Middle-Eastern Dance began again under new management on Tuesday 10th Jan 2023

This means we are at the start of being a collective of dancers sharing with each other.

Please join us if you’re interested in improving your suppleness and learning how to move to exciting rhythms. Warm-up exercises are a prerequisite of each session and we always work within your comfort zone. We have a quiet, thoughtful cool-down at the end of each session.

We’ve decided to take a collective approach to our dance, which means that some with considerable experience share with those who have less. It’s not compulsory to be an active contributor -- it was just that, after 15 years of leading the group, Brenda decided she would like to take a back seat.

We learn to build up a repertoire of dance steps and combinations of moves. So, everyone brings something from their experience. Often dancers are surprised at what they have remembered. Those who are new are often surprised at the development of their confidence and what they remember from way back.

Over the last 4 years we have included other dance forms, known colloquially as Tribal Fusion. Here we take basic rhythms and add on other dance forms. Currently we are doing a South African dance, but in the past we have included Celtic, Spanish and South American dance forms. We encourage group members to bring music they particularly like and then we create a choreography to match the music. Some of our dance moves are taken from YouTube -- a wonderful source of music and dance.

Members of the group find it warm and welcoming. Initial inhibition seems to fall away as we learn that we all have the potential to dance and develop a sense of ease and ownership with our bodies.

For more information, please contact Barbara Blades (07779 657420)