Let Yourself Go!

For beginner bellydancers and often more experienced bellydancers, letting go in your dance is tough to do. We deal with all sorts of inhibitions, self-image issues and fear of failure. Make the choice to give your mind and body permission to let go, even be someone else if it helps you shake off the inner voices that are preventing you from experiencing the joy of learning and the rewards associated with bellydance. Appreciating your curves, accepting your body and the way it moves, feeling how your body enjoys the movements and how much looser it feels to perform a figure 8 than it did 10 weeks ago. Take the leap of faith and know that as you continue your studies in bellydance you will continue to grow in knowledge ... with every step you take ... you're going in the right direction. Let go of your fears and dance with joy and a smile!

Summer Festivals with BellyUp

Summertime at BellyUp always starts out with a busy performance schedule and this summer is busier than ever! Our festival schedule kicked off last week with the Asian Heritage Festival at Bronte's Police Headquarters. BellyUp's Tarab ensemble performed and engaged the crowd with plenty of bellydancing and fun.

Town of Milton Festival

Today Tarab and Maya Fire head to the Town of Milton's street festival to perform at 4pm. The day is looking lovely and not overly breezy for Tarab's chiffon skirts and veils. Always a challenge when performing outdoors. lol.

City of Brantford

Tomorrow we board the BellyUp Hummer aka Zsa Zsa and head to Karima Helou's bellydance showcase for the City of Brantford. She was gracious to invite Tarab and Maya Fire to perform along with a number of other local area dance troupes. And BellyUp's ATS instructor, Valizan will also be performing. How fun to be part of our extended community's bellydance scene. We really love these opportunities to dance and hang out with so many talented artists.

Charity of Hope Event, Oakville Conference Center

Next week Tarab and I head to the Oakville Conference Center along with Middle Eastern band Layali El Sharq to perform several shows at the annual "Charity of Hope" fundraiser for kids. The theme is "Arabian Nights" and with the Layali El Sharq band accompanying us, the night is sure to be a big success. Tarab will engage the guests with their dazzle and one of our students Hayley will do mini-Henna tattoos for the ladies. I have a few sets to dance on stage with the band and we have a few surprises in store for the audience.

Halton Multicultural Day Picnic

Next Friday, we've been invited back to perform for the Halton Multicultural Day Annual picnic. This is a lovely outdoor setting in Bronte's park off Burloak. We're always received so warmly and I know this year the folks will love the show - again a few fun things up our sleeves for the audience to engage them and bring them into the world of bellydance.

Tarboosh Tent Saturday Night Shows

Saturday nights, we continue to perform at Tarboosh Tent at Upper Middle & 8th Line in Oakville and we draw a fun crowd eager to take in a live bellydance show while relaxing and noshing on Nagua's fabulous Middle Eastern fare. I often think about Nagua's Baklava while I'm performing. Makes me undulate and shimmy stronger so I can afford a few calories at the end of the night! lol.

BellyUp & Canada Day (Bronte, Burlington & Milton Shows) And before we know it Canada Day will be here and we'll be into July. This Canada Day, Tarab and Maya Fire are excited to spend the entire day entertaining in three shows in three different locations. We're calling it the BellyUp Road Show. We start the day performing at Bronte Harbor's Canada Day festival at 12:30pm. Then we head to the City of Burlington for a 30 minute show at 3pm. Then head home for a bit of a rest and a costume change, and head out to Town of Milton for a 7pm. show. It'll be an exciting and fun day ... and the bbq and pool will be waiting for all the dancers back at my place so they can rest up and have a place to rejuvenate.

And inbetween all these shows, BellyUp's dancers are kept busy being hired to entertain at private garden parties, family celebrations and company events. Never a dull moment and we enjoy every second of it!

Be sure to check out our web site for event updates. http://www.bellyup.ca/