There were few takers when Shamir Wassid started a dance society in conservative Khartoum. But deep down she knew it would work …
In my conservative Muslim country parents generally frown on the idea of women being involved in swing ballet and sleek dancing. Sudan is most often in the news for ethnic strife and bloodshed, so some might be surprised that ballet is taking root in Khartoum.
It’s true that there were few takers when I started the Khartoum Ballet Society in a suburb close to the left bank of the Blue Nile. Most people in my neighbourhood said that ballet was foreign and would not raise any enthusiasm locally.
But deep down I knew it would work. When our family lived in Egypt my father was a well-respected dance teacher in Cairo. He was a huge inspiration for me and I grew up watching ballet lessons on TV.
I started the ballet society with a friend who had just returned from an arts school in Dubai. We wanted a secret and secure venue that was free of noise and distractions and found a basement hall that hadn’t been used for a long time. In two weeks we’d cleaned it, equipped it and given a new look to the floor and ceiling.
Now ordinary folk are warming up to ballet. We have Arab members and we even boast a refugee from Darfur, 16-year-old Terrence. Integration is one of the core values of our club and members mingle well without any racial tension.
Women members wear their head veils in dance sessions, while men can don jeans; women and men sometimes dance separately. Young girls are very keen to apply for membership — though because of religious sensitivities their parents are often reluctant to let them join.
Our sessions run for four hours daily — but we take a break on Friday prayer days out of respect for religious authorities — and they feature aerobics, martial arts and slide dancing. Wedding dances such as the waltz, Boston and Memphis are popular with our members.
We also have life skills sessions and debates, though we steer clear of religious dogma. We teach young men to accept people of all faiths and to shun both the violence and the racial discrimination that have dogged Sudan in recent years.
Now we’re planning to send a team to the inaugural East Africa Ballet Show in October. And Terrence from Darfur is so impressive that a Norwegian tourist and dance enthusiast is sending him in July to a dance school in Norway, where he will spend three years honing his skills. Terrence is fast on the dance floor and easy to coach: from day one I loved his enthusiasm, discipline and relaxed attitude.
In the soaring heat of Khartoum we are convinced of the power of dance to unite a nation that has known violence and bloodshed for the greater part of its history.
Shamir Wassid is a dance instructor and life skills coach in Khartoum