Stockholm Belly Dance Festival 2008

Deliana

Deliana

New member
Thanks for the reply, Khaira. I feel alot more confident with my choice now. :)

Since I'll buy the show tickets at the festival I'll sort of let whatever shows still have seats left be the oens I go too. ;)

With my luck, both in a good and a bad way, there'll be tickets left for each one. ;)


I have a feeling I'll spend way too much money at the festival....


The workshops are really cheap tho, I must say I was very suprised at the prices. Unfortunatly it is kinda bad timing with my finances being in a rough spot right now so I can't take more than two workshops but it might be for the best anwyay, since I'm still quite new at this I shouldn't get in over my head.

Is there usually alot of vendors there? I haven't been able to find much information on this bit anywhere, it would be nice to know what kind of stuff is available for shopping... :)
 
Khaira

Khaira

New member
Deliana said:
Is there usually alot of vendors there? I haven't been able to find much information on this bit anywhere, it would be nice to know what kind of stuff is available for shopping... :)
Click to expand...

Indeed, two years ago there were 3 major bazaars. A huge one by Mohammed himself with latest design costumed and dance supplies. There was also Hennas bazaar from Finland and a smaller one with Indian jewelry and costumes.
You can also find dance props and musical instruments and class wear!

I quess I'll meet You there:)

Take care,

Khaira
 
Eshta

Eshta

New member
It looks really good, if I hadn't just nuclear-bombed a massive hole in my bank account at the Cairo event with the same people, I would like to pay it a visit!

Suheir, if you are back up & about for next year's event, fancy holding my hand & showing me around Stockholm?!
 
S

Suheir

New member
Eshta said:
It looks really good, if I hadn't just nuclear-bombed a massive hole in my bank account at the Cairo event with the same people, I would like to pay it a visit!

Suheir, if you are back up & about for next year's event, fancy holding my hand & showing me around Stockholm?!
Click to expand...
I should say! Stockholm's a fab festival ! :D
 
S

Suheir

New member
gisela said:
Uuuuhhh it's coming up real soon now! I'm taking the train tomorrow afternoon.
Click to expand...

I just checked the show line-ups, Thursday will be a mega-long show with the competition and late addition Ozgen plus Khaled's girls and boys troupe, featuring Khaira! Have a fantastic time, I look forward to hearing about the shows and workshops. :D
 
gisela

gisela

Super Moderator
oh yes, I saw ozgen and Khaira at the website just a few hours ago! My teacher, Sofia Vester, and some other danes I know is going to be in the friday show. I hope they will do well. I'll be there to support:)
 
Nicki

Nicki

New member
It should be May 21-24 2009, it´s always "the same weekend" when the Thursday always is a national holiday here in Sweden.

I really loved this year´s event, lot´s of great teachers and workshops, nice people from many countries, and of course the 14 and a half hours totally of the three shows!

I´m already looking forward to the next one!
 
Khaira

Khaira

New member
Hi girls,

Im sorry we did not get the chance to properly meet and chat.

Im very happy with the workshops I did, especially Leyla's oriental!

Hope to see You at the next SBDF!

Khaira
 
gisela

gisela

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

gisela

Super Moderator
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 :lol:
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.
 
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S

Suheir

New member
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.
 
gisela

gisela

Super Moderator
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. :mad:

Rest of day two coming here later today!
 
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Nicki

Nicki

New member
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!
 
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