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Bellydance: A Shot Of Happiness |
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By Nina Lah
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Thursday, 05 February 2009 |
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In these cold days there is something that can and will make you feel better. A shot of happiness, joy and energy - in the shape of a belly dancer, Loli. Nina Lah talked with her to find out what she has to offer to Oulu people.
 Lotta Kotila
“When I was performing in Egypt, I was a very short belly dancer and the Egyptian ones are taller so they gave me a name Lolita, which means small. But now when I’m already 41, I took the end out and it became a good nickname - Loli.
Born in Oulu, Lotta is very happy that she was able to see and live in other parts of the world.
“In the 1990s I lived 6 years in Egypt where I worked as a professional belly dancer in hotels like the Marriot and the Hilton. And in Cairo I danced with a live band which for a belly dancer is something really special. I knew I didn’t want to stay there for the rest of my life so I became a tour leader in Egypt, Bulgaria, Turkey, Spain and many other countries.”
Even though she had friends and family here in Oulu, coming back was definitely not easy.
“After all the travelling, coming back to Oulu was a cultural shock. I came in the dark and quiet winter time with no people or noise!” she explains. “And probably because I felt it was too quiet for me, I started the belly dancing business again. I have been doing that for the last 3 years and met many interesting people who have other interests besides their job.
” Listening to her explaining I wondered how a person decides to start belly dancing in the first place and for Lotta is was partially a lucky coincidence.
“When I was young I did dancing and theatre as a hobby and during one theatre performance a girl who was doing belly dancing came to me and said I have a natural talent and that she would want to teach me. One thing led to another and in a matter of 6 months I was teaching myself. At that point I also had my hairdresser business and I lived in Helsinki.”
In addition to teaching and performing in Turkish and Lebanese restaurants in Helsinki, Lotta also took some lessons in Cairo. “There an agency noticed me and that is why I started performing in Cairo.
At that point I left everything I had in Helsinki and moved to Cairo.”
Apparently there is something about Loli that the Egyptian people find very Egyptian.
“I have a very Egyptian way of dancing and when people see me perform they can’t believe that I’m from Finland because I have something very Oriental in me. Even Turkish people are not sure if I’m from Finland or not because the way I dance somehow communicates with the audience. Some people find it very sensual and exotic plus it’s good for your belly, back and overall a good way to keep yourself fit. And it’s fun!”
Staying fit is essential for Lotta’s work and you can see that she takes good care of her body.“Every morning I do half an hour to 45 minutes of basic training for the belly muscles and I also lift some weights. When I come home I usually listen to music and train. I do this at least twice a week. But if you do it as a profession it’s a full-days work!”
Entertaining and making people happy are probably two of the key things in belly dancing. Costumes are therefore an important part of the performance and, according to Lotta, a place to buy such a dress is yet to come to Oulu.
“I have a red performance dress which is from Egypt and is worn by a famous Egyptian belly dancer Dina. If you want to have a professional dress you have to buy it from Egypt or Turkey because there the seamstresses really know how to make it in a way that it accentuates the best parts of a woman’s body. They are all hand made. In Finland you would probably have to pay about 1500 or even 2000 euros for a costume and you would have to go to Helsinki for it. But in Cairo you would get a very professionally made dress for around 300 euros.”
Nonetheless belly dancing is becoming more and more popular in Oulu.
“There are about 600 people who do belly dancing as a hobby.” In Oulu there are several groups that do belly dancing and Lotta is a member of a group called YASMINE RY.
“But it is not only about giving belly dancing lessons,” Lotta explains. “We also go eat outside, go see performances and other social things so it could be a good place for the foreigners to meet new people. There is a membership fee of 60-80 euros which includes all the classes during the season.”
To her surprise people have not gotten bored of this Oriental dance in Oulu yet. She explains: “I was surprised that people were so interested in it because belly dancing was a hit in Helsinki when I started dancing but it probably never came here. Then there were no oriental restaurants but now the trend is going up and there is more interest.” Lotta says that at the moment she does not have any competition and she even has problems finding a substitute for when she would need one.
Maybe this is a part of the reason why Lotta decided to start her own business in 2008.
“I have my website and because I love to perform I give belly dancing performances at birthday or other kind of parties, for companies and private parties, ladies nights. For example when they had a meeting in Nokia and they wanted to freshen it up a bit and they had belly dance as a surprise and the foreigner guest were so surprised and excited about it.”
In addition she also gives belly dance lessons. And apparently she has her own view on how dance should be taught.
“I teach quite fast because I don’t like too much technique because it kills the joy and usually Egyptian dancers don't need lessons. They just listen to the music and dance. But of course everybody needs some technical training. Sometimes choreographies are bought from famous choreographers. It’s good to have a balance of technique and fun.
For those shy but interested individuals she encourages them to come to Marrakech where she performs once a month and get familiar with the dance. “In Marrakech people relax and come to dance with me. People want to perform, they just don’t know it!” she laughs.
When asked about her future plans she answers optimistically: “In the future I hope I will be able to give my experience as a belly dancer to the younger generation and I hope I will have a young group who will perform and I can make choreography for them and find places to perform for them. I will also do more teaching as I get older.”
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