On the 29th of January I was in the audience for a very special event. Dance of Hope was a sell-out show, organised by Afra al Kahira to raise money for the S.E. Asia Tsunami Appeal. Afra brought together a host of very talented dancers and we were treated to an amazing evening of dance. Top of the bill was no less than Hossam and Serena Ramzy, and to be honest that was my main reason for buying a ticket. I only recognised the names of a few of the performers, and out of those there were only a couple that I’d ever seen dance, so I did wonder what I was letting myself in for! However, once the show got under way I very quickly realised that I was watching some of the cream of the South of England’s dancers. There wasn’t a bad performance amongst them and Afra had put together a varied an interesting line-up with everything from pop, fusion, baladi, classical and beyond. You know it’s a good show when you are surprised that they are announcing the interval! I really enjoyed Charlotte Desorgher’s opening number, along with the Mesmera Dancers, Mersin and Anne White in the first half. In the second half those I enjoyed best were Group Aziza - very colourful as they danced their Ghawazee number, Lily, Maria D’Silva and Afra’s incredible sword dance! Sword, finger cymbals and she even lay down flat on the stage without the sword falling off, we were so impressed that many of us in the audience burst into applause at that point!
However, without a doubt the star that shone brightest was the beautiful and talented Serena. I think I could watch her dance for ever! Hossam opened the final set with a very moving tribute to the lovely Vashti who had danced a Persian Make-up number immediately before him. He said that Vashti gave him the encouragement and support at the start of his career which helped get to where he is today. How nice of him to say it in front of such a huge audience!
Hossam demonstrated his virtuoso skills as a percussionist, then Serena came on danced to Inta Omri and we had the opportunity to see just how talented a dancer she really is. She seemed totally at one with the music. There was a bit of a hiccup at the end when the music system went wrong, so Hossam reappeared, and he and Serena performed an impromptu drum solo. You could see the sparks flying back and forth between them - wow! They were given a hugely deserved roar of applause when they finished.
At this point Afra came back on stage with flowers for Hossam & Serena, and the main helpers. She seemed genuinely surprised when a large bouquet was presented to her too. Afra came over as very self effacing, seeming only too happy to allow others to have the limelight, but without her this amazing show wouldn’t have happened. I’m really glad I got to see her dance (it was the first time). Like many of the other dancers she seemed so at home on the stage, as I said earlier there wasn’t a duff performance in the show.
The evening was not without its other highlights either. Afra’s husband John is a great MC, and Charlotte Desorgher and her husband did an excellent job running an auction for lots of dance goodies during the interval. I really wanted the DVD autographed by Hossam and Serena, but it went beyond my price range, so I comforted myself with a hip scarf from the bazaar instead! I found out afterwards that the Brighton Orient Bazaar donated a whopping 30% of their takings that evening, a very impressive gesture! The Stanley Halls was a lovely venue with it’s Victorian concert hall interior providing a nice setting, and a stage that we could all see clearly.
I really enjoyed Dance of Hope, it showed that as a dance community we can make a difference to those that need our help most. Like everyone I sat and watched the pictures of the devastation the tsunami had caused, but there is no way that I could have put together something like this. Even though like everyone I know, I wanted to do my bit to help. At the end of the show Afra’s husband did say how much had been raised, but unfortunately I didn’t make a note of it.
Congratulations to Afra and everyone who took part - a great night out and we helped such a good cause too. It would be nice to see more shows like this in general, so I hope that Afra will consider putting on something similar in the future.
A note from Afra: Thanks to the generosity of everyone involved, Dance of Hope raised £3650! I’d like to add my personal, heartfelt thanks to everyone who took part, particularly Hossam & Serena without whom there is no doubt that we would not have sold so many tickets. I’d also like to thank Charlotte Desorgher whose support and help was invaluable. There was a marvellous sense of camaraderie backstage, everyone helping & supporting each other, and what wonderful show! I wish I could have seen more of it than the glimpses I caught backstage, but I did get to see at least part of every number. The audience was incredibly supportive with an enthusiastic round of applause for every single performer - all completely deserved in my opinion! As we drove back to our hotel that night, and then home to Devon the next day, it all like seemed like a wonderful dream! Thank you everyone who helped me to make that dream a reality!
This review first appeared in Taqasim Magazine