Stockholm Belly Dance Festival 2008 - Page 4

Nicki · 05-06-2008, 06:03 PM

Khaira,
You were great!

Hope to watch you dance again next year!

Suheir · 05-06-2008, 10:35 PM

Reviews, please!

Lubna, unless my eyes are deceiving me:

Nour:

Scandinavian troupe Shams Al Amar:

gisela · 05-07-2008, 09:19 AM

I will write some reviews soon. I loved loved loved Asmahan, Nour, Tito, Khaled Mahmoud and the rest!!!

gisela · 05-11-2008, 10:58 AM

Hello, Reviews coming now. This was such a great event. I was completely overwhelmed and found the dance even more wonderful and beautiful than I ever imagined.

The first day (thursday 1/5) I had workshops with Khaled Mahmoud, Lubna Emam and Asmahan.

Khaled welcomed us with the most incredible smile and I smiled back and kept smiling throughout the workshop.
He taught us a fun shaabi/baladi-choreo which we were allowed to film if we promised not to put it on youTube so.. sorry girls. It was intermediate level and the steps were not difficult and there were lot's of repetition. That was quite good though because I could put emotion and details into it and really check Khaled's style out. The last five minutes we did a "follow the bouncing butt"- khaleegy. Would have loved to learn that one as well.

After a short lunch break I went to Lubna Emam. This was an advanced oriental choreo. We had fun and I learnt a lot but afterwards I felt I didn't care so much for her style. It didn't really suit me. It's the one in the previously posted video by the way. There were some seriously talented dancers in this workshop and that was inspiring as well.

Another very short break and I was off to Asmahan, advanced level, oum kalthoum. Asmahan is one hot babe!!! And very generous. She moved around a lot in the class giving individual critique and making passionate faces to people as to pull emotion out of people. MMMMmm, AAaaahhh, Power! were things she said to us. She made a really deep impression on me. So sexy and so secure and giving.
The bad thing was that in the last half of the workshop I was so tired that I had to go sit down. I just couldn't move anymore but I loved to sit and listen to her.

In the evening there was a competition and show.

ETA:
Competition:
Each contestant had 3 minutes on stage. There were a few highlights and some who didn't manage to engage interest. Noone was really bad so generally quite a good level of up and coming dancers. The ones who shined the brightest according to me and my friend was: Josy Zareen, Fereshte, one girl from Belarus in a black costume and one girl in a brown costume. Don't know their names, unfortunately. The one from Belarus was very skilled and the girl in brown had a very good stage radiance and emotion in her dance. Although she wasn't quite ready for winning the whole thing I think she has great potential.She was actually my favourite.
I feel as if I have forgotten someone hmmm...

no 1: Saida from Poland (as Suheir writes below.) She danced indeed lovely but didn't leave so much impression with me. I think she definitely earned it though. Congrats Saida!
no 2: Fereshte Hosseini UK/Persia.
no 3: Josy Zareen, Iceland and Camilla Lombardi, Sweden. Josy was one little energy bomb I tell you and sooo charming.

Show:
IMO Nour was the queen of this night! I was mesmerized by her. Everything about her was so perfect and by coincidence she danced to an oum kolthoum song I have been listening to everyday the last month. Her husband Yasser was there too and later she danced while he sang. Amazing.

There was Lubna (the vid posted), Khaled Mahmoud, who I liked but found better as a teacher than performer. His "boys and girls"-group including Khaira (YAY!) and, if I'm not mistaken, Ozgen.
He (Ozgen) did a solo as well, the rope dance, and did quite a good job. He's a good dancer and performer. I seem to remember him staring fiercely out on the crowd at one point though

I think this was the night ( it got blurry in my head with so much bd at once) Vivian Malova and Magdy el Leisy did a flamenco fusion duet where he completely goofed off and began jumping weirdly looking like a charicature of a spanish ballet influenced dancer. He was like a clown and she was beautiful and kept her flamenco-face throughout the dance. Weird but fun.
Saida, the competition winner, performed as well and I liked her a lot better this time. Maybe the nerves had played a part the first time.
There were many more of course, some I can't even remember. It started at 7.30 pm and we left at 00.30. I think it ended at 1 am that night.
Then I went to bed extremely tired and happy.

Suheir · 05-11-2008, 12:28 PM

Thanks for part one of your review, Gisela! Lubna used to choreograph for Nagwa Fouad and she has some very big, Nagwa-type moves.

I hear Saida from Poland won the competition! I met her at Mona Said's classes in Oslo last year, she was lovely.

maariku · 05-11-2008, 03:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gisela

The first day (thursday 1/5) I had workshops with Khaled Mahmoud, Lubna Emam and Asmahan.

Wow, three workshops in one day! Go girl!!!

gisela · 05-11-2008, 09:26 PM

Friday I went to Tito's advanced oriental and Aida Nour, Intermediate, shaabi. Only two workshops this day, luckily. three was a little too much for me.

Tito was wonderful. He didn't talk so much but was very clear in showing his moves and paying attention to if we all got it. This was advanced level but his choreo made so much sense and fitted so well with the music that I had no problems following. His smile and facial expressions was contagious and I enjoyed watching him lose himself in the dance even when just showing us a short combination. There were dfinately some moves I had never tried before and especially the "tornado"-like baladi turns ( don't know if you call it that in english. The big hip circle-like turn that he uses a lot.) They were sooo fast. There were also some upper body "throws" to the sides. I love his travelling steps to the side with tiny hip accents but they were hard to master.
This workshop was the first I have experienced were I got seriously dissapointed with the participants. Everyone kept pushing forward and using their elbows to get a good view. The room was huge and there would have been plenty of room for everyone hadn't they insisted on only dancing in the front half of the room. When we were told to change lines so those in the back would come front there were many people who refused to change and just stayed in front all the time. That annoyed the h**l out of me but I realise that's how it is sometimes.

Rest of day two coming here later today!

Nicki · 05-12-2008, 07:14 PM

I also went to Khaled´s workshop and I think I enjoyed it as much as you did, Gisela! I went to Magdy El Leisy´s in the afternoon, and it was fun (at least HE is fun....). A very different kind of balady that didn´t have much in common with my earlier balady experience, but very interesting.

Yes, it was a loooong night, but it went so fast, many great dancers on stage. I went to all the three shows, and I enjoyed all of them even if some performances weren´t "my cup of tea".

Among my other workshops, I really loved the music and the choreography we did with Ousama Emam, Nubian dance, it was fun and I found him beeing an excellent and nice teacher as well.

Looking forward to read more about your days in Stockholm,Gisela!

05-07-2008, 09:19 AM	#33 (permalink)
gisela Moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Denmark Posts: 928	I will write some reviews soon. I loved loved loved Asmahan, Nour, Tito, Khaled Mahmoud and the rest!!! __________________ You need chaos in your soul to create a dancing star-nietzsche

05-11-2008, 10:58 AM	#34 (permalink)
gisela Moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Denmark Posts: 928	Review of SBDF Hello, Reviews coming now. This was such a great event. I was completely overwhelmed and found the dance even more wonderful and beautiful than I ever imagined. The first day (thursday 1/5) I had workshops with Khaled Mahmoud, Lubna Emam and Asmahan. Khaled welcomed us with the most incredible smile and I smiled back and kept smiling throughout the workshop. He taught us a fun shaabi/baladi-choreo which we were allowed to film if we promised not to put it on youTube so.. sorry girls. It was intermediate level and the steps were not difficult and there were lot's of repetition. That was quite good though because I could put emotion and details into it and really check Khaled's style out. The last five minutes we did a "follow the bouncing butt"- khaleegy. Would have loved to learn that one as well. After a short lunch break I went to Lubna Emam. This was an advanced oriental choreo. We had fun and I learnt a lot but afterwards I felt I didn't care so much for her style. It didn't really suit me. It's the one in the previously posted video by the way. There were some seriously talented dancers in this workshop and that was inspiring as well. Another very short break and I was off to Asmahan, advanced level, oum kalthoum. Asmahan is one hot babe!!! And very generous. She moved around a lot in the class giving individual critique and making passionate faces to people as to pull emotion out of people. MMMMmm, AAaaahhh, Power! were things she said to us. She made a really deep impression on me. So sexy and so secure and giving. The bad thing was that in the last half of the workshop I was so tired that I had to go sit down. I just couldn't move anymore but I loved to sit and listen to her. In the evening there was a competition and show. ETA: Competition: Each contestant had 3 minutes on stage. There were a few highlights and some who didn't manage to engage interest. Noone was really bad so generally quite a good level of up and coming dancers. The ones who shined the brightest according to me and my friend was: Josy Zareen, Fereshte, one girl from Belarus in a black costume and one girl in a brown costume. Don't know their names, unfortunately. The one from Belarus was very skilled and the girl in brown had a very good stage radiance and emotion in her dance. Although she wasn't quite ready for winning the whole thing I think she has great potential.She was actually my favourite. I feel as if I have forgotten someone hmmm... no 1: Saida from Poland (as Suheir writes below.) She danced indeed lovely but didn't leave so much impression with me. I think she definitely earned it though. Congrats Saida! no 2: Fereshte Hosseini UK/Persia. no 3: Josy Zareen, Iceland and Camilla Lombardi, Sweden. Josy was one little energy bomb I tell you and sooo charming. Show: IMO Nour was the queen of this night! I was mesmerized by her. Everything about her was so perfect and by coincidence she danced to an oum kolthoum song I have been listening to everyday the last month. Her husband Yasser was there too and later she danced while he sang. Amazing. There was Lubna (the vid posted), Khaled Mahmoud, who I liked but found better as a teacher than performer. His "boys and girls"-group including Khaira (YAY!) and, if I'm not mistaken, Ozgen. He (Ozgen) did a solo as well, the rope dance, and did quite a good job. He's a good dancer and performer. I seem to remember him staring fiercely out on the crowd at one point though I think this was the night ( it got blurry in my head with so much bd at once) Vivian Malova and Magdy el Leisy did a flamenco fusion duet where he completely goofed off and began jumping weirdly looking like a charicature of a spanish ballet influenced dancer. He was like a clown and she was beautiful and kept her flamenco-face throughout the dance. Weird but fun. Saida, the competition winner, performed as well and I liked her a lot better this time. Maybe the nerves had played a part the first time. There were many more of course, some I can't even remember. It started at 7.30 pm and we left at 00.30. I think it ended at 1 am that night. Then I went to bed extremely tired and happy. __________________ You need chaos in your soul to create a dancing star-nietzsche Last edited by gisela; 05-11-2008 at 10:13 PM. Reason: Adding the evening show and comp.

05-11-2008, 09:26 PM	#37 (permalink)
gisela Moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Denmark Posts: 928	Review day 2 Friday I went to Tito's advanced oriental and Aida Nour, Intermediate, shaabi. Only two workshops this day, luckily. three was a little too much for me. Tito was wonderful. He didn't talk so much but was very clear in showing his moves and paying attention to if we all got it. This was advanced level but his choreo made so much sense and fitted so well with the music that I had no problems following. His smile and facial expressions was contagious and I enjoyed watching him lose himself in the dance even when just showing us a short combination. There were dfinately some moves I had never tried before and especially the "tornado"-like baladi turns ( don't know if you call it that in english. The big hip circle-like turn that he uses a lot.) They were sooo fast. There were also some upper body "throws" to the sides. I love his travelling steps to the side with tiny hip accents but they were hard to master. This workshop was the first I have experienced were I got seriously dissapointed with the participants. Everyone kept pushing forward and using their elbows to get a good view. The room was huge and there would have been plenty of room for everyone hadn't they insisted on only dancing in the front half of the room. When we were told to change lines so those in the back would come front there were many people who refused to change and just stayed in front all the time. That annoyed the h*l out of me but I realise that's how it is sometimes. Rest of day two coming here later today! __________________ You need chaos in your soul to create a dancing star-nietzsche Last edited by gisela; 05-12-2008 at 01:45 PM.*

05-06-2008, 06:03 PM	#31 (permalink)
Nicki Junior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Sweden Posts: 25	Khaira, You were great! Hope to watch you dance again next year!

05-06-2008, 10:35 PM	#32 (permalink)
Suheir V.I.P. Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Europe - London Posts: 1,227	Reviews, please! Lubna, unless my eyes are deceiving me: Nour: Scandinavian troupe Shams Al Amar:

05-11-2008, 12:28 PM	#35 (permalink)
Suheir V.I.P. Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Europe - London Posts: 1,227	Thanks for part one of your review, Gisela! Lubna used to choreograph for Nagwa Fouad and she has some very big, Nagwa-type moves. I hear Saida from Poland won the competition! I met her at Mona Said's classes in Oslo last year, she was lovely.

05-12-2008, 07:14 PM	#38 (permalink)
Nicki Junior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Sweden Posts: 25	I also went to Khaled´s workshop and I think I enjoyed it as much as you did, Gisela! I went to Magdy El Leisy´s in the afternoon, and it was fun (at least HE is fun....). A very different kind of balady that didn´t have much in common with my earlier balady experience, but very interesting. Yes, it was a loooong night, but it went so fast, many great dancers on stage. I went to all the three shows, and I enjoyed all of them even if some performances weren´t "my cup of tea". Among my other workshops, I really loved the music and the choreography we did with Ousama Emam, Nubian dance, it was fun and I found him beeing an excellent and nice teacher as well. Looking forward to read more about your days in Stockholm,Gisela!