LOCAL belly dance teacher and performer held a charity event last weekend (4th Dec) to raise money for Alzheimers UK.
Emma Wheate-Price, who dances under the stage name Amira, holds a “hafla” a name given to an Arabic party, twice a year.
Dancers from around the Midlands come together to perform in front of an audience made up of friends and family.
Emma said: “People purchase a ticket to attend and we also have a raffle on the night, where we had prizes donated from Tesco, Dunelm and NM Beauty as well as others kindly donated by the dancers themselves.
“Each time I hold a hafla I choose a different charity to raise money for and this time we chose Alzheimers UK.
“This is such a worthy charity which offers help through Dementia cafes, a 24 hours helpline and by helping those who have Dementia to remain independent and stay in their own homes for as long as possible.”
It took place on 4th December at Batchley Social Club and just over 100 guests attended.
Emma added: “We raised an amazing £955 for the charity, and everyone enjoyed the event so much after almost 2 years without a hafla.
“We had to hold online haflas during lockdown and although it meant we could still come together to dance online, nothing beats the atmosphere of a live performance and feeling the energy in the room.
This takes Emma’s fundraising through organising haflas to £20,428.
Belly dancing is inclusive of anyone who wants to dance.
For details of classes either visit Emma’s website www.belly-jewels.co.uk or find me on Facebook “Amira Belly Jewels”.
