The Performance

As you may have read in previous posts, Layla and I performed my first ever choreography at a hafla last year. We were lucky enough to have had the show filmed (by Alan Long), so I have managed to get hold a copy of the DVD and take a cheeky copy of our performance.

Just in case you want to see it…Here it is!

@ The Gunnersbury

Last night, my teacher and her students (which includes me), attended and performed at London’s hottest belly dance showcase, Arabesque Nights.

Organised by Natalie Borg, a respected oriental dancer and teacher, Arabesque Nights is a varied show incorporating a wide range of belly dance styles, themes and personalities.  Every month there is a new theme and fantastic line-up of unique performances.

Last night was, of course, all about Christmas!

Some of the performances included a mesmerising dance with candles, a dramatic sword display and a comical act incorporating a very large Christmas hat. Every ounce of creativity shone through and the audience cheered and clapped for the entire evening.  At times we were mesmerised by hypnotic body movements and stunned by jaw-dropping prop work then later on, we were all rolling about on the floor laughing.

If you ever want to see a belly dance show in London, then pop along to Arabesque nights. It’s under ten pounds for a ticket and you can enjoy a feast of performances on the first Thursday of every month at ‘The Gunnersbury’ on Chiswick High Road (which is conveniently situated over the road from Gunnersbury station).

Website: http://www.arabesquenights.com

You Tube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/ArabesqueNights?feature=mhee

2012 Themes

(remember it’s the first Thursday of each month):

January 2012: The James Bond Show

February 2012: The Love Show

March 2012: Pirates, Mermaids and Myths

April 2012: Two Year Anniversary

May 2012: The Vintage Show

June 2012: Fusion Show

July 2012: Strictly Egyptian Show

August 2012: Jazz it Up! Show

September 2012: Proptastic Show

October 2012: Two’s Company Show

November 2012: Vampires & Vixens Show

December 2012: Rockin Around the Christmas Tree Show

]]> http://raqssharqi.wordpress.com/2011/12/02/arabesque-nights-londons-hottest-belly-dance-showcase/feed/ 1 raqssharqi http://raqssharqi.wordpress.com/2011/11/28/dawns-hafla-in-pinner/ http://raqssharqi.wordpress.com/2011/11/28/dawns-hafla-in-pinner/#comments Mon, 28 Nov 2011 00:29:29 +0000 Victoria Smith http://raqssharqi.wordpress.com/?p=845 ]]> Dawn Harvey’s Christmas Hafla

“Amazing music, great performances and what a wonderful audience”

Last year, our teacher gave us the opportunity to perform a bollywood-infused belly dance at a hafla organised by her good friend and fellow belly dance teacher, Dawn Harvey. It was a fantastic show with an encouraging audience and performances that blew you away.

This year, we were informed Dawn was once again in search of some performers for the ‘Christmas Hafla’. I couldn’t help myself, I just had to get involved. As soon as I registered my interest, I began fishing around for some interesting music. A girl I worked with quite a few years ago, Stephanie Faysal (now a very well known TV presenter in Lebanon), made me a CD of Arabic music. Some of the songs were just so cheerful and upbeat that I thought one of them would make a great piece.

Eventually, I decided to use a track by Ahmed El Sherif, a Tunisian artist who was a contestant in the TV show ‘Star Academy Arab World’ and also a former love interest of the wonderful Stephanie. I immediately emailed her to find out what the lyrics of the song ‘Sahran Maak El Leila’ means in order to create a choreography.

I wanted to base the dance on a duet or small group and introduce a party-like atmosphere with the audience. The performance at this hafla meant so much, as the standard of dancing was so high last year and I knew there would be a whole host of greats this year!

A very good friend of mine started belly dance classes earlier in the year and originally, she was going to perform with me. However, I don’t think she felt confident enough to continue and left the class. Although we are still great friends, I think dancing is something you either have a passion for or you don’t.  Anyway, I was left with half a choreography written with us in mind and only myself to perform. Another member of the class soon stepped in and agreed to perform with me! I was thrilled, not only was there an added three years dancing experience, it meant we could get down to the finer details as soon as it was time to get rehearsing.

The music had an element of Spanish, so Layla and I tried to incorporate some of this into our dancing. After lots of concentration and many pieces of paper, I found myself singing along in Arabic and letting the music take the lead!  Layla and I worked together to try and make it as interesting and fun as we could during rehearsals.

We performed my first ever choreography in Pinner on the 26th November and I can not express how exhilarating it felt to hear the audience clapping and cheering during (and after) the performance. Yes they were a great audience anyway, but some of the comments afterwards gave us such a boost and we couldn’t stop smiling. It wasn’t in any shape or form technically difficult or fancy, and most certainly wasn’t ‘up there’ with the rest but we think we did a good job because we really enjoyed ourselves!

We performed in the first half and managed to enjoy the rest of the show. As expected, it was phenominal with star guest; Anne White, a beautiful dancer and the organiser of Planet Egypt in London. I can’t wait to see the DVD and photographs, maybe I will get permission to put some on here to share with you (fingers crossed). Sadly, Dawn it will be the last annual event in Pinner next year but one thing is for certain, it won’t go without a bang! Luckily for all her current and future students, she will still be teaching!

A bit of bad quality filming of some of the unique performances, my camera is not great with bright stage lighting:

Women, Childbirth & Fitness

Belly dancing is known to help ease childbirth, lose extra pounds and keep joints supple. If you are suffering from back pain, arthritis or general stiffness then belly dancing is a great way to release the tension and tone essential muscles, often those used during childbirth.

Aldiya's Story

Fitness experts point out that this dance form has many health benefits because it involves the entire body in a slow and systematic rhythm. The dance form does not only exercises the abdominal muscles and help to keep them flexible and supple but it also exercises muscles in the hips, arms and legs. Joints are kept mobile and flexible, hence helping overall fitness levels. It is not unusual to find plus-size women and expectant mothers in track pants and t-shirts shaking and jiggling their bodies to a soothing rhythm. It is also a fun way to get rid of stress and rigidity as you learn to balance your body and build a perfect posture.

Belly dancing may help in easing the birthing process as many of the muscles used during the dance are also used when giving birth. However, belly dancing in pregnancy is not only about strengthening pelvic and abdominal muscles. Experts say that some belly dance movements are good to relieve various symptoms. For example, they believe that belly rolls can help ease constipation; while chest shimmies can alleviate heartburn. Overall, this particular dance is a good way to gently and thoroughly work the muscles during pregnancy and afterwards.

The frequency, duration and the intensity of movement determines the benefit of belling dancing to help reduce weight. It is believed that 30-45 minutes of dancing every day is enough to burn the calories and fat deposits from the body while improving the flexibility of the body, especially helping to tone the stomach, back, buttocks and thighs. Belly dancing as with all styles of dance, also increases the heart rate, protects the heart from diseases, builds flexibility, controls blood sugar levels and improves blood circulation in the body.

As a final note, every pregnancy is different – So before taking up physical activities of any kind, it is essential to consult a doctor. Most importantly avoid back bends, sharp movements and hip twists. Listen to your body and stop exercising altogether if you feel unwell or experience dizziness and/or pain.

Sienna Miller

Sienna Miller’s next role will see her as a bored Chicago housewife who runs off to Las Vegas with her belly-dancing teacher to enter a dance competition.

Just Like a Woman is a story that follows two women who both leave bad marriages and end up dancing their way across America.

Having trained for three months, Sienna says she can “Semi-belly dance now. Just in case everything doesn’t go as planned with this acting thing!”

Body of Lies actress Golshifteh Farahani will also star in Just Like A Woman, as will Roschdy Zem.

The film is due to be released Spring 2012 and is directed by Oscar-nominated Rachid Bouchareb.

Source: http://www.comingsoon.net

Back to Basics…

My teacher has always been very keen to make sure her students learn the Egyptian Walk and do it to perfection. I don’t know why she insists that we get it right but even after nearly 3 years, I still can’t do the walk the way she can.  It’s not that i’m trying to find an easier way of doing it or that I disagree with her teaching. After all, to dance well the moves must be executed well.

Firstly, What is the Egyptian Walk?

It’s a folkloric movement combining hip slides to the left and right with quick hip lifts and drops in between.  It sounds easy and looks easy but it isn’t. It might not be one of the most fun moves or elegant, but it’s essential for moving around the stage in style. It also helps to strengthen the muscles on the side of your waist and can be teamed with other isolation techniques.

What does it look like?

Like this:

Our dance group ‘Bahiti’ recently took part in Take 3 4 Life, which is Luton’s version of the Department of Health’s ‘NationalChange4Life’ initiative. The event included street, Zumba and belly dancing to name a few. The idea is to encourage adults to be active at least three times a week for 30 minutes or more. Take 3 4 Life also included ‘It’s A Knockout’ competition which was part of the London 2012 Open Weekend, celebrating one year to go until the Olympic Games.

We are also taking part in the Luton Summer Festival, which runs for six days starting on the 29th July. The event includes live music from local and international artists, theatre shows, dance performances and children’s activities. We shall be performing on the Market Hill dance stage and are looking forward to seeing what else is on show.

It’s fantastic that they have asked our teacher to gather some students together and pull off a routine because not only do we love taking our dancing out of the class, but we really enjoy performing. It makes all that time and effort worthwhile! It’s important to be included for shows however big or small they might be and it’s an excellent chance to demonstrate what we’ve learnt.

Lina Jang www.bellydancephotography.com

I’ve been attending belly dance classes for over two years now and have found that you don’t just improve by attending a class only. You must practice and learn to combine moves on your own accord. By doing this, you will feel more confident in yourself as a dancer and will eventually develop your own style.

While there are moves you may never be able to perform well, or some that you will not be able to copy at all, there will be moves you can master and use to full effect in your performances.

I have been lucky enough to have a teacher who is well connected in the belly dancing circuit and is often being asked if she and her group of students would like to perform. More often than not, she will try to encourage all levels to join in and learn new routines. These performances, however big or small, have been an excellent way to learn different styles, techniques and routines.

Later this year, I am hoping to pull off my first choreography in a duet performance at a hafla. It’s been a case of listening to the music over and over again, imagining the moves to the music, trying them out, writing them down and then creating variations or adding more moves.

It’s quite a complex process but very rewarding and great fun. I’ve realised that sometimes my posture is lacking or my hands are in a strange position, that I look odd in places or have been trying to do too much. I’m not busty and have quite a narrow back, which means some moves do not look like belly dancing at all. Things like your ability, posture and figure all need to be considered when dancing. Just ‘doing’ the moves isn’t enough. Although the dance should be entertaining, it also needs to be fun to perform and to watch. Trying to show off too much will be obvious, so always think – “If I was watching this, what would my reaction be?”

Best Belly Dance album in the world..ever

Vol 1 & 2

By Various Artists – Miscellaneous

Belly Dance Seduction

By Various Artists (Artist)

Belly Dance Mirage

By Ya Salam Orchestra (Artist)