Ellie Atkinson
Ellie Atkinson studied ballet as young girl, attaining Grade 3 with distinction, but never furthered her dance beyond this. Academically she excelled at school and this led to her training as a Veterinary Surgeon at Bristol University, where she spent most of her free time dancing in the student clubs. It was on her final year holiday in Turkey, that she first saw a belly dancer perform, and this inspired her to seek out tuition in Middle Eastern dance. After moving to Dorset in March 2000, she began studying Raqs Sharqi with Aliya Burch. That year she attended The Raqs Sharqi Society Summer School and from then on, until the present day, has continued to attend workshops and residentials held by the teachers of all styles of Middle Eastern dance.
In 2001 she performed for the first time, in a dance showcase for pupils organised by Aliya. She continued to appear in these bi-annual showcases and when Aliya formed her dance troupe ‘Tamarisk’, Ellie was invited to join. This involved twice monthly rehearsals, and Ellie began to thrive in the creative atmosphere of the group. Tamarisk performed ‘Dances of the Nile’ in 2002/2003 at Bridgwater Arts Centre and Tacchi Morris Arts Centre, Taunton. Afterwards, Aliya invited Ellie to appear with her in The Raqs Sharqi Society Showcase ‘El Bahr’ November 2003. During her time in Tamarisk, Ellie had formed a friendship with Diane Petty, and on moving house, she was closer to Diane, so they began to meet regularly to practice. Throughout 2004 and 2005, they continued to appear at events together and they co-wrote their first choreography. After a very special joint birthday party, with Guy Schalom and Sheikh Taha in 2006, Ellie and Diane decided to create a show together. The result of nine months hard work was ‘Leyla Kebyra’ Dec 2006, an event, which included a dance workshop taught by Aliya Burch, a show featuring Ellie, Diane and their guests and a party with bazaar. As Aliya had moved to Wales, and no longer taught in Glastonbury, Ellie and Diane began to host workshops with Aliya in Dorset and hold parties for local dancers.
During the last three years Ellie and Diane have continued to promote Raqs Sharqi and the Society in the Dorset area. Their parties and workshops now draw large numbers of local dancers, from all different styles of Middle Eastern Dance. They are also often invited to appear at local events and performances, organised by teachers of other styles, which continues to promote Raqs Sharqi to new audiences as well as fostering good relations with other dance professionals. Recently, they have completed another major show of their own, ‘Ayoum Saeeda’, which was performed in March 2008, Dorset and August 2008, Hampshire featuring Ellie, Diane and their guests. To date, Ellie and Diane’ events have raised £2500 for charity, the majority of which has gone to Breakthrough Breast Cancer. In 2008, Ellie and Diane also appeared at the Raqs Sharqi Society Studio performance. During their work together, Ellie and Diane have taken responsibility for all the creative and organisational work. This involves set design, costume design and production, promotional materials production, choreography, lighting direction, music editing, dancer coaching as well as the financial and management tasks. Over the years they have developed together as directors, producers, choreographers and dancers whilst remaining firm friends.
In addition to appearing with Diane, Ellie has continued to perform independently at events around the UK. She has appeared in local pantomime and stage productions as well as appearing with Sara Kahan, Guy Schalom and the Baladi Blues Band.
Ellie has taught for Dorset Adult Education and also travels to Glastonbury three to four times a year to teach. Here, she has a dedicated following of students, who previously studied with Aliya and enjoy the opportunity to study with her periodically. Ellie enjoy’s teaching, but as her main commitment is to the continued development as a performer with Diane, she cannot offer more than this currently.
Ellie has been interested in the culture and history of Egypt, since she began studying Raqs Sharqi. She has travelled to Egypt on several occasions. During these visits, not only has she seen the sights of Egypt’s present and past but she has also received some amazing cultural insights. She has found the Egyptian people warm and hospitable during her trips. Ellie enjoys watching dvds of dancers, and has over the last ten years developed an extensive collection of dance film. She also enjoys watching live shows and productions of all standards, as she feels that it is always possible to learn more from each and every dancer. In recent years, she has taken an interest in not only the dance but the production factors.
Studying Raqs Sharqi, has also driven Ellie to discover other movement disciplines. She has received long term training in studio pilates and continues to practice pilates at home, a least three times weekly, with the large repetoire of exercises and home equipment she has built up over the years. Ellie has also taken a course of lessons in Alexander Technique and other dance styles such as salsa. She has developed an interest in human anatomy, which links into the comparative anatomy she learnt as a student. In the last two years Ellie has been driven to improve her physical fitness to dance, and now attends the gym four to fives times weekly as well as running and cycling outdoors when the mood takes her!
Ellie has to balance her semi-professional dance career with her professional career as small animal veterinarian. She continues to work in Dorchester, where she has a reputation for a caring and compassionate vet. She is currently studying for a Certificate in Feline Medicine, the first step to being a specialist cat vet.
Currently, Ellie is working with Diane on yet another show. This production will be performed in February 2010 at the Dorchester Corn Exchange, a larger venue than their previous shows, and with a larger cast. Ellie enjoys creating events, because it gives enormous satisfaction to put her creative ideas into reality and working with Diane is incredibly rewarding. She enjoys performing because she is being an inspiration to other dancers, particularly in respect of body confidence. It is through Raqs Sharqi that Ellie gained an enormous sense of empowerment as a woman, became confident in her body, and took control of her weight. In her own dance, Ellie’s own interests are how to unite contemporary and traditional forms. She enjoys experimenting in her dance, and would desperately like to study contemporary dance but it is not available in rural Dorset. She is also interested in the mind-body connection, and how this affects our lives and our dance. She enjoys working with live musicians and hopes to have further opportunity to do so in the future.
