Taking you on a journey to the Middle East and India, these dancers sparkle and glitter as they showcase these ancient artforms of belly dance and bollywood, along with some modern fusions of both.
Halyma, along with other local professional belly dance teachers and performers, and her colleagues from Bollywood For Fun, Ottawa’s first fusion Bollywood dance troupe, will encourage you to sway and shimmy along as they present their elegant and enticing dances.
Be sure to stop by the booth to find out more about classes in belly dance all around Ottawa, private workshops in Bollywood, and the newest fusion classes, Bellywood with Halyma.
Halyma
Halyma’s Belly Dance offers Belly Dancing For Fun courses through the City of Ottawa along with private classes and performances at weddings, birthday parties, girl’s nights, etc.
Halyma is also a founding member of Bollywood For Fun, Ottawa’s first fusion Bollywood Dance Troupe and they have been seen around Ottawa at local festivals and are also available for private lessons, workshops and parties!
Be sure to check the Main Stage schedule for our shows here this weekend!
Bellywood with Halyma is her latest adventure in fusing these two loves together and creates a high energy dance class with the softness of Belly dance and the punch of Bollywood!
Strongly community minded, Halyma also offers the Dancers’ News, an online source of belly dance related information in the Ottawa/Gatineau area, including classes, workshops, shows and more!
Helping women of all ages and sizes enjoy a healthy body image and finding fun within our souls!
Wow – the break is almost over – and I will be SO ready to dance again by January 10 – will you?
Be sure to sign up this week to ensure your space in whatever class will work for you!
Belly dance – Starting the week of January 10, 2011
Byward Market Area:
Routhier Community Centre 613-244-4470
172 Guigues, [corner of Cumberland street and St. Patrick]
$97.75/ 12 weeks
Beginner classes: Mondays 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. OR Thursdays 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.Learn the basics of belly dance in a relaxing atmosphere and have some fun finding new ways to move your body!Intermediate Class: Mondays, 8 p.m. to 9 p.m.Once you’ve got the basics, come out for a bit of a challenge with layering, more props and even more fun!
Old Ottawa South:
Old Ottawa South Community Centre 613-247-4946
260 Sunnyside, east off Bank
$75/ 10 weeks Beginners and Beyond: Tuesdays 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.Designed for beginners and those who have the basics of belly dance already, this course will challenge you to a low impact workout and get your brain working too!
Bellywood with Halyma- Starting the week of January 10, 2011
“Bellywood“: a fusion of the best of Bollywood dance and Bellydance that focuses on the strong and gentle low impact movements with lots of energy!
AS I have been working with Bollywood For Fun over the past few years, I have come to see a potential of amazing joy and high energy dance that could be made available to all fitness levels! By combining that which I personally love from both dance forms, I will be sharing my two loves in a new way for me, and for those who come out to play!
Old Ottawa South 613-247-4946Bank and Sunnyside Area
Tuesdays: 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.
$75/ 10 weeks Dovercourt411 Dovercourt
Wednesdays: 7 -8 p.m.
14 weeks/ $147.50
Routhier Community Centre 613-244-4470172 Guigues, [corner of Cumberland street and St. Patrick]
Thursdays:
7:30 to 8:30 p.m.
$97.75/ 12 weeks
Learn how to hem your own pants, sew on your own buttons and the very basics of sewing! This course is based on hand work, with the option to bring in your sewing machine for the second class.
Needles, thread and muslin are provided. Students may choose bring in their own projects to work on during the final class.
Saturday mornings- 10 a.m. to noon: February 26, March 5, 12, 2011 *
Res $50
NR $62.50
Sen: $45
* dates have been shifted slightly from what is indicated in the Recreation Guide.
LEVEL 2 – online but not listed in the city’s recreation guide :
Learn how to alter your clothes to fit, install a basic zipper and general repairs. This course is based on a combination of hand and sewing machine work. Some work with basic store bought patterns will be covered as well.
Muslin will be provided and a basic zipper. Students may choose to bring in their own projects to work on. An information sheet will be provided upon registration or via email.
Saturday mornings- 10 a.m. to noon: January 29, February 5, 12, 2011
So, another party, another season, another amazing evening behind us.
Thanks so much to everyone – every show has a different feel, energy, dynamics and of course technical fun, and it was great to have some new groups/ soloists involved, showcasing their styles along with some familiar faces returning!
As the Ottawa Centre Class Party is basically a “student recital”, I really want to draw attention to the generous spirit of the teachers/professionals who come out dance dance for us, sharing their talents and inspiring us with amazing choreographies/ improvised pieces, gorgeous costumes and time and energy. THANK YOU.
The volunteers make the world go round, smoothly jumping in as needed, helping out with a smile and stepping up when I don’t even know what they might be having to do. I really appreciate being able to trust that once things are set up, these folks can take over, and all works itself out! Thanks to Michele R, Erika, Donna, Gailene, Michele F [ who stuck it out outside for the whole show and took your dvd orders all night!] Laura, Sylvie, and Catharine – our Talent Wrangler. Also thanks to Lainie and her assistant Jen for what promise to be lovely photos. THANK YOU.
And Tom, of course. Did you remember to order a dvd if you wanted one?
Email him: info@darnermedia.ca – there is still time.
And finally the student performers of all levels -from first timers getting their feet wet in what I hope was a fun, relaxed atmosphere, to seasoned performers who still consider themselves students, but really do shine when they hit the stage. THANK YOU.
Today, I’m relaxing. Tomorrow, it’s back to work for a few more days till I start my official holidays for Yule.
So, seasons greetings / happy holidays to you all!
Tracey/Halyma
WINNING NUMBERS – thanks for reminding me!!
#79 was the first one drawn at the show last night – won a $25 gift certificate!
#114 is the second number for the other Eco-TAV gift certificate!
On December 11, 2010 Samahang Ala Eh! a non profit organization hosted a Variety Show entitled “IBA’T-IBANG KILOS, ISANG LAYUNIN.
This fundraising event was held at the Bronson Centre Theatre, 211 Bronson Ave., Ottawa, ON, on Saturday, December 11, 2010 in support of their commitment to assist and motivate a financially challenged group of students in their hometown of Batangas in the Philippines, by giving them the opportunity to complete a high school education.
Bellywood with Halyma was invited to perform as part of the evening’s entertainment and I was so pleased that 5 of my students from our first session ever were willing to join me on stage that evening!
I hope to get shots from the organizers in the future, but here we are back stage: Jaana, Sadira, Ameenah, Halyma, Esmerelda, Renuka
I really should be working, but on my morning walk, I was going over general conversation in my head that happens in the back stage area at almost every show. With my upcoming end of season show happening this week, it seemed like a timely topic to chat about briefly.
Do I still get stage fright?
Hmm, well, I actually only had what I felt was stage fright once. Oh wait, twice.
In grade 7, when I had to present a “speech” for the very first time, I was extremely nervous. I remember choosing to wear a skirt that day so that folks would not see how much my knees were actually shaking as I gave it. The topic was one of a funny nature, and not to brag too much, but I actually came in second in the ranking of the students, my good friend coming in first as she chose a serious topic for her presentation. Okay, I was a good student and usually did well in class, but was actually surprised to have done so well, when I knew how much I was shaking the entire time.
First fabulous pic as a new bellydancer!
The second time was my last performance as a belly dance student – or thereabouts. Back when I started taking belly dance classes, I totally fell in love with it, and within about 6 months of beginning, I was taking 2 classes a week, participating in the local volunteer association that was around at the time, and dancing at amateur parties as often as I could.
It was probably in early 1997, as the previous summer /fall of 96, my life started on a path of some much needed personal growth. I was going through a lot, and dance was my escape when needed and my dance friends were my solace to get me through.
And then it happened. At one of our amateur shows, which were taking place at a local lebanese restaurant on a somewhat regular basis, I was standing in the “back stage” area – which was the stairway to a basement changing area that those of us taller than 5’6″ had to duck the lightbulb! – and I was introduced that I would be performing next.
Now, at this time, the restaurant had been inviting some of their own regular patrons to come out and enjoy these shows, so there were some non-bellydance folk who had been booking a table and coming out for at least a few months.
Once my name was announced, I heard the words, ” Ahh, Halyma!” amidst very welcoming clapping. and all that went through my head was > “OH Crap.”
Suddenly, my time of relaxed and fun dancing- because I was still ” a student” -had switched. What did it mean to have people calling my name? It was too weird.
Really, too weird.
I danced with a flush of nervous energy that totally shifted my perspective on my dancing and made me realize that, if I was going to continue, I had to actually start to work at it. My colleagues at the time who had begun pretty much at the same time as I had, they were working at it. They were taking workshops and practicing and challenging themselves. I was having fun.
So I took a break.
I stopped performing. I stopped taking classes and dealt with my personal life. And I kept in touch with those cherished friends in my bellydance world as they had been a big part of making changes in my feelings about myself and my sense of self esteem.
I also had to come to terms with a few things before I could return to belly dance. I had to decide what was it about the dance that was most important to me. The fun, the personal challenge, the costumes, the community.
And I came back in my own quiet way and the next phase of my life started as a teacher and professional performer.
So, long story, without an answer – Do I still get stage fright?
No, not really. but I never did. As a student dancer, I told myself that it was okay to make mistakes because I was still a student. And once I realized I needed to smile more, something else kicked in – I developed a fabulous nervous twitch that affected the side of my face, and the only way to stop it was to smile!
These days, I get crazy hyper vigilant. I get moments of complete blankness on stage. I get a voice in my head that reminds me to keep smiling even when there is almost no energy to be felt from the audience. So, there is a full roller coaster of emotions attached to my performances, that I try to use to my advantage. When I do make mistakes { this happens much more often now that I dance with a group!}, or things go unexpectedly awry { wings incident a few weeks ago..}, I know to smile and keep going.
So, some of the sage advice from the conversations that happen backstage may help you, if you have moments of stage fright:
Don’t beat yourself up about making mistakes.
Keep smiling and laugh it off.
Warm up a bit and speed practice through those moves a few minutes before, just to refresh your memory.
And what advice has worked for you?
Post me some comments folks and share your advice for those new dancers who are making their way through the ranks!
Wow – I woke up on Sunday morning to edit the Dancers’ News and realized very emphatically that it is now December.
Last night I taught my last two Monday evening classes of this session, and last week I had covered the Thursday classes. Wednesdays will continue until next week- so two more classes there and that’s unusual for me. I like my 12 week sessions but with the new location having a different system, ya gotta go with the flow, right?
Photo by WTL
December is a month of myth for me. In my spiritual journey, I understand that December brings about the dark to encourage us to rest and reflect. But with society’s mentality, the reverse happens, where everyone gets busier and busier with parties, visiting and shopping.
I’ll be seeking that darkness after I get through my own end of year celebration with my classes and invited performers. My Ottawa Centre Class Party downsized last year to reflect a turn in the dance classes, and has returned to more of a semi-private event to ensure that the 250 plus dancers and close friends of dancers can come in and enjoy the fun.
I was asked how long I have been organizing this event and while I won’t post photos from the first one in my back yard: June 13, 1999, you can use your imagination. There’s a tarp and a sheet hanging as the “backdrop”, and a small group of lovely ladies who came out and had fun! We’ll leave it at that!
Photo by Lainie Cambria - Click to see more!
I’ll know next week if there will be any tickets available at the door, but usually it sells out to within 10 tickets, so I don’t really advertise. But I can chat about it as it’s a big part of my life at the moment!
It’s like a light at the end of my tunnel by this time of year. Darkness in the morning, darkness in the evening, I join in on the usual lament! I approach December 21st with anticipation of the shift. And it’s a full moon this year – that’s gonna be nice if the skies are clear!
So, the class party brings on challenges and fun at the same time. Organizing, budgeting, cajoling, and harassing folks to bring them all together in a sparkling mass of movement and music is something that I enjoy and have allowed to grow gradually over the 10 plus years that I’ve been teaching and having an end of year party.
I am so grateful for the colleagues who participate as they understand how much work it can be and help so much by being on top of their own contributions to the event. I do delegate and each teacher is responsible for getting her own groups choreographed, costumed, practised and prepared for this fun night! It’s a lot of work for everyone involved and I think it gives everyone a great chance to shine!
Another shot by Lainie from last December's show!
And there are always the volunteers – amazing women who are my friends and playmates in various parts of my life, and they come out and help with generous hearts at many of the events I organize!
I am in my final week of preparations, have another show to perform in on Saturday evening, some social gatherings of the season coming up this weekend too, and some responsibilities of my own to keep on top of. <sigh>
And I know that I am blessed with so much….
I think January will be my time of rest!
The first week at least…till classes start again 😀
Ah well – just a quick note to let you know about two fun events on this weekend:
There are still lots of tickets available for the “For the Love of Dance” show, tonight at 7:30 pm at the University of Ottawa Alumni Theatre
Chinese folk dances by the Ottawa Chinese Arts Troupe and the Xin Hua Chinese Dance Troupe Step-dancing by Pauline Brown’s School of Stepdancing, and the Chad Wolfe Studio of Dance and Music Romanian folk dances by IZVORUL Romanian Dance Troupe of Ottawa Black-light Hooping by Sophie Latreille Tribal Fusion by Niki and students Street Jazz by the Dollhouse Dance Company Hip Hop by Thrive Bellydance by Anna & Safiya
…and more!
Fast-paced and informative, please come out and support this charity event…and have a great time too!
There are so many things I think about when I am out walking that I would love to share – then I get home and get busy. <sigh>
Last Friday morning, I had a great morning walk – the first in weeks that really felt like I was almost back on track with them. As the days get shorter, I, like many others, am directly affected and wish to spend much more time in bed than I probably should. So sleeping in until the clocks finally changed was becoming a dangerous norm. Now that I’ve got sunlight to awaken me again, my morning walks have a chance at resuming at their prescribed early hour, so that I can get the walk in before too much traffic hits the streets and makes it noisy and too unfun!
As I was on my walk last Friday morning, I felt so compelled to share my little journey through the ups and downs, the busy times and making time for me/ hubby/ and how my life gets a bit crazy if I neglect these important aspects. There was flowery language, deep thoughts and all kinds of impact filled revelations that were going to be expressed. Then I came home and began sewing and just didn’t do it.
Friday evening rolled around and I was able to head out to a great gig and then a post gig visit with friends that was late, but very enjoyable.
That started a weekend of busy moments bookended by enjoyable social time.
Saturday evening took me to City Hall for a lovely event that went very well, until I realized during my finale performance, my static treatment was inadequate, my system of attachment was not functioning properly and I became a broken winged butterfly for the last half of my song.
Will link up to Eurika’s pics here when she uploads them!
I did my best to recover from it, but moments like that can be so disappointing and full of self recrimination – should haves and would haves that really only help in the “hindsight is 20/20” department. At least I had great company and we continued on to support a friend at another social event that was a lot of fun.
Sunday took us to Montreal. Family visits with the in-laws are always an adventure, and being there to celebrate my father-in-law’s birthday was great. The live fish being cooked and served to us was a new concept for me, and one I really have to think about in the future { filed under: things that make me consider going vegetarian for real}. The drive back was punctuated by a quick stop off the highway to deliver a client’s bag of goodies that made her life and mine much easier, and it gave me a quick break from the headlights in the rearview.
Then Fortune smiled and provided a parking space directly in front of our favourite Shawarma place on Dalhousie and @wtl was able to pop in to get us some much needed Lebanese food to round out the international fare of the day – we started with good ole Canadian food { Tim Horton’s}! And Scott Pilgrim Versus the World entertained us as we wound down after a fairly busy weekend.
Thus today = taking time off for me. I needed my hair trimmed- done. I wanted to simply write a bit of personal journey stuff – doing that now. I also wanted to do some retile therapy – about to head off to do that shortly as I go pick up some shirts for @wtl.
And I am glad to be able to take some time for me – I love my friends and family, but really do need that quiet time to recharge and take a break from it all. And when I don’t, I suffer for it – which means those around me suffer for it.
So, a few more hours of me time, then off to teach classes tonight – choreographies are pretty much done, but I need to video tape them for the learning process and then we talk costumes. Tomorrow night = classes and then a gig. Next weekend = more gigs and a craft sale. Each weekend has something booked or the potential of something to be booked.
Monday’s will once again be my time off methinks, making Monday a good day.
On December 11, 2010 Samahang Ala Eh! a non profit organization will be hosting a Variety Show entitled “IBA’T-IBANG KILOS, ISANG LAYUNIN.
This fundraising event will be held at the Bronson Centre Theatre, 211 Bronson Ave., Ottawa, ON, on Saturday, December 11, 2010 at 7:00pm in support of our commitment to assist and motivate a financially challenged group of students in our hometown of Batangas in the Philippines, by giving them the opportunity to complete a high school education.
Samahang Ala Eh! is dedicated to preserve our scholarship project for many more years to come. We trust that we can count on your generous support to help them fulfill their dreams.
Your generosity will make a difference in the lives of many unfortunate high school students in the province of Batangas, Philippines .
Bellywood with Halyma will be performing their first public performance and are planning to really have some fun as part of this amazing fundraising evening:
What a crazy fun @BWFF night!
After a long work week for everyone, we loaded up and hit rush hour around 5 p.m. and spent 35 minutes on the 417 before slipping off at Island Park to head over into Quebec!
Traffic flow picked up, and then construction detours in the dark had us taking a slight variation on our planned route, but without any major stress – twas still a straight cut northwards through Aylmer to the 148 Ouest! YAY!
And we were off towards my hometown area – the places where I called home for the first 17 years of my life! AFter that Ottawa quickly became my “home”, but Campbell’s Bay will always be where it all started for me!
A few months back when Leslie connected Monique D from Aras Pontiac with us, I was totally surprised to see that someone was making such huge efforts to bring a variety of entertainment to the area – so good work folks at Aras Pontiac!
I was also very pleased to see my niece Leanne as part of the evening’s performances with the Ecole de danse Corriveau and even in her padded fat cat costume, she is a truly fabulous dancer! While she is moving on towards other creative pursuits for the next while, I hope she’ll be able to keep up her dance – crazy proud aunt stuff ya know!
The theatre was not huge, but it gave us the feeling of a very close community effort – the folks in attendance were there because they really supported the groups performing! We did our 10 minutes, were given resounding appreciation and then headed back stage to get my cameras so that I could get some shots of Leanne and the group on stage! Then a few more minutes back stage afterwards to change and get ready for the ride back to Ottawa.
We had snow/rain/crazy drivers/ etc.but most of our focus was on a really great road trip and getting to know each other a little bit more! And for some catching up on needed sleep was a great benefit of an almost 2 hours drive each way!
