Middle Eastern Dancing from the Heart - by Vronnie
Whilst on holiday in Turkey, relaxing in a small, family run hotel one evening, the proprietor's daughter decided to give us a demonstration of her dancing skills. She was dressed in western style jeans and t-shirt, and after wrapping a scarf around her hips she began to move to the exotic drum beats of the music that was playing - I was totally mesmerised.
This young tomboyish teenager suddenly came alive and was transformed into a beautiful, fantastic dancer who was radiant with power and femininity; the atmosphere was electric and I was overwhelmed by the wonderful feelings and emotions that her dancing had awoken in me.
That experience changed my life.
Since that time I have travelled to Egypt on many occasions, studying with top dancers both in Cairo and the United Kingdom. Sixteen years later I still feel those emotions whenever I dance and I now try to awaken those same feelings in my students.
Middle Eastern dance covers many styles; Egyptian, Turkish, Lebanese to name only a few.
In their countries of origin they are part of the culture and everyday life of the people. Women, children and men dance to celebrate every aspect of life and their dancing comes from the heart.
Here in Cornwall I have been teaching this form of dance for seven years now and I am constantly rewarded by watching the amazing transformation of my students.
As they become more confident in their dance, so they gain confidence in all other aspects of their life; they develop a glow of satisfaction about them when they dance.
Students come to my classes for various reasons, but whether it's to take time out from the stresses of everyday life, to have fun and socialise and make new friends, or to learn something exotic and totally different, most go home at the end of the class feeling uplifted in spirit and with a sense of achievement even though exhausted by the physical activity!