REVIEWS
Review of Randa Kamel on the Nile Maxim by Jacqui.
Previously published in Taqasim
Review of Wendy Marlatt Workshop by Rosanne
With You - A Classical Ghazal, by Rosanne
Beautiful Women - a piece by Liz Simpson
A review of a Khaled Mahmoud workshop, by Lyn Browne, also published in Mosaic
Samantha's journey to San Francisco, by Sam Hasthorpe
Read about Odette's experiences in the Sinai.
Odette now has an online journal Find out more
Review of Majma 2003, by Karen Burgess-Allen
Review of an Amel Tafsout workshop, by Odette
A poem on the joys of Raqs Sharqi, by Lyn Browne
Ranada Kamel performing on the Nile Maxim
by Jacqui Spiers
(published in Taqasim Magazine)
This was the second time I had seen Randa Kamel perform on the Nile Maxim. The first time was three years earlier during an enjoyable trip to Cairo organised by Kay Taylor.
The Nile Maxim is a lovely setting and ideal for a relaxing dinner cruise along the Nile, with the added bonus of Randa Kamel being the resident dancer.
After a lovely 3 course meal the evenings entertainment started with a small Egyptian band and vocalist, after which there was a change of musicians to Randa’s band. Randa Kamel was then introduced making her entrance from the far side and with a warm generous smile she took her place on the dance floor.
Randa danced with excellent technique, beautiful arm movements, intricate delicate shimmies. She also interpreted the music beautifully through her facial expressions and her movements.
Part way through her performance she took the time to invite dancers from our group onto the dance floor with her and at one point was happy to take sidestage whilst we all carried on dancing and enjoying the music played by the band.
During her set Randa made one costume change, one costume in particular was very fitted with lots of those cut outs! (see photo) They were typical of what is in fashion at the moment, they looked gorgeous on her and flattered her lovely figure. Afterwards when we were preparing to leave in the foyer Randa was kind enough to pose for a group picture with Khaled and some of the group.
So if you are planning a trip to Egypt and visiting Cairo, and you haven’t already seen Randa perform at the Nile Maxim, do try to go you will not be disappointed.
A Review of a Wendy Marlatt Workshop by Rosanne
Tribal Basics Workshop with Wendy Marlatt and Hafla, Nr Okehampton,West Devon, 1st October 2005
Review by Rosanne.
I've been dancing a couple of years with Jacqui Spiers at her Boscastle classes in North Cornwall. Having seen the astounding and exciting tribal dance performed by Tribal Fire at haflas, and been knocked out by Rachel Brice in Bellydance Superstars, I was raring to go when Jacqui announced she was organising a Tribal Basics and Zills workshop with former FCBD dancer Wendy Marlatt.
As a middle aged, rather out of condition, but very willing dancer I was worried if I could cope with an intensive workshop but reassured by the "Basics" tag, I signed up, persuaded Sugar Petals to post my magical powernet middle post haste, and started sewing my pantaloons.
This was my first ever workshop and I was horrified on arrival to realise that dancers had travelled from all over, including hafla and tribal dancers I had admired from the sidelines, and yet more. There must have been about thirty of us. I needn't have worried. Wendy started with the basics, explained all the moves very clearly, and took us step by step through a range of slow and fast movements. The more experienced dancers asked questions on finer points but the beginners, including me, seemed to be getting the hang of it beautifully, and really enjoying the creative and supportive atmosphere. Teaching a class with the complete range of skills must be difficult but I'm pretty sure that the experienced tribal dancers got as much out of it as us total beginners.
We broke into small groups to explore the power of cues. The first time this worked really well but the second time my group was too exhausted to do it justice, however other, perhaps more energetic, and dare I say, younger, groups, seemed to be working well together and really enjoying the synergy.
Some three and a half hours later I was ready to collapse and my brain had ceased to function, but we finished with a dance in which we followed Wendy's cues, used everything we had learnt, and realised we could actually do this stuff, enjoy it, and hopefully, look quite good. I particularly enjoyed the interaction with dancers I had never met before, and the realisation that if we could get the hang of this cue business, we could all dance together, look great, and have fun.
After a brief break for lunch we started the zills workshop. This covered a range of basic rhythms and emphasised the correlation between movement and zills. Wendy mentioned when she began learning to dance in the USA , zills were an integral element from day one, but in the UK we have a reluctance to dance with zills, and that her Dublin classes would be almost dancerless if she insisted on their use. At which point one wondered about the possibility of moving to Dublin, or persuading Wendy that North Cornwall is a the perfect place to live.
The Hafla was tremendous fun. Sylvia and Veronica performed a beautiful veil dance and Veronica treated us to a very energetic performance with lots of hip shimmying.
Rachel did a very elegant veil dance, Heiki and Merisa from Daughters of Lilith performed a tribal routine. Tribal Fire performed a 15 minuted improvised set with some great energy and interaction between dancers. Jacqui improvised to a modern upbeat drum piece. Samantha and Stania performed a lovely flamenco/fusion influenced number. Wendy Marlatt inspired us all to work much harder on our zills with an amazing performance powering across the floorspace with zills firing away on all cyclinders . A highlight for me was the improvised performance by Sam, Wendy, Merisa and Heiki complete with deep backbends and floorwork.
Jacqui made presentations to Esme and Sam which included a cheque towards Samantha’s forthcoming 12 month trip to America to study tribal dancing further. We will miss their dancing but look forward to Sam’s return and will expect even greater things! Raffle funds were once more being forwarded onto fellow dancer and campaigner Barbara Clark for the Herceptin Treatment Fund, a drug which has been proved to save the lives of many women with a virulent form of early stage breast cancer but is not available on the National Health. We finished off the evening sharing lots of food provided by all those who came, and then dancing away to great Arabic beats.
With You - A Classical Ghazal by Rosanne
The tablah speaks, we dance wahiduddin with you.
All else is silenced. We will be one with you.
The swirl of the breezes caught in fine coloured silk,
Bright wings to fly from where legends began with you.
Our feet will follow in the steps of our mothers
On paths carved in sand, rock and earth, we run with you.
Fish rise from their dark pools to kiss the air hopeless,
In silent applause rippling fins, zen with you.
Stones turn to wise pearls and rough words to rubiyat
Alchemists weap, shamed by comparison with you.
A flock of birds whisper quatrains of paradise
Weave stems in bowers that flower again with you.
Enchanted the sea hears as waves cease their sweeping
Oud, mizmar and whale sound in unison with you.
Weaving dense layered patterns in intricate circles
Warp thread of silver and gold weft were spun with you.
Darkness is sequinned with the whirlwinds of fireflies
Ghost moths in their death dance will touch the sun with you.
The tarantella clasps you in deadly embrace
Till curved blades scythe free the dance is not done with you.
And I, rzan, pause for a moment, still earthbound
Dream of ghazal that will honour the one with you.
The Persian or Urdu ghazal was typically addressed to women and spoke of love or spiritual matters. It follows a strict syllable count (17 in this case) , refrain (with you) and internal rhyming scheme ( -n with you). The signature of the poet in the last verse is traditional. Each verse is a stand alone unit. A ghazal should be a string of pearls rather than a unified poem. It can be spoken or chanted with music and the form is often used in Bollywood songs. The more widely known American or "bastard" ghazal are much more free.
Translation of Wahiduddin
The phrase Wahiduddin is used on one of my CD's to chant drum beats. Wahîd has the following classical Arabic connotations: to be one, to be made one, to be called one, to connect, join, unite to be one distinct and separate from others, to be unique, singular The "u" at the end of "wahîd u" indicates the genitive case, meaning that wahîd is the possessor or source of something. The Arabic word "dîn" is a somewhat enigmatic term that has been variously translated as virtue, religion, faith, conduct or duty.
Aged 5: When she looks at herself the little girl sees a fairy princess with a whole magical world out there to discover
Aged 10: When she looks at herself the emergent young woman sees Cinderella or the Sleeping Beauty – she’s just waiting for the right boy to come along to bring the world to life for her.
Aged 15: She prefers not to look at herself because all she sees is puppy fat, pimples, and plainness. She would like to hibernate until she is grown up.
Aged 20: She tends to look at pictures of supermodels and compares them to herself, not very favourably.
Aged 30: She hasn’t the time to look at herself; she’s too busy climbing the ladder of success.
Aged 40: She hasn’t bothered to look at herself too closely lately as she is more interested in being judged by her brains and personality than her looks.
Aged 50: She suddenly looks again at herself and becomes concerned about the changes. Begins to mourn the passing years.
Aged 60: She thinks “what the heck. At least I’ve still got good health and good eyesight so I can still see myself in the mirror.” She jumps on her motorcycle and roars off into the distance.
Aged 70: She looks at herself and sees the road map of experience outlined on her face and is delighted by this physical manifestation of all the wisdom that life has brought her. She knows that, God willing, she can do just about anything she pleases.
Aged 80: She no longer cares about what’s on the outside. She puts on a big floppy hat and decides to go out and have some fun.
Life is there for experiencing and learning in our own individual ways. Its up to each one of us to seize every opportunity in life as it comes along and having learned pass on our wisdom to others.
Author Liz Simpson
Khaled Mahmoud – a view from the back row by Lyn Browne
Exeter 12th June 2004
by Lyn Browne
It was his knees that I went for. I’d been told that Khaled Mahmoud always does the workshops in his shorts - hurray! A chance to see what the legs are actually doing. I’m pretty new to Arabic dance, and I need all the help I can get. Khaled was to teach two hours of technique, and then two of choreography. I just hoped I would have the stamina. My teacher Jacqui Spiers had booked the dance studio for the workshop, which was large and mirrored. A stream of women of all ages and sizes poured through the door and then Khaled arrived, beaming and oh joy, in the shortest of shorts. With a piercing whistle straight from the football terraces and a few clicks of his fingers, suddenly we were in three rows, Khaled centre front, the music was playing, and we were off. I was so shocked by the speed of it that it took me several minutes to realise that this was only the warm up. We started on technique. Besides his amazing ability to shimmy (more on this later) Khaled is known for sharp, small hip drops but I was mesmerised by the way his movements flowed. He was like mercury – one movement just seemed to slide into something else. Another thing, he seemed so happy. He smiled into the mirror, smiled at all of us. ‘Look at us dancing, aren’t we great, aren’t we amazing?’ It was infectious. From my place in the back row, I caught sight of my reflection. My face was taut with concentration. I looked terrified. And there was Khaled, who had sidled up to our end of the studio so that we could study him more closely. Khaled was beaming and suddenly so was I. So what did we learn? Mostly, I just focussed on how he moved. He explained that we would be dancing in what is known as a classical or oriental style, but that we should adapt this style to suit ourselves. Whether your feet stayed flat on the floor or you got onto your toes was up to you. Typically, Khaled was fluid about all of this. We did a lot of shimmies; he said his came from his calf and thigh muscles. He asked us to persevere with our shimmies. Also, he encouraged us to relax our top halves – to ‘chat and shimmy’. We learnt quite a lot about arm movements. Sometimes we were even treated to a view of Khaled’s stomach – he would pull up his T-shirt to show us how a camel should roll. At the end of his technique session, I was in a complete daze. I had been shown so much. Some of it will no doubt come out later, but above all I remember his advice, ‘If you think it’s hard, you’ll never do it’. Within minutes, we were summoned with another of Khaled’s whistles to begin an Aida Nour choreography to a piece of music called ‘Zizinia’. At the end of the session I was amazed to learn that it only lasted 3 minutes 17 seconds. Three minutes seventeen seconds? It seemed like hours! By now people were putting talc on their feet to stop them sticking. With good humour, Khaled led us through the first steps. He seemed aware of back-row muttering – quicksilver once again, he would thread himself through our rows, take a confused dancer by the hand, and gently lead her through it. I had steadfastly held to my place behind him. I just couldn’t cope with following his mirror image, up there at the front. Gradually I became aware of the accents – here was a man, pointing up the ways we could show our feminity! And it seemed to work. The final half hour was a happy riot of just following him through various dances, watching his gestures, trying to copy him – though he gave credit to the various well-known dancers if he borrowed from their own techniques. I caught sight of myself again, towards the end. There was a smiling me, relaxed and just going with the music, among a room of butterflies, albeit jingling ones, who looked as happy as I was. So in the end, it was Khaled’s infectious good humour that I went for and not his knees. What a pleasure to spend several hours in the company of someone who so clearly enjoys what he does. He made us feel good about ourselves. At the end of the afternoon, he asked if any of us would be interested in going on a trip to Egypt with him. Would I ….?!
Samantha's journey to San Francisco 
by Sam Hasthorpe
Samantha's journey to San Francisco. I have been studying ATS for around two years now,mainly self taught . I finally met Wendy Marlatt in Dublin and had the pleasure of studying with her both in the UK and Ireland. My desire to travel and turn professional led to the decision to pack up my life and head to San Francisco via Canada. My journey begins in Devon where I have been working as a labourer on a building site by day.I moved out of my flat,put my belongings in storage,left my friends,family and lurcher dog behind me for the next 12 months and set my sights on the first stop on my travels;Toronto. Toronto wasn’t my original destination-I was supposed to be heading to Vancouver.Its thanks to Rachel Brice that I made the detour.She told me I must meet Audra and come to the show she was organising with Suhaila Salimpour and Rachel. I looked up the details on Audras website www.cleopatrasbazaar.com and booked my self in for the 4 day intensive workshops and show.I arrived a couple of weeks before the workhops were due to start so I had some time to soak up the dance scene in Toronto. I attended both performances and classes, Flamenco with Ritmo flamenco(www.ritmoflamenco.ca) Hip Hop at the City Dance Corps Indian Kathak with Joanna at the Toronto Tabla Ensemble(www.tablaensemble.com)and both egyptian and tribal lessons at The Arabesque Dance Acadamy. The Tribal class was taught by Valizan. He had great energy!We also got to take the dance floor at Arabesque's weekly performance night to a live band; some of the best musicians I have seen,a real treat.Thankyou Valizan! I managed to catch a couple of Audra's 'Suhaila prep' sessions which was excellent to get an idea of what I was in for when Suhaila landed! The first day of workshops covered the Jamilla Salimpour format;finger cymbals. Previously I had only known the patterns covered on FCBDs Zills video,so it was a real eye opener for me.However then layering new movements on top of the new patterns had me stumped somewhat.I am really looking forward to training with Jamilla in person when I get down to the mothership! Suhaila was keen for me to see her mothers format as it is the root of the ATS family tree.(Jamilla having taught Masha Archer and Masha then teaching Carolina Nerricio.) Suhaila is an inspirational teacher,I admire her vision,her desire to see belly dance taken as seriously as ballet is in creating a level system that dancers strive to achieve;clarifying the form in a way similar to martial arts.As I have trained martial arts myself I know how important that is. Her technique blew me away.The workshops consisted of some level one and two techniques,alot of sweat and mental brain strain!! I will never look at belly dance in the same way. We were also treted to seeing Suhaila execute the famous glute vibration,you have to see it to believe it! Audra invited me to perform in the show...I took a little persuading as I have only been performing for a year or so and sharing the stage with Suhaila and Rachel....!But I am so glad I did,it was a great experience and not nerve racking in the end. My next stop was Vancouver where I had been invited to stay with Martina (of Bellyfringe BellyDance) who is level one certified and I had met in Toronto. I had the pleasure of performing in her show the night I arrived,after a 24 hour train journey through the rockie mountains and hardly any sleep. Sleep depravation works wonders for a performance as I discovered when I walked out into the restaurant audience and felt totally relaxed,never felt so at ease!!Thanks for looking after me Martina. After Christmas with friends on Vancouver Island I plan to head down to San Francisco for three months training with Carolena,Jill Parker and Suhaila. Its great I can keep up to date with whats happening in the UK Tribal scene through the internet,ATSUK and Tribe.net.........so I dont feel so far away really!Happy New Year to y'all back home xx visit sams website www.snakecharmah.co.uk
visit sams website
Diary from the Sinai, by Odette 
Desert Dances
I’ve twirled in clubs, shimmied on cement floors and wiggled at many social events; now my feet have felt the floor of the desert and my heart has opened to the magic of Sinai.
Wadis are valleys through the mountains that pass as floodways in the winter carrying the rainfall from areas like St Catherine’s (mount Sinai) through miles of sand and rocks ending in the sea. We travel deep into the wadis, into the heart of the desert, where the sound is a high frequency, the voice of the mountains. We build a fire at the foot of the mountain, to make chai (Bedouin tea), adding herbs like samwa, or habbaq and sugar. Tea or food made on the fire has a special taste, its natural.
We dance on a mat or barefoot on the rocks, our shadows cast on the rock walls by the heat of the fire. ‘look at your hands, connect with them and explore the shapes they create’, I glance at the women’s faces; at their concentration; their effort; their discovery, the look of serenity. ‘dance with your shadow’, they look up the wall, their shadows tall, curving, reaching, and we all laugh. ‘love your shadow’. The music carries us to the galaxies above our heads as our feet slide over grains of sand, sensing our joy, feeling our pain.
Each women’s dance is beautiful and intriguing. I stop to capture their creation and wish I could secretly video each dance to show them later. To show how sacred their movement is, how god-like their faces. Why consider a face lift when each time we dance we peel away years of suppressed anger, sadness, frustrations of modern life. Swaying, circling and thrusting the hips, a rhythmic release of energy that no words can console.
‘One more song’ we look up, the women are lost in their beauty, we have danced for hours that flew by so quickly, each minute carrying us deeper into ourselves.
‘Chai?’, they gently nod their heads, sipping the sweetness. Food is served; fish, rice, tahina, salad …… we ravish the meal. Nothing tastes this good!
We return looking younger,so tranquil and still. Mostly silent, we gaze upon the lights of Dahab.
Before Christmas my classes picked up and I started to teach private lessons. its been such an amazing experience working with different women, and watching them blossom before my eyes. I had a woman I met in Skyros (Greece) 4 years ago in my class. For me it was a point of reference as it was 4 years ago that I was doing flamenco in Greece and Conchita (the teacher) encouraged me to take up my belly dancing classes again. She told me to buy a video and start learning, but before I even did that I found your class and the rest is history :-))
So to teach the woman from Skyros was a reminder of how far I had gone in 4 years. When I met her in Greece I had recently left my husband and was in a very bad way. I spent two weeks in Skyros singing and dancing and was so inspired by Conchita. Her refreshing passion uplifted us all and we soared in her classes, under the thatched boma on a little island tucked away from the world. And I promised myself then, that should I ever teach I hope to inspire others with my love for the dance. I have heard that at least 5 women who have had a lesson with me here have started up classes in their countries, this is the best news for me. that the dance is being shared and is spreading touching the hearts of many women of different cultures. And its so amazing to watch the women in the beginning, exploring their bodies, fascinated by the shapes and isolations and opening their bodies and spirit, embracing this ancient form of movement. The more I dance, the more I watch and learn, the more convinced I am that the dance is locked deep in our bones and once the rigidity is swept away by this fluidity something deep inside us is awakened.
Experiencing all this and taking it further by dancing in the desert, at night, under the stars its like a calling. I feel so honoured and blessed that I can share this, especially when some of the women are shy, or are locked in their self doubt. Most importantly they need reassurance that in the beginning it seems impossible, it looks unbelievable and yet, yes, it is so possible. and they do it. And every body is unique, every hip circle is special in its own way. There cannot be a wrong in something that feels so right.
So I wish for you and all dancers that 2005 brings us all closer to connecting with ourselves and (god, Allah, the universe).
Lots of love to you
Xxxxx
Odette
It's hard to believe that it was only two weeks ago I arrived in Cairo and was subjected to such frustration and corruption in the five hours it took to complete the paperwork to clear the dogs! It's like lifetimes ago, slowly i am unwinding and settling in to the crazy life of Egypt. As I sat with Salman, a wealthy bedouin fisherman, and Nafla his second wife tonight, it came to me how much I had changed since when we first met 9 months before. It was in Rasabagullum, a small bedouin village outside Dahab. I had been in Dahab for less than a week and Rachel, an Australian friend I met here, insisted we visit the place. This visit changed my life. I ended up taking a camel trip with Muhammed to Bier Ugda and a wadi that in winter carries the floods to the sea. On my way back I met Usama, he was working in a small camp between Dahab and Rasabagullum, tucked away on the coast, but hidden by the nature of its rustic simplicity. Alheiba, this was the place I found myself and my heart. In 4 days I will return with Usama and the dogs. It's been 4 months since we were both last there, that last night will be held in our memories as the secret we share forever. Soon we will return after months of me severing most ties to the UK and planning my return to the Sinai; after falling pregnant having a miscarriage and then flying myself and two dogs to the tip of Africa. and as my body recovers from the stress of these past months and a very nasty allergic reaction to the oil of a below than average massage by a very crazy American woman claiming to be a 'physician', I breathe a sigh of relief that the sun shines every day, that my dogs have such freedom and that every week I share my dance with women in the desert under the stars, in front of the fire. Whatever my destiny holds for me here, I am certain of one thing, every day has a new lesson; a short course in life. As I sipped bedouin tea, and gazed at Nafla under the waxing moon, I am reminded how life has chafed me and how lucky I am to be alive. Lots of love to you from the desertxxxx Odette
The Wonder of Majma 2003, by Karen Burgess-Allen 
Overjoyed, truly overjoyed was my reaction when I learned that a weekly Arabic dance class was to commence in my local town of Tavistock, West Devon. I had experienced this wonderful form of dance some 3 years earlier at a one-off evening workshop and since then had waited in earnest for a teacher to begin a regular class in our town. The long wait was worth it, Jacqui Spiers arrived in November 2003. Not only did she bring to the class her excellent teaching skills but also her shear sense of fun, enthusiasm, dedication and love of the dance.
I have now been dancing under Jacqui’s guidance and tuition for 7 months and I feel as though I have literally blossomed. I experience great joy when dancing and cannot stop smiling ; and that’s just during the warm up ! I feel that I have gained a new appreciation and confidence of who I am - as you can see I have caught the ‘belly-dancing bug’ and I am loving every minute of it.
What has been an unexpected surprise is the social side to this dance and Jacqui has been very helpful in telling us about haflas and workshops etc. However, nothing could have prepared me for the wonder Majma. Jacqui told the class about this special event and I called Lynne Ingram the organiser for more details. Lynne was so nice and helpful, even down to recommending overnight accommodation. Her shear enthusiasm for the event convinced me that I had to be at the Glastonbury weekend. I dispatched my enrolment fee and waited. The organisation was excellent, from confirmation E-Mails to regular up-dates of when the program of events would be available etc. The events booklet arrived and with the help of my teacher I made my selection. I was now very excited, a whole weekend dedicated to dance – fantastic.
On Friday 4 April I travelled up to Glastonbury via Street – some retail therapy is always a good way to begin a holiday weekend. I checked into my accommodation, the Backpackers’ Inn which was literally full of Majma people. I was sharing my dormitory with Alison and Pauline from Swansea who were very welcoming and we set off together to the Majma registration centre. It was so well organised, every attendee was given a folder which included their personal workshop itinerary together with general information regarding dance class locations, bazaar, parties, lunch and evening meals etc.
After a tasty evening meal the first gala performance was held, ‘Dances of the Turkic Peoples’ which was performed by Helene Eriksen. Prior to each dance the audience was shown a short slide show accompanied by narration, which helped to enhance the origin and meaning of each folkdance. Helene’s dancing was very impressive to watch ; clothed in layers of beautiful swirling fabric and headdresses she simply glided around the stage. Her facial and eye expressions were both mischievous and fun and her hand movements were quite exquisite. I had never seen dances of this nature before and I was very excited by the fact that I would be attending 2 of Helene’s workshops during the weekend.
After the performance I visited the bazaar, which was unbelievable ! This was a totally new and brilliant experience for me and I now want to go to Egypt. The costumes, materials, jewellery etc were simply stunning and all the stallholders were so generous with their time and help. To say the least I purchased many items before the weekend had finished.
My first workshop on Saturday morning was with Luna from California, who would be teaching us how to balance and dance on wine glasses – fantastic. Luna’s personality was full of vitality and her joy of dancing was quite infectious ; we were all vibrant and happy by the end of her workshop.
Helene’s ‘Women’s Dances of Armenia’ was my next class where I learnt how to travel and glide using small neat steps together with graceful hand movements. Helene then brought all these movements together into an elegant dance routine performed to melodic folk music – the dance style was so graceful that I felt quite light and beautiful.
Majma’s participants were sunny and so was the Glastonbury weather. It was great to see all the ladies in their colourful jingling outfits walking around the town on their way to lunch or another class.
After lunch I joined the Fat Chance Belly Dance basic choreography class. Meg Gavin taught us the importance of technique and body posture. She then crafted a short routine, which we performed in small groups. Her workshop was followed by a seminar on make-up and costume where she demonstrated the art and importance of these two elements. The class and seminar were both very enjoyable and Meg’s style of teaching was excellent and fun.
A sumptuous evening meal was served followed by the second gala performance. This show comprised of all the workshop teachers performing their own speciality of dance and it was indeed an extravaganza. Each performance was truly excellent and my personal favourites were Luna, Karine Butchart’s stick dance, Fat Chance Belly Dance Company, Venus Saleh and Amel Tafsout - the depth of feeling that Amel brought to her dances was exceptional and the range of emotions which she created were truly soulful.
Many of us did not want this magical evening to end so we joined the Majma dance party and continued to enjoy ourselves until late.
Sunday was Majma’s last day and I found myself at Karine Butchart’s ‘Enhance your Performance Skills’ workshop. Karine taught us that dance is a communication ; a celebration that can bring a magical quality to any event. We were introduced to the ‘circles of emotions’ and the significance of our personal power and energy and how these can be utilised in our dancing. I also learnt why the facial warm-up is so important, because our eyes, smile etc all help to communicate and express our feelings.
I now attended Amel Tafsout’s seminar on ‘Ritual’. It was fascinating to hear stories from Amel’s life and childhood and to consider the comparisons between her home life in Algeria and ours in the West. Amel reminded us that our dancing relates to our lives – it is a celebration of Mother Earth, our femininity, of living and of life.
My last Majma workshop was with Helene Eriksen, where we studied ‘Uzbek Dance : Khorezmi Style’. We had great fun at this final session, where Helene taught us additional forms of travelling steps together with intricate little hand movements, which were quite detailed and precise. These skills were then brought together in the form of a short dance - it felt quite wonderful to move around the hall so delicately. Helene’s attention to detail was excellent and especially helpful was her explanation on paper of the dance steps.
The Majma weekend was nearly over, but it would go out in true style with the ‘Shimmy On’, which creates the opportunity for participants to perform their own individual dances. Many of the new friends I had met were performing and it was a great opportunity to watch and support their dances – the audience was so encouraging and joyful. The ‘Shimmy On’ is an inspired idea and perhaps one day I will perform my own dance.
Majma 2003 was over, but something very special had taken place this weekend and I was so glad to have been a part of it. I drove home literally smiling all the way for I was aware that I was full of a wonderful new energy and spirit.
So thank you Lynne and your dedicated team who do a truly exceptional job in organising Majma – please don’t stop. I would also like to say hello to Jacqui, Hilda, Gwen, Heather, Jenny, Alison, Pauline Lïan, Barbara and many other wonderful people who helped to make my first Majma such a success. I very much appreciated your kind reassurances, enthusiasm and friendship.
Previously published in Mosaic and Taqasim magazines
Got you in the mood for Majma? For information, visit the Majma website
Amel Tafsout Workshop, Helston - Cornwall, 5 October 2002
Review by Odette
To think it was Cornwall that provided the opportunity to indulge and immerse myself in a one day workshop with an Algerian free-spirited dancer, Amel Tafsout. Covering Berber and Nubian styles we forgot the formalities of western classes and with the help of Salah-Dawson Miller, were transported to the dusty earth of north Africa with the sound of the drum. The sun screamed out to us, pushing her last warmth of Autumn onto the floors of the modern school hall. Attempts to hide her glare failed.
My first experience of Amel's workshop was a taster at Glastonbury dance festival in July where she touched so briefly on Sufism/Trance in an hour and a half class, in a sports hall filled with at least 30 women. Now I stood in a shaded space with a small group of ten colourful women. Her warmth and authenticity filled the emptiness of the state owned building and for 4 hours we lost all sense of time through ancient dance.
Amel is direct, her movements so natural you sense it was passed through her blood from her mother and her mother's mother. It looks so easy, but our rigid bodies were not encouraged from birth to create shapes with weight and fluidity. All English conformity is thrown out of the window as the women are inspired to celebrate their sensuality and femininity and not be afraid or embarrassed to let go. This should become part of the National curriculum!
Shimmying hips with maximum effort, yet the movement appears small, like a tremble, concentrated and focused. The detail is intense but the movements liberating. Amel moves to one of the ladies shaking her arms like a rag doll 'relax, let your arms hang', one by one the ladies are touched by her charm. For even if it only takes ten women a month to release their inhibitions and allow the roots of their trees to spread and their trunks and branches to grow forth, then we are blessed. Women transform through the power of Egyptian dance. In time their stiff isolations and rotations slide sensually, hypnotized by the earthy drum.
Salah and Amel work closely as a team, he watches our every move and has no qualms in correcting our footing! Her focus this lesson is on the 'fertility dance', and with a scarf held in each hand we twirl the cloth throwing colour in the air. Hooking the cloth over the back of our partner's neck as she grips our 'half moon' (bottom) with hers, we pull and resist, dancing playfully. The dance embraces touch, closeness, community - all the essential human elements that are being lost. But not on this day.
Previously published in Mosaic and Taqasim magazines
Raqs Sharqi
Or
It's all Arabic to me, by Lyn Browne
I can manage the hip drops, just.
The Egyptian walk I've got sussed.
But I'm running too late
On my figures of eight
and my veil's gone and stuck to my bust.
I can jingle and jangle and slide.
I'm so glad I bought Oxfam's Rough Guide.
My control of abdominals
is truly phenomenal...
and I roll my belly with pride!
Tavistock, West Devon
Nov 03
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