Month: August 2018
Tickets for Hamilton International Bellydance Competition
Tickets on sale now for Hamilton International Bellydance Competition on Sat 9/15!
3PM Competition (doors open 2:45)
7PM Gala Show (doors open 6:30)
at The Casbah
306 King St W Hamilton
$25 for an advanced ticket (gets you into the competition, the gala or both!)
Kids under 18 attend for free (as with all of our shows).
Cash at Mahasti – The Bellydance Emporium or to Eshe.
Interac etransfer to eshebellydancer@hotmail.com.
Or buy online at
https://mahasti.ecwid.com/#!/HIBC-Ticket-Competition-&-Gala-Show/p/86716625/category=21437093
Last Week of our Tampon Drive for Interval House (organized by Andria)
We are accepting personal care items, yoga pants, socks, etc as well as cash donations til Sept 1 for Interval House (organized by Andria).
Thank you so much to those of you who have donated so far!
HIBC workshops with Henna of Datura Online at Mahasti in Hamilton
Hamilton International Bellydance Competition
Competition & Gala Show: 9/15/2018
Workshops: 9/16/2018
11-1 Dynamic Precision (Drills for Razor Sharp Technique)
2-4 Mejance (Entrance Choreography)
DYNAMIC PRECISION 11-1 is a bellydance workshop that not only focuses on clear, refined movement but also nuance. We start the class with our building blocks for bellydance: clarifying shapes while honing in on the nature of the movement inside of the music. We then take those building blocks and expand on them, play with them, and explore their dynamic possibilities in a drill format that will challenge your body and mind.
ENTRANCING ENTRANCE 2-4 is an original choreography by Henna that opens the dancer’s set with a bang! This choreography introduces the elements of a “majance”, or entrance piece, through bellydance combinations, traveling steps, and surprise accents. This piece is short and sweet, and is built to be adapted to many stages or venues.
1 workshop (2 hours) $60CAD / $48USD ($53.10 + tax)
https://mahasti.ecwid.com/#!/2-Hour-Workshop-HIBC/p/80583484/category=21437093
Both workshops (4 hours) $110CAD/ $89USD ($97.35 + tax)
https://mahasti.ecwid.com/#!/2-x-2-Hour-Workshop-at-HIBC/p/80583505/category=21437093
Mahasti The Bellydance Emporium
422 Concession, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
hamiltonbellydance.com
HENNA
Best known for being the resident Egyptian dance specialist at Rachel Brice’s Datura Online, Henna was born in Hawaii, where she spent her formative years, and where music, dance, and culture are closely tied and deeply valued. She credits her first teachers, Aziza and Magidah, with laying a solid foundation in technique and nurturing a love for Egyptian music.
An avid traveler and student, Henna’s dance blossomed during her four years in Tokyo, Japan where she co-founded Tokyo International Bellydance Competition. Dancing full time, producing shows with Deseos Productions, and studying with as many visiting dancers as possible, Henna immersed herself in bellydance – even expanding into Tribal Fusion. Since her return to Portland, Henna has completed Rachel Brice’s 8 Elements Cultivation training, Sahra Kent’s Journey Through Egypt levels 1, 2 & 3, collaborated with local professional dancers, and developed an inspiring relationship with the Middle Eastern band, Ritim Egzotik.
As a competitor, she holds titles as both a soloist and troupe member from La Danse Orientale Competition, Belly Dancer of the Year & International Ambassador of Belly Dance Competition.
She has been a featured artist & teacher at respected bellydance gatherings like Jamballah NW & Hawaii Bellydance Convention. She’s also judged various competitions, most notably, the “American Idol of belly dance” Belly Dance Off. In 2017, she helped launch the first Hamilton International Bellydance Competition as a judge, performer & workshop instructor.
In addition to all of that, Henna also produces events in Portland with top tier talents like Joana Saahirah & Sahra Kent.
Visit http://hennadances.com/ to learn more.
Audra Simmons of The Dark Side Studio & Lavish at Mahasti in Hamilton – Modern Bellydance Workshops
Audra Simmons of The Dark Side Studio & director of Lavish at Mahasti – The Bellydance Emporium
Sunday, October 21
FINGER CYMBAL BASICS & BEYOND 10-11AM
Finger Cymbals are a great way to develop your sense of rhythm, timing and ability to layer, and they don’t have to be a mystery.
Audra will teach some basic music theory, discuss some of the different sounds we can play with the cymbals, and we’ll work with playing a few different patterns to start the morning off.
For those with some experience, several variations will be offered for each pattern as we string together a few phrases for home practice, on their own and with some simple dance phrases.
Bring your own cymbals if you have them, there will be a few pairs to loan out.
NEW FUN: DANCE COMBINATIONS 11:15-1:15
Come dance with me as I teach you a few dance phrases from my own practice. Maybe fast, maybe slow, they’ll be a mixture of technique and creative ideas.
It’ll be all new (for you) and all kinds of fun (for everyone).
I’ll start off by outlining the simple shapes and ideas that are the base of each phrase, and then layer on and enrich the phrases as we make our way inside my head, into the nitty gritty of what makes my dance, my dance.
THE LAVISH DIVE 2:30-5:30
Since 2009, Lavish has been experimenting with, practicing, refining and performing a version of group improvisation that we have coined ‘diving’. In this workshop, Audra will lead you through several of the exercises and situations that we utilized along the way as we developed our dive skills.
These concepts will help to develop your personal sense of awareness, presence, openness, intuition and decision making, and can be used in solo or group improvisation in practice or performance.
If you can, it’s helpful (but certainly not mandatory) for your entire group to attend the workshop with Audra, so you all have a chance to learn the concepts first hand, so everyone has the basic idea before you begin to work to develop the skills as a group.
EXPERIENCE
All workshops are open to all levels and styles with any experience in any style of belly dance.
Not recommended for absolute beginners.
INVESTMENT
FC 10-11AM $20
New Fun 11:15-1:15 $40
The Lavish Dive 2:30-5:30 $60
All Day $100
Interac etransfer to eshebellydancer@hotmail.com, cash at Mahasti or online payment in our shop
Finger Cymbals $20
https://mahasti.ecwid.com/#!/1-Workshop-1-Hour/p/79014740/category=18890056
New Fun $40
https://mahasti.ecwid.com/#!/1-workshop-2-hours-total/p/72074891/category=18890056
The Lavish Dive $60
https://mahasti.ecwid.com/#!/3-Hour-Workshop/p/80134844/category=18890056
All Day $100
https://mahasti.ecwid.com/#!/All-Day-Pass/p/80134840/category=18890056
AUDRA SIMMONS
Audra Simmons is the Founder and Artistic Director of The Dark Side Studio, which opened its doors in 2004, and was Canada’s first dance studio dedicated to tribal fusion and modern belly dance. Audra teaches weekly classes, speciality workshops and intensives at the studio, as well as traveling across Canada to teach and perform. In 2012, Audra launched the Dark Side Dance Program, which is a five level certification program in technique and musicality.
In 2007, she formed Lavish, which performs modern and tribal fusion belly dance with a twist. Among its diverse collection of work, Lavish’s repertoire includes two full length productions, STEP (2010), Affogato (2011, which toured Ontario and Quebec), and Fragment Repair (2017). Lavish has also appeared at Tribal Fest, the New York Theatrical Bellydance Conference, and is the host of artist-in-residence program The Lavish Project.
Her own dance training began in 2000, at Toronto’s Arabesque Academy with Yasmina Ramzy. Audra was a member of Oasis, and Arabesque Dance company, and taught Beginner through Advanced classes at Arabesque from 2001-2004. She began her non-traditional training with Rachel Brice, in 2004, and hosting Rachel in Toronto for multiple workshops, as well as traveling to San Francisco to work privately with her. Audra has General Skills and Teacher Training Certification from FatChanceBellydance, Level 2 Certification from the Suhaila Salimpour School of Bellydance, and Initiation and Cultivation Certifications in Rachel Brice’s 8 Elements. (Teaching CV available here.)and a Grade 9 designation, with honours, in piano, from the Royal Conservatory of Music.
For many years, Audra produced events which showcased local belly dancers, as well as hosting widely known instructors such as Rachel Brice, Mardi Love, Carolena Nericcio, Heather Stants, Suhaila Salimpour, Samantha Emanuel, Mira Betz, and Ariellah, among others, to teach and perform in Toronto. In September of 2012, she hosted the first Dark Harvest Festival, a 6 day event dedicated to non-traditional belly dance.
40 Under Forty Business Achievement Awards Hamilton – Winner Eshe – Mahasti The Bellydance Emporium
Eshe is so thrilled to have won a 40 Under Forty Business Achievement Award! The celebration is Wed Sept 19th at Michelangelo Events and Conference Centre. Congrats to all of the winners!
Contact JulieV@businesslinkmedia.com or call 905-646-9366 for more information.
Tickets are $95 + HST or a table of 10 $900 + HST.