Our Weekend with the Ramzys

What a treat some the Ya Raqs girls had this weekend - well not just us but everyone in the North West - a weekend of amazing workshops with none other than Hossam and Serena Ramzy.

Meroe, Kebi and Phoenece headed to the Trinity Sports Centre in Manchester, the chosen venue for this weekend of pure Ramzy-ness. The Saturday found us all in Classical mode with Serena guiding us through an amazing routine to a track from Hossam’s album Ruby – The Black Opal. Kebi was a bit unsure about this one at first, she doesn’t usually “do” Classical – but by the end of the day she was a complete convert. The routine was challenging but gave us all the opportunity to perfect some points of technique, to learn some new moves and to do a bit of improvisation by really translating the music.

Kebi, Meroe and Phoenece with Hossam and Serena

Our very own Meroe is currently enrolled with the Drumzy Dance School on their Advanced Dancer course. So she took the opportunity to catch up with Hossam and Serena over dinner on the Saturday evening. Living up to true Ya Raqs reputation she did cake – well sticky toffee and chocolate volcano pudding to be precise, so not quite cake but close enough. Don’t worry she’d didn’t eat them all herself – both Hossam and Serena have a sweet tooth that almost rivals that of Meroe’s, but only almost!

On the Sunday and we were into new territory and a new twist on Saaidi – a modern fusion with some Persian and Indian moves. On paper this shouldn’t work – but it did! Unlike many fusions this remained true to the Saaidi base to give it a real Egyptian feel. Again, very challenging, but with plenty of opportunity for a bit of improvisation.

Meroe was put on the spot a bit this weekend when Hossam got her to show off some of her new found drumming skills that she has been learning whilst on the Advanced Dancer course. He asked her to join him and Serena to drum for the rest of the students in the workshop. No rehearsal time, no music, just a piece from memory - no pressure then! But she did it and it helped to demonstrate that someone like Meroe, who has never read music before in her life, could be sat in a dance studio in Manchester drumming with Hossam and Serena!!

On the subject of drums - Phoenece decided that now would be a good time to start her Christmas shopping. So someone out there is in line to get one of Hossam’s beautiful new lady's tablas for Christmas - lucky thing.

Phoenece's Christmas shopping

Our thanks - and thank you on behalf of all the other students who came to Manchester - to the amazing Hossam and Serena Ramzy for a wonderful weekend.

Watch this space folks. This isn’t the first and it certainly won’t be the last Drumzy School weekend in the North West!

To find out more about the courses and workshops that Hossam and Serena run check out their website and if you want to know about lessons with Meroe click here, or email us for details on yaraqs@hotmail.co.uk

St Leger Roman Weekend

The weekend of the 6th and 7th September saw us back in sunny Doncaster - or should that be Danum! Actually the Saturday wasn’t so sunny, in fact there was talk of us all joining the Roman navy at one point! We seriously thought our luck with the weather this year had finally run out, because it poured!

We spent Saturday in our Tunisian costumes trying to convince our audience, and ourselves, that it really wasn’t as cold and wet as it felt. I have to say we were very grateful that we were able to share the shelter of the command tent with the Deva Victrix women.

Meroe and Phoenece take shelter

But thankfully, just after lunchtime, the rain stopped and not only were we able do a bit of dancing, we even got some of the Romans up to join us.

Meroe teaching one of the Romans to dance

Of course the only problem with a cold wet day, where dancing is difficult, is that often there is nothing else to do but eat cake! We surprised ourselves on the Saturday by managing to get not one, not two, but three helpings of cake in before 4 o’clock!

Phoenece and Tameri tuck in

But despite the weather, the good folk of Doncaster turned out in force to see us and what dancing we were able to do was to a reasonably sized and very appreciative audience.

One of the nice things about our events in Doncaster is that we get to stay in town on the Saturday night and therefore have a chance to let our hair down. This year was a bit of a busman’s holiday because we ended up in a Turkish Restaurant - Turkuaz. We had a great meal and got to dance with the resident dancer.

Kebi and the dancer

We then went on to a pub in town to dance the night away - well we had missed out on dancing during the day, so what could we do? Now before you ask, there is photograph and even video evidence of what we got up to. However, it’s probably best you are spared that. Let’s just say that what happened in Doncaster is best left in Doncaster!

So on to day two - a brilliant, bright, sunny Sunday - what a contrast. We were able to get our little home from home set up and even managed some mini-me dress up and some henna. Sunday in Doncaster is always a very gentle day, but once the troops were back from marching round town we greeted the following crowds with our first dance set and even managed to get some of them up and dancing.

Performing the Nubian set

From that point on, it was all systems go. The Romans followed our set with a military display, then we followed them with our second dance set. That led straight into the kids’ army and before we knew it, it was 2:30 in the afternoon and .... you guessed, it time for tea and cake. Well come on! We had missed lunch!

This afternoon we took our tea in the amazing Doncaster Minster which is currently raising funds for some much needed restoration - if you’ve not been inside the minster you should go - the windows are beautiful. Although it has to be said that on Sunday I’m not quite sure that the ladies serving the tea had had quite so many Roman goddesses in the minster in one go!

Tea in the minster - Naima, Meroe, Phoenece, Temari and Kebi

Having been suitably revived by tea and cake we came to the main event of the weekend - the Gladiator Show - and for the first time in the history of Ya Raqs’ involvement with the St Leger Festival, it wasn’t blowing a hooley so we were able to dance with the veils without them getting wrapped round our heads!

We had a great time working with Deva Victrix and the VIII Augusta.

Group photo at the end of the day

Our thanks to Colin Joy and his team from Doncaster Tourism, to the staff at the Premier Inn and the St Leger Festival – we had a great time and hope to do it all again next year.