No, it's not more chancy because haflas (Arabic word for informal parties) are not as practiced as shows.
It's because in a show you know where the performer will be playing to - out front to the several hundred people who paid to come see them. The dancers will be facing one way, and that makes it comparably easy for shutterbugs to stake out their places and be ready for the shots.
This is not so at a hafla. Or at least any of the dozen or so haflas I have been to.
My brief experience is that there is no "front" for the performers to face, sometimes because the audience is in a tight arch around the dancers - like in some of the class rooms - or because the audience can be seated on either of two sides of the stage - like at the Mango.
The best those with cameras can do is pick their side, second guess their shot and hope the dancer is kind enough to play to the camera.
These shots were taken at Zayna's monthly hafla at the Mango in Niles, Illinois. My thanks go to all the people who danced, for their time, talent and hospitality. Here's to hoping these pictures did them justice.
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