Stilt Walker Showgirls
https://youtube.com/shorts/6BEFKMMl6u0We loved being very tall showgirls for this amazing party!
Thanks @dustinhallphoto for the great shots and @nasklayme for the fabulous event.
09Nov
09Nov
Luminous LED Shows
WE LOVE LED’S! In case you haven’t noticed…we’re kinda obsessed with all things glowy and magical.
Light-up wings, fans, veils, hula hoops, LED costumes. . . we've got it all! These luminous performances will light up your event and WOW guests of every age.
Here’s a round up of our favourite LED light show acts! ✨
04Dec
Invoicing for Performers
Whether you're a dancer, a circus artist, a musician or even a professional mermaid; as a performer who is an independent contractor, you are required to create and submit your own invoices in order to receive payments from clients. This is an important skill for a self-employed performing artist, and is very easy to do.
If you are booking your own show, when discussing your rates with your client, let them know that you will send an invoice. Companies require this for their accounting department to process the payment, and for their records. This shows professionalism and that you are running a legitimate performing arts business!
Always provide a description of the services you will provide so the client knows what they’re paying for. Use the same language that you did in your quote so the customer can see they will be getting what they expect. For example, "Two 15-minute sets of aerial silks" "One 10 minute fire show with a cast of three, using fire staff and fans, including eating fire" This can also help them see the value in your work for clients who question your performance fees. In this case, you could break out your rehearsal fee, performance fee, travel expenses, admin expenses, cost of supplies, insurance, etc. Alternatively, you could include a note that describes all that your rate includes, for example: "This fee includes rehearsal time, travel expenses, admin expenses, performance fee, and all supplies and equipment".
Your invoices should be to be concise, but include enough detail that your client doesn’t need to come back with questions.
The most important thing is promptness.
Late or missing invoices are a headache for clients and will most certainly result in late payment. Having to remind a contractor to invoice so that THEY can get paid is a hassle, and can make you look disorganized.
Often payments need authorization by higher-ups, so the longer it takes for them to receive your invoice, the more likely it is there will be delays in payment. Also, many companies issue payments periodically in cycles. If you delay invoicing, you may miss a cycle, and then payment will be delayed until the next round.
Many free templates can be found online, that you can customize and save to your computer for future use.
- Quickbooks provides one here: Quickbooks invoice templates: contractor
- We have our own template anyone can customize and use here: Serpentine Performer Invoice Template
Your invoice should include:
- Your name, or the name of your group/company and your contact information: address, email address, phone number
- "Invoice To" : Your client's name and information
- The Invoice number (this is a unique, sequential code that is systematically assigned to your invoices. This is a tool to make sure that your income is properly documented for tax and accounting purposes)
- The event name, and date(s) you provided your services
- A description of your services rendered
- Cost per service, number of services, and total amount. You can also write it as a single rate for the entire event.
- If applicable - for equipment rentals and cost of materials: a description and cost per unit
- The subtotal of all the above
- Tax if applicable (if your business is collecting and remitting HST)
- Total Fees Owing
- Payment methods that you accept
In our case, an address for receiving your E-transfer, or if your invoice is over $1000, please provide your banking information via a void cheque in an email.
Example of an invoice from a self-employed performer:
29Nov
Serpentine Studios in Sydney, NS
Performance at the "All is Bright" Festival
Serpentine Studios will be putting on an LED Light Show featuring dance and circus arts on December 4th and 11th.
City Hall - 320 Esplanade, Sydney, NS
All is Bright in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality again this holiday season.
With an enhanced display, we will welcome visitors to City Hall on December 4, 11, and 18 for evenings of holiday song, dazzling performances, and the spirit of giving.
Gatherings will take place at 6pm and CBRM Recreation is working with CBRM school choirs and community leaders to provide a fun and festive experience.
17Sep
Educational Materials for Bellydance Students
As guests in the tradition of bellydance aka Raqs Sharqi, it is so important to educate ourselves about the cultural context and history of this beautiful dance. For those of us who choose to pursue it more seriously as an advanced student, performer, and especially as teachers, it is KEY to be constantly updating our knowledge and adapting as we learn.
Here are a number of recommended resources for students to delve a little deeper!
Books
A note on these books - sometimes things presented as "historical facts" are actually conjecture and based on cultural assumptions, opinion, and information from a very small pool of sources. Many assumptions about this dance are weakly supported so I recommend taking "facts" with a grain of salt and getting information from multiple sources before jumping to conclusions.
Looking for Little Egypt
by Donna Carlton
This is a very well-written history of the Columbian Exhibition and the Little Egypt legends that abounded after the 1893 Fair. A fascinating read; highly recommended. Looking for Little Egypt is well-researched, a fascinating history, that is eloquently written.
Before They Were Belly Dancers: European Accounts of Female Entertainers in Egypt, 1760-1870
by Kathleen W. Fraser
Focusing on Egypt during the period 1760 to 1870, this book fills in some of the historical blanks for a dance form often known today in the Middle East as raqs sharki. Eyewitness accounts written by European travelers, the major primary source for modern scholars, provide most of the research material. The author shapes these numerous accounts into a coherent whole, providing a picture of Egyptian female entertainers of the period as professionals in the arts, rather than as a group of unnamed ethnic dancers and singers. Analysis is given of the contexts of this dance that was a legitimate performing art form in Egyptian society appreciated by a wide variety of audiences with a focus on actual performances and a re-creation of choreography.
You Asked Aunt Rocky: Answers & Advice About Raqs Sharqi & Raqs Shaabi
by Morocco (C. Varga Dinicu)
Over 50 years of research and experience…No other book contains such an in depth look at what we popularly call ‘bellydance’. Country by country, region by region, Morocco breaks down customs, dances, rhythms and folklore while answering common questions and addressing major misconceptions about the world of Oriental dance. ‘You Asked Aunt Rocky’ is the definitive text book for the study of Raqs Sharqi and Raqs Shaabi. Informative enough for any scholarly study of the subject, yet written for those who love the dance, this great tome is a treasure and an asset to any collection on the arts of North Africa, Asia Minor and the Middle East.
Grandmother's Secrets: The Ancient Rituals and Healing power of Belly Dancing
by Rosina-Fawzia Al-Rawi
Al-Rawi has written a strikingly graceful and original book that blends personal memoir with the history and theory of the dance known in the West as "belly dancing." It is the story of a young Arab girl as she is initiated into womanhood. It is a history of the dance from the earliest times through the days of the Pharaohs, the Roman Empire, to the Arab world of the last three centuries. It is a personal investigation into the effects of the dance's movements on individual parts of the body and the whole psyche. It is a guide to the actual techniques of the dance for those who are inspired to put down the book and move. Al-Rawi conveys in this book not only the history and technique of grieving and mourning dances, pregnancy and birth dances, but the spirit of these age-old rituals, and their possibilities for healing and empowering women today.
For a longer list of more specific recommendations I recommend Shira's Reading List .
Websites & Online Resources
This section is in progress
Shira.net
This incredibly informative website has been a wealth of resources for bellydancers since 1998, and Shira has won multiple awards for her site and her contributions to the community.
Journey Through Egypt - Blog
Teachers from the Cultures of Origin
This section is in progress
There are many highly trained and fabulous instructors of bellydance who are not "of the culture", however it is important to balance our education out and make sure we are also learning from teachers from MENAHT (Middle East, North Africa, Hellanic and Turkish) cultures to benefit from their unique perspective. Some of theses artists travel to teach, some are available for bookings in their home country, and some even teach online!
Dina Taalet
Sema Yildiz
Kharriya Mazin
Esra Warda
Aida Nour
Didem Kinali
George Sawa
Hany Morgan
17Jul
After Dark
Bellydance. Burlesque. Drag. Heels. Circus. Dancehall and more!
We're wrapping up the summer with a fun and sexy show at the Derby Showbar (aka the Marquee, 19 +) featuring some of Halifax's most exciting performers.Hosted by the one and only Rouge Fatale, featuring:
Monique Ryan
Laura Selenzi
Carolin Mateus
Kim Thomas
April Hubbard
Vanessa Furlong
Clare Critchley
Tina Gayle
Cookie Cummingham
Gabrielle Greener
Dol-B on the decks
Tickets are sold by the table (groups of 2-10) so gather your crew and get ready to snag your favourite spot TODAY - tickets are already selling fast!
29Jun
Sensuality and Movement Workshop
We are so excited to announce a new workshop that has been in the works for some time!
Join Laura Selenzi (Bellydance instructor and Registered Massage Therapist), and Serena Haines (Sex and Intimacy Coach) for an evening of sensual movement. We will learn movements and techniques to get in touch with our sensual side, and discuss what it means to authentically embody our sensuality. Expect a fun but meaningful evening in a comfortable and supportive environment.
When: Friday July 16 2021, 7-9 PM
Location: Synergy Physiopilates, 2742 Robie St, Halifax NS
Cost: $50.00
Due to Covid-19 restrictions this workshop is limited to 8 participants.
If we sell out we will create a waiting list for a second workshop, so please let us know if you'd like to be on the list!
24May
Join us for a live stream of our show “Night Garden”!
Join us Friday May 28th at 8pm AST for a live stream of our 2019 production “Night Garden”.
Donations will help our small business and the artists involved in this show afloat during the pandemic, we so appreciate your continuing support at this time! We are very proud of the work we created together for this show and are excited to share it with you again.
A collaboration of Laura Selenzi, Monique Ryan, Nawal Doucette, Tina Afsana and Sacha Begg; Night Garden explores the lifecycle of the botanical world from seed through growth, full bloom, death, and rebirth.
We aim to inspire the audience to reconnect with nature; exploring the notion of ritual and life’s impermanence. All this specifically from a women’s point of view; the female experience through the journey of life.
We believe that it is time for bellydance to gain recognition and respect for the beautiful, skilled, empowering and evolving art form that it is today. This project has been created by professional dance artists, collaborating as a group for the first time to create an ambitious and creatively challenging body of work.
23Apr
In-Studio Classes Postponed
Hello lovely students!
As you may have heard, dance studios have to close for the next 2-4 weeks. We are hoping the restrictions will be lifted sooner, but we'll have to wait and see. We've decided to postpone classes for 2 weeks and then re-assess whether everyone would prefer moving forward with online classes, or to postpone the term and return to in-person when we're able to. Please let us know your thoughts on this!
We're definitely bummed that we won't be able to be together for a while, but we hope you still dance at home and if you need any help or motivation feel free to reach out via the Facebook Community Group, our instagram "serpentinestudios", or via email if you prefer. Reminder that the first couple classes are online so you can review those at your leisure. :)
And if you're interested in trying something else, don't forget that we now have an online All-Access Pass available for $50/month! You can jump around as much as you like with the pass, try one of everything if you like! ;)
We hope you all stay safe and take care of yourselves. This has been a rough week but we can't wait to dance/workout with you all again.
Love,
Laura, Monique, and Clare
11Mar
Classes Start April 5th 2021
|
Feel ALIVE again! The sun is starting to come out and it's time to bring movement, joy, and sensuality back into yo