I have been dancing with Wings of Isis for several years now and the exciting feel of all that fabric in motion still sends a tingle up my spine every time I step onto the stage with them. I have several different types of wings and only ever dance with double ones as I love the contrasts that the different colours and
fabrics can provide.

Some props have a cheeky element to them, some can wear several different personas (veils for instance) but nothing seems to capture the imagination quite so much as those using all out flash like wings or fire! I teach veil as an instrument that allows us to make the eddies and flows of the air around our dancing bodies visible to the audience, and with wings you are doing this on a very grand scale indeed. The slightest movements of arms and body will create interesting and exciting shapes in the air!

Wings are not in any way a traditional prop which is one of the reasons why you will never see me use them with a classical Egyptian song – it just wouldn’t be right. That said, recently top Cairo dance star Randa Kamel used a set briefly as part of her magensi!

However, in terms of 'fusion' there is a whole spectrum of different musical pathways to explore that will help give flight to your imagination, your dancing and of course your wings! Wings have been around in general terms for over 100 years. At the turn of the last century Loie Fuller was wowing audiences in Paris with her creative use of fabric and lighting, and if you go online here:

http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/varstg:@field(NUMBER(0405))

you can see a short clip of a dancer called Ameta using a white set in 1903. Whilst the quality of the film is a little sketchy and plays faster than it was performed at the time, it stills gives us a wonderful glimpse into the past!

Wings are visually very impressive and it’s easy to get lost in the moment of twirling them frantically in ever bolder shapes. Instead when you are practising aim for gentle fluidity and flourishes and think about being lighter than air. ‘Passion in Flight’ requires artistry and control so that we can transcend above the
vision of ‘oh look *another* dancer with wings’ to ‘wow – that was
fantastic she/he looked like they could almost fly!’

As the popularity of wings grows I am getting asked to teach more and more workshops with this exciting prop – if you would like to learn more please get in touch (afra@afraalkahira.com) You can also vist the wings of isis page by clicking here

Afra is teaching a wings workshop at Raqs Britannia 2007 and will be performing with them at events in New York in 2007 and 2008