Burnmouth Village Hall
Saturday Sept 25th 2010

Workshops and Hafla

10.30am-noon
Curly-Toed Boot Camp
Going through basic Egyptian steps and developing combinations, finishing with some pair work that may just get the fainter-hearted boogying to the Cairo beats on the dance floor. Not suitable for complete beginners.
£7

Noon-1pm Lunch
Tea and coffee provided. Bring a packed lunch if you are staying all day.

1pm-2.30
Drills and Thrills
TEN-SHUN! Lots of the usual, horrible, hurty exercises to sharpen your Tribal moves and get the basics sorted.
Oh, okay, not hurty, not in a bad way…
And there will be cake…
Suitable for dancers with some tribal experience- the workshop, not the cake, that is…
£7

3-5pm
Drumming Circle
Looking at the Arabic rhythms used in both Tribal and Egyptian dance.
I will co ordinate the group and organize the time, but the general theme is cooperation and input expected from drummers confident to share their experience. A chance for those who attend Martin Neil’s workshops to consolidate, a little, too! This session is not suitable for complete beginners and there will only be a few spare drums to borrow.
£2

5.30-6.30pm
Shared Supper
There are other options (see below) but this is an opportunity for anyone who wants to, to bring some food to share and eat together. Whatever folk are able bring along- hot or cold, sweet or savoury, is fine! Best bring your own plate etc. There is a small kitchen.
There should be time for changing for the hafla, too, there are loos and some mirrors but come prepared. Best bring a mirror, if you have one.


7.30-11pm Hafla
A time for dancing and performances, for a bit of slapping (drums, of course- what were you thinking of????) and seeing friends.
If you would like to perform, please let me know what, how, how many, etc in good time, if possible. CD’s and ipods are fine but I cannot guarantee my machine will like copies.
B.Y.O. Beer, juice, wine, nibbles, cups, bottle- openers- treat it like an indoor picnic and please consider RECYCLING and binning facilities which we try to organise every year.
£5 hafla entry.

Happy to take fees on the day, just let me know if you can come!!!

For folk unfamiliar with the area, Burnmouth Village Hall is in Upper Burnmouth, just off the A1. It is North of Berwick-Upon-Tweed (about 7 mins) and South of Ayton and Eyemouth. The hall itself is a one-storey wooden building on the main street. Parking on the street is fine, but please consider the residents.
The area is worth a look-see, if you fancy some of the programme, but not all. Lower Burnmouth is down an excitingly steep hill and close to the sea. There is a pub in Upper Burnmouth- there may be catering there but I am not sure. 5 mins drive is Eyemouth which is a coastal fishing town worth investigating. The town boasts a good selection of eat-in-eries and take-away outlets and our local dancers will be able to recommend.
Any queries or questions please ring me (Sarah) on 01668213618 or email me. It may be possible to coordinate some lifts up and down the A1.

Hope to see you there.
Best wishes

Sarah
sarah.riseborough@btinternet.com

Lucy and I share the fact that we both have had a parent staying in a residential home for the elderly; My Dad spent the last 3 years of his life in a home in Alnwick; Lucy's mum spent time in homes and hospitals before she passed away.
It was Lucy that suggested we approach some residential homes with a view to performing and encouraging folk to dance with us. So far, we have one regular appointment and several homes have booked us as a one-off.
Every appointment is different, of course, new faces, always a few lively characters; the feeling, the smell of the places is always the same though, no matter how friendly and caring the staff, each place transports me back to visiting my dad. There are the souls who are earthed by physical frailties and those whose realities are different from ours. I struggle to even look sometimes; a thin, thin ankle peeking from a blanket; a bent spine, faraway gaze. I wonder what the perceive; these two brightly-coloured, spinning ladies who bare their bellies and make so much noise.
We have a format and change routines and music, do a little talk and encourage audience participation. This does give us the opportunity to practice and perform together, because making time to do this was often hard to justify, (cue: mother guilt, etc.)
It may not be the most glamorous of engagements for a belly dancer, but the goddess has a crone aspect, after all.
My great challenge is opening up to people who don't appear to act under normal social constraints; folk who have been diagnosed with dementia, who might do or say someting unexpected; I experience fear, want to keep a distance when I'm approached.
Lucy is very good at chatting to the audience- I can do the formal stuff; Lucy remembers names and asks questions, gives her attention freely.
So many of our old folk are shut away. we-they believe they are of no more use and have the least resources spent on them, even though their contribution to the world put us where we are now. There is something to be learned from this- have ambition, have optimism and have hope for old age. I would like choices; fun, love, happiness, more dancing.