Wednesday 28 April 2010

IronFest 2010 - The Shelias


Whilst the link with IronFest may be tenuous, there is nothing remotely tenuous about the punch that these women packed! They were elegant, they were mesmerising, and, above all, they were fun!


Searching for a collective noun, I decide upon 'sway' - a sway of bellydancers. There were seven sways at IronFest ranging from duos to sways of 7 or 8 dancers. Some focussed on the story-telling and rhythms of Middle-Eastern cultures. Others were more into funky, modern choreography.


Whatever way, they were having fun! They loved their full and fruity bodies, and they had learnt well how to move that body with grace and elegance.


They were accompanied by African drums, by various manifestations of the didgeridoo, and by, of all things, the exhaust system of a hot-rod.

As with the mainly male activities of yesterday, there were plenty of children participating at the belly-dance and plenty who were eager to learn with no shortage of instruction!

This was a celebration of life and sheer 'joi de vivre'.

30 comments:

Unknown said...

Colorful, amusing...
Great photographs Julie.
Costas

Magpie said...

Such a strong, confident looking group of women. I love the phrase - "their full and fruity bodies".
Such a wonderful way with words.

Mo said...

Sure looks like a lot of fun and a bellyful of laughs

Jo said...

What a confident group of women!

PurestGreen said...

Gorgeous. I love the side profile of the one woman near the bottom of the photos. She has a passion and confidence that I admire.

Rinkly Rimes said...

Wonderful photography as usual. And the shots of the belly dancers are great. However, the lady in the hat with the imaginative attire wins my prize! Is it you?

Anonymous said...

What a series!

mimbles said...

I was at Ironfest on Saturday, I spent the day hanging out in the medieval village doing tablet weaving while my kids one after the other cut themselves learning to do wood carving. And then our tent got rained on just before it was time to pack up and go home :-)

Julie said...

Mim - I was there Saturday, too, but had to run for the 3:30 train just as it started spitting.

Brenda - The one in the middle in turquoise? Nope not me. I tried to learn djembe drums last year, but it played merry hell with my neuropathy.

They were all gorgeously confident, but it was a group confidence. They were good and they knew it and revelled in it. And their costumes ... whoa!!

Jim said...

Great shot Julie. And I love the title, 'The Sheilas'.
Sydney - City and Suburbs

Marka said...

As long as they're havin' fun; that's what counts!

Lori Skoog said...

I wish I could have been there. What spirit! Great photos.

Clytie said...

I like a "sway of bellydancers" - it's perfect!

The pictures are perfect as well. You caught so much of the mood and personalities represented here!

brattcat said...

So wonderful! My older daughter did a bit of 'swaying' with bells and belly when she was younger and loved it.
As for the pirate house..I've seen the boy out there with his dad(?) and they work together with the boy adding mostly enthusiasm (he's six or seven or so) and the dad (?) doing most of the labor but with very good spirit.

TheChieftess said...

The top photo is stunning...

Bruce Caspersonn said...

Not my cup of tea. I'm glad I was not there. I don't even like the title. Sorry.

Julie said...

Don't be sorry, Bruce, we each are entitled to our reactions and opininons.

Unknown said...

The top photo immediatly caught my attention on the portal. Gorgeous portraits, Julie!

Ann said...

I love, love, love that top photo. The jewellery, the way the sunlight catches highlights, the voluptuousness of it all. In contrast to Mr Caspersonn this is exactly my cup of tea.

Bruce Caspersonn said...

A shelia is, according to my feeble memory, an Aussie girl. These ones did not look like that to me. And body piercing,,Ugg!!!

Julie said...

The lass on the harp had a Welsh lilt, Bruce, but I categorised her as Australian because of my own Welsh background. Piercing of the lip or tongue I find challenging but only because of the hygiene factor.

cara said...

Fabulous! These are my type of women. I love all the shots, all the jewellery, the faces and expressions, the shot with the harp.... great stuff.

TheTribalBowerbird said...

Thank you Very Much!!! These are gorgeous photos!!! I was one of the bellydancers dancing there- but I'm not in any of those photos.
And everyone was great in the audience and we all had a fab time!
p.s. the lighting will be better next year!

Sally (look at the ironfest website to see who I am)

gypsyofthecaravan@yahoo.com.au

Jilly said...

Oh these shots are just amazing, not to mention the costumes. What fun they are all having and it really comes across in your shots. That energy and joie de vivre.

Julie, I wrote about my camera in the comments on Menton, following your comment. It's not that much of a zoom as you'll see but I cropped for detail. Surprised me too!

Hilda said...

The entire festival sounds awesome! Of course, I had to read yesterday's post too. I would have loved attending. Looks like great fun! Thank you for the fantastic photos, Julie.

diane b said...

Love the colour and excitement portrayed. It is good to see women enjoying themselves like this. The mind boggles if the lady in the last photo participated in the belly dancing.

Julie said...

*guffaw*

She's a ripper isn't she. I believe it is known as 'revolutionary moll".

Yolanda said...

They look lovely - their rhythms, their dance and their faces all have stories to tell through their movements. Very colorful and fun!

Joan Elizabeth said...

All three of my neighbours are keen belly dancers and were probably performing on the weekend. They haven't persuaded me to join them yet ... my belly wobbles without me dancing. The photos are as always rich and beautiful ... are real treat.

Anonymous said...

Fantastic Julie, I love all these pictures, dancers, Napoléon clin d'oeil. perfect.
Salut,
Serge