The 6th November saw us driving up from Devon to Tadley in Hampshire, to take part in the Mersin Day of Dance’s haflah. I couldn’t make it in time for the workshops, but judging from the advertising there was a great choice of workshops on offer, taught by Karine Butchart, Talia, Emma Pyke, Kathryn Dawes & Al Warner. It was worth going though, just for excellent performances in the haflah. Arriving just before the commencement of festivities, we found ourselves a warm welcome as we greeted friends and found seats. There was a lovely dance area which had been beautifully decorated, along with a bar, great food and a splendid bazaar.
It is really hard to pick out the highlights from a talented line-up of performers, so I’m just going to mention those I enjoyed even more than the others. The evening got off to an excellent start with Mersin performing a fabulous number to Nokta. I have seen this number performed several times before, and I have to say this was the best yet!
Southampton teacher Talia then danced two modern Turkish numbers, the first being a lovely veil piece. Talia’s love of Turkish dance and its' music lit up the room, something a bit special! Another highlight was Kathryn’s lyrical and flowing baladi, which was all the more impressive when she told me that the wrong music had been played! This was followed by an interesting fusion number from Al using two peacock feather fans. The second session was opened by Sara dancing to Oojami’s Chicky, which started and ended with a clever piece of floorwork, done on a tiny raised stage.
It was nice to see a group of dancers using finger cymbals, and Emma’s students demonstrated the art beautifully - a large group of dancers, all in perfect unison. Sadly, there were several numbers I didn’t get to see as I was backstage getting ready to dance myself. I saw snippets of Emma & Dallal’s solos when I peaked through the window, which made me wish I’d seen more. However, I did get the chance to see Karine’s brilliant baladi to Shik Shak Shok. Many people think this song is overused, but Karine danced beautifully giving it a fresh look that made my hips twitch to join in!
The formal part of the evening was rounded off by a virtuoso performance by Mersin. Dancing to Drummers Reel by Dhol Foundation, it was a kaleidoscope of movement, veils, synchronised hip drops and twirling swords - a feast for the eyes! Much of the material performed in the course of the evening was written by Emma & Sara. It is understatement to say that they are accomplished choreographers, with such excellent use of space, musicality and patterns.
The rest of the evening was devoted to dancing to drummers Tim & Dave, in between eating and trying to drag myself away from the bazaar! It really was a shame when it was time to pack up and go home! Congratulations to Mersin for an excellent evening of entertainment!
© Afra al Kahira
This review originally appeared in Taqasim Magazine