Interview: Miss Belly Dance UK 2010

In April this year, Delilah won the title of Miss Belly Dance UK 2010. She competed with 13 other participants in a nationwide competition for up and coming belly dancers. I wanted to find out more about this inspiring young woman so here’s what Delilah has to say:



How did you prepare for the competition?

After I picked the song I just danced. I let the music tell me what to do. It didn’t take me long to put it all together and indeed there were parts within my piece that were improvised. I just loved the song Salaam Ya Amm, and felt it went with my personality.

How did you celebrate your win?

I was very tempted to perform my victory dance on stage! However, I just settled on giving a hug to all of the judges.

Why did you become interested in belly dancing?

Truthfully, I didn’t know how to dance. I couldn’t connect my body to the music at all. Considering I am of Caribbean descent, for me it was very embarrassing. So I started learning belly dance to learn moves.

Who is your ‘Idol’ in the belly dancing world?

Although there are many dancers I admire for different reasons, I would say it would have to be Suheir Zaki. She dances beautifully and can hold an audience without props and no elaborate choreography. She exudes a wonderful presence.

How would you describe your belly dance style?

Warm and fluid with a good shimmy!

Where are you going to go with your belly dancing from here?

I plan to expand my repertoire and am learning saidi and shamadan. I would also like to start teaching soon. In the future, I hope to be dancing internationally.

What advice do you have for future ‘Miss Belly Dance UK’ competitors?

Pick a song that best shows your personality and style. Most importantly, pick something you love because it shows in your dancing. Also to show 2 people – someone who knows your style, such as your teacher, and another person who hasn’t seen you dance as much.


More About Delilah…

“I am an Egyptian style dancer whose warm, bubbly and at times quirky personality shines through the music.”

Delilah, otherwise known as Delia Lewis, is an Egyptian-style belly dancer from London who has been belly dancing since the tender age of 15. Apart from her passion for belly dancing, she is a self-confessed video game and anime geek, and is also a keen kitchen gardener.

At just 26 years of age, Delia has already started making her own belly dance costumes which she plans to sell in the near future. She studied anthropology at Oxford University and The School of Oriental & African Studies (SOAS). Delia continues to enjoy learning about other cultures.

Benefits of Belly Dance

'Many women today approach belly dance not only as a dance form, but as a tool for empowerment and strengthening of the body, mind and spirit.'(Quote)

Belly dance is especially good for women, it can reduce the risk of osteoporosis, there's minimal stress on the knees and feet, it can improve circulation and assist in building cardiovascular strength (if choosing to make it physically challenging). The advantage of belly dance is that it is suitable for all ages and body types. Many belly dance moves develop the ability to move various muscle groups independently, increasing flexibility in the torso and back, whilst the legs are strengthened by hip movements.

It can also burn as many calories as light jogging, swimming or riding a bike!

Music and use of expression is just as important as learning the movements of belly dance alone. Dance is an art and involves the 'inner self' as much as the 'physical self'.

It is, fundamentally, a solo improvisational dance with its own unique dance vocabulary that is fluidly integrated with the music’s rhythm.

'Raqs Sharqi dancers internalize and express the emotions evoked by the music. Appropriately, the music is integral to the dance. The most admired Raqs Sharqi dancers are those who can best project their emotions through dance, even if their dance is made up of simple movements. The dancer’s goal is to visually communicate to the audience the emotion and rhythm of the music. This is especially apparent during the drum solo portion of a performance.'

Souces/Research: Wikipedia / Esto / YouTube