A Fabulous Bellydance Day Out

I'm so glad that the unseasonal snow and zero degree temperatures didn't keep me from attending the first ever Miss Fabulous Bellydance in Peebles in March. 

Oriental winners Tammy, Sarah and Beata

It was a lovely day out and a fabulous celebration of all those dancers who dance just for fun.  The one rule for the competition was that it was entirely amateur - in fact anyone who had ever been paid for performing or teaching any kind of dance was not allowed to take part.  Dancers came from near and far (well far meaning Edinburgh, Dundee and Glasgow) to show off their skills in 4 categories - groups, oriental, tribal and comedy.  There was plenty of glitter, beautiful costumes, big smiles and a few surprises.

Tribal winners Nihoma, Kaz and Aileen

Congratulations to all the winners, all their proud teachers, and a big thank you to Celia Buchan for putting on such a fabulous event!  And I'm already looking forward to next year! 

Aara

Kaz

Lene

The Helwa Hurdies, second place in the Groups

Louise

Winning comedy duo the Gummi Bears

Amel Tafsout in Peebles, Scotland!

A few years back, I was lucky enough to learn North African dance in Scotland, direct from master teacher Amel Tafsout.  Amel is originally from Algeria and teaches North African dance.  She is a very special, warm and spiritual person and I was lucky enough to have attended her Stirling workshops on a couple of occasions.  I really loved Amel's teaching style and her insightful teaching.

Amel Tafsout

Well the good news is she's coming back to Scotland.  Thanks again to Celia Buchan of Borders Arabic Dance, Amel will be teaching 2 days of workshops in Peebles, on 13th to 14th April 2013, and there will also be a Hafla. 

On Saturday 13th April there are 2 workshops on the Dance of the Ouled Nayl and Algerian Rai, followed by the Hafla in the evening.  Then on Sunday 14th April, there is a very special workshop in Sufi spinning.  I've taken the Sufi workshop before and can thoroughly recommend it. 

For all the details and to book, go to Borders Arabic Dance.  And don't miss the excellent early bird deal for all bookings made by 18th March (£65 for all 3 workshops). 

If you don't know Amel already, here's a wee excerpt from her official bio:

Amel Tafsout inspirational master dance artist, choreographer and one of the finest exponents of contemporary and traditional Magreb dance of our time.  Raised in Algeria she has been fascinated by dance and music since childhood.  She holds 2 M.A .degrees in sociolinguistics and romance languages a research in dance ethnology and a long training in healing practises. Her knowledge and experience make her completely unique.  Now resident in the United States she is a voyager between countries, languages and cultures.

I hope to see you there!