2010 Oct Nov MEDANZ News

DON’T FORGET `

SUBMISSIONS FOR WORKSHOPS AT FESTIVAL 2011 CLOSE

31 OCTOBER 2010

SEND ALL SUBMISSIONS TO KAREN AT:

[email protected]

When thinking of teaching a class at Medanz festival sometimes it can be difficult puttingyour fantastic ideas into words. Here are a few questions to ask yourself which may helpturning your enthusiasm and drive into a more comprehensible format.

Who are you aiming this workshop at? Is this about communication between dancers or soloexpression. Can beginners feel comfortable here, or is it really aimed at challengingexperienced dancers. Does it sit somewhere in the middle, that is for intermediate studentslooking for new challenges? What moves will dancers have to be comfortable with to get themost out of this workshop? For example: ¾ shimmies, umis, flutters and bellyrolls? Or is itabout understanding the music and the development of personnel expression. This sort ofinformation can really help because for many of us it is hard to judge whether we arebeginners, intermediate or advanced.

Do you need any props?

Does it contain any historical or cultural information?

What about difficult moves for less than perfect bodies? For example, deep knee bends, backbends, torso rotations, floor work, spins. These sort of physical challenges pose differentquestions from those of technical prowess.

What music will you use? Would it help the students if they listenedto it and get to know it before the workshop. This can be reallyhelpful when it comes to choreographies. What style is thisworkshop? Or is it comparing styles? What about the mood of theworkshop, will it be challenging needing a great deal ofconcentration, will it challenge your bodies or your minds? Will itbe time laugh and time to relax or time to cry along with the angstin the music? Who has influenced you and did you learn style,technique or combos from others which you are so excited aboutyou just have to pass on?

October / November 2010

Middle Eastern Dance Association of New Zealand

MEDANZ NewsMEDANZ NewsMEDANZ News

ISSN 1177-2808

President’ Report 3

Belly Dance Stars 4

Dina’s Weekend 5

DVD Review - The Zar 6

Falling 7

Suher’s Taupo W Shop 8

Bellydance Alphabet 10

Tribal Dancing 12

Winter AscendNZ 14

Are YOU thinking of Teaching at our MEDANZ Festival?by Fern

Page 2 MEDANZ News October / November 2010

Contributions, including original articles, photos, reviews and letters are VERY welcome

Email to: [email protected]

All contributions will be deemed to be authorised to be reprinted on the website.

Material does not necessarily represent the views of

MEDANZ members, not those of the MEDANZ committee.

The cut off date for the December / January newsletter is:

20 November 2010

Web Site

www.medanz.org.nz

User Name: medanz

Password: bellyroll

Bank Account Details: 12-3011-0758507- 51

Include your name and reason (ie: sub / festival /DVD etc)

How to contact us

MEDANZSuite 3051P O Box 13-240JohnsonvilleWellington 6440

Committee :[email protected]

Librarian:[email protected]

Membership :[email protected]

Newsletter :[email protected]

Treasurer :[email protected]

Committee Details

President - Amanda BoundHm: (06) 758 1097Cell: (027) 478 9029

Vice President - Bronwyn MohringHm: (03) 471 0247Cell (027) 234 1024

Secretary - Karen WalworthHm: (07) 823 7232Cell: (027) 448 9001

Treasurer & Membership - Lynley MurphyHm: (07) 886 7742Cell: (027) 454 0478

Linley DuncanHm:: (07) 552 4352Cell: (027) 286 3452

Maarie HutanaHm: (03) 383 4942Cell: (021) 261 4539

Sharnie RileyHm: (07) 549 1017

Dianne ThompsonHm:: (07) 378 1127Cell: (027) 471 7673

October / November 2010 MEDANZ News P age 3

These newsletter reports seem to roll around so quickly, although I know that’s

not really the case. Summer is definitely on the way, and now that daylight

saving has started, it seems to me like everyone is happier and brighter. And

this week has been lovely so far with plenty of sun, the weather certainly has an impact on everyone’s moods!

I am sure that everyone has been following the news about the earthquake in Christchurch. It was great to

hear that our Christchurch people are all OK even though some have suffered damage to homes and studios.

Our thoughts have been with you all during this time. I hope that life is settling into some sort of normality

for all of you in Christchurch, even though, I guess, it will never be the same as before.

We have received several applications for funding assistance over the past few months, and it is great to see

that some of our teachers are traveling around and sharing their knowledge with our dance community. If

you are interested in applying for funding, please check out the application form on the website. The criteria

is also included on the website.

The cutoff date for Festival Show and Workshop submissions is fast approaching – the end of this month to be

exact. If you have been thinking about submitting something, but haven’t yet got around to it, please make it

a priority. The committee are meeting on 6 November to go through all submissions received.

If you would like to contribute articles, information about upcoming workshops in your area, or anything else

that you think our members would be interested in reading about, please send them to

[email protected].

Regards

Aaminah

DURRIYA BELLYDANCE COSTUMES

Range of Bellydance costumes and other goodies available

Outfits for practice and performance

SPECIALISE IN PLUS SIZE, TRIBAL FUSION & TRIBAL

I also order on request, so if you have something in mind, just let me know.

Contact louise on 021 256 4843

Or email [email protected]

Www.tribal.windblown.gen.nz


We had two members submit articles on a weekend they attended together in

Sydney - hope you enjoy their different takes on it

On the 18th of August I was on a plane from my holiday in South

Africa to Sydney, Australia where I would be catching up with two

of my good belly dance friends with whom I have formed a

professional oriental belly dance ensemble. We were invited to

perform as guests at the Belly Dance Star Awards hosted by

Amera’s Palace in Sydney. This was a great honour as the

weekend was centred around one of the most famous belly

dancers in Egypt, Dina, who was invited to Australia to teach

workshops, judge the Belly Dance Star Awards, and best of all to

perform Live!

So the three of us who formed this group, Alimah (Schirin, Tais,

and myself - Candice) got straight to practising once we were all

together in our four-by-two metre motel rooms!! To make things

even more interesting we were dancing part of our choreo with

veils which are 2.5metres each! When Friday night was upon us we were briefed and ready to hit the stage! We

were informed that we would be closing the show, which is a great honour but as you might know it is usually a very

long and tiring night when you’re the last act... It turned out to be the best way to meet the Australian belly dance

community, as most of them were back stage with us!

When the time came for our performance, we went on stage with our heads held high and tried our best to do New

Zealand proud! We received the loudest applause (I was told by an audience member) and were exhilarated by the

positive feedback! It was a wonderful moment and made all the hard work worth the effort.

In the midst of all this, Tais had entered into the Oriental Soloist category of the competition! So this meant she

would be performing alone... on stage... in front of Dina! Well, for most of you who have seen Tais, it is needless to

say that she delivered a flawless performance and was buzzing around backstage afterwards. Then it came time for

the winner to be announced... the People’s Choice Award went to the lovely Rachel Bond of Inspire Belly Dance in

Sydney. Next was the Dina’s Choice Award, and the winner was none other than our very own Tais! Finally the

overall winner of the competition was crowned... Rabiya (Robyn Blackley) of Sydney, a beautiful, humble and most

deserving belly dancer.

The next day was an early start to begin training with Dina. As I walked into the room, I felt an electric buzz of

excitement that still raises the hairs on my arms as I’m typing now... it was the moment before all my preconceived

ideas of belly dancers in Egypt was shattered to be replaced with an newfound awe and respect. Dina entered the

room and began to teach... with each movement I felt a whole new vocabulary of dance open up to me and what I

thought I knew about Egyptian belly dance was just scratching away the surface of this chasm!

That night after rubbing away my aches and pains and glamming up for the big Dina show, I thought about what I’d

learned and the thing that stuck out most was not a move or combination, but how altered my perception had

become. We arrived at the show and somehow managed to obtain front row seats! There were several acts before

Dina and they were magnificent, I was blown away by the diversity of the choreographies and styles.

Then it was Dina’s time... they call her the Queen of Cairo... now I know why! She was mesmerising for every

second of the hour that she performed. Every move had meaning and every look held an emotion so raw that I felt

as though she were telling me a delicate story. She drew you into her web of shimmies and undulations until you

realised you’d been holding your breath, only to let it out in a gasp – the person next to you giving you a knowing

smile as they’d just recovered too! When the hour was over and my eyes were burning from trying not to blink, the

crowd filed out of the theatre with a glint in their eyes for they’d just witnessed a little piece of Egyptian magic.

The next day was spent training with Dina again and we all hung off her every word. Too soon the weekend was

over and we closed the final session with a few tears by some ladies, an exchange of business cards by others, and a

bag full of shopping goodies for the rest. All-in-all a great debut for my oriental group, Alimah, and another surge of

power into my passion for belly dance.

Belly Dance Stars

Candice, Schirin and Tais

by Candice Frankland


I was really thrilled to go with my good friends and fellow Aucklandbelly dancers Candice and Schirin to this big event “Belly Dance andArabic Music Extravaganza 2010” in Sydney organized by Amera’sPalace. We had 2 awesome evenings full of Arabic dance and musicfeaturing the world-famous belly dancer DINA who travelled all theway from Cairo to Sydney for the first time. There were also 2 daysof the workshops that Dina taught during the weekend.On the first night there was the Inaugural Australian Belly DanceStar Awards. The three of us were invited as special guests toperform together in the Trio Troupe “Alimah” and I also competed inStar Award Finals, which were judged by a panel of three Australianjudges (Leonie Sukan, Terezka Drnzik, Georgette) and the gorgeousDina. On the second night we had a pleasure to watch theperformance of the beautiful Australian belly dance troupes, theamazing Arabic singer singing to the Live band and then – Dinaherself!

Competition Night

On the competition night, we arrived very excited at the Awardsvenue in the Bankstown Town Hall in Sydney. All the participantswere getting ready for the big night and we were all excitedlyputting on our costumes, our makeup and doing all of the usual preparation that goes with transforming awoman into a beautiful belly dancer! There were several change rooms and we happened to be in the sameroom with 4 other finalists. Despite the nerves and the fact that we were all competing, there was a lovelyfeeling of camaraderie between all of us, as we helped each other with doing our bras, make up and hair.

As a performer I believe it’s always good to have a few nerves before a performance, but this time I was sonervous that my body and face were very tense (which only made me more worried, because as we all know,it’s impossible to belly dance if you’re not relaxed and enjoying yourself!). Luckily, Schirin and Candice werethere for me, giving me words of encouragement and helping me to relax, and I owe them BIG TIME for that!Right before I had to come out on the stage, I was standing behind the curtains shaking like a leaf and waitingfor the MC to announce my turn. Fortunately I managed to quickly pull myself together, take a few deepbreaths, and step out onto the stage and into the bright lights...

To be honest, I don’t quite remember how my performance went as it was a little bit like having an “out ofbody” experience, but obviously it was good enough for Dina – who gave me her “Dina’s Choice” Award. Afterfinishing my performance I then had to rush backstage and change for our Trio Troupe Dance, which was justas important for me because it was with my dear friends and we felt that we were representing our countryand wanted to show the Australians that New Zealand belly dancing is a force to be reckoned with. I enjoyedour Trio Dance a lot more than my Solo, especially as we were not competing but were instead appearing asguest performers - so we could just relax and enjoy being onstage together.

After the prizes were all given, we were all so exhausted that we went home and crashed! We knew we hadmore in store that weekend, anticipating the workshops that Dina was going to give us the next day.

Dina’s Weekend

Schirin, Candice and I attended Dina’s workshop along with others the following day. Dina was simplyawesome. Having seen her before in videos I had imagined that she would be a lot taller, but I was surprisedto find that she was very petite in real life. However, her technique is so powerful it’s no surprise that she’s sofamous. Dina is a very strong, powerful dancer who brings her very impressive techniques, charismaticpersonality and emotions into her dance style. Her show later on Saturday night was simply breath-taking. Theway she dances is not just the dance – every dance is a different story into which she puts all her feelings,emotions and her whole self. She puts her heart and soul when she dances, so that one is left with a deepimpression that her dancing represents all that she has experienced in her life. But what perhaps amazed memost about this incredibly talented dancer was how she managed to succeed and gain fame as a belly dancerin a Middle Eastern world in which all kinds of societal limitations are imposed on women. As a person, Dinadidn’t carry any airs that one would expect a famous person to have. She was very natural, funny, friendly,animated and down to earth – and smoked like a chimney!

On Sunday, we were then treated to a further day of workshops with this magnificent woman.

In conclusion, I would like to say that all in all we had a wonderful time in Sydney and met a lot of greatpeople and very talented belly dancers. The atmosphere there was lovely and friendly, and I would like toespecially thank Amera - and all those who helped her - for organizing this fantastic event. The dancecommunity in Sydney is very established, supportive and welcoming, and we were really happy to make manynew friends there. We were also so fortunate to have been able to spend two days with Dina in intensiveworkshops, being introduced to her unique style and learning her signature moves.

Dina’s Weekend Storyby Tais


This DVD is a re-issue of “American Arabesque”, a 1981 award winningdocumentary about the Ibrahim Farrah Near East Dance Group’sperformance of “Bait el Zar” (House of the Zar). It does not teach howto “do” a zar but rather how Bobby Farrah created a theatrical version.

For those who have not heard of Ibrahim (Bobby) Farrah, he was firstgeneration Lebanese on the East Coast and became a major influenceon belly dance from the 1960s as a choreographer, teacher andresearcher. He formed the Near East Dance Group in 1971 whichperformed in theatres such as the Lincoln Centre and Carnegie Hall. Hepublished “Arabesque” (an excellent source for cultural and historicalinformation) from 1975-1997 and he produced the documentary video“Rare Glimpses”. He also taught workshops in Australia and a numberof significant teachers in New Zealand and Australia travelled to NewYork to study under him.

In this DVD there is about 15 minutes of pre-performance material -interviews with Bobby and members of his dance group, insights intohow Bobby approached the project, and the group in rehearsal withboth Bobby and the musicians. Then there is the performance itself.“Bait el Zar” is 15 minutes of theatre art. You see the build up with thepriestess and the “possessed” and eventually the musicians anddancers (including Bobby himself) enter and perform what we more typically see as a stage performanceof zar.

In addition, Phaedra has assembled another 30 minutes of material which ranges from further clips ofrehearsals, performance, and interviews, the Ibrahim Farrah Near East Dance Group’s repertoire, a veryshort clip of Nadia Gamal doing a zar within an Orientale piece, and actual zar clips a from Magda Saleh’s“Egypt Dances”. The last item is a huge contrast to “Bait el Zar”. The real zar does not always use theayoub rhythm which was de rigueur for Western zar performances for many years (maybe influenced bythe “Bait el Zar” performance?) nor does it have such a sense of high drama. There is also somecorrections of the accepted wisdom of what zar actually is/was.

This DVD would be worth getting for anyone who is interested in the development of the wider field ofbelly dance and Ibrahim Farrah’s vision in particular. It is also interesting seeing how Bobby consciouslytook aspects of the zar and adapted it for theatre. You also get insights into his philosophy. Bobby Farrahsays:

“The reason why this dance has so much to offer is it is both a physical and emotionalexperience. The rhythm … sets the tempo of the feet and the body. …The spiritual part comesfrom the melody.”

This is echoed by his students:

“The music is the whole basis of this dance” and“There is no reason to study this dance if you don’t like the music”

To contact Phaedra to buy a copy of “The Zar Dance”: [email protected]

For more information about Ibrahim Farrah: www.ibrahimfarrah.com

DVD REVIEW - The Zar Danceby Judith Varga (Kashmir)

DARGAVILLE GIRL GUIDES

BRA COUNT

42,372 !! as at 13 Sept

KEEP THE BRAS COMING!

Robyn Martinovich550 Mahuta Road R D 1 DARGAVILLE


It turns out that falling over on the stage during the Medanz Show was one of the best things I have done,although it has taken a while to formulate this opinion about it! It certainly is one of my most memorabledance “achievements”.

This positive take has come about by the great amount of positive feedback I have had from the bellydancecommunity. Many dancers have come up to me and praised me for how I handled it, (bless them!) they havetold me about their own bloopers. It is a real whose-who of dancing. It has been explained to me as anumbers game— the more you perform, the more likely you are to have something go wrong. I’m verypleased that my something-go-wrong did not involve a wardrobe malfunction of a revealing nature like a lot ofthe stories I have heard. I have been reliably informed (and triple checked on the DVD) that my sensible fleshcoloured undies were not on show—phew! My mother was pleased to hear that her advice about underwearpaid off—Lord only knows it is the only advice she is able to give me concerning dancing (I did not inherit thedancing gene from her)!

A lot of people were concerned for my health—and thought I had fallen because I was unwell. Others blamedthe yoga mats we had on the floor—but I assure you that it was all due to good old-fashioned incompetence!.When I sat down—because there were no curtains—and I was trying to do so elegantly in full view—I sat downquite awkwardly and had my dress tangled around my feet. I was aware from the moment I sat down thatthere would be a problem when I got up. I tried not to think about it for the floorwork segment—and thoughtthat when it was time to stand up I would deal with it then. Although I was leading the group and wassupposed to sweep both hands up as I rose—I decided to go with the less elegant both-hand-dress-hitch...Ithought I had got away with it...until I found myself on the floor. It would seem that my dress was just toostretchy.

The report to my family when I got home was interesting. My sleepy husband: “how did your dancing go?”me: “Oh good—I fell on my arse on the stage in front of everybody, but it went well”.

A couple of the Arabian Spice troupe thanked me for “breaking the ice” (better than breaking the floor) andtaking the heat off them—they assured me that they no longer felt nervous after my selfless gesture! “Glad tobe able to help” I muttered. Its funny—but I usually have trouble finding the beat to step off in the secondpart of the dance—it turns out that if I stop-drop-and-roll, when I hop up it is just the perfect timing. We areperforming this dance again at our annual show. One of the girls who wasn’t kneeling at Medanz will be thistime. She expressed concern over her ability to “stand up gracefully” I said I wasn’t in a position to critique it!

I have learnt a lot from this experience—I feel privileged to be honoured with other’s stories andcomplimented on my dancing. I’m amazed that one can have such a major seemingly “catastrophe” but beassured that it didn’t spoil the dance. Apparently some people didn’t even notice it!!! It is quite liberating tohave “the worst” happen (well not the worst—but pretty bad) it lifts all that anticipation of doom from the restof the performances. I often instruct my dancers about what to do if, the music stops, I do the wrong move,they drop their veil, the audience is too close...and try to plan for every eventuality—but I did not tell themwhat to do if I fell over in front of them. Their instincts were pretty good though—a couple of them were readyto “flutter” around and encircle me. Maybe I should not have got up when I did? The resulting improvisationcould have been wonderful.

I was going to list theblooper stories that otherdancers have told me—buthow about people write inwith their own? That wayI’m not breaking thesisterhood code.

Falling - but hopefully not from graceby Linley Duncan


by Christine (Kardriya)

What a weekend it was too!!

Thanks to Genny (& Sue’s) organising we had full classes for both of Saturdays workshops. It was lovely to see somany familiar faces, as well as new ones. We had dancers from New Plymouth, Hamilton, Hawkes Bay (the largestcontingent), Turangi & of course Taupo!

Our day kicked off (not a brilliant choice of word seeing as it was a workshop on Flowing Hands & Arms!) with, asmentioned, Flowing Hands & Arms. It is amazing how taxing & how much concentration is required to do warm ups& exercises for your hands!! They would also be good for those who suffer from arthritis, & I thought I’d pass themalong to my Mum.

Iris told us this class would be a bit ‘different’ & it was! She had chosen a lovely song by Loreena McKennit & wehad to interpret some of the verses into moves using a very simple ‘bottom’ move & basically only using our hands &arms. This certainly made the music ‘visible’! Good interaction with the class with Iris asking us what moves we feltwould show best the lyrics of the song. Was a lot of fun & we certainly had some beautiful hand & arm movementsby the end of the workshop.

After a lovely shared lunch ( we certainly weren’t going to starve! I think a few of us were a bit worried abouthaving to learn a choreography after having eaten so much!) – we began our multi layered choreography to ‘SaharaDunes’. I thoroughly enjoyed this workshop & I’m sure everyone else did as well. Iris said the moves in the dancewere not difficult in themselves, but with veilers & non-veilers, & different shapes being made throughout thecourse of the dance, even in the process of us learning it – you get an idea of how stunning this dance will be!Everyone was buzzing at the end of the class!

We all went our separate ways to meet up again at the Hafla which was held at REAP in town. Our residentdrummer, Petro came along with some of his family. – there were ‘friends’ of Mirage & it was neat to see Julie, oneof our Troupe who is ‘resting’ at the moment. It was so cool to see everyone in costume & looking forward toperforming & watching & chilling out! Was an awesome night – ‘course after I have a glass of bubbles there’s nostopping me & I seemed to dance quite a lot! Was great that all the different groups danced either as a group, orduo’s or solos – I just love being a part of something like this & seeing everyone revelling in doing something theylove as well! Iris shared some dances with us – one was just so soulful & beautiful & the other was delightfully fast& cheeky! We wound down about 10ish (although I am sure some ladies were just winding up, & carried onelsewhere!). We said goodbye to those who were heading home early Sunday or had other commitments, & headedoff home.

Sunday was a quieter start with a lecture style workshop on How to Teach. As some of us have had very littleteaching experience, this was a particularly informative workshop. For my part, it confirmed that what I had donewas along the right track & made me feel more confident. For those who had more teaching experience it was anopportunity to discuss different methods & ideas of approaching teaching & getting students to attend courses. Asyou can imagine, once women start discussing things, one thing leads to another! Even though the workshop wentover time, no one minded at all, & Iris did reign us in from time to time! She gave us wonderful handouts to use asa tool which covered everything from finding a venue to dealing with problem students!

After yet another amazing shared lunch it was straight into the final workshop which was Advanced Shimmy Layers .This was actually the workshop I really needed! I guess I do ok shimmies with not much layering – you add a fewlayers and I tense up like crazy! A large part of this is due, I must admit, to the fact that since shimmies are not myfavourite move (& how many shimmies are in what we do!! Heaps!!) I don’t tend to practice, so I have no-one elsebut myself to blame if they are not suitably impressive!

Iris makes layering shimmies look so effortless, I wouldhave been quite happy to just sit & watch the whole class.It was comforting to see that there were a few weird &wonderful faces, & other manic looking shimmies, so Iwasn’t on my own! Iris did say that we wouldn’t get itright first time & yes, it does take practice! This was themost challenging workshop of all, especially for me, but itwas a good feeling to be doing something this difficult.We finished the workshop with some free shimmying, & Imust admit when I relax & let loose, I do actually enjoythem!

It really was a brilliant weekend! Thanks so much to Irisfor being our wonderful tutor, it was lovely to catch upwith her again. Thanks to MEDANZ for our grant fortravelling expenses.

Thank you to everyone who came, who helped set up,clean up, brought food, etc, you all had your share inmaking this weekend what it was!

Suher Bellydance Workshop

28 - 29 Aug 2010


Oriental, Fusion and Cabaret Belly Dance Classes

Did you know that A’mal is currently teaching Oriental and Cabaret belly danceclasses in Christchurch?

Thursdays, School of Contemporary Belly Dance (SCBD)

L3 Oriental 6.30-7.30pmThis class focuses on developing good base technique, understanding and interpretingME rhythms and music, veil and zill work, and developing the inner goddess:transitions, performance and working towards your own/group choreographies.

Mixed Level:7.30-8.30pmThis is a revolving topic course, delving into some of the many luscious types ofbellydance out there.

Previous topics have included: Lebanese Belly Dance/Isis Wings Technique andChoreography and The Karsilama Rhythm

Current Topic: Turkish Cabaret: Old School bellydance with spins, big hip articulation and heaps of energy(and zills )

Sundays, School of Contemporary Belly Dance-Starting end of May!Advanced Belly Dance and Technique. Time TBC (90 mins): 45 mins of A’mal drills & Technique, followed bysome of ChCh’s finest bellydancers who will further work their class in a particular style/technique.

A’mal also runs private lessons, workshops and performances to suitnationwide, as an Oriental and Fusion teacher and performer, and as part ofthe quirky Red Queens.

CONTACT DETAILS

A’mal - www.amal.co.nz (Txt: 027 301 5897) · S C B D - www.belly.co.nz


by Saxie

A’s for Arabia, far, far away B is for bellies we put on display

C is for chest circles, rolling around D is for doumbek that’s beating a sound

E’s for Egyptian style walking and twists F is for fluttering fingers and wrists

G’s for ghawazee, another great style H is for hip drops we do with a smile

I is for isis wings high as you’re able J is for jewellery worn in your navel

K is khaliji dance, tossing your hair L is for learning to dance and to share

M is for moving around in delight N is for Nuit, the goddess of night

O is original routines we dance P is for posture, our movement and stance

Q is for quandary, which costume to wear? R is for rattling our coins everywhere

S is for saiidi, performed with a cane T is for tribal, together again

U is for undulate, move like a snake V is for veils that we flourish and shake

W’s for warm-up, a good place to start X is for xenia, a gift from the heart

Y is for yashmak concealing and sweet Z is for zilling and marking the beat

The belly dance alphabet now is complete

CINCH DANCE UNLIMITED

We have new stock: Beautiful Malaysian Batik Tubed Sarongs

BINDIS - $2 BEGINNER ZILL SETS - $15

ISIS WINGS WITH CARRY BAG - $120

BEADED FRINGING FOR BRA & BELT - $90 COIN SCARVES - $25

VELVET COINED BRA & BELT SETS - $70 BEADED BUTTERFLY TOPS - $25

STRETCH VELVET CHOLIS - $20 CHIFFON GOLD COIN BELTS - $25

CHIFFON GOLD COINED & BEADED PAYETTE BELT - $40

VELVET COIN BELT - $50 BEADED KURTI TOPS - $60

EMBROIDERED KURTI TOPS - $60 COLOURFUL GOLD SHOT SCARVES - $12

COLOURFUL CANES - $20 BEADED BEDLAH SETS - $160

Visit my webstore at www.cinchdanceunlimited.com

Or come to the shop at 12b Homestead Drive · St Johns · Auckland

If you cannot come in person you can reach me by

e.mail: [email protected] phone: (09) 5272-350 Mobile: 021-1158-548

THE BELLYDANCE ALPHABET


Tribal Style, Tribal Fusion

& Base Belly Dance Classes

Have you ever wanted to try Tribal Fusion or American TribalStyle, but weren’t sure what classes were out and about? Wellevery week Pip E-Lysaah teaches classes in both styles inWellington AND Christchurch.

Every Saturday Pip E-Lysaah teaches Tribal Style Level 2, Level3 and Mixed Level Tribal Fusion at the School of ContemporaryBelly Dance in Christchurch. Tribal Style Level 2 covers theessential cues, formations and movements of American Tribal

Style, Tribal Style Level 3 steps up the challenge by adding shimmies, levelsand layers to the technique, advanced formations and props such as sword,veil and finger cymbols.

Mixed Level Tribal Fusion takes students through an exciting 35 min belly drillsection, which leaves you warmed and sweaty, and then into the combo-graphy portion of the class. Combo-graphy is choreography by combination,learn a combination and then add then together with a modern twist onmusical stylings.

Saturdays, Christchurch

School of Contemporary Belly Dance, - Christchurch

Tribal Style Level 2: 1.30 – 2.30 pm

Tribal Style Level 3: 2.45 – 3.45 pm

Tribal Fusion: 4 -5 pm

Every Tuesday Pip E-Lysaah teaches classes in belly dance at the TarrantDance Studio on Cuba Street in Wellington. Building Blocks of Belly Danceare revolving six week courses, that cover technique for major parts of thebody from ‘ The Belly’ , through ‘Arms and Turns’, ‘Shimmies’ and ‘Travelling’.Tribal Style is a class for those learning Tribal Style Belly Dance, focusing onadvanced combinations and technique. She also teaches Tribal Fusion classesthrough private instruction.

Tuesdays, Wellington

Top Floor, 125 Cuba Street, Tarrant Dance Studio

Building Blocks of Belly Dance: 7.30 – 8.30 pm

Tribal Style: 8.30 – 9.30 pmPip E-Lysaah

http://www.hedonistacal.com; http://www.belly.co.nztext: 021 542 013

twitter: pipbellydance


Hola! This is Victoria sending you all a big hug from my beautiful home country Mexico.

I left my precious Christchurch, all shaken now but standing strong and proud as ever, at the end of July

to spend some time with my family, and support my husband as he sets up a new business over here.

On my arrival, the first thing I did once I hugged and kissed my people was to sit in front of my

computer and google/facebook belly dancers in Mexico!

Being mainly a Tribal dancer, I was really lucky to find out about Belibeya, a Tribal festival that is

organised every year in San Miguel de Allende, a beautiful city in central Mexico. The organiser of this

amasing event that brings together Tribal dancers from all over the country is Elsanne Barrows, an

American teacher and performer of Tribal Style Belly Dance, now living in Mexico. I immediately emailed

Elsanne and expressed my desire to attend the festival which was going to take place at the end of

August. Even though it was sold out, Elsanne very kindly made a space for me when she knew I was

coming from New Zealand, this beautiful tiny country at the end of the world…

Wow! What an experience!!! Four consecutive days of dancing, learning, sharing, laughing and enjoying

an atmosphere of a global tribe constituted by around 40 beautiful dancers! I didn´t know anyone but I

was warmly welcomed into the Tribal community in Mexico and made lots of friends J

The international Belly Dance festival “Belibeya” took place for the sixth time since 2003 this past August

26-29. Elsanne states that the event focuses on the experiential group improvisation that distinguishes

Tribal Style from other styles of belly dance, allowing for a “jam” or encounter where people who may

Tribal Dancing in Mexicoby Victoria Escaip


not speak the same language are able to

communicate via the signals and cues of

Tribal Style Belly Dance. And it is so true! I

danced with many different dancers of

different troupes and it was so much fun!!!

Elsanne brings every year her teacher Terri

Walden of Troupe Salamat plus other great

teachers. This year we had Flo Bargar from

the Rogue Bindis troupe. They are really

wonderful dancers and teachers, and shared

so many things with us… Technique, moves,

combos, concepts, and especially their joy

for dance. And we had of course many other

teachers, beautiful Mexican and American

dancers who enriched this wonderful

experience with their knowledge and

enthusiasm for the Tribal dance.

I consider myself really lucky to have been

able to participate in this event and I’m

already looking forward to attending

Belibeya next year, if I happen to be in

Mexico again. In the meantime, I’ll keep on

dancing and preparing something to bring to

our own Belly Dance festival in New Zealand in Tauranga next year! See you there!!!

Belibeya Teachers

Flo Bargar, Elsanne Barrows, Victoria Escaip (myself), Terri

Walden and Sharon Kerr.


by Karen

Its late at night – after 1 am and my partner in crime and Iare finally both home from a good night out, it would havebeen nice to be able to do Sashi's workshops again thisyear but for some of us that was not an option. I did herworkshops last year and found them to be inspiring andenergetic as well as some challenging parts, people whoknow me will be raising eyebrows going “really” as I am acabaret dancer at heart and love the sequins and chiffonthe music and everything cabaret, because Sashi is aGothic style belly dancer – definitely tribal fusion atleast ....so what is one of the cabaret addicts doing at herworkshop? Expanding repertoire adding knowledge anddoing something challenging as every one can benefit fromdifferent workshopsBack on track. After winning a ticket to the show (Yay forwinning something) it was a trip to Auckland from theWaikato for the evening . As a self proclaimed belly danceaddict I love to perform but it is also nice to occasionallysit back and watch a show. With the Winter Ascendanzshow we were treated to a range of dance styles andentertainments from live musicians to African dancealongside the usually variety of belly dance stylesshowcased in NZFirst up – a duet performance, from Melissa and Hayley with drum and song, then Ukulele and egg shaker Itwas a very pleasant opening to the show, and we were lucky enough to be sitting in the front rowFollowed by a Far East, Very Oriental belly dance / Tai Chi performance from Suzey with long flowing sleevesof her oriental Chinese influenced costume that she swirled and flowed through her dance paired with preciseand graceful moves and accents made for a lovely piece that brought a bit of the orient tot the stageThen there was variation through the show from Indian fusion to cabaret dancers and of course plenty of tribalfusion and Gothic dancersRather then review all the dances I'm going to note the ones that stood out for me and why ..After Suzey was the first of the Tribal fusion dancers – Anna Walsh – a soloist who when she appeared onstage made me think her wig/hair looked like an intimation of Sashi's from last year “imitation is the greatestform of flattery” as the quote goes, after all – her dance was full of cheek emotion and funk, and was veryentertaining to watchThe African dance was hmmm ...interesting and had high energy and I can see why people would want to dothis – possibly to keep fit? One of the dancers got thoroughly into her routine and danced their set/piece withvigorous energy,After that the next piece that really stood out for me was the live band, The Project a group with an Oud aDidge (what looked like homemade didgereedo, as from where we were sitting it looked like pvc pipe ducttape with a metal bowl taped on the end but it sounded good), a sitar player and drummer -where Sashi madeher first appearance of the evening -wearing shades of blue with what looked like delicate trim of gold n silver,provided an entertaining break on the endI loved the Munsters theme performance from sisters of the tribe its nice to see a tribal fusion piece that usesa fun and light hearted piece of music, of course it possibly helps that I remember watching reruns of theMunsters on Saturday morning TV, And Raven provided us with a cheeky and provocative dance routine ingreat taste her eyes really stood out on stage with her amazing eyelashes and you could see every little flutteras if you were right up close (okay so we were fairly close being at the front of the audience)Then Candice danced to Alf Leyla..she. had a really neat veil start with the dancer hiding behind veils whichshe then dropped one after the other followed by a cabaret number that was full of high energy and accents tothis 6 minute pieceAnd as the final piece Sashi came back to the stage – where we were treated to her signature style the Ascendtribal format (Forgive me people If I haven't got this quite right..)with plenty of isolation and gooey snaky movements Turkish crawls isolations and intricate moves.. I'm notdescribing anymore of her dance, but Sashi is a very Talented entertainer and if you missed her show thisyear and you want to know more you need to have fingers crossed that she will be back again next yearHow often at the end of a show do you hear the Audience call for an encore? Well at this show the audiencedid! Then after her encore the called for another one, to the surprise Sashi – never mind there was a dancejam starting after the show, to um loosely? quote the MC for the evening “Sashi can't Believe they haven't hadenough yet”So to those of you who didn't go you missed out on a really good show full of variety and energy

Winter AscendaNZ - 30 July 2010


WHAT’S ON?NEW ZEALAND

WHAT’S ON?INTERNATIONAL

NOTE YOUR DIARIES NOW!!

WINTER WARM UP 2011

TEACHER: Dr Mo Geddawi

9—12 July—Dance Workshops

13—17 July—Teaching Bellydance 9am—9pm

For more details visit

www.winterwarmup.com.au

Student Teacher Show

MIDDLE EASTERN MAGIC

SUNDAY - 21 November

Auckland

For those wishing to perform

Please submit to Diane James ASAP

at: [email protected]

the following details:

Name of Dance School (for programme) &

contact details

Solo / Duo or group (how many in group)

Style (Saiidi - cane - veil - drum etc)

Name of Music - and length of performance

Choreography is by ?????

Staging details - start on stage or walkon /

lighting requirements - full on or fade up/

any costume changes?

Preference - first or second part of show

This is needed to ensure the show runs as

smoothly as possible


WHAT’S ON POLICY

1. All MED related events are entitled to an entry in the WHAT’S ON CALENDAR

2. Maximum entry is half a page.

3. Brochures, registrations forms, etc may be included in the newsletter if sufficient copies are supplied in a timely manner. Limit of one full A4 sheet perperson/event in any one newsletter. Membership numbers available on request.

4. Information received after the cut off date may not be included.

5. We attempt to have the newsletter out in the first week of the month but this is not always possible.

WHAT’S ON?NEW ZEALAND

CINCH DANCE UNLIMITED

and Friends present

THE MAGIC CARPET TOUR

A show where bellydancers embrace dance from around the world

with special guest artists

THE PROJECT

7PM

Saturday 6 November 2010

Glen Eden Playhouse Theatre 15 Glendale Road Glen Eden

Adults $20 Child / Senior $10

For tickets contact Suezy 09 527 2350 / Mob 021 115 8548

or email [email protected]

BOP Hafla - Wed 1 December - 7pmQuarry Restaurant and Bar - Te Puna - Tauranga

We had so much fun at our recent Hafla that I am organising ANOTHER ONE !!!!!All dancers, friends and supporters are welcome to join us no matter what style of bellydance you dance

What area or group you belong to.If you would like to dance please let me know in advance and don't forget to bring a CD of your music on

the night

Linley Duncan - [email protected]

Documents

2010 Oct Nov MEDANZ News