The last few years of my life in Damascus and now here in Istanbul have been stained with the pain and tears of the Syrian conflict, not a moment goes by without the sadness touching me, conversations with friends here and those still in Syria, stories of suffering and torment, ever depressing social media news feeds casting a dark shadow over my life.
Where my work is concerned I have tried at times to distance myself from Syria, looking for alternative roads to explore, the wonderful city has much to offer me I am sure although it has taken me longer to adjust than I would have imagined, one such road though has lead me to meet Hale a beautiful Turkish belly dancer.
I have been curious about Eastern dance for some time although not so much the art as the social context of the dancers in conservative countries such as Egypt, when I started to look into issues here in Turkey I found a different social situation and decided to pursue a more artistic approach.
After meeting Hale and discussing ideas we decided to collaborate on creating some images that contradicted the usual stereotyped photographs familiar Belly Dance. Hale is passionate about her art and expresses her feelings with such grace and emotion, she seems lost in a world of her own and for a few brief moments I am able to escape one world for another.
Drop by this page to enjoy some of the work so far with more images to be added soon
https://www.facebook.com/raqssharqiart
Please share and like the page
John Wreford Photographer 
Very nice images John.
Thanks Mike mush appreciated
Some fabulous pictures on fb John. Nice to see real women and not anorexic models too.
My heart goes out to you and the conflicts in Syria. For that matter all conflicts. Happy you are finding comfort in your work. Keep up the good work…
Very impressed with the photo here and ones on FB. She is gorgeous and you have captured the movement in a wonderful way. Your commentary is very interesting, too. Good luck in your new home in Istanbul.
wonderful john. movement, beauty, flow, compulsion.
Thank you 🙂
Great idea, to photograph the dance from a new perspective. I love your blog; I can feel the emotion behind your writing and your photos. Keep posting!
nice to see a sensitive photographer works with an Oriental Dancer.