Thread: Who is the UKs best Egyptian bellydancer?

well??

I live in Sweden and have seen so few dancers from the UK...ehrm...
But I have to say I love Wigglewhiz,Zafirah and Jo´s dance:)

Now you're asking?
But going on what I have seen only alive and kicking out and NOT on film ...and IM(NS)HO.
I can't say best but all these are skilled and entertain me
Not in any order because they are all good for different reasons
Sara Farouk ....interpretation and emotion
Yasmina polish and glamour ( both of these live in Cairo)
Lorna Gow tight and precise
Maria D'Silva warmth
Candi Colgrave Bell personality
Dawn O'Brien innovator
Wendy Marlett tribal queen ( but she's lives in Dublin and is originally fromn the USA so I cheat...who cares..g.:
Khaled Mahmoud ( so he's originally from Egypt...so I cheat...who cares..g.:
and I have to get all parochial and partial to Northerners:
Tracy Gibbs subtle and modern
Anne Kingston warm and sexeeee
Houda joyous!
Kharis classical smooth
Caroline Afifi just so natural

But I suppose beauty is in the eye of the beholder...we are all attracted to something that goes beyond technique..the Xsense!
Dancers who obviously have worked hard to do what they do and enjoy it and want to give and share.

*smacks forehead*
HOW could I forget Maria?

To my eye I like Anne Kingston and Hilary Shepherd a lot (I think there's a link to some footage of Hilary on here somewhere), and Kharis, as well as many on the list above. And I saw two women from Wales about four years ago do an incredible duet that I will never forget. I can only remember one of the dancer's names - Llysa Morgans - but that performance is etched in my memory and it was very Egyptian styled, modern and you just couldn't take your eyes away from their tight, sure and confidently-styled moves. It was slightly comedic but elegantly so and I loved it.

There are probably more that I can't think of right now but if you are surfing for videos you have a good list of dancers to be getting on with now!

I hear there are wonderful dancers all over the UK and I don't know them all/haven't seen them all. I hear Scotland is a veritable hotbed of talent!

It's always hard to choose a "best" though because each individual brings something unique to their dance. That's why I don't really like "bellydancer of the universe" competitions much, the drama of the competition obscures the subtleties of each dancer's style. We are forced to "choose".

Someone on here has a signature line something along the lines of "a dancer exudes their true spirit when they dance" or something, so that may be what attracts us or repels us with certain dancers, regardless of their technique. It's the chemistry between the dancer and us, the audience. What works for some doesn't work for others. Just look at the love-hate thing re. Dina - and she's classed as one of the "best" Egyptian dancers. "Best" can be meaningless and misleading sometimes.
xx

Originally Posted by emma-bessa

*smacks forehead*
HOW could I forget Maria?

Maria de Silva is a great dancer. And what makes her doubly admirable is that she's not a petite size 8 but a pretty curvy lass.

Yes I've only seen Maria dance live once (about two years ago) and I was very impressed indeed. Couldn't take my eyes off her. Very inspirational.

'hidden' scotland talent - i would say wigglewhiz, zafirah (i know you are in london but i don't care), fereshteh, moira banks, natalie blair, constantina, and tigerlilly (who has been asked to go back and audition again for BDSS when she is 18). I concur with the other 'famous' names. scottish dancers are fantastically proficient, but very bad at self promotion.

Originally Posted by Bellydancingcaroline

'hidden' scotland talent - i would say wigglewhiz, zafirah (i know you are in london but i don't care), fereshteh, moira banks, natalie blair, constantina, and tigerlilly (who has been asked to go back and audition again for BDSS when she is 18). I concur with the other 'famous' names. scottish dancers are fantastically proficient, but very bad at self promotion.

Fereshteh. Now there's a strange one. She's like Dina's double. I've seen her dance several times and each time she's like a clone of Dina. No style of her own. Very good, mind, in a technical way, but no personality.

Originally Posted by blackcherry

Fereshteh. Now there's a strange one. She's like Dina's double. I've seen her dance several times and each time she's like a clone of Dina. No style of her own. Very good, mind, in a technical way, but no personality.

I've seen Fereshteh dance only once once so I have no idea about variety in her performance, but I felt the same on the Dina issue. There were too many facial expresions for my personal taste. I'm not a fan of Dina's style anyway so that probably fits.

Yes, great technique. And very beautiful too.

Originally Posted by Freddie

I've seen Fereshteh dance only once once so I have no idea about variety in her performance, but I felt the same on the Dina issue. There were too many facial expresions for my personal taste. I'm not a fan of Dina's style anyway so that probably fits.

Yes, great technique. And very beautiful too.

She has an unfortunate sneery expression when she dances. It spoils an otherwise very attractive girl.