RaqsW3

I thought I would write a little review of Raqsw3.  The organising of this show has kept me pretty busy for months.  I have to confess I was worried about organising such a large scale event single handedly, particularly sorting out the music as my ex used to do that side of it, and it seemed a daunting task.  Organising the show was at times quite stressful particularly when I had to replace one of the big names in my show and the overheads this year were much, much higher as I had splashed out for 4 teachers to do workshops and perform and had booked a much more expensive venue and paid for a proper sound/lighting engineer and so I was worried as the date grew nearer and ticket sales were down, however I need not have worried, Raqsw3 was a big success!

Nawarra's Khaleegy Workshop

The weekend kicked off with 2 fabulous workshop, the first being Khaleegy with Nawarra. This workshop was great - Nawarra is a wonderful teacher and she taught us lots of traditional Moroccan moves and we were all tossing our heads around like mad things by the end of it.  Next we had Sunny Singh teach a Bollywood fusion workshop with a difference - heels.  Sunny taught a lovely funky choreography and then showed us how to strut our stuff in heels and the women in the class really learnt how to move confidently - he pushed a few of us out of our comfort zones but everyone had a lot of fun and everyone loved Sunny.

Following the workshops there was just about time to get home for a cup of tea, and then it was a quick change and then off to set up for the show, the excitement began to build as I started to greet all the amazing performers as they arrived.  Then 7.30 came and it was time to open the show - this bit was the most nerve wracking for me as I was dancing with my troupe - I had the full compliment of 8 Shikidim group members on stage which was a tight squeeze as we were performing a Saiidi Cane dance with lots of travelling patterns, I think we did well as there was a roar of applause.  I missed the next act which was Paula Pavlou as I had to get changed but again I heard the audience cheering this popular lady.  I caught the end of the 3rd performance which was Habibi who performed a graceful Silk Fan Veil dance.  Next up we had Nami - I watched with bated breath as Nami danced as she is very heavily pregnant and I prayed that we would not get out first Raqsw baby delivered, luckily all that Nami delivered was a stunning performance.  Following Nami we had Anna who is one of my students although I cannot take credit for her talents as she has danced extensively in the Ukraine and she performed a lovely cheeky dance.  Next on stage with a noisy flurry of skirts and lots of cheekiness was The Can-Can Collective and they went down a storm with the audience.  After all that cheeky raucousness we quietened things down a little with a very elegant performance from Tatianna Woolley which was followed by a fabulous performance from Khalgani.  Our 9th performance was Catherine Taylor who gave a haunting, beautiful performance to a gorgeous piece of music.  Next came a logistical nightmare for me which was trying to fit my students on stage to perform a Bollywood dance.  I had 24 ladies dancing and they all did me proud, coping well with the limited space as we took our bow to rapturous applause I knew I could relax and enjoy the rest of the show which was good as Nawarra was up next and she amazed everyone by dancing with a tray with candles on it - a truly amazing performance!  Next we had Abel and Chasheen who did a wonderful, lively dance and then came Sunny Singh - if you have never seen Sunny dance then you won't know what a great performer he is - funny, talented and a real showman - the audience loved him and the place was just full of noise as the zaghareeting resounded throughout the room.  In a wonderful contrast we finished the first half of the show with a beautiful, tranquil dance from Hannah Mi - this was just stunning.

Hannah Mi

We had a 20 minute interval where people could visit the souk and this year we had refreshments available which seemed to go down well.  Sadly I did not get much time to see the gorgeous wares from Everything Egyptian and the other traders as I had to get changed as Shikidim were first on in the 2nd half.  It is always nerve wracking performing a new dance for the first time but I needn't have worried - I think our new Silk Fan Veil dance went down really well.
 Maureen Pemberton followed us and performed a wonderfully spirited dance.  Alimah came next, led by Paula Pavlou and they performed a fabulous dance and then we were treated to a wonderful dance by Sarah Malik - full of emotion.  Next up the stage was filled with the gorgeous flying skirts of Affinity Tribal - I loved the music, costumes and dancing from this lovely group of ladies.  Following Affinity Tribal, Hannah Mi returned to the stage for another stunning performance - she is just so elegant!  The lights went down and then when they shone again Dhalal Banat were there in the most beautiful blue dresses - these ladies looked stunning and danced beautifully.  Following Dhahal Banat we were given a glimpse of an arm and then the rest of the beautiful creature that is Dawn O'Brien emerged.  Dawn never fails to impress and her dance was gorgeous and elegant.  As a complete contrast next we had Katana, a duet who delivered a lively dance to a great upbeat piece of music.  The following act, Tatianna Woolley provoked a gasp from the audience - I am not sure if it was the stunning Samba costume complete with feathered headress or the mega high shoes that Tati danced in but the crown loved her.  The applause had barely settled down before Sunny Singh burst onto the stage again.  This time Sunny performed a wonderfully spirited Bollywood dance, he caused much excitement as he climbed down off the stage and danced amongst the audience.

 Sunny was a hard act to follow but we had a lovely performance from Al Bahiyya which was followed by a very elegant dance by Alexis Southall.  My favourite troupe Belly Fusion Dance Collective came next - they never fail to amaze me, such clever choreography and quirky characters and then it was time for our last act - Nawarra ended the show with a wonderful Shaiibi performance - the audience loved it and she got everyone to their feet for a bop at the end.  It was at this point I realised what a fab atmosphere this audience has provided - I don't think I have ever been to a show where the audience made so much noise in appreciation and many of them piled onto the stage for some impromptu dancing.

All in all I was overjoyed with the show not just with the wonderful performers but with the venue and lighting - it really looked the biz!

The following day (after about 3 hours sleep) we concluded the weekend with 2 more fabulous workshops, firstly Catherine Taylor taught a Gypsy Caravan Tribal workshop - I really enjoyed this and overcame my fright of taking over the lead when dancing ATS.  This was followed by a fab workshop with Hannah Mi in which we explored the Karshilama rhythm, I felt that Hannah taught me how to truly feel the music and loved the quirky moves she taught us.

In conclusion, I am feeling pretty proud of myself.  The feedback I have had has been wonderful and it made all the sleepless nights and worrying worth it and I cannot wait to do it all again - however I have to wait until 27th September 2014 for Raqsw4.