|
Farida Dance
encompasses most things to do with Egyptian dance! In 1998, I started
importing professional costumes to the UK as I had been unable to get
any here myself. I went to Cairo and set about meeting with costumiers,
looking at designs and deciding who to buy from and what sort of things
I would stock. 'Farida' means 'unique' or 'special'.
I chose Madam Abla
because of her eye for design which flatters the female form.
Click
here for more details on Madam Abla. Nadia Hamdi
introduced me to Madam Hekmat who designs for Lucy. She has a different
style and creates spectacular baladi dresses.
Click here for more
details on Madam Hekmat.
I also met with many
other costumiers who supply today's professional dancers and
occasionally choose designs from them. In Istanbul I work closely with
Bella who is the top designer and costumier. I find good
quality shops in the Khan el Khalili in Cairo and the Grand Bazaar in
Istanbul so that when I take groups, they have a choice of designer made
to measure from costumiers or ‘off the peg’ numbers of good quality.
I love choosing
designs, deciding on colours and negotiating prices. I go two or three
times a year to get new styles, find different costumiers, see what is
hot in Cairo and what is not! I source new designs of good quality at
reasonable prices to ship back to the UK. At Farida, we have the
largest selection of professional dance costumes and dance wear in the
UK. Initially I took my first lot of stock to the JWAAD summer school
and was delighted at the response. Now I travel round to events like
Fantasia in London, Majma in Glastonbury and the Edinburgh Egyptian
Dance Festival. Also to big shows or events where there will be a large
gathering of dancers … who might be interested in a sparkly frock or
two!!! Different members of the Farida Crew travel with me depending on
who is available. Our philosophy is to work hard and play hard. We
want shopping with Farida to be a fun experience! Because the costumes
always look better on a body than a hanger, we like to arrange
fashion
shows combined with haflas and a souk in different areas. If you would
like to host one click on ‘Fashion shows’ for more details.
Having travelled to
Cairo
regularly and having made so many good contacts, I decided I was in the
ideal position to start taking groups and introducing them to aspects of
Cairo
of particular interest to dancers. Click on ‘Farida Adventures’ for
more details.
Farida Dance would
not be the success it is without the help and hard work of the ‘Farida
Crew’. Their faces are familiar to many people as they travel to
different events and try to entertain our customers whilst finding them
the ideal costume to suit their needs! Want to find out more about
them? Click here! My profile is there as well with details
of how I got into this and why I’m still doing it! In-between souks and
trips, I teach regular classes and workshops. It keeps me out of mischief.
Soooo -
check here if you want to find out about who runs 'Farida'..
Contact us:
Tel: (0044)
0-191 519 0305
(0044) 0-7966 270995
Fax: (0044) 0-191
519 0322
e-mail:
kay@faridadance.com
Address: 9, Ferndale
Ave, East Boldon, Tyne & Wear, NE36 0TQ
|
