Dear students and friends of Inspire! Bellydance,

Welcome to Term 2! Our friendly little community is growing rapidly, with extra classes added in both Lindfield and Paddington, a sports course for students of Strathfield Girls' High School, and a corporate lunchtime class for CGU Insurance in Pyrmont. There are also some exciting major events coming up in Sydney's dance calendar. Read on!

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

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

End of Term Party

Term One finished with a bang at our fantastic "Hafla" (party) which featured 10 performers, including three live drummers. Students and friends were treated to fun folkloric dances by Farrah, an endless shimmy from Lee-Fay, a mesmerising modern tribal performance from Kurvy, and a playful modern Egyptian choreography from Johara. I performed a coy "shaabi" (modern street style) dance and a sword balancing piece in the first set, and finished the second set with a "saidi" (southern Egyptian fighting dance) with stick, and finally a drum solo, accompanied by Ignatius playing tabal and tabla (two kinds of Middle Eastern drums). View video footage from this and other events on my YouTube page.

The Middle Eastern banquet was quite a feast: our 60 guests were treated to mezze, kebabs, Turkish delight, and many more tasty delights from Lebanon, Turkey and Persia.

We've now outgrown The Tango Room, so this term's Hafla will be at a different venue. Details will be available in a few weeks. Stay tuned!

Time to enrol for Term 2!

This week's free taster classes saw over 30 new students giving bellydance a try for the first time, as well as some returning students who just couldn't wait to get back into it. The coming week (4-7 May) is Week One of our new 10-week term. Enrol in advance by contacting me for my bank details, or bring your enrolment fee along to the first class. There's still room for more students, so your friends are welcome.

20th Sydney Middle Eastern Dance Festival this weekend!

Sydney's biggest annual bellydance event is this weekend! It's an extravaganza of workshops and performances, as well as a huge coming together of the community from all over Australia and New Zealand. In the shows on Friday and Saturday nights you can see some of the country's top performers, including my folkloric troupe, Farrah, on Saturday night. There are workshops on all day Friday and Saturday (which hopefully many of you will be ready to attend next year); I'm making my debut as a Festival teacher on Saturday morning, with a workshop on finger cymbals. For those with children, there'a an introductory workshop on the Saturday afternoon with Georgette.

And finally, on Sunday is the Bellydance Souk (marketplace) at Marrickville Town Hall. I highly recommend coming along: it's just $10 for a full day of performances by dozens of soloists and groups, professionals and amateurs. I'll be giving a 10 minute show at 2.50pm. Plus, the hall is lined with stalls selling costumes, music, hip scarves and any other accessory you could want, so it's the perfect place to grab yourself a new hipscarf for class!

All the details are at www.sydmedfest.com.au.

Australian Dance Festival

Over 60 choreographies, 40 workshops, 3 nights of dance shows and an Expo, at the State Sports Centre, Sydney Olympic Park, June 12-14, 2009. If you love dance of all sorts, don't miss this fantastic opportunity to take workshops with choreographers from So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing with the Stars.

Jrisi and the Hathor Dance Theatre - a professional troupe of which I am a member - have been asked to represent Oriental Belly Dance in this huge dance event, unlike any other.

Jrisi’s choreography will be presented on Sunday June 14th as part of “A Celebration of Cultures”, 8.30-10.30pm. Performances will include Bollywood, Flamenco, Bellydance, Brazilian Samba, Capoeira, African, Chinese, Irish etc. Be amazed by the huge variety of dance styles which our immigrants have brought to Australia, including our very own Aboriginal Dance. For tickets and info, visit the Australian Dance Festival website.

School holiday workshops for kids

During the Easter school holidays, Ashfield Council engaged me to give a dance workshop for children. The 5-8 year olds were so cute as they learnt moves like the Pyramid, Snake, Camel, and running on hot sand! They loved their magical flying carpets, too. The 9-12 year olds were incredible at balancing the sword. More workshops for children will be available next holidays - or arrange your own for your children's party!

Regular Performances

Have a great night out and see me in action on Friday and Saturday nights, 8.30pm at Orchid Persian Restaurant, 325 Penshurst Street, Willoughby, tel. 9417 7344. Bookings are strongly recommended. Take you hip scarf along, because after the dance show there's live music and dancing all evening. Rachel also performs on request for booked groups at Massayah Lebanese Restaurant, 118-120 Marion St, Leichhardt, tel. 8084 2692.

Hosting a special function? Whether it's a birthday, engagement or even a wedding, a professional belly dance performance will make it unforgettable. Lesson/ performance combinations are a favourite for children's parties and hens' nights. Take a look at my performance page for details.

Private classes

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

Gift vouchers are available for private or group classes - a gorgeous Mother's Day gift! Contact me for details.

Inspire in the media

Inner West Courier (Inner City edition), Tuesday 28 April

(OK, so the school has not been running for 12 years - they meant how long I've been learning! Otherwise mostly correct...)

Look out for an upcoming article in the Wentworth Courier.