A few years back, my sister invited me to a belly dance and burlesque night in Dublin. I took some photographs that night of some of the most beautiful dancers I’d ever seen and I knew I wanted to do that again someday. So, the next time I planned a trip to Dublin, Hannah asked me if I’d take some photographs of her to use for press and stuff for her belly dancing. Well, of course, I said yes!
We headed out to the ruins of the Rock of Dunamase one glorious afternoon, a little way outside of Dublin. The skies were blue and uncharacteristically sunny (for Ireland!) and there was a gentle breeze blowing, which was perfect for Hannah’s long flowing skirts.
Hannah had already got her hair and makeup done before we headed out. She then got dressed in the ruins of the castle when we arrived. That certainly got the other visitors talking!
The next few hours were quite magical. Hannah danced among the ruins. She spun around on precipices and created beautiful shapes with her body against the gorgeous greens and blues of the Irish landscape. It was an absolute joy to capture her as a belly dancer but also as the strong, feminine beauty that I know she is.
I did a little research, before writing this post, about the correlation between belly dancing and feminism. It surprised me to see it’s still not considered a feminist art form because of its insinuation of being “sexy”. Don’t get me wrong, it is sexy. But that can be feminist too, can’t it?
The strength and power a woman can have through dance and using her body, coupled with the amazing strength needed to perform moves like the belly roll, show how much of a feminist act it is.
But enough of me going on about it. Why don’t you take a look for yourself!
I couldn’t have asked for a more inspiring subject to capture. I would love to photograph more dancers in the future. So, if you’re a dancer in the Fraser Valley looking for some photographs while doing your thing, get in touch and let’s plan something!