WOW! Brazilian star bellydance performer and instructor Lulu Sabongi held her first workshop in New York City that showed us all why belly dance is booming in Brazil. It’s Lulu!

Lulu Sabongi has danced for 22 years. Her São Paulo school of bellydance formed around the Khan El Khalili teahouse that accomodated her first studio. Bellydance shows still happen every night at the Khan el Khalili, featuring top Brazilian bellydancers. A dancer performs one song in each of the rooms of the teahouse. During the performance the food service stops and theatrical lighting comes on. Over the years Khan El Khalili has become renowned and is today a Brazilian national symbol of the art of Oriental dance.
Lulu Sabongi's school of bellydance is the most established and well-known in Brazil. In May 2002 Lulu opened a new dance studio, O Harém in Itu, between São Paulo and Brasilia, with capacity for over 600 students.

In 1994 Lulu began touring, performing and teaching workshops in Brazil, Europe, Canada, and Egypt. This year's US-Canada Tour is the first time Lulu has brought her workshops to the US. The tour is sponsored by Rimarah Hare (CT) and Aasal (NYC).

In the course of Lulu’s 3-hour New York City master workshop, she taught a lovely baladi choreography, with tremendous attention to the detail of baladi styling and expression ("It’s about being informal and cute!"). Her personal dance style is absolutely striking and pure Egyptian. Her main focus with us was on technique. Specifically Lulu's interpretation of Egyptian technique. Her method of teaching it made a phenomenal impact on all of us who attended the workshop.

Two-thirds of the way into the workshop the workshop participants suggested that we drop the choreography and focus entirely on technique. Lulu agreed and that's what we did. Lulu prefers to teach technique workshops: She offers choreography (which was worth an entire separate workshop!) as a "bonus" value, but if you have a chance to study with her or sponsor her workshop, seek to learn the secrets of her technique.

Lulu breaks down the intricate combinations and beautiful signature moves of Dina, Raqia Hassan, Mona Said and other Egyptian stars, and does it with great clarity. She focuses on building the combinations, effortlessly, from the very basic elements of hip work articulation. She teaches to derive the natural trajectories of hip work moves from the positions of the dancer's feet as well as from the varying and shifting pressure between different areas of the foot.

As I watched Lulu's feet and followed her suggestion to start moves from the "lazy classic"(or "lazy first") position, I had a few eye-opening moments, when, by focusing on the angles of my connection to the ground, I prompted my hips to"find" trajectories that I had been seeking via abdominal articulation.

Lulu Sabongi and workshop participants, NYC, Nov.4, 2005 (photo by Emeline)

Lulu's use of the knees and glutes in hip articulation is very instructive. She breaks down those spectacular micro-shimmies inserted in the middle of hip drops and twists very meticulously and accessibly, and does the same for the angles of various pelvic accents. If you are into the modern Egyptian style and work on "decyphering" the Dina-esque hip accents and jiggles, it’s worth it for you to hop a plane to Itu to study with Lulu: She will take you to a new level.

Lulu is brilliant in both showing the moves and verbally explaining where in your body the movement originates and what muscle groups control it. She offers lovely, playful visualizations that are very helpful. She instantly adopts the class as her creative "family," sharing her knowledge and warmth without reservation and without the "this-is-the-only-right-way-to-do-this" stance. You will enjoy Lulu's company. In addition to generously displaying her regal talent, she served us, her students, with humbleness and patience.

Another thing I took from Lulu's workshop was a better understanding and appreciation of the aesthetics of the modern Egyptian super-straight-leg moves. Lulu does them superbly and integrates them with the silky, relaxed fluidity of her pelvis and upper body so expertly and with such distinctness, that I finally "got" the beauty of the straight-leg thing done right. When Western dancers emulate modern Egyptian style, it's very common that the straight-leg stance produces stiffness, expecially when stringing many diverse moves together in a fast combination. Lulu is the remedy. She can break it down, she can explain it verbally, and seeing it on her body you will know what to work on.

"Dance isn't a fight, try to be gentle toward your body,” says Lulu. “Things will work much better this way.”

The night of the workshop, at 1 a.m. Lulu performed at the Lafayette Grill & Bar, our top local bellydancing venue. She probably left at 4 a.m. But when I woke up I found our workshop choreography transcript already e-mailed to me at 9 a.m. Now that’s devotion to duty! The CD with our choreography music was available at the workshop.

Bravo Lulu Sabongi! Such an amazing dancer...and such a lovely person!

Click here to visit Lulu's English-language website.