Melika's Adventures In Belly Dance

So...went to an AMAZING workshop the weekend of February 10/11 this year by the fabulous Ashley Rhianne out of Vancouver. It felt SO great to just drill like crazy and learn some fresh new moves. Ashley was not only an amazing dancer, she was an amazingly fabulous, open and giving person. I truly was inspired about dance again. I hadn't been able to attend the show Friday night because Monkey was sick and had had a fever for days. After the workshop I was still feeling off, but thought it was because I had not been getting any sleep because I had been looking after our sick Monkey. Yeah. No. Went to doctor. Turns out I had a fever and Strep Throat. <eyeroll> so I went on antibiotics. Twice. The first time I didn't work after 10 days and still had it, so a few days after they put me on stronger antibiotics. Also shortly after the workshop, I slipped on some ice and was holding Monkey up so he wouldn't fall and two of my upper back ribs popped out. So was in some...

Well, I didn't realize when I deleted my website it would have deleted a number of my blogs, but there you go. Can't remember all I posted, but I guess I will just move forward. I deleted my website last year as I have not been professionally dancing or teaching for awhile. I forward a lot of requests on to other dancers because I preferred to spend time with my family and our growing son. But I had a chance meeting when I ran into the owner of Soul Connexion last summer during events in our community and we got to chatting. She asked if I was still dancing and I said yes. She asked if I was still teaching and I said "no, but I'd like to get back to teaching"...and there you go! I began teaching again at Soul Connexion in September 2017 (after a 2-year hiatus) for a 12-week class and very happily am back for another 12-week session in January. So excited to be back teaching - I didn't realize just how much I had missed it! Hoping it continues in April with...

The last 6 months have been amazingly good at helping me heal, though I am still having moments.  In September 2014, I started my new Wednesday night choreography class with my intermediate and advanced girls - and they have made my heart smile. They have learned (very quickly I might add!) a veil choreography and let me tell you, there were times I just starting jumping around and being very excited because what I had envisioned in my head - they TOTALLY brought to life!  It is so wonderful to feel creative again and have students who pick it up so quickly and make it wonderful to watch.  I love them so much - they always make my week better. They are currently halfway through a drum piece as well and killing it - I love it!  Good thing they are picking it up quickly as they will be performing BOTH pieces in  the Little Fish Student Hafla we are having March 14, 2015 (see upcoming events page).  I know they will do me proud!  The Little Fis...

Reading last July's blog post brought me to tears.  I know I promised to update my blog - and we all know how that turned out, don't we? After everything that happened with Dad, realizing the importance of family was a HUGE thing for me this year.  I made a very very difficult decision, and decided to tell the studio owner in the Fall of 2014, I would not be coming back to teach on Friday nights.   I have taught on Friday nights (usually 3 classes each night) since the studio opened in 2009, and my girls mean the world to me.  It was with a heavy heart I told them - and they understood my wish to spend more time with my family.  The studio still wanted me to teach and the only other available night I would have was Wednesdays - so we are going to try a one-hour intermediate/advanced choreography class coming up in September - which will be a hoot!!! I love coming up with choreographies!! I danced this year at the Ashara show (hosted by Naziarah Bellydan...

Well now...it's been insane this past little while in my tiny little world.  I vow to update my blog at LEAST once per month, no matter what, from now on! Unbelievable to me I have been so lazy! My apologizes, although frankly, not sure my life as of late would have interested everyone! At the beginning of April, had a wonderful time helping Son of the Pharaoh put on a workshop with Nourhan Shariff and Karim Nagi - they are both absolutely fantastic teachers AND stunning performers to watch! They worked very well together (I thought anyway) teaching the weekend workshops - I found them very informative and both quite down-to-earth and approachable. Karim has some INSANELY fantastic music mixes he's done - LOVED them! He played me a few ones he's done with Michael Jackson songs - they were sooooooo good!!   Nourhan Shariff, Karim Nagi and Melika   I also had the honour of performing in the show with them that weekend, performing my Michael Jackson belly dan...

Well, I find myself in mid-March and realizing what a bad blogger I've been! Haven't updated since October 2012! Began teaching again at Soul Connexion on Friday nights at the beginning of January and dancing with The Little Fish Belly Dance Company on Tuesday nights, and feels SO GOOD to be back dancing!! I missed teaching and dancing so very much!  I missed my girls, the laughter, the Fish, and of course, belly dance. Although, I DO want to share my absolute favorite picture taken of me during my pregnancy last year - it was taken by my twin at the Little Fish Student Show at the end of May 2012...   It made me look so serene (which was rather hilarious since Kendra and I were doing a piece to Dancing Queen by ABBA!) Not quite sure at what point in the song she took it - but I just love it!!   The past number of months has definitely been an adventure! Getting used to being a mom, staying at home while on maternity leave, and still finding time ...

Well, it has been a BUSY last number of months!!! First off, I had a fantastic time in May with my girls at the Soul Connexion photo shoot, pregnant and all!!! Me and My Intermediate Girls Me and My Advanced Girls Seriously, it was a fun-filled day (went to the Alberta Romance Writers Association's 25th Anniversary earlier in the day) and ended with the photo shoot. It was insane to have that much fun <giggle> My girls performed in two shows - the Soul Connexion Student Show and The Little Fish show  - and they made me SO PROUD!!! I was thrilled by how well they did in both shows!  At the end of June, with the end of the season, it was with a sad heart I taught my last classes of the year.  As I was due September 15th, I felt I needed a few months to get used to being a Mom... Well, here it is now near the end of October, and my special package was delivered September 5, 2012!  David Alexander  Thus far, I believe I'm doing fa...

Soooo....my last post to my blog was January 9th...and less than one week later, my life was dramatically altered...I'm assuming I will be forgiven for the long delay in updating, but I've been a "tad" busy with some things...Guess what?!  Apparently, cruises are good for you... The "first" baby bump pic - March 31, 2012 Ummmm...yeah.  So...I had some AWESOME Fall belly dance plans to go to the Miami Belly Dance Convention August 30 - September 3, 2012, then visit with my friend Hind for a few days in Miami, then fly to Vegas for the Las Vegas Belly Dance Intensive September 6 - 9, 2012!!!! Sooo....there will be a "slight" delay in those plans!!! Won't be attending either this year as I am due September 15th... It's been an interesting ride so far, full of a lot of doctors appointments, ultrasounds, and wearing out the carpet from the numerous trips to the bathroom. Oh, and hormones...did I mention hormones? Yeah - those. WOW. ...

Looking back on 2011, I can honestly say it was one of my best "belly dance" years so far.  I got to perform quite a bit with The Little Fish Belly Dance Company (including Coronet for the Emperor and Empress for Diva Dave, the "In Performance with Suhaila Salimpour" show and a fun show put on by Shimmy Dance Productions when Faten Salama was here). I was also honoured to perform as a soloist in two big shows this year - Dr. Soanso's Mucking Farvelous Show in June and Club Belly Dance with the Belly Dance Superstars in September (both produced by Eighth Wonder Belly Dance).  I had a BLAST and I truly, truly thank Eighth Wonder for liking that drum piece so much! My thanks for asking me to perform! It's one of my favorite pieces! My husband and I ended the year in Palm Beach, with my friend Hind Haymour and her husband.  (Myself and Hind at Taverna Opa in West Palm Beach) They very graciously asked us to stay for a few days once our cruise was finishe...

November you have been one saucy minx!!!  First, props go out to my students, as some of them did indeed dress up in costume for their Halloween classes - <sniff> - so proud!  Then there was the fantastic workshop by Faten Salama (and show), and then my Raq'N Monkey came in!!! Me and my mini-me I was quite happy when I (of course) showed up in costume for my classes just a few days prior to Halloween, and lo' and behold, some of my students dressed up as well!! I was very giggly about that. They didn't even mind when I put on Michael Jackson Thriller and we danced to it.  Seriously - I have awesome students - they fill my soul with joy every single Friday night!!!  Beginners  Although, to be honest, I have been in a bit of a funk lately.  I KNOW this time of year is hard for people to make it to classes due to Christmas parties/office functions, holidays, family events, etc.  It is just a little disheartening when I have a full class re...

Wow!!! October has definitely been interesting so far!!! After being sick since mid-September and then still being ill completing my Zumba Instructor Training on October 2nd, I FINALLY got my butt to the doctors around October 13th. Only to find out for the past month I hadn't been suffering from a cold or the flu, but a really bad sinus infection....whoops... October 2, 2011 - Zumba Instructor Training in Calgary (Andrea Sandhu - instructor in the front row in front of me) Long story short - I received antibiotics and completed them.  Feeling MUCH better and promise if I ever again get a fever for more than 4 days, I shall immediately hike on over to the doctors office. On the "OMG I had NO idea I would have SO MUCH FUN!" front - I gotta say - I LOVED the Zumba instructor training! It was brutal, I was sweating a lot (though did have a fever but hey) and I believe our Zumba trainer Andrea Sandhu had a lot to do with it.  Seriously - I want to be her when I grow up!...

If you've ever heard about Suhaila Salimpour's workshops, you've heard they are brutal.  That you do low squats for what seems like forever, that you sweat more in a few hours than you usually do in months, that your glutes get the workout of a lifetime, that your body feels likes it's going to die.  And yeah, everything you've heard it true... (myself and Suhaila) Well, at 7 AM on a beautiful and gorgeous September 24th, I got in my car, stopped for cash (because ya know I gotta shop!), grabbed a coffee and headed on down to DancEnergy.  Didn't care I had a bit of a headache and fever - seeing not only so many of my belly dancing friends there, but so many from out of town was fabulous!!! Let me say for the record, although the workshop was 2 days, I only registered for the "Drills That Kill" Saturday, as I had Little Fish class on Sunday (which turned out I didn't go to, I stayed home and slept all day Sunday as I was still ill). I was looki...

Okay...as I hang my head in "lazy, bad belly dancer/teacher" mode..(well, not really), I realized in my last blog post, I had written down some "goals"...so here's my update (or lack thereof) on them.   Complete choreographies for both Intermediate & Advanced classes (mostly done but we will use the first few weeks to refresh technique anyway) Still mostly done.  HOWEVER, not happy with any of the music I picked as it's music that everyone else uses.  I decided I want the sword piece for the Advanced class to be the one they do in the year-end show - so now must find 3-minute song for that...boo. Again, we will be refreshing technique for the first few weeks so I have hope.  I also have not chosen all my NEW music for this sessions CDs...have some ones I put on every class disc and found some great new ones - but need to find the music for the choreographies so they can go on there too before I burn them for the my girls. Go through Costume Ro...

Well, back from holidays and it was beautiful and relaxing.  We relaxed some days and other days we went gold panning on the Red Deer River...YAY ME! Then got back and spent the past week dealing with various family-related health concerns.  Boo.  So when everything started to settle down, this past Sunday I headed to where I find peace...Son of the Pharaoh and a little shopping with a girlfriend <grin> Seriously...I went to visit with Emad because he IS family, but I DID show my friend around the store.  Was very proud of myself as I didn't give in and buy another costume.  I DID however realize I have a number of fabulous costumes which I REALLY need to complete adjustments on, including my fabulous new red one I specifically bought these Isis wings to go with.  (Isis Wings for my red costume) (seriously awesome black dress) Then there is this FABULOUS dress I bought from SOTP in (oops) June or July of 2010 which (as you can tell by the bull...

Well wow...I'm on vacation!!! 17 WHOLE DAYS off from working full time and from teaching.  Going to my lovely friend Serena's house tonight for her 30th birthday (pfft...30) and then tomorrow we are off to the lake for at least a week. FABULOUS! Last night I spent some time on YouTube trying desperately to find the song in my head, but for the life of me I can't remember the name.  It would be the perfect song to go with the sword choreography I have running through my head for my advanced students.  I'll be teaching it to them in the Fall, so I have a month to find the music! On the plus side, I got to watch some beautiful dancers and hear some fantastic music on YouTube.   Heading down to Son of The Pharaoh to see Emad today and drop off his birthday gift.  You KNOW I'll be picking his brain while I'm there for a good song, although I LOVE the song in my head.  Have heard it only a few times but think it's beautiful.  If I can't find it - I know...

WOW - I LOVE it!!! Go to http://advancedstyle.blogspot.com/ for an AWESOME and inspiring blog about being stylish, creative, and aging gracefully.  I love it! I'm hoping years down the road, I too will be featured on that blog. I can almost picture what I'll be wearing too...and it will definitely be a "say-something" hat day. Just because you get older, does NOT mean you need to shy away from being the Goddesses we all are!!! Dress with your own style, your own flair - and work it honey!!!<snap snap> (oops, did I say that out loud?) It makes me sad when women "give up" on themselves and their own sense of style and flair just because they feel "they are at an age when they should be sensible". Screw sensible!  Just because everyone around you gives up, stops wearing makeup, throws on a mu-mu and calls it a day doesn't mean you have to. I have no intention of letting go of my own style (as those who know me can attest to).  Don...

Well, I have sort of slacked off for the past couple of weeks, even though I still worked full time and taught a special Wednesday night belly dance class at Soul Connexion.  It WAS the Calgary Stampede in our City, and although I didn't end up going, I was still quite busy.  No excuse, I know...but hey...there it is. One of the big things I absolutely must do is adjust my new red outfit - which I LOVE, and got from Son of the Pharaoh. I need some new belly dance pictures and was thinking of doing a photo shoot with, among others, the red outfit, maybe even with Isis wings - for DRAMA...and/or a veil...hmmm... (new red shiny-shiny bling bling) Found a fabulous hairpiece on the weekend - not my normal hair clip with the long curly hair, but with a straight ponytail instead.  It's a little different so we'll see how that goes...I like it - makes me feel like "I Dream of Jeannie" for some reason <giggle> Realized I need to start putting my pen to paper w...