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Q.Tell us about your involvement with bellydancing on Vancouver Island.
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A. Vancouver Island is a special place - you're never very far from a spot that can take your breath away with its spectacular natural beauty. The people who choose to live here have something special to offer, particularly the artists and performers you can find all over the island. It's too simple to say that Islanders are "mellow", or "laid-back". But
I often notice a special quality in the way they respond to middle eastern music and dance., particularly on the smaller islands or me more remote communities: they listen and observe very attentively and thoughtful, finding their own meanings in the movement, and when the opportunity comes to join in, they embrace the dance with a passionate energy and enthusiasm.
North of Victoria there are few opportunities to perform at restaurants and parties, but dancers and dance teachers have built up a supportive network and created their own events. Troupes have formed and flourished in many places (Quadra, Courtenay, Nanaimo), and every so often "bellydance fever" hits a small town and dozens of new students swamp a local teacher or dance workshop The Greek community on the Island is small, but they love to throw parties with a few bellydancers to warm up the crowd before they dance all night. The Arab community is much smaller though Talal's Dar Lebanon Restaurant in Nanaimo provides a point of contact for those in the central Island area.
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Q. You have a unique dance style. Is there a particular dancer (s) whom you model yourself after?
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A. When I was first learning middle eastern dance 20 years ago I learned steps voraciously. I still rely on those foundations, steps and patterns that I learned from Hadia, Farideh, and Ibrahim Farrah. After many years of learning even when I was performing and teaching I despaired of having my own dance style. Instead, I felt that I was just picking up from the terrific dancers that I watched, or that I was dancing with. Since I had dance training in many other forms of dance I found it easy to pick up techniques and to mimic different styles and I learned as much as I could by watching, studying in classes and master workshops and participating in all the group stage performances that took place while I lived in Vancouver.
But now I feel that's changed, that somehow my dance has become an expression of myself. I'm not sure why, perhaps it's the result of many things: because I took a break of a few years from dance and then started again in Nanaimo where I'm less influenced by other dancers; because I once seriously injured my hip (during my break from dance) so that I now avoid certain hip locks: and perhaps just because I'm growing older!
I still love to dance. But I don't fell compelled to watch other middle eastern / orientale dancers as much as I used to. When I do, I find myself relating more to their personalities and interpretations than to their technique which has become less important to me (except when I'm teaching!).
I get most inspired by contemporary dance, the magical moments that arise during avant-garde performances like Vancouver's "Dancing on the Edge" festival. I'm fascinated by dancers (like Lin Su-Feh and Kokoro Dance) who seek ways to juxtapose or integrate modem dance training with other cultural forms.
I also love to attend workshops for the energy, the people, and having the opportunity to "experience" a master teacher's movements. What sticks with me long afterwards are the dramatic & expressive touches, the feeling and structure of me movement and music. When I do a movement that was first taught to me by Yousri Sharif, Suhaila Salimpour, Rahma, Hadia, Star or Farideh -I feel a bit of their spirit with me. But I don't consciously model myself after a particular person or style.
I do seek to embody the essence of an Arab woman dancing - a oneness of music and movement: a passionate, joyous flow. And to take that feeling and convey it to others. Sharing the mood, the spirit, and when it works, I create connections between people, a sense of participation -whether people are dancing along or just watching.
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Q. Tell us about your favorite bellydance experience.
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A. I had a rush of memories and images when you asked this question, there are so many great performers I have watched and admired. Though I always find it hard to watch live dance performances since I wish I was up there performing!
When I finished school (and before I studied middle eastern dance) I traveled in the Middle East, seeking my Lebanese "roots" in an exotic foreign place. I was surprised to feel a real connection with Arab people and I especially loved to be at parties where dancing was always an important part of the celebration. Whether to live music, tapes, or just someone drumming on the bottom of a wooden chair, I eagerly watched and clumsily joined in when I was invited. No matter how stylish or traditional the clothing - whether in middles class home, a youth hostel basement, or beside a Bedouin tent - the women and men who danced were always caught up in the joy of the moment and me thrill of "performance" for their friends and families.
As a performer, my favorite performance is always my most recent one! I deeply enjoy working with other dancers, so performing at Tofino's "August Winds" performing arts festival last month was very rewarding. With three other dancers from Nanaimo (Ferda, Shadia, and Suberra) we joined Morgan and Signy ofTofino to present 3 nights of group and solo performances tided "Sahara Moon". We had rehearsed intensively for a month to create dances, interweaving stories with swirling sand imagery, symbols of the moon, and historical dance styles. Though their performances were exceptional in conveying feeling as well as technical skill I'm still basking in the glow of working with a group of women committed to dancing and performing together. The west coast beaches were an added benefit?
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Q. From whom did you learn the choreography that you will be teaching at the Fantasy Bazaar?
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A. In this particular workshop I won't be teaching a single choreography. Instead, participants will learn and explore short sequences of steps from four different dance traditions. The sequences will be long enough to give participants a sense of what makes each dance form unique: how the selection of steps, the structure, the mood and the costuming work together. I've learned these dances from many different sources: the Algerian dance of the Ouled Nail from Mardi Rollow of the Aman Dance Ensemble, the dabke from many Lebanese dancers and friends in Vancouver and Montreal, the dance of the Ghawazee from researcher / dancers like Aisha Ali, who was the first to bring the Egyptian Ghawazee to the attention of North America, and the dance of Turkish gypsies from Eva Cernik.
Learning an entire choreography is very rewarding, but I can also be intimidating to learn, to remember, and to use in your own performances. The advantage of learning short sequences of steps is that each one is like a "phrase" that can be used to make up different sentences and meanings. Each sequence can be repeated, reworked or elaborated in variations to form their own short dance, or combined with other "phrases" of steps and music to create new dances.
