Cardigan Belly Dance Festival 2017

It's that time of year again, when I go slightly bats chasing dancers' details and music, trying to put together a show running order (it gets more difficult every year) which allows dancers time to change their costumes between pieces and provide the audience with a varied and entertaining showcase of belly dance at all levels.

This year saw the launch of West Wales Belly Dance, making the most of new teachers and classes which now stretch across the west of Wales from Powys, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire into Carmarthenshire.

We also coincided with the Cardigan Carnival, so we took a break from the pop-up troupe workshop at lunchtime to join the parade. We hurried along the lower streets to get to the far end of the high street to be in time for the off ... which was delayed, so we then had to stand around in the sunshine (could have been worse!). We were near the rear of the parade, and various dance groups had Isis wings, veils, Saidi sticks and so on,. A couple of dancers held a West Wales Belly Dance banner between them, a couple of us played finger cymbals and we generally injected some life and colour into the event. The vehicles at the end of the parade, were finding it hard to go slowly enough for the dancers in front of them, who were of course not moving at a brisk walking pace.

At the end of the high street, we peeled off to go back to the theatre, much to the disappointment of people watching and probably relief of the RNLI or ambulance or whoever it was behind us. We needed lunch and to restart workshops, and I badly needed a sit-down. A full day's workshops and evening performance as well as charging along the roads of Cardigan, what was I thinking?

Between vending and dealing with the preloved rails, dancing in the pop-up troupe and in the Imago Desert Rose piece, liaising with the technician and trying to catch up with dancers whom I hadn't seen for ages, I forgot to take photos, or even to give my camera to someone else. I think I had Desert Rose filmed, but can't find the file. But it was a great show, with Alanya dancing beautifully and some great solos and group pieces from both local groups and further afield. The stand-outs for me were my students; one who worked really hard on a fusion solo and opened the show with her blessing-based dance, and our Desert Rose piece which, I was told, we 'totally owned as strong, beautiful women' (!), and visitors from the Ammanford area the Lotus Sisters. Their strength, energy and magnetic presence had us all completely gripped. I'm so looking forward to their teaching next year!

In a change to previous years, we had four short (30 minute) workshops on the Sunday morning. Mine was 'An infinity of 8s' looking at Figure 8s and discussing changes in planes of movement, levels, dynamics and use in taqsim and for rhythms such as Wahda Kebira, Tsiftetelli and Maqsoum. It was a lot to get through, but good practice to focus the mind and body for me as a teacher as well as the other dancers.

These weekends involve such a lot of work and stress leading up to them, a lot of work and joy during them, and utter exhaustion after them. I got home feeling totally drained, drank a pint of water and went to bed, wondering how I was going to find the energy for the Joon Dance contemporary summer school starting the following morning.