SwishandHips

Dancing with the Baladi Blues Band

2012-02-07T21:14:00.002Z

I think I had the best dancing experience of my life on Sunday night.

NADA, the Northern Arabic Dance Association, brought the Baladi Blues Ensemble to Edinburgh for workshops and an evening show. It was brilliantly put together by Susanna of Habiba Dance, and I am very grateful to Susanna for giving me the chance to both teach a beginners workshop on the day, and to do a solo with the band in the evening.

In Edinburgh there aren't many opportunitites to dance with a baladi band. When Susanna first suggested that I dance with them I was very reluctant, convinced I was simply not good enough - especially when the other names on the bill included Lorne McCall, my first bellydance teacher; Susanna herself; and the amazing Kerimeh. On further reflection, I felt even more reluctant. A baladi band specialises in improvisation, so I wouldn't really be able to know what they were going to play - it might not be the same as the version I would have practiced to.

Luckily, I have very good bellydance friends whose opinions I trust. They told me to go for it, to film it, learn from it, and most importantly, NOT to pass up the opportunity to dance with a live band!

I spent most of January getting my head in the game. A mixture of positive visualisation, hypnosis and preparation really helped me to quieten down my inner critic and left me feeling much more positive about all my dancing. I worked at my make up and presentation much more than I've done before. Listening the the music came second - and choreography was almost out the window!

When the evening of the gig came, I worked hardest on not losing my nerve. Too often when the nerves begin to kick in, I think "oh well, I'll give it my best shot and it'll soon be over - maybe I'll be okay." Thoughts like that mean the mist descends and when I come off stage, I remember nothing about my performance. But this time, I was not at home to such mediocrity! I kept myself tall, kept visualising me dancing my best, engaging with the audience and the music, being alert and aware all the way through the dance.

Not one single bit of me panicked. I felt joyful and calm when I danced - excited, not scared - clear-headed, not startled. I could feel the band encouraging me to dance - you don't get that with CDs. From the afternoon's workshop, I'd learned that the band want to have a dancer to play for because it influences how they play - I knew they were watching me and responding to how I danced. That didn't feel scary - it felt really, really special. I knew lots of friends and students were in the audience, and I wanted to be the best I could be for them, as well as myself.

So, here it is - my favourite performance so far.

The immediate audience response was really good. I felt ten feet tall when I left the stage. As the evening went on, the feedback got better and better. I had great comments from dancers I'd never met before, lovely compliments from a member of the band, and dancer friends who told me they hadn't seen me dance that well before.

The mental preparation was the key. It reminded me of giving birth! When I had my babies, I wrote my birth plans, talked to the experts, visualised what would happen, packed my bag, planned all the details - and did my best to make sure it went according to plan. Only, this performance didn't hurt nearly as much as giving birth, and I didn't have to change any nappies when I got home. (I had a toastie and a cup of tea. Much more relaxing.)

Thank you so much to Susanna, NADA and the Baladi Blues Ensemble. I don't think it's overstating it to say this performance has changed my life.

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T19:13:00.000Z

I'm pinching this idea from fellow Edinburgh Bellydance Blogger Habiba Dance - can I summarise 2011 in 12 sentences, one for each month?

In January I decided I wanted to go to Cairo this year... but as I was counting up my pennies for the flight, the uprisings began and I decided to postpone my plans.
February brought my teacher and mentor Lorna Gow back to Edinburgh to teach, perform and - yay! - hang out.
In March I did my first half marathon on the year (and my first for a few years) - by October I'd done seven of the blighters, woop woop.
In April I got a horrible hip flexor spasm, leaving me unable to dance or even walk, but I still went to my first ever bellydance festival, Jewel of Yorkshire (JoY) and it was a fantastic experience from start to finish.
May all your Christmases be white!
In June I hosted a hafla as part of the Leith Festival and it was busy, great atmosphere, lovely dancing - result!!
July was the Musselburgh Hafla, and the first time I know a hafla's been delayed by pigeons.
August brought a fun teaching opportunity at a Fitness Convention, giving me the chance to combine my love for bellydance with my passion for sweaty workouts - I still use the playlist when I need an energy boost!
In September classes resumed in Fisherrow and among the new students was the lovely Nick Gardiner - yes, a man! - which is brilliant and adds something new to the class.
In October I danced as a Helwa Hurdie doing our khaleegy dance, complete with wig - I loved the wig but not as much as I loved being a Hurdie!
November took me to Orkney where I did a bit of teaching and experienced new extremes of weather.
December brought the joy of dancing with a great group of ladies in my first exciting experiences of the Dancebase Christmas show.

And 2012? Sadly there will be no more classes at the Thomas Morton Halls, as Dancebase have scaled back their activities there, but Fisherrow and Grassmarket will continue. And I have two teaching-related resolutions:

1. To be more conscientious about rotating the lines in class (responding to student feedback, thanks ladies!)
2. To wear more hip belts, jingly and otherwise, in class. Because I remember when I got my first coin belt after a few months of classes and I felt like a proper bellydancer and it was just a brilliant feeling which I'd like to encourage more dancers to have!

Have a great new year everyone.

Season's Greetings

2011-12-04T21:23:00.001Z

I've had a great end to the term.

My weekend in Orkney was lovely. I met some great ladies and we had a lovely workshop. Laura, Ruth and I also had a great weekend, despite some truly terrible weather and a rather noisy night.

Ruth and I at Kirkwall Airport

Laura and Ruth outside St Magnus's Cathedral. Sorry it's sideways.

The final week of classes were focussed on fun! We did some bellydance style ceilidh dancing and had a festive playlist, with customary trips to the pub after each of the Dancebase classes. At Fisherrow there was the usual party night with drinks and nibbles. Some of the Helwa Hurdies shared the choreographies they'd been working on this term, which were very good and lovely to watch - well done and thank you Cheryl, Carol and Margaret!

The final gig of the term was the Dancebase Christmas Show on Sunday 4th December at The Queen's Hall. A big professional venue with a ticket-buying audience of non-bellydancers, and a big, slick, show featuring Dancebase's classes. The Bellydance Improvers were performing, and a group of 7 of us took to the stage for veils, sticks and a drum solo. It was a great afternoon and marvellous to get to dance with these ladies - my first time performing with them.

So that's the end of the dancing term. I'm looking forward to getting my Christmas cards written and having five - yes, five, wow! - weeks off! before the spring term. During which, I will, of course, be working on my playlist for the new term, seeking out new students and working on improving my dancing!! I'm also coming up to a bit of a crossroads in my life - my youngest child is starting school in 2012, so I am weighing up my working/retraining/"proper job" options. So this holiday will be time for a bit of research and heaving duty thinking.

I am sad to say that Dancebase's bellydance class at the Thomas Morton Halls in my home turf of Leith will not be running next term. Dancebase are scaling back their classes in Leith to just two evenings plus Saturday mornings. I'm really sad that this is happening - not least because I've really enjoyed teaching there, and have had a lovely group of ladies dancing in that great venue. But also because it would be great to see Leith dancing more. I would have loved to have seen all the Leith schools and community groups getting the chance to dance in the Thomas Morton Halls, or classes from the Halls getting involved in the local community. Sadly it's not to be, which is very disappointing.

Have a lovely festive season!

Teaching in Orkney

2011-11-15T21:22:00.000Z

I am really excited to be organising a class in Orkney!

Bellydance for Beginners with Elspeth SwishandHips
Saturday 26th November, 1230-1430 at the Pickaquoy Centre, Kirkwall, Orkney. £8
Everyone welcome!

If you know anyone in Orkney please let them know about this class and help me spread the word.

This class will be suitable for everybody, no previous experience is necessary, just be willing to have fun. Whatever your age (although under-16s should be accompanied by an adult please), shape,or fitness level, bellydance is for you.

And - as always - you don't have to get your belly out (unless you want to!)

Grooving in Glasgow

2011-11-14T22:28:00.000Z

This weekend was GFAD - Glasgow Festival of Arabic Dance, organised by Glasgow bellydancers Ann McLaughlin and Sarah Pullman. It's a twice-a-year event featuring workshops with local and visiting teachers, and a hafla.

I really enjoyed the workshop I did, with the legendary UK teacher Candi Bell. It was my first Candi experience, although I've been a fan of her website for a long time. She was humourous, clear and helpful in class, and taught entrances and exits, a class that helped us with making an impact in a range of styles of Egyptian music.

The hafla was really enjoyable and was a real showcase of west of Scotland talent - lots of classes performed, as well as local teachers and other soloists. I was there with some of the Helwa Hurdies, and we performed our khaleegi number, which got a good reaction! I did a solo meleya lef number, which I really enjoyed - my first hafla appearance with the meleya lef! If you're on Facebook you'll find my performance on my page.

GFAD is a great event, I hope it goes from strength to strength!

Next stop is the Edinburgh Egyptian Dancers Hafla at Revolution Nightclub, Chambers Street in Edinburgh on Sunday 20th November.

Forthcoming events

2011-10-24T21:13:00.000+01:00

It's half way through term and the nights are fair drawing in! Thank you to everybody who's still making it along to class, I hope you agree it's a far better thing to dance and feel happy than to sit at home and let the Scottish climate get you down!

Here's a winter warmer - On 12 November is the Glasgow Festival of Arabic Dance, with workshops and a hafla - I recommend them both for a great day's learning and a splendid night's entertainment (which will feature the Helwa Hurdies and me, performing!)

I have something in mind for round about St Andrew's Night too, watch this space!

December 15th will be the Peebles Christmas Hafla, let's hope the snow stays away this year so that those of us from further away will be able to make it!

Race for the Prize

2011-10-08T17:22:00.000+01:00

I know this is all about my bellydance life but today I feel like showing you some of the ... depth of me! This year feels like a rollercoaster of haflas and races - if it's not one it's the other, and I like it that way!

So far in 2011 I've completed 6 half marathons, a 10K, and, today, a 10-mile hill race. I'm not affiliated to a running club (I fear they would scorn my ipod!) but I run three times a week, and this year decided that racing quite a bit would be, well, fun. On the whole, it has been!

Today I nearly got lost on the way to the Hallhill Healthy Living Centre in Dunbar - which, incidentally, looks to me like a place screaming out for bellydance classes (sorry if you're already teaching there, but I didn't spot any posters or listings!). Found it, relaxed, had a cup of tea, decided not to hang out with all the club runners as it would terrify me - I can run the run but I don't talk the talk.

I had a bad start - my watch wouldn't work, and by the time I started to run instead of jog, there were only 3 people behind me! AND I'd forgotten to tie my shoelaces properly. AND, one mile in, I realised I hadn't brought any energy sachets with me, which I've grown to love this year.

I overtook a few people, retied both my laces, kept an eye open for tasty brambles, and felt more confident. Then, on the first hill, the crowd (such as it was - I think there were only about 80 competitors and most of them were well in front!) slowed down quite a lot and I overtook half a dozen other runners. On the second hill, one runner said "good luck, you're a climber!" - and I thought, oh yes, so I am! I felt very cheered by this. I did keep climbing up the ranks as the race went on - nowhere near the front or anything, but nobody overtook me and I overtook people, so indeed, I do seem to be a climber.

This was a well hilly race. I did it last year so I wasn't daunted by the up hills, even the "across the field, look out for the dung" up-hill! The down was a bit odd, and I felt like my legs were outwith my control by the time I came off Doon Hill - but I kept it up, managing not to land in the mud anywhere (it was cool, dreich and squidgy!)

In the last mile some finishers were on their way to cheer on the stragglers - coming back along the race route - and their supportive words to me almost had me in the mud as I lifted my head to smile, skidded to the side and nearly landed at their feet. Sooo glad I retained my balance, fingers crossed it's a dancer thing.

I finished in 1 hour 20 minutes. It was a time which was at least 5 minutes off a prize (I think the runner up in my catagory was 1h16m), but it was 4 full minutes less than my time last year, so I'm totally over the moon. Yay me. (If you don't run, to give you a guide, the winner got home in 57 minutes. But I hear his shimmies are shit.)

Running Club races excel at post-race catering and I made a pig of myself on white carbs! Two scones, two bits of cake, a yummy chewy roll, cup of soup and a sugary tea. There were showers too, which is rare but totally brilliant. The atmosphere was friendly and happy and I really, properly enjoyed the race. (That doesn't always happen - the Haddington Half Marathon was probably the most miserable two hours of the year for me!)

So, next week there's a hafla so I won't be heading for the Aviemore half marathon (I think I might be glad, judging by the weather) - but at the end of the month we're on a family trip to Jedburgh for the half marathon there. Hubby has already picked out the gastropub he wants to visit!

Back in the swing of things.

2011-09-19T21:26:00.000+01:00

Well, teaching term is back in full swing and I'm really pleased about it! Dancebase have found another group of beginners for me to teach, the majority of whom have not bellydanced before - my favourite! - so it's my mission to make as many of them as I can fall in love with the dance! And it helps when there are so many good events to tell them about - this was a busy weekend!

Saturday night was a hafla organised by my friend Moyra Banks. Moyra is one of my favourite Edinburgh dancers, with musical interpretation I adore and a real passion for Egyptian-ness. Her hafla was wonderfully well organised - a real cut above many haflas with care and attention to details. She was hosting Washington D.C.-based teacher Artemis, who taught workshops over the weekend and performed at the hafla.

Moyra asked me to compere the hafla - a job which I enjoy [and people tell me that I do it well - blush - in a past life I did a lot of public speaking to audiences who were much less friendly than bellydancers!] It was great to get to introduce such a great line-up, not only the star guest Artemis, but 11 other performances, including Zafirah, who had come from London to close the show; the ever-gorgeous Sarasvati Tribal from Glasgow; Caroline Rose performing a spangly-gorgeous Randa Kamel choreography; and Moyra herself doing an amazingly beautiful baladi piece. It was a smashing night with a lovely, warm, friendly atmosphere, and Moyra deserves much credit for putting such a good event together.

Sunday was East Lothian Council's MultiCultural Day at Prestongrange Museum, and my Fisherrow dancers, the Helwa Hurdies, were peforming. It is an annual event, and this was the third time we have danced there. Last year the atmosphere was, well, somewhat lacking, and I had a bit of trepidation about it. The class had spent all of last term preparing a dance for the wedding of one of the Hurdies, and we'd put together a not-terribly-Middle Eastern piece for that occasion! I didn't want to dance to Akon at a Multi-Cultural event! So in the first three weeks of this term we worked on a khaleegy routine, to “Ahla Nazra” by The Miami Band.

In bellydance terms the word “khaleegy (khaliji, khallejy etc) refers to a style of dance and music from the Persian Gulf or Arabian Gulf region, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. Real women dance this style in pairs or groups of for their own entertainment at celebrations like weddings.The dancers wear bright, oversized overdresses called the thobe or thobe nasha’ar, worn without a hip belt. The dress is used as a prop, as is a headful of long, glossy hair!

While not all of us are blessed with long glossy hair, we know that when we need dresses, the woman to see is Celia Buchan, bellydance costumier to the finely attired East of Scotland bellydance community! Celia helped us with our costumes for the wedding, and was on hand to run up some thobes for the Hurdies too. Lovely!

Well, the atmosphere was much, much better this year. The tent filled up as we began our slot (and the rain helped us make sure people stayed till the end!) and we got a lovely reception. I danced the Hurdies duet to Aayshalak with Laura

and then filled some more of our 15-minute slot with an improvised baladi piece, using music from my favourite baladi album, Baladi W'Bas! by Yasmina of Cairo. I recommend the album for anyone looking to get their baladi groove on, it's great.

I haven't danced in this old beady dress for a long time. Back when I started bellydance, in 1997, the beady dress was a staple of the dancer's wardrobe. It weighs a tonne and stretches to fit just about anybody. But I was looking for something appropriate for a multi-cultural event - less showy, more folky. And I feel great dancing baladi in this dress - it makes me feel modest, grounded and slinky!

We saved the best for last though - nine of us took to the stage for our khaleegy fabulousness. It went really well, even if the stage was a bit too wee for us all. Nobody lost any hair, nobody was injured by anyone else's hair, and nobody fell over their thobe. For three weeks practice, that's a result! I'm looking forward to seeing some footage.

It was a great event, with a nice audience and lot of other great performances. The group of Maasai tribesmen who took the stage shortly after us were amazing! How great to share a bill with them!

I'm looking forward to dancing with the Hurdies again soon.

Try before you buy at Dancebase!

2011-08-24T14:25:00.001+01:00

If you've never taken a class at the amazing Dancebase before, there's a special offer this term. You can try your first class for free before you pay for the whole term.

Why is Dancebase, Scotland's National Centre for Dance, so amazing? Well, their studios on Edinburgh's Grassmarket are lovely, as is their studio in Leith at the Thomas Morton Halls; the people are friendly; they have a huge range of dance things going on; and they have lots of great teachers working there ;)

There are lots of brilliant dance classes available at Dancebase (including mine, natch ;) ) so take advantage of this offer. You have to register before 31 August though, so hurry up! Classes start at Dancebase on the week beginning 12 September.

New Term: September 2011

2011-08-16T21:32:00.000+01:00

If you fancy trying bellydance, my classes are fun and friendly, and I do my best to cate for all fitness levels and all abilities.

All you need is a desire to dance! Beginners classes will teach you the technique safely, give you some understanding of a range of Middle Eastern dance styles, and get you into the groove of Middle Eastern music. Hopefully along the way you'll use new muscles, make some friends and have a laugh.

We dance in our bare feet. Bring a drink of water with you, and maybe a notebook and pen to help your memory. If you want to wear a scarf around your hips, feel free to bring one.

The Fisherrow Centre, Musselburgh: Thursday 7.30pm from 1 September.
Dancebase, Thomas Morton Halls, Leith: Friday 6pm from 16 September.
Dancebase, Grassmarket: Wednesday 6.30pm from 14 September.

If you've danced before, my Improvers classes might be up your street. At Dancebase, I cover dance styles in more depth (saidi, baladi, oriental), use a wider range of music, and look at polishing your dance especially if you're thinking of performing. The class assumes you know basic bellydance moves and are comfortable with them.

At Fisherrow, the Improvers class focuses much more on performance. It's the home of the Helwa Hurdies, a dance group who perform at festivals, weddings, parties and suchlike. You don't have to perform if you don't want to, but a lot of time in class is spent getting choreographies ready to perform. It's lots of fun and lovely atmosphere, and new dancers are made welcome!

Dancebase Improvers: Grassmarket, 7.30pm on Wednesdays from 14 September
Fisherrow Improvers: 8.30pm on Thursdays from 1 September.

For classes at Dancebase, book your space at the Dancebase website. For Fisherrow classes, just turn up and join in.

It would be great to see you soon - please get in touch if you have any questions.

Fitness Convention, August 2011

2011-08-16T21:16:00.000+01:00

I was invited to teach at a Fitness Convention at Meadowbank Sports Centre over the summer. It was organised by Joanna and Les of Fitness Around the World, who are best known for their super-popular Zumba classes. Like most bellydance teachers, I've lost a few students to Zumba over the last year or so - it's marketed as a workout, a party, a get-fit fix, and when I've tried it, it's been great fun. It's not a dance class, it's not about technique or beautiful movement, but it's fun!

I took part in some of the other classes at the Convention, including Cuban Salsacise (fun but I could not keep up with the steps - although it improved when I took off my trainers!), Bodylicious (lots of squats and a zillion stomach crunches) and Zumba. In the Zumba, I was really disappointed that the music just did nothing for me. Accoustics in a sports hall are never good, so perhaps that was the problem. Or perhaps it was just too much of the pounding techno for my taste!

I have to say that some of the Zumba moves just don't respect the diversity of fitness levels or flexibility of the participants. The demostration crew were all young, slim and had spines like spaghetti, leaping into deep, fast pelvic thrusts and backbends with no warning or explanation. It's the opposite of how (in my experience) bellydance is taught, with emphasis on good warm-up, safe posture and modifications of moves and positions to suit the dancer.

There were about 50 people in my session. Because it was a fitness audience, I gave them a near-solid hour of upbeat, energetic bellydance, teaching one move at a time and then dancing/drilling it to a pop choon (Saad, Hakim, Tarkan, Nawal, Milk & Honey, Hisham Abbass). There was a good response.

For me, it hadn't felt right to teach a 'normal' dance class at a fitness convention, so I'd modified my usual classes. However, after my session was a Broadway Dance class (I was too hyper to take part!) which taught a choreography (in very high heels!), so the whole event had a real variety of class styles.

Joanna and Les are hoping to run another Fitness Convention in the spring - I'd recommend it, but watch out for those spaghetti-spine moves!

Eavesdropping

2011-07-20T09:54:00.000+01:00

If you listen to conversations you aren't meant to hear, you might hear things you don't like!

This week I taught a taster session at a community World Fun Day - it turned out to be for mostly (enthusiastic) toddlers. Getting changed in the loos after I overheard...

"Yeah, bellydancing is amazing!" (I smile!)
"Yes, it's so womanly." (I grin!)
"Yes, and what they wear - it's not too revealing, is it? Just fancy and nice." (I nod, I'm in quite a modest bra & belt set after all...)
"It must be so nice, having a night out and getting dressed up like that, I mean, it's not like everyday life." (Yeah...)
"And when they all move together, it's lovely." (Hmm? But I was all alone...)
"And those swords!!" (oh, hang on a minute...)
"And when they danced at the Kirkgate at the opening of the Leith Festival, that was just *amazing*!!" (oh. right. I'll get my coat.)

I am getting used to being usurped by The Twisted Tails! And now, even when they're not actually *there*!! And if they weren't such nice ladies and such spectacular performers, I might get annoyed about it.

Fancy pants: costuming

2011-07-11T22:01:00.000+01:00

"[Gasp] - where do you get your costumes?"

Most bellydancers get that question quite a lot!

I'm fortunate enough to have a very good friend in Cairo who helps me a lot to find lovely things that work for me. In my opinion Cairo has the very best costumiers for bellydancers, and quite right too since it's the home of the dance! Eman Zaki's Golden Lotus label produces gorgeous, fasionable costumes; everybody loves Sahar at the moment; Amera Kattan runs Pharaonix of Egypt. I have a blue Pharaonix costume which always attracts a huge number of comments. One day I'm going to let it go out there and dance on it's own, because nobody notices how I dance when I wear it!

But this year I've been visiting Celia Buchan in the slightly-less-sunny Penicuik, and she's been working on a very beautiful costume for me. The trip to the Edinburgh suburbs is less arduous than getting to Cairo, and there are DVDs and chocolate biscuits for my children to enjoy while I'm there! I got my costume a couple of weeks ago and I love it. With a bit of help from Caroline Rose too, we came up with a design that would suit my shape (IBTC member, not much of a waist but muscley in the tummy). Celia made the costume and her skill and taste in bling are as good as her sewing and design work!

I feel great in this costume. It fits me perfectly and I love it. It's beautiful, it doesn't overshadow me, it's designed for my body, and nobody in the world has anything like it. What more could I ask for?

However, I have also been dancing with my wonderful students, the Helwa Hurdies. One of the Hurdies, Ruthie, was getting married in July, and asked us to perform at her wedding. It was an honour, a priviledge, and a very exciting occassion! We worked all term on the choreography and Ruthie and Kenny kindly bought us skirts, veils and coin belts. All that was left was the oft-thorny question of tops.

It was back to Celia Buchan who taught us all how to make our own. How to take a common-or-garden structured bra, chop it up, and make it look fabulous for stagewear. We spent a lengthy evening in Celia's house, tea and biscuits ahoy, measuring elastic, learning about buttresses and stabbing ourselves in the fingers.

I can't pretend I found it easy. I can't pretend I enjoyed the experience. There's a reason why Celia can produce gorgeous costumes - she can sew. I can't. Well, I suppose I can do the stitching, and I didn't fail needlework at school, but it's safe to say that there's a reason why, in my 14 years of bellydance, I've never made my own costume. But nonetheless, I managed to do it (although there are still a good few safety pins involved in it.) And what's more, all the other Hurdies did it too, and looked utterly amazing.

So, in short - If you want to feel like a million dollars on stage, don't buy guff from some unknown source. Save your pennies and get something made for you. It's soooo worth it. But if you want to look like a great troupe, get sewing. As long as you can all get together, preferably with wine, and enjoy the experience!

Leith's Awesome Hafla!!!

2011-06-22T21:52:00.000+01:00

What an amazing night! My first Leith Festival event, A Bit of Cairo on Duke Street, was a success! The Parlour Bar turned out to be a great venue with very helpful staff. And Leithers turned out to be a brilliant audience.

So, hours before the event, two of the performers pulled out - I guess it's not a real hafla without last-minute stress! By 7.30pm I was very nervous but as the bar started to fill and the atmosphere began to build, I calmed down a bit. There were dancers, bellydance students with their friends and families, and a good number of people who'd come along after seeing the listing in the Leith Festival programme. There were also a few slightly perplexed locals. But it was a really good mix, in total about 60 people, and the atmosphere was just amazing!

When I was performing, the speakers tripped and my (already too quiet) music disappeared entirely. I was gutted because I was really enjoying myself and the audience response was so good. But everybody was already clapping along, so I got them to keep it up and danced to the rhythm of the clapping instead, until the [sterling] bar staff got the music on again. Not every audience would have managed it, but this was a hell of a crowd!

We had nine performances, a lovely variety of dancers and styles - and because our dancefloor was the bar area, and we couldn't dance while customers were being served, nine performances was just the right number for a two-hour show. As it was a free event, everybody had a few quid available for raffle tickets, with a bottle of Baileys and a term of classes as prizes - and £100 was raised for Just Because.

I am really chuffed with how the night went, and would love to do it again next year! A big thank you to you if you came along, and especially to the performers and The Parlour.

A Bit of Cairo on Duke Street!

2011-06-07T21:20:00.000+01:00

In the last few years I've looked at the brochure for Leith Festival and been disappointed there's been no bellydancing events.

Last year I was lucky enough to see the Twisted Tails and my own wonderful performance group the Helwa Hurdies performing at the opening of the Leith Festival, along with students of Leith teachers Shelley Dance and Hilary Thacker, which was much better.

This year I decided something else had to be done, so next week you are invited to A Bit of Cairo on Duke Street: Leith Bellydance Hafla!

The venue is The Parlour Bar on Duke Street, a smashing, friendly pub which serves smashing tea, coffee and cupcakes, as well as the usual shandy-business (they call it "boozy goodness"), plus Monster Munch (all flavours). During the day they regularly entertain smaller customers with boxes of Lego and colouring-in. This is not the smelly old man's pub of its previous incarnation! The Parlour also hosts Open Mic nights so they know how to treat performers.

If you would like to come along and enjoy the performances, it's free entry, just hitch up and get yourself a comfy seat (there are settees as well as bar stools). If you'd like to dance, let me know and I'll add you to the programme. Just watch you don't catch your veil on the popcorn wagon! Oh, and the changing facilities are a wee bit scarce, but the atmosphere will make up for it. Come on out for a fun, schoolnight hafla and enjoy the Leith Festival ambiance!

Starting bellydance with the new term!

2011-05-09T22:01:00.000+01:00

It's a couple of weeks into term now, but new students are always welcome to my classes at The Fisherrow Centre, Musselburgh, on a Thursday evening!

If you'd like to join, the beginners/open level class runs from 7.30-8.30pm, and is friendly and fun. I'll be teaching the basic bellydance moves with a great soundtrack of Egyptian pop music for you to find your shimmy and groove to. If you're nervous, bring a friend - but we are friendly and welcoming to everybody!

Wear something comfy - not too tight and not too baggy, joggers and a vest are fine - and we usually dance in bare feet, but dance shoes are fine too.

I think there are still spaces in the classes I teach on Wednesdays (Grassmarket) and Fridays (Leith) for Dancebase, please contact Dancebase directly if you'd like to book these.

Looking forward to seeing you soon.

Upper body extension for beautiful veil workshop with Dawn White

2011-04-17T21:50:00.000+01:00

I went to a lovely workshop today. It was "upper body extension for beautiful veil", taught by Dawn White. Dawn is a graceful, powerful dancer and when I used to go to her regular Edinburgh classes (back in 2003!), I remember thinking she focussed more on creativity and elegance of movement than I was used to, and less on hip technique. I was pregnant when I last went to Dawn's classes, couldn't keep up the pace and then she left for Australia!

You can see Dawn's upper body extension as she dances here!

I really enjoyed today's 2-hour workshop. Dawn's teaching challenged the way I think about movement - she talked about creating beautiful movement, not just shapes. She emphasised how we use the space with the extremities of our bodies, from our fingers to our toes, our chins to the crowns of our heads. There were challenging drills - the notion of cracking walnuts between my shoulder blades was painful, but as Dawn said, if you go to a workshop and don't push yourself, you might as well be dancing in your living room. There were lovely swishy combinations with veils, the room was sea of colour as we switched from demure dancers to warrior princesses!

It feels like a long time since a teacher has given me new technique to think about, rather than a choreography or style of dancing. I am really looking forward to more workshops with Dawn and hoping she stays in Scotland for a good while!

A little stick dancing!

2011-03-23T22:14:00.000Z

This week I taught saidi-style stick dancing... to groups of primary 2 children!

My son is in primary 2 at Leith Primary School and they've been doing 'dance' as their topic for gym this term. After 6 weeks (to my boy, 6 endless weeks) of Scottish Country Dancing, and two weeks of Katy Perry's Firework, a la Just Dance 2 for the Wii (yes, really!), I volunteered to add a little international interest!

I was a bit nervous - I was taking my 3-year-old daughter with me too; I had especially shortened sticks for the children; I had a last minute panic being unable to find my galabeya; and I wasn't quite sure what all the teachers would think of it.

It was great. Nobody lost an eye (which should be a worry with the 6-year-old and stick interface!) and only one girl got a skelf from the stick (oops). Quite a few of the children spent more time goggling at me than dancing (they're more used to seeing me in the playground in civvies, I guess!). But most of them got to grips very nicely with the saidi step, the dums and teks and pretending to be dancing horses. I held back on the stick spinning and backbends - maybe we'll try that if they have me back!!!

My 3-year-old nearly peed herself as I was a bit too busy to take her to the loo, but otherwise she was very helpful, pressing play and pause on the ipod when I asked her too!

Teaching children is so different to teaching adults - not least because grown-ups have chosen to come to class and actively want to be there! But I really enjoyed it.

Come dance with me!

2011-01-10T20:50:00.000Z

Time for a new term! And a busy, exciting one for me. I hope you can come and dance with me at the Fisherrow Centre, or either of the Dancebase venues.

Wednesdays: Dancebase, Grassmarket
6.30-7.30 Beginners
Learn basic belly dancemoves, get shimmying to Egyptian music and enjoy the energy and elegance of belly dance, modern Cairo style! We will learn basic hip-work, fabulous foot patterns and rudimentary rhythms. This moderately energetic class will work your body all over. Please wear loose, comfy clothes.

7.30-8.30 Improvers
In this class you will learn different styles of Egyptian belly dance, as well as improving your technique, travelling, interpretation and confidence. There will be new moves and an emphasis on modern Cairo style belly dance. Later in the term you will need to bring a veil. Please wear loose, comfy clothes.

Each class costs £73.50 for the term (12 January - 6 April), please book at Dancebase.

Thursdays: Fisherrow Centre, Musselburgh.
7.30-8.30 Beginners/open level
8.30-9.30 Improvers/performance
Fun, friendly community dance classes.
New dancers, come and try before you buy. If you're not sure which class suits you best, then try them both. The term costs £54 (£45 for senior citizens, students, unwaged), or £95 (£80) for both classes. NB No class on Thursday 3 March, but there will be a class in school holiday week.

Fridays: Dancebase, Leith
5.30-6.30 Beginners
Learn basic belly dancemoves, get shimmying to Egyptian music and enjoy the energy and elegance of belly dance, modern Cairo style! We will learn basic hip-work, fabulous foot patterns and rudimentary rhythms. This moderately energetic class will work your body all over. Please wear loose, comfy clothes.
£73.50 for the term (12 January - 6 April), please book at Dancebase.

I'm really looking forward to lots of great dancing this term - please email me if you have any questions about the classes!

A night at Nur

2010-12-29T08:56:00.000Z

It is always a pleasure to watch Lorna of Cairo dance. I think I might have mentioned this before (hang on, I'll just check... oh yeah, just all the time) but it's worth restating! For me, Lorna lights up the room when she starts to dance. She exudes joy, she gives so much to her audience, she is graceful, honed, and interprets music beautifully. Her performances at Glasgow's Nur restaurant last night was no exception. She also sported some awesome new costumes, adding even more excitement!

Sadly I have more complaints about the night than I have good things to say.

We arrived for a 7.30 start, and finally got our main courses at 10pm. We had some pretty stingy mezze at about 9pm, but it was served just as the dancing started, which meant that we couldn't do justice to either of our jobs as diners and an audience. By the time the main courses arrived most of us were so hungry we would have eaten anything! There really wasn't much food either - three tiny tagines of meat between 5 of us at the table, with 4 chunks of meat in each tagine - not enough for a piece each! Plus two tagines of (frozen) vegetables in what tasted like a tinned soup; and rice - but when the rice eventually arrived (unannounced, 10 minutes after the meat and veg) we'd been so hungry we'd polished off most of the tagines.

The tables in Nur are the same height as the chairs, so you have to lean over the table, which is not good for the digestion and lead to more than a few sore tummies afterwards!

The sweet menu was really limited and some diners near us left when they were told that there was no vanilla ice cream left (surely the most basic of sweets??) - mind you, that was hardly an early exit, it was about 11pm by then!

The sweets (like the previous two courses) were served immediately before the dancing began, meaning that if we wanted to watch Lorna, which we came to do, we ended up with melted ice cream. At a restaurant which has regular belly dancers, I would have thought they would have known how to do justice to both the food and the dancer. The lighting and the music were also poor, which perhaps is more evidence that Nur isn't really bothered about dancing, only about getting bums on seats.

The staff were in short supply, and when you have to pay for each drink you buy as you buy it, it's good to have plenty of people serving. The staff who were there were stressed, not particularly helpful and occasionally bordering on rude. They seemed to feel that the dancers were an inconvenience and didn't seem bothered whether, in going about their duties, they got in the way of the dance.

It was 11.30pm by the time we'd eaten. A long night, and for those of us who'd travelled, a long drive in foggy conditions was still to come. If we'd come by train, we'd have missed Lorna's last set to catch the last train back.

I was told that the restaurant was closed between Christmas and New Year, apart from this night - so this night, effectively a private function, was giving them work they wouldn't have otherwise. I would have thought it was good to get the work, not an inconvenience. As one of the very few restaurants with belly dancers in Scotland, a night full of belly dancers should be a real showcase for Nur, a great opportunity to get a good reputation. An opportunity lost.

I love watching Lorna dance, I love a good night out with bellydancers. Sadly I can't recommend Nur.

Which is why I'm so excited about Lorna's dinner night as part of the Middle Eastern Peace and Spirituality Festival on 3 March! More later - something to look forward to!!

How we shimmied by the Shore!

2010-11-14T22:11:00.000Z

Leith (where I live) is a great place for bellydance. There are lots of dance classes here (including the one I teach!), many dancers, and some smashing teachers. Leith has lots of shimmies per capita. For a while I've wanted to have a bellydance event in Leith, and today it happened - welcome to Shimmy By The Shore.

I wanted this to be a small, relaxed and informal event. Haflas can sometimes be too big to know who’s watching you dance. To me, being able to get a good look at the audience adds to the enjoyment of dancing. When I introduced the afternoon, I asked the audience to remember that they are as much a part of the performance as the dancer. The relationship between the dancer and audience is such an important part of the performance, and I wanted it to be a two-way relationship for as many of the dances as possible.

And as Lorna of Cairo told us last time she was here, Egyptian dancers like to be near their audience - maintaining your distance from the audience is often interpreted as the dancer being aloof and superior. So a living room atmosphere was just what I was aiming for.

The venue was the very lovely Red Room at The Constitution, a new bar on Leith's Constitution Street. It was nicely packed with 37 of us there. I was reminded of Leith's diversity when I was at the bar. A man sitting at the bar asked what we were up to, and when I told him, he took a wee piece of paper out of his wallet with a venue and date on it, and told me about a "wee lassie" he knows who's having an event for charity along the road. "You ladies might be interested in it. She's a lap dancer." When I tried to explain that belly dancing and lap dancing aren't similar (I was being gentle, because he genuinely seemed to think he was being helpful), he said he knew that belly dancing wasn't like lap dancing, but still, I should try to go along. Later on he came over to apologise. "I'm so sorry", he explained, "I goat it wrang. You shoulduh slapped meh, course you're no interestit in lap dancin, ah goat the name wrang. She's no' a lap dancer. She's a *pole* dancer." Which, *of course*, makes it all right... Ah, Leith.

In keeping with the informal nature of the event, anybody could turn up on the day and dance if they felt like it. Dancers turned up with their iPods and we agreed the running order at the start of the afternoon. We had 11 performers, 5 of them were dancing their first solos! I am delighted that the beginners, Kim, Ruth, Jade, Claire and Amanda, made their first performances at Shimmy by the Shore, and from talking to them afterwards, they seemed pretty happy about it too. I will single out Kim for her energetic, well put-together performance - because she comes to my classes at Fisherrow. Well done Kim, you were great!

Among the more experienced dancers who performed were Caroline Rose and Moyra Banks, fresh back from Shafeek's stage school in London, who did their beautiful meleya lef duet, full of charisma, confidence and joy. Moira Berry was also freshly inspired, recently returned from Morrocco, she performed a joyful, exuberant Berber Morroccan dance with, as she put it, "plenty of bum". Eleanor Trueman did a jazzy showstopper from Chicago and got the most awesome audience response of the afternoon! It was wonderful to see my friend and fellow Leither, The Exotic and Soulful Shelley, perform a very beautiful but all too short piece to an Ella Fitzgerald song - she was commanding, sensitive and very lovely indeed.

It was great to see Claire, new to Edinburgh but not to bellydance, performing too; and Basimah was kind enough to share a very lovely dance with us to start off the afternoon.

Overall, it was a lovely afternoon of dancing. I'm so grateful to everyone for coming along to make it successful, and especially to the performers. Thank you all!

I would love to Shimmy By The Shore again, and hope to organise another one early next year. I want to keep up the momentum for a community, friendly, informal event - hope you'll join me then!

To talk or not to talk?

2010-10-28T22:28:00.000+01:00

I had a great experience teaching classes tonight!

I've had asthma for 8 years, usually very mild, but after some extended time with some dogs, I've been suffering miserably for the last week. Copious amounts of ventolin are being consumed and I've had some oral steroids too - not much good so far, sadly. So tonight I turned up at class feeling very sorry for myself, and for the first time that I can remember, wishing I'd asked someone else to teach the class for me.

Unable to dance and talk at the same time without fainting, I thought I'd try the dancing part, not the talking part. I've been a student in classes with visiting teachers whose English is limited, and still learned a lot by through the "follow the bouncing butt" technique (phrase coined by Zafirah!) so I knew it could be done.

What I didn't expect was how liberating it was! I realised that I was trusting my classes to follow me, having confidence in their ability to copy my body instead of listening to my voice. It also allow me to concentrate more on watching my students while they copied me - which was such a pleasure, noticing more than usual what moves they were excelling at! I guess I learned that I don't always need to give a bucketful - sometimes an eggcup is enough.

Sadly, when I tried the same technique in the later class, my iPod ran out of power! With no music I had no choice but to talk while it charged up again! But oddly, instead of being tireder after an hour of teaching, I found my lungs had opened up (especially through the arm and chest work) and I managed to get through an hour of mayas and tight, modern legs-together moves. Without feeling obliged to shout out moves or technical details while I danced, I felt much more able to concentrate on the music and the dancers in front of me.

As usual, I feel that there isn't a right or wrong way to teach (within reason!) - every lesson is different, every student takes something different out of the class. But it makes me happy when I try something new and, I hope, it works. Like a new pen in my pencil case!

I left the class feeling 20 times better than when I arrived. Hurray for the restorative power of dance! On Thursday evenings I almost always feel very, very lucky - I can go to work feeling dreadful and leave feeling great!

Shimmy by the Shore!

2010-10-25T21:41:00.000+01:00

I'm excited about an event I'm organising!

Shimmy by the Shore!
Sunday 14th November, 4pm-6pm
The Red Room at The Constitution, Constitution Street, Leith
£5 entry

This is going to be a very friendly, very relaxed, very informal afternoon in a lovely venue. I want a happy environment for belly dancers to perform.

Performing can be nerve-wracking. Whether it's big audiences, stage lights, unknown crowds who might know nothing - or indeed, everything - about bellydance. That's why I'm organising this afternoon event in a small venue, and any dancer of any experience can turn up and dance. Dancers can even decide on the day whether they want to dance or not. No pressure, no stress, just dancing and enjoyment!

If you want to share a dance, or something you've been working on, or a work in progress, dance in your jeans or full costume, all of that is fine. Just come along with your tune on your iPod, be there for 4pm prompt, and we'll sort out the running order there and then.

Please note that the venue is carpeted, and very small, so it is NOT ideal for isis wings, swords, big groups, veils or fan!

I hope everybody who comes along will be friendly and kind to the performers, and tell the dancers what they enjoyed about their performance. Now, I wonder if this leaves me open to accusations of over-nice-ing. Well, in the long run, it doesn't do belly dance any good if we dancers think we're way better than we are. But equally, it doesn't do us any good to feel unconfident and inadequate when what we really need is performance practice, a bit of nurturing and some friendly words! I wouldn't want to tell a dancer that she was brilliant if I didn't think she was - but equally, I want to make sure that good performances get good feedback!

So, if you can come along - and I hope you can! - please remember that the audience is just as important a part of the performance as the dancer and the music!

Theatres and Tents

2010-10-10T18:49:00.000+01:00

Saturday 9th October was a hafla in Peebles organised by Borders Arabic Dance. They were celebrating a visit from Bellydance Superstar Samantha Emmanuel, who was teaching and performing. So there was a quality line-up for the hafla!

I admit my heart sank a little when I saw the programme featuring 25 - count 'em, 25! - performances. Ah well, at least the Eastgate Theatre has comfy seats! But the evening flew by - the dances were well-programmed to accentuate the variety of groups and soloists, tribal and oriental and everything in between. It was a really enjoyable night.

The Helwa Hurdies performed their latest routine, featuring veils and solos. We only started working on it 5 weeks ago, and I feel it was their best performance so far - what a great group of dancers they are!

The Hurdies also helped me out with the balady tableau I was performing - coming on-stage with me to act as my girlfriends, encouraging me to dance and cheering me on. Although I'd planned it for 'authenticity' and to give my dance more of a balady feel (balaldy being a style dance that egyptian women might do at a social occasion), it was a real treat to have the girls on stage with me! The Eastgate Theatre has proper stage lighting, so you can't see the audience at all when you're dancing, which I find quite nerve-wracking - so it was brilliant to have five cheerleaders in full view!

I enjoyed a lot of the other performances. Of the dances I didn't like so much, I really appreciated their technical merits and the standard of the dance! I liked watching Kate, who learned bellydance with Lorne McCall at the same time as I did (although Kate was in the improvers when I was a beginner!) Kate did a lovely traditional balady piece which I really liked. Celia and Cat did an amazing disco number with isis wings, which lit up the whole theatre, with the shimmering wings and the joyful dancing!

It seems like it's either feast or famine with performing, and the next day, we were dancing again at the East Lothian Multi Cultural Day at Prestongrange Industrial Museum. This time the venue was a marquee, with an audience of about 400! Thankfully it wasn't the coldest day of the year, and the reception was warm too.

The Hurdies gave 2 lovely performances, of their veil routine and their Spanish number

I repeated last night's balady dance (on my own this time, as they girls were off getting changed),

and then Laura, Lucy and I performed our sha'abi routine to El Enab by Saad, which is great fun!

Another busy bellydance weekend then, and now I'm off to have the cold in peace!!

An Autobiography

2010-09-21T21:37:00.000+01:00

Dancebase asked me to provide them with a 100-150 word autobiography for their website (the beginners bellydance class I'm teaching at Dancebase begins on 1st October). After a few hours of sweating (in front of the computer!) I managed to come up with a leviathan of 85 words. Well, 86 if you count the blog address. Thought I'd share it here... all that work deserves a wider audience.

Elspeth SwishandHips has been teaching modern Egyptian Bellydance since 2006 and is a regular performer on the Scottish Bellydance scene. Her enthusiasm is for the expressive, less-is-more, contemporary Cairo style of Middle Eastern dance, using controlled, precise technique, passion, and a bit of humour. She also loves modern sha’abi, Egyptian pop music, and Saiidi style dance. Elspeth is an encouraging and enthusiastic teacher. In recent years Elspeth has taken workshops with Khaled Mahmoud, Aziza, and Yasmina of Cairo, and studies regularly with Lorna of Cairo.

If you fancy dancing with me at the Thomas Morton Halls, the term of classes is bookable through Dancebase. It'd be great to see you!

Beautiful dancer and/or beautiful dance

2010-09-13T22:04:00.000+01:00

I was at a workshop a few weeks ago where I was lucky enough to be in the company of some very talented dancers, who were also beautiful and curvy.

I say 'lucky', but after 6 hours in front of the mirrors beside beautiful women, I didn't feel very lucky. In comparison, I felt curve-less and scruffy, in need of some new gel bras and a wig. In fact, just a makeover, please.

Later we had a discussion about a famous Cairo dancer, who was a judge in a recent UK bellydance competition, who said that the most important thing about a competitor was that she was 'clean' - that she looked as if she'd been in the beauty salon all day, nails and hair all perfect and no extra body hair. For her, this was more important that presence, costume, and technique.

I know 'the look' is important. I want to see well-presented dancers too. But for me, it's about making something beautiful, not only being something beautiful.

I am not implying for a second that any of the dancers I was with are not great dancers!! They are all brilliant!! It's only really my own insecurities talking, and I guess they're just shouting at me pretty loudly at the moment.

Which is why I thought I'd share with you a photo of myself that I like. Mainly to cheer myself up. Thanks to the smashing Kelly Archibald at Kalidescope Studios for taking it.

Autumn Term 2010

2010-08-23T20:30:00.000+01:00

Autumn term at The Fisherrow Centre, Musselburgh, starts on Thursday 2nd September (not 27th August as previously advertised - that's what I get for trying to be organised and tell you the dates before the end of last term!)

7.30pm- 8.30pm Beginners/open level.
This will be a moderately energetic class, teaching you the basic belly dance moves. We'll use lots of Egyptian pop music (funky, catchy and fun), there will be lots of dancing and not too much talking, with routines focussing on getting to grips with basic technique. If you've not danced before, it will give you detail on the moves. If you've done a term or two already, it will give you practice in the moves, help you listen to the music and get you moving, improving your muscle memory.

8.30pm - 9.30pm Improvers/performance level.
If you're ready to move on from the basic moves and want to get to grips with 'dancing' rather than 'practicing', this is the class for you. We'll learn combinations and put them together to music. We'll learn entire choreographies with a view to performing them, and we will polish choreographies the class has learned in previous terms. Nobody will ever be pressured to perform if they don't want to. This class is the home of the Helwa Hurdies.

All women are welcome to each of the classes. They are fun and friendly.
Please wear something comfy (joggers and a t-shirt is fine, but please don't wear anything too baggy - I want to be able to see your moves so I can help you improve - and or too tight - which might impair your movement or your breathing!
We dance in bare feet or dance shoes, or else non-slip socks (like Toasties) if you feel the cold.
Autumn Term lasts for 14 weeks, with a holiday on Thursday 21 October, and the last class is on Thursday 9th December.
The cost for the term is £63, or £53 concessionary rate (senior citizens, students and income support).
If you've never come to the classes before, you can try before you buy, and pay for the term in week 2 instead of week 1 (ie, if you try it *in week 1* and don't like it, it was a free class).

Autumn Term at Dancebase, Leith
I will be teaching Bellydance for Beginners at the new Dancebase centre in Leith (formerly the Thomas Morton Halls), on Friday evenings, 5.30-6.30pm. This class has to be booked through Dancebase. All the details are in the Dancebase brochure. Classes start on Friday 1st October.

The Gaslight Faeries - a show at the Panopticon

2010-08-22T15:24:00.000+01:00

It's very easy to think that a hafla is of the only home for bellydance performance - I guess I've been thinking that for a while. But last night I saw a beautiful, ambitious, clever, carefully constructed belly dance show and it blew me away.

Gaslight Faeries sounded like a bit of a gimmick. Presented by Sarasvati Tribal, a group of 4 tribal fusion style Scottish belly dancers, in the Panopticon Theatre, the oldest music hall in the world, no ticket price, only donations. Well, that would be quite enough to get bums on seats, right? People would turn up just to see the amazing old theatre, and sit beside the dancers and musicians who are already fans of Sarasvati. It was a sure-fire success, right?

I confess that I was one of those who really wanted to see the Panopticon. And that I'm a Sarasvati fan, even if a lot of tribal fusion bellydance leaves me a bit cold. But Gaslight Faeries was also a beautifully put-together show. Most of the dancing was exceptional. It was clearly devised with love and attention to detail, cleverly planned and programmed. The music - oh, the music!! It was carefully chosen and researched, and for the most part, perfectly set the tone of the evening, and complimented the Panopticon. I would *love* a CD of the music that was used in the show! (HINT!)

A hafla this was not. At a hafla, we clap, shout and zhagreet. I can't help making lots of noise when I watch belly dancers (even tribal fusion dancers!) For most of the night, the audience was silent - rapt and attentive, yes, in a very British fashion. The woman in front of me scowled at me when I made the zhagreet. Which is a bit odd, since we *were* in Glasgow, after all!! So, I am guessing that this show pulled in an audience well outwith the belly dance community.

The Panopticon had asked that the show be as 'old' as possible. It's an old building full of history, and they like to put on olde-worlde shows - they have music hall afternoons and show back-to-back Laurel and Hardy films. So Gaslight Faeries, like a special Tardis for bellydancers, took us back in time to see some historical dancers. There was ancient Egpyt, a Victorian beach, the roaring twenties, the Casino Opera. I loved most of the performances. If you want to know about them all, you can take me out for a coffee! But my highlights are here.

The Sarasvati girls were great. When they dance, they work together as a team. They look like they really want to dance, and they really want to dance with each other. Their choreographies were great, really utilising their group dynamics. Each of them had lovely presence, but (a-hem!), through the strength of their common endevour, they achieve more than they achieve alone.

But lordy, did they achieve alone too!! Laura (who needs to be respected and thanked for having the vision, and for putting the whole show together) did a Mata Hari number. Laura admits she has not been seen dancing oriental style belly dance for quite a few years. I admit I was suprised when there was no sting in the tail - she didn't switch from graceful oriental to scary seductress tribal fusion. But she has clearly not lost the oriental magic! She was *amazing*. Seductive, captivating - you can read the dance through her eyes - with isolation and smooth moves to die for. There was *no* slack in her performance at all. Stunning.

Sarasvati's Ali danced "An Homage to to Loie Fuller", who was a pioneering dancer at the turn of the century. Ali wore a full length white dress (not bellydance style), and had 2 white fan veils. The way she moved the veils, the way she interprerted the music, the way she held the audience ab-so-lute-ly RAPT, was just *stunning*. I don't think anything I could say would do it justice.

The evening was compered by The Ringmistress, jaw-droppingly and immaculately beautiful, in red bustier, fascinator top-hat, red tails, thigh-high boots and fishnets. There were Seaside Frolicks with Saucy Sal and Lord Trust-Me-Not - better known to the bellydancers in the audience as Irene and Margaret from the Daughters of Isis. Their burlesque Victorian beach skit had the audience in fits of laughter, performing, as always, with conviction, charisma and tongues in cheeks! I hope to see more of Margaret's moustache because it deserves a show of its own. Susie of Habiba Dance performed a majestic, elegant and beautiful dance to transport us back to the roots of Oriental belly dance, the 1920s Cairo nightclub, the Casino Opera. The amazing Nagwa was theatrically and elegantly revealed for the delight of the audience as Queen Cleopatra, presenting herself to Mark Anthony. Yes, we were entranced!

I went with my mum, who isn't a dancer, but is supportive of me - and thus a veteran of haflas. She loved the show too. In the end, we were both a bit disappointed by the Panopticon - let's just say, there's still rather a lot of restoration still to be done! - but delighted by the show.

Gaslight Faeries has been a bit of an epiphany for me. It's made me feel that I could do with much more creativity and imagination in my approach to belly dance.What usually pulls the rug out from under me is a dazzling Egyptian oriental style dancer whose technique and presence makes me feel like a perennial under-achiever who should give up and go home. But Gaslight Faeries, as well as being full of dazzling dancing, had as its strength a wonderful imagination and creativity. And I'd love to see it again!

Workshops with Lorna of Cairo

2010-08-17T21:34:00.000+01:00

Well, it's Ramadan and that means that the very wonderful, super-talented amazing dancer Lorna of Cairo is back in the UK for a few weeks!

Lorna has been working in Cairo as a bellydancer for a few years now, and before she went she was teaching hundreds of women from all across Scotland - including me - to bellydance.

I have the pleasure of organising workshops for Lorna while she is here. She is on tour across the UK, teaching and dancing, and on Saturday 4 September she will be teaching in Edinburgh! If you're a dancer, do you best to get to these workshops - you'll learn a lot and have a great time.

Workshops with Lorna of Cairo in Edinburgh: Saturday 4^th September 2010 at The Club, Jewel and Esk College, 24 Milton Road East, Edinburgh EH15 2PP

Both workshops are suitable for all levels, but not for complete beginners.

Noon – 2pm: Core Cairo

Five key moves to make you dance like an Egyptian – plus a few more tips to Egypt-ify your performance.

2.30pm – 4.30pm: Oum Kalthoum – what every dancer should know.

Oum Kaltoum has a unique place in the Egyptian heart. How can dancers make the most of her songs and reflect the reverence? Lorna will use Oum Kaltoum favourites to help you with expression and interpretation. This workshop will be dancing, not just talking – and afterwards you won’t go wrong!

Each workshop costs £22, or book both for £40. Numbers are limited. Please book your place before Friday 27 August.

Book Now!: To book your space send a cheque, made out to E Alexandra, to Elspeth Alexandra, 32 Claremont Road, Edinburgh EH6 7NH. Please be sure to include your email address and phone number.

Summer holidays

2010-08-09T21:54:00.000+01:00

After the Musselburgh Hafla I had a full month of no dancing at all. Instead I painted my kitchen, went on a family holiday, tried out Zumba, did a few races and generally did other stuff - it's good to have a holiday!

When August came around it was time to get dancing again, and when I put on Egyptian pop music and started to move my body again, it was a familiar and as comforting as putting on my favourite pyjamas. Feeling my muscles move was a great sensation, just out-of-practice enough to know that I've missed it, but so familiar that my reactions are instantly happy.

I'm working on my classes for next term, which starts at the end of August. I'm giving my classes more emphasis on moving to the music. It might sound strange for a dance class, but especially for beginners I often spend a lot of the time *without* music playing - breaking down moves, talking them over, explaining them with words. This term I'm going to try to talk less and boogie more!

So if you come to my classes this term you can expect it to be energetic and fun, with lots of poppy Egyptian music and easy-to-follow routines to learn.

The Musselburgh Hafla 2010

2010-07-02T20:02:00.000+01:00

What a fantastic hafla it was! There was a really excellent line-up with a really amazing diversity of styles of bellydance, and a lovely atmosphere. So many people commented on how relaxed and friendly it was - which, as far as I'm concerned, is exactly what a hafla is meant to be, so I'm really chuffed!

I seemed to spend the whole afternoon getting ready, packing the car with stuff, putting false eyelashes on and taking them off again, printing things and putting stuff in bags. I thoroughly ignored my kids and I'm very grateful to say there were not in fighting mood!

I had some fantastic help for the hafla, in advance and on the night. I was dancing and compereing as well as being general in-charge person, which is quite enough for anyone - so I needed lots of jobs done!

I am very, very grateful to Matthew Skipper for DJing. Most haflas feature a grumpy and stressed DJ, scribbling notes and juggling CDs and generally not boosting a dancer's confidence when she hands in her music! Matthew however was friendly and polite and fulfilled his cable plugging, play-pressing and timing duties admirably. I am shamed by the fact I failed to announce my thanks to him at the end of the night, and I hope this will help make up for it a bit! (that and a batch of chocolate cupcakes!)

My friend Amanda Mutch has never been to a hafla before but wanted to do some work for charidee and volunteered to come along. She ran the bring & buy sale and was in charge of the video camera - what a star. Thanks Amanda!

The good ladies of the Helwa Hurdies ran about doing many tasks to keep the event smooth, and special thanks go to Yvonne Mireylees who rustled up an incredible raffle which raised a small fortune.

And the performances! The mix was just amazing. We had segats, sword, veil, fan veils, stick and meleya lef - what accessories could be left?! We had oriental with pop and classical, tribal and tribal fusion, and lots of the stuff in between. We had seasoned teachers, groups and classes, and new soloists. It was great!

I was so chuffed at the end when the Helwa Hurdies stopped me in my tracks at the end of the show and presented me with a card, a lovely big orchid and and a box of chocolates. They are such a pleasure to teach, teaching them is its own reward! But it is very lovely to be appreciated - thank you ladies.

More later when the money has been counted and the videos have been YouTubed!!

Preparing the Hafla programme

2010-06-27T22:01:00.000+01:00

I have a fun job tonight - I'm busy with some paper and scissors trying to sort out the running order for this Thursday's Musselburgh Hafla! I'm trying to balance the oriental and the tribal, the solos and the groups, the mainstays and the show-stoppers to make the very best show. I have each name of a slip of paper, and I'm fiddling them around to get the best running order! It is truly exciting!!

We're also going to have a Bellydance Bring-and-Buy sale at the hafla, where dancers can sell their previously-loved items, be they costumes, coin belts or accessories. If you want to sell anything, you need to label it with your name and how much you'd like to get for it (and 'or nearest offer' if you're open to haggling!)

There will be a raffle too, hopefully raising more money for our chosen charity, Children 1st.

What's probably causing more stress is my own performances - making me wish it was a month away instead of just 4 days!!

I hope you can come along - this Thursday, 1st July, at Musselburgh Rugby Club, Stoneyhill Farm Road, Musselburgh. Doors open at 7.30pm, dancing to start at 8pm. All tickets are £5 on the door.

The Musselburgh Hafla - 1 July 2010

2010-06-24T22:44:00.000+01:00

I am excited as it's only SEVEN DAYS till the Musselburgh Hafla!

Thursday 1st July
Musselburgh Rugby Club
Doors 7.30pm, dancing from 8pm (we hope to be finished before 10.30pm)
All tickets £5, raising money for Children 1st

We are going to have such a good line up. There's a terrific variety of oriental and various tribal styles, groups and solos. Last year we got a lot of feedback on how fun and friendly the hafla was, so we hope to be even more fun and even friendlier this year!

Please come along and bring your friends and family for an enjoyable, relaxed evening - it's not an expensive bar! Children are welcome to come along - after all it is the last day of term! - as long as they keep out the bar.

We will have a raffle and a Bring and Buy Bellydance sale. If you have any goodies to sell, label them up with your name and how much you want for them, and we'll display them for other dancers to peruse.

See you next Thursday!!

Bellydance Birthday Party!

2010-06-24T13:31:00.000+01:00

Last weekend I had a lovely Sunday lunchtime teaching at a birthday party. It was an 11th birthday party!

I was really excited - although I've taught children before, I'd not taught this age group. I took top tips from my friend Celia, who teaches regular belly dance classes for girls. I was also warned that 11-year-old girls would be naturally good dancers, and it was true! Most of the girls at the party go to dance classes (not belly dance) and had lovely natural movements. They quickly look for the next challenge, and it was a lovely pace to teach at - I think I taught them in 1.5 hours what I'd teach a grown-up class in about 6 weeks!

There is something quite amazing about the sound of a collective gasp when you enter the room in full costume!! It was funny and lovely to see their eyes popping out at the sight of so many sequins! For the first half hour they were so quiet. The mum of the birthday girl assured me that they were just overwhelmed!

The girls enjoyed the veils especially and looked great when they finally performed the choreography (Egyptian pop style) I'd taught them. It was helpful to have mirrors, our venue was the creche at Gracemount Leisure Centre.

I was accompanied by Yvonne, one of my students, who'd put me in touch with the mum of the birthday girl. Yvonne had glitter tattoos for all the girls and they loved it! They were sparkling and shimmying and smiling all at the same time! (although the actual *movement* of the shimmy on an 11-year-old is quite different to that of the women I'm used to teaching!!)

One girl left saying to the hostess, "thank you for having me, that was the the best birthday party I've ever been to!". I can't ask for better than that!

The dances of Egypt - in a cold, cold climate!

2010-05-30T17:19:00.000+01:00

Today I danced, along with the gorgeous Helwa Hurdies, at the Seafood Festival in Prestonpans. It's an annual event which is part of the Three Harbours festival, which has, as its tagline, "art in unusual places". Which I suppose is why we were bellydancing in a field in the shadow of Cockenzie Power Station, between a real ale tent and purveyors of prawns.

The massive sky was grey and cloudy. Wonderful kites were continuously fluttering high in the sky - the wind didn't drop for a minute. And it was utterly, phenomenally, unbelievably COLD.

We had a very nice tent to change in. Sadly we didn't have a nice tent to perform in. We had thought our venue was the music tent. However, the music tent was very small, set up with amps and a drumkit for the bands who were also performing, open on one side to the rows of plastic chairs to seat the audience, who, on a finer day (like the previous day had been!) would be muncking paella and supping their microbrewery 80/-. No room for bellydancers in the tent - we were to dance on the grass. Fully exposed to the elements.

Now, I can easily find something cosy to dance in. I have a bacofoil style skirt. I have a veil which is reminiscent of a blanket runners get when they've finished a marathon. But I thought I was dancing in a tent and I was not prepared for how cold I would be!

We had to hang around for a long time before we performed. Some of us had dragged our families and children along, who were losing patience in the cold conditions. Bless the hardy souls who had the stamina to sit and watch us, and to clap - they deserve medals! It is hard to dance when you're freezing. It's also hard to dance on the grass - it is uneven, it makes it hard to balance for even the simplest moves. It was a really challenging performance and I'm not sure any of us would call it our finest hour.

Of course, as soon as I strode onto the 'stage' the wind whipped my veil out of my hand. I worked hard to make sure the wind didn't wrap it round my face!

I was dancing to "Nagwa", which is quite a big, oriental "magency" (opening number) usually with lots of travelling - but I wobbled with every step on the uneven ground! And my 'arm warmers' kept falling down because my skin was so cold and contracted - usually I have a nice layer of sweat that keeps them up!

There was a lot of lovely dancing in the set. Angie Morton did a gorgeous dance and her class did a really lovely group routine. The wonderful Helwa Hurdies performed their Spanish style routine to Elissas' Low Nerjaa Sawa and altho the cold had made them fairly miserable, they did very well.

Ruthie, Victoria, Margaret, Carol and Laura were troopers! Well done wonderful Hurdies.

Then I performed a stick dance. In my new mega-sparkly galabeya from the brilliant Farida Dance. I could do this with a lot less travelling, and felt much better about it. Despite my hands feeling like ice, I even managed to hold onto the stick - but balancing it on my head was out of the question!!

It was really, really good to get dressed again and finally have some hot food. My long-suffering husband and frozen children were also happy that it was over!

All in all, it was not the best gig ever. But it's all good experience - I won't be volunteering for grassy performances again any time soon!

More Magic for Mums

2010-05-24T22:12:00.000+01:00

I'm excited that finally I have been able to book a room for the rest of term - so I'm having a re-launch of these fun, friendly classes in Leith.

Wednesday mornings throughout June, 9.30-10.30am (so you can get this wee ones to school/nursery/playgroup first!)

Wear comfy clothes and bare feet or dance shoes.

Each class costs £4 or £3.50 concession (income support, jobseekers, senior citizen, student.)

This is a lovely, fun, morning class, mostly for mums but all women are welcome! Ideal for a little bit of active me-time when the wee ones are busy.

No experience necessary - just a love of music and the desire to dance and have fun. This is a drop-in, pay-on-the-day class so don't worry about not being there from the start of term.

Belly dancing is enjoyable exercise and in this class we dance mostly to egyptian pop music. You'll learn the basic belly dance moves and put them together in a modern Cairo style.

I hope to see you there soon!

Space to dance

2010-05-21T22:30:00.000+01:00

I want to dance. I want to respond to music, to put something of myself into what I do, to express myself in movement to music. I want to enjoy the creative side of dance, the part of it that stimulates the imagination and the creativity.

But at the moment it seems that whenever I have some *time*, I'm lacking the space - either the headspace, or the energy, or I'm too likely to be interupted. Right now I have time to blog because I'm waiting for the mopped floors to dry - plus it's bedtime! I have no energy to dance, nothing left of myself to put into it.

Early mornings don't work for me, because altho my body is working, my brain isn't. In the evenings, once the kids are in bed, I am either teaching, preparing my classes or doing admin (room booking, publicity, event organising), or indeed running a house and trying to maintain a good relationship with my husband. If I do get some evening time I find it difficult to find a space to dance in - kitchen too wee, dining room too full of wobbly bookcases, living room too full of husband.

I wonder, if I got the chance to put aside some time each week to just dance, would I be able to? Would I just feel the pressure of that set time, do-it-quick-now-before-time-runs-out, and have a mental block?

I wish I had a Tardis. Sigh!

Dancing in the sunshine!

2010-05-19T22:08:00.000+01:00

I had a lovely afternoon dancing in Princes Street Gardens on Saturday!

I had been booked to perform and teach for a hen party - nothing new there. But this one was to take place in Princes Street Gardens (huge park in Edinburgh city centre, very busy!) on a Saturday afternoon. As a result I was quite nervous! I had a struggle finding something to wear that would be warm enough, and that I wouldn't be too upset if it ended up getting a bit damaged from being outside - and that fitted!!

I set off for the bus stop in costume and full make-up (there's nowhere change in a park!) and got half way there when a genius thought occured to me - "why don't I get a taxi??" God I'm smart!!

There were about 30 lovely ladies there, getting ready for the wedding in July. They had been on a scavenger hunt and the bride had no idea what was coming! She was delighted to see me and was keen to boogie on the grass, even if nobody could hear the music (the hen's mum had assured me she had a very loud CD player - she didn't!!) They threw themselves into the warm-up, they were all so excited. After an hour of learning basic moves and a bit of fun choreography, in the sunshine, they were fading a little!

We did get some grief from the local wildlife (the baseball-capped variety) but we were having too much fun to bother. At one point someone ran into our circle with a camera, snapped a photo of the bride, said "thank you, good luck!" and ran away again - she was a total stranger to us all! The things that end up in some people's photo albums...

It was a lovely afternoon and everyone seemed very happy as they headed off to prepare for a few lemonades, no doubt just to re-hydrate after dancing in the sunshine. I am so lucky to have such a fun job!

New term at the Fisherrow Centre, Musselburgh

2010-04-19T22:04:00.000+01:00

SwishandHips bellydance classes summer term begins on Thursday 22 April. It will be great to see returning students and hopefully some new dancers too!

Beginners & open level class: 7.30-8.30pm

Improvers & performers class: 8.30-9.30pm

Improvers class is ideal for anyone who's done a few terms in the open level class and wants a new challenge. Nobody is pressurised to perform so don't worry, you won't be forced to go on stage if you don't want to! We spend more than half of the classes learning and working on choreographies, but also work on technique, music and rhythm, and combinations.

If you're not sure which class you'd like to take, try them both and then decide.

Classes are at the Fisherrow Centre, South Street, Musselburgh. This will be a 10-week term which costs £40 or £35 concessionary rate (jobseekers, senior citizens, students), payable at the start of term.

It would be great to see you there!

Magic for Mums bellydance class is back!

2010-04-19T21:53:00.000+01:00

Magic for Mums belly dance classes at Leith Community Education Centre

Wednesday morning, 9.30-10.30am

Starts Wednesday 21 April.

A fun, drop-in, pay-on-the-day class for all women, but especially good for mums looking for some me-time while the weans are at school, nursery or playgroup.

The classes cost £4 each, or £3.50 for jobseekers, senior citizens or students.

New students are welcome any time. We learn the basic moves of belly dance, putting them together to Egyptian pop music. Wear comfy clothes are bare feet, or dance shoes if you prefer.

I haven't yet been able to book the room for the whole term, so until the end of April this will be on a week-to-week basis. So if you're coming along please get in touch to check the class is going ahead! Hopefully by the end of April the Management Committee of the Community Centre will have met and decided whether or not I can book the room for the whole term.

What a great spring term!

2010-04-03T10:07:00.000+01:00

Happy Easter! It's been such a busy term and I'm so glad it's the holidays!

My Wednesday morning classes at Leith Community Centre have been lots of fun, with a lovely group of (mostly) mums getting to grips with belly dance moves for the first time (mostly!). I'm really pleased with the way it's worked and I really want to continue teaching next term. I will be asking the Community Centre if we can use the room again after Easter (it's great to have mirrors!) - fingers crossed they say yes.

The Fisherrow classes are as much fun as ever! The Helwa Hurdies have been amazing this term, working really hard to get the hang of a new choreography and performing it twice this term, at the Hafla for Haiti and the Lorna of Cairo hafla. The beginners/open level class has been great, lots of fun and brand-new beginners really developing well. Well done everyone!

So it's two weeks off, to eat chocolate and run around in the park in the sunshine (I hope) and then classes will resume, on Wednesday 21st (hopefully) and Thursday 22nd of April. The Leith class remains £4 per class, pay-on-the-day, and the Musselburgh classes are £45 for a 10-week term, or £35 for concessions.

And we'll be working towards the Musselburgh Hafla at Musselburgh Rugby Club on Thursday 1 July!

New Daytime Classes in Leith

2010-02-22T21:06:00.001Z

I'm really excited about some new classes I'll be teaching in March.

Magic for Mums!
SwishAndHips Belly Dance Classes

Every Wednesday in March
9.30-10.30am
at the Kirkgate Community Centre, Leith (with mirrors!)
All women welcome, although this class will be ideal for mums (like me) who want to have some fun me-time straight after dropping the weans at school!

First class (Wednesday 3 March) - only £2
All other classes £4

If you enjoy music, want to keep fit and have fun, try Egyptian belly dance. This class is ideal for all levels of fitness and all ages. We dance in bare feet (or slipper-socks or dance shoes if you feel the cold) and comfy clothes (joggers, leggings, t-shirt). It is not necessary to bare your belly!

The class uses mostly modern Egyptian pop music. You'll learn the basic belly dance moves, and how to put them together in combinations. You'll also learn about different styles of belly dance, and the sorts of music belly dance in performed to. Mostly I hope you'll have a good, fun, active time!

Give me a shout if you have any questions - otherwise please come along!

Hafla for Haiti

2010-02-22T20:50:00.000Z

Last night was the fundraising Hafla for Haiti, organised by Irene Hogg, at Revolution nightclub in Edinburgh. The week leading up to it was mid-term so I had almost no time to prepare, and felt pretty under the weather - so I was over the moon that it was such a good evening!

I danced a stick routine, the first time I've recycled a dance - I'd performed the same number in December at the hafla in Peebles. The feedback I got last night was that this time was much better than the last, so perhaps it's a winning formula. It's good to have a chance to twiddle bits I don't like. You can see it here, cos I haven't figured out how to embed it into my blog yet!

I was more excited about the Helwa Hurdies (my Intermediate-level performance class I teach in Musselburgh). The Hurdies were performing their routine for the first time, and only began learning the choreography in the middle of January. They were amazing. They looked gorgeous, they moved beautifully, they were just fabulous. I felt so proud!! You can hear my zaghareets and squeals of joy in footage!!

It was a really good fun night with some really good performances - Moyra was beautiful, I really love her Egyptian style. Laura Monteith was so easy to watch, she's such a natural performer. Oh so many great dancers!!!

There were also two burlesque performers and a pole dancer - I've never seen either sort of performance before. The pole dancer did some amazing manoeuvres, but to me it's more like a gymnastic display than a dance. I felt like I do when I watch gymnastic floorwork - amazing, accomplished, but for my taste, lacks musicality. The burlesque women stripped off to their nipple-tassles in an entertaining way. Not my cup of tea.

Well done Irene for a great night and thanks for the opportunity to perform!

Lorna of Cairo workshop in Edinburgh

2010-02-07T20:39:00.001Z

I am very excited about this! Book now to make sure you get a place!Saturday 6th March 2010Workshop with Lorna of Cairo
Live Drumming

Open level - suitable for all belly dancers (but not complete beginners)
1pm - 3.30pm
Edinburgh's Telford College, Granton Waterfront Campus
£30

2.5 hours of pure Cairo dance, with Lorna of Cairo and drumming with Adam. A fun workshop exploring ways to interpret the rhythms of Egyptian music. We will work on arms, feet, and everything in between! Although there will be the usual latest Cairo stories, the majority of the workshop will be DANCING - prepare to sweat!
About Lorna of Cairo
Before leaving her native Edinburgh to become a professional belly dancer in Cairo, Lorna was teaching 27 hours of belly dance classes each week, across Scotland. A hugely successful teacher and performer for almost a decade, Lorna enjoyed Edinburgh Fringe Festival successes and was resident dancer at Morocco Walima restaurant. Lorna is now the first Scottish dancer to work professionally in Cairo. She has been performing in Cairo for over three years and is currently a star of the Pharoaoh Nile Cruisers. Lorna records her adventures in a captivating blog that has a worldwide following, http://www.bellylorna.com/
"As a peformer, Lorna epitomises the cheeky sassiness of modern Cairo, and is a very giving and lively entertainer. As a teacher and as an individual, Lorna is witty, engaging, highly knowledgable and passionate about sharing her knowledge gained from first-hand experience." http://www.saqarah.co.uk/
To book your place contact Elspeth at swishandhips@hotmail.co.uk or send your payment by paypal to elspethalexandra@hotmail.com

2010-01-24T21:03:00.000Z

It's one week till the deadline for my self-assessment tax return. Tonight is the night to make a start. I have what I need:

my big box of papers (an old nappy box stuffed with scraps of paper, bank statements and drawings by the kids)
the computer (because I missed the deadline for the paper version many months ago)
a glass of wine (because, apparently, tax doesn't have to be taxing).

I wholeheartedly believe in a system of taxation. It's right and proper that those who earn should contribute towards the wellbeing of the nation. I get to dance for 'a living' and in return, I must suffer for a few evenings a year to tell the goverment how much I earn.

This is my third tax return and as yet, I've never made enough money to pay tax. But hey, I guess they have to keep checking, right?

Oh no I finally got a blog.

2010-01-18T21:51:00.000Z

As if I didn't find it easy enough to spend a whole night on Facebook and Hotmail, I am finally succumbing to blogging. My husband may never have access to Championship Manager on this PC again.