Classes are over. the summer is here – happy solstice BTW.

It has taken a week for me to recover my energies /focus etc to thank everyone who cam out last Wednesday to my 29th – yes, 29th – class party { officially for the past few years, called the OCCP- Ottawa Centre Class Party}.

It’s always a bit of a roller coaster ride – some years we sell out early, some years I am scrambling to cover the costs by opening it up to the public. The dancers- teachers and students  alike – always bring their best to the show and make it an interesting and diverse mix.

This time around, I was extra grateful to the people who were there helping out and relieved to know that I could wander about a bit, leave pretty much all of the night of details in their hands and be a bit more social.  It’s months of work with the last few weeks for the June show being an especially hectic time as I am also in full bridal swing, so thank you to Erika and Catherine who took care of the Stage management and tag teamed with me for “voice from beyond” action and more.  Thank you Linda and Katheryne who were the main door folk – along with Emilie and Laura and Erika helping out as needed.  Thanks to Brenda and Donna for their jumping in as needed to direct people and just stepping up.

Then there is Michèle Roy. She is there before any of us, hanging fabrics with the help of Dennis at Ottawa U, and spends time before the event planning out the set design to make us all look great.

For the 3rd time in a row, I have forgotten to thank her in my final words – and have to scramble to make sure at least some of the people give her some accolades before they leave – ’cause she deserves much more than  40% of the people thanking her with applause for the decor.  She deserves 110% thanks for always designing something gorgeous to create that very social mood for the show.

Tom. Tom has been videotaping my performances almost from the beginning and has been recording and creating beautiful dvds for the performers for my class parties since they started.  Again, he spends hours assembling the info and creating a beautiful record of the event so that even the beginning performers can see themselves looking great on stage!  For performers who have not yet ordered a DVD but want one – email him via his website: www.darnermedia.ca

David. New to the scene – this great guy has been tossed into the whirlwind of Tom’s world by becoming both our neighbour and a huge help at both mine and Tom’s projects of late!  His first foray into being our official photographer has yielded some amazing results!   My photos will soon be viewable to the public and as other dancers give permission/post them on their own sites, you’ll be able to see what a great photographer he is!  And he’s a nice guy so I am sure you’ll be seeing him around !

And Dar of Shibori Borealis is one of my very special VIPs at the OCCPs!  her veils inspire us all to challenge ourselves to dance better, show them off and do them justice!  My costume for this show was once again designed with pieces from Shibori Borealis, both the veil and the silk for the skirt.  The rest of my costume was created by assembling pieces of our community.  Other turquoise silk on the bedleh set was from Roxanne, another local costumer. the beaded fringe I purchased from Nikita, another local dancer.  Purple sequins I think came from Leila, the purple beaded appliqué at my hip from Michele Roy, along with the turquoise sequin fabric on the bra and belt.  So much inspiration from so many creative people all manifesting in my newest creation.

So thank you.

I’m gonna shift gears and focus on private lessons and shows fro the summer.  Wedding dress, bridesmaids and other costume work will keep me busy during the days. And a few dance festival performances will keep me humble as I dance with my buddies in Bollywood For Fun.

See ya in September when my classes resume and in October for the next Dancers’ Bazaar!

Twice a year, since I began teaching belly dance, I organize an end of season class party { Ottawa Centre Class Party}. December and June bring out the dancing students and professionals to a <hopefully >fun filled evening of performances, and for those doing the performing, some fun socializing in the green rooms.

It’s gone up and down in size over the years, depending on enrolment in classes, availability of teachers and student groups to come out etc.  When it began, back in June of 1998, it was in my back yard for the spring/summer one, and in a nearby Byward Market restaurant for the December one.

It peaked a few years back at about 450 performers and guests, and was at the Bronson Centre for a couple of shows. Then the cycle had started to move downwards again and less people were able to participate, so I happily moved back closer to home at the Ottawa U Alumni Auditorium- averaging 270 people for the past few years.

Last week, we peaked again – all 300 tickets are out with teachers, and I have growing list of performers and their guests waiting to hear if any tickets come up for grabs.  There will be a lot of last minute shuffling.  And stress for those folks wanting to bring those 5 extra people { really doubtful that I’ll be able to find that many extra tickets.}

So what to do?

1 – I have teachers checking with their students – are you sure all of your tickets will be used?

2- this morning it occurred to me that often the people involved in the first half, in spite of being told to stick around since the second half of the show has even more fun, LEAVE.  And so during the second half of the show there are piles of empty seats for no good reason.  Do I need to work this already existing “negative” into a positive for this one event?  I’ll percolate on this, but if any teachers know for sure that their students will only be there for the first half { due to early morning shifts/kids etc. – LET ME KNOW!}

3- Crowdsourcing solutions: I run a benevolent dictatorship, but I am open to good ideas.  So if you have any solutions – bearing in mind it’s less than 2 weeks away and about 20 people want to have tickets to sit for the whole show, on top of some floaters who will only be there part of the time…

Ah well, I am now off to a full day of web series shoot and then dancing at the Indo Caribbean Cultural evening tonight.  See ya later!  Leave me some comments below!

A few years back now, I was going to get rolling on Youtube and create a weekly episode of mini lessons.  As I got busier, it instead became a mere short series of videos { there are 5} that all include some dance moves and some include some extra stuff, as I was trying to make them interesting!

As I begin a new session, I try to remember to let my students know both about my Basic Lesson DVDs as well as these mini clips for those who want to practice during the week.  And rather than making them search too hard, here is the playlist from my youtube channel!

Try this at work 🙂 CLICK ON THE PHOTO – I couldn’t get the youtube fancy embedding to work yet!

I just received some very sad news.

Gee Gee Amine Robinson passed away in her sleep last night. She was admitted to the General Hospital on Saturday afternoon, and was in the cardiac care unit.  If you did not know this amazing woman, or only met her later in life, please read her Bio from 2000 sent to me by Ross: GEE Gee BIO

Celebrating the life of Gee Gee Amine Robinson – Memorial Gathering of Dancers and Friends

The Ottawa belly dance community received some very sad news this past week, our longtime friend, dancer, and colleague Gee Gee Amine passed away peacefully in her sleep on March 27. As well as being one of the founders of our dance community, she was a longtime driving force in OMEDA and was always involved in getting dancers involved in supporting community events such as Art in the Park, the Ottawa Marathon and various fundraising events around the city. Gee Gee leaves behind her a legacy of many dancers who learned from her and loved her, and together we wish to celebrate her life and her memory.
We invite you to join us for a gathering and halfa to share stories and memories, next Saturday, April 7th at the Heron Road Community Centre (2nd floor), 1480 Heron, from 1-4pm.

Please share this invitation widely with those who may not be receiving the Dancers’ News. Also, I know Gee Gee would love if we all performed her “Belly Gram” in her memory at this event.

So please bring your memories (stories, pictures, ect), a hip scarf and refreshments to share as we honor our dear teacher and friend.

Please contact Niki at: theodorn @ rogers.com, 613-736-2969 (day) or 613-818-8683 (cell), if you plan to attend or you need further details.You can also contact her husband, Ross at 613-731-0815.

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I’ll be adding some photos here as soon as I have permission from folks in them. If you have photos of Gee Gee that you don’t mind having posted here, email me a jpg: halyma@bellydancingforfun.com  And Niki would love to have any high quality files you have for the memorial on Saturday – contact her at the information above.