 | Oriental Dreams - Arabian Dance, Music and Poetry A richly layered theatrical production of passion, great originality and beauty which was held at The Bloomsbury Theatre, London on Saturday 4 September 2010
This very special debut celebrated new music by eminent composer Chalf Hassan and inspirational choreography by Melanie Norman whose artistry is steadily winning acclaim both in the UK and Cairo. It also marked the release of The Arab Quarter's first CD. Guest dancers included the hugely popular Khaled Mahmoud, a bright star on the international belly dance scene who is charting a course of rich development; Mercedes Nieto, a formidably talented dancer from Hungary who enjoyed her London premiere and graced the stage with her profound artistry; Shafeek Ibrahim who added his own unique artistic vitality; and Tracey Jones who brought a depth of warmth and courage as she made her stunning return to the world of professional dance. The Arab Quarter Band included the highly regarded Bashir Abdel Aal on ney, the talented George Dergham on keyboards, the respected Mazin Abu Sayf on accordion, and percussionist Mohammed Abbas, who all joined the versatile multi-instrumentalist Chalf Hassan on oud, vocals and tabla. Dramatic and powerful poetry narration was by actress Kay Francksen.
  
Photographs by Maani Photography  |