Moody Street Circus - Melina of Daughters of Rhea Belly Dance & Cirque Passion Circus Classes & Events Calendar

$20 to drop in without commitment or $150 / 10 Class Card for any hour-length regular Group Belly Dance Classes with Melina of Daughters of Rhea at Moody Street Circus:

Back by popular demand! Sign up for Mothers & Daughters Girl Power! Belly Dance Classes with Melina: 4 week January 2010 Session

Daughters of Rhea presents Piper! - January 16/17, 2010 Weekend Quartet of Seminars at Moody Street Circus!

If you preregister for Piper's workshops online, please email Melina to specify which workshops you will be attending. Thanks!

Melina's new studio, Moody Street Circus, Opening January 2010!

MELINA'S NEW BELLY DANCE and CIRCUS ARTS STUDIO WILL BE OPENING IN JANUARY 2010!





There will be NO MORE WOMEN'S CLUB CLASSES IN NEWTON HIGHLANDS. From now on, all Daughters of Rhea classes will be held at Melina's Moody Street Circus and Belly Dance Studio.

MOODY STREET CIRCUS
Home of Melina of Daughters of Rhea Belly Dance Company
& Cirque Passion School of Circus Arts
397 Moody Street, 2nd Floor
Waltham, MA 02453

Melina's next session of belly dance classes of all levels at Moody Street Circus in Waltham, MA begins in January 2010. Classes are still going on now through December 30th -- just check the calendar above. Drop-ins to group classes are welcome at a no-commitment drop-in rate of $20 per class (other payment options below).

BUY A 10-CLASS PUNCH CARD (FOR BELLY DANCE CLASSES ONLY) HERE (This link will send you to the eventbrite site)


Many classes will be offered at Melina's Moody Street Studios, including circus arts and strength training for belly dancers who want to hang upsidedown in the future. Circus Class schedule TBA - we are still setting up and getting the proper insurance. Will keep you posted.


Payment options:

Drop-in rate for a single belly dance class, payable before class: $20 (cash/check only)


PLEASE COME TO BELLY DANCE CLASS WITH AN OPEN HEART, AN OPEN MIND, A YOGA MAT, A BOTTLE OF WATER, AN EXTRA PAIR OF SOCKS, A NOTEBOOK AND PEN TO TAKE NOTES. If you have them already bring your hipscarves, zills, veils, etc. But NEVER FEAR: I will loan out to students, when needed: zills/finger cymbals, hip scarves, veils, tambourines, trays for balancing. I have enough for everyone.

More information as always on my family's belly dance website, www.daughtersofrhea.com

LIVE LONG, SHIMMY and HANG UPSIDEDOWN!!!

Melina Recital / Friends for Tomorrow Fundraiser -- Winter Shimmies Make a Difference!

Melina of Daughters of Rhea presented her fabulous belly dance students of all levels and Cirque Passion circus family for a winter recital extravaganza on Tuesday, December 8th, 2009 at Karoun Restaurant. Guests experienced the creative, all-embracing Daughters of Rhea flair in all styles as dancers performed imaginative, creative, passionate pieces in great costumes. Many belly dance styles were represented: Cabaret, Fusion, Tribal, Gypsy, Solos, Duets, Group choreographies, Cirque Vaudeville Theatre, and more. We were joined for the evening by the wonderful bouzouki player Yianni Mitaras, who inspired me to make this recital about raising money and awareness for a worthy cause, Friends for Tomorrow. We were also fortunate that Yianni brought along with him guitar player Jimmy Spiros.

More on the worthy cause: Melina's winter recital was dedicated to raising money for the Kiki Memorial Fund C/O Friends for Tomorrow. Visit www.friendsfortomorrow.org and make a donation if you are able. Over 50% your seat ticket went towards a Daughters of Rhea donation in the hundreds of dollars -- if not thousands if an angel is among us and the guests keep on giving --. Melina will give a full account to all recital attendees and participants regarding how much was donated as well as the positive repercussions of the donation.

Friends for Tomorrow is a Lincoln, MA based Therapeutic Horseback Riding program for children who will never be able to dance and frolic to music in the ways that we are able. Yianni Mitaras brought this cause to my attention - he supports this nonprofit organization and is donating his nimble-fingered musical talents to our event on behalf of FFT - learn more about the program at www.friendsfortomorrow.org and make additional donations through their website or at the recital if you are able. Even small amounts count, and in this economy, pooling our positive belly dance bouzouki energy resources can make a big difference.

MELINA'S WINTER RECITAL INCLUDED ::
(Please note - list is not yet complete, there are a few dancers I still have to check with!)
The Live Bouzouki Music of Yanni Mitaras! (Yes, that means Greek folk dancing with Melina!)
Oglan, Oglan class combination (8 p.m. classes - you must know the choreo and let me know if you want to perform it on stage with me)
Turkish folkloric class combination (level II Wednesday class only).
Celia's Hoola Hoop fusion dance.
Dances by:
Alizah Afet
Angela & Sonia
Baseema (Double Sword)
BellyBeat Dance Company Debut
Christina (Veil and Sword)
Di'Ahna Restry
Hanan & Casablanca - for the first time, this mother and daughter duet will perform!
Jen, Stella, Allegra, Zoe and Sonia
Jessi
Kaylin
Kebi
Naomi (...something involving purple)
Odella
Sandra
Sara
Tanya
Tassellations

Melina's husband Sacha Pavlata - a fifth generation circus performer and member of the Flying Wallendas 7 person pyramid on the high wire - entertained with his UNICYCLE COMEDY and Melina's daughter Zoe got in on the act!

Melina multi-tasked in the best possible way, hosting - even seating - you and your guests for the evening while dancing, balancing swords on various body parts, spinning upside-down on her AERIAL HOOP, raising money for Friends for Tomorrow, trying to make sure everyone is happy and succeeding and failing in the usual ways -- and goddess knows what else.

This event sold out and was absolutely wonderful.

[Karoun Restaurant is located at 839 Washington Street, Newtonville, MA 02460. 617 964 3400.

Come one, come all to enjoy a joy-fueled and entertaining evening of fun, belly dance, circus arts, creative dance and sparkle.

Come celebrate life, creativity and community
while dining on deliciously grilled kebobs,
succulent eggplant,
and mediterranean appetizers,
while watching dancers
express their beauty and power
through fingertips, hips, hair, veils, feet, hands and lively eyes....

xox
Melina

Melina of Daughters of Rhea
Co-Founder, Daughters of Rhea
Owner/Producer, Cirque Passion
Belly Dance and Circus Arts
Contact: 781 588 3628
www.daughtersofrhea.com
www.tipsfromthehip.blogspot.com
www.cirquepassion.com

2009 Fall Class Combo Notes

Kasik Oyun Havasi - Turkish"Spoon Dance Song" (When you see a Turkish song with the words "Oyun Havasi", it is meant as a song to dance to). Music we use in class for this combo is by the Huseyin Turkmenler Ensemble. Song is from the CD Turkish Belly Dance : Desert Night Dance.

We will not be dancing with spoons, but we will be using folkloric Turkish belly dance movements while we play zills. We will use two zill patterns, the triplet (RLR) and the "shave and a hair cut" rhythm. (doom ta ka doom ta - R, RLR, R).

Rough Combo Notes for Kasik Oyun Havasi
Begin after 45 second taqsim style intro in which you stand in place moving gently to the music and adjusting your zills:
Weight on left foot, right heel stomp two times (bending both knees in between)
Step right, step left (looking right, looking left)
Step forward, putting weight onto right foot with shoulder shimmy, (pin wrists to hips for the shimmy), then lean back into left foot with two knee-bend bounces
Step forward onto right foot for pivot turn, pivot turn back to front (arms in circular "give from first chakra" motion
Suzie Q step right foot over left traveling left (4 times) (add in hip lift as variation)
Hip pulls to right, right foot, left foot (4 times) (left arm pinned behind head, right arm extended right with forearm pulling in and extending in accordance with right foot pattern)
[Getting into PAIR FORMATION facing each other) Step forward on right foot, left foot folk-style kick up
Step on left, right foot folk-style kick up
Feet together, cutesy knees to right, bounce bounce left, bounce bounce right, bounce bounce left --
One partner does sit hip leaning back as the other partner shoulder shimmies forward, then reverse.

Combo Notes for Oglan Oglan, from the Album Kef Time Detroit by Richard Hagopian.
Suzie Q right over left (4)
Tunisian Tip Toes Twist in Circle (4) (with 'mechanical' spotting)
Turning to face your right, step hip, sit hip (2)
Step hip, sit hip with Peek-a-Boo Look behind for 2
Facing forward: Step 3 hips, Reverse Mayas with hug arms and paint the floor feet (4 times)
Lively step-hip forward for 4
Back, 2, 3 step with "pull on the long glove" arms.
Repeat step hip forward, Back 2, 3 steps back with glove arms
Back, two, one two three with hug arms for 2
Back, 2, 123 with circling 'flamenco' arms for 2
Back, 2 into 'ballroom' turn toward your left elbow, right arm raised high, foot work is: ball ball ball flat, ball ball ball flat to the count 'and one and two and two and two etc'

Here, at long last, is....
A VIDEO CLIP OF OGLAN, OGLAN COMBINATION FOR STUDENT USE!!!!


To be continued, check back for additions.

Cirque Passion European-style family circus: Tented shows and circus acts and entertainment

Melina's Circus!

Melina of Daughters of Rhea on Facebook

VIsit Melina's Facebook Page for more news and info

Melina to return to Kripalu Center of Yoga and Health

Melina of Daughters of Rhea to teach week-long workshop at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health:
"Wild Hips, Gypsy Heart: Belly Dance as Self-Empowerment"
August 8-13th, 2010

Visit the following link for details:
http://www.kripalu.org/program/view/AABD91/wild_hips_gypsy_heart_belly_dance_as_self_empowerment

Program may not be available for pre-registration until January 2010

ESSAY: Belly Dance as Empowerment by Melina of Daughters of Rhea

My mother Rhea taught me – both explicitly and by example, that belly dance can be both a dance of empowerment and an incandescent way of life. I am very lucky to have inherited this idea as a birthright instead of having to beat a path to its discovery later in life.

My mom is quoted in a 1973 article on belly dance that appeared in the now defunct Venus magazine:

“When I dance, I don’t want to be seen as a sex object; I’m an artisan. I try to mesmerize, hypnotize the audience. I’m a sorceress, a magical trickster, the master of my body. I say to them: “Watch me do this over here, but did you see this move over here at the same time.” And I relate to the men and the women in the audience, and they relate to me. Belly dancing is not just a sensuous dance. Its an extravaganza, showing the feats of human capabilities.”

I love what she says here! And its true - Mom is an artisan, a magical trickster.

When a new student embarks on her belly dance journey, whether by choice or because their friend dragged them to their first class – it often becomes a profoundly transformative and integrative experience for body, mind and spirit.

Undulations, isolations, articulations, trembles, shimmies, flutters and rolls awaken the body and its deeply embedded ancient wisdoms.

Sometimes, for new students, the unfamiliar articulations of belly dance dredge up inarticulate anxieties of the soul – anxieties I see expressed on faces during class:
“My pelvis is tilting! My hips are hipping! My stomach is showing! My breasts are jiggling!”

But the remedy to these anxieties lies in the very movements that dredge them up. The anxieties are processed through practice, they are alchemized into a serenity and sureness that only sinuous training, passionate concentration and dedicated study of technique can bring.

In post-modern American Society, the ancient art of belly dance raises many important questions: Questions about gender, body image, ethnicity, emotion, art, entertainment, social roles and while we’re at it: the meaning of life. It is up to each student to answer these questions for herself. As a teacher, I see my role as encouraging people to think for themselves: to never bow to fear to never be tethered to convention. To use belly dance as a tool of empowerment and joy. Because I am a belly dance fundamentalist: I was born and reborn to belly dance, and I firmly believe it can change your life for the better.

When I have student recitals, I discourage the tense pursuit of perfection and encourage the enjoyment of process. Perfection is overrated. Process is golden. We work hard in class on technique, but in performance we want to present ourselves with our natural grace and personality, incorporating in more and more advanced technique as we grow as dancers. I like to pay homage to process and the journey, accepting ourselves as perfect just where we are along the way. We’re on this earth to have fun and dance, and we’ve found the secret to a joyful and empowered life: Bellydance.

A SHORT HISTORY OF MELINA’S STUDENT RECITALS

I model my student recitals on the many inspired belly dance happenings my mother Rhea puts together in Athens, Greece. Basically, the formula goes like this: bring together a diverse set of dancers in a beautiful restaurant with a lovely large stage and let them work their individual and collective magic on a friendly and encouraging crowd that is intoxicated with good cheer. Mix in unbridled enthusiasm, fun, positive vibes, a few beautiful costumes, great music and a healthy spattering of nerves. Sprinkle in some creative solos, a couple of dashing duets and some group numbers. Practice as much as you can considering that you all have full-time jobs and/or are hardworking mothers, then put perfection to the side and just go for it. Spontaneity is encouraged: last minute entries are accepted. Experimental music is allowed. Self-expression abounds.

My mother and I differ in opinion on one point: I try to keep the recital short, about 1.5 hours. Hers can extend far into the night -- but then again, that’s in Greece, where folks are used to staying out until 3 a.m. on a regular basis.

The basic idea is: never bow to convention or fear. Just come on out and do some joy-fueled dancing.

Visit www.daughtersofrhea.com for more info.

Melina's next student recital is tentatively scheduled for an early February weekday evening at Karoun Restaurant. Details TBA.

SHIMMY Rx: Dr. Weil prescribes undulation cure: Belly Dancing is Good for your Health!

http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/TIP03141/Alternative-Exercise-Part-2-Belly-Dancing.html

“Women in Melina’s classes will embrace a new physicality that combats forces of depression and releases unadulterated joy!”

--Nassim Assefi, M.D.