Suheir

"Josephine Wise Academy of Arabic Dance
JWAAD London Fantasia Festival
12th-14th December 2008

INVITATION

Stars to be Announced!

We are deep in discussion with this December’s star names and they will be announced shortly.

The Fantasia Festival is changing!

Are YOU a teacher from our area?
Would you like to come and teach a class, bring your students to perform and perform yourself on Saturday night?
Come and show the rest of the South what you can do!
We want you to showcase yourself and your work.

A New Design!

London’s local Arabic Dance & Bellydance festival, Fantasia, has been redesigned. Now the International Bellydance Congress is catering for the whole UK and International market we feel the Fantasia needs to concentrate on promoting dancers from London and the Home Counties. We will still have star teachers from abroad, but we also want to bring the London & South East dance community closer together to share what we do and gain inspiration from each other.

Don’t Miss It!

We will have one longer Saturday show, with more group and student dances, peppered with the cream of Soloists and Teachers from the South of England. There will be a stunning range of workshops and, of course, our famous Souk with all your dance needs catered for"

I've not been to this festival for three years, due to my disgust at being packed like sardines into workshops in unsuitable spaces. The Saturday show will be *longer*? I had enough difficulty staying awake as it was. If I wanted to see student dances I'd go to a hafla, thanks.

Kharis

LOL....

I went once.... never again. I paid a packet for a workshop and could barely move in it, and got perpetually pushed to the back by the MADN Mafia. The stick workshop was a fiasco.... small room, too many people...not conducive to stick. And the workshop was with a big lazy Egyptian teacher (who's name I cannot recall) who turned out to be a complete waste of space, never mind the £40 fee for it. I didn't get to suffer the show...Thank God.

lizaj

Reading between the lines, crass Northerners are not welcome, that is it? Has the RSS been whispering in ears or is it just the recognition that we have JoY.(Aren't we the lucky ones?)
Is it a move to push people towards the IBDC except for locals but why would you want to pay to go to your own or another teacher of a similar ilk at festival prices?
Isn't cross fertilisation between North and South seen to be a good thing?
I enjoyed Fantasia when I went in 2006 but I believe it was quieter than in previous years so is a more modest event a good move?

Suheir

Yes, exactly. Either it's a big festival or it's not.

Kharis

I think it often boils down to plain, old fashioned greed. When you consider that some of these events ram in the vendors and charge them a small fortune for the privilege. The thing about JOY is that there is not this element of greed involved. They pay their teachers a set fee and then a percent of the takings,, which is really fair. Also, the vendors are not in their millions, so each trader gets a fair crack of the whip. The workshops don't cost a fortune, and are graded so that if you're really skint you can afford the £6 ones, and the show is always of a high standard. We don't have to suffer the often mundane performance skills of every J'WISE trained teacher on the planet.

lizaj

Not just band leaders then!

jenc

there is a case for seeing local BOG standard teachers at local events, because it's cheap, supports local dancers, many of whom you know even if you are not dancing yourself, and MOST importantly you can get an idea of whether you want to take classes with a particular teacher or not.
If I'm paying serious money, I want serious dancing and teaching. I definately don't care to watch students from other areas.
When is Joy on next? I may be a refugee from the south for that
Jen

lizaj

Oct 11th and 12th thereabouts Sat and Sun. Looks like another goodie.

Suheir

Definitely, if it's hafla prices and doesn't hype itself up to be something it isn't.

I heartily agree. After seeing certain teachers perform I've either had the reaction that I'd never take a class with them, ever, or yes, they really know what they're doing.

I've been to JoY once and it was great - nice atmosphere, quality teachers and good show. Given the choice, I'd go for the eye-watering train fare to Yorkshire rather than the 90p bus fare to Fantasia.

Eshta

Call me cynical but I'm not sure how you can go from the cliquey "Jo Wise & cronies" to the all inclusive approach anyway! I much prefer watching the open stage at fantasia than the actual show because this is where "the rest of us" end up performing because we're not in the gang!

__________________
Eshta - South West London Belly Dancer