The Buckleton Belly Dancers

Aimed atBeginners each session we will be exploring basic technique and looking atdifferent combinations, and working towards a Simple Choreogrpahy

This Term we will be working towards theperformances at Girton Jubilee festival, Arbury Carnival & Ickleton Fete,on the current choreography  as well aslooking at performance skills.  Please note there is a 50p increase per class, please let me know if you have any problems with this.

This Term we will be working towards ourperformances at Girton Jubilee festival, Arbury Carnival & Ickleton Fete aswell as looking at step combinations which can be built up into a choreography.

 After much deliberation and having held the price since i took over from Lisa in 2009, although my rent has increased annually, i have finally had to make a 50p increase per class.  I do hope this doesnt inconvenient you too much and if you have any queries/problems with payment, please come and talk to me - Sue.

This term, for the Beginners, we will be working ona fun pop/Baladi influenced choreography and we will also be touching on thedrum solo technique.

In the Improver level class we will be workingtowards our performances at Girton Jubilee festival, Arbury Carnival &Ickleton Fete as well as looking at step combinations which can be built upinto a choreography.

This term we will be settling into our new home atthe Abbey Lane United reform church and working on a fun pop/Baladi influencedchoreography and we will also be touching on the drum solo technique.

Born in 1953 just outside Cairo, Madam Fifi Abdou is one ofthe legends of belly dance.  When she was12 she joined a Beladi troupe and later went on to become a model andactress.  Her fame grew in the 1970’s andover the years she has become one of the wealthiest women in Egypt (informationfound on Wikipedia).  Although shestopped dancing in 2004, I was lucky enough to see her perform in 2009 at theInternational Belly dance Congress, UK. Some would say her repertoires of movements are limited, but she usesthem well and is a top class entertainer – for me the Epitome of belly dance.  Here is a clip – see how many moves you canrecognise and identify.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVrdjrGzLQE&feature=related

If you would like to know more about Madam Fifi Abdou, I found a really good blog on the serpentine communications website.

http://www.serpentine.org/yasmin/FifiAbdou.html

Enjoy Her Fabulousness!

I have been asked for music suggestion for when you are just starting out in BellyDancing.  Arabic music has such a width and depth to it that at first for many the various instruments and tones can bequite overwhelming.  So to get used to hearing the Arabic rhythms you might like to try Album of various pop tracks sohere are a few suggestions.

The BELLY DANCE SUPERSTARS ALBUMS are a good place to start.  Although now 5 years old, a particular favourite of mine is BELLYDANCESUPERSTARS 1 because of its variation of pop and abridged classical tracks,with the occasional drum solo and Shaabi Track (Cairo street style).

The “DESERT ROSES AND ARABIAN RHYTHMS ALBUMS”are also quite good, although they are mainly Western influenced Arabic tracks,they are very enjoyable to dance to and softly leads you into the Arabicsinging.  I include these as volume 2 wasthe very first belly dance album I ever invested in and I listened to itnon-stop! Volume 1 has the enchanting "Mon Amie La Rose” sung by NATACHAATLAS; volume 2 has a version of Squeeze’s “Take me, I’m yours” and Volume 3has the very popular and danceable “Walk like an Egyptian” by HAKIM.

Some of my personal favourites are the “BESTARABIAN NIGHTS ALBUM IN THE WORLD…EVER!” series. I particularly like volume1 and volume 3 and am happily bouncing along to them as I write this! These are albums to get a party started!

“ARABIA, THE WOMANS VOICE” also one ofthe very first albums I bought, contains some of my favourite artists.  There are many pop tracks from Artist such asNAWAL AL ZOUGHBI, NAJWA KARAM and even MADONNA (the Lebanese one!)  There is a wonderfully emotional and haunting track from NAGAT, which touches me every time I hear her exquisite voice,combined with this simple but beautiful track. There is even a track by the legendary OUM KALTHOUM, although the track is very old (you can hear the crackles!) you can still hear why 37 years afterher death she is still regarded as the greatest female singer in Arabic History.

Once you area bit more used to listening to Arabic music the album “10 SONGS EVERY BELLYDANCER NEEDS TO KNOW” is a fantastic way of introducing you to the classics.  Most tracksare marginally longer than the standard pop track, but the production is really good and it’s very danceable, and quickly makes you feel like you are at an EgyptianCabaret Night.

Finally, for albums, I would also recommend the ROUGHGUIDE SERIES – I particularly like the “ROUGH GUIDE TO BELLYDANCE”, which takes you around the Arabic worldgiving a variety of music styles and the “ROUGHGUIDE TO LATIN ARABIA”, fusing Latin and Arabic pop, which are very complimentary of each other.

Now for Artists.  My favourite pop artists arefemales first: NATACHA  ATLAS, NAWAL AL ZOUGHBI, NAJWA KARAM, and ISHTAR – the lead singer of the Spanish Arabic group ALABINA.

Of the Males, I like the music of HAKIM, one of the main Shaabi Artists, OOJAMI, brainchildof a London based but Turkish born artist, great club music.  I adore the music of the Egyptian pop artists AMR DIAB and EHAB TAWFIK, and I love the Lebanese Artist EMAD SAYYAH, who produces tracks particularly for Belly dance. FARID EL ATTRACHE is a very famous classical singer.  I cannot leave this subject without mentioning one of the most famous Arabic Artists TARKAN, who sings the most famousoriginal version of SIMARIK- the song covered by Holly Valance who sang itunder the title of “KISS KISS”

There are many more Artists and Albums I can mention, but I think these make a good start.  When I started belly dancing I hadno access to the internet and certainly an IPOD was many years off, These days you are lucky to be able to download individual tracks, but in a way I am thankful that I  was exposed to such a good variety of tracks by buying albums, it is a testament as to how good they were as I am still listening to them and using them in class.

Finally here is a list of some of the tracks I am currently using to teach with this term, feel free to mail me for further information on this or any other Dance related subject. - Sue

 A GatheringStorm by MUSHTAQ/TERRY HALL

Ah Ya Ezzineby FARID EL ATTRACHE

Allah AliekYa Sidy by EHAB TAWFIK

Azziza by TABELYA ISSAM

Bashaka by HAKIM

Bent Baladyby IBRAHIM EL MINYAWI & SON

Fakrenha by NATACHAATLAS

Grief by HOSSAMRAMZY

Ice Queen byPAUL DINLETIR

Irkosili(Dance For Me) by EMAD SAYYAH

Mandan Alekby NAWAL AL ZOUGHBI

Simarik By TARKAN

Toul Omri byNAWAL AL ZOUGHBI

Walk like anEgyptian by HAKIM (FEAT CLEOPATRA)

Further to some of the things we have been doing in class, I have found some usefull video clips on YouTube, which I have uploaded onto the video section here, under 'How To'. 

They start with basic posture, and will take you through everything from arms to undulations.  They are sort of uploaded in reverse order, so the basic stuff is on page 4, and the more advanced is showing first, so do have a flick through to see what is there. 

Don't forget, as Sue said, please warm up first before trying any of these exercises.

Just a quickie to say i have now added a video category of cool combinations.

Dont forget to warm up before trying these combinations that i have been bringing to class

Sue

Hallo fellow dancer

now we are into week 2 of dancing, back into the hip swing of things again!

this is just a quick blog to let you know that the latest video's for the beginner techniques have now been uploaded.  If you are wanting to follow a choreography online, dont forget to warm up, i have put a link to a youtube warm up that i think is good in the links section - HAPPY DANCING.

now Just a quick mention the the newly started open level performance group - the AB FABS - well done ladies you are doing well - if anyone wishes to join feel free this is a drop in class on wednesdays and thursdays!

signing off with an IAF

Sue