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...

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...

I tell ya...there is nothing cooler for a teacher than seeing your students perform for the very first time, on a stage, with ear-to-ear grins on their faces and having the time of their lives!!! My girls from Soul Connexion (the studio I teach at) did a short 2:45 choreography I made for them in the Soul Connexion Studios year end student recital.  All but one had never been on a stage in their lives - and they did me proud! (my girls being cheeky - how can you NOT love them!) I could NOT stop grinning (and crying) as they lifted those boobs up, smiled at the audience, and had the time of their lives, even though they were terrified.  I didn't realize till afterward how many of them had "conquered a fear" just by being onstage - that was so cool!!! They didn't LOOK nervous - but yeah, apparently most were ;-) The best part of the day for me was the surprise awaiting one of my students - Margaret Giers (yes honey, I'm putting your name in my blog - love y...