I recently returned from a two-week vacation in London, and besides having a fabulous time with my boyfriend, Mark, I got to experience some of London's finest belly dance in person. Long before I left Eugene, I had started to scope out the ''who's who's'' of the belly dance scene via the internet, and although there were many dancers teaching in London, only a few names were repeatedly recommended. The main one was Josephine Wise and her dance school, the Josephine Wise Academy of Arabic Dance (JWAAD).
I attended two of Jo's weekly classes, and was lucky enough to get in on the beginning of a cute Tango/Baladi fusion choreography. I really enjoyed the JWAAD experience, and Jo had the perfect combination of experience, technique, and a really naughty sense of humor! She made me feel welcome in her classes, and I must have impressed her because she asked me to join her dance company after my first class!
I was also able to attend the Queens of the Nile show put on by Hossam and Serena Ramzy. As this was a big theater production, with tickets costing $50.00 US per person, I can honestly say I was a little disappointed. Half of the show was set to CD, which, if you're there to see an orchestra made up of some of the finest Arabic musicians in the world, will obviously be a bit of a let-down. The quality of dancing (as well as the energy of the dancers) really improved with the addition of live music, and I was pleased to see that Serena Ramzy is quite a lovely dancer. In the end, I was grateful for the opportunity to have gone, but I guess I was expecting something different.
Saving the best for last, I booked a private lesson with Shafeek Ibrahim, another one of those 'names' in London that I had heard over and over again. Shafeek is Egyptian, and according to his bio, was a former member of the Reda Troupe and is trained in a multitude of Folkloric and Oriental styles. How could I argue with that? My lesson with Shafeek was nothing short of awe-inspiring, and I gained some of the most useful critique from him that I have ever recieved. I left feeling excited and motivated, with a new mentor and a great contact.
As some of you know, I plan to make my next visit to England even longer! I will be leaving in March for a six-month stay, where I plan to spend every minute I can being in love with Mark (we miss each other so much, and all this travelling is starting to get expensive!), studying belly dance, experiencing a new culture, and working my butt off to further my dance career!
I just hope I don't come home with an accent...
