Part 2: Review of Zambra Mora workshop with Fiora Touliatou 13 December 2010, Fantasia Festival

Part 2

With the introduction about Zambra Mora under our belts, I will now give the review of the workshop.

It was held at the Fantasia Festival, a long

established bellydance festival  of workshops and evening shows, in Chiswick, London,  having many highly sought after, skilled and expert dancers/teachers come over the years, for a weekend.

This workshop took place in mid December, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Bearing in mind what we discussed in part 1, the Zambra Mora lends itself to a high level of wonderful interpretation and creativity, and Fiora was no exception. Zambra Mora, has no set moves, but it uses strong flamenco elements and stylings.

I have been to several Zambra Mora workshops over the years, all of which have been very original and artistic, well thought out and paced. The best ones have been with the dancers who have had some flamenco experience/dance background, as the dance would look like bellydance, rather than flamenco, and that makes this very important. This is because Zambra usually presents itself with lifted, high and flamenco held torso and strongly held arms. The more a dancer can show these flamenco differences, the better it is, to show that this dance is very different from bellydance.

Fiora herself, has Flamenco dance experience, so she explained what was required excellently.  Her own technique was very sharp and clear. She broke down moves and drilled them, with the class dancing in rows, then breaking off into pairs and small groups to improvise and have fun with the dance form. It was also a way of making sure you had explored the moves, made the mistakes you needed to, in order to allow learning to sink in.

Fiora showed us a range of moves , which included Egyptian dance moves, such as hip lifts ( to the side), camels(undulations), and adding on skirts, held in opposition to a left or right hip (when doing a hip lift) and changing arms with skirt held high, when doing a camel (undulation). She showed us backward spins (spinning anti -clockwise) using arms to propel us around, a spin(left or right)then stopping, to kick with a lifted knee, flicking out the toe, and lifting arms and elbows,  holding the skirt up .

Then she recommended bellydance moves, interspersed with what she had shown us, to help us keep a flow, with the added proviso keeping our postures lifted and high.

We worked on floreos, or wrist circles,and created lovely arm patterns, working arms ( lifted and rounded)- heads high and proud.

Partner work echoed us, using those moves, mirroring each  or moving away , or circling around each other.Then we sometimes created a group of four and played around with spinning.

The music was flamenco/flamenco inspired, and Fiora left us some notes with recommended music, her website and contact details, should we need any more help and guidance with this dance.

Although, I didn’t get to see her dance in the show, later, Fiora was a dynamic dancer in the class, very sensuous and passionate, with very clear, defined movements, fused with soft , feminine Egyptian moves. You could indeed see the difference in energy between the fusion she was creating: deep, internal, earthy and  passionate, flowing, sensuous and feminine.

Fiora’s teaching was clear and well-planned, and she  came around to support, advise, recap  and encourage us: dancers felt very, very inspired in her workshop. An afternoon well spent.  She won many new friends and fans that day. I look forward to doing another workshop with her, be it a Zambra or a bellydance. Can’t wait!

Fiora can be found on Facebook 🙂

PS Find out more about Birmingham’s Belly dance Festival http://www.bamba.org.uk/news_festivals.htm