On June 17th I hosted Another Little Bit of Cairo on Duke Street: the Leith Festival Hafla. It's the fourth time I've hosted this free event because I like to put something I enjoy into my own community as part of Leith Festival. It's also my way of trying to get more of my students to become part of the bellydance community, by letting them see what a hafla is, in a very informal setting. The venue is The Parlour, a pub on Duke Street in Leith, and the event is free, so the idea is that people who are a bit interested but also a bit nervous will find it easier to come along.
It's also great when people walk in to their local for a pint and find it filled with bellydancers making a racket. It's fun to watch the expressions of surprise, joy and/or terror on the faces of regulars when they walk in. You might detect some of it on the face on the man at the bar while I'm performing:
There was a smashing atmosphere and all of the performers were smashing. There was a raffle at the hafla and we raised £83 for Parkinson's UK.
Two nights later was the Marvellous Musselburgh Hafla. This one is also annual, and this might have been the 6th time I've hosted it. This year it was plagued with problems - the date I wanted wasn't available; the only date possible was two nights after the Leith Festival hafla; then the venue was getting renovated and the new one they offered wasn't suitable; several of the performers didn't show up. But in the end if it was a fun evening in a smashing new venue (Wire Mill Social Club, next to Musselburgh Racecourse) and we raised £236 for Parkinson's UK.
Thanks to all the bellydancers who performed at my events; to everyone who helped organise and made them run smoothly, at the Parlour and Wire Mill; and to the lovely audiences who came along and cheered.
If you're interested in bellydance in Ednburgh or Musselburgh you can find me at www.swishandhips.co.uk
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