About Gothla.UK
The idea for a Gothic Belly Dance event / collaborative performance started between a few bellydancing Goths on tribe.net. The Gothic Belly Dance DVD had recently been released, featuring dancers such as Tempest and Ariellah, and the concept inspired these UK bellydancers/belly dance teachers to discuss some sort of event of a similar calibre to the DVD.
Elsewhere, somewhere in the ether above the streets of Leicester, an online discussion had started between a bellydancer and some Goth DJs concerned about a dying Goth Scene in the city. The belly dancer argued that they needed to infuse club nights with attractions - to bring more entertainment to a night out - that would appeal to regulars and newbies (or 'baby bats'), thus increasing the scene, the club-goer numbers and to put Leicester back on the map.
The Leicester bellydancer was then contacted by a representative of the tribe.net discussion and asked for some help and/or ideas on running such an event, being known as someone on the 'alternative' scene. Seeing an opportunity to put her preaching into practice, she seized the chance to offer up Leicester as a central UK location for bellydancers across the land and to put forward venues and DJs within the city who could lend a helping hand.
More suddenly than perhaps was expected, the event idea was born. At first, the idea was to start off small, but then it grew, and after email discussions between the coordinator and Tempest, we decided that offering a full weekend event (rather than just a Gothic Hafla) was possible, and would be in demand by people within the UK (and Europe). Ideas continued to grow and flourish, and so the idea became reality.
Gothla UK is about the appreciation of belly dance, and Goth culture, art and music. The performers and teachers at this year's event represent the aesthetic of all of the above. As stated regularly, "GBD" is not just about wearing black and lace and plastering on lots of eyeliner. It is about performance - although style is important to any dance form, 'attitude' is one of the main foundations of GBD. Finding and maintaining the dark, ethereal presence on stage and communicating that to the audience while bellydancing is one of the main keys of the art form. This does not require you to be 'strictly tribal', or cabaret, or Egyptian etc. In many ways, the elements can be added to whatever style you chose to dance in.
The main aim of the event is for people to have fun while learning and experimenting with this exciting new genre of belly dance.
Remember: Being goth/gothic does not mean you're obsessed with death - it means you find beauty in even the most dark and unusual of things.
The first Gothla UK event in 2007 was highly successful, so we thought we'd do it again. And since last year, you can also read up about gothic bellydance at Wikipedia.
"Come to the dark side - we have cookies" - Anon.