ISSN 2230-357X (Online)
ISSN 1177-2808 (Print)
MEDANZ News Middle Eastern Dance Association of New Zealand August/September, 2012
Mahmoud Reda: a true master By Zumarrad (Brigid Kelly), Christchurch Here in New Zealand it’s rare to get access to the masters that have inspired and developed our dance form at the deepest level. So I will treasure the workshops I took with Mahmoud Reda at the final International Bellydance Conference of Canada in Toronto this year. Reda, along with Ghawazee dancer Khairiyya Mazin, was to be the featured teacher when I went in 2010, but both were prevented from flying to Canada by a volcanic ash cloud out of Iceland that disrupted air traffic for weeks. This time, there was no flight problem – just a visa one. Someone in the Egyptian embassy decided to hold the visas for Khairiyya and Tito Seif to ransom, and both of these teachers were unable to board their flights for Canada. There was no such problem with Reda though, so the IBCC became a bit of a Reda-fest. Many of the other participants were more upset by the loss of Khairiyya, who has never taught outside Egypt and is now unlikely to, than anything else, as Tito teaches in the US often and Mahmoud Reda also tours a phenomenal amount given his age. I was most disappointed to miss out on Tito, who is my favourite oriental dancer in the world. Nonetheless, I was thrilled that I would get the chance to be taught by The Mahmoud Reda. There’s lots of information about Reda and his troupe out there, but to recap: Mahmoud Reda, along with his elder brother Ali and sister-inlaw Farida Fahmy, pretty much invented Egyptian folkloric dance – that is, folk-inspired dances made sophisticated for theatre. Mahmoud was a gymnast rather than a dancer (he represented Egypt at the Helsinki Olympics in 1952), but when he was given a chance to join a touring Argentinian folkloric troupe he took it, gaining some ballet training along the way. On his return to Egypt he decided to try creating a similar concept for Egypt, and the rest is history. ...Cont’d on Pages 3 & 6
NEWSFLASHInformation
2
Presidential Ponderings
3
New MEDANZ Website
4-5
Bronwyn Mohring/Fern
7
MEDANZ Library Info
8
The Missing Book
9
Raves ‘n’ Reviews: “Spice of Life”
11-12
Saudi Style Cold Cure
13
Bron, Cont’d
14
What’s On
15
News on Line
16
NEWSFLASH!!!!!!! MEDANZ Festival Dates for 2013 Thursday April 25—Sunday April 28 (inclusive)
Web Site www.medanz.org.nz User Name: medanz Password: bellyroll
Committee Details President - Karen Walworth nzbellydancer@gmail.com Hm: (07) 823 7232 Cell: (027) 448 9001 Vice President - Dori Bestmann dori@counterweight.co.nz
Cell: (021) 029 78803
How to contact us MEDANZ
moonje11y@xtra.co.nz (027) 218 2820
Suite 3051 P O Box 13-240 Johnsonville Wellington
Secretary - Beverley Dowling
6440
Committee : committee@medanz.org.nz Librarian: library@medanz.org.nz Membership :
Treasurer /Membership - Lynley Murphy blaicombe@gmail.com (027) 454 0478 Vicki ten Velde vicki.tv@gmail.com (021) 346 498 Liz Irvine fatinaliz@yahoo.co.nz (021) 254 2779
membership@medanz.org.nz
Diane James
Treasurer :
(027) 273 1258
danceart@ihug.co.nz treasurer@medanz.org.nz Brigid Kelly zumarrad@gmail.com
Newsletter : newsletter@medanz.org.nz or
(027) 308 9713
sue@wildwoodgallery.co.nz
Bank Account Details: 12-3011-0758507- 51
Include your name and reason (ie: sub / festival /DVD etc)
Contributions, including original articles, photos, reviews and letters are VERY welcome Email to: newsletter@medanz.org.nz, or sue@wildwoodgallery.co.nz All contributions will be deemed to be authorised to be reprinted on the website. Material does not necessarily represent the views of MEDANZ members, or those of the MEDANZ committee. The cut off date for the October/November newsletter is: Page 2 September 15, 2012
With winter here it is time dancers wrapped up warm and started taking extra special care of their health. I personally hate winter colds but love the nights where you can curl up with a book by a warm fire. Dance wise - our classes still continue, perhaps down on numbers with many away with colds/flu and then there are those that just will not go out into the cold. As performers we will find this is more a time where we end up working on our choreography as well as a time to practise and refine our technique. In the winter months I like to be able to grab the video and record the dances I do onto it then to check my lines and make sure they are right, also to tape a practice of movement and an improv piece to critique personally as we are our own hardest critics . Your MEDANZ committee has some big things they are working on this year.. continuing on past projects and working on new ones . Do you want to be involved with what the committee are up to as part of sub-committees? If you ' r e interested in seeing what you can do , send an email through to the committee@medanz.org.nz address and Bev can forward you onto the appropriate person running that item. For example Dori is leading our web team . Or if you ' r e interested in working with Festival sub committees, the girls in Dunedin are working their magic there again along with Vicki and Brigid on the committee . Also Brigid is investigating what our members want. I am looking after MEDANZ advertising and working with Liz and a small team on funding - including how to make funding rounds work. Also.... Have you thought about being an angel at festival? And then again, if you ' r e wanting to teach at festival get your thinking caps on now and think about what you have to offer. What you want to share as our teachers, or with our teachers?
Mahmoud Reda, Cont’d from Page 1 Due to the problems with Tito and Khairiyya he offered to teach one more workshop than he was scheduled to, which allowed him to teach us a difficult Andalusian piece in two chunks as well as another easier piece. He would not have taught it otherwise as he said it was far too hard to learn it in an hour and 45 minutes (this despite numerous repeats – and he’s right). I was excited to start the dance with the signature double arabesque movement I’d admired in DVDs of Reda-style dances. I still can’t do it well but at least I now know how! The workshops mostly consisted of him teaching the choreographies to Ranya Renee and Sahra Saeeda on the raised stage, while we followed their lead. Ranya has worked extensively with him, and Sahra has worked with both him and Farida Fahmy for a long time, so it was reassuring to see these two skilled dancers getting the steps wrong too! He is very particular. While he can't really dance now - he's 83 and has a shot knee, so he limps a little – he can still choreograph and never puts a foot wrong. He demonstrates by calling the movement while stepping and placing his hands where they’re meant to go, and his “models” interpret his instructions more completely. I felt I could see echoes of the dancer he once was in one place though – a certain side-step that he still does with a hint of Fred Astaire flair. He’s a small man, about 170cm tall, with a gentle demeanour and a droll wit. ...Cont’d on Page 6 Page 3
New MEDANZ website by Dori aka Dori Bestmann Over the last wee while the committee has received a number of comments regarding the website, which is no longer meeting our members’ requirements. As a result we have been working hard to come up with ways of improving the site. The current committee has done investigations into different options for a new website and below I have listed a few of the things we are looking to implement to make our website useful again. However, the committee can’t produce a great website on their own! MEDANZ does, and always has, relied on input from our members and our dance community and the website is no different.
So read on and check out what we’d like to do for you as well as how YOU can get involved in making the new website a success! A new look: Rather than trying to revamp the current site we decided to re-start from scratch. This has given us the opportunity to not just change the look of the site but also to think carefully about functionality, updateability and usability. A new menu structure will hopefully be easier to use to make sure you can quickly find what you are after. Our home page now has a special section for highlighting key services and events to make sure you get to see what’s new straight away. We can now update any content, any time as well as create and move pages as and when it suits. This is not just good for committee but also a great opportunity for keen members to get involved in getting hands-on with the website content! A new graphic design should provide a nice, fresh backdrop to the site as well as making content easier to read for members and visitors with visual impairments. New Functionality: An easier content management system, which the new site will have was a key consideration. But we also wanted to make sure that we keep the features members have enjoyed about the current website and add in a few others that members and committee will hopefully find useful over time. Image Gallery: The gallery has been a common item in feedback from members. The new gallery will be hosted on our own site (so you don’t need to go anywhere else or sign up with anyone). We’ll just need to get those awesome photos of you and hopefully of those events that MEDANZ helps to fund. Once we’re properly up and running you’ll be able to send us you pictures either direct via a form on the gallery or of course by trusty old email. Speaking of Email: @medanz.org.nz emails will be fully functional again, whether you use hotmail or not as they are being updated too. Keep an eye out for the addresses in upcoming newsletter and check you are using the right ones! Forms and surveys: we’ll be able to have our own submission forms and surveys. This means you’ll be able to get in touch more easily, send us info direct via the website and even submit workshop feedback for festival online. But don’t worry snail mail will always be an option too. This is just extra not instead of! Website e-newsletters: We’ll have the option of having a mailing list which you can subscribe to (and unsubscribe from) anytime. Exactly what this might be used for will really depend on you. If we get more frequent updates on exciting events around the country, people contributing new material to the website (such as articles or reviews of library items) then we can use the e-newsletter list to keep you informed straight away, by email. Regular newsletters will of course still come out every other month either by post or email – your call. Options to extend: For now we’ve focused on key functionality based on the current site and feedback we’ve received from member but there are options to extend. Extra features can be added to the website at a later stage and will fully integrate with the set-up we’ve chosen. There’s tons to chose from so there’s room to grow if we find that there are things members want which the new site can’t yet offer. Cont’d on Page 5 Page 4
MEDANZ Website, Cont’d from page 4 Members Area: We’re keeping a members’ area so there will still be a place for us to publish information that is for members only (e.g. meeting minutes) but also to have other useful info such as the library catalogue, downloadable newsletters, articles etc. The plan from here: If all goes to plan we were hoping to have the new site live before festival. The key focus is on getting everything festival ready so you can check on the timetable, find out about changes or look up other workshops if you have spare energy even if you have forgotten or lost your booklet. Plus we are hoping to get forms ready so that you’ll be able to fill out your feedback forms online. We also hope to have other key content migrated from the current site but the real work will start after festival in getting all the new stuff working. That’s where you come in: Let us know what type of information you’d like on the site. Even better write some articles or reviews to share or nominate some of your friends to provide information you don’t have but would love to see up there. The committee has a draft plan (to be finalised by the new committee) for managing the content on the website over time but help is always appreciated.
Are you someone who knows everyone or would like to get know them? Why not think about helping out with keeping out teachers register or “What’s on” pages up to date? What better way then to make sure you always get a spot in the best workshops coming up?
Do you use or have you used the library? Why not write some short reviews or recommendations?
Are you knowledgeable on a specific subject area? E.g. how to make your own costumes, speak some Arabic, just been to Egypt and have awesome dance travel tips? Why not share with everyone? Remember we all want the website to be useful and up to date. The committee is making a real effort to make sure this is easier and that a lot of stuff is taken care of. However we’ll be able to have something much better if everyone else also contributes a little bit of their time, knowledge or feedback! Looking forward to hearing from you about your thoughts on all this and of course to chatting to you about the new site. Dori
Learning Belly Dance from Videos: Quick tips summary here Watch it through first - RECCOMENDED If unable to watch all of it, watch each section before attempting Make sure you do a proper warm up first before Stretching –STRETCHING IS NOT A WARM UP (Thank you Kashmir) Cool down and stretch when you are finished Listen to your body If moves are not working for you, check your posture ENJOY what you do Remember this is what works for me that I am sharing with you! ~~ Karen aka Adilah Page 5
Mahmoud Reda, Cont’d from Page 3 Anyone who has learned choreographies from most of the Egyptian teachers who tour the world these days has had at least a little dose of Reda style. I had a fair idea of what to expect and did find numerous combinations felt familiar , almost cosy – till I tried to do them again and found the dance had dropped out of my head! Reda builds his choreographies from a collection of favourite combinations that he uses over and over, but he also fits them to different time signatures, so they become quite flexible. I did not expect the choreographies to be as melody-driven as they were in places – they’re not, as I’d heard suggested, strictly 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8. I was also surprised by how ballroomy the Andalusian felt – some of the steps feel like being led, backwards of course, in a waltz. He even called some steps as “slowly, slowly, quickly quickly quickly quickly slowly…” Although many of the dancers present were very skilled, Reda style involves a great deal more footwork than most bellydancers are used to – there were some torn toes after the first couple of workshops - and many participants felt overwhelmed. Ranya hit on the idea of taking group privates at lunchtimes, going over some of the combinations being used. This was incredibly helpful. His last workshop was first thing in the morning on the last day, so everyone was tired with overstuffed brains, but it was my favourite because he began the session by taking us through some of his drills – the same ones he used with the Reda Troupe. This time he was really teaching everyone in the hall, watching our progress and giving us feedback. He told us he’d need to stay a month for us to get it right! One of the highlights of the event was a two-hour session where Reda told us about his life in dance, speaking to photos from a book by Farida Fahmy. He doesn't really like public speaking but he was very entertaining and the stories gave such insight into how the Reda Troupe was formed and came to prominence. It really is like one of those old Hollywood musical movies he loved so much: a bunch of middle-class youngsters decide to "put on a show right here". Their research methodologies, though they wouldn't pass ethics inspection today, were inventive. In Siwa, for instance, none of them - not even the female dancers - were allowed to get close to the local women. The troupe members therefore hooked up with a Cairo-trained schoolteacher there, who convinced the kids in her class to attend wearing their mothers' dresses and jewellery, and to show the visitors how their mothers danced! He no longer has control over the troupe that bears his name – it was nationalised in the 60s and when he retired he got a pension and nothing else, though he does still work with one of the principal dancers and continues to choreograph. In fact, Yasmina Ramzy, the IBCC hostess and co-ordinator, told us he was plotting a new dance based on watching people’s feet showing behind the stage curtain at the event! Reda has been criticised, rightly, for sanitising Egyptian dance, but listening to him speak about the creation of the Reda Troupe I began to understand why he had to do that. The troupe was, he says, the first group to present Egyptian men and women dancing together on stage. If the shows had not been kept sweet and safe, the troupe might never have been accepted at all, let alone become such a huge success for so many years. Today we can see his influence in the work of almost all the modern Cairo bellydance stars, in their more complex footwork and characteristic weight changes, but also in the kinds of folkloric dances we perform ourselves. Sahra Saeeda (a dance ethnographer as well as a dancer) told us most of the traditional Egyptian regional dances have been lost completely, and we only recognise hagallah and sa’idi as styles, for instance, because of the way the Redafied versions were accepted onstage and recreated by other dance companies. As for authenticity, I think the man himself summed it up when workshop participants got into a debate about where one particular dance he was teaching might be from: “The region – Egypt. The style – Mahmoud.” Page 6
Bronwyn Mohring:
Song, Silence and Dance. Portrait by Rachael Lundy of Christchurch
So, you think you know your fellow belly dancer? You see her in workshops in her glitzy practice pants, and you put enough safety pins in her costume to make any hard core punk rocker green with envy, but do you really know her? What happens when the make up comes off and the costumes go back into the wardrobe? What do belly dancers do with their, well, normal lives? Rachael scopes out the everyday lives of her belly dance friends, and finds that the “ normal ” life of a belly dancer may not be so normal after all… Bronwyn Mohring may be more familiar to most of you as Fern of the Tribal fusion duet Tribal Echo, the unassuming, friendly turbaned blonde who transforms into a dominating, parading peacock when on the stage. She is well known in the belly dance community for her innovative fusion of Classical Indian and Tribal, as well as her early work with The Lost Tribe which widely contributed to the popularization of Tribal style across the South Island. She is renowned for her dedication to Middle-Eastern drumming and her commitment to bringing live belly dance music to the New Zealand stage, a rarity in this small community. But some of you may not know that when she is not performing, Bronwyn is a successful potter and sculptor, hosting exhibitions frequently around Dunedin. I went down to take a look at her most recent exhibition on its debut afternoon, a collaborated show with Kathy Palenski and Gary Anderson aptly titled “Three Potters: Vessels and Monoliths, Flora and Fauna” at Koru NZ Art and Jade Gallery. As I walked into the studio, I caught Bronwyn counting coins. “Oh Rachael, you are here! I was just seeing if I have enough to buy chocolate!” She holds up two shiny gold coins triumphantly. I’m feeling slightly guilty, as I have once again interrupted, intruded (on precious chocolate time, no less) and generally been a pain in the ass. You see, this was not my first attempt to meet with Bronwyn. I had first arranged to meet her outside my work on the previous Sunday, and there I waited...and waited. I kept going through the conversation we had on the phone Saturday afternoon: “see you tomorrow, at 3”, I distinctly remember saying. I can’t text her to see where she is, not because she doesn’t have a phone but because I know it’s off. It is always off. So finally I call her husband/secretary to see what is going on. When she can finally get to the phone, she sounds stressed and apologetic “oh honey, I thought that you meant Monday!”
Cont’d , Page 7
FYI: Our MEDANZ Library is a great resource: go ahead and take out something fascinating on loan!
MEDANZ Library Lending Conditions NOTE:
This contract MUST be completed, signed and returned!
NO MEMBER SHALL: 1. 2.
make a tracing, or take any copies or photograph of any book or magazine or catalogue belonging to the Library. make a copy of any video, VCD or DVD belonging to the Library.
NO MEMBER SHALL: 1. make any mark on, deface, cause or permit any damage to any book, magazine, video VCD or DVD belonging the to Library. 2. remove any label or mark of ownership from any item belonging to the Library. 3. If any item is lost, returned torn, cut, soiled, written on or otherwise damaged, the borrower shall pay to MEDANZ full compensation for the replacement of that item.
Items on loan:
1.____________________________________________ 2.____________________________________________ 3.____________________________________________ Loan Fee:______________ Return Due Date:_____________ Please make out Cheques to: MEDANZ Library How will you be paying (please circle):
Cheque
Internet Banking
Cash
National Bank MEDANZ Library 060942 0270848 00 If more time is needed please contact the librarian as overdue fines ($5.00 per week, per item) may apply to late returns.
I agree to the above terms and conditions
Membership Signature: ____________________________ Return by NZ post to:
Fern aka Bronwyn Mohring 8 Burkes Drive, St Leonards, Email address: Yrth@callsouth.net.nz DUNEDIN, 9022 Phone number: 03 471 0247
N.B. Please reuse this packaging when returning items. (A sticky label with the Librarians address is included in this package.) And remember to include this form and your loan fee with your returned items. Thankyou!
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THE MYSTERY OF THE MISSING BOOK A tale of Mystery and Intrigue for Librarians, (Presented to Taupo Library Staff with a big box of chocolates) Once upon a long, long time ago (exactly how long ago, only the Taupo Library records can reveal!) I borrowed a lovely new library book called Belly Dance by Dolphina. When I next returned my library books I was told I had not returned that one, although I felt so sure I had done so. I searched and searched for it but to no avail. When I explained to the librarian I was convinced I had returned it I must have looked really genuinely adamant and the reason for that will become clear later in the story… So, eventually the library believed my truthful demeanour and wiped the slate clean. How kind! Sine then, every single time I returned any library books, I conscientiously searched again for that mysterious book, while knowing in my heart I did not have it. I even promised myself that if I ever did stumble across it I would return it with some chocolates as an apology. Recently while in Dunedin attending the festival for the Middle Eastern Dance Association of NZ, I had an epiphany! On a whim, I decided to check their library shelf of belly dance books and DVDs. Lo and behold, there was the missing book, with Taupo Library stamped on it!!! Hallelujah! I then realised why I “knew” I had returned it, along with the other belly dance books and DVDs I had borrowed from MEDANZ that month long ago. It had been squeezed into a bubble wrap bag and duly posted off, never to be figured out by me. DER!!!!!!!!! So please accept this long tale of explanation, along with my chocolate apology for a genuine but rather silly mistake. I hope other library users will enjoy borrowing this lovely book in the future! Yours truthfully, Anon!
DID YOU KNOW>>>
From Wikipedia, aka, AKA, or A.K.A. A.K.A., AKA, a.k.a., aka, or a/k/a may refer to: "Also known as", used to introduce pseudonyms, aliases, nicknames, working names, legalized names, pen names, maiden names, etc. And also our gorgeous middle eastern stage names for sure!….Ed.
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Maharajan Raqs Aotearoa
Dance Festival Aotearoa Auckland 5th, 6th and 7th October 2012
A celebration of Belly Dance and Belly Dancers in New Zealand We like to think of ourselves as a small country with lots to offer, and we are! We have some world class Belly Dance professionals and a varied, multi-layered Belly Dance Community. Join us to celebrate and enjoy the Belly Dance in New Zealand that is unique to us!
A weekend of dancing! Workshops We have eight amazing teachers from all around New Zealand, in one place over one wonderful weekend, offering a wide variety of fabulous workshops for Belly Dancers of any style.
A’mal (Christchurch)
Candice (Auckland)
Doreen (Auckland)
Fern (Dunedin)
Kashmir (Christchurch)
Moonjelly (Wellington)
Pip E-Lysaah (Wellington/Christchurch)
Shakeelah (Auckland)
Tais (Auckland)
Tanya (Tauranga)
Two wonderful shows at the TAPAC Theatre "Belly Dance Showcase" On Friday 5th October A chance for festival participants to perform and for everyone to celebrate and enjoy the diverse Belly Dance scene New Zealand has to offer.
"Red Carpet Gala" On Saturday the 6th October Dress up in your most fabulous glad rags then sit back and enjoy some of New Zealand's finest Belly Dance entertainers in a show that brings dancers from around New Zealand in unique and beautiful collaborations
Shopping Yes! There will be shopping. And there will also be a table for participants to sell second hand items. Check us out online www.artofmovement.co.nz/festival Ring, text or email me for a paper information pack Tanya on Ph: 021 27 12 493 email: tanya.bellydancer@gmail.com And don’t forget to ask about the Troupe Leaders and Teachers special deal!
Page 10
“
Spice of Life”
Review by Aaminah aka Amanda Bound of Taranaki
The 22nd of June was a rather chilly morning in New Plymouth, but at least it was fine as five of us jumped into my “belly dancer mover” to head to Taupo for a weekend of workshops and fun with Zuhrah (Sue Graham) and the Mirage Group. The weekend was entitled “Spice of Life” and started with a get acquainted evening at The Ploughman’s on Friday night. On Saturday morning we all congregated at the Waipahihi Hall on Richmond Avenue for the first of the workshops which was the Batwannis Beek choreography. Zuhrah went through a safety briefing and then started on the warmup. A lot of the movements incorporated into the warm-up were also in the choreography so our bodies were already getting to know what was expected of them throughout the rest of the morning. We were encouraged to dance with love and feeling, and if we didn’t have someone to dance to, we were allowed to share our love with Saidi (Zuhrah’s beautiful cat). The choreography was perfectly tuned to the music and the workshop catered for all levels of dancers from beginners through to those advanced dancers who needed a challenge. We broke for a delicious lunch that had been prepared by the Mirage Group – there was so much lovely food, it was extremely difficult to choose what to eat first!
t he nex t e r a ? When etings e M e itte kype) Comm Aug (S
ay 18 kype) S ( Saturd t p e ay 22 S Saturd e 7pm ould lik w u o y g anythin Committee e v a h If you by the d e s s ry u disc ecreta S e h t Email
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The second workshop was Zills for Sissies - I certainly fit into that category and gave up on live zilling for air zilling!.
During the Hafla on Saturday evening, Zuhrah performed each of the choreographies that were being taught over the weekend, and three of our Shimera group performed an Isis wings dance. Sunday morning and we all congregated back at the Waipahihi Hall for the Miserlou veil choreography. A beautiful piece of music, that was perfectly interpreted by Zuhrah with some interesting names for veil moves including “the burrito”. During each of the workshops Zuhrah split us into groups depending on where we felt our ability lay, and she made sure there were options for movements for each level, which meant that the workshops catered for everyone’s abilities. We returned to New Plymouth very tired happy belly dancers – looking forward to the next time we can travel to Taupo! Thank you so much to Zuhrah and the Mirage Group.
~ Aaminah
luxurious 100% silk mesmerising
Individually hand dyed and made in New Zealand Sahher1@gmail.com 021 20 60 333
Page 12
What to do if you get a cold.... these are the remedies used in Saudi.. (note most of these we already use.) ...where it says ginger it means dry ginger that we would use in baking
1. Mix lemon and ginger elixir with honey. And take a spoon in the morning after food and noon and before getting bed.
2. If you have any sorts of balms or
eucalyptus oil available, take a pot of hot water and put like two drops of this oil and if its balm then take a little on your finger and mix with the hot water. Keep your face a bit up to get the steam coming from this water mixture. Inhale it.. Keep a cloth to cover your face including head with the pot will help all the steam to concentrate.
3. Apply this balm or oil middle your both breasts and dip a cotton cloth in hot water affordable heat and stroke your chest.
4. Use lots of lemon or orange or mandarin. 5. Mix this and drink. Dry ginger powder + coriander leaves + black pepper powder with bit of coffee and drink hot. 6. Avoid hot spices at this time. All your cold will run away - Shuaib Page 13
Bronwyn Mohring, Cont’d from Page 7 When I do get to meet with her the next day at the gallery, she tells me that her sense of time has always been a little dodgy: “Tomorrow, to me, can mean anytime in the near future. It can also mean the past, sometimes”. It is at this point that I notice she is writing down all her appointments and to do lists higgledy -piggledy through her diary...from 2010. Well this explains a few things. While Bronwyn’s official contribution to the art world started relatively late in her life, she has “always made stuff”. Like the stories of all good artists go, Bronwyn had an isolated childhood, choosing to draw and read to occupy herself and distract from her overwhelming shyness. She admits that this has never really left her. I ask bewilderedly, why on earth start belly dancing? It’s not exactly an art form for the timid. Her reply indicates that she is just as confused about this as I am. She quickly retorts with a laugh “I’ve never quite figured it out! I went along with a friend, and the movements just seemed natural to me. I got it, and then I got addicted”. While her friend no longer dances, Bronwyn has stuck with it for over 17 years. In Bronwyn’s pottery, the theme of silence and song resonates strongly as the forms of birds and musical instruments meld seamlessly together. There is a melancholy beauty to her pieces, and extinct birds and broken instruments are an over arching theme in her body of work. She tells me that the pieces reflect her anger and sadness at the loss of countless native New Zealand birds, and the silence that replaces their once loud, almost disruptive song. To me, though, they also speak of Bronwyn’s relationship with dance. While both music and dance were activities she loved as a child, she confesses a strong dislike of being watched. On this level, her pieces seem to negotiate her ambivalence towards the art of dancing. Birds are nature’s performers, yet they are rarely seen; rather they are appreciated from a distance. Her concern with birds has carried through into her dance as well. I still remember her piece that she performed in Auckland a number of years ago: to live drummers, she abandoned the muscular, gooey movements of Tribal Fusion in favour of sharp ticks and sudden, unpredictable twitches in order to embody an owl. This piece foreshadowed the popularity of this kind of movement that was on the brink of exploding into Tribal Fusion in later years, and remains to this day one of the most inspiring performances I have ever seen. “Is there anything in particular that you would like the belly dance community to know about you?” I ask finally. She paused and considered this for a long time before carefully, cautiously replying: “I’m pretty simple, really...” How could she be more wrong? I think to myself. Bronwyn may fit the bill for artist; introverted childhood, lacking in administrative skills, flexible in her interpretation of normally straightforward words such as “tomorrow” and who knows what else, but she is far from a clear cut case….. P 15 Page 14
Bronwyn Mohring, Cont’d from page 14 Her ambivalence towards dancing and art often lead her to consider quitting both. She confesses that contemplations like “I’m too old to dance” or “I’m not good enough to be an artist” often weigh on her thoughts. But, she tells me, whenever such thoughts enter her mind a little voice in her head tells her, exasperatedly, to “ just shut up and get on with it”! While I would prefer for this little voice to be slightly more polite to our wonderful friend Bronny, I think we can all agree with its motivation; to keep Bronwyn from abandoning her place in music, dance and art, to keep her creating and innovating, to stop her from giving up and leaving us all in a sad and silent place without her song.
WHAT’S ON? FOR UP TO DATE LISTINGS CHECK OUT “RAKS NZ - WHAT’S ON” ON FACEBOOK
Maharajan Raqs Aotearoa Dance Festival Aotearoa Auckland 5th, 6th, 7th October, 2012 A Celebration of Belly Dance and Belly Dancers in New Zealand Two shows, workshops with ten teachers, plus shopping! Contact: Tanya.bellydancer@gmail.com, Visit: www.artofmovement.co.nz/festival
Dallia will be teaching Reda Folkloric Style Nubian on a Sunday in October, Hagalla in November, Muwashahat in December In Balmoral, Auckland Register www.oasisfordance.com, contact dallia@oasisfordance.com WHAT’S ON POLICY 1.
All MED related events are entitled to an entry in the WHAT’S ON CALENDAR
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Maximum entry is half a page. Brochures, registrations forms, etc may be included in the newsletter if sufficient copies are supplied in a timely manner. Limit of one full A4 sheet per person/event in any one newsletter. Membership numbers available on request.
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Information received after the cut off date may not be included.
We attempt to have the newsletter out in the first week of the month but this is not always possible Page 15
MEDANZ NEWS MEDANZ News now available ON LINE If you would rather receive your edition of MEDANZ News electronically Send your email address to blaicombe@gmail.com YES - YOU CAN ADVERTISE IN THE NEWSLETTER ! In addition to keeping a list of available services which MEDANZ will print from time to time, MEDANZ accepts paid advertisements for the newsletter at very reasonable rates: A4 : $20 / issue - $80 per year A5 (landscape): $10 / issue - $40 per year Business Card Size: $5 / issue - $20 per year Inserts: $30 per issue plus any costs involved in printing - if you wish to arrange the printing yourself, send 210 copies to 8 Matipo Place, Tokoroa. Adverts are in black and white print only. (Electronic editions are in full colour!) Text and/or graphics should be emailed or sent on disc at least ten (10) days before issue deadline. Acceptable formats are (in preferred order): pub, tif, jpeg, doc, pdf. Resolution must be no more than 200 dpi. The Committee reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to refuse to accept any advertisement for publication.
SUBSCRIPTIONS TO 30 JUNE 2013 ARE NOW OVERDUE!! FULL MEMBER — $35 FAMILY MEMBER — $15 EACH 3 CONVENIENT METHODS TO PAY DIRECT CREDIT—12—3011—0758507—51 (preferred method) POST YOUR CHEQUE, or EMAIL US YOUR CREDIT CARD DETAILS ALWAYS REMEMBER TO INCLUDE YOUR MEMBERSHIP NUMBER WHEN PAYING WARNING!!! Members who have not subscribed by the end of September will be “struck off the Christmas card list!”