I attended the Friday evening master class and Sunday Workshop at Dance Attic in Fulham on 19th & 21st May 2000.

Shareen el Safy has long been one of my favourite US Master Teachers. Her teaching style is direct and very much 'hands-on', which is so important when working on and improving the postural technique which is so essential to the modern Egyptian style in which Shareen is an expert.

A large part of the Friday session was focused on technique and posture correction. For several dancers this was a first introduction to this style of dancing and I know some found it quite challenging. Personally I find this part of the sessions the most valuable as for many years now I have been using Shareen's technique to help improve the alignment of my spine which has developed a slight curve backwards as a result of an auto accident and now it's finally starting to show a little progress! Without going into the finer details of the technique and how it works (I am in no way an expert) let me just qualify that from a UK standpoint the most salient features are: virtually straight, not locked legs, a soft, but strong, abdomen, lift from the upper spine and use of the strength in the buttocks and thighs. Together this gives a much more powerful look and feeling to one's dance.

After technique we worked on a choreography to music by the Georges Lamman Ensemble - "Fi Yom We Leyla". The music was sumptuous full of the rich sounds of the violins and the choreography beautifully matched the music. There was a marvellous collection of movements, some simple and others more intricate many of which were fresh from Egypt where Shareen has been studying.

Shareen worked us very hard in each session, so we really got great value for money, but she was also careful to make sure no one over-extended themselves and rotated the rows so that everyone who wanted could stand at front to get a good view. This was particularly important on the Sunday when the experience level of the class was much more mixed. Shareen was tireless and patient, still full of energy at the very end of each session performing the complete choreography several times with each group of students. On Saturday she went from teaching a workshop to giving a performance at Jewelah's show in Windsor and was still fresh and full of energy for the Sunday workshop!

Shareen is a delightful teacher and a dynamic performer. Don't miss the opportunity to learn from her when she next visits the UK.

Afra al Kahira