Testimonials

"She surprised me, and she grabbed my attention. She really entertained me!"

Mona el Said, Egyptian belly dance superstar

"Your shamadan dance was very beautiful. You danced in the true awalim style!"

Eman Zaki, Egyptian costume designer and former dancer

 

"You are a good teacher now. You are the best teacher in Norway."

Raqia Hassan, Egyptian teacher and choreographer

 

"I was at Amany's house yesterday, and I showed her the DVD with your shamadan dance.  She almost fainted. She was thrilled every time there was an especially cool movement, and after the floor work she was sitting in front of the TV, sighing happily, saying: "I love you, Hilde. She has the Egyptian feeling." And trust me, she is picky!

Amany, Egyptian belly dancer. (reported by Marte Kjøll)

"I got homesick when I saw you dance"

Sadeq Nasser, Lebanese spectator

"I saw Hilde Lund on stage for the first time at Danish Open Bellydance 2013, and immediately fell in love with her. It is not so often you see dancers from outside the ME countries that really have ”that thing” that seems to touch the core and essence of the dance form. She has an earthiness in her moves, a connection to the music and a way of interacting with the audience that makes her stand out, also among so many brilliant dancers at that particular event. In my book she is among the top dancers in Scandinavia in this genre. I am so much looking forward to learning more from her."

Anna of Sweden

"You are one of my absolute favorite dancers! You have an intensity, calmness, strength and grace that I love, I could watch you dance for hours, and continuously discover new things in your dance.

It has been a pleasure and honour to see you dance at Danish Open Bellydance, and I love your "old school" style, and yet how innovative your are in the dance. When you dance it looks so very easy....and yet you demonstrate a complexity and technique that few can match."

Tine Valois, Denmark

"She didn't have a single bone in her body! She was just floating around with the rhythm of the music!"

Astonished guest at a 50th birthday party

"Hilde opened my eyes to the artistic aspect of belly dance. I always thought that everybody can shake a little, but after seeing Hilde dance, I have realized that belly dance can have just as high an artistic level as any other style of dance."

Phil Kaldi, Algerian world music DJ

"Hilde has the unique ability to become the drum, I never watch her and think 'oh, that went nicely with the music', her body IS the music, it is alive with the beat and with every dum and tak. And somehow she is also able to accent almost everything while still making you relax. Sometimes drum solos can be too hectic, too busy, and you can't breathe, but Hilde somehow can hit every beat and accent and still look completely chilled. Plus she can layer a shimmy over EVERYthing."

Marte Kjøll, Norwegian dancer in Cairo

 

"I have worked as a director and photographer for 20 years, and taught stage presence and presentation, and I must say I was impressed by your skills."

Tanvir ul Hassan

"Hilde's ability to fascinate me with her high technical ability, skill to maintain the width in styles and expression, and at the same time capture the music in a holistic way both as an artist and choreographer inspires me to strive after higher quality, ability and understanding in my own work. Not only does she contribute, as a pioneer in the Norwegian dance community, but by maintaining a high standard. Still, she is generous with the knowledge she has acquired through classes, seminars, articles, magazines and as a board member throughout her career. Her choreographies are intricate and leave nothing to chance, yet they are organic and bring the essence of oriental dance to her audiences, wherever they may find themselves in the world. I actively use Hilde's videos in my own, and my students', education. Her ability to catch the nuances in every style genre is an absolute delight to watch as an audience member, yet it is like an eternal source of information for every dancer and teacher out there. I am proud to be able to showcase such talents as Hilde from Norway to my students and colleagues around the world. I look forward to be inspired by, and learn from, Hilde in many years to come!"

David Of Scandinavia

"Not all great dancers are great teachers. You are."

Dordi Grave, student at Navlen

 

"Hilde is the right choice, if you want to build a solid, technical foundation for your dance, and she has an eye for every single student. She is demanding, passionate and 100 % professional. You feel privileged to be part of the great community at Navlen Dance studio."

Hege Olsen

 

"Hilde creates a good learning environment through her warmth and humour, and through her knowledge about the cultural context of the dance, she creates interest and a desire in her students to learn more. Through structured and pedagogical classes her students are given an opportunity to learn basic movements, choreographies and a profound understanding of the dance, and it's cultural context. By creating venues, such as Åpen Scene and end of the term haflas, she provides her students opportunities to perform."

Anita Kjeverud

 

"Hilde is thorough and accurate in her style of teaching, and she makes sure that you don't gain bad dancing habits that will give you trouble later on. She has lots of wonderful irony on her own behalf, and shares generously of her own experiences, both the good ones and the not so good ones, so that the students might learn from her experiences. She has a wide range of styles to teach, and as a teacher, she is superb. There are no questions that are too stupid to be asked, and she explains over and over again, with never ending patience."

Kristinn Reinhard

 

"Hilde is incredibly good at seeing everything and everyone in class. She keeps an eye on all students, and gives personal feedback to every single one, even though we are many students in the studio. Everybody gets their special thing to work with, and I feel that I am "seen" in every class. It is also important for her that we dance correctly with good technique, to avoid injuries, and to be able to present belly dance in a correct manner if we perform in front of an audience. You quite simply get the most for your money in Hilde's classes!"

Tora Løfgren

I have always cherished Hilde's expertise in her field, and she has done lots of pioneering work when daring to go to Egypt and find teachers there.
Hilde studied Arabic and was really hard core at that time, I remember that I admired her a lot for that. I thought that she always worked so much harder than the rest of us, both in regards to the amount of classes and courses she attended and learning new styles and material. And also in her own practise at home.
Her desire to understand the essence of Egyptian folklore has been motivated by a genuine wish to do everything authentically and correctly, and that has benefited the entire Norwegian belly dance community.
At the same time, she has been very honest when she has made fantasy pieces, like her Algerian fantasy. She was a technically very accomplished dancer already at a very early time. I remember seeing her, thinking that I can just forget about learning that right away. And she still does a whole lot of stuff that I can't do.
At the same time she has a very strong love for the music when she dances, and it is obvious that she dances because of the music. The music always gets a prominent place when she dances.
As an instructor, I have followed her through her career, and as I have done, she has returned to teaching detailed technique, rather than rushing through lots and lots in a very short time. That is the self-confidence you get after many years of teaching.
I like how analytical she is, and when Hilde taught in Trondheim last time, people loved to spend a weekend with her, just feeling every muscle in their bodies.
Hilde has meant so much to belly dance in Norway, and will always be regarded as one of the first people who brought belly dance to Norway, and to develop it and to put belly dance on the map, always with a 100 % quality to her work, and an iron-like discipline to her own work.
I hope it lasts for years to come!

Majken Wærdahl,
Norwegian bellydancer, dancing professionally in Cairo for several years