Well of course I was!!!
Fabulous except for the 100 strong Algerian youth club who jumped up and down with the flag. Everyone else followed suit and chaos loomed. It was much better after Sherif and I managed to get a seat in one of the boxes.
From the safety of this postion it was much more enjoyable!
What a fab night!
Today was the Family day at the Palm house. We had the Bedouin Jerry Can Band from Sinai, a band from Hadramaut (eek spell) from Yemen and Houda Amrani from Leeds... Morocco. What a fantastic day. The place was positively booming and the atmosphere was pure magic. We had stalls, MED food etc. and about 1000 people throughout the day and about 60-70% Arab.
There was a distict lack of familiar faces from the local dance scene (actually only saw a handful) Once a year we have a cultural festival with 'real' Arabs and live music no one would get to see or hear unless they travelled to the country of origin. It is also a unique chance to intregrate with the Arab community and one of the rare chances of the year.
Pity and a lost opportunity for many, but their loss.
No doubt I will see the same familiar faces I saw yesterday and today at all of the events.
I often think that many people seperate this dance from it's culture and are happier that way.
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