The sun has come out – briefly – and my eyes are caught by the display in my garden of the white upright dazzle of the foxgloves against the dainty tumble of the roses behind. As usual my thoughts drift towards the dance.
This juxtaposition of form and flow is the harmony which we love about the natural world and is what we strive for in art. Raqs Sharqi is no different! I wrote previously that it was the beauty of the images in the temples and graves in Upper Egypt which gave me the impetus to look how we can use clarity of arm positioning to bring strength and charisma to our dancing. Arm shape of course is not enough. Unless the upper spine and the heart area is expressing the melody, subtlety, the effect of this arm positioning would be stiff and contrived. It is the softness of the the chest and the freedom of movement in the shoulder/arm joints which makes sense of Pharaonic Baladi.
There are still places at the Pharaonic Baladi workshops next weekend. Please see below.
liza wedgwood dance 