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Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MARCH 2014 • Tel: 01530 244069
All the latest news from Groby WI Roxanne Dinsdale amazed us with her display of belly dancing. She began dancing and swirling around as a child and has been entertaining professionally for thirty years, taking part in sixty TV programmes as an extra and before an audience of 700 as part of the Bollywood Dance Troupe. Her father was her mentor; she described him as a Del Boy character who was on the Club circuit as a performer. He quickly realised her potential as a dancer and her popularity as the other half of a double act. The eastern dancing came after she saw a group of dancers from London, but how to learn the basics? There was no way of logging on to Google for instructions. The only information she found was on an LP from the library. It was a hard slog, but perseverance paid off and it brought in work from weddings, parties etc. When she removed her outer clothing revealing the perfect figure moving to control, especially if there is a sensuously to the music there breeze. If, at a Turkish wedding the was silence in the room. I was veil is lifted coquettishly, this can fascinated observing our members result in monetary gifts from excited sitting open-mouthed, each one a male guests. replica of the figure in the painting Another eye-catching prop ‘The Scream’. was a pair of silver bird’s wings Belly dancing began as a classic attached to a neck collar. When eastern dance, originating in Turkey fully extended on the arms the graceful movement of these was in 1983, each village having its own beautiful. At the moment Roxanne style and in some countries it is tribal. Roxanne demonstrated the is attempting to perfect the stick shimmy which we are all familiar dance. This involves balancing a with. The movement actually long stick on hips and head whilst gyrating the body; not an easy starts from the knees and included manoeuvre. footwork portraying a swan gliding. This was followed by the hip drop, The costumes can have as many where the hips snap into place in as 3,000 beads sown on, In Turkey time with the music, which is very the flesh between the bra and skirt special, so called pop music would has to be covered. Roxanne had not work at all. Veil dancing is a kind of string vest material to really hard work; we were invited bridge the gap. There was a book to handle the decorated material of costumes, apparently the fashion and I can vouch for the fact they goes back to ancient Egypt. are very heavy to swirl around. There is a partner in this act, a They are great for exercising and snake called Plissken. This reptile almost guaranteed to prevent was bought initially for a pet the development of ‘bat wings’ because it was not living in very on arms. The veils can be deftly good conditions and Roxanne has a draped around the body, mummysoft heart. Her dad quickly saw how like and reformed into a inner this could be an exciting addition tea bag effect. The veils can be of to the act. The new member of the pure silk but this can be difficult family was not approved by mum
who first had eye to eye contact with it when she was locked in the toilet. They can squeeze into the smallest space as proved by a neighbour who discovered him in her airing cupboard. ‘He’ turned out to be a ‘she’ when eggs were laid, fortunately for all concerned no male was around to fertilise these, Plissken has now been renamed Plisskenella. Dad then persuaded his daughter to have a go at fire-eating. Burnt lips, singed eyebrows and eyelashes were part of the learning curve, tasting and smelling like toast! The next suggestion was a Bed of Nails. The answer was an emphatic ‘NO’. Our February meeting was certainly different and very entertaining. Unfortunately, I imagine a young start is essential. Most of our members have a rounded figure and wiggling the belly would not be a pretty sight. My advice is don’t try this at home, husbands and family are not likely to be impressed.
Snowdrop Walk A group of us did the Derbyshire snowdrop walk around Dimminsdale Nature Reserve. We could not believe that we did the same walk a year ago, talk about time flying. The snowdrops were fantastic, better than ever I thought. We were accompanied this time by Utah, a huge, soppy, brown teenager of a dog. He took Kathleen along, a long standing member. Kathleen has puppy walked in the past for Hearing Dogs but Utah is from the Canine Partners, a registered charity that trains assistance dogs for people with disabilities in the UK. He behaved perfectly even in the Restaurant at Calke Abbey, although Kathleen did provide a large chewy for him. Unfortunately the picture of Utah
includes yours truly (not at my best!) as Kathleen wanted to take a photo of him. She takes one in the various situations Utah finds himself in. Actually as I am writing this Kathleen is on her way with Utah to visit the Duchess of Rutland. Utah will be wearing his newly washed jacket and lead, what Kathleen will be wearing I don’t know. Another lovely walk in great company. Quite a few of us visited the DeMontfort Theatre to see Pricilla, Queen of the Desert. I had never seen it before but several had seen it several times and I could see why. Everyone came out saying what a great night out. Some of our ‘ladies’ really got with it, clapping along, waving and were what I call “really gone”. Our March meeting on Thursday 20th March is a Pudding Taste and Try Evening. Hopefully we will be, as usual, filling our boots with different puds and we are asking the cooks to write down their recipes. You will be very welcome providing that you will forego dieting for the evening.
Evelyn and Margaret
The first time I sang in the church choir; two hundred people changed their religion.