12 months in 12 sentences for 2012

This time last year I was inspired to write a post reviewing 2011 in just 12 sentences.  I like the format and wanted do it again.  So here's my write up of 12 in 12 for 2012.  Wishing you a Happy New Year and I hope that 2013 brings you lots of shimmy and sparkle. 

In January, I started learning Awareness Through Movement and was a busy bee planning for Baladi Blues.  

February was a successful sell out NADA and Habiba Dance event in Edinburgh with the Baladi Blues Ensemble, and I had a wonderful time teaching and dancing with the band.  

Baladi solo by James Campbell

Daughters of Isis by James Campbell

Baladi Blues Ensemble by James Campbell

 

March was a mixed bag of teaching taster classes and a chance to be in the audience for a change.

In April, I experienced another joyous JoY and treated myself to some goodies from the Farida Dance souk. 

In May, I got a little bit hooked on my new pair of zills.

June brought Big Dance and an unusual gig.   

In July, I went to train in Dusseldorf in my first ever trip to the annual Hilal Dance Week with Suraya Hilal and Alessandro Bascioni.

Hilal Dance Week

In August, I managed to fit in a day of dancing Baladi with live music, in between London's main events.  

Olympic Park

I had an uneventful September, although managed to fit in a Classical veil workshop with Juliana.  

In October my ballet teacher had us pretending to be snowflakes. 

In November, I performed once again at Edinburgh's longest running Egyptian Dance event.

My December included more Hilal Dance in London with Suraya; and looking forward to exciting things to come in 2013, including some more live music and promising performing opportunities. 

Dancing down the farm

I had a gig with a difference on Saturday night.

A real first for me, teaching a taster hen party class in a farm shed.  The party was meant to be held in a gazebo outside - but the terrible rain at the weekend caused the roof to collapse - so the owners lent us these fine surroundings:

Where's the strangest place you've ever danced?

Baladi Blues Band - Live Arabic Music in Edinburgh

On Sunday 5th February 2012, I am hosting the Baladi Blues Ensemble, live in Edinburgh, for a day of Egyptian Dance.

Day of Dance Flyer

All the details, including bookings information, venue, directions and accommodation info are on my website.

The aim of this event is to bring live music and Egyptian Dance to communities that might not otherwise get the chance to experience it.  That’s why we have arranged a free taster workshop as part of the day.  And that’s also why we’ve kept the cost of participation very low – thanks to the generous sponsorship of NADA, the Northern Arabic Dance Association.

Baladi Blues Ensemble

The Baladi Blues Ensemble plays the urban Egyptian dance music known as Baladi. Skillful accordion and saxophone improvisations, energised by powerful Egyptian rhythms give the Baladi Blues Ensemble its distinctive sound. Their music reflects the sophisticated and fast paced, urban lifestyle of 1950’s Cairo - all offered with a charming and enigmatic stage presence.

Baladi Blues Ensemble

The group is led by renowned percussionist, Guy Schalom, and features legendary quarter-tone accordionist Sheik Taha (Mohamed Abdel Wahab, Ahmed Adaweya, Fifi Abdou, and Tahia Cariocca), saxophonist Ahmed El Saidi (Ali Hassan Kuban, Shams Hussein, Salamat) and master percussionist Hassan Reevis (Abdel Halim Hafez, Ahmed Adaweya).  The band also features frame drum wizard Adam Warne.

Venue 

The venue is the Forth View Suite at the David Lloyd Club, Edinburgh Newhaven Harbour, EH6 4LX.   Venue details, map, transport etc. information is available here.

Day

The day will feature:

• FREE Egyptian Belly Dance taster workshop (2:00pm till 3:00pm)
• Live music workshop for Dancers (3:15pm till 5:15pm)
• EVENING CONCERT and party with live music (starts 7:30pm)

Evening concert and party with the Baladi Blues Ensemble
Starts 7:30, cost: £5! (LAST FEW TICKETS)

This unmissable concert and party will feature authentic live music from the fabulous Baladi Blues Ensemble, along with dance performances and lots of time to boogie with the band!

A fantastic evening of live music, featuring performances from me, Lorne, Espeth, Kerimeh, Anna and Edinburgh's longest established Egyptian Dance troupe Daughters of Isis.

Tickets are selling very quickly for this event, advanced booking is advised. 

FREE Egyptian Belly Dance taster workshop for Beginners
2:00 till 3:00, cost: FREE

A fun, free, accessible dance workshop suitable for all ages and abilities.  This will be a fun filled introduction to Egyptian Dance for complete Beginners, brought to you by Dance Base's Elspeth SwishandHips.

To join the FREE workshop, either reserve your place in advance or simply turn up on the day, 

The Spirit of Baladi - Live music workshop for Dancers
3:00 till 5:00 (SOLD OUT)

I am teaching a workshop for dancers on "the Spirit of Baladi", accompanied by Baladi Blues band leader Guy Schalom on Egyptian Tabla and master accordion player Sheikh Taha - an opportunity to learn to connect with and dance to traditional Egyptian music, melody and rhythm, and to explore moving the soulful sound of Baladi accordion - played by one of the leading musicians of this incredible art form.  

Bookings

To book, go to bookings page on my website and follow the instructions.

For evening tickets, all reservations will only be held if secured by full payment (you can pay via PayPal) and the last date for Advanced Bookings and Payment is Friday 3rd February.

If any evening tickets remain after 3rd February than these will be sold on the day on a first come, first served basis.

Arabic Dance belongs to Glasgow

I'm delighted that I am invited to teach at the 2nd Glasgow Festival of Arabic Dance on Saturday 18th June 2011.

Kay

The Festival, run by two local Glasgow Egyptian Belly Dance teachers, Sarah Pulman of Alchemy Egyptian Dance and Ann McLaughlin, features a day of exciting workshops from national and local teachers, topped off with an evening Hafla.

This year, I will be teaching a brand new workshop on the Secrets of Improvisation.  Here are all the details:

3.30-5.00pm
Costs £12
Open level
Break free from the confines of choreography, feel the music, and tap into your instincts to take command of the stage with improvisational freedom. This workshop will help you to connect with and dance to some traditional Arabic music, melody and rhythm that form part of every dancer’s repertoire. Using movements you already know, you will learn techniques to identify your own personal interpretation and breathe life and emotion into your performances.

I'll be teaching alongside Kay Taylor of Farida Dance, Laura Monteith of Sarasvati Tribal, Christine aka Her Royal Hellness Lucretia, Joannie Ward of Mirage and Imman Mussa of IMMEDA.

Workshops take place at the 411 White Studios, 62 Templeton on the Green, Glasgow G40 1DA.  

After the day of workshops, put on your sparklies and join us for the Hafla at 7.30pm, Woodside Halls, 60 Glenfarg St, Glasgow, Lanarkshire G20 7QU

I'll also be performing at the Hafla, together with the other teachers and other dancers and special guests - personally, I've got my fingers crossed that a certain very famous Arabian Horse called Dessie might make an appearance.

For bookings, full programme, biographies and everything else you need to know, visit: www.glasgowfad.com

www.habibadance.com

Edinburgh Egyptian Dancers Annual Hafla, 21 November 2010

"Hafla" is the Arabic word for party. This fabulous dance event, will feature the best of local talent and further afield.

This is the longest running Egyptian Dance event in Scotland and it's organised by our very own Edinburgh Egyptian Dancers.

The Hafla is at Revolution, Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1HU.

Doors open at 7.30pm, show starts at 8.00pm and tickets cost £10 and are available on the door.

Here's a clip of Daughters of Isis (who run Edinburgh Egyptian Dancers) dancing at the EED Hafla at Revolution:


I'll be performing again this year, dancing both a solo and a group performance as a member of Juliana Brustik's performance group. 

Edinburgh Egyptian Dancers also arrange regular workshops with visiting Master Teacher Juliana Brustik:
Juliana will be guest staring at the Hafla and will also be running dance workshops in Edinburgh over the Saturday and Sunday of the weekend:
Saturday 20th November, 1.00-5.30pm
Sunday 21st November, 1.00-5.00pm
At Granton Parish Church, Boswall Parkway (corner of Boswall Parkway and Wardieburn Drive), Edinburgh

Hope to see you there!

www.habibadance.com

Autumn 2010 - new term of weekly classes in the Dances of Egypt

I'm really pleased to announce a new term of weekly classes in the Dances of Egypt at the Salisbury Centre, Edinburgh.  

You will discover a beautiful, earthy and expressive form of Egyptian Dance.  Raqs Sharqi, meaning “Dance of the East” is a blend of folk tradition and contemporary interpretation.   You will experience the broad variety of music and dance associated with this beautiful form, from the Sha’abi folk dances of the South of Egypt, to the Baladi of Cairo. 

Classes are Open level.  We welcome both Beginners with little or no dance experience and Improvers who already have experience or knowledge of either Egyptian Dance or styles of belly dance. 

Please wear clothes that allow you to move freely and if you want you can tie a scarf around your hips.  We also dance in bare feet, although soft soled dance shoes are OK.   

Here are all the details. 
Thursday nights 7:30-8:45pm
Classes start on 30 September and will run until 16 December
This is a 12 week term with no break
Cost is £72 (or £60 for concessions)
Open level
 
In a class we start with a warm up and then explore the technique and music associated with a particular style of Egyptian Dance.  We then use the technique we have learnt to dance together a short piece in this style.  We end each class with a cool down with some gentle stretching.  The length of each class is an hour and a quarter so that we have time to cover all of this.

I've had some really positive feedback about my classes and teaching style, and you can read some testimonials on my website. 

Bookings
To book, visit the Salisbury Centre website where you can pay using PayPal.
You can also make your booking by contacting the Salisbury Centre:
2 Salisbury Road, Edinburgh, EH16 5AB
Telephone: 0131 667 5438
email: office@salisburycentre.orgBookings should be open within the next few days. 

The Salisbury Centre
The Centre is the longest established holistic education centre in Edinburgh.  It is based in a Georgian House in the Southside of Edinburgh and set within beautiful organic gardens.   Here is the streetview.  The studio is in fact an amazing first floor drawing room, with a clean floor and beautiful views.  If you haven't been there before, I would thoroughly recommend going along to visit the Centre.  You can sit in the garden, help yourself to tea and coffee, and explore the range of things on offer including meditation, yoga, pottery, therapies and treatments, and a whole range of different classes and workshops.

Workshops

If you can't make the weekly classes, or if you are already at an Intermediate or Advanced level, then you might be interested in coming to the next Habiba Dance workshop.  The next workshop will be in the Sha'abi Rural Folkdance style on 23 October, from 1:30-3:30, also at the Salisbury Centre.

www.habibadance.com

Classical Music for Egyptian Dance

Some of my students have been asking about which CDs I use in class and where to buy music.

So this blog entry is simply to highlight a handful of my favourite CDs focusing here on Classical Egyptian music, together with some handy links to where you might be able to purchase them from.  I've picked Classical for this blog as I recently used some of the tracks from these albums in my Golden Age workshop.

One of my all time Classical favourites is the "Layali El Sharq Ensemble Live, Classical Egyptian Music for Raqs Sharqi".

This double CD consists of live recordings from the 1980s of the Layali El Sharq Ensemble, a group of Egyptian musicians based in London and brought together by producer Jennifer Carmen, to tour with Egyptian dancer Suraya Hilal.  There are a beautiful selection of tracks to listen or perform to including beautiful songs like Raqs El Gamal, Tamra Henna, compositions by Mohammed Abdul Wahab, Farid El Atrash, and the Rahbani brothers, as well as taqsims and tabla solos. 

I find that the beauty of these recordings is in the balance between the different musicians.  This results in a production so very different from the more modern CDs made for Egyptian dancers which I find to often be overly dominated by percussion and keyboard.  There is simply space to hear the purer melodies of classical instruments like Violin, Qanun, Nai to be heard.

You can order this CD direct from Layali El Sharq Music.  You can also buy this from the Raqs Sharqi Society. 

Another CD I use, which contains live recordings of Classical pieces is called "Jewels".

These tracks are also taken from productions of Suraya Hilal's work, although a slightly later period than the Layali El Sharq album.  And, although there are a number tracks in common for both CDs I consider this to also be a worthy addition to the collection as I find the recordings to be slightly better quality.  You can order this CD from Tanz Raum. 

Hossam Ramzy has also produced some classical CDs.  The version of the song "Aziza" which I used in my workshop comes from the CD "Best of Mohammed Abdul Wahab".

This is a useful CD for some timeless popular tracks which are a good length for performance.  This can be purchased direct from the Hossam Ramzy online store and should be widely available from a number of other UK stockists, including as part of a double CD with the Best of Om Kolthoum, available from Aladdin's Cave.  

Finally, one of my brand new purchases is a live recording from a concert and Dance performance in Paris by Raqs Sharqi dancers Anne Benveniste and Lillian Malki - un "hommage à Mohamed Abdel Wahab".

This is a box set containing a DVD and CD.  I have listened to the CD over and over as it contains some beautiful versions of a number of classic tracks like Enta Omri and We Daret al Ayam.  This production is available to purchase direct from Anne, although I bought my copy from the Raqs Sharqi Society. 

Happy listening!

www.habibadance.com

Habiba Dance Edinburgh Festival Workshops

Here are some dates for your diary.

I'll be running 2 brand new Egyptian Dance workshops at The Salisbury Centre during the Edinburgh Festival in August 2010

The Golden Age of Egyptian Cinema

Sunday 1 August, 1.00-3.00pm

Dance like the Stars of Egypt’s Golden Age in a workshop inspired by the stars of the 1940s and 1950s era Egyptian cinema – Samia Gamal, Tahia Carioca and Naima Akif.

Classical Egyptian Dance is a new contemporary art form with ancient roots. It draws on the imagery and music of the Ottoman courts, the storytelling of Egypt's Golden Age of cinema, and the music of the classical Egyptian orchestras and famous singers whose radio broadcasts captivated the Arab world. You will find new ways to express this beautiful music and explore the playful and sensual sides of the dance.

This is a General level workshop and is suitable for those who are already familiar with the posture and basic moves of Egyptian dance or belly dance whether Improvers, Intermediate or more advanced students. Bring a full skirt if you have one and a silent hip belt.

Interpreting the Human Voice

Sunday 29 August, 1.00-3.00pm

This workshop will help you to connect with and dance to some of the classic Arabic Baladi (traditional) songs that form part of every dancers’ repertoire. We will also explore movements to interpret the beautiful Mawaal, sometimes considered the Egyptian Blues, a soulful improvisation of the voice that expresses feeling and emotion.

You will learn to find your own personal interpretation of this beautiful music, building on the moves and technique you already know, whilst emphasising the importance of musicality, rhythm and responsiveness.

This is a General level workshop and is suitable for those who are already familiar with the posture and basic moves of Egyptian dance or belly dance whether Improvers, Intermediates or Advanced students.

Bookings 

Both workshops each cost £12 full price or £10 concession.

To book contact the Salisbury Centre, 2 Salisbury Road, Edinburgh, EH16 5AB
Telephone: 0131 667 5438
email: office@salisburycentre.org

Bookings will open as soon as the Salisbury Centre Festival Programme is out.

I hope to see you there!

www.habibadance.com

Learning the Language

It wasn't meant to be a New Year's Resolution, but since January I have been learning Arabic.  And the whole experience has just been so rewarding I want to share something about what I have learned so far.

I had a pretty bad experience learning languages when I was at school and it's not something I ever thought I would be able to do.  Several years later, as an adult, I faced my fear and started going to beginners French classes.  I found it very motivating to learn at my own pace without the school environment and I stuck at it.  We're not talking complete fluency, but after about 3-4 years of study I found that I could pass pretty well in France and Belgium using what I had learned.  A little bit after that, I built on my knowledge of French and even managed to teach myself to speak a little Italian too.  So why all those years spend thinking I couldn't do languages?  Just like learning any new skill, whether languages, dance, or anything there simply isn't a good or bad at, there's only learning in the way that suits you.

So what about the Arabic?  Well I like the sound of it, I love the music and the songs.  And when I listened to the music and read song translations I found I could start picking out the words that I recognised and some of the basic patterns in the language.  I thought about going one step further and learning it properly.  Yes Arabic is very different, but could it really be so difficult?

Around the turn of the year I had some happy accidents.  My friend posted a Facebook link to the You Tube channel Learn Arabic with Maha - containing a charming series of videos being made by an Arabic language teacher who had started teaching her Italian husband.  At the same time, I spotted a set of Beginners Arabic Adult Evening Classes run by the local council, starting that very week.  And all of this perfectly timed to happen right before the holiday to Egypt I had already booked.  All the pieces fell into place at the same time.  So with no reason to hold myself back I plunged in.

I want to say more about the different ways that I have been studying in a bit more detail, but I will have to come back to this at some point soon. 

It has been over 3 months now and I've been studying hard.  I won't be sure how much has actually sunk in till my plane actually lands in Cairo.  But I am very hopeful and I really do think, Insha'allah, that I will have something to say.

www.habibadance.com

Shimmying with old and new

I was really excited to start my new term of classes in Egyptian Dance tonight at The Salisbury Centre.

After a long wait for a slot to teach regular classes in the Centre, I've been offered a regular Thursday night slot for the summer term.  It's my favourite venue to come and teach a class.  The room is beautiful - it's a first floor drawing room with a smooth clean wooden floor and a lovely view over the Centre's organic garden.  And I'm looking forward to teaching on warm summer evenings when it will be possible to relax in the garden before class. 

It is a small group, but really nice to be teaching a combination of students who had been to my previous workshops and classes, those who were already familiar with the dance, and a few students who were entirely new to the dance.

We started with some walks, attitude and posture and then went through some basic moves including fluids, figures of 8, sharps, hits and of course some shimmies and variations - quite exciting as always when the students showed some real shimmy potential.  In the last part of the class we put these moves together to explore a piece of Baladi music, "Jalilah's Balady", from Amar 14:

Places are still available on the course which runs on Thursday evenings from 8.00-9.15 at The Salisbury Centre, 2 Salisbury Road, Edinburgh, EH16 5AB.  Cost for the full 10 week term is £60 full price and £50 for concessions.  To book, call 0131 667 5438, or email office@salisburycentre.org

Image is from Piranha Musik.

www.habibadance.com

Summer term at the Salisbury Centre

 

Good news!

The Salisbury Centre has found me a slot to teach regular weekly classes in Egyptian Dance next term.

Here are the details:

Every Thursday, 8.00-9.15pm
Starting on 22 April 2010
At The Salisbury Centre, 2 Salisbury Road, Edinburgh, EH16 5AB
Cost is £60 for the term of 10 classes, or £50 for concessions

I will be teaching the "Dances of Egypt".  Each week we will introduce the music and dance associated with different styles of Egyptian Dance.  It's a great way of learning about the background, history and development of this rich art form, whilst studying the different moves and technique, and exploring self expression to accompany the music.

The course will cover Sha'abi - the traditional Egyptian folk dance originating from Upper Egypt, Baladi  - an expressive interpretation of "Egyptian Jazz", and Classical - a contemporary style with ancient roots.   We will also explore the energies of the male and female style of dance, and if time allows the contemporary form inspired by Sufi tradition.

The course will be mixed level.  It is suitable for Absolute Beginners and Improvers who want to revisit the basics and develop a deeper understanding of Egyptian dance would also be very welcome.  This was a very popular format when I taught my Summer series of classes in 2009.  You can read the testimonials on my website to hear what my students had to say.

The Salisbury Centre is the longest established holistic education centre in Edinburgh.  It is based in a Georgian House in the Southside of Edinburgh and set within beautiful organic gardens.   Here is the streetview.  The studio is in fact an amazing first floor drawing room, with a clean floor and beautiful views.  If you haven't been there before, I would thoroughly recommend going along to visit the Centre.  You can sit in the garden, help yourself to tea and coffee, and explore the range of things on offer including meditation, yoga, pottery, therapies and treatments, and a whole range of different classes and workshops.

To book, contact The Salisbury Centre: 0131 667 5438, office@salisburycentre.org

And for further information, please feel free to contact me here.

I hope to see you there!

www.habibadance.com

Honesty is the best policy...

Someone asked me today for some tips on how to market themselves as a dancer and instructor. My reply was simply to do this in a truthful and honest way.

Be clear about the extent of your training, your influences, why you dance, what this dance means to you. How you teach, what you think your students will learn, where you take inspiration, and how you convey this to your students. My friend Elspeth believes that teachers get the students who are right for them and vice versa. I think that an honest approach will only quicken this process, helping the right match to be made.

It saddens me too often to see and hear the exaggerated claims of other dancers in this domain. The claim of authenticity from one who learnt their craft on their home soil. Or those that seek to demeanour the work of other dancers, even as far as discrediting their own teachers' work - to whom they owe heavy dues for bringing the dancer inside, out. To talk about that tiny tots ballet class attended once, as the equivalent of a lifetime of intensive training. To spin tales of being taught by the top dancers of the world when referring to a single workshop shared with 50 other women.

Time will tell, but these are the rules that I'm trying to live by with Habiba Dance. My organisation is now only a year old and the website, the videos, the words, the opinion presented here, they are all a part of myself, my own work and what I stand for.

Image Beth Rankin under Creative Commons.

www.habibadance.com

Imman Mussa - a workshop review

Imman Mussa is still somewhat an enigma. A new dancer appears from nowhere in last 6 months in the Scottish, well UK, dance scene and people are talking about her. So I wanted to see what all the fuss is about. I have heard some positive things about her dancing and seen little snippets on You Tube and Facebook, but would she have something interesting to teach?

Imman originally comes from United Arab Emirates and has been dancing for many years. She moved to the UK a few years back and has recently been teaching some community belly dance classes, in Glasgow. She also had a popular You Tube presence for a while with her "Imman Bellysylin" brand (and although many of these videos were unfortunately taken down, the clips posted by her fans still get considerable traffic). However, in all this time, Imman and has never made any contact with the Scottish dance scene up until she performed at Belly Dance Congress in the South of England a few months back - a performance which was received well.

Since then, Imman has set up a new dance business, the Imman Mussa Middle Eastern Dance Academy (IMMEDA) to expand her work beyond her local belly dance classes in Glasgow. Today's workshop, in Edinburgh, was marketed specifically to Advanced or Professional level. There is something quite appealing about the idea of trying out a new dance teacher, especially one who comes from outside of the UK so I went along to give it a try.

It was a small class. There were only 5 other students - unfortunately the price of the workshop meant that a number of others who would have liked to have joined us were unable to come. For me, the workshop didn't start all that well. First there was improvised dancing before any warming up, and then the body conditioning billed as integral to the workshop turned out to be about 15 minutes of untutored stretching left to our own devices. An unusual opening.

Once this was over with, we got on with learning some different areas of technique. Interesting stuff. Some shimmies, focusing on the backs of the thighs and hamstrings, which we then layered into some travelling movements. A few fast spins. And there was an interesting version of a hagallah walk - a little bit soheir zaki with a little bit of a maya. Then in the final part of the workshop we learnt a short combination (about 16 bars).

The overall workshop, however, was a little bit disappointing for me. Probably more so, because Imman does have a lot of potential as a performer. And to her credit, as a teacher she is attentive and very observant, and able to see and correct, and she has some understanding of how to break down the movements. She is also a nice, sweet girl and wants to give what she can to all of her students.

My personal block to learning is a disconnected approach between move and music - the moves were demonstrated, practiced and delivered without the music they belonged to. As a result I was frustrated, I didn't feel I was really dancing, and had no sense of achievement of a new piece of technique first absorbed and then performed. Although a technical element is an important discipline, the whole picture - the dance to a piece of music, the art that we are all striving to achieve - was absent. I needed the energy, the beauty, the physical exhaustion and the joy that accompanies.

Despite limited experience, Imman is a skillful dancer and has an encouraging teaching manner. As a teacher, she would most likely benefit from some formal teacher training and I really hope that she pursues this at some point. She describes the way she teaches, as a little bit like how she practises in her front room, with friends. Meeting to dance, trying to get the hang of a few moves. I can see how this might work in the setting of a weekly class, but I'm not sure Imman is quite really to translate this approach to an advanced or professional level workshop. Would I go back? Well perhaps not, I guess I can probably stay at home and practise in my front room.

www.habibadance.com

Dance Teachers in Edinburgh

I've been speaking with a friend yesterday who told me she that she was studying with one teacher in Edinburgh for ages and for some reason that teacher never mentioned the whole time what an amazing, thriving dance community that Edinburgh has. It is a shame, because for me teaching is about opening your students eyes to all the world has to offer. And that means allowing them to spread their wings to discover the multitude of dance teachers, dance styles, and learning.

So here are the names of some teachers that I know, who teach Egyptian Dance, Middle Eastern Dance and Belly Dance around Edinburgh. They don't all have websites - but if you are interested and wanted to contact me through my website, I might be able to help. Happy Dancing.

Egyptian Dance - Raqs Sharqi style

This is the style of dance which I teach and perform, in keeping with the Raqs Sharqi Society style.

Lorne McCall (my teacher) is the only teacher in Scotland who has completed the Raqs Sharqi Society teacher training. She teaches at Dance for All Studios in Stockbridge, with Intermediate and Advanced classes on a Wednesday. She is also the only teacher I know who has sufficient ability and knowledge to teach those students who have several years dancing experience and I know many professional dancers who currently go or have been to her classes. Lorne is the teacher I always recommend to my own students.

Juliana Brustik (also my teacher) teaches workshops over 4 weekends a year in Edinburgh. She's great at teaching proper bodywork to support the foundations of the dance, and makes you think differently about improvisation and group choreograhy.

Belly Dance teachers

Belly Dancing Caroline teaches Modern Egyptian Style Belly Dance at Dance Base and at Edinburgh University
Elspeth Alexander teaches Modern Egyptian Style in Musselburgh - she has a lovely warm personality where the enthusiasm of her students says it all.
Fiona Grossart teaches Belly Dance for Mature women at Dance Base and teaches a number of community classes in different venues in Edinburgh
Hilary Thacker is a local trader who teaches a number of classes
Constantina Litsa, Greek belly dancer teaches in the Adult Education programme
Shelley Skipper teaches her own fusion style, and also offers mother and daughter classes
Susan Tonner teaches American Tribal Style (ATS) Belly Dance as part of the Adult Education Programme
Laura Monteith teaches Tribal Fusion Belly Dance at Edinburgh University

I know there are countless other teachers around, and I always seem to meet new ones I have never met before at Haflas. In any case, these are the teachers I would mention to beginners and those interested in learning about Egyptian Dance or Belly dance and exploring what each of these dance styles has to offer. And at least next time someone asks me about classes in Edinburgh - whether friend or student, I can say - "Have you looked at my Blog?"

Thanks to Shelley who posted something similar recently and made me think about writing this up.

www.habibadance.com