Belly dancing is probably one of the less popular dances in the country. However many do not know that there is more to belly dancing then just swaying hips.
The Bohemian Magic Dance Company in collaboration with South African professional belly dance performer and teacher, Senta Duffield, is hosting a two-day workshop this weekend at the Luxury Hill Accommodation in Windhoek. The workshop, which starting tomorrow will present five different belly dance workshops, including; Shaabi, Dance of the seven Veils, Cultural Awareness, Tanoura, and Finger Cymbals. The Shaabi choreography start from 09h00 to 11h00 and is based on Shaabi technique taught to Senta by Heba, an 18-year-old Egyptian girl. Shaabi has changed a lot in Cairo, the Egyptian capital since the revolution with young people in particular feeling more free and liberated. Their dancing has started to take on a new meaning and expression.
“Dance of the seven veils” will follow at 12h00 to 14h00. The mysterious “Dance of the seven veils” has captivated audiences for centuries – it is graceful, dramatic, alluring and exciting all in one dance! You will learn how to drape and position each veil, how to remove it and some veil technique that you can use in dancing with each veil.
The Saturday workshop ends with cultural awareness from 15h00 to 17:h00, a lecture style workshop bringing Egypt and the Middle East to your studio. Here you will learn more about the culture and history behind the dance, both in the past and today. In understanding the source, more awareness and passion will be brought into dancing.
On Sunday the Tanoura workshop will start at 09h00 to 11h00. The dance of the whirling dervish, Tanoura, began with Rumi and the Sufi mystics but today is both the spiritual dance of the Sufis, and an exciting show number. To spin for 20 minutes at a time, the dervishes need to be very connected to their bodies, to understand and utilise their weights and balances, and to know how to breathe while spinning. In this workshop attendants will learn techniques to spin like a whirling dervish, and how to utilise these techniques in their belly dancing, to turn without losing balance and without feeling dizzy.
Finger cymbals will follow as from 12h00 to 14h00. This will be a fun workshop learning to play finger cymbals and understanding different tempos and rhythms. Finger cymbals can always feel daunting to play – they are a musical instrument after all. But in this workshop Senta will take a different approach and with a light hearted and fun method make finger cymbals enjoyable.
“We [are] hosting [these] workshops so we can learn new and interesting technique and dances, and to improve our own standard of dancing and performing,” says Minka Greeff, owner of the Bohemian Magic Dance Company, adding that the workshops are open to all women that are interested, preferably with some dance experience or knowledge of belly dance.
Senta, runs a successful dance studio in Durban, South Africa, and is passionate about dance healing and helping people through dance. She teaches regular dance classes and workshops and choreographs for large theatre productions. She has been voted on various dance and business committees, and supports numerous charities through these positions and in her personal capacity. She is the chairlady of the SADTA (South African Dance Teachers Association) belly dance division, and has worked hard to get belly dance to the same status as other dance forms. She was awarded the Umhlanga Woman Achiever of the Year Award in 2013, and was a finalist in the KwaZulu/Natal Woman of Excellence Awards, in the Arts and Culture Division in 2012.
Senta is qualified to teach students, train teachers and adjudicate belly dance competitions and exams through the SADTA: Belly Dance Division, as well as through the many teacher training seminars she has attended with international dance masters from around the world, and especially in Egypt, which she has visited 14 times. The workshops are N$200 each. For entries contact Greeff on 0812944929 or minkagreeff@gmail.com