Wow! What else can I say apart from – what an amazing weekend with Sara and the wonderful members of ‘Team Farouk’
The journey I have been on this year in terms of my dancing, has taken me to some really interesting places, both physically and emotionally. There have been some dark and quiet moments counterbalanced by moments of pure light and joy. Being involved in this project with Sara and the wonderfully warm, talented and unassuming group of ladies, has given me such a boost. It has allowed me to analyse and reflect upon all of my dance journey and the steps and paths I have taken so far and has helped to map out new direction I will be taking from here-on-in.
The weekend started with a full day of rehearsals and a full show run through. I was really pleased with myself (but not in a smug way!) that I hadn’t forgotten the group choreographies (as it had been a busy week with not too much practice going on) and they all went reasonably well.
My favourite part of the day was watching and really, really enjoying the individual solos. For me, it was a wonderful opportunity to see the ‘real’ woman in each of the dancers. Every solo was deliciously different, some were technically fantastic, others were full of heart wrenching emotion. Each performer revealed a little more of themselves and told me a little more of their story That for me, is a great performance – something that can reach deep inside and evoke an emotion in me – whether its heartbreak, pure joy, laughter, fear, sorrow, anger, rejection and so the list goes on. That’s what I love about this dance – it’s what keeps me coming back for more. I love to see real women articulating a story through the movement of their bodies, a celebration of themselves and others.
I enjoyed each and every performance – there were contented sighs of ‘my word, she is gorgeous’ interspersed with heart-lifting laughter at those cheekier moments and quite honestly, I could have sat there all afternoon letting it wash over me. We all worked hard to get the show into order and worked through the group choreographies until they were almost perfect – well you do need to leave a bit of work for the actual night don’t you!
Sunday soon came around and it was show time!!! Despite having not slept well the night before (why does that always happen before of a big day!), we made our way to Chats Palace after a leisurely morning and started the preparations for the show. Sara held a full technical rehearsal during the afternoon so that we could familiarise ourselves with the dance space and the music levels etc. It all went so quickly and the impending feelings of nervousness started to kick in so after a quick tea, I took myself off quietly from the others to prepare hair and makeup. I’m glad I did as it gave me the quiet contemplation that I clearly needed before the show started and also allowed for a little larking around with the gorgeous Farah Nasri – she is great company for keeping that energy in check!
At around 7:45pm, the show started. The audience were fantastically warm and the first group choreography was really well received. Our Eman Zaki dresses were unbelievably sparkly under the stage lights and Hollywood would have been proud of us that night! Then, time seemed to go onto fast forward – one by one Team Farouk shimmied, shaked, emoted, twirled and shared their stories. I couldn’t get to see everyone dance but those I was fortunate to see, were all fantastic.
Part three of the show soon arrived and before I knew it, I was under those strong lights, hoping and praying that my sweaty palms wouldn’t let go of my stick – I didn’t want to damage anyone in the audience! I’m delighted to say, my dance seemed to go really well. The audience members were lovely, generously clapping and cheering through my 3 mins and 20 odd seconds of dance and then BOOM, it was all over! That feeling as I came off stage is still with me now – I want to bottle it because that’s what I have been searching for since the first time I danced in public. It felt so good to be me, to dance as me, to tell my story and for people seemingly to be entertained by me. I’m not one for adoration and ego-stroking as this isn’t why I dance but the feedback I have had since that dance, has all been really positive. I’ve had some lovely critique and constructive comments and pointers for the future. I’m looking forward to getting back into my dance space and allowing myself to dance freely and unequivocally. I’m excited about looking for performance opportunities for myself and to sharing my story with those who want to listen. Im looking forward to stepping out and seeing where MY path takes me. Ive watched others in the past take their journeys and whilst its been lovely to sit and watch and support, this time, now, is for me to plan my journey and to see where I end up. If I end up back at the beginning, at least I have ventured it by myself.
Sara’s Last Stand was a wonderful experience. Sara reaffirmed (again, as she always does), my love for Egyptian dance and music and reminded me that it’s only dancing. It feels sad that I won’t be seeing Sara dance again for a while but also really liberating that I’ve gained so much from what can only be described as a one-off experience.
Thank you to all who were involved – this is one happy dancer with a whole box full of good memories that I can tap into when the darkness comes. It was an absolute pleasure! xxxxxx
Photo above: The beautiful women of Team Farouk! M
The journey I have been on this year in terms of my dancing, has taken me to some really interesting places, both physically and emotionally. There have been some dark and quiet moments counterbalanced by moments of pure light and joy. Being involved in this project with Sara and the wonderfully warm, talented and unassuming group of ladies, has given me such a boost. It has allowed me to analyse and reflect upon all of my dance journey and the steps and paths I have taken so far and has helped to map out new direction I will be taking from here-on-in.
The weekend started with a full day of rehearsals and a full show run through. I was really pleased with myself (but not in a smug way!) that I hadn’t forgotten the group choreographies (as it had been a busy week with not too much practice going on) and they all went reasonably well.
My favourite part of the day was watching and really, really enjoying the individual solos. For me, it was a wonderful opportunity to see the ‘real’ woman in each of the dancers. Every solo was deliciously different, some were technically fantastic, others were full of heart wrenching emotion. Each performer revealed a little more of themselves and told me a little more of their story That for me, is a great performance – something that can reach deep inside and evoke an emotion in me – whether its heartbreak, pure joy, laughter, fear, sorrow, anger, rejection and so the list goes on. That’s what I love about this dance – it’s what keeps me coming back for more. I love to see real women articulating a story through the movement of their bodies, a celebration of themselves and others.
I enjoyed each and every performance – there were contented sighs of ‘my word, she is gorgeous’ interspersed with heart-lifting laughter at those cheekier moments and quite honestly, I could have sat there all afternoon letting it wash over me. We all worked hard to get the show into order and worked through the group choreographies until they were almost perfect – well you do need to leave a bit of work for the actual night don’t you!
Sunday soon came around and it was show time!!! Despite having not slept well the night before (why does that always happen before of a big day!), we made our way to Chats Palace after a leisurely morning and started the preparations for the show. Sara held a full technical rehearsal during the afternoon so that we could familiarise ourselves with the dance space and the music levels etc. It all went so quickly and the impending feelings of nervousness started to kick in so after a quick tea, I took myself off quietly from the others to prepare hair and makeup. I’m glad I did as it gave me the quiet contemplation that I clearly needed before the show started and also allowed for a little larking around with the gorgeous Farah Nasri – she is great company for keeping that energy in check!
At around 7:45pm, the show started. The audience were fantastically warm and the first group choreography was really well received. Our Eman Zaki dresses were unbelievably sparkly under the stage lights and Hollywood would have been proud of us that night! Then, time seemed to go onto fast forward – one by one Team Farouk shimmied, shaked, emoted, twirled and shared their stories. I couldn’t get to see everyone dance but those I was fortunate to see, were all fantastic.
Part three of the show soon arrived and before I knew it, I was under those strong lights, hoping and praying that my sweaty palms wouldn’t let go of my stick – I didn’t want to damage anyone in the audience! I’m delighted to say, my dance seemed to go really well. The audience members were lovely, generously clapping and cheering through my 3 mins and 20 odd seconds of dance and then BOOM, it was all over! That feeling as I came off stage is still with me now – I want to bottle it because that’s what I have been searching for since the first time I danced in public. It felt so good to be me, to dance as me, to tell my story and for people seemingly to be entertained by me. I’m not one for adoration and ego-stroking as this isn’t why I dance but the feedback I have had since that dance, has all been really positive. I’ve had some lovely critique and constructive comments and pointers for the future. I’m looking forward to getting back into my dance space and allowing myself to dance freely and unequivocally. I’m excited about looking for performance opportunities for myself and to sharing my story with those who want to listen. Im looking forward to stepping out and seeing where MY path takes me. Ive watched others in the past take their journeys and whilst its been lovely to sit and watch and support, this time, now, is for me to plan my journey and to see where I end up. If I end up back at the beginning, at least I have ventured it by myself.
Sara’s Last Stand was a wonderful experience. Sara reaffirmed (again, as she always does), my love for Egyptian dance and music and reminded me that it’s only dancing. It feels sad that I won’t be seeing Sara dance again for a while but also really liberating that I’ve gained so much from what can only be described as a one-off experience.
Thank you to all who were involved – this is one happy dancer with a whole box full of good memories that I can tap into when the darkness comes. It was an absolute pleasure! xxxxxx
Photo above: The beautiful women of Team Farouk! M