I found myself in a dilemma! – I desperately wanted to see Shafeek & Tara Ibrahims Arabian Dance Theatre Show – ILHAM - but it clashed with the Jewel of Yorkshire weekend at Saltaire, West Yorkshire.
In the end I opted for London and to my delight found I had a travelling partner who wanted to see it too.  It was so easy to get there & back for the evening on the train, and well worth the travelling.

ILHAM meaning inspiration was well attended in a lovely theatre in Highgate.  Excitement & anticipation grew as we waited for the doors to open.  There were many familiar faces in that queue and it was great to catch up with friends from the Arabic Dance World from all over the UK.

ILHAM didn’t disappoint – it started with an interesting voiceover explaining the reason for this year’s choice of theme – Inspiration.  Without letting too many cats out of the bag it flowed from the voiceover to cleverly worked show with a clear beginning, middle & end – I was impressed with the story it told.  Shafeek, as usual, was dynamic and thrilling, Tara, beautiful, highly polished & skilful. The principal dancers both girls & boys were enthusiastic and vibrant. The 9 cast dancers were selected through auditions and passed through an intensive 10 day professional training in Arabian Dance Performance – they were a joy to watch.  Drummers Rhythmic Ginger (Adam) & Aly El Minyawi added to the depth of the show with their wonderful drumming. Stage crew professional and sharp. Costumes a blaze of colour & variety.

ILHAM is coming to Nottingham on Saturday 28 November 2009 – I urge you to get a ticket ASAP – I’m sure it will be a sell out. If I wasn’t already committed to a family event I would go again – you can’t get a better recommendation than that!