The National Theatre of Namibia, in collaboration with Oriental Dance Theatre from South Africa will present “Palace of the winds”, a belly dancing production at the theatre tonight and tomorrow evening, it was announced in a press statement. “Belly dancing is a fascinating combination of body control and dance in which swaying hips, undulating torso and articulated isolations are employed in a range of emotion expressions. It includes dance moves such as sword, stick and shamadan (a dance in which the dancer balances a 13-candle holder on her head),” the statement read. The Oriental Dance Theatre group is an all women dance troupe and is led by international oriental dancer, teacher and choreographer Ajsa Samia (Marina Rehbein). Born in Yugoslavia, Ajsa was bought up with dance as part of her culture and specializes in various dances such as gypsy and folk styles of Egypt, the Balkans and more. “This group is becoming the hottest new stars on the eastern dance scene in South Africa and will definitely come and take Namibia by storm with their exotic dance moves,” predicted the release. A one-day dance workshop will be presented by Oriental Dance Theatre in the NTN Dance Rehearsal Room tomorrow morning at 09h00. The dance steps and moves that will be learned at the workshop can be used with different types of music from classical oriental to modern. The workshop is open to all age groups and only a limited number of participants will be taken on board. A fee of N$50 is required upon registration. Application forms are still available at the NTN offices at No. 12 John Meinert Street, Windhoek. For more information contact the NTN at Tel: 374400