Apologies - It has been too long!

Somehow, it doesn't seem as though July should be here already. The summer is slipping by quickly and there is so much we are doing! Some of us have been away for workshops and others have been caught up in moving and other life changes. But we are gathering our energies for the exciting summer events we have happening.

First of all, Tuesday and Wednesday (July 7 and 8) are our "Goddess Within" shows. The students in our "My First Solo" class have worked very hard and have created some wonderful choreographies that are powerful and entertaining. We are so very proud of everyone who is part of this.


Our Summer Bellydance workshops and open dance nights are also coming up, starting this week. Here is the line-up:

Open Dance (July 9) : Join the Neighbourhood Strays for open dancing at the Neighbourhood Strays Bellydance Centre! There will be a Stray-led warm-up, followed by lots of dancing.

Undulations (July 16) - Workshop with Kristine!

Open Dance in the Park (July 23): Join the Neighbourhood Strays for open dancing at Bannerman Park (weather permitting)! There will be a Stray-led warm-up, followed by lots of dancing.

Club Dancing (July 30) with Lori: You love to dance, wherever you are! Take your bellydance moves to the dance floor with combinations that are sure to be the envy of your friends and a hit at the club!

Open Dancing (August 6): Join the Neighbourhood Strays for open dancing at the Neighbourhood Strays Bellydance Centre! There will be a Stray-led warm-up, followed by lots of dancing.

1, 2, Step (August 13) with Vanessa: You know how to shimmy and you know how to do snake arms. But how do you put them together? This workshop will take some of the moves you learned in Beginners and show you how to combine them in different combinations. Now you're dancing!

Open Dance (August 20): Join the Neighbourhood Strays for open dancing at the Neighbourhood Strays Bellydance Centre! There will be a Stray-led warm-up, followed by lots of dancing.

All workshops and open dance nights run from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm at the Neighbourhood Strays Dance Centre unless otherwise stated.

The workshops cost $24.00.
Admission for the open dance nights is $2, OR a non-perishable donation to the food bank.
REGISTER NOW at www.theneighbourhoodstrays.com

And another workshop ....AINSLEY IS BACK!
And she is offering two new workshops! On Sunday, July 19th, Ainsley will be teaching "Egyptian Hips II" from 1:00 - 3:00 pm and "Swirling Skirts" from 3:30 - 5:30 pm. Both workshops will take place at the Neighbourhood Strays Bellydance Centre. The cost for one workshop is $25, and you can do both workshops for just $40. Register at www.theneighbourhoodstrays.com asap as spots will fill quickly!

On top of all that, there is Summerdance, the Lantern Festival, possible performances at other locations in St. John's and surrounding areas this summer (TBA!!!). Whoever said summer was for taking it easy?

Dancing on the Edge II - The Afterglow

Our apologies for not posting lately. In the weeks coming up to Dancing on the Edge II, life was a flurry of rehearsals, finishing costumes, finalizing details and squeeling with excitement. It was positively surreal when the day finally came and we were waiting for our audience to arrive.










The show was spectacular, start to finish. Lotus Energy from Grand Falls-Windsor showed no wear and tear from their long journey as they started the show with a performance that was true to their name. The excitement continued with the Saltwater Gypsies, DeeDance, Meg Ryan, Vera Murad, Christina Penney, Linda Bursey (Nachita) and Bollywood Jig. The months of work paid off for us as the Neighbourhood Strays premiered three new choreographies. We were very proud to be Strays that night, not just because of our dancing, but because we were able to raise so much money, thanks to our generous audience, for the Purple Lupin Project. The show went off without a hitch, thanks to our MC Jay and Stage Manager Kerri.

They say that pictures are worth a thousand words, so we'll let you see for yourself...

Dancing on the Edge II - May 9

This is our really big, blow-out event of the year. We're at the point where we feel this show should be called "Dancing off the Edge" as we fit extra rehearsals in around our busy schedules, put up posters and stay up late to finish off our costumes. There's nothing better than this phase, when we're perfecting the movements and working on the presentation. This year's show is even more exciting than the sell-out last year ( which is saying something!) for a bunch of reasons.

First of all, the show is at the Bella Vista, a wonderful venue for audience and dancers alike.

Second, we have a troupe coming all the way from Grand Falls- Windsor, led by Colleen Hunter. In addition, we have Meg Ryan, DeeDance, and Vera Murdova, Bollywood Jig and Christina Penney.

Third, we are donating the proceeds to the Purple Lupin Project (www.purlpelupin.ca): this group of voluneers compile and distribute packages of information for people who have just been diagnosed with breast cancer. We felt it was a wonderful cause to support and, because the show takes place on World Bellydance Day, it allows us to be a 'sanctioned' event.

Finallly, we decided that for this show, we'd only feature new choreographies: three specifically created for this show. They are bigger, better and more beautiful than we even imagined when we started.

So, those are all the reasons we'd like to see you there! The tickets are $10 and can be purchased from TVAL, Fred's Records, the Bella Vista and the Strays.

The doors open at 7:30 pm and the show starts at 8:00 pm.

We promise a show that is worth the money - Help us help people with breast cancer.

Spring Classes with the Neighbourhood Strays!

We're so excited about the warm temperatures and being able to see some grass peeking through that we decided to have a Spring Semester of classes:

Spring 2009 Bellydance Class Schedule, starting April 19th:

Sundays
2:00 - 3:00 pm Open Practice for Members
3:00 - 5:00 pm Andrea Intensive*
5:00 - 6:30 pm Beginners with Lori
6:30 - 8:30 pm Advanced Your First Solo with Andrea and Lori*

Wednesdays
7:00 - 8:30 pm Intermediates I (Veils) with Kristine
8:30 - 10:00 pm Advanced Improvisation with Kristine

Thursdays
12:45 - 1:15 pm Lunchtime Class with Lori **

*This class will run for 5 weeks with a possible option to continue after the five weeks

** This class will run for 8 weeks

All other classes will run for 7 weeks ( six 1.5 hour classes and one 1 hour class)

Classes cost $120.00 except the Lunchtime class which is $48.00.
Please see our website for descriptions of our classes.

Classes are filling up quickly, so register now to ensure your space.
Registration starts April 6 at www.theneighbourhoodstrays.com

The Party's over, but not the fun....

BLESSINGS!

Well, our birthday month has come to an end. It's hard to believe that the celebration has come and is now over. We planned, trained and anticipated it for so long that it doesn't seem fair that it zipped by so fast. That being said, we have had a wonderful time this month.

We performed at several multicultural events,Mary Griffiths' Night and with the Forgotten Bazouki (our favourites, for sure!). We hosted the Gypsy Carnival - Sheila wanted to be part of it so much she showed up for the first day (poor girl didn't realize she'd shut it all down in her enthusiasm to dance!).

The finale, our "Unveiled" show, beat all our expectations. Even though the choreographies were familiar, there was a new energy and meaning in them for us as we danced them. And our audience really enjoyed getting the "inside scoop". We all laughed and cried as we talked about what the dances meant to us, how they had impacted us, and how our shared love of the dance and our troupe is reflected in the fun we have creating together. And the party after, with the most beautiful cake ever, was so much fun. Thanks everyone for making it such a special time for the Strays. We couldn't have done it without you!

So, what comes next?

We don't believe in taking it easy, so we are already in the throes of preparing for Dancing on the Edge II. We are thrilled that we are going to have performers from Grand Falls (and hopefully Corner Brook!) and that we are going to be at the beautiful Bella Vista this year. And we are happy to be able to support the Purple Lupin Project in their efforts to provide education and support to cancer patients. Bellydance, good causes and great location - it doesn't get any better than that!

We're also planning our Spring session of classes, including Beginners, Intermediate Veils, the Andrea Intensive, Improv and My First Solo. It's gonna be a blast!

While there may be changes in the months and years to come, the Neighbourhood Strays will carry on. Here's to the next five years being as great as the last!