Wild and organic times with Lorna of Cairo

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

The lovely ladies at Lorna's "Organic Style" workshop

There was sunshine on Leith when Lorna performed at Mimi's Bakehouse on The Shore, Leith. The sun was blazing through the window as Lorna danced and a wonderful audience of her hometown fans enjoyed.

Lorna and cake, in the sunshine at Mimi's.

Lorna dances saidi-style with a stick, which pretends to be a cakestand.

Even better, it was cake for dinner! Mimi's specialises in afternoon teas - scones, little sandwiches with no crusts, and cakes, on a tiered cake stand, with lovely tea. The only difference for this performance was - it was the evening, not the afternoon! What a luxury - not only wonderful bellydance, but cake for dinner!

Lorna also spoke to us for a while about the changes she's seen in Cairo as a result of the Arab Spring revolution in Egypt last year. Sadly, the changes have not been all good. Feelings of hostility towards non-Egyptian women have increased, and many ex-pat women have felt less safe and less welcome in the country. It was sad to hear that people who have chosen to live in that city, because of their love for the city and its way of life, are feeling less comfortable as a result of what has effectively been, increased democracy.

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

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

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

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

Dancing with the Baladi Blues Band

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Back in the swing of things.

Well, teaching term is back in full swing and I'm really pleased about it! Dancebase have found another group of beginners for me to teach, the majority of whom have not bellydanced before - my favourite! - so it's my mission to make as many of them as I can fall in love with the dance! And it helps when there are so many good events to tell them about - this was a busy weekend!

Saturday night was a hafla organised by my friend Moyra Banks. Moyra is one of my favourite Edinburgh dancers, with musical interpretation I adore and a real passion for Egyptian-ness. Her hafla was wonderfully well organised - a real cut above many haflas with care and attention to details. She was hosting Washington D.C.-based teacher Artemis, who taught workshops over the weekend and performed at the hafla.

Moyra asked me to compere the hafla - a job which I enjoy [and people tell me that I do it well - blush - in a past life I did a lot of public speaking to audiences who were much less friendly than bellydancers!] It was great to get to introduce such a great line-up, not only the star guest Artemis, but 11 other performances, including Zafirah, who had come from London to close the show; the ever-gorgeous Sarasvati Tribal from Glasgow; Caroline Rose performing a spangly-gorgeous Randa Kamel choreography; and Moyra herself doing an amazingly beautiful baladi piece. It was a smashing night with a lovely, warm, friendly atmosphere, and Moyra deserves much credit for putting such a good event together.

Sunday was East Lothian Council's MultiCultural Day at Prestongrange Museum, and my Fisherrow dancers, the Helwa Hurdies, were peforming. It is an annual event, and this was the third time we have danced there. Last year the atmosphere was, well, somewhat lacking, and I had a bit of trepidation about it. The class had spent all of last term preparing a dance for the wedding of one of the Hurdies, and we'd put together a not-terribly-Middle Eastern piece for that occasion! I didn't want to dance to Akon at a Multi-Cultural event! So in the first three weeks of this term we worked on a khaleegy routine, to “Ahla Nazra” by The Miami Band.

In bellydance terms the word “khaleegy (khaliji, khallejy etc) refers to a style of dance and music from the Persian Gulf or Arabian Gulf region, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. Real women dance this style in pairs or groups of for their own entertainment at celebrations like weddings.The dancers wear bright, oversized overdresses called the thobe or thobe nasha’ar, worn without a hip belt. The dress is used as a prop, as is a headful of long, glossy hair! 

While not all of us are blessed with long glossy hair, we know that when we need dresses, the woman to see is Celia Buchan, bellydance costumier to the finely attired East of Scotland bellydance community! Celia helped us with our costumes for the wedding, and was on hand to run up some thobes for the Hurdies too. Lovely!

Well, the atmosphere was much, much better this year. The tent filled up as we began our slot (and the rain helped us make sure people stayed till the end!) and we got a lovely reception. I danced the Hurdies duet to Aayshalak with Laura

and then filled some more of our 15-minute slot with an improvised baladi piece, using music from my favourite baladi album, Baladi W'Bas! by Yasmina of Cairo. I recommend the album for anyone looking to get their baladi groove on, it's great.

I haven't danced in this old beady dress for a long time. Back when I started bellydance, in 1997, the beady dress was a staple of the dancer's wardrobe. It weighs a tonne and stretches to fit just about anybody.  But I was looking for something appropriate for a multi-cultural event - less showy, more folky. And I feel great dancing baladi in this dress - it makes me feel modest, grounded and slinky!

We saved the best for last though - nine of us took to the stage for our khaleegy fabulousness. It went really well, even if the stage was a bit too wee for us all. Nobody lost any hair, nobody was injured by anyone else's hair, and nobody fell over their thobe. For three weeks practice, that's a result! I'm looking forward to seeing some footage.

It was a great event, with a nice audience and lot of other great performances. The group of Maasai tribesmen who took the stage shortly after us were amazing! How great to share a bill with them!

I'm looking forward to dancing with the Hurdies again soon.

The Musselburgh Hafla - 1 July 2010

I am excited as it's only SEVEN DAYS till the Musselburgh Hafla!

Thursday 1st July
Musselburgh Rugby Club
Doors 7.30pm, dancing from 8pm (we hope to be finished before 10.30pm)
All tickets £5, raising money for Children 1st

We are going to have such a good line up. There's a terrific variety of oriental and various tribal styles, groups and solos. Last year we got a lot of feedback on how fun and friendly the hafla was, so we hope to be even more fun and even friendlier this year!

Please come along and bring your friends and family for an enjoyable, relaxed evening - it's not an expensive bar! Children are welcome to come along - after all it is the last day of term! - as long as they keep out the bar.
 
We will have a raffle and a Bring and Buy Bellydance sale. If you have any goodies to sell, label them up with your name and how much you want for them, and we'll display them for other dancers to peruse.

See you next Thursday!!

The dances of Egypt - in a cold, cold climate!

Today I danced, along with the gorgeous Helwa Hurdies, at the Seafood Festival in Prestonpans. It's an annual event which is part of the Three Harbours festival, which has, as its tagline, "art in unusual places". Which I suppose is why we were bellydancing in a field in the shadow of Cockenzie Power Station, between a real ale tent and purveyors of prawns.

The massive sky was grey and cloudy. Wonderful kites were continuously fluttering high in the sky - the wind didn't drop for a minute. And it was utterly, phenomenally, unbelievably COLD.

We had a very nice tent to change in. Sadly we didn't have a nice tent to perform in. We had thought our venue was the music tent. However, the music tent was very small, set up with amps and a drumkit for the bands who were also performing, open on one side to the rows of plastic chairs to seat the audience, who, on a finer day (like the previous day had been!) would be muncking paella and supping their microbrewery 80/-. No room for bellydancers in the tent - we were to dance on the grass. Fully exposed to the elements.

Now, I can easily find something cosy to dance in. I have a bacofoil style skirt. I have a veil which is reminiscent of a blanket runners get when they've finished a marathon. But I thought I was dancing in a tent and I was not prepared for how cold I would be!

We had to hang around for a long time before we performed. Some of us had dragged our families and children along, who were losing patience in the cold conditions. Bless the hardy souls who had the stamina to sit and watch us, and to clap - they deserve medals! It is hard to dance when you're freezing. It's also hard to dance on the grass - it is uneven, it makes it hard to balance for even the simplest moves. It was a really challenging performance and I'm not sure any of us would call it our finest hour.

Of course, as soon as I strode onto the 'stage' the wind whipped my veil out of my hand. I worked hard to make sure the wind didn't wrap it round my face!

I was dancing to "Nagwa", which is quite a big, oriental "magency" (opening number) usually with lots of travelling - but I wobbled with every step on the uneven ground! And my 'arm warmers' kept falling down because my skin was so cold and contracted - usually I have a nice layer of sweat that keeps them up!

There was a lot of lovely dancing in the set. Angie Morton did a gorgeous dance and her class did a really lovely group routine. The wonderful Helwa Hurdies performed their Spanish style routine to Elissas' Low Nerjaa Sawa and altho the cold had made them fairly miserable, they did very well.

Ruthie, Victoria, Margaret, Carol and Laura were troopers! Well done wonderful Hurdies.

Then I performed a stick dance. In my new mega-sparkly galabeya from the brilliant Farida Dance. I could do this with a lot less travelling, and felt much better about it. Despite my hands feeling like ice, I even managed to hold onto the stick - but balancing it on my head was out of the question!!

It was really, really good to get dressed again and finally have some hot food. My long-suffering husband and frozen children were also happy that it was over!

All in all, it was not the best gig ever. But it's all good experience - I won't be volunteering for grassy performances again any time soon!

Dancing in the sunshine!

I had a lovely afternoon dancing in Princes Street Gardens on Saturday!

I had been booked to perform and teach for a hen party - nothing new there. But this one was to take place in Princes Street Gardens (huge park in Edinburgh city centre, very busy!) on a Saturday afternoon. As a result I was quite nervous! I had a struggle finding something to wear that would be warm enough, and that I wouldn't be too upset if it ended up getting a bit damaged from being outside - and that fitted!!

I set off for the bus stop in costume and full make-up (there's nowhere change in a park!) and got half way there when a genius thought occured to me - "why don't I get a taxi??" God I'm smart!!

There were about 30 lovely ladies there, getting ready for the wedding in July. They had been on a scavenger hunt and the bride had no idea what was coming! She was delighted to see me and was keen to boogie on the grass, even if nobody could hear the music (the hen's mum had assured me she had a very loud CD player - she didn't!!) They threw themselves into the warm-up, they were all so excited. After an hour of learning basic moves and a bit of fun choreography, in the sunshine, they were fading a little!

We did get some grief from the local wildlife (the baseball-capped variety) but we were having too much fun to bother. At one point someone ran into our circle with a camera, snapped a photo of the bride, said "thank you, good luck!" and ran away again - she was a total stranger to us all! The things that end up in some people's photo albums...

It was a lovely afternoon and everyone seemed very happy as they headed off to prepare for a few lemonades, no doubt just to re-hydrate after dancing in the sunshine. I am so lucky to have such a fun job!