Hen Do - Belly Dancing

Belly Dancing Hen Do

at El Cantara

This month, a group of us went out in London for a hen do. Alongside cocktail making and freezing ourselves in below zero conditions, we took part in a belly dance lesson followed by a show at El Cantara, a Spanish and Moroccan restaurant in London.

The belly dancer, who was to perform that evening, also gave us the hour long lesson and everyone really enjoyed it. The whole event didn’t break the bank either and it’s a night we’ll all never forget.

She crammed in hip drops, snake arms, shoulder shimmies, hip shimmies, undulations and turning in circles whilst combining some of the moved mentioned above. It was fun, energetic and worth every penny.

So if you have a hen do coming up, why not combine it with a belly dance lesson, show and tasty meal?

Turkish Emporium

WOW!

Heavenly Costumes

Let’s face it…The best site for the most beautiful classic costumes on the internet and available in the UK is;

http://www.turkishemporium.co.uk

Just take a look at these stunning sets ranging from £50 – £300.00 with a made-to-measure option available.

Celebrity Costumes

Celebrities & Belly Dance

Costume Glamour

The likes of Britney Spears and Shakira have, in the past, inspired many of us to take up belly dancing. Not only have their bodies looked beyond perfect but the costumes have amazed and shocked thousands. Let’s take a trip down memory lane…

Interview with Ameera - Miss Belly Dance UK 2011

Miss Belly Dance UK 2011

Ameera

So we’ve had a chat with the lovely Shona Hagan, organiser of Miss Belly Dance UK, and now we are about to hear from the beautiful Ameera, who won first place in the Oriental Solo category at the competition this year.

Ameera was born and brought up in France, and now lives in the UK. Other than belly dancing, she likes dancing the jive with her friends, travelling, keeping fit and different languages.

How did you prepare for the competition?

Practice, practice, practice! And kept up with my daily fitness routine.

How did you celebrate your win?

I hadn’t celebrated the win until my birthday this month (Happy Birthday Ameera!) where I spent time with my friends. On the night I won the title, I called my parents and woke up all my friends and my family with the great news.

Where did your interest in belly dancing ‘stem’ from?

A friend of mine was an oriental dancer and wanted me to try belly dancing. I was a size 18 at the time, with low self-esteem and little confidence. It took me a year to sum up the courage to go to my first belly dance class. From that point, my life’s changed…

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

I don’t have one idol in the belly dancing world, but I have been inspired by a lot of dancers. My first belly dance inspiration was my first teacher Rosie Mockler, then I watched relentlessly videos of Mona Said, then I met and learnt from Aida Nour and my dance changed. I then stayed in Cairo for a few months where I trained intensively with Sara Farouk and my dancing got better and better, there I also spent a lot of time watching Randa and Kamelia.

How would you describe your belly dance style?

Modern and classical Egyptian style with my life experience shining through. A friend said that my dancing is infectious: “We just want to join in and never want it to finish”.

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

From here, I want to learn more and more about the dance and give more and more to my audience. I also want to pass my knowledge onto many dancers in the UK and overseas.

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

Choose a piece of music you enjoy, know your music from your heart, practice and practice. Watch DVDs of your inspirations. But above all keep the “spark” in your heart as this will shine through your dance.

Interview with…Shona Hagan

Organiser of Miss Belly Dance UK

http://www.shonahagan.com

Shona Hagan is the organiser of Miss Belly Dance UK, a dance competition showcasing British talent in solo and group categories. The event took place on the 27^th March in Poole this year.

About Shona:

Shona is an International award winning belly dancer, teacher and choreographer of Egyptian belly dance and is based in Dorset, England. She runs a belly dance agency called Divaz which shares the same name as her newly formed dance troupe, who recently won an award in the groups category of Miss Bellydance UK 2011.

Where did your interest in belly dance ‘stem’ from?

I’ve always been a ‘dancer’ As a young girl I did lots of dancing its always been a passion, although I never had the discipline to succeed when I was younger. I watched a television programme on bellydance, can’t remember who was on it, it may have been Hilary Thacker. I just thought, I have to do that.

Where have you performed?

I performed lots when I lived in Spain, I had a contract to dance for a Norwegian tour company in a beautiful Moroccan restaurant in Altea , Spain. They used to bring bus loads of tourists up to see me and they had a crazy camp tour rep. who used to dress up in my costumes and come and dance with me it was fun.. I was also resident dancer at this restaurant at weekends. I danced at the Ritz, (not the actual Ritz) but it was a pretty glitzy champagne bar in Albir, Spain. Also five star hotels, weddings, many restaurants and many private functions and events in Spain. In the Uk I have mostly danced at belly dance events, Fantasia, Raqs Britannia, Planet Egypt, Aziza hafla, onstage with Mohamed Kazafy and Khaled Mahmoud, Miss Belly Dance UK and loads and loads of other events and festivals.

What do you enjoy most about performing?

I enjoy being in the music and presenting my own original and unique interpretation of that music, I also enjoy the audience reaction.

What are your tips as a belly dance teacher for ‘wanna be’ performers?

Get a good teacher preferably one who is also a good performer, stay humble, practice lots, get your body strong.

Why did you decide to set up Miss Belly Dance UK?

I believe Britain has many talented dancers who are completely undiscovered. To raise the standard of the dance, competition makes you train harder. I think British dancers are under-rated, especially within Britain.

What advice can you give to future applicants?

Train hard, try to be unique, remember just because you don’t win a prize it doesn’t mean you are not a great dancer, it just wasn’t your day.

Finally, who are your favourite belly dancers or people that have inspired you?

Fifi Abdu – An amazing performer and stage persona, Margaret Krause – A beautiful British dancer who influenced my dance loads, Maggie Caffrey – An amazing British teacher who is sadly now retired from the UK bellydance scene, Jo Wise for mentoring me and always believing in my dancing. Finally – Dina, Randa, Aziza, Jillina – All are amazing dancers and performers with their own style.

Planet Egypt Showcase

Planet Egypt

@ Darbucka

This month I am attending Planet Egypt and am really looking forward to seeing the venue, sampling the food and most importantly, watching the performances.

Planet Egypt is at Darbucka lounge bar & restaurant http://www.darbucka.com on the last Thursday of every month. It is a showcase of belly dance performers & musicians organised by Anne White, a teacher and performer based in Bishopsgate, London.

This month’s showcase on the 31st March 2011 will include:

Outi

http://www.outiofcairo.com

Outi has performed to excited audiences all over Egypt along with her orchestra and folkloric dancers. Her show consists of a variety of numbers, including cabaret, Alexandrian dance, saeedi, baladi and classic songs from such beloved artists as Oum Kulthoum.

Katie Holland

http://www.katie-holland.net

“Katie Holland has been dancing from the age of three, and has studied Ballet, Tap, Modern, African, Samba, Bollywood, Sacred Nepalese, Tribal Fusion, Egyptian Bellydance, Yoga, Martial Arts and currently Bharatanatyam. Katie is Regarded as one of the best foreign performers in India and is in high demand as a performer, teacher and choreographer for all kinds of events. She has performed with Hossam and Serena Ramzy and their Egyptian Ensemble at Planet Egypt, The Bloomsbury Theatre and Bath Middle Eastern Festival, The Arab League at Raqs Brittania and countless 5 and 7* hotels in India to name a few.”

Iona

http://www.ionabellydance.co.uk

“Iona started modern dancing at the age of nine and first became interested in Oriental dance after she had her second child. Iona’s dancing experience includes a pop music video, selected London restaurants, burlesque and caberet events as well as weddings and hafla’s.”

The Minyawi Project

(Musicians)

http://www.reverbnation.com/theminyawiproject

“The seeds of The Minyawi Project (T.M.P.) were sown around 2006 whilst on tour playing for the inimitable Natacha Atlas. After a sell out concert in Belgium, Aly el Minyawi and Dr. Eser Ebcin decide to stage an impromptu concert in the lobby of the hotel in which they were staying. After receiving rapturous plaudits from the late night revellers they retired to their rooms. On waking up and meeting in the breakfast room, the decision was made to start work immediately…”

For more information see:

http://www.planetegypt.co.uk

http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=63934754756

Belly Dance Props

Get Into Character

Dancing with props is a skill in itself, and many dancers that decide to use props will often find new ways of dancing with them which will fit their style and level of skill.

It’s often better to practice different movements with the prop on its own, before incorporating belly dance moves. With any type of prop, creativity and imagination play an important part. If you do something that has been seen one hundred times before, it’s not going to be exciting for your audience.

The same dance can be done again using a different piece of music, but just adapted. You can have a slow, romantic veil dance or a fast-paced ‘superwoman’ theme. It’s entirely up to you.

Dance is like drama in a sense, if you use a prop then you must get into character with it.

Some popular props include:

Veils

Isis Wings

Dancing canes/sticks

Candelabras

Snakes

Swords

Video footage example:

Belly Dance Styles

World Influence

Photos courtesy of Sharon Cooper Photography

There are many traditional styles of belly dance whether it is Egyptian, Turkish, Lebanese or Persian etc.

Some of the more classic styles might incorporate folkloric, gypsy and cabaret traits in both technique and costume, however, the fundamental movements of belly dance are all very similar.

There is an increased amount of interest in modern styles which are often referred to as ‘Fusion’, where the dancer incorporates gothic or tribal techniques and a costume to match.

This has been popular in America and now in the UK. But most of the time, the type of music will determine the style of belly dance, as the instruments often signal the movement.

You will find that some belly dancers first started out in salsa, ballet or even gymnastics where they use their skills to create fascinating combinations in belly dance. This again, is belly dance fusion. The styles of belly dance are endless with heightened interest in the art form and worldwide influence.

However, the fundamental skills in belly dance, involving upper and lower isolations, fluidity of movements and the focus on the hips are the main reasons this dance continues to be popular from generation to generation – Regardless of where you are in the world.