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.