International Bellydance
Conference Of Canada
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We hope you had a great time at the First International Bellydance Conference Of Canada. It was a great opportunity to network with fellow dancers, take some challenging workshops, shop and make some new friends. It was our pleasure to put this event on for you.

Let us know what you thought of the Conference.

What did you like? What didn't you like? Moments you'd like to share?
With your comments we can make changes and improvements so that the next International Bellydance Conference Of Canada will be even better.

A selection of your comments will be posted here for all to see.

SEND US YOUR PICTURES!
We will soon have a gallery of conference shots for you relive the fun!

Conference Comments

I just wanted to drop a note of thanks for this weekend. We each enjoyed the conference tremendously. I really appreciate the invitation and we were all delighted to be part of the event.

The leadership required to bring the conference to life and your dedication to elevating the art form are impressive. You are an inspiration--truly! Thank you.

Everything was so well-planned and run. I know how much work goes into these types of events, and I appreciate you taking the time to put on such a great gathering.

Thanks for hosting, and hope to visit you all again soon!

Yours in dance,
Rachel Kay Brookmire
Founder and Creative Director, Sahara Dance. Washington, D.C.

Just wanted to e-mail and thank you for a wonderful time!  It was absolutely fabulous and everything I was expecting! 

I didn’t have time to fill out my comments cards while I was there, but will sit down this week and answer each one and mail them to you. 

Once again thank you and I hope you finally got some rest!

With fond memories,

Beth. Winnipeg, Manitoba

Congratulations again for the wonderful event!!

I, as a teacher, choreographer and performer at the Gala Show, want to thank Arabesque one more time for giving me the exposure and the opportunity to display my skills!

My troupe was also very proud to be among those who made this first Conference a success!! Many happy renewals of such a great happening!!!

Love
Martine Werotte. Quebec.

Just a few words to let you know how much I enjoyed the conference! The workshops, the instructors, the shows, the lectures, all the organization, everything was great.

I really enjoyed the experience and I hope there will be many other conferences like that.

Thank you so much,

Tiziana Costi. Montreal, Quebec.

*Webmaster's note: Fahtiem wasn't actually at the conference, she just sent along this note with her best wishes.

WOW!

Loved, loved loved the conference. Excellent talent/workshops. I totally loved Amir, BellyQueen was informative and different (for me at least) and Randa was adorable. They were all very challenging and I appreciated that!

I suppose the only suggestion I do have is the timing. 2 hrs per day x4 workshops was alot physically. I wondered about starting a bit earlier and having a one-hour lunch break in the middle of workshop 2 and 3 (as opposed to between 1 and 2). 1/2 between was good, but an hour for lunch would have been nice. I was sore and quite tired but pushed on and did most of the 8 hrs per day of dance and loved it.

Yasmina... (and your team) excellent job! Really well done and the lunches were excellent ~ so tasty.

I now have to explain to my boyfriend why my affections are split between him and a dancer named Amir. LOL!

Thank you for all your hard work

Sandra Cordeiro (Sa'diyah). BodySmooth. Cornwall, ON.

I wanted to send my sincere appreciation for inviting me to the International Bellydance Conference of Canada. It was truly a well-organized event with excellent musicians and amazing teachers. 

Your workshop was valuable in educating me in how to dance to live music, which we don't have in Europe. I was also inspired by your group's creativity, professionalism, and overall performance. I feel that I learned many new dance techniques that I hope I can one day add to my own routine.

Finally, I want to wish you the best of luck with all your future events and hopefully we'll meet again in the near future!

Best wishes,
Saida, Poland

Thank you so much for hosting such a wonderful event!

So far, 2007 has been a very stressful year for me in my personal life. It was very, very healing to come to Toronto and immerse myself in the conference! I very much enjoyed every aspect of it - the high-energy dance classes, the fascinating lectures, the stimulating panels, the captivating performers.

There was so much positive, friendly energy from beginning to end. When I arrived home afterward, I felt refreshed and ready to take on the world.

I know that an event of this magnitude takes an enormous effort to produce.

I am deeply grateful to everyone at Arabesque for your efforts in making this happen! I hope you'll choose to do another in the not-so-distant future - you've whetted my appetite for more!

Julie Elliot (Shira) Iowa, U.S.A.

For Toronto's greatest dancer, organizer and inspiration.

This event has meant so much to me and everyone here at the conference that words can't even describe the level of gratitude I feel, or for the amount of inspiration I have felt for the last four days.

XOXOXO

Hiba al-Kinani. Guelph, ON.

To Yasmina,

Appreciation and thanks for this magical, wonderful International Belly Dance Conference of "TORONTO"!!!!

from Habeeba Hobeika, Roula Said & Hiba
-on card accompanying flowers

Great conference! Especially good energy.

Panels / lectures such high calibre - this could have been expanded, there are so many intelligent presenters here!

Excellent job overall, and very hospitable atmosphere - friendly & welcoming. Thank you !!

Ranya Renee. New York City

I had SUCH an AMAZING time, I'm still on a total high from this, feeling so inspired and uplifted! I think this has done so much in terms of bringing the dance community together and opening up communication between dancers.

It was really heart-breaking to have to choose between events...fascinating panel discussions and lectures, watching your friends dance in the open stage, and incredible workshops! Not sure how this could be avoided but I found myself constantly wishing that i didn't have to choose. One dancer had an idea, that if panel discussions and lectures were on one subject (ie: tribal) then have the workshop at that time be on a totally different subject (ie: modern Egyptian).

Also the overlap of times had a lot of people sneaking into discussions and workshops halfway through, which was a bit distracting.

Another thing was that there was no lunch break! In order to eat, we had to miss out on something, or noisily eat during an event. I found myself missing lunch just to take it all in and then crashing later on.

Also in terms of eating, it was a real challenge to eat dinner in the less then 1.5 hr gap between the end of the workshops and beginning of mainstage performances. I think we had a lot of restaurants running all over the place to meet our time constraints! :) Just an extra 1/2 hour would've helped.

I realize that having no overlaps would mean that the conference would go longer, but i think that people would feel they got more out of it, and attendance would be better for each event if we didn't have to choose ( i mean, who wants to miss Randa or Amir's workshop!) Also, if people weren't interested in the current event, they could take a much needed snack or shopping break.

I'll write more when I think of other things...but all in all, a fantastically run event that I think was a raging success! Yay, you guys! ;)

love
Laura Newton. Toronto

Congratulations on a great event! Well organized, filled with surprises and great teachers. I had a great time, learning new ways to explore techniques and great inspirations from wonderful teachers. Congrats to all of you: planners, helpers, greeters, organizers...

 I particularly loved Sahra Saeeda. What a great woman! And Yasmina who's passion and love for the dance shined everywhere.

I did not have the chance to see her a lot in the past, but I am now a fan. :D 

She is a great dancer, a wonderful teacher and an inspiration. I understood exactly what she meant when she talked about her "crazy idea", I thought the same thing about Tribally Yours! (Large Tribal event in Montreal area.) Please tell her she did something too important to stop...

Bellyqueen were so great, their techniques were strong and their classes challenging, I really enjoyed it!

I fell in love with Ferda from Istanbul. Please get her as a teacher next time, since you did not have Turkish bellydance in the line-up this year. I had the pleasure of having a private class with her and she is one of the best Turkish teachers I had over the years.

Also, it would be great to have tribal teachers next time. I was looking forward to having tribal classes along with the other fabulous classes you offered. I was a little disappointed, but I know you did your best on this matter, keeping me informed and all.

You have great staff, really! We also loved the VIP treatment, I will use that idea for the next Tribally Yours! And the free food, very useful for us from out-of-town. Good thinking!!!

 Lots of good points to you all. The only minuses I would mention would be that classes were sometimes too easy, too beginner even though I learned something anyway.

It would be nice if it is was possible to avoid overlapping - I would have loved to do more (lectures, movies...) but it meant missing half of certain classes. And last, like I said before, the were no Turkish and Tribal classes. :(

Thank you for all of this, keep us informed of the next edition!

Marthyna. Šcole de danse Oriental Marthyna. Montreal, Quebec.

I hope you're relaxing after that big week! 

I just wanted to write you to thank you for putting on such a totally amazing event for all of us! I thought it was so so good - beyond my wildest dreams of what it could be like! I hope you do another one! 

Thanks for everything!

Mayada. Toronto. ON.

The first-ever International Bellydance Conference was a fantastic event. With an outstanding pool of national and international talent, high calibre instructors, intelligent and charming seminar leaders and panelists, this was an event for North American bellydance that was beyond compare.

Bellydance has long deserved representation as a legitimate form of art in the public eye, and this event is certainly a leading contender for proving to the media and general public that Oriental dance is more than a means of fitness or a hobby for housewives.

As a teacher and performer of bellydance myself, this event has served as an inspiration on many levels. I extend my gratitude to the many wo-man hours that went into the decisions, communications, management and development of this creative event. It is an event worth repeating. I would recommend that everyone who is serious about bellydance, (amateur or professional,) be sure not to miss the next one!

Thanks again for a memorable and educational experience!

Kassia. Buffalo, NY.

I can't even begin to express the joy I feel about the conference.

For me, it felt like homecoming... as if I were in the right place at the right time with the right people. That feeling of being exactly where I belong is rare.

Here I was surrounded by all sorts of talent and other people who were as obsessed with bellydance as I am (if not more!) What a triumph for Canadian bellydancers to all be in one place at the same time.

Memories I will carry for a long time include sitting on the front steps in my hip scarf and basking in the sun as I chatted to people I'd never met before; working hard in Amir Thaleb's workshops; running up and down the stairs to get from one class to another and bumping into someone I *HAD* to stop and talk to; and being on the Mainstage with my troupe, Shades Of Araby on one night, then seeing the crowd go wild when the Arabesque Men took the stage the next night! And then getting to be onstage at the Gala Show with Tamalyn! How many dreams can a boy have come true?

I am well aware of how much work went into this, and wish only the best for the future of the IBCC.

But please... More Tribal, let the opening party be a real hafla, and no fans on future Open stages! :-)

Valizan. Hamilton, ON.

I loved the conference and can't wait until next time! You all did a fantastic job and I was delighted to be a part of it.

Hannan Sultan. Toronto, ON.

Thank you very much for the fantastic moments !

I spoke with some dancers from around the world. 
I saw wonderful shows and I danced at the Gala Show with Troupe Sharkiss... I remember each minute from this exciting event !

Big thanks to the Arabesque crew... You're so organized ! :-)
And you're so kind.

Long life to the International Bellydance Conference of Canada !

Lucie Vendittoli.

Publisher and Editor-In-Chief, Papyrus, the Oriental dance magazine. (Francophone magazine published in Quebec)

There are times when someone just cannot find the right words to express appreciation for a job well done. This is one of those events. I feel quite fortunate being in Toronto as the opportunity here to study the Art of Middle Eastern Dance is abundant with an endless supply of excellent dance teachers and dance schools to choose from depending, on your style of dance.

The conference was surely an innovative idea, very timely and well thought of overall. Along with my peers, I found the following a bit of a challenge:

1. The Tyranny of Choice: The conference, as advertised, consists of “…16 two-hour workshops with star instructors….14 lectures and 4 panel discussions”; therefore, I should have the opportunity to attend ALL of them if I choose to do so without missing the, say, Open Stage. I agree with Laura Newton when she wrote that choosing events or workshops to go to was heartbreaking. Much as I tried to clone myself to be able to attend all the events, I just could not do it, so the tendency was, I ran up and down the stairs of the Hungarian Centre. Not that I need more exercise but learning was a bit of a challenge because you get bits and pieces of the panel discussion, and the other half of Amir Thaleb’s choreography while chewing your lunch sandwich in between all rolled into one! Result? Indigestion
::smile::.

2. Conference Security Pass: I would have preferred to have a unique conference security pass; something that is not handwritten; something that cannot easily be replicated. Having a big stamp of Arabesque icon “Princess J” on the front, for instance, may be a good security control because this cannot easily be copied. Furthermore, I thought that having the workshop pass colour-coded will be a good idea (i.e. Randa Kamel’s workshop pass is yellow; Amer Thaleb is orange or full conference package holder is green…something like that). I recognize that this is more work for you guys; but please do consider the revenue being lost for unregistered workshop participants. This conference, enjoyable and exciting as it is, is still a big monetary undertaking.

Furthermore, the rule of “Have-your-pass-visible-at-all-times” must be strictly implemented.

3. Workshop Security: This is somewhat related to #2 above. I was told of instances when workshop participants who were registered for only one workshop (i.e. Bellyqueen, for example) chose to hang around and stay in the room; hence, unconsciously (or unintentionally) getting a glimpse (or attending) the 2nd workshop for free which happened to be on schedule in the same room thereafter.

I am certain that there are ways to control this but my thought is to empty the room after each workshop in preparation for the next workshop; then those people who are registered for the next workshop can start coming in after showing their colour-coded pass (or whatever check control of your choosing at that time.)

4. Workshop Description: It would be beneficial to know the workshop description in advance. Is it a technique workshop? Is it a two-hour choreography? Is the workshop geared to Advanced Level or Beginner Level? Do you need a background in jazz or ballet to maximize this workshop? Organizers may not have this information right away but whatever description participants can get will be helpful.

5. Sitting Arrangement at the Show: One enticing benefit of purchasing the whole package is the bonus feature of being able to access the best seat in the house. This did not happen on the first Main Stage show. I actually saw a few full package registrants who pitifully walking along the aisle up and down showing their white pass but could not find a seat designated for them.

However, to Arabesque’s credit, especially under the strict supervision of Mel Bogin who was actually present on the 2nd night of the Main Stage performances, the seating arrangement was distributed fairly.

All in all, it was a remarkable event that surely placed Canada (particularly, Toronto) on the bellydance map. We are not just a hockey town now but a bellydance town (or city!) as well!

Keep shimmying!

Emilia. Toronto, ON.

I’m happy to write some comments since the event was a total success and the amount of having fun and learning totally exceeded my ability to consume fun and learning.

What a great time! I left Toronto in highly elevated mood, full of new ideas, very inspired, feeling lucky that I can travel to places for a cause like this.

I came all the way from Las Vegas to witness the first bellydancing convention of Canada. Even though doing anything first time can be a rocky road, and not everything may go as planned, let met tell you that Yasmina and her team pulled it off just beautifully. The whole team deserves a lot of credit and I will applaud, and applaud again.

Everything from organizing, taking care of participants to the line-up of the teachers and speakers was just fabulous, so much variety, so much to learn, very inspiring. I have never seen such a broad and interesting variety of lectures offered on topics related to bellydance. It was certainly a nice addition and a very good alternative to the dance classes. Very impressive, I just wish I could have been at many places at once.

Another impressive thing was the not-so-little-tote bag with all the goodies we received upon arriving. Free daily breakfast snacks and healthy lunch wraps were there waiting for us on time always. Providing decent food on premises was a total unexpected pleasant surprise and saved us a lot of time and money to run out and try to find something to eat between the classes. Very well done!

Of course the opportunity of networking, making new friends is always the nice “side-effect” of those types of events. I made so many new friends and that alone was worth the whole trip. HI again to all the people I connected with, I’m so happy to have met you!

I do want to say my personal thank you to Roula Said. I took her zill class which I absolutely loved and since I did not have my pen and notepad with me, she agreed to contact me later and repeat the info I needed and would have otherwise forgotten. She called me back long-distance and left me a long zilling message on my voice mail !!! I find it incredible and very generous and only a person/teacher with a big heart would do something like this. Not everyone would bother...Thank you Roula, this will never be forgotten!

CONGRATULATIONS and thank you again, and again Yasmina, and the team, you did a great job, keep it up and PLEASE DO IT AGAIN!

Meanwhile, I wish to see many of you at the first International Belly Dancing Convention of Las Vegas in July/August of 2007.

Amira. Las Vegas, Nevada.

I wish to thank you folks for putting together such a wonderful event! The site was easy to find, (I am from out of town) and the lunches and snacks were a very generous addition to the long and busy days.

As a fairly new bellydancer — I have been taking classes for just a couple of years now — I found there was so much useful information to absorb. I really enjoyed the workshops by Bellyqueen, Sahra Saeeda, Rahma Haddad, Yasmina Ramzy and especially Sashar Zarif. 

What I liked about these workshops was the focus on ways to understand and approach the dance… and how to use the many tools commonly used for performance or improvisation. I am not experienced enough to get much out of specific choreographies but I made quantum leaps in my ability to dance with the many tips and ideas that the non-chorography workshops offered. 

I would also have loved to attend a dance workshop by Ferda Bayazit as the Rom style of dance is so different from the other styles of bellydance. Maybe she could teach Turkish Rom dance at the next convention.   

I really enjoyed Yasmina Ramzy and Sashar Zarif’s talks on the spiritual aspects of the dance. Because of my studies in the classics, and my personal approach to the world as a Pagan, I found significant resonance in these discussions of the more ancient foundations of bellydance.

The open stage was wonderful as was the wonderful collection of performances of the evening stages. Just watching the many interpretations of bellydance gave me a lot of ideas about what would and what would not work for me as I learn to perform for others.

All in all, I spent most of my days wishing that the others of my dance class and my dance troupe had chosen to attend. It really was a wonderful weekend.  

Thanks again.

Susan Woodman-Dodds