Aug Sept 2012 MEDANZ Newsletter

MEDANZMEDANZMEDANZ NewsNewsNews

ISSN 2230-357X (Online) ISSN 1177-2808 (Print)

Middle Eastern Dance Association of New Zealand

August/September, 2012

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

Mahmoud Reda: a true masterBy Zumarrad (Brigid Kelly), Christchurch

Here in New Zealand it’s rare to get access to the masters that haveinspired and developed our dance form at the deepest level. So I willtreasure the workshops I took with Mahmoud Reda at the finalInternational Bellydance Conference of Canada in Toronto this year.

Reda, along with Ghawazee dancer Khairiyya Mazin, was to be thefeatured teacher when I went in 2010, but both were prevented fromflying to Canada by a volcanic ash cloud out of Iceland that disruptedair traffic for weeks. This time, there was no flight problem – just avisa one. Someone in the Egyptian embassy decided to hold the visasfor Khairiyya and Tito Seif to ransom, and both of these teacherswere unable to board their flights for Canada. There was no suchproblem with Reda though, so the IBCC became a bit of a Reda-fest.

Many of the other participants were more upset by the loss ofKhairiyya, who has never taught outside Egypt and is now unlikelyto, than anything else, as Tito teaches in the US often and MahmoudReda also tours a phenomenal amount given his age. I was mostdisappointed to miss out on Tito, who is my favourite oriental dancerin the world. Nonetheless, I was thrilled that I would get the chance tobe taught by The Mahmoud Reda.

There’s lots of information about Reda and his troupe out there, but torecap: Mahmoud Reda, along with his elder brother Ali and sister-in-law Farida Fahmy, pretty much invented Egyptian folkloric dance –that is, folk-inspired dances made sophisticated for theatre. Mahmoudwas a gymnast rather than a dancer (he represented Egypt at theHelsinki Olympics in 1952), but when he was given a chance to join atouring Argentinian folkloric troupe he took it, gaining some ballettraining along the way. On his return to Egypt he decided to trycreating a similar concept for Egypt, and the rest is history.

...Cont’d on Pages 3 & 6

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

[email protected]

Hm: (07) 823 7232

Cell: (027) 448 9001

Vice President - Dori Bestmann

[email protected]

Cell: (021) 029 78803

Secretary - Beverley Dowling

[email protected]

(027) 218 2820

Treasurer /Membership - Lynley Murphy

[email protected]

(027) 454 0478

Vicki ten Velde

[email protected]

(021) 346 498

Liz Irvine

[email protected]

(021) 254 2779

Diane James

[email protected]

(027) 273 1258

Brigid Kelly

[email protected]

(027) 308 9713

How to contact usMEDANZ

Suite 3051

P O Box 13-240

Johnsonville

Wellington 6440

Committee :

[email protected]

Librarian:

[email protected]

Membership :

[email protected]

Treasurer :

[email protected]

Newsletter :

[email protected] or

[email protected]

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: [email protected], or [email protected]

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:

September 15, 2012

Mahmoud Reda, Cont’d from Page 1Due to the problems with Tito and Khairiyya he offered to teach one more workshop than he wasscheduled to, which allowed him to teach us a difficult Andalusian piece in two chunks as well as anothereasier piece. He would not have taught it otherwise as he said it was far too hard to learn it in an hour and45 minutes (this despite numerous repeats – and he’s right). I was excited to start the dance with thesignature double arabesque movement I’d admired in DVDs of Reda-style dances. I still can’t do it wellbut at least I now know how!

The workshops mostly consisted of him teaching the choreographies to Ranya Renee and Sahra Saeeda onthe raised stage, while we followed their lead. Ranya has worked extensively with him, and Sahra hasworked with both him and Farida Fahmy for a long time, so it was reassuring to see these two skilleddancers getting the steps wrong too! He is very particular. While he can't really dance now - he's 83 andhas a shot knee, so he limps a little – he can still choreograph and never puts a foot wrong. Hedemonstrates 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 oncewas in one place though – a certain side-step that he still does with a hint of Fred Astaire flair. He’s a smallman, about 170cm tall, with a gentle demeanour and a droll wit. ...Cont’d on Page 6

With winter here it is time dancers wrapped up warm and started taking extra special care of theirhealth. I personally hate winter colds but love the nights where you can curl up with a book by a warmfire. Dance wise - our classes still continue, perhaps down on numbers with many away with colds/fluand 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 wellas 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 checkmy lines and make sure they are right, also to tape a practice of movement and an improv piece tocritique personally as we are our own hardest critics .

Your MEDANZ committee has some big things they are working on this year.. continuing on pastprojects and working on new ones . Do you want to be involved with what the committee are up to aspart of sub-committees? If you ' r e interested in seeing what you can do , send an email through to [email protected] address and Bev can forward you onto the appropriate person running thatitem. 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 thecommittee . Also Brigid is investigating what our members want. I am looking after MEDANZadvertising and working with Liz and a small team on funding - including how to make funding roundswork.

Also.... Have you thought about being an angel at festival? And then again, if you ' r e wanting to teachat festival get your thinking caps on now and think about what you have to offer. What you want toshare as our teachers, or with our teachers?

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 thethings we are looking to implement to make our website useful again. However, the committee can’t produce a greatwebsite 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 justgood 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. Butwe 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 newgallery 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 toget 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 intouch 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 unsubscribefrom) anytime. Exactly what this might be used for will really depend on you. If we get more frequent updates onexciting events around the country, people contributing new material to the website (such as articles or reviews oflibrary 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’vereceived from member but there are options to extend. Extra features can be added to the website at a later stage andwill 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

MEDANZ Website, Cont’d from page 4Members Area:

We’re keeping a members’ area so there will still be a place for us to publish information that isfor 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 festivalready so you can check on the timetable, find out about changes or look up other workshops if you have spare energy evenif 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 somearticles 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 withkeeping 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 makinga real effort to make sure this is easier and that a lot of stuff is taken care of. Howeverwe’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 hereWatch 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

Mahmoud Reda, Cont’d from Page 3

Anyone who has learned choreographies from most of the Egyptian teachers who tour the world these dayshas had at least a little dose of Reda style. I had a fair idea of what to expect and did find numerouscombinations felt familiar , almost cosy – till I tried to do them again and found the dance had dropped outof my head! Reda builds his choreographies from a collection of favourite combinations that he uses overand over, but he also fits them to different time signatures, so they become quite flexible. I did not expectthe 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 feellike being led, backwards of course, in a waltz. He even called some steps as “slowly, slowly, quicklyquickly quickly quickly slowly…”

Although many of the dancers present were very skilled, Reda style involves a great deal more footworkthan most bellydancers are used to – there were some torn toes after the first couple of workshops - andmany participants felt overwhelmed. Ranya hit on the idea of taking group privates at lunchtimes, goingover some of the combinations being used. This was incredibly helpful. His last workshop was first thingin the morning on the last day, so everyone was tired with overstuffed brains, but it was my favouritebecause he began the session by taking us through some of his drills – the same ones he used with the RedaTroupe. This time he was really teaching everyone in the hall, watching our progress and giving usfeedback. 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-hoursession 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 wasvery entertaining and the stories gave such insightinto how the Reda Troupe was formed and came toprominence. It really is like one of those oldHollywood musical movies he loved so much: abunch of middle-class youngsters decide to "put ona show right here". Their research methodologies,though they wouldn't pass ethics inspectiontoday, were inventive. In Siwa, for instance, none ofthem - not even the female dancers - were allowedto get close to the local women. The troupemembers therefore hooked up with a Cairo-trained

schoolteacher there, who convinced the kids in her class to attend wearing their mothers' dresses andjewellery, and to show the visitors how their mothers danced! He no longer has control over the troupethat 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, YasminaRamzy, the IBCC hostess and co-ordinator, told us he was plotting a new dance based on watchingpeople’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 thecreation of the Reda Troupe I began to understand why he had to do that. The troupe was, he says, the firstgroup to present Egyptian men and women dancing together on stage. If the shows had not been kept sweetand safe, the troupe might never have been accepted at all, let alone become such a huge success for somany years. Today we can see his influence in the work of almost all the modern Cairo bellydance stars, intheir more complex footwork and characteristic weight changes, but also in the kinds of folkloric danceswe perform ourselves. Sahra Saeeda (a dance ethnographer as well as a dancer) told us most of thetraditional Egyptian regional dances have been lost completely, and we only recognise hagallah and sa’idias styles, for instance, because of the way the Redafied versions were accepted onstage and recreated byother dance companies. As for authenticity, I think the man himself summed it up when workshopparticipants got into a debate about where one particular dance he was teaching might be from: “Theregion – Egypt. The style – Mahmoud.”

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 ,

MEDANZ Library Lending ConditionsNOTE: This contract MUST be completed, signed and returned!

NO MEMBER SHALL:1. make a tracing, or take any copies or photograph of any book or magazine or catalogue belonging to the Library.

2. 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 LibraryHow will you be paying (please circle):

Cheque Internet Banking CashNational 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: [email protected]

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.) Andremember to include this form and your loan fee with your returned items. Thankyou!

FYI: Our MEDANZ Library is a great resource: go aheadand take out something fascinating on loan!

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.

Maharajan Raqs Aotearoa

Dance Festival AotearoaAuckland 5th, 6th and 7th October 2012

A celebration of Belly Dance and Belly Dancersin 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.

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 enjoythe 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 finestBelly Dance entertainers in a show that brings dancers from around New Zealand in

unique and beautiful collaborations

ShoppingYes! 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/festivalRing, text or email me for a paper information pack Tanya on Ph: 021 27 12 493

email: [email protected] don’t forget to ask about the Troupe Leaders and Teachers special deal!

A’mal (Christchurch) Candice (Auckland)

Doreen (Auckland) Fern (Dunedin)

Kashmir (Christchurch) Moonjelly (Wellington)

Pip E-Lysaah (Wellington/Christchurch) Shakeelah (Auckland)

Tais (Auckland) Tanya (Tauranga)

When are the next

Committee Meetings ?

Saturday 18 Aug (Skype)

Saturday 22 Sept (Skype)

7pm

If you have anything you would like

discussed by the Committee

Email the Secretary

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.

“Spice of Life”Review by Aaminah

aka Amanda Bound of Taranaki

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!

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

[email protected]

021 20 60 333

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 themorning after food and noon and before getting bed.

2. If you have any sorts of balms oreucalyptus oil available, take a pot of hotwater and put like two drops of this oil andif its balm then take a little on your fingerand mix with the hot water. Keep your facea bit up to get the steam coming from thiswater mixture. Inhale it.. Keep a cloth tocover your face including head with the potwill help all the steam to concentrate.

3. Apply this balm or oil middle your both breasts and dip a cottoncloth 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

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

WHAT’S ON?

FOR UP TO DATE LISTINGS CHECK OUT “RAKS NZ - WHAT’S ON” ON FACEBOOK

WHAT’S ON POLICY

1. All MED related events are entitled to an entry in the WHAT’S ON CALENDAR

2. Maximum entry is half a page.

3. Brochures, registrations forms, etc may be included in the newsletter if sufficient copies are supplied in a timely man-ner. Limit of one full A4 sheet per person/event in any one newsletter. Membership numbers available on request.

4. 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

Maharajan Raqs AotearoaDance 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: [email protected], Visit: www.artofmovement.co.nz/festival

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.

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 [email protected]

MEDANZ NEWS

MEDANZ Newsnow available ON LINE

If you would rather receive your edition of

MEDANZ News electronically

Send your email address to [email protected]

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 DETAILSALWAYS 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!”

Aug Sept 2012 MEDANZ Newsletter

Documents

Transcript of Aug Sept 2012 MEDANZ Newsletter