Photo Shoot

Basha Raks recently did a photo shoot with photographer Sue Norman. I have posted the photos as Flikr Photo stream for now. I want to set it up as a slide show but it's not letting me at the moment! I will keep working on it.

We are so very happy with what we have seen so far and Sue got some awesome shots of us. Sue has a way of seeing things that make a lovely photo. The one of Tammy's eyes blows me away everytime I look at it! There are more to come so "watch this space" as they say for more great photos!

Dancing on the Dunes

On June 21 we were part of the Dune Dancers at Cobourg Beach. Dancers from the Moksha Belly Dance Studio and friends were down on the beach dancing to celebrate the Summer solstice. Live drummers were also there to provide us with wonderful music to dance to. It was so fun to be dancing outside in the breeze with the sand under our feet.

Basha Raks and Blades of Glory

As some of you know I am also part of a Medieval combat troupe called Blades of Glory. There I am known as Mistress Jayne of Crime and Punishment. It is my job to keep the children in line as well as teach them the ways of the Master Executioner and all things torture and execution!

Blades of Glory held a charity dinner on August 1 with Medieval fighting and guest belly dancers Basha Raks. The evening was a great one, lots of fun and everything went really well. $685 was raised for charity!

For this event we performed 3 dances with costume changes for each. This was something new for us. It was hilarious as when the dance ended we calmly walked off stage then once we were out of the room we ran like crazy to our change room to change, throwing clothes every which way as we went! It was a mad dash to ensure we were all set for our next dance.

We got a lot of great feed back and comments afterwards. Some people said they were mesmerized by our dancing and actually forgot to cheer us on as they were so engrossed in watching! Others asked us how we did some of the moves and others wanted a mini lesson. I hope we inspired people to get out there and give belly dance a try!

Tammy's Birthday

We wanted to celebrate our dear friend Tammy's birthday. Naturally we wanted to dress up! When Basha Raks decided to dress up it's no easy task. We are looking at a minimum of 1 hour's work!

Also this particular night was our last class before the summer break so we though we would go Tribal. Now Tribal costuming, as I may have mentioned before, is kind of a mix of goth, punk and general darkness all rolled into one delightful mix! As you will see in the photos that follow we look pretty different from what we usually look like. Being a grown up and still being able to play dress up is a most wonderful thing!

We all decided to wear the same style top and pants and then do our own thing with hair and makeup. The results were FANTASTIC!! I can tell you we got a lot of look at the local Wild Wing that night! Some were interested, others looked a little scared! We had such a blast celebrating Tammy's birthday. It's a party none of us will soon forget!

I have been neglecting my poor little blog. I have lots to share but time is not on my side. It seems when I think "OK, time to update the blog" something else comes up....sigh.
I have loads of new photos to post, information to pass along, our first tribal lesson.....
I have not forgotten about this lovely little spot I started, please bear with me!
I will say this: our next event is August 1 in Campbellford. We are going to dance at the Medieval dinner and show being presented by Blades of Glory...we are very excited!!

Photos from our latest performance

On Friday night we did a performance for some hard working nurses enjoying a Spa Night. I will also mention that this was our first officially paid gig! We were all very excited! No matter if we get paid or not though it is the dancing we love the most!

We had a great time doing two dances and teaching the ladies a simple routine. The ladies were all very enthusiastic and enjoyed trying out the moves. Once again there were lots of comments on how hard it is to belly dance! I hope we have inspired some of the women there to pursue this wonderful dance!

To the Dark Side

Last Saturday evening my Sisters of the Dance and I went to a FABULOUS belly dance performance. The show was presented by The Dark Side Studio in Toronto.

The Dark Side specializes in Tribal style dance. Well actually it takes inspiration from many different styles of belly dance to come up with a unique dance style all its own. Tribal dance is slower paced with deeper moves but make no mistake, this does not make it any less fascinating, intriguing and enjoyable to watch! Being able to see moves such as hip drops and lifts, flutters and incredible arm moves done this way we could really see it and know that it is muscles rather than momentum driving each move.

The dancers who performed were amazing! As a relatively new dancer I though to myself that I was a useless in comparison! I found out my Sisters felt the same way!! However we were not disheartened. Instead we are more determined than ever to strive to be the best we can be. After speaking to one of the performers, Mira Betz, she told us she hoped she inspired us to continue to dance and work hard to do our best.

We now want to dive into Tribal style dance and see what we can do with it. Belly dancing ,it seems, is always opening up new ideas for Basha Raks!

Photos from Relay For life Fundraiser

Fundraising for Relay For Life

Last night (March 26) Basha Raks did a performance to help raise money for Relay for Life. I am happy to say $200 was raised!

It was a fun evening with great audience participation. After we performed a dance we got the ladies on their feet to learn a short belly dance routine. Everyone had a great time learning the moves and doing the routine to music. We saw some great belly dancers in the audience!

One thing we hear a lot is that belly dancing looks easy but once you try some of the moves people quickly realise the effort that goes into it! We've been told we make the dance look effortless but really it's only because we have worked so hard to make it that way!

Thank you to all who participated to make this evening a great success! We had so much fun as always. I have posted a video my mum took of our last dance of the evening. Enjoy!

Children and Belly Dance

In this world of "body image is everything" I think it is wonderful to see kids belly dancing. What a great way to help young girls know that their bodies can move in marvelous ways no matter their shape or size.

My daughter,Willow, loves to belly dance with me. I am so pleased to dance with her. I hope that she will keep it up with me and grow to love it as much as I do. I've been told I need to make sure my daughter grows with self confidence and has a good sense of herself. What better way than with belly dance! Some would say put her in hockey or some other sport. While sports are fine there are other ways in which to promote self confidence while teaching her about her femininity and what a powerful person she is not only through dance but in life as well.

My Name: Kiya

Kiya means Jovial Woman. Anyone who knows me will think this name is very fitting for me!

Ever since I was young I have found humour in unlikely places. My Dad will tell you my laugh is known around the world. Seemly strange things will send me into fits of laughter. Not just laughing but tears rolling down my face and can't breathe kind of laughing! It's the visual image I get, you see, that makes me laugh. Also I seem to have something funny to say when a friend or family member is feeling down that makes them smile or even laugh along with me.

A quick story as an example would be this. One day when I went to work at the vet clinic everyone was having a really bad day for one reason or another. I just happened to have heard a really funny joke on the way to work. I went around to everyone and told them the joke with actions and everything! I had everyone laughing before long. A couple of my co-workers even came to me later and said thanks for cheering them up.

It took a while to feel the desire to look for a name for myself. After years of untreated depression and anxiety I am now finally in a place where I am happy with my life and myself and I wanted to choose a name that fits the way I feel. I started looking for a name that reflected my laugh in some way. I came across Kiya. Before I knew what it meant I loved the sound of it. Simple yet lyrical somehow. When I read it's meaning I knew right away it was perfect for me!

When I told my Sisters of the Dance the name I had chosen they all agreed it fit me perfectly and I had made a great choice!

Basha Raks Video

I have posted a video taken at Unionville Alliance Church on Feb. 22/09.

We danced for the church's youth group. There is an interview with Jawhara at the beginning of the clip. In the interview Jawhara tells the youth group how belly dance heals her body and her heart.

Laliba Ahteen, Tabia and I were honoured to be a part of this very special dance.

Getting ready: What's involved?

Before the...

...make up

Blow Dry

Curl

Our first show

Basha Raks and our teacher Ahlam at the Love to Belly Dance Recital, September 2008

My Name: Laliba Ahteen

I took some time and did some soul searching to find this name for myself. In the Chinese zodiac, both my fiance and I are Dragons. We also both share the elemental sign of Fire. And so came the Firey Dragon.

I believe the Dragon is a very beautiful, strong creature with a unique distinction. It is the only mythical creature of the zodiac signs, which makes it stand out. I'm a very different individual with a strong personality not unlike the Dragon. Although some may think of me as serious and sometimes even scary, I am quite laid back and easy to get along with. I am extremely critical of myself and get a fierce look of determination on my face when I'm concentrating. Especially when trying to learn a new dance move.

Each of us has a dance name that I believe fits our personalities perfectly. I am a Firey Dragon, inside and out and wear my dance name and tattoo proudly.

Written by Laliba Ahteen.

My Name: Tabia

Unlike my fellow Basha Raks.....my name came to me after quite extensive, and time consuming, searching. (To everyone else's chagrin hehe)

My sisters in this dance all have beautiful names, that I really feel suit their individual personas in this dance. However, they had found, or perhaps felt/demonstrated within themselves, their dance names, early on. I, on the other hand, only realized after a few performances, of being given a 'name' last minute, that I'd better find something. Surprisingly, it wasn't so simple.

I am a dancer, yes, but I am also many other things......very busy to say the least. I didn't feel compelled by any of the Egyptian or Arabic names I originally encountered. There were many things I liked, but none that encompassed all the things I do daily.........not that I should expect one little word to do all that, eh?.........and then it came to me! Like many other women in this world, I do a lot of juggling. I work, am married, have a little one, dance, scrapbook, cook, garden, and a lot of people depend on me every day...............AAAAHHHAAAA! I had it, I'm very good at being a multi-tasker.......but that doesn't have an exact translation in arabic or egyptian.....so Tabia , Many Talents, was born. I hope I live up to my name as my sisters do. I do enjoy dancing with them.......they Rak!

Written by Tabia

And We Danced On Into The Night.

Last night after dance class we had a little hafla (belly dance party!). Myself, Jawhara and Laliba Ahteen danced to a song of our choice. Tabia was there but she was too sick to join us. It was nice of her to come even though she was ill. We were all looking forward to seeing Tabia's dance too!

We had all decided not to do any specific choreography and do a free style dance. I am not comfortable at all with not knowing what is happening so for me it was a challenge just to get up there to dance! Even though I know my fellow dancers will be supportive it is still a nerve wracking experience to get up and dance. It is always harder to perform for people you know than strangers.

It was such a pleasure to watch Jawhara and Laliba Ahteen dance! Their own personalities shone through and the joy they took in their dancing was wonderful. Jawhara has a real spark in her eyes and such an expressive face. It all translated into a beautiful, fun dance.

Laliba Ahteen did a more tribal dance which suited her so well. She was more serious in her expressions but it was really fitting to her choice of music and really showed her dance personality too. Her moves were slower and more deliberate and looked so very good!!

I chose the song Into The Night (Santana/Chad Kroeger) as I thought that song was fitting to how I feel when I dance, free. I was really nervous but I told myself ahead of time to feel the music and just dance! I know I did quite a few spins and choo choos with snake arms but other than that I have no idea what else I did! Funny how that happens. What I do remember is hearing clapping and vocalizing coming from my friends.

Afterwards we thought it would be a good idea to start dancing just for each other more often. Its such a boost to know we can be free to dance with each other and not have to worry about being judged or criticized. We become free through dance. If only everyone could feel this good to just be themselves!

My Name: Jawhara

My name Jawhara – Precious Jewel. What an honor to have a name like that given to me.

I would never in a million years have chosen it for myself, I am much more practical than that. When Ahlam gave me the name, I was really interested in why. What did she see that made this name describe me? She told me one time that when she watched me dance it was like watching a jewel being unwrapped. Not a BIG HUGE DIAMOND, but a small precious jewel that is delicate but also very strong. The visual that gave me was very precise and as I explore my dance style I realize it is more like me than I could have possibly imagined.

My moves are small, deliberate and distinctively mine. As much as I would love to have big fluid moves, they are not to be. So I will dance with what I have been gifted with, small, delicate, distinctive movement, that I hope brings as much joy and delight to others as it does to me.

Written by Jawhara.

What's in a Name?

Our dance names are very special to each of us. We have chosen our names with care and pride. Actually, Jawhara had her name chosen for her by our instructor, Ahlam.

Choosing a name to use just for dancing, to me personally, adds an air of mystery and allure to the dance. I think all of our names are fitting to each of our personalities and that is important. When we dance all of our unique traits come through. I am trying harder to be more dramatic with my dance, something that usually comes quite naturally to me but with belly dance it is a little harder to attain! Having a different name while dancing helps me, in a way, become a different person. I am hoping my fellow dancers will come on here to write their own views of their dance names and what it means to them as a dancer!

In the meantime here are our dance names and what they mean:

Jawhara: Precious Jewel


Kiya: Jovial Woman


Laliba Ahteen: Firey Dragon


Tabia: Many Talents

Belly Dancing and Body Image Part III

Belly Dance and Body Image-Written by Laliba Ahteen

Belly Dance for me is more about self-acceptance and healing than about body image. In May 2007, I moved from Winnipeg to Oshawa, away from my son, family and friends. I know in my heart the decision I made to move was the right one but I was not allowing myself any forgiveness for my choices. For the first several months after moving I was angry, sad, lonely, verging on depression and having a hard time being away from ‘home’. But in January 2008 I started belly dance class and the healing finally began.


I have always loved the dance itself, the costumes, the music, the freedom of expression and the fact that women of every age, shape and size could look so beautiful performing. I saw my first live performance after finishing a Dragon Boat race for Cancer in 2006. After watching those ladies move with such grace, confidence and pure joy, I knew that was a world I wanted to be a part of.


Kiya and myself both started our classes on the same night and have grown together as dancers and friends. We have also had the privilege of learning from two very inspiring dancers and choreographers, Jawhara and Tabia. With the love and support of my newfound friends and the enjoyment I have experienced through learning this dance I was able to accept my life as it is now and move on to be happy and secure in my decisions.


I have always struggled with body image. I’ve always been large boned, never been thin but this dance teaches me how to express myself without feeling embarrassed about what I look like. I was made the way I am, my body was made to jiggle and shake. The more I can make it move the harder I know I’m dancing.
But most importantly for me this journey is all about living, learning, loving and growing into the dancer and person I have become.

A Message from Our Friend Anna

Hello ladies...I am so jealous of you but at the same time so very proud of how far you have all come...I wish I could be a part of your group, you really look like you are having such a great time. Maybe one day I will be able to join you if you will have me...Best wishes in this journey you are taking. Love - an x-Basha Rak :)

Basha Raks Withdrawl

My fellow dancers and I will often get together 2 or so evenings a week when we are working on a new routine. As well as the hard work and sweat we put into a new dance we also laugh (or snort on my part!) joke and eat our way through the evening. When we have finished the new dance we go back to to our regular routines but after a few nights we find ourselves suffering from Basha Raks withdrawl!

While we say at the time we are glad the routine is finished it is not long before we are sending emails to each other saying how we miss our evenings together and maybe it's time to start thinking about a new dance. After all if we want to be serious about getting out there for different events we need a good repertoire of dances right?

Our next event is at the end of this month so I think we will be getting together to brush up on our existing dances. Hopefully it won't be too long before we are starting up a new routine even if there is a lot of cursing, missed steps and much laughing along the way! Tabia has great ideas for our next routine. It will be darker, more tribal and I can't wait to get in there and start practicing.

Belly Dance and Body Image Part II

As you can see Basha Raks is made up of women with different body types, all wonderful in their own right. I have always hated the way I looked. Even when I was younger and quite thin I was not happy with my body. It only got worse as I got older and having kids only added to my negative body image. Instead of accepting myself as I was I was constantly criticising myself.

Everything changed when I started belly dancing. I discovered what my body was capable of and I really started looking at how it moved. Before long I had people in class commenting on how good my hips were, how elegant my arms were. My instructor has told me a few times what a luscious bum I have! Now in the past a comment like that would have sent me running for cover in utter embarrassment! Now I am proud of my body! I am so thankful I can now look at my self with pride and be happy within myself. I have finally reached a place in my life where I am happy in my own skin. Had I not started belly dancing I can say with certainty I would still be loathing my body.

People close to me have noticed a change in me. They say I have so much more confidence and seem a lot happier than I have been in a long time. If only more women could love themselves just as they are.