OMEDS Events - Parties & Haflas!

We organise a large Hafla twice a year in the Spring and Autumn, featuring performances from our students, troupe and teachers as well as many other local dancers.

Our last two haflas were held at the beautiful O'Reilly theatre, and featured a vibrant and dazzling array of performances in many Middle Eastern and fusion styles. You can now see some photos from our last hafla on our facebook page.

Our next major event will be our Winter Hafla on Saturday the 3rd of December. We have something extra-special planned for you this year - for the first time ever, we have a guest star performer... The fantastic Ozgen, who is also going to be teaching some workshops for us in the daytime.

OMEDS Winter Hafla 2011

We're thoroughly excited to announce that this year, our Winter Hafla will feature the fabulous Ozgen as our guest star performer! Ozgen is renowned internationally for being a dynamic and engaging performer and a master of Turkish style oriental dance. He will also be teaching two workshops for us in the afternoon - see the workshops page for more details & bookings.

Of course, we will also have our usual mixture of talented local dancers and troupes performing for us! Our haflas are a fun, friendly and inclusive platform for all kinds of beautiful and inspiring oriental dance performances. You can expect to see everything from modern Cairo style bellydance to classic Raqs Sharqi, from earthy folkloric dances to experimental fusion, all presented in a modern theatre with professional quality sound and lighting. There will also be a small bazaar selling sparkly goodies and dancewear.

Date: Saturday 3rd December

Time: 7:30pm - 10:30pm (Doors open at 6:45pm)

Venue: O'Reilly Theatre, Keble College, Oxford (entrance on Blackhall Road)

Price: £7 (children under 12 £1)

Ticket Bookings

We are now able to accept online bookings using paypal! All bookings will be confirmed by email, and you will be given a ticket booking number, which you will need if booking a performance slot. If booking more than one ticket, you can edit the order quantity after clicking "Buy Now".

Hafla Tickets

Adult £7.00Child (under 12) £1.00

Tickets can also be purchased by post if you prefer, using the general ticket booking form. Please download, print and fill in the booking form and send it to the address shown, enclosing a cheque for the total amount (payable to 'Oxford Middle Eastern Dance Society') and an stamped, self-addressed envelope. We will then mail you your tickets. All enquiries relating to ticket bookings should be sent to tickets@omeds.org.uk.

Souk

Our souk this winter will include beautiful handmade beaded jewellery and accessories from Arielle's bazaar, and vintage clothing, dancewear and sparkly accessories from Judi Linley.

You will also have the chance to see copies of the new bellydance glossy magazine Majency, and buy your subscription (or get one as a present for your favourite bellydancer!). Majency is a beautifully presented magazine which represents the wonderful diversity of the UK dance community, and is full of fascinating articles and interviews as well as gorgeous photos and costume tips.

Venue, Transport & Parking

The O'Reilly Theatre is an attractive, spacious venue, featuring raked seating and a large performance space on the floor with rubber/lino floor covering. The theatre is owned by, and attached to, Keble College (OX1 3PG), though please note that the theatre entrance is on Blackhall Road and cannot be accessed through the College.

While the theatre is conveniently located in Oxford city centre, parking in this area can be difficult. There is some on-street parking available on Blackhall Road, Museum Road, Keble Road and St Giles; however, we recommend that those coming from outside of Oxford use the Park & Ride bus facilities located around the ring road.

Food & Drink

Theatre rules dictate that no food or drink is allowed in the theatre or dressing rooms except plastic bottles of water. However, the theatre is just adjacent to the Keble College bar, which we are welcome to make use of throughout the evening. There will also be some light snacks available in the foyer during the interval.

Performance Slots

Our winter hafla is a wonderful opportunity to perform for a supportive and appreciative audience, in a lovely venue with professional sound and lighting. Whether you are a soloist, a troupe, or a teacher wanting to give your students a chance to shine, we'd love to hear from you. We welcome performances of Middle Eastern dance and related styles from dancers of all levels. If you wish to book a performance slot we'll need the following information about your piece, sent by email to Rachael at president@omeds.org.uk:

1. Stage name of performer/group
2. Full names of all performers in group
3. Ticket booking numbers of all performers in the group
4. Title of music
5. Artist
6. Length of music (maximum 5 minutes)
7. Style of music (e.g. shaabi, folk, classical)
8. Mood of music (e.g. energetic, mysterious)
9. Choreographer
10. Style of dance & any props used
11. Do you start and finish ON or OFF-stage?
12. Description of piece (for programme/MC - this can be as detailed as you like - we like to be able to tell the audience a little about the background of each dance and the performer)
13. Contact telephone number

You must purchase tickets for all members of your group in order to secure your place in the programme. Please be aware that without complete information, accompanied by a ticket booking number, we cannot guarantee you a performance slot. If you'd like to perform, please send Rachael the details and ticket requests by Sunday 6th November at the latest. We find that the programme tends to fill up very quickly, so please book early to avoid disappointment!