Al Bahiyya on tour :P

It has been a very busy week, and a very bizarre weekend! This is mostly dance related I have to say…Wednesday saw Al Bahiyya performing at Clwb Cabaret at The Greek Taverna. We performed 5 dances – Eyes Like Yours, Bad Romance, Thurayya (my solo), Roustabout and Lasha Tumbai. Videos of all the performances all available to watch on Youtube now on Al Bahiyya’s fancy new channel Just search AlBahiyyaBellydance and you should find it! Roustabout especially looks brilliant in that setting – the lighting looks so eerie! As usual, my dancers did me so proud

Then this weekend five of us went on ‘tour’ to Lancaster to dance in the ‘Habibis at Haflancaster’ event organised by the LUBells from Lancaster University. Initially we were meant to travel by car, but a last minute technical problem meant that we had to find alternative transport. Despite the high cost we decided to take the train just so we could actually go. After sorting out railcards, tickets and luggage we were off on the 5pm train. The first part of the journey went smoothly enough – we all read or did puzzles or listened to music. Then we had to change at Chester where there had been a ‘day at the races’. This meant a lot of slightly (and more than slightly) drunk middle aged adults in a confined space. Not fun :/ Luckily we found somewhere to sit that was next to quiet people and only had about half an hour to Warrington bank Quay. I recognised the name of this station but couldn’t remember why; until I stepped onto the platform. I had spent a very chilly evening on a platform waiting for my train to Penrith last Summer. This time the train was delayed by ten minutes, and was also the transport picked by some of the Chester race goers. The train was packed so we ended up squished in the corridor bit with three ‘tipsy’ ladies. That was an interesting half hour…we covered lots of subjects. Three times. They were quite funny, but it was a bit awkward at the same time. I was glad when they got off at Preston!

Finally we arrived in Lancaster at about 8.15pm. Just as we left the station I bumped into someone from school who is at Uni there! The chances of that happening are how small exactly?! Just added to our already bizarre day. We trundled our way through town, following my paper instructions and Bex’s SatNav, and finally found the Dalton Rooms. From the outside it just looked like a bar so we were a bit confused, but we asked and were shown through to the function room. The room looked amazing…lovely atmosphere for a Hafla We had arrived later than we had planned so had minimal time to change and get ready…so much so I was still putting in contact lenses and putting on make-up as the first act started! It was so nice to see so many different styles and dances in one place. We performed Dum Tek Tek in the first half….to big cheers from the room I was glad my top stayed in place…I hadn’t had a chance to try it out beforehand! The rest of the first half included veils, fans and even a candelabra!

The interval was for social dancing, but we didn’t get a chance to go and dance because of getting changed. I thought there would be more afterwards, but I turned out to be wrong. We were second in the second half, following a solo from one of the LUBells dancers, which was really good Roustabout also went down well…completely different from everything else we had seen or were going to see that evening! But then, we thought that would be the case! After us we saw other brilliant solos, finishing with a wonderful ‘star performer’ who was mesmerising! I also knew the first piece of music she used…we use it for our warm ups

After the show and we were changed we went in search of food A cheap takeaway was our destination – cheesy chips and donor kebabs at 11pm Then we started the palava of trying to get a taxi for the five of us. Everywhere was either unavailable or didn’t take five people. The takeaway owner offered to drive us and it was at this point we asked random people on the street for more taxi numbers! Eventually we got hold of one about two minutes away who said they would see if they could sort something out. While waiting we were questioned by an old drunk man outside the taxi rank…well I say he was drunk, he may just have been extremely friendly We got a minibus at two minutes to midnight and were soon on our way to the Travelodge at Morecambe. The taxi driver was telling us about old warehouse fires (one had gone up as we arrived in Lancaster…announcing our arrival perhaps? ) and the history of Morecambe and Lancaster. Interesting, but I was so tired I just wanted sleep and quiet! Checked in easily, sorted out rooms and went to bed fairly soon after.

Saturday, we were up at 9am and getting ready to look round Morecambe. First stop was Wetherspoons for breakfast. Yummy Then we headed to the Promenade to find Eric Morecambe and pose with him and read the floor which was covered in quotes and lines from their sketches. There were also lots of metal seagulls around the place Then we went to the beach for a walk, and wrote ‘Al Bahiyya’ in the sand to show we were there. I found a little crab shell too…not the easiest thing to transport back but it did survive more or less back to Bangor! We spent the rest of the morning looking round the charity shops before heading back to the Travelodge to collect our stuff and check out.

A short train from Morecambe to Lancaster later and we were back to trundling suitcases over cobbles and paving slabs. Not sure I have much suitcase left anymore! We walked past the castle and the priory, enjoying the scenery and taking pictures for tourists All the little streets in Lancaster are so pretty! We also found a dress made out of old books in a shop window…very nice Along the main street was a market with lots of amazing looking and smelling food, and some really pretty bits and pieces. I was very good and didn’t buy much at all! Lunch was Chicken Biryani…so good!! We looked round the shops, taking it in turns to look after the luggage until we got tired and hungry. We found a little coffee shop for cake and coffee before heading back to the station.

Our journey back was problem free generally speaking…just it got very warm on the train – we were all nearly asleep! By the time we got back to Bangor we were all really sleepy and headed to mine for a cuppa and to watch the Britain’s Got Talent final. A good end to a really amazing 26 and a half hours away from Bangor!

‘I always try to improve, to find new ways of expressing myself, to keep looking for truth and originality.’ ~Burt Lancaster

Writing is discovering

I’ve been trying to write an assignment the last couple of days. I now realise the importance of being interested in what I’m writing about. My dissertation seemed so much easier and I put that down to the fact it was something I wanted to write about. I wanted to find out more, and I wanted to share my findings with the rest of the world. I actually quite enjoyed it! However, now I am back to assignments for other modules, and it seems that however interesting I might find the lectures, writing an assignment holds no interest for me whatsoever. It is merely jumping through hoops, as my Mum always says. I’ve got to the point with my education now where hoops no longer hold the same importance. Don’t get me wrong, I still try to do my very best in every essay I submit, and I would feel overwhelmingly guilty if I failed to do that, but it has become a chore. Oh well, only two assignments left before I finish Uni forever! Can’t wait In the meantime, here is another bit of prose writing, this time from the end of April this year:

‘All that remained was the to tell the truth. All the lies had been exhausted. All the disappointment experienced, and all the hope burnt out. It was his last chance to tell her exactly where things stood if he wanted her to forgive. There was still time, but it was quickly running out.

He took a deep breath and grasped the door handle. The other side of that door was his future, and it was completely in his hands. Fate was no longer an option, it was entirely based on his next move. He imagined her sitting there, facing the window twirling her hair the way only she could. He couldn’t help smiling slightly. She was so beautiful when she was nervous. Her eyes glistened with apprehension, and her mouth twitched, not knowing whether to smile or frown. He pushed this image from his mind, he had to be serious and honest and not clouded by emotion.

His hand turned slowly, releasing the latch from the frame. He hoped her head had turned at the sound. But then he thought maybe it was best if she hadn’t. The element of surprise, that’s what he needed. The suspense needed to be broken before it had built to give him the best chance of success. His eyes started to cloud, his hands were shaking and his brow began to glisten. The pressure had started to get to him now…only time would tell.

A small push. That’s all it required. A small, unobtrusive push of the door was all was needed to open onto his future. But he couldn’t do it. It was too much for him. The hope of success battled so strongly with the fear of failure that his mind and heart didn’t know where they were. Those emotions he had tried to bury were rearing their ugly heads at the critical period. He let go the handle and turned to leave.

‘Come in!’ rang out a silky voice. She had heard his heart pounding outside the door and the suspense had got too much for her that she had to do something. There was only so long she would wait for him to make a move. Only so long she could perch facing the window twisting her hair until it broke. She was close to tears, and her mouth was dry from emotion. How much she longed for him to sweep in and hold her close, tell her he would never leave her. But he didn’t come. She waited and waited until she heard a creak outside the door. He was turning. She had to act.

That’s when she spoke, her voice breaking with the effort after so long silent. Silence. She didn’t move, he dared not breathe. Slowly he turned and pushed into the room. She immediately stood up and faced him. There they stood for what seemed an age, merely deciding the next move. He was paralysed with fear, she with tension. Their eyes met, and without words an understanding was made. So much was said through those looks, and so much truth was conveyed. He realised then that the truth was simple. He just needed to be there. She needed him more than anything else in the world, and he needed her.

The pause was broken and they rushed together. She was engulfed in his embrace and she felt right at home. There was beauty in that scene that can’t be explained in words. Just like the truth he tried to express for so many months that now was said through silence. They were safe in each others arms, and secured in each others hearts. Connected by an understanding that relied on a greater power than either expected, and neither had before experienced. An understanding that can only be felt. An understanding called love.’

Born in the wrong decade!

I sometimes think I was born in the wrong decade. All the people who inspire me, and all the fashions I love are from days of old. Ok, I realise that living through a war and rationing is the reality, and the things I love are merely the positives, but even so. The 1940s and 1950s were a time when neighbours knew each other, people went ‘dancing’ to socialise and women looked feminine. There was less pressure to be a size 0, and in fact curves were celebrated. Look at the ‘New Look’ by Dior of the late 1940s…a perfect hourglass. Pretty dresses with huge underskirts, gloves everyday, hats to go outside, court shoes to pop to the shops…life was for living, not a daily chore. I know a lot of this is a pretty sweeping generalisation, but fashion does that every day. Flicking through a glossy magazine presents images of skinny models, clothes no-one can afford and advice for ‘everyone’ that is so vague you may as well do without! They dictate the ‘trends’, they make life materialistic. And people believe them. Don’t get me wrong, I read glossy magazines. But I don’t take them too seriously.

Back to living in the past, life was easier to live. Technology didn’t rule our lives, and a holiday was a family event, not a break from work. I look at pictures of my Grandma from a 1956(?) holiday on the Norfolk Broads and she looks relaxed, happy and care-free. I also want nearly every outfit she is wearing I think looking back on other decades is always going to be through rose-tinted glasses as they are presented in the best way. The late 1940s and early 50s represent a new freedom – the war was over, fabric was more easily available and in larger quantities, the Americans brought over new things, and women played a greater role in society. They could be strong and empowered and became role models for other young women.

This brings me onto inspiring people and in particular one person who I have recently ‘discovered’. I say discovered in that she made a recent impression on me, rather than I had only just heard of her! A slender dancer, born in the Netherlands who lived through the war. England became her home, and she started acting. Soon she was known as one of the greatest icons of her time. Of course I mean Audrey Hepburn. I see similarities between her and myself…in looks, personality and aspirations. I am not saying that I look like her…she is much too attractive and bewitching for me to compare myself like that (it’s those eyes )…but she looks innocent, she looks sensitive and she is slender in a world of Marilyn Monroe. She danced, but never made it big as a ballerina. She always thought of everyone else before herself. I would love to be as selfless as she was. I recently watched Breakfast at Tiffany’s and was captivated by her…only she could make Holly appear so classy I still have Sabrina, Roman Holiday, Charade and Funny Face to watch. I have numerous books about her life, and portraying her through photographs. I decided yesterday to do some drawing and fell upon one of the photo books I’ve got on my shelf. Could I possibly attempt to capture ‘Audrey’ in a drawing? I hope I achieved it

After a lot more waffle than I anticipated starting this post, I go back to my original statement – I was born in the wrong era. However, one thing I do appreciate from today….I can choose to dress in 50s attire, I can mix it with something else, I can listen to old music and go dancing…but I can do it in the modern day. I can listen to 70s if I prefer, I can wear a flapper dress with platforms if I so wish (I don’t ) because I have all these wonderful things available to me, along with a freedom to be myself. Yes I look back to the time my Grandparents grew up in, I love hearing their stories and I will watch old musicals all day given the chance, but I live in 2012. That’s not going to change, so I guess I’ll just have to stick to time travel

‘Your dresses should be tight enough to show you’re a woman and loose enough to show you’re a lady.’ ~Edith Head

‘For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.’ ~Audrey Hepburn

The world’s dark battle

Just thought I’d share something I wrote in April last year, one lonely evening in Bangor. I’ve been doing more prose writing recently, more than poetry even, and the rediscovered this on my laptop. Enjoy

‘The rain started to fall, slowly at first, then torrential, quickly becoming purely a sheet of water appearing outside the window. The sky has darkened, almost to the point that I could easily believe it was evening. It isn’t. It is 11am, on a normal Saturday morning. Except, it is no longer a normal Saturday morning, it is pitch black and there is more rain than the world can cope with. Something has to give. Something has to happen.

A rumble in the distance. That spells trouble on a scale previously unimaginable. However, now, nothing would surprise me, not anymore. Another rumble, closer this time. The storm is coming, bringing with it enough energy to sort out the rain for good. My normal Saturday has suddenly become a waiting game as I sit watching the world outside disappear.

Flash! Momentarily I see everything; all the overflowing drains, the bedraggled cat caught in the onslaught, lakes forming on the road; then it disappears once more. It’s the not knowing that is so awful. When will it strike? How will I know? Another rumble…1…2…3…4…5…flash. Definitely getting closer.

My heart is pounding in time with the rumbles, with each it intensifies, until I feel like it could break free at any moment. Each flash brings the blanket tighter round me, as I cling to what I know. I’m safe, for now. I know that a blanket won’t really protect me, but it helps in my head. It helps keep me sane.

I look away as I can’t bear the sight of the deluge outside. So much anger in that sky, so much harm in the light, mystery in the dark. It’s bad enough hearing the rumbles and claps approaching, without watching disaster unfold in front of my eyes. Eventually it gets too much and I have to cover my ears. Pressing harder and harder, to block out every last speck of sound, cowering under the safety blanket. The sound intensifies, the flashing continues even though my eyes are squeezed shut, and I feel my whole body tremble. This is it, the end, not sure how much more I can take…

Silence. Slowly I take away my hands. Nothing. Not a single sound emerges from anywhere. I open my eyes and discover that the world has reappeared, albeit being viewing through a slight haze. I’m not sure if that is outside, or just my eyes after having been screwed up tight for half an hour. Finally the trembling stops, the blanket loosens and I start to breathe again. The world survived the battle, and it all happened right outside my window. It was almost as if I was the audience and the sky had put on a show. Definitely a 5 star horror in my opinion.

The haze subsides, and slowly, very slowly, the sky lightens. Somewhere in the distance the Cathedral strikes twelve, and it is hard to believe that less than an hour ago the world outside was as dark as night. The sun cautiously pokes its head round a cloud checking for danger. It considers it safe enough to emerge fully and starts to clear up the damage done by the rain. Lakes become puddles, rivers become trickles, and slowly the roads reappear. It is set to be a beautiful Saturday afternoon.’

SABLE – Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy

I doubt anyone has tried to find 3 ply yarn in the last few years, but I can certainly say that it is near on impossible! Unless you want white, or baby colours (pastels) then you are more or less out of luck. I did find a supplier online, but a) it was 100% wool, which I’m allergic to, and b) I could have done with a mortgage in order to afford it! Not good on a student budget. I went round all the local wool shops, all the charity shops, and even curio shops that have a little bit of everything, but to no avail. You may wonder why I felt I needed so badly something almost impossible to find. Rewind about 60-70 years to the 40s and 50s. Pick up any knitting book from those decades and the majority of patterns will ask for 3 ply or 4 ply. These aren’t baby patterns, not even children’s patterns nor accessories, these are jumpers, cardigans, jackets, skirts…everything! It was just the weight of yarn that was most popular. Even into the 70s and 80s there were large quantities of patterns that require 3 ply yarn. It is one such pattern that I found amongst Mum’s knitting things and which I decided I wanted to make as my first ‘big’ project. It’s simple – two 2×2 rib rectangles, sewn together leaving a gap for armholes – what could be difficult? Finding something to knit it in. I’ve been looking on and off for ages, but I wasn’t to be beaten.

My last port of call before giving up and using 4 ply or double knit was my Grandma’s treasure trove of wool Seriously, she has more yarn and wool than most wool shops do! So, a few nice words to her and permission was granted to dig through the 12 or so big boxes in their loft. This was fine until I realised that most of it didn’t have labels on, and I didn’t really know what I was looking for! Cue Mother About half an hour later I had 7 options, ranging from plain 3 ply yarn, through Bri-Nylon (however you spell it ) and to bobbly black and rainbow! I got slightly excited and glad that once again Grandma is better than the shops (Hence the title of this post!)

The next step was to choose one of my many options – coral plain 3ply – and rewind it single thick (it had been previously double wound). The yarn was quite brittle so kept breaking…yay knots in my knitting :/…but it only took three of us one evening! The knitting however is taking longer. 74cm seems an awfully long length when you are knitting in 3 ply! I feel like I’ve done hundreds of rows and yet it only measures about 12cm :/ Of the first side. Oh well, I’ll keep going as I’m determined to prove both my Mum and Grandma wrong and actually finish it!

Anyway the point of this was to show how much even the little things change. Something which everyone took for granted even as recently as the 80s is now almost impossible to find and use. It makes me wonder how much of what is readily available now will disappear in 20 years time. Of course technology changes on almost a daily basis, but little things that seem timeless – the foods we eat, the clothes we wear, the paper we write on, the books we read – how long before you need a fortune and perseverance in order to find them?

“ It is a peculiarity of knitters that they chronically underestimate the amount of time it takes to knit something. Birthday on Saturday? No problem. Socks are small. Never mind that the average sock knit out of sock-weight yarn contains about 17,000 stitches. Never mind that you need two of them. (That’s 34,000 stitches, for anybody keeping track.)
Socks are only physically small. By stitch count, they are immense.”
― Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

The future belongs to those who believe in their dreams

The last time I wrote I was heading home for Easter. Now I am back in Bangor for the final push towards the real world. It’s a rather scary though if I’m honest…I have no idea where the last three years have gone! It seems no time at all since I was filling out those UCAS forms, writing my personal statement and going on Open Days, and yet so much has happened at the same time! I have changed as a person, and have experienced so many new things. I am much more confident, and no longer the outsider. I learnt that usually my biggest critic was myself, rather than my peers, and that being myself gave me the biggest confidence of all. I learnt so many new dance styles and decided once and for all that although Ballet has given me the basics of dance, it really isn’t me. I have discovered the passion for Belly Dance that I always saw in my Mum when I was little, and like to think I have passed that on to my amazing class. I never thought I would even think about teaching a dance class, let alone running my own class for almost two years. If I’m honest, I’m going to really miss it next year. But I think we’ve had a pretty successful time of it

I’ve been to new places – Conwy, Bishop Aukland, Durham, Lightcliffe, Bangor itself! – and revisited old favourites – Chester Zoo, Wrexham (shopping ) and Snowdon. I’ve acted like a child playing in the playground, I’ve belly danced with friends at the seaside when we thought no-one was watching, I’ve taken part in a Dance Competition, been a young Otter in Willows and met David Crystal. And I’m the one who never wanted to go to University in the first place!!

I’m so glad I did.

All that remains now between me and the next big step in my life is two weeks of lectures, a dance show, four deadlines and Graduation. There is also my 21st in July, then my adventure to Brunei in August. What a way to finish off my academic education! I can’t help thinking though – can I just go back to being about 6 again? And stay there? No responsibilities, everyone is a friend, and you can spend all day playing and painting! Actually…the latter of those doesn’t really change I spend way too much time on my creative hobbies!

But I do have to grow up In a matter of months School and University will be behind me, and I will need to find a job. Arghhhhhhh!!! Haha.

‘Be yourself, & I promise people will enjoy it; & If they don’t, forget them’ – Mitchell Davis

 

Packing up and dancing on

It’s a Saturday evening…most students are getting ready to go out, have a few drinks and hit the nightclubs. Or possibly going round to someone’s house for a film night and a nice cup of tea. It’s also the first Saturday of the Easter holidays so many students have already gone home (as is the case in my house). For me…I am sitting in an empty house, with my Latin & Ballroom shoes on, Radio 2 playing songs I’ve not heard and a huge pile of clothes on my bed! I’m going home tomorrow and am midway through packing up as much of my room as possible. Currently, one suitcase is already full, and I have at least another still in piles on the bed, and that’s just clothes :/ I really do have too much stuff! I have no idea where it is all going to go at home…I don’t exactly have a small room, but it IS still fairly full without my Uni room stuff :/ Why am I packing up now? Basically there is a lot of stuff in Bangor that I don’t really need after Easter…winter clothes (hopefully), extra pairs of dance shoes, spare bedding (that doesn’t even go on my bed here!), dress making materials etc…so it makes sense to take that home now. Also, the more I can find homes for now, the more chance I have of actually living in my room over Summer! If I took everything home in one go I wouldn’t be able to move. However, I then have the ‘what if I DO need it?’ problem. I’ll take all this stuff home and then come back in three weeks without something that I later realise would have been useful. I’m not very good at planning a month in advance, especially considering North Wales’ weather, and the fact that I only have two weeks of lectures and 6 deadlines before I finish Uni! So much extra time I might need things for! Oh well, cross that bridge when I get to it

Anyway, as a break from my packing I thought I’d share some recent performance pictures. Sorry for the quality of some of the pictures…it’s difficult to take pictures of movement without the flash! Plus, for some, the lighting was really really bad! This first one is the International Gala 17.02.12 where we performed Dum Tek Tek. There were other performances from the Indian Society, Afro-Caribbean, a Juggler, Hip-Hop, Chinese dances music acts and instrumentals. I showed this costume before…made up of lots of scarves tied to a shoelace Still love that idea

03.03.12 brought An Evening of the Arts. We had a slot of three dances…so I started off with a veil solo of Thurayya, danced to Entrance of the Stars from the Belly Dance Superstars Vol. II CD. I went wrong, but that’s the beauty of a solo slot…you can go wrong and no-one knows! I could have improvised the entire thing if I’d wanted to! (Or had the confidence to!). Then we moved onto Under The Sea with veils. This went really well too, despite only having had a very brief rehearsal of it beforehand! Lastly we did our ‘new’ dance Petals. I say new – it is new to Al Bahiyya but is actually one of Al Jamila’s dances from ages ago that I borrowed Again, minimal rehearsal, and a few mistakes, but it looked great Costume for this…I wanted to wear my maxi skirt because it was floral for Petals and blue for Under The Sea. I then draped a cotton sarong round a belt and tied that over the skirt. On top of this I tied two folded square scarves so the knots were at my hips. Add a flower garland and a coin belt and the bottom half was sorted However, this presented me with the problem of the top half. The top I had worn for Under The Sea previously was a) at home, and b) too green for the overall look of my bottom half. I don’t have any blue crop tops. I did have a blue scarf. A bit of wrapping and a whole load of safety pins later and I had a crop top! Add a few flowers and bracelets to make it look more complete and I had a complete outfit that was comfortable, practical and pretty

Fast forward to 07.03.12 and Clwb Cabaret at the Greek Taverna. We had a 15 minute slot for this, so we made full use of it Started with Under The Sea, but without veils as we were a little pushed for space. Next I did a Tabla solo…more or less all on the same spot, but more controlled movements. Next was Petals with all of four of us – I still managed to whack wrists with someone in the spins! Fourth was Lasha Tumbai – a Eurovision song from a few years ago. This has to be one of the most fun dances I have choreographed…very fast, but great fun! I hadn’t actually performed it since last March for BEDS Have Got Talent! Lastly, Dum Tek Tek as a finale Always goes down well! Costume – I went more ‘cabaret’ for this, so wore the orange and silver costume, but over a red choli top and my tribal underskirt.

13.03.12 Multi-Cultural Night 2 in Academi (the student nightclub). Not only was I dancing Belly Dance (more on that in a minute) I was part of Dance Flavas – revisiting our Christmas Show dance This was more nerve-wracking than any BD performance! Al Bahiyya were the final act to perform…again we did three dances, this time Petals, Lasha Tumbai, Dum Tek Tek. I think we had the most dancers we’ve had for a while…so this was really nice And of course we had a night out together as well as performing! Costume – Indian crop top, Indian silk skirt, black split overskirt, the usual scarves, hipbelts and charms, as well as way too much jewellery For once I actually wore shoes to dance…I didn’t trust the nightclub floor! It was a really lovely night, and I stayed for most of it, until I got really tired I like this costume too…might actually reuse it! One other thing I noticed about this evening, and Clwb Cabaret…it is so much harder to dance on the same level as your audience, especially as close as they were! Give me a stage any day!

Lastly, Inter-Welsh Dance Competition 17.03.12. This saw Swansea, Aberystwyth and Bangor competing against each other in Ballet, Contemporary, Jazz, Tap, Irish, Street, Break Battle and Open Category. I was competing in Irish Soft Shoe and Irish Hard Shoe, and then Al Bahiyya had a guest performance. Soft shoe went amazingly well…we won! Weell done again to everyone, and our choreographer Simi I love this photo…brilliant action shot! Hard shoe wasn’t quite so great…the audience didn’t realise we had finished as it was quite short. Having seen the video since, we do at least all look like we know what we are doing…but Swansea won the category. Other successes for Bangor were Beginners Jazz winning their category and best costume, Beginners Tap joint winners, and the Break Battle joint winners! After the main competition, there were two guest performances – Popping and Locking, and then us We danced Dum Tek Tek (at request )…despite being low on numbers! I may have made an emergency call to someone to get them to come….:P Costume – long blue skirt, then shorted blue and silver skirt, white/silver scarf, hipbelt and charm belt, tacked up red sequin top and lots and lots of jewellery! I wanted to wear some of my Summer Show jewellery to get used to wearing it. 

Thanks must go to those who took photos at these events It’s so lovely to have a record of all our performances!

Anyway…must get back to the packing…maybe after a cuppa though Until I next get round to posting:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be?” ~Unknown