Inspire! Bellydance: Newsletter February 2010

Dear students and friends of Inspire! Bellydance,

Happy new year! Hope you brought it in with lots of shimmies! I certainly did, celebrating Inspire's first anniversary, after the year culminated in the very first performance by Inspire students.

To those who've been with me from the very start, a big thankyou for your support and enthusiasm. I hope you've all enjoyed listening to your 'lucky dip' CDs that I gave out as little Christmas gifts! And to those who've come on board more recently, thanks to you too for joining in the fun and helping us to grow. In just a year, it's gone from two small classes to six; expanding to a third venue, and adding Level 2 classes for dancers who want to keep going beyond the beginner level. That's amazing growth! Congratulations to all of you on your progress - or as they say in Arabic, Mabrook!

This year I'm hoping to grow the school even more and keep you all on your toes through constantly inspiring you to learn more, and to grow both as dancers and as women. To help with this, I'll be travelling to Egypt in winter to participate in the two biggest annual Egyptian festivals and learn from the world's top teachers. I can't wait! But more about that later.

This newsletter contains information about:

• upcoming shows, workshops and events you may be interested in
• recent events and student achievements
• a look at what's happening with our classes this term
• plus a tasty Middle Eastern recipe!

I look forward to seeing you all in class! Happy Shimmying, Rachel

rachel@inspirebellydance.com.au ~ 0403 771134 ~ www.inspirebellydance.com.au

What's happening for bellydancers in 2010?

Sydney Middle Eastern Dance Festival

The biggest event for Sydney bellydancers each year is this three-day festival from 30 April to 2 May. Dancers come from all over Australia and NZ to enjoy workshops, performances, shopping, and just enjoying being part of the community! Bookings are already open for the concert and party nights, and group discounts are available so let me know if you'd like to come! Workshop bookings open on 1 March. I'll be teaching a workshop on Nubian dance, a fun folkloric style from southern Egypt. On the Sunday it's the Bellydance Souk (market), featuring a showcase of performances all day.

Performance Opportunity

Inspire Bellydance has booked a performance slot for the Sunday "Festival Follies" concert. All Beyond Beginner students from Term 4 2009 and Term 1 2010 are invited to be part of the show. Please start thinking about it, and let me know if you're interested!

Other upcoming events

Arabic Nights at Bondi Icebergs

Following the success of last year's event, Bondi-based teacher/performer (and good friend!) Sophie Alize is running another Arabic Nights event at Bondi Icebergs. 2 shows: Thursday & Friday Feb 18th & 19th at 7pm. Three-course Arabic style banquet plus belly dance show (including a performance by Rachel). $55 per head. Bookings through Natalka on 9130 3120.

Pyrmont Ultimo UPtown Festival: Rachel will be performing at this free community festival on 27 March 2010. Time to be confirmed.

Silk and Champagne: Sip on a glass of bubbly while viewing divine silk veils from The Silk Bazaar. Amera's Palace, Enmore, on Saturday 13 February at 1pm.

Fusion Belly Dance Weekend on the Central Coast, 26th - 28th March. Performances and workshops. Please contact Shameela for info and bookings: shameelasdance@gmail.com or 0412 685 755.

Dina of Cairo in Sydney! Egypt's biggest bellydance star, Dina, will be touring Sydney for the first time this year. This will be an event not be missed, so mark the 20th -22nd August in your diaries now!

What else is on?

Michaela, from my Lindfield Beyond Beginners class, is so dedicated to bringing bellydancers together that she's established a national calendar of events! You can find it at http://badradenoir.tripod.com/

Wondering where to go to see a bellydance show? Of course, your first choice should always be Orchid Persian Restaurant, where I perform on Friday and Saturday nights. But if Willoughby doesn't suit you, check out this listing of who's on where, created by Jrisi of Hathor Dance Studio.

Inspire students' first performance!

December 20, 2009: students from Inspire Bellydance opened the show at Sydney's biggest bellydance hafla (party). The evnt brought togethe rInspire Bellydance with three other schools: Amera's Palace, Hips Don't Lie and Read My Hipz.

Most of our students had never performed before. Women from the Saidi workshop started the show, with a fun modern stick choreography. They were followed by the Lindfield ladies with their veil dance (including two mother-daughter pairs!), Rozelle girls with their Arabic pop dance, and finally the Paddington group with a boppy drum solo. The audience loved our performances; I received so many compliments on them! So well done to everyone who was brave enough to get up and have a go.

More end-of-year shows!

Sydney has a friendly network of bellydance teachers who love collaborating on events, and last December there was something on every weekend! Rachel was invited to perform at the Hafla presented by Oriental Dance Studio (Prairiewood) and Hippy Shake Bellydance (Minto); as well as at El Mirage, a theatre show presented by Hathor Dance Theatre together with Devi Mamak from the Blue Mountains.

World Masters Games opening ceremony

On October 11 2009, the World Masters Games was opened at Olympic Park. The spectacular ceremony included a modern bellydance show by a select team of professional dancers from around Australia, including Rachel.

Hens, children, and anything in between...

Lesson/ performance combinations are a favourite for children's parties and hens' nights. I can even provide the venue for your hens' party.

And if you're hosting a special function - whether it's a birthday, engagement or even a wedding - a professional belly dance performance will make it unforgettable. See my performance page for details.

Fast-track your learning, get personalised assistance with particular techniques, or learn a choreography created especially for you! A one-on-one class will address your individual needs and wishes, including assessing your personal strengths and weaknesses in your dancing. Contact me for details.

Corporate classes

Brighten up your working week! Corporate lunchtime classes are available all over Sydney. I am happy to come to your venue if there's a group of women wanting to learn.

Costumes for sale

Second hand costumes suitable for beginners to professionals, well used to near new. A variety of styles. My website has more info and pictures.

Classes and Workshops

Classes this term began on 25 January and continue through to 1 April. We'll take a 2-week break over Easter and return with the school term on 19 April.

Missed a class? Don't forget, your term pass is valid for any of the 3 venues until term ends on 1 April. Make the most of it and come along to another class to catch up. If you want more of a challenge, you can even do 2 classes in a row: Beginners and Beyond Beginners!

New workshops by popular demand!

After the success of last year's Saidi workshops and the recent workshop I taught at Amera's Palace, I'm in the process of planning some intermediate workshops for the next month or so. There'll be one on sword, and another on a topic yet to be decided: perhaps a technique bootcamp! I welcome expressions of interest and topic requests. Look out for an email with more details soon.

Bellydance for teenagers

In 2009, students from Strathfield Girls' High School performed belly dance for the first time at their Dance and Drama night. The Year 9 and 10 girls had only been learning bellydance with Rachel for a few weeks and did a fabulous job!

I've also been teaching Year 9 and Year 11 students at Ravenswood School for Girls in Gordon. I'm hoping to bring the love of dance to students at more high schools across Sydney this year.

And in bad news...

Unfortunately, the media often present a stereotyped and incorrect view of bellydance, rather than doing any real research. One such article was published recently in the Herald Sun, criticising belly dance parties for children as being inappropriate.

On the contrary, I believe that teaching children to dance - including moving their hips, bellies, bottom and chest - might help save them from the poor body image that so many adult women suffer. In my classes for girls, I certainly don't put makeup or two-piece costumes on them. They learn simple, fundamental moves as well as a little about Egyptian music, geography and culture: it's colourful, educational and fun at any age.

So please, if ever you see bellydance receiving bad press from uninformed writers, defend our art! Write a letter to the editor explaining where they have it wrong, and why bellydance is so good for us.

Persian Recipe: Kookoo Sabzi (Herb Frittata)

One of my favourite dishes at Orchid Persian Restaurant, Kookoo Sabzi, is a vegetable dish served during the Persian New Year (Nowruz) celebration, which this year occurs on Saturday, March 20. Traditionally Kookoo Sabzi is deep-fried, but oven baking also works and makes it much healthier!

• 4 cups chopped fresh green herbs. Use plenty of parsley, chives and coriander, along with any combination of spinach, tarragon, dill, watercress, fennel, and mint.
• 2 tablespoons barberries (zereshk), optional (obtainable from Persian groceries; or substitute dried cranberries)
• 2 tablespoons chopped walnut
• 3 eggs
• 2 tsp flour
• pinch of turmeric, salt and pepper
• 2 tb oil
  

Preheat oven to 180°. Beat the eggs well with a whisk. Then add all ingredients except the oil and mix thoroughly until well blended. To this mixture add one tablespoon of oil and stir well.

Oil an oven-proof baking dish well. Gently pour the herb mixture into the dish evenly, cover lightly with aluminum foil and place in hot oven for 40 minutes. Halfway through cooking remove the foil. Once cooked, remove from oven and let it cool for a few minutes before cutting kookoo gently into small pieces. Enjoy hot or cold with warm bread and yogurt or torshi (pickles).