girls by men going on in our society
and probably not far from where you
are sitting reading this article. Touting
a nubile belly dancer would have great
appeal and make loadsamoney but not
for the dancer.
Although I work in the CP field I
had to attend a course recently run
by the NSPCC in conjunction with
Sports Coach UK, Safeguarding
and Protecting Children; a guide for
Sportspeople. This was a requirement
for having being persuaded by my
brother to be a Child Protection Officer
for his local cricket club as required
under the English Cricket Club CP
Scheme. It was attended by voluntary
and paid workers from diverse
organisations such as Scouts and, as I
excitingly discovered, the local Syncro
club which I never knew existed... and
it has a veteran’s class on a Friday! It
was well worth it; really interesting
and useful. Your local LEA may have
similar courses. It cost £25.
Consents from a person with legal
parental responsibility.
Do you have consent for the child or
young person under 16 participating in
your class or dance events ? This is a
matter for you but I would not proceed
without the agreement of a person with
legal parental responsibility signing a
consent. Mother bringing 13 year old
daughter to class and signing a consent
form is fine but older boyfriend...
seriously NO, and he has no legal
authority or power to sign a consent
(Why do I say under the age of 16?
The age of adult responsibility is 18.
But the reality is that by the time a
person is 16 they are for most intents
and purposes autonomous individuals
except for some statutory limitations.)
We need well thought out plans
for what we teach children and young
persons.
Should we have a CP policy for our
Arabic Dance classes? Well, Yes, but
we don’t... yet. I do think that we all
need to be able to show that we are well
thought out and are not just dabbling in
teaching children and young persons if
that is what we want to do. I think that
every teacher needs to be able to form
their own view about any particular
situation or dance and decide what is
an appropriate combination of age,
dance move, choreography, costumes
and dance venues and context.
At the end of the day it is everyone’s
responsibility to look out for children
and young persons and take action if
needed. If it was us in difficulty, being
abused or exploited we would not want
anyone to turn a blind eye. We can
all contribute to this and at the same
time demonstrate our professionalism
by making our classes involving
children and young persons safer and
more relaxed for everyone involved
including ourselves.
Alex Gledhill
Law Society Children Panel
PGCE Freelance CP Trainer
. . . it shows that you have given serious
consideration to and have knowledge of CP
requirements, it shows professionalism.
35
By Deirdre MacDonald
What I did on my Summer holidays
and refreshing of familiar ones which helped to re- energize
my love for this dance and my passion for teaching.
I thoroughly enjoyed the time dancing, being taught and
stretched in my dance as well as talking about tribal style
and philosophy and feeling nourished by the shared kindred
spirit and love of the dance – the sisterhood really gives you
a buzz! The other girls were from Australia, Oregon, Florida
and myself from Scotland via New York State.
We also got the opportunity to introduce the locals in
Clatskanie to Tribal Style when Paulette ‘volunteered’ us after
our first day to entertain her customers at her General Store’s
wine tasting evening. We pulled off a good performance,
illustrating the power of a shared dance vocabulary and true
improvisation!
I was so pleased to pass my test and achieve level 3 – hard
work, dancing in the heat, out in the sun, laughing, sharing
experiences and learning. A great way to spend summer!
Deirdre, aka Hipswithattitude.co.uk teaches Tribal Style.
Currently in Rochester NY and working to develop a tribal
community wherever she goes!
Photos courtesy of Deirdre
In between the lovely sunshine walks and mini-breaks
with my family this summer, I thought it was time to give
myself another push and focus for my Tribal Teaching.
A few months ago I had seen that my main teacher and
mentor Paulette Ree-Denis of Gypsy Caravan was hosting
more student training in her home area, Clatskanie,
Oregon.
Having convinced my hubbie that going from east coast
to west coast with 16 month old Aimee was exactly how we
should spend our vacation, I excitedly booked up for the
course.
I had spent 6 years in Portland from 1999 which was when
I discovered “tribal style”. I have found Paulette’s style of
dance grounded, fun, disciplined and a great foundation to
develop my own teaching style. There were 5 of us signed up for the Collective Soul level
3 training which was a 3 day intensive of study with Paulette.
We had around 5 hours of training each day that covered
slower moves, upbeat moves, Combinations, Formations as
well as zilling and drilling. A packed agenda with a practical
and written test at the end! There were a lot of new moves
36
Belly Dance
Teaching
- Accreditation at last !
By Yvette Cowles
In 1992 Josephine Wise and Maggie Caffrey established the JWAAD Teacher Course, with the aim of improving the
standard of Belly Dance Teaching in the UK. Eighteen years on, though not the only effective route for people looking
for a teaching qualification in this field, it is recognised as a course of depth and excellence, and widely held to be the
most prestigious and most detailed course of its kind.
Photos courtesy of Kay
The course has been developed and
honed over recent years by Jo Wise
and Kay Taylor, JWAAD’s Head of
Teacher Training. It is currently divided
into two parts, with the JWAAD
Foundation Course covering safety
and anatomy, and a pre-requisite to
doing the main Diploma Course. There
are currently 201 people who have
passed the JWAAD Foundation course
and JWAAD trained teachers now
teach across the UK from Scotland to
Cornwall, in France, Spain, Norway,
Belgium, Ireland and Australia.
2010 sees an exciting new
development – full accreditation of
the JWAAD Foundation Course by
the National Open College Network.
I spoke to Kay Taylor, who has been
instrumental in bringing about these
changes, about its significance for the
teaching of Belly dance in the UK:
YC: What are the benefits of
accreditation?
KT: It is a very important step for
JWAAD to be recognised as a centre to
deliver OCN qualifications. While the
Foundation Course is currently designed
to ensure that people can teach safely
and effectively, as this dance gains in
popularity it has become increasingly
important to have a qualification that
is recognised in the wider dance world.
An accredited course has external
validation and a teacher wishing to
run classes for Further Education or
local councils will often be asked for
valid qualifications. There are other
worthwhile courses available, for
example, ‘Exercise to Music’, but
this will be the only accredited course
specific to Belly Dance.
. . . ‘I found the Foundation Course very enjoyable
and extremely helpful with setting up
and organising my classes, from lesson planning
to business planning . . .’
37
YC: What is the OCN?
KT: the OCN is a leading Awarding
Body with extensive experience of
credit-based learning. It is a national
organisation but we are connected
to the OCN North East Region, one
of eleven regional OCNs. They are
very committed to adult learning
and have been extremely helpful in
advising us how to modify the course
in order to make it a recognised OCN
qualification.
YC: How does the new course
differ from the original Foundation
course?
KT: In future JWAAD foundation
courses will be in a slightly different
format, and participants will have the
choice of submitting their portfolio of
work for external verification and a
certificate issued by the National Open
College Network.
The module is now called ‘Safe
Delivery of Belly Dance Classes’ and
is a Level 3 qualification, which means
the content is to ‘A’ level standard. It
remains a pre-requisite to continuing
to the rest of the JWAAD Teacher
Training Diploma Course.
YC: Who is the course aimed at?
KT: Anyone teaching belly dance
classes or considering teaching or
interested in it for their own personal
development. Below are some of the
comments we’ve received from course
participants. While it is geared towards
Egyptian style, we have also had
positive feedback from Tribal dancers
about its usefulness:
‘As a Tribal dancer, the JWAAD
Foundation course represents the best
option around or anyone wanting to add
a new depth of professionalism to their
teaching, whatever their discipline.’
Bridie Przibram
‘I found the Foundation Course
very enjoyable and extremely helpful
with setting up and organising my
classes, from lesson planning to
business planning. As a trained Nurse
I was already familiar with academic
anatomy and physiology, but I was
impressed with the depth of teaching
within the subject.’
Sue Baker
‘The course has allowed me to fuse
my background in fitness with the
specific requirements of a culturally
artistic dance form and even taught
me how to start and run classes from
a responsible and courteous business
point of view… It is a unique course
that really is the best certification of its
kind currently on offer in the UK.’
Maria Hilliard
YC: How can people find out more?
KT: Information about forthcoming
courses can be found on the JWAAD
website: www.jwaad.com, or they
can contact me on 0191 519 0305 or
[email protected]
We will be running regular courses
both in the North and South of England.
We are also available to run courses
in specific areas providing there is
sufficient demand. Once again, anyone
interested should contact me.
Belly dance teachers have long
complained about the lack of
recognition and respect for this dance
form in comparison with other more
established genres, in spite of the
dramatic improvement in the standard
of dancing and teaching in recent years.
I believe that the accreditation of the
JWAAD Foundation Course marks an
exciting new stage in its evolution and
one that will finally confer on Belly
Dance the status it truly deserves.
Photo courtesy of Kay
Find out more at the JWAAD website: www.jwaad.com
or contact Kay on 0191 519 0305 or [email protected]
38
39
Reviews
Best of Om Kolthoum
& Mohammed Abdul Wahab - Hossam Ramzy
I picked this CD up from Aladdins cave on a recent music
binge as part of my mission to find the ultimate version of
Ansak to dance to (second only to the mission to find the
ultimate version of Sawah). Sadly the CD didn’t deliver
in that respect and the mission continues. What I did find
was a beautiful array of music and as the CD says “with
songs of two of Egypt’s greates singers: Om Kolthoum and
Mohammed Abdul Wahab, arranged by Hossam Ramzy and
perfomred together with his Egyptian Ensemble in the form
of excellent Egyptian dance music”.
Although there are some long tracks in there about 50%
of the CD is around the 5 min mark which actually means it
may get used in a set. It has depth and some really beautiful
moments in each piece and has been well produced. My
favourite aspect of the CD is that there are Enta Omri
parts 1, 2 and 3 (all around the 5 or 6 min mark) so it gives
you lovely segments to dip in and out of each with a very
different flavour.
The only downside of the CD for me is that many of these
great songs go hand in hand with the lyrics and sadly this CD
is pure instrumental, so many of the pieces feel like there is
that final layer missing.
Reviewed by Anna Bisco
Serpent of the Nile.
Women and Dance in the Arab World
Wendy Buonaventura
Saqibooks ISBN978-0-86356-628-8
There is now a new and updated soft back version of
Wendy’s study. It includes a chapter “New Directions”
looking Western theatrical presentations and ATS and Tribal
Fusion.
This is very much an individual perspective on the dance
but nevertheless a book most belly dancers will want and
value in their collection. If only for the luscious collection of
illustrations, it’s an object of desire. From orientalist images
through movie stills to up to date photographs, all paint a
picture of the beauty and variety of this dance. Accounts from
past centuries, irreplaceable witness evidence and stories of
the movers and shakers of the dance all make up a treasure
trove. It’s all woven together in flowing text. Of course there
are gaps in experiences and historical evidence is used to
confirm the author’s belief. But as long as you are aware that
this is one person’s perspective on the history and the present
state of the dance, then it’s a delightful and essential read. I
got mine for just over £11 from Amazon.co.uk.
Reviewed by Liz Jarrett
40
Muse Melodic - FatChanceBellyDance
Muse Melodic is the newest release presented by
FatChanceBellyDance and is a must have for the ATS
and Fusion dancer alike. Lovingly compiled by Kristine
Adams of FCBD, Muse Melodic presents us dancers with
a wonderful tapestry of sound. From traditional tribal beats
to inspiring chanting, Miss Adams has put together a truly
inspiring musical experience to suit every palate.
There are some familiar names on this album. New tracks
by tried and tested favourites of the Tribal Community –
Helm and Solace – provide an excellent backbone to the
compilation. These two artists are reason enough to purchase
this album. “Maghreb” by Helm is a much anticipated track
in the world of ATS, as it is a lovingly re-mastered track of
a FCBD favourite (the original track being out of print). It
doesn’t stop there for Helm – there are two more new tracks
on there to tempt you. Solace has done it again with an
astounding track – “Anathema”. This track will leave you
breathless (both literally and figuratively!) as the depth of the
layers take you on an unforgettable musical journey.
If it’s more of a contemporary feel you’re lookin’ for, Muse
Melodic does not disappoint. Tracks such as “Tried by 5 over
4” by Tim Barsky provides an elegant flute melody layered
with beat-boxing, while Dan Cantrell provides listeners with
a gut-wrenchingly beautiful piano and accordion duet entitled
“Wayward”. With such a varied, elegant compilation, it’s
difficult to give each and every track credit where credit it
due. So, the only solution is this: have a listen for yourself!
Small samples of the CD can be heard on CD
Baby and descriptions of each track can be found on:
www.fcbd.com/catalog/ - under “Music”
Happy Listening!!
Reviewed by Jesse Stanbridge
Introducing
Madam Kay . . .
(I don’t have to really . . . it ’s Kay Taylor)
I was recently teaching some basic technique classes at JoY when one of the ladies came over to ask something. She
said ‘Do you know there are several teachers that have come to this class just to see how you break down technique?’
I didn’t but apparently they find my approach really clear and take a lot away that they then use with their students.
I was teaching the hagalla (Egyptian walk) which is notoriously difficult to learn. One lady commented ‘You had 98%
of the class doing it’. I have to say I thought they all did really well.
As head of the JWAAD Training Program and having recently managed to get part of our course Nationally accredited, I
am heavily involved in developing a professional approach to teaching. Most of us get into teaching belly dance by default
rather than through a formal study course. That is how I started, then I did the JWAAD Teaching Diploma course, found it
incredibly useful, went onto develop my own dance and teaching skills, I’m invited to teach throughout the UK and have
developed a reputation as an approachable, clear and inspirational teacher. I take at least half a dozen groups to Cairo each
year .... where I am known as ‘Madam Kay’ ....... hence ‘Ask Madam Kay’.
As teachers we face all sorts of situations and I often get phone calls from other JWAAD teachers asking how I would deal
with something. Sometimes it is me ringing round other teachers for advice. This type of networking is really useful and it
can just help to get a different perspective on things. I suggested to Anna that a problem page of some sort might be useful
for people ..... and here it is.
You can write or e-mail your queries. I will get back to you and talk through the situation and give you some suggestions.
We will then print the details in the next magazine.
Advertisement
I look forward to hearing from you.... a problem shared is a problem halved......
41
Update
Meet Jo,
our
researcher!
Write something about yourself, Liz said. Introduce
yourself. Well, I guess I should start with: Hello! My name’s
Jo, and then tell you it’s not just the dancing that interests
me, but all the unanswered questions: the how, why, where,
what, and when of what dancers do. I’m an accountant for
the day job, which nicely balances a sense of logic with all
the illogical reasons people do what they do. Far longer
than that, though, I’ve been a writer, folklorist, researcher,
amateur Egyptologist and story-teller. All of these things
involve putting stories together, knowing when they make
sense, and when you have to keep digging to find the missing
pieces.
I’ve been dancing for twelve years. My first teachers were
Anne Kingston and Shirley Lewis, followed by no end of
workshops, but that’s probably where the traditional learning
curve stopped. There’s been a lot of at home and after hours
dancing with Arabic and Iranian ladies, people you’ll never
see teach or perform but who probably taught me more than
anyone else. I’ve danced with more bands than most dancers
I know, but never yet with an Egyptian one! I’ve done classes
and workshops, but now I teach one-to-one in my kitchen and
I’m currently working with a violinist to see if belly-dance arm
movement will help with bowing technique! Just recently I’ve
started story-telling and compering dance shows for new group,
Qamar14. When I was a kid I used to moan that real life didn’t
have adventures like books. These last twelve years have shown
me adventures really are out there: you just have to say yes and
be prepared for anything, particularly hard work!
About the same time I discovered dancing I also found I had
Wegener’s Disease, which is a rotten auto-immune condition
that can make dancing impossible for weeks on end. I’m not
very good at twiddling my thumbs and being bored, so I’ve been
busy writing about dance. I’ve also been translating accounts of
Egyptian dance which have never before appeared in English.
Now Liz has asked me to contribute to NADA’s ongoing project
on the history of UK belly-dance, so I’m on the trail of even
more stories! I hope you won’t mind if I start asking questions
– and if you’ve got stories of your own to tell me, please get in
touch!
42
Chris Ogden reports that Colne Bedazzle event held
on 24th October raised a total profit £630 to be shared
between Just Because and Alzheimer’s Research.
The date for the next Yeadon (near Leeds) Bedazzle is
11 June 2011 – the current plan is for another at Colne on
29 October 2011 (but that is a way off yet).
If anyone is interested in either they should email me at
[email protected]
Priority for places will be for local classes/groups. This
is simply because the aim of the event is to raise money and
local groups bring in more dancers, plus more friends and
family as audience. Bigger groups from further afield are
also welcome.
Zill cover pattern
kindly supplied by
Shala Kerrigan
I used a size 4 hook (quick project doncha know. If I wanted
something more intricate I’d have used a smaller hook, but I
wanted something quick)
Size 10 cotton thread
Small “ouch-less” hair elastics
Chain 12, slip stitch to join in a ring
Rnd 1: Ch 1, 24 sc in ring, sl st
Rnd 2: Ch 4 (counts as first tr, and ch 1) *tr in next stitch, ch
1*, repeate ** around, sl st to 3rd ch in first ch to join. (24 tr)
Rnd 3: ch 1 (doesn’t count as first sc) sc in each stitch
around, sl st to join
Rnd 4: ch 1 (doesn’t count as first sc) sc in same stitch, *ch
3, skip next st, sc in next st,* repeat ** around, on the last st,
instead of ch 3, ch 1, dc in first sc. (24 loops) 1
Rnd 5 : ch 1 (doesn’t count as first sc), *ch 3, sc in next loop*
repeat ** around, on last loop, ch 1, dc in first sc
Rnd 6: Repeat round 5
Rnd 7: Ch 1, (doesn’t count as first sc) sc in same stitch, ch 1,
sc around hair elastic, ch 1, *sc in next loop, ch 1, sc around
hair elastic, ch 1,* repeat ** around, sl st to join. Weave in
ends.
I love this technique for coming out of the top of a loop
instead of having the thickness of slipstitch up to the top of
the next loop. If you prefer to slipstitch, by all means do.
The Magic
of the Music
By Yasmina of Cairo
People often ask the question, what made you take up Egyptian dance? In one sense, the answer is simple: Egyptian
music. Many years ago, on a holiday in Morocco to escape the London winter, I watched a dancer and was captivated, but
far more importantly I bought, down at the bazaar in Marrakesh, a collection of cassettes, which I took home with me
and listened to non-stop. No matter where you are in the Middle East it is Egyptian music that prevails, so most of those
cassettes were recorded in Cairo. I didn’t know the names of the songs or anything about the music, but it poured into me,
rich with emotion, and became the background to my life. It is a cliché to say that music transcends cultural barriers, and
of course the western music industry has exported both western classical and pop music across the globe. It isn’t a given
that that goes both ways. To many western ears music from other cultures feels inaccessible. Yet for many thousands of
women from diverse countries taking up Egyptian dance, Egyptian music has become a passion. A world unlocked.
43
For a dancer, to be able to enter and live inside the music
is a necessity. Raqia Hassan, doyenne of the Cairo belly dance
scene, describes a trip to the Moscow State Ballet when she was
still travelling with the Reda Troupe. “For me, western music
had always been something outside of my world; it didn’t hold
any attraction, and I rejected it. But when I was there in that
theatre in Moscow, listening to the music of ‘Sheherazade’,
being played with a live orchestra, it had a dramatic effect on
me. I closed my eyes to block out the sight of the dancers, just
so I could truly experience the music in my own body.’
Raqia, along with many other dancers and dance teachers,
has been responsible in recent years for producing music CDs
for dancers. Traditionally in Egypt the relationship between
the dancer and the producers of music has always been a close
one, because of the nature of the dance itself. Before recorded
music, dancers would always have musicians with them, and
their dance, with its strong improvisational elements, evolved
organically through that relationship.
With the development of the recording industry the works of
great composers became accessible to the public, and famous
dancers in Egypt emerging onto a bigger platform through
stage shows in the five star night clubs, for a growing audience
that included newly-rich tourists from the Gulf States. These
dancers began commissioning music to perform to, including
overtures and entrance pieces that would become their
signatures, and ‘tableaux’ in which they would collaborate
with singers and folkloric dancers to produce a set piece with a
theme. It is interesting to note that these commissions came at a
far heavier price than composers charge today. Between 10,000
and 15,000 Egyptian pounds was the norm for a ‘majensee’
(the word comes from the French ‘Mis en Scene’) or entrance
piece. Along with the heavy cost of costumes (also, believe it
or not, much more expensive, 20 years ago, than now), a 30
or 40 piece orchestra, and the general expense of producing
a full show and maintaining a dancer’s lifestyle, the whole
business was on a different economic level to the dancers of
today. The composer, when receiving payment, would hand
over the musical manuscript (this is still the case), which is then
the property of the dancer. Dancers did not record their music,
because they didn’t want anyone else to use it. It was played
live, and if anyone else in town used the same piece, or even
began rehearsing it with their own orchestra, word would be
. . . the wonderful combination of
Samia Gamal and Farid el Attrache .
cinema, began commissioning those composers to produce
music for them. Movies featuring dancers had made household
names of Samia Gamal, Naima Akef and Tahia Carioca, among
others. In the films they appeared in, they danced to short,
specially composed pieces, or traditional songs. Often the movie
would be a show case for both dancer and singer – think of the
wonderful combinations of Naima Akef with Faiza Ahmed,
Kitty and Ahmed Fawzi and of course Samia Gamal and Farid
el Attrache. It is a wonderful three-way relationship when
you have the dancer, the singer (and of course the musicians)
performing for an audience, even when that performance is on
screen.
The emergence of star names onto the Cairo nightclub
scene in the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s heralded a boom in musical
composition for dance. Dancers such as Suheir Zaki, Fifi Abdou,
Mona Said and Nagua Fouad competed to produce spectacular
44
out the same day! Because of this, many beautiful pieces of
music have been lost forever, or buried somewhere among the
old costumes hung up for the last time by retired divas from the
past. They simply had no reason to record it because they never
danced without their orchestras. Also, recording music in those
days was a lot more complicated and expensive; today’s easilyavailable technology didn’t exist.
Fortunately for us though, some of the greatest pieces were
preserved. ‘Set el Hosn’, by Mohamed Sultan, and ‘Maasha’al’
by Hany Mohana were actually recorded by the composers
themselves, and are regularly used by dancers to this day.
(Nagua Fouad was single- handedly responsible for bringing us
a legacy of wonderful music by commissioning these, as well as
music by Mohamed Abdel Wahab and other renowned classical
composers.) Other pieces have not been so much preserved as
stolen. Re-recordings of old majensees that slipped between
Faiza Ahmed
the cracks have turned up under new names and on other
continents! Mona Saeed was dismayed to find her music on CD
in the States, salvaged from a video sound track and re-recorded
without permission. Musicians that worked for dancers in a
previous generation sometimes retain copies on an old cassette
that they used for practice, and some composers are not above
lifting phrases of music from them.
By the 1990’s the demise of Egyptian dancers commissioning
quality music gradually produced a shortage. At the same time
dancers and dance teachers abroad began recording their own
music to fill the gap. Hossam Ramzy, Beata and Horacio and
Leila Haddad, were some of the names producing CDs in Cairo
for export to the world belly dance market, and for their own
performances. Ironically in Cairo itself there was very little
contemporary recorded belly dance music available (unless
you were prepared to dance to Shik Shak Shock, or instrumental
versions of famous songs on synthesizers.) It was this that
prompted Raqia Hassan to begin producing CDs. Together with
Youssry Sharif she did the first ‘Wash Ya Wash’ CD ‘because
we couldn’t find the music we wanted to dance to.’
Raqia is a perfectionist when it comes to producing music,
and that is the only way to get a good result. ‘It is a long process.
You must first sit with the composer and explain exactly what
you want. The composer is not a dancer. He will not understand
everything you need. When it comes to the recording it’s
necessary to be there as much as possible during the process.
Sometimes even then when you take the finished result away
and actually try to dance to it, you find things that don’t work for
you. Then you have to go back and re-do certain parts.’
45
Ahmed el Khatib,
singer on A
‘ la Rimsh Eyounaha’
46
Since most music nowadays is recorded on tracks, the last
track to go down is usually the tabla. This is so that we can
listen to the otherwise finished music, dance to it, and then
decide where the accents should be. Of course, the individual
style of that dancer will often determine this. It is what gives the
music a distinctive character, though you might find when you
listen to it that you would have preferred an accent somewhere
else. ‘Foreign dancers like to dance to the rhythm more than
the melody,’ says Raqia. ‘I saw this when I began teaching and
travelling. It is easier for them, but it is a trend which I don’t
like. Nevertheless I put a strong tabla track because I know it
is important for many dancers and gives them something to
work with.’‘ There are now several dancers (including myself)
making music CDs in Cairo for a world market of dancers. Yet
each of us is first and foremost recording music for ourselves.
“I began recording my orchestra playing so that when I
travel without them I can still feel they are with me’, says Leila,
whose three CDs all have a particularly soulful and raw feel that
is close to dancing with a live band.
For Outi (who has two CDs out; El Amoura, and Helm el
Raks) the motive is the same, though she also acknowledges
that producing CDs is nowadays a good way to spread one’s
name.
“What I am pleased about is the fact that long after I’ve made
a CD, I continue to stand by every decision that went into it; I
would do it again exactly the same way again. Although I do
dance to other peoples’ music, I use mine most of the time when
I’m not with my band. There are hundreds of CDs available, but
the ones produced here in Cairo are the only ones I enjoy. Some
people come to Cairo and record CDs, but even those don’t have
the same feeling, the same soul, the same edge as those made
by dancers who are actually living and working here. They are
often over-produced and a bit bland.’
That blandness may sometimes be intentional; for big stage
shows the intimacy of a rawer sound doesn’t suit everyone,
and the smoother sound can feel more accessible. But in my
opinion now that the technology has become more advanced,
over-production is a danger. Use too many violins, smooth out
the drums, and start to introduce sampling (synthesized, rather
than live instruments) and you begin to lose that edge.
‘It is essential to use strong solo musicians when you record,’
agrees Raqia. ‘I reject anything that isn’t the original instrument
played live, even when they’re played on tracks.’
It is difficult to put your finger on what makes a recording
sound ’real’, and gives it that true Cairo feeling. But achieving
that important mix of sound that is both well-produced and still
feels alive requires, I think, knowing what it feels like to dance
here to live music.
Amera of Amera’s Palace in Australia has been dancing
for 25 years, and made four CDs, all of them with Lebanese
musicians, in Dubai, Lebanon and her home town of Sydney
(the majensee on ‘W’Hayatak’ was recorded in Cairo.) She has
also been selling CDs for 20 years in her Bellydance boutique.
‘You can tell the difference between a CD recorded by a dancer
who is actively dancing, to one who is retired, or not dancing
regularly as part of her life. The choices of music she makes,
the way the arrangements are done to suit her, reflects her dance
at that time. There is something alive, something of her soul in
it. I can testify to this because my last CD was made at a period
when I had not been as active dancing and teaching, and though
others may not realize it, I felt that that was evident in the result.
‘W’Hayatak’, by contrast, had a lot of personal meaning for me,
and I love the way it sounds.
For me, each CD that I have recorded has been a creative,
stimulating experience. Just as having my own orchestra and
creating shows with them was a rich, satisfying period, so
creating music in the studio has proved inspiring in a different
way. Eight years of performing here and using popular songs
from the past gave me a rich pool of material to choose from,
each and every song containing a special meaning for me. Most
of them I danced with my orchestra, and we had previously
spent many fun hours resurrecting the really old ones and
rehearsing them together, for the stage. My collaboration with
Safaa Farid when producing my CDs has been useful in this
respect, as when we were married and working together live, his
wide knowledge of classical and shaabi songs was invaluable.
If I heard a snippet of a song somewhere and liked it, he’d be
able to recall and reproduce the vocals, and the musicians would
chime in and bring it together.
Each song not only brings back the past for me but
acknowledges the present in a real, living sense. Ahmed el
Khatib, singer on ‘Ala Rimsh Eyounaha’ and ‘El Awazil’ is
Safaa’s nephew, and is now singing in Cairo and abroad. He
did his first recording with me at age 21, but when I was first
performing the songs on stage, he was just a kid. His father,
Alaa is the shaabi singer on ‘Agibni Kulak’, and on Leila’s
‘Pussycat’. Connections and connectedness has been part of the
production of these CDs. And the songs continue to resonate
and inspire new dancers, because they keep their magic even
when done in a different arrangement. It is usually necessary
to change the arrangement to make it more danceable – and
sometimes it can even turn out better than the original! (Two
examples for me are ‘Agibni Kulak’, from ‘Aheb Masr’, and
‘El Awazil’ on ‘El Warda’.)
‘The arranger of the music is as important, or even more
important, than the composer’, comments Raqia Hassan, and
I would definitely go along with her on that. In fact on ‘El
Warda’ it was the same person (Nader Zakaria) who had done
the arrangements on two of my previous CDs that I hired to
write the opening music. Often the composer cannot read or
write music (Hassan Abou Saoud, legendary accordionist and
current president of the musician’s union is a good example),
but composes the piece by ear, then gets the arranger to write
down the notes. The arranger mixes the different tracks, adds
harmonies, and generally carries the process through.
For myself and other Cairo dancers who’ve produced CDs,
the content tends to reflect the way a live show is put together
here. So there will be one majensee (usually commissioned and
specially written; this is the most expensive track), a collection
of songs of different genres, possibly a tableau of some kind,
some baladi and a drum solo. The idea is that if you wished to
you could perform a whole 50 minute show using one CD –
though of course no-one actually does that, not least because
outside Cairo few dancers have the opportunity to perform 50
minutes solo. On a personal note, I do tend to include a lot of
vocals in the CDs, because I love them. Much as a piece of
instrumental music can be beautiful, soulful and rich, for me the
vocal adds an extra dimension that I respond to, and the human
voice is as much an instrument of expression for the dancer’s
body as any of the musical instruments. But of course the voice
must resonate for that dancer. ‘When I record a song on one
of my CDs - for example a piece of Um Kulsoum - the voice
must be perfect,’ says Raqia. ‘Otherwise I would rather not use
one. The words of the song can be expressed through a musical
instrument. With a virtuoso musician I will still feel the sadness
and meaning of each line.’
I appreciate that some dancers feel unsure about interpreting
song lyrics they don’t understand, and feel safer without. But
for me learning to express the meanings of songs was what
made ‘re-learning’ the dance in Cairo when I came here such a
fantastic experience. Despite her own comment about singers,
it was actually watching Raqia Hassan, in our private classes,
unlock those vocal meanings through movements, gestures and
facial expressions, that taught me how to make the connection.
It was a joy that many other dancers have shared.
I cannot leave the subject of music recording, unfortunately,
without touching on a very important note, which is about
the copying of CDs . Recently Horacio Cifuentes made an
impassioned appeal on YouTube on this subject, and when I
went to interview Raqia Hassan, her very first comment was,
‘Talk about recording music? Let’s talk about how people steal
it!’
There is no doubt that the copying of belly dance CDs, whether
for personal use or for distribution, will kill the production of
future CDs. Beata and Horacio have already cancelled plans to
come back to Cairo and do a new recording. Raqia has said
the same. For myself I am torn between the pleasure of doing
it and the considerable expense (let’s not even go there), when
one has to start assuming the copying will spread. It is even
more unfortunate that it is often other dance teachers who are
the very ones pirating the CDs! If the major record companies
are suffering, it is obvious that individuals like ourselves, who
invest large sums of our own money, are liable to suffer even
more. Perhaps the day of the CD is dead and we should in any
case be looking at new ways to distribute our music. But I would
like to add my voice to the appeal. Please do think twice before
copying a CD made by a fellow dancer and spreading it around
your friends!
On a more positive note, I would like to end this piece by
acknowledging several people who have been invaluable to me
during my years producing CDs (and hopefully will continue to
be in the future). Nader Zakeria and Mounir Abdul Aziz, both
arrangers, composers are generally the creative force behind
the last four releases. Safaa Farid for his help, vocals and
general input over the years, and Kay Taylor of Farida Dance,
who was a sponsor on ‘Heya di Yasmina’, and has continued
to support and distribute all my CDs and DVDs. I also must
mention her indomitable assistant the long suffering Christine
at Farida Dance, who has dealt with literally thousands of my
CDs through various distribution dramas. I will never forget her
rushing up to me at a festival wringing her hands and crying
‘I’ve just heard the terrible news: there’s another CD about to
come out!’
Guess what Christine . . . there may be more bad news
to come.
Yasmina’s five CDs, ‘Layali Yasmina’, ‘Heya di Yasmina’, ‘Aheb Masr!’, ‘El Warda’,
and the latest ‘Baladi W’Bas!’, are all available to order from www.faridadance.com
47
A Moroccan
Adventure
Marrakech with Nawarra
48
48
Photos Hilda Charlton and Julia Norman
By Sue Wilson (and Julia and Hilda!)
Talking together about doing a girlie trip with the whole package (fun, laughs, shopping,
sight-seeing, dancing and lots more laughs) and all of us having already been to Cairo, Marrakech
came to mind and who to consult to provide us with all this but Moroccan born, now Leeds
based, Nawarra.
Nawarra offers various holidays of different lengths (catch
her website) and she came over the Pennines to Merseyside
to meet myself, Julia and Hilda and discuss the right one for
us. We decided on the ten day trip in May which included a
couple of days/nights in Essaouira on the coast.
Joining the three of us and Nawarra on this trip were
Rachel from London and Sabine from Wiltshire.
Nawarra packs a lot into her trips including excursions
to Berber villages in the mountains and our first full day in
Marrakech saw us off in our minibus to visit Sidi Fatma. This
is about an hour and a half journey along the beautiful Ourika
Valley and into the Atlas Mountains for some wonderful clear
air and al-fresco dining next to a fast flowing river. Lamb and
prune tagine and wonderful vegetable couscous – some of the
best food we ate on the whole trip (and we ate a lot!). Some
of the villagers showed us around their houses with their
open-air kitchens with pots bubbling away and of course we
had the chance to shop for jewellery and souvenirs!
That evening we headed out to the Charamagne restaurant
– this is a really beautiful place with exquisite tiles and décor.
Nawarra had bagged us the best front table to watch the band
and the wonderful dancers, the lead dancer being our Berber
teacher for our dance workshop later in the week. Great meal
and we also had a bit of a bop!
Next morning we were off on the two and a half hour trip
to the coast. We stopped in the area where the famous argan
oil and its products are produced from the argan tree, the
only area where these trees grow. We visited a womens’ cooperative, saw how the nuts and oil are processed and then
stocked up on loads of beauty goodies!
And so to the coastal town of Essaouira – a fascinating
place, famous hippy town of old and always windy so surfers
come from all over to ride the waves. Our first call was lunch
down at the port, the numerous fish stalls filled with diners
tucking into the freshest catch at a very cheap price. The
afternoon was spent exploring the souk and then back to the
hotel for a swim/rest.
The next day was spent exploring the Sarka, the
fortifications built by the Jewish Berber population in the
eighteenth century. We had lunch in a fabulous rooftop
restaurant and then carried on exploring the town. Our
evening meal was in our own hotel and although no alcohol
was available, we had a very enjoyable and giggly time,
prompting an American guy at the next table to come over
to us and say “it worries me that you women can have so
much fun without a man”!!! Doh – of course we can and
do! Dinner over we headed out into the town and found a
trendy bar – Bar Blue – with a live band playing traditional
music followed by a DJ playing rave! Everyone was up and
bopping and Nawarra found herself surrounded by a crowd
of Japanese girls mesmerised by her dancing.
Next day back to Marrakech and a night out at the Anbar.
This restaurant looks like a Hollywood film set and has a
really good floor show – bellydancers of course and also fire
eaters and contortionists.
The following morning saw one of the highlights of our
trip – our workshop at our hotel with the wonderful Berber
lady we saw dancing at the Charomagne. Through Nawarra
she told us of her early life in the Atlas area. She’d had no
schooling and was shunned because she wanted to dance
(perform). During our lesson she donned her traditional
costume and sang for us – spinetingling! So much so that
the girls who were working in the hotel spa came through
to see what was happening and then asked if they could join
us in our lesson – of course we were very happy for them to
do so!
That afternoon we visited the Majorelle Gardens, bought
and renovated by Yves St.Laurent and very beautiful, an
oasis of calm!
Our evening venue was far from calm – the famous
Djemaa el-Fna Square. Monkeys, colourfully dressed water
carriers, snake charmers, fortune tellers and boys, dressed
as women, dancing – noisy, snakey, gorgeous smells and
absolutely crazy! We ate “pastilla”, a Moroccan pasty
traditionally filled with pigeon or chicken and sprinkled with
icing sugar and cinnamon, at one of the roof top restaurants
overlooking the square and drank delicious fresh juices from
the fruit stalls. After all this, Mounir, our driver, then took us
out into the countryside to Chez Ali to watch the Fantasia, a
spectacular open-air show in a huge arena with riflemen on
horseback charging then firing their rifles in unison, camel
rides, lots of musicians and dancers in traditional dress.
This brought us up to Friday when we had to say farewell
to the lovely Rachel who had only been able to come for one
week but who I am glad to say we met up with again at JoY
in October. After wishing Rachel a safe journey, we set off
for what proved to be another highlight of our trip, a visit
to the hammam down in the Medina and proof, as so many
times in Morocco, that an unimposing exterior often hides
a wonderful and sumptuous interior. DO NOT MISS THIS
– and don’t be shy! It was a fabulously relaxing experience,
from the steam room to probably the best massage we’d ever
had. The masseurs were powerful and funny women and
despite the language barrier we had a great giggle with them
as they pummelled and scrubbed us. Afterwards we sat and
drank mint tea in the beautifully decorated lounging area and
left feeling about a stone lighter!
That evening we had a treat in store, we were joined by
Nawarra’s Mum, her brother Ahmed and her gorgeous little
daughter Aya who had travelled over from Casablanca. We
spent the evening at a petrol station! No, not your usual BP
but a combined station and diner with a live Gnaoua band
playing!
Saturday saw us heading in the opposite direction
from Marrakech to our second Berber village. Up to Lalla
Takerkoust – spectacular views and a huge lake – this area
49
has been used in several Hollywood movies including
“Gladiator”. Our evening entertainment was at Borg Beledi,
similar to Fantasia with a spectacular horseman show and a
really good meal.
Sunday – culture day! The Bahia Palace, the Medersa (a
sixteenth century religious school of Islam) and the Museum
of Marrakech. Walking from one to the other, don’t miss the
Berber jewellery shops – we spent a couple of happy hours
haggling and enjoying small cakes and mint tea!
Next morning, we set off to visit the tanneries that provide
the leather for our Moroccan slippers, bags etc. OMG!! Not
for the faint hearted - health and safety here would have a
field day and the smell! We watched the skins being scraped
of animal hair and the tanners, wearing waders and standing
in vats of lime and ammonia, treating the skins before they are
rolled and pressed. In the afternoon Julia, Hilda and myself
smartened ourselves up and took a petit taxi to the famous La
Mamounia Hotel for afternoon tea – very civilised!
Our last evening (or so we thought) we spent in the Square
sitting on benches and eating harira soup with lots of bread
and fresh dates. That evening we packed our cases and the
next morning set off for the airport and home. WRONG no flights due to volcanic ash! We three amigos ended up
spending a couple of extra days in Marrakech in a four star
hotel, courtesy of Easy Jet. Thanks to some other stranded
passengers, we managed to find a shop where we were able
to buy a couple of bottles of wine over which to discuss our
plight and although Nawarra had commitments which meant
that she was unable to stay with us, we soon found our feet
(and wings) and after several phone calls and a visit to an
internet café, we managed to book an alternative flight and
made our own way home, three days later than planned and
via a bit of a detour to the East Midlands.
We hope this will give you a flavour of our holiday, there
was so much more! We had a ball and we can’t thank Nawarra
enough! She constantly makes sure you are enjoying it all
and nothing is too much trouble for her. So if you are up for
an adventure with a bit of everything in the mix – go for it,
speak to our friend Nawarra.
We are now planning our next Moroccan adventure!
Sue, Julia and Hilda
Rachelle Belly Dance Artist
Unique Belly Dance Art, Gifts and Merchandise
Belly Dancer Hold All Trolleys
can also be customised with your name
and artwork of your choice
www.rachellebellydanceartist.com
50
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51
Joy April 2010
WeiberWirbel
Madam Kay (Taylor). See Page 43
Kay Taylor by Rachelle Belly Dance Artist
www.rachellebellydanceartist
Tribal Swiss
with Meissoun
I am a founding member of WeiberWirbel, Switzerland’s oldest tribe. I found out about ATS while surfing on the
Internet. Actually, the first few times I saw pictures of Tribal Style dancers or Tribal costume items for sale, I was a bit
irritated. When I started Oriental dance in 1990 we weren’t really talking of ‘styles’ in Switzerland. ‘Good bellydance’
came from Egypt, ‘bad bellydance’ came from Turkey, that’s as far as it went. We had visiting teachers from Germany
or the USA and whatever they taught us was just Oriental dance.
But then there were these strange
American dancers who wore turbans
and no sequins! The more I saw, the
more intrigued I became, so I ended
up ordering some video tapes from
FatChanceBellyDance to see what it
was all about. Then I found out that
I needed a group to dance this style,
so I started asking around if anybody
else was interested and finally found
Miriam, a fellow dancer from Zurich.
We started dancing ATS together
around 1999.
Our videos were our only source
besides a few workshops we got to
take at German festivals with Amira
Mona and members of her former tribe
Nesimah. While American Tribal Style
bellydance has become a huge trend in
Germany (now joined by Tribal Fusion)
it has taken a long time to develop in
Switzerland.
When I started offering workshops on
the topic usually there were only few
people who were interested.
Nevertheless we found other dancers
to join our group. Unlike many tribes
we are not made out of a teacher and
her students. Every dancer joined us
on the recommendation of an existing
member. All our members are dance
teachers who already knew how to play
cymbals and who have the dedication
it takes to make a group work hard
together and be successful. We started
performing at our annual studio show,
a local theater festivals and company
events. Our dance style is made out of what
we learned from FCBD videos with
our own additions. Drawing from the
experiences of our different members
we modified movements from
Flamenco, Indian dance and others to
fit into the format.
From time to time we heard about
other groups forming themselves
in other parts of Switzerland – but
there wasn’t much contact and they
dissapeared after a while.
I know that there are some dancers
out there who teach a bit of ATS to their
students, but it’s more for themselves.
I haven’t seen any real, pro-level ATS
group performing in Switzerland
besides our own.
A change came with the arrival of
the Bellydance Superstars in Europe.
Suddenly many dancers wanted to be
little Rachel Brices…
I interviewed Naheema for this
article, one of Switzerland’s most active
Tribal Fusion dancers. She already had
a background in other dance forms
and saw the first TS group dancing
at a show in 2007 where she decided
that this was ‘her dance’. It was much
easier for her to learn the style than it
had been for me – since the first BDSS
tour, Tribal Fusion workshops with
famous American and German dancers
have been offered in Switzerland on a
regular basis and there are now quite
some TF dancers all over the country,
some dancing solo, others in groups.
Most of them are still very oriented
towards the big “names” and shy away
from adding their own flavour to the
style. Many of them also find out soon
that Tribal Fusion is hard work and
needs a lot of training. Just like other
dance forms, it’s not the pretty costume
that makes the dancer.
Interestingly it’s Tribal Fusion that
made more people aware of ATS. When
Naheema invited me to her school to
teach ‘old school’ American Tribal
Style bellydance, there were many
Tribal Fusion dancers who wanted
to learn more about the roots of their
dance style.
Naheema even created a year-long
project ‘Tribal Fusion education’ for
2010 of which I will be part.
Personally, Tribal Fusion is not my
thing. I only took one workshop with
Sharon Kihara, but decided that if I
wanted to perform solo choreographies
I might just as well stick to the dance
styles that I already know (like Oriental
and Bollywood dance). The group
improv part is what I love so much
about American Tribal Style, and I
don’t want to give it away. Besides, I
really love turbans!
Maybe ATS will never be big in
Switzerland – but WeiberWirbel will
continue to dance the ‘old fashion’
way. After all, it makes us the exotic
attraction at Tribal Fusion gatherings.
53
Dance Diary
Due to space restrictions, it is not possible to include all details of events.
Please contact the organiser or see the NADA website
www.nada.com
2010
DECEMBER
Farida Christmas Hafla
Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
3/12/10
The fabulous Farida Dance Xmas Party Hafla will once again be held at
Blackfriars (nearest metro station is Manors)
For further details visit: www.faridadance.com/events
Liverpool Christmas Hafla
Liverpool
4/12/10
Tickets: £6 Advance £8 on door
Christmas Hafla
St. Anthony of Padua, Queens Drive Liverpool.
For more details please see www.merhabamagazine.co.uk
Farida at Fantasia
11/12/10 - 12/12/10
Fantasia has workshops with international and national teachers and of
course the Farida Dance Souk. Eman and Hoda Zaki are usually in attendance on the Farida Stall for your dream custom made cossie!
For further details: www.jwaad.com
Fantasia Festival
Chiswick, London
11/12/10 - 12/12/10
Workshops with a truly amazing variety of subjects, with everything from
Drum Solos to Andalucian, Gypsy, African Fusion, Indian Fusion, Tsiftetelli, Lebanese, Hula, Fan Veils, Wings, Dark Cabaret, Barefoot Flamenco
and even Steam Punk Neo Victorian! Plus our wonderful Saturday night
show and our famous Souk, offering a fantastic selection of dancewear,
music and accessories, for class or performance!
For further details: www.jwaad.com/fantasia.htm
2011
JANUARY
Bellylicious
Live Theatre, Newcastle
29/1/11
Tickets: £10
MARCH
AGM and Workshops
with Kay Taylor
Liverpool
19/3/11
APRIL
Farida at Ford Castle
29/4/11 - 1/5/11
JUNE
NADA Flights of Fantasy
18/6/11
54
Bellylicious - A bellydance show with a difference.
The show is in 2 parts. The first half will feature a mix of some of the
regions best dancers. The second part is a fabulous one woman show
written and performed by Galit Mersand.
Live Theatre, Broad Chare, Quayside, Newcastle, NE1 3DQ
For further details and tickets: [email protected]
AGM and Workshops with Kay Taylor. Liverpool, more details
available soon. Followed by Merhaba Hafla with Farida Dance
bazaar, St Anthony of Padua Social Club,Mossley Hill Liverpool.
Contact Kate:[email protected]
Teachers include - Artemisia, Sara Farouk, Anne Kingston, Claire Novis,
Kay Taylor, Yvette Cowles.
For further details: www.faridadance.com
Fusion Workshops with Bridie Przibram, Pauline Q and Shekinah of
Merseyside.Tribal Souk and followed by performance platform.
Lark Lane, Old Police Station,Liverpool
For further details: [email protected]
Member
Teachers
A
Aberdeen
Maureen Phyfer
07590 295012
Aberdeen
Elaine Robertson
01224 723282
Addlestone
Eva Green
020 8393 7485 / 07775 872227
Atlanta, Georgia U.S.A.
Ramona McConney
Ayrshire (Tribal)
Eleanor Shirkie
01290 424270 / 07515 968277
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
B
Bangor, Northern Ireland
Bedford, Biggleswade
Biggar, Lanark
Bolton
Kristyene Boreland
Bev Sabbatella
Kate Deacon
Anna Banks
07821 697116
01767 314800
01899 308485
01204 572096 / 07917 272470
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Ali Whitworth
Nicola Livermore
01228 409488
01285 713411
[email protected]
[email protected]
C
Carlisle
Carterton (Oxon), Fairford (Glos)
D
Derby
Rachel Rafiefar
07949 653832
Devizes (Wiltshire)
Tracey Karyn Jones
01380 721763 / 07702 166944
Doncaster
Jacqueline Oruc
07815 296762
Dubai
Sarah Ward
+971501880497
Dunfermline, Fife, Perth
Lynne Hastie
01383 514295 (eve) / 07913 518269
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
E
Eastfield, Scarborough, Pickering
Carole Gerada
07790 912077
Edinburgh
Habiba Dance
07758 304699
Edinburgh
Hilary Thacker
0131 556 7976
Edinburgh (Central)
Caroline Evans
0131 228 2683
Edinburgh, East Lothian
Moyra Banks
07840 838861
Edinburgh, Musselburgh
Elspeth Alexandra
07748 183171
Edinburgh, London, Aberdeen
Juliana Brustik
020 8533 0955
Ellesmere Port
Susie White
0151 637 2289
Epsom, New Malden, Walton on Thames, Eva Green
020 8393 7485 / 07775 872227
Worcester Park, Oxford Street
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
F
Farnham, Guildford
Formby
Beatrice Curtis
Hilary Shepherd
07787 990291
01704 834550 / 07920 407489
[email protected]
[email protected]
55
G
Gainsborough
Galway (Eire)
Garforth Community College, Leeds
Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow, Motherwell
Glasgow, Paisley
Greenock
Guisborough
Trish Champion
07976 973990
Lisa Collins
0035 3863 128659
Jane Coello
0113 260 1152
Sarah Pulman
0141 560 3345
Rose Filippi
07729 825333
Val Waldron
0141 423 2566
Brea Morgiane
Joanie Ward
0141 427 9261
0141 558 6967
Ann McLaughlin
Lorri McAuley
0141 884 8504
Brenda Elliott
01287 638154
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
H
Halifax
Alex Gledhill
01422 245776
Halifax, Huddersfield
Amanda Craine
01422 886464 / 07981 639471
Harold Hill, Harold Wood
Rosemarie Flint
01277 374378
Hebden Bridge
Jo Hirons
07875 501031
Huddersfield
Ann Wear
01484 516613
Hull
Sandra Thompson
07730 309429
Huntingdon, Covington, Vanessa Clipsham
01480 435718
Thrapston, Rushden
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected],
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
I
Idle (Bradford)
Isles of Islay and Jura
Isle of Skye
Amanda Teasdale
Paula Ellen Davidson
Rebecca Johncocks
01274 620859
01496 850175
01470 572360
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
J
K
Keighley (Tribal), Halifax (Tribal), Nelson
Keighley
Kettering
Kirkcaldy, Fife
Kirkcudbright
Chris Ogden
Jeanette Taylor
01535 662849
Elizabeth Hopkins
07763 465590 / 01536 518347
Annette McCann
01383 872907
Delya Wilkinson
01557 330005
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Desna Mackenzie
07966 504931
Gail Oates
07593 970076
Houda Webster
07759 837743
Wendy Headley
07776 125651 / 0113 278 0364
Sabrina Owen
07872 987021
Helen Rix
Anna Bisco
07710 403742
Karen Rastall
01522 524990 / 07968 716724
Jennifer Fagan
07948 400481
Josephine Wise
07531 357846
Cathy Selford
020 7286 7059
[email protected]
L
Lancaster
Laurencekirk, Fettercairn
Leeds
Leeds
Leeds
Leeds
Leeds & Guiseley
Lincoln
Liverpool, Manchester
London
London & Nationwide
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
M
Midhurst (West Sussex)
Manchester, Salford, Nationwide
Manchester
Manchester, Nationwide
Ruth Mason
Michelle Pender
Mindy Meleyal
Tracey Gibbs
07889 976196
0161 707 5896 / 07733 115043
0161 998 2982 / 07786 068274
0161 707 7843 / 07801 413161
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
KayTaylor
Claire Novis
0191 519 0305
07801 276015
[email protected]
[email protected]
Tessa Kirkpatrick
Clare Stobbs
01603 702170
07531 349874
[email protected]
[email protected]
N
Newcastle, Sunderland,
Peterlee, Washington
Newcastle (Jesmond),
Killingworth (West Moor)
Norwich
North Shields
56
O
Ormskirk
Oxford
Gill O’Flaherty
Gwen Booth
01704 506386
01865 712521
[email protected]
[email protected]
Raphaelle Masson
Angie Hole
Rita Williamson
Jessica Lewis
Sarah Garrish
Mandy Sabri
Anne Kingston
Annemarie Diaj
Katy Carmichael
0033 6070 22465
01590 682407
01768 361040
01768 870440 / 07811 544960
01772 811732 / 07815 549581
0191 586 6297 / 07930 688282
01722 783048 / 07843 079574
01772 746471 / 07971 739609
07780 708544
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Hazel Gray
07775 763758
[email protected]
Maureen Holmes
Abi Froggatt
0151 426 1524
07775 617338
[email protected]
[email protected]
P
Paris
Pennington, Milford-On-Sea & Lymington
Penrith, Appleby, Kirkby Stephen, Shap
Penrith, Carlisle, Fellside Villages, Borders
Penwortham
Peterlee, Easington
Preston, Longridge
Preston
Prestwich (Manchester),
Bolton, Whitefield (Bury)
Prudhoe Waterworld
Q
R
Rainhill, Knowsley, St Helens, Halton
Ramsey, Ely
Ravenstone, Coalville, Loughborough,
Hugglescote, Thringstone
Rochester, Gillingham
& Gravesend, Kent
Rochester NY & Glasgow
(Tribal Workshops)
Sarah Richardson-Goodlad 01530 831537 / 07907 202555
[email protected]
Ann Hall
01634 713229
[email protected]
Deirdre Clitheroe
585-953-3623
[email protected]
S
Sailsbury
Sabine Dawson
01722 742843
Scotland, UK, Europe, Africa, Middle East Imman Mussa
07830 398294
Scunthorpe
Wynne Smith
01724 784034
Shawbury, Shrewsbury
Mel Jones
07816 329926
Sheffield
Cis Heaviside
0114 221 7246 / 07979 685071
Shoreditch (as Moirai Tribal)
Jessie Stanbridge
07894 533656
Skive, Thisted, Denmark
Tine Valois
0045 9864 3030
Southport, Privates and ATS
Liz Jarrett
01704 214175
Southport
Carol Holloway
01704 536878
Stanningley (Leeds)
Jan Hudson
0113 255 1886
Stocksbridge, Meersbrook,
Eckington (Sheffield)
Julia Bisby
07786 868369
St Albans
Debbie Phillips
01727 855829
St Helens
Carrie Meadowcroft
& Kathy Carman
01744 607774 / 07954 417578
St Ives, Willingham, Cottenham
Carol Goodwin
01480 370059
Sunderland
Jill Henderson
0191 565 7270
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
www.carolinebellydancer.co.uk
T
Thirsk
Jane Mowat
07984 496352
[email protected]
Melina Bittar
Catherine Clarke
Dawn Harvey
Larissa Collins
Louise Heaton
Lorene Morris
Caroline Thorpe
Christine Emery
07906 333675
07980 334902 / 01924 267349
020 8421 5178 / 07850 310978
07790 542987
01942 791880
07504 400817
07714 342511
07720 679143
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
W
Warlingham
Wakefield, Dewsbury
Watford, South Oxhey
Welburn (near Malton, N Yorks)
Westhoughton, Bolton
West Kilbride (Ayrshire)
Wirral, Chester
Workshops and Taster Sessions
57
NADA Membership Form
Please return your membership form to:Heather Charlton, 20 Carrholm Crescent, Leeds, W.Yorks. LS7 2NL
Enquiries to:- [email protected] or telephone 0113 393 0504
I would like to join NADA, my details are:-
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I teach and would like my details (Name, Phone, Email and Town) to be included (please tick)
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magazine. These will be passed on to the magazine Editor and included if there is sufficient notice given.
NOTE: Your membership details will be held on a computer system so that we can process them efficiently
and deal with the issue of reminders and the magazine. They will not be accessible over the internet or used
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the Membership Secretary.
Please tick this box if you DO NOT want us to pass on your details to other dance related organisations.
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58
Overseas Membership £20
Date
£
Residential Summer School
22nd - 29th July 2011
Summer School will be earlier next year,
so make sure to put it in your diary.
“An extraordinary dance experience!”
2, 5 or 7 days of dancing in a lovely Rothchild
manor in the beautiful Hertfordshire countryside.
www.jwaad.com or email
[email protected]
JWAAD Teacher Training
The JWAAD Foundation Course is now accredited
by the National Open College Network.
It is an L3 qualification, which means the content
is to ‘A’ level standard. The course covers anatomy,
safety and warmups.
We run Foundation Courses in various parts of
the UK. To find your nearest course, go to
www.jwaad.com or email [email protected].
For further details, visit our website at www.jwaad.com
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 07531 357 846
From costumes . . .
For all things Belly Dance ......
Farida stocks everything from hip belts to melayas and professional
costumes in all price brackets. From student sets to designer
costumes. You can order on line or invite the Farida Souk to your
event. You could even combine workshops with Kay Taylor and a hafla
with the souk .... make it a real Farida Experience.
Alternatively join the Farida Gang at Ford Castle - an amazing
residential weekend set in the Fabulous Ford Castle.
To see the latest designs and new Troupe costumes,
or book for Ford Castle, go to:
www.faridadance.com
. . . and Luxor
. . . to Cairo
Check out the amazing new website designed by Ric Gibbs:
www.faridaadventures.com
You can also join our dedicated Farida Adventures fan page on Facebook
From the 5 star venues to the cabaret clubs on Pyramid Road and the
seedy nightclubs Downtown. From shopping for tat and bargains in
Cairo's biggest market, the Khan el Khalili to individually created designs
by top costumiers. From dance classes with Master Teachers and
Choreographers at specified levels or private lessons with top dancers to
an open level fun class. From the Pyramids, Egyptian Museum, Mosques,
Islamic and Coptic Cairo to lazing by a pool at a 5 star hotel with
a massage at the health spa.
Don't miss what promises to be
the most exciting festival of 2012
14th - 21st May 2012
Kay Taylor
This fabulous week is run by Farida Adventures and features
classes with great teachers and live music from members of the
Layali el Helwa Orchestra. The first of its kind, this event has master
classes of 15-20 people to ensure that, whatever your level, you get
the most from it. Opportunities to perform folklore with professional
male dancers or dance solo with our orchestra. An amazing and
intensive week in an incredible setting and 5 star luxury.
Teachers: Eman Zaki, Mohamed Kazafy and others TBC.
See website for confirmed teachers.
Teacher and Performer
Kay is one of the UK's top teachers and
performers, featuring regularly at many dance
events throughout the UK. She holds regular
weekly classes and is available for private
tuition and workshop bookings. As head of the
JWAAD Teacher Training course, her schedule is
busy so book early. Why not join Kay on
Facebook: www.facebook.com/kay.taylor99
Check www.faridaadventures.com
or join our facebook page.
Call Kay on 0191 519 0305 for more information.
Contact Kay on 0191 519 0305 for details
Photo Tracey Gibbs
Farida Adventures. 9 Ferndale Avenue, East Boldon, Tyne & Wear, NE36 0TQ
Tel: (UK 0044) 0191 519 0305 / (Mobile) 07966 270995 (Egypt 002) 012 4722967
e-mail: [email protected] web: www.faridaadventures.com www.farhatour.com