Sunday 10 June 2012

A Bit More Cairo on Duke Street

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

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

Me dancing at last year's Leith Festival Hafla

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

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

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

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