Farida’s Fab Fab Farha!!!

As I write this piece I am still buzzing from the wonderful experiences of my week in Luxor with Farida Adventures.

Not having been to Egypt before, not even on holiday (I know a belly dancer who’s never been to Egypt, its unheard of) but nevertheless its true and having seen photo’s and heard such good reports about the previous ‘Farha Festival’ in Luxor I decided that this was possibly the best way for me to dip my toe in the Nile and take my first look at the home of belly dance.

As with most holidays the excitement built as the time for flying got nearer and nearer, getting clothes ready, dance wear and of course performance costumes (I needed 2 for my photo shoot with Tracey Gibbs, another treat I had booked for myself).

Finally the day arrived, I traveled down to Birmingham Airport the night before and stayed at a small hotel nearby. Well actually my hubby drove me down, bless him, it was quite strange him leaving me there as we usually go away on holiday together but not this time, not on a dance holiday!

As a solo traveler you’re always a bit unsure of how things will go, what will the flight be like, how do I get the visa on arrival, will there be other people I know on the same flight, what will the other girls be like, will you all get on, what will the hotel be like, the questions running around in your head are endless. So it was lovely to see so many familiar belly dance faces at the airport the next morning, it was just like traveling with family.

It was a very good flight, it left and arrived on time but nothing prepares you for the heat that hits you in the face when you step out of the aeroplane ooooooohhhhhh!! 45 degrees +
After a bit of confusion on arrival I finally got into the right queue for my visa, went through passport control and met up with everyone outside where Sara Farouk was waiting for us with a mini bus.
The journey across the car park was my first experience of egyptian perseverence, I don’t know how many men and boys there were but they all wanted to carry our suitcases. I was told not to make eye contact and to hold on to my case, which I did but in retrospect they were only trying to make a living and none of them were really aggressive.
It was a short ride to the hotel and with Sara acting like a true tour guide pointing out landmarks and giving us some background information on the local area, a very pleasant one.

On arrival at the hotel, which was lovely, our luggage was taken and we had a cooling welcome drink in one of the bars whilst we waited for keys to be allocated.
The hotel rooms are in double story buildings set out in a grid pattern with small courtyards and each area is named after a pharoah. Now this seems easy to navigate when you are shown to your room but it was quite funny that evening as I tried to get back to reception and ended up walking a marathon around possibly the whole of the hotel grounds!

On the first evening there is a welcome meeting, a chance to catch up with friends you haven’t seen for a while and to meet lots of new people for the first time. You find out which group you’re in and are given a timetable of classes. You’re told about trips you can take on your one day off, the odd word of Arabic like ‘no’ and generally if you have any questions then this is the time to ask them. It’s a lovely informal evening with again a non alcoholic cocktail thrown in and depending on your staying power a few alcoholic drinks later.

The week was made up of classes each day, stretch class every morning with Tracey at 9am, workshops from 10am - 12 noon and then 2pm - 4pm with wonderful teachers, Eman Zaki, Lorna Gow, Kazafy and the added bonus of live musicians in class, what more could you ask for.
Workshops were varied and hard work but very rewarding, well lets just say that no one skipped lessons to lie by the pool. If you had to pick a favourite workshop or teacher it was virtually impossible they were all brilliant.
There were also lovely informal talks given by Eman, Lorna and Kazafy about their lives and dance careers which everyone enjoyed, it gave us a chance to get to know them a little better and understand what makes them tick.

Most of our evenings were free time to do whatever we wanted, you either had your evening meal and ended up in the Sundowner bar overlooking the Nile or you ventured out into the big wide world and went into Luxor.
On one of the evenings a group of us decided we wanted to go shopping in the souk in Luxor to buy all things bling! So we enlisted the help of Ann who is very wise in all things bartered, we piled into 2 taxis and off we went.
I was very apprehensive on the way down town wondering if I could cope with all the hassle I thought we were going to get. I couldn’t have been more wrong, it was fun and I didn’t feel threatened in any way.
Walking down the souk is a bit like running the gauntlet, as Ann said, you have to look but don’t lokk like your looking, if that makes sense. The men are so funny they talk to you as if they have known you all their lives and compliments ooze from them, their banter is amazing, just to get you into their shop, 10 out of 10 for effort I’d say. Then when you finally go in that’s when the real fun starts. It was a very new experience for me, at first you’re a bit wary, it feels too close for comfort but as you watch others bartering and go with the flow of it, it is quite a fun thing to do, a bit like a game where everyone wins. It ended up being a really good night out.

Saturday was our free day, no classes, well actually Kay and Sara did teach a class each but these were optional taster classes.
I had booked to take both the Valley of Kings tour Saturday morning and the Karnak Light show in the evening and I am so glad I did.
The Valley of the Kings tour was wonderful, a real must, although it was extremely hot (thank goodness for air conditioned buses) it was well worth the early morning start.
Our tour guide was an archeologist by profession and very knowledgable, it was amazing how much information he had at his finger tips, far too much for me or I think any of us to remember fully, which is a shame but he was very interesting to listen to and he explained everything in great detail. I would recommend this trip to anyone who visits the Luxor area it is something that should not be missed, hence the 100’s of photos taken.
I had planned to go to the afternoon classes but after having 2 early starts in a row (previous morning up a 5am for my photo shoot) and again this morning for the tour, I just had lunch and then vegged out by the pool. Fully rested the evenings entertainment was the Karnak Light Show, well worth a visit, then back to the hotel for a night cap or 2, it’s a hard life!

A highlight of the week, which was rather special, was Lorna Gows show, she is such a wonderful performer, technically brilliant and so giving of the dance, she makes you feel like the performance is just for you and on top of that she’s a fabulous teacher and a really nice person.

However, the pinnacle of the whole week for me was the Performance Party on the last evening.
As I said at the beginning of this article, everyone was split into 2 groups A & B, one group was for people who wanted to solo perform with the band, the other group was for people who wanted to perform the group dance with the boys and I had put down to solo perform with the band.
Both groups did all the same workshops but at different times so everyone had the opportunity to dance with live musicians, the only difference being that on the day of the party each person from our group was allocated a short rehearsal slot with the band to run through our solos.

The night of the party the marquee looked lovely, everything set out beautifully, everyone looked fabulous in an array of costumes and colours, there was an excitement and bubbly feel to the whole place, it was going to be a really good night!! You just knew it.
The running order had been split into 4 sections and I was in the second one after Lyn and before Tracey. I changed into my costume during one of the group dances and then waited in the changing room at the sife of the stage for my turn.

I heard the applause for Lyn and then heard Sara announce me, this was it I thought, the one thing you’ve been waiting to do, go out and enjoy it.
As my music was being played and I walked up onto the stage it was like all my birthdays and christmas put together, I felt so happy. The band were absolutely brilliant, they made me feel special, it just felt so right. It felt like I had been waiting all my life to do this, this was what it’s all about, the dance, giving it, sharing the emotion you feel with everyone, I thought at one point my heart would burst through my chest, what a wonderful feeling something that every dancer should experience at least once. Wanting everyone to share in the complete happiness you feel in the music.
If you asked me how I danced or what I did, who knows, the music carried me away, I only know I started on stage and finished off stage in between was just an emotional roller coaster ride and I enjoyed every single minute of it, I didn’t want it to stop. I just remember seeing lots of smiling faces!

The whole evening was brilliant, so many wonderful dancers and a very personal performance by Sara which meant a great deal to me. Put that together with our fabulous El Layali el Helwa band, the brilliant Saiddi band, Kazafy and the boys what more could you ask for, it was heaven.
So its off to the pool for a dip before bed…..well why not it’s warm enough!

My first experience of Egypt will live with me for a long time, there are few occasions in life where almost everything goes right, for me the Farida Farha Festival was one of them. My thanks to Kay, Sara and Tracey for making it so very special.
It had everything for me, lovely hotel, the opportunity to train with top class teachers in a wonderful environment, to see and experience a taste of Egypt and most of all the fabulous opportunity to dance with a live band, a memory that will live with me forever.

My name is down for May 2012!!!!……….Hope to see you all there

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