Writer’s Choice

Bellydancers shake up campus

In the Arabic world, a “hafla” is a party of championship proportions. Students interested in Middle Eastern belly dancing at UW–Madison are gearing up for an entire weekend of same, featuring some of the Midwest’s most renowned dancers Friday and Saturday, March 31 and April 1.

Bellydancing stars from across the region will perform at the Sixth Annual Bellydancing Show on Friday, beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the Mosse Humanities Building’s Mills Concert Hall. Advance tickets are $7 general/$5 with valid UW–Madison student or other student ID (order tickets at http://uwbellydancing.rso.wisc.edu/). Tickets are $10 at the door.

Performing at the show Friday and leading workshops on Saturday will be Onca, the renowned founder and director of Baraka Mundi Ensemble and co-director of the Future of Tradition Center for Folkloric Arts in North Carolina.

Beginning with the liberal arts and working her way through a study of history, myth, movement, Capoira (a Brazilian form combining dance and martial arts), traditional music and ritual, Onca has devised “tribal belly dance,” an interdisciplinary style that incorporates many of the traditional art forms that she loves. Tribal dance may fuse yoga, flamenco, hip-hop or anything else that the dancer feels exalts the female spirit.

Renee Disch, a senior majoring in elementary education, has been involved in belly dancing since her sophomore year.

“I saw Layali Najam (the club’s performing arm) teach and perform. I was so intrigued by the dance form that I started attending beginner practices. I was even able to increase my discipline level through honing my dance skills, and could perform in the fourth annual show. I became the overall coordinator for the fifth,” she says.

Today, Disch is the president of bellydancing (UW) and president of Layali Najam. It keeps her quite busy, she says.

“We have several hundred people on our electronic mailing list. There are about 45 taking beginner classes, in which they learn the basic moves as well as some simple choreography. About 25 are taking intermediate classes — they learn more advanced choreography,” she says. “In Layali Najam, the 20 performing troupe members learn and polish dances and then present them at campus, multicultural and nonprofit events.”

Disch ads that she has learned much more in the group than dance movements.

“I’ve learned so much about organization — the year that I coordinated the show we had over 100 people attend our workshop and about 400 at the show,” she says, adding that UW–Madison’s Bellydancing Weekend could well be the largest event of its kind in the region.

“I hope that nonmembers who come to the show will see how professional we are, and what an asset to campus,” she says. “I think that they will get that message by seeing the high degree of skill and difficulty we present, and how we have organized the weekend.”

The show is on March 31; bellydancing workshops will be held on April 1. A morning workshop will serve as an introduction to tribal belly dancing. The afternoon session will focus on Spanish fusion. The cost of the two workshops is $65 for nonmembers. UW–Madison students can take the morning class only for $30.

There also will be a bellydancing hafla and dance party April 1. The cost is $5 for nonmembers. The club also will offer an $8 show and hafla deal. The hafla is included in the workshop fee.

For more information about the Bellydancing Weekend or to register, visit http://uwbellydancing.rso.wisc.edu/.