Newsletter v6 n3 - High Desert Bellydance Guild

Summer 2011
HiP Circles
1
Bollywood Gala
Recap
6
Spring Showcase
Photos
7
Summer Showcase
8
Belly Dancer USA
Recap
9
Camping Hafla
August 27–28
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Vol. 6, No. 3
10
Events
11
Teachers
11
Featured Recipe
Gala
The Official
Newsletter of the
High Desert
Bellydance Guild
Recap
P.O. Box 6644
Bend, OR 97708
Sabine & Haley
High Desert Bollywood
May 7, 2011
On Mother’s Day, the High Desert Belly Dance
Guild hosted their second annual spring Gala
Showcase, featuring Samantha Riggs and Portico
Dance Company, as well as many talented dancers
from Central Oregon, Eugene, and Hood River.
Held at the Bend Performing Arts Center, this was
the Guild’s 2nd annual spring Gala and Showcase,
by Kamini
and judging by the success of the event, it keeps on
getting better every year.
Starting the event off was Nalia, who performed an improvised Flamenco-belly dance fusion
to live Flamenco guitar. True to her usual style, Nalia danced with graceful intent, blending the softness and femininity of both dance styles together
with the more intense Flamenco gestures, mixing
them in the right proportions to create a delightful
solo performance.
Next Up
cont’d on next page
1
Summer Showcase & Drum Workshop ✼ Sunday, July 31 ✼ See page 7
✼ Camping Hafla ✼ August 27-28 ✼ Sunriver ✼ See page 9
HIP CIRCLES Summer 2011
Bollywood 2 0f 5
The second performers were Gypsy Fire and
Sister Fire, dancing their signature improvisational Tribal Style Belly Dance. They mesmerized
the audience with a their synchronous slow movements, then picked up the pace with a fun song by
Punjabi MC. Their joyful group dynamic and high
energy performance was definitely a crowd pleaser.
Kamini performed next. It really is hard to
give oneself a review, so I’ll just say that I performed an improvised Tribal Fusion solo to two
songs from the album Delhi to Dublin Remixed. I’d
been working with Sahara to prepare for the Belly
Dancer USA competition which resulted in some
fun new moves to share on the stage.
Nalia
Kamini
Photos: Nils Eddy
Sabine and Haley (photo on page 1) were
next in the show and performed an adorable
mother-daughter Bollywood routine together.
Sabine in known for her dramatic and powerful
sword dancing, or Raks al Sayf, so it was great to
see her having such a light-hearted, playful time
dancing with her daughter on stage. Their bright,
colorful costumes, energetic dancing and big smiles
were an excellent tribute to Mother’s Day!
Gypsy Fire & Sister Fire
2
cont’d on next page
HIP CIRCLES Summer 2011
Bollywood 3 of 5
And rounding out the first half of the show was our
guest instructor, Samantha Riggs, performing a Tribal
Style duet with her daughter, Josephine. Josephine then
wowed us all with her sharp locks, crisp hip movements and
graceful turns and transitions during her Tribal Fusion solo.
Then Sam performed a short Bollywood solo of her own
with lots of spins, skirt work and even a floorwork section
before being rejoined by her daughter for an improvised
duet. That was a well-rounded set and again, another great
mom and daughter dance tribute to Mother’s Day weekend!
After a brief intermission, and delicious homemade
cookies at the concession stand, Collette, Director of Scarlet Thistle Belly Dance in Hood River, Oregon, opened the
second half. Collette was a principle member of Fat Chance
Bellydance in San Francisco before moving with her family
to Hood River, so her training is in classic American Tribal
Style Belly Dance. This is usually a group dance, so watching
Collette perform solo was a rare treat. Her performance to
classical music was exquisitely beautiful. Collette danced
without rushing things. She danced the music, felt the pauses
and gracefully expressed the phrases and accents. Then she
wrapped it up with lively zilling and dancing to a song by
Beats Antique.
cont’d on next page
Josephine
3
Colette
Samantha Riggs
HIP CIRCLES Summer 2011
Bollywood 4 of 5
Next was Jerusha, in a beautiful multi-colored costume.
I always think of Jerusha as Queen of the Veil because her
veil work is always so varied and beautiful. She really becomes one with her veil. For the gala show, she performed a
Caberet solo to the belly dance classic, Jamilia, followed by a
sassy Egyptian pop song that got the audience clapping along
and zaghareeting their enthusiasm for her performance.
Following Jerusha, Sabine brought her infamous double
sword dance to the stage. I’ve seen Sabine perform double
sword many, many times throughout the years, but it never
fails to impress me. She brings the drama! The audience was
deathly quiet as the tribal drums pounded out a rhythm that
slowly picked up in tempo as Sabine worked her magic with
not one, but two scimitars; balancing them, spinning with
them, and ending with a big dramatic flourish of shiny steel
slicing through the air. After a deep breath, the audience
erupted into loud applause and zaghareets for her skilled
demonstration of sword dancing.
Jerusha
Sahara’s Dream
Rounding out the local dancers was award winning
troupe, Sahara’s Dream. They are always a favorite of
mine because of their innovative choreography, complex
zilling and because they fuse elements from different dance
styles into their overall cabaret belly dance structure. Although they were missing one troupe-mate, their performance still packed a serious punch. Can you say Suhalia? All
that technique and zill work is really paying off ladies!
Sabine
4
cont’d on next page
HIP CIRCLES Summer 2011
Bollywood 5 of 5
More photos of the
Gala are on-line at the
Guild’s Photo Gallery.
Finally, to close the show, Samantha Riggs and Portico Dance
Company performed a the choreographies they taught in the Temple
Bollywood and Bollywood via Punjab
dance workshops earlier that day. The
speed and skill with which they transitioned from mudra to mudra (hand
positions) and between postures was
truly amazing. Their closing song was a
Bhangra piece that was infectiously
high energy and they demonstrated
their strength and agility through a
series of leaps and bouncing squats that
seemed to defy both age and gravity.
This year’s Gala Showcase was a
big success. The new venue worked well
for both the workshops and the show,
the workshops were fun and wellattended, dancers from other parts of
the state participated, and the Guild
board members and volunteers did a
superb job making sure things ran
smoothly. Many thanks to all who came
and participated. We’re looking forward
to next year! ↂ
If you didn’t get to make this year’s Gala
Showcase, you didn’t completely miss out. You
can rent the showcase DVD from the Guild
library and watch it from the comfort of your
own couch!
Portico Dance Co.
Workshops

High Desert Bellydance Guild on the web
HDBG website
Photo gallery on Picasa
Facebook group
Yahoo discussion forum
Other bellydance links
including drumming resources
5
Performers (clockwise from top left):
Rasha
Tribal Moon
Yavanna
Sheena
Raqsafara
Sahara's Dream
Citta
Gypsy Fire & Sister Fire
Phoenix
Layla
Michelle bint Sahara (below center)
More photos
of the Spring
Showcase are
on-line at the
Guild’s Photo
Gallery.
6
Common Table Restaurant
Bend, OR – April 10, 2011
Photos: Nils Eddy
HIP CIRCLES Summer 2011
Spring Showcase Photos
HIP CIRCLES Summer 2011
QuarHDBG owh
terly S
case
Don’t miss the
Summer Showcase
& Drum Workshop!
July 31
Mirror Pond Plaza
Downtown Bend
Workshop 4–5 PM
Dancing starts 5:30 PM
Free drum
workshop!
✹
Instructor:
Dave Goodman
Event info,
dancers and
volunteers contact
Esther at email
7
HIP CIRCLES Summer 2011
Belly Dancer USA
by Lisa Smith, aka Sahara
Michelle bint Sahara at
Belly Dancer USA
Fanina Padykula is Belly
Dancer USA 2011
8
On a recent beautiful June day, five belly dance
enthusiasts from Central Oregon headed to
Seven Feathers Casino for a weekend of bellydance fun at the Belly Dancer USA competition! BD USA is a well-known competition
sponsored by Mezdulene, the editor of Jareeda
magazine, that has crowned such notable professional belly dancers as Rachel George, Sedona, and Isis San Miguel with the prestigious
“Belly Dancer USA” award.
Judges come from all over the belly dance
community, and included professional dancers,
promoters, and instructors such as Ruby Beh,
Fatima and your author! Bend’s own Jodie the
Roadie had the audience rolling with her Emcee skills! Saturday began with Apprentice,
open to dancers who had 2 years or less of bellydance experience. This was a small category
this year, with only three competitors. The winner was Roxy, a delightful grandmother —but
you sure wouldn’t know it by looking at her!
Next up was Hobbyist, more than 2 years
experience. This is a tricky category, because
there is no limit on how long you may have
been training—you simply can not teach or
perform regularly for money. So there are dancers with just over 2 years, and dancers with
many years experience. I’m proud to say Bend’s
own Michelle bint Sahara placed 2nd out of the
14 competitors! A lovely dancer with 8 years
experience, Zahara, was the winner.
The Professional Alternative Music
category came next. This category requires that
you use NO belly dance music, and in fact there is
a 50-point penalty for using belly dance music!
The alternative categories frequently feature
dancers who have created a theme—for example,
one of the most fun performances was a dancer
who danced to the theme of Star Trek/I’m a Star
Trek Girl… wearing a costume reminiscent of the
original Star Trek, with “Expendable” written
across her uniform, and the audience went wild
when she produced a Tribble! This category was
won by someone well known in Bend bellydance
circles—Samara of the Bijou Proect! Samara’s
theme was “Alice In Wonderland” and with a
clever on-stage costume change, she played both
the parts of Alice AND the Queen of Hearts!
Lisa is Director of Sahara's
Dream. the 2006 & 2009
Belly Dancer USA Troupe.
The final category for Saturday was 7
Veils, where the dancer must dance with no
less than 7 veils. This category was won by Angelina—a talented dancer from Florence. Saturday wrapped up with an awesome evening
show including live music from Americanistan
and performances by the judges of the competition and guest dancers. Sunday dawned bright
and clear… and was a long day of bellydance!
The first category of the day was Duet,
with great variety from a gothic tribal perspective to flashy cabaret dancing! This categoory
was won by Cassandra and Adrianna who performed a fun and flirty choreography. Alternative music was next—this time for non-pro
dancers. Nura—a young lady with absolutely
amazing talent performed in a white costume
with wings to “In the arms of an Angel” and
literally the entire room seemed to hold their
breath, not a pin dropped!
Goddess, for dancers age 45 and up, followed with the winning dancer being Devi Safir
from Medford in a powerful performance. Next
was a new category to BD USA, Golden
Girls, for dancers 55 and over. Several master
dancers competed, and the winner was Deena
from Coos Bay!
Next was the Troupe category. There was
a wide variety of troupes competing, from tribal
to cabaret and the winner was Raks A’Diva
from California—and the winners were proud
to point out all three performers were over 50!
Finally, the coup de grace—the Pro category. This was comprised of 16 amazingly talented women who had 10 minutes to impress the
panel of eight judges. As one of those judges, I
can tell you it was a very difficult category. There
were competitors from as far away as Brazil and
Russia—all with incredible talent. The winning
performance literally held the audience in her
hand from the moment she stepped the stage to
her dramatic conclusion. Belly Dancer USA
2011 is Fanina—a recent transplant to Portland
from Florida. Belly Dancer USA is a great time,
at a beautiful casino… and you don’t have to
compete to go and have a great time! Put BD
USA 2012 on your calenders and enjoy the variety that is bellydance!
9
HIP CIRCLES Summer 2011
HIP CIRCLES Summer 2011
Events
HDBD events in bold
July
Wed. 7/14: Workshop and demo at 6:30 PM at
Cork Cellars Wine Shop, 161 N. Elm St., Sisters:
Free! Introductory bellydance workshop and demonstrations. Get yourself a glass of wine, a tasty snack
and try out some bellydance moves! Contact
nalia@raqsafara.com
On-Going
1st Friday with Gypsy Fire at Taj Palace.
American Tribal Style dance troupe Gypsy Fire performs monthly at Taj Palace Restaurant, 1st and 3rd
Fridays, 2 shows starting at 6:45 PM, 917 NW Wall
St. Shows are family-friendly. Call 330-0774 for reservations. For more information, email Gypsy Fire or
visit their website.
Sunday 7/31: Summer Guild Quarterly
Showcase, Mirror Pond Plaza in Bend, drum
workshop by Dave Goodman 4–5 PM, performers start at 5:30. Dancers contact Esther at siewert2x6@bendbroadband.com.
See page 7.
August
8/27-28: HDBG Member's Overnight Camping Hafla at Thousand Trails in Sunriver,
OR. See flyer on page 8. Dancers contact
2nd Friday with Raven at Taj Palace. Raven
Zweena at zweena@zweena.com, attendees
performs monthly at Taj Palace Restaurant on 2nd
Fridays at 7 PM, 917 NW Wall St. Shows are family- RSVP Lauren at
hdbgmembership@yahoo.com or at Facefriendly. Call 541-330-0774 for reservations.
book event page. See page 9.
Every Thursday with Kamilia at Joolz. Tribal
Fusion dancer Kamilia performs 7 PM & 8 PM at
September
Joolz Restaurant (“Where Mezze Meets the Mesa”)
in downtown Bend, 916 NW Wall St. Call 541-388- 9/22-24: Bend Roots Revival at the Century Center
in Bend.
5094 for reservations.
2nd Saturday, High Desert Belly Dance Guild October
Meeting and monthly Board Meeting; 10:00 –
10/1-2: Bend Fall Festival in Bend, OR
11:15 in the McMenamins Smoking Room.
All Guild members are welcome and able to Date TBA: Fall Guild Quarterly Showcase,
vote at meetings!
Common Table Restaurant in Bend.
10
HIP CIRCLES Summer 2011
Belly Dance Teachers
Madras
Sisters
Redmond
Bend
Sunriver
Kathy Stahlman
Rasha
Beginning Tribal Style Belly Dance in Bend and
Redmond. Contact 541-706-1646 or
www.tribalmoonbellydance.com.
Learn techniques and movements and add personal
touches such as veils, zills, and music. Contact 541383-7270 or online at noncredit.cocc.edu or
rasha@bendbroadband.com.
Marina
Belly Dance for all levels in Madras. Check
www.danceartsmadras.com or COCC Continuing
Education to register: 541-383-7270 or online at
noncredit.cocc.edu.
Kamini
Multi-level Tribal Fusion in Bend. Contact 541-6108622 or www.bijouproject.com.
Jerusha
All levels in Redmond. Contact: 541-383-7270 or
online at noncredit.cocc.edu. See ad on this page.
Quinn
Beginning Tribal/ATS Level 1 and 2 starting 7/12.
541-420-5416 or gypsyfirebellydance@yahoo.com.
Raqsafar
Beginners and returning students in Sisters. Contact
COCC Continuing Education to register: 541-3837270 or online at noncredit.cocc.edu or
jkheiden@yahoo.com. Info at www.raqsafara.com.
Sahara
All levels, drills and choreography in Bend. Contact
541-788-0480 or saharasdream@gmail.com.
Zweena
Mixed-level old-style bellydance in Sunirver. All
Levels welcome. Contact zweena@zweena.com to
register or call 541-593-3558.
For more information about HDBD teachers and
classes, please visit www.highdesertbellydance.org
Featured Recipe
TABBOULEH TWIST
by Bellydance-for-Life
This full-meal salad is packed with nutrients. It has a light,
cleansing feeling in your stomach. Originally from
Lebanon, tabbouleh—meaning “little spicy”—has become
one of the most popular salads in Middle East cuisine.
There are many variations so use your imagination.
Ingredients:
Place 1/4 cup of quinoa in a saucepan with 1/2 cup of
water. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer
for 10 minutes.
Finely chop some peppers, celery, onion, basil, mint, parsley, oregano (any other veggies work too) into a bowl. Add
3 ounces of kidney beans, cheese, shrimp, olives or tomatoes for color.
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Dressing: 1 tsp red wine vinegar, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1 Tbsp
olive oil, 1 tsp tamari, salt and pepper to taste.
Toss all ingredients together. Top with a lemon twist.
ↂ