REPARTEE
2009 – 2011 – 2012 - 2013
'Accept your body and live in it in happiness'
16th September 2013
AUSTRALIA – UK - USA
WARNING:
If you receive an email like the following,
please be aware that it is a SCAM
http://www.scamwatch.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/759748
From: purchase.mfg@gmail.com
[mailto:purchase.mfg@gmail.com] On
>> Behalf Of
Mona Aziza
>> Sent: Monday, 2 September 2013
7:59 PM
>> To: undisclosed-recipients:
>> Subject: Inquiry for Dance
instruction
>> Halo,
>> My name is Ahmed Aziz,A nationality of Jordan but
currently in
>> Liverpool,England for an on going
Project which will last for some
>> time.I believe you are a dance teacher/instructor
reliable with a
>> good
teaching experience.I found your information while
surfing for a
>> dance
instructor within your legion. I would like to book for 2 weeks
>> dance classes in your studio for 3
hours each day Monday to Saturday
>> (morning hours) for
a group of 10 Adults 6 Male and 4 Female. A total
>> of 36
hrs.
>> We want to entertain the guests as
well as family members that would
>> be attending the 50th wedding
anniversary of my parents. we are all
>> in
intermediate level.
>> how ever, we will be starting on the date of 10TH of
OCTOBER till
>> 24TH of OCTOBER 2013 as the
Ceremony will take place on the 25TH
>> OCTOBER.we
the group of dancers would be performing for our expected
>> Gust within your legion where my
parents are living. I would love you
>> to get
back to me with the Grand total cost or a quote/estimate.
What are your charges and payment
options? Do you accept credit cards?
>> I would be grateful if you will be
willing to do the work to teach
>> quality
classes and make us happy. you can reach me on my
Cell: (+)
>> 447-035-966-258
>> Best Regards,
>> Mona Ahmed Aziz
Louise says:
I never really thought I would find this
sort of role model at my age of 59, but there she is!
I hope I can
still be dancing in my 70′s!
I wonder who
the oldest bellydancer in the world would be?
Probably
a great grandmother somewhere around the Mediterrranean
who still steps small and light, and sways in time at family gatherings.
Zaida: Louise
thank you for your very energising comments; I hope many older women will be
encouraged to at least try belly dance as a means of promoting good
health and improved balance and flexibility.
I think the main benefit to myself is that it
prevents me feeling I am old at 76.
Every now and then I think ‘I am
too old to be doing this’ – (whatever ‘this’ happens to be at the time). Makes me take a good, hard look at myself and
assure myself that age is just a number not a sentence.
I
have heard of a dancer in her nineties in the U.S.A. Also, I am a great
grandmother and my oldest great granddaughter is 18 years old.
So
don’t judge yourself by your descendants.
ENJOY your life, because the alternative is oblivion.
STARTING A CLASS FOR OLDER WOMEN
Grand Prairie Texas. I got your email off of aussiebellydance.com. I
notice you have a troupe of older women.
My bellydance instructor Heidi Wunder
(www.wildskystudio.net) and I are trying to get an older women's troupe started
here in Arlington, Texas.
How did you get your's started? What advice could
you offer for getting other older women interested?
____________________
Zaida G’Day, lovely to hear from you,
but I doubt I will be of any help to you.
I
became a teacher by accident. In 1996 a woman teaching at the local
‘posh’ ballet school had taken a few belly dance lessons in London,
U.K. and tried to start a
group here in Mackay, Australia. She soon burnt out
as she was accustomed to teaching kids and adults are a whole different ball
game.
So
I started dancing solo around town (not paid, just anywhere people would sit
still long enough to watch ~cackle~)
Anyhow,
after a few years women started to ask if I taught and I kept saying, NO! NO!
NO!, as I have never liked teaching anybody anything.
Eventually
I weakened and started a group for ‘older women’ and set the time slot during
normal working hours so that my class would attract women who were not occupied
in the commercial world.
Well,
to cut a long story short, tomorrow we celebrate our 10th
Anniversary of the class.
It
has never been a BIG class, so if you are out to make money from teaching belly
dance, I wish you luck, but I have had 180 students through my class, with
approximately 10 ‘on the books’ at any one time. They come and go, leave
town, find other interests and so on. One of my original group is still with me.
We
entertain in the Aged Care Homes and anywhere else we are asked, but never
anywhere sleazy, like pubs, or stag parties.
We
have even been asked to dance at a local Catholic High School where they were
having a ‘Give It A Go Day’ to show the kids that there is more to life than
sitting in front of a computer, and I must say, those young people were lovely.
Next
week we have been asked to dance at a brand new Retirement Village
where a group of Stroke Recovery Patients meet once a month. That will be
interesting.
We
have also been asked to dance at a Senior Citizens’ Expo in August.
So we keep busy, and as I am passionate about belly dance, I am
happy with my small group, who all become friends.
I
doubt any of this will be of use to you, but I am happy you contacted me.
The Internet has opened up the whole world as a place to make new friends.
PUBLIC
LIABILITY INSURANCE
I love your Zaida
site, it is so informative, and I saw the You Tube
clip, you are a lovely dancer.
I live in England
and would like to entertain and instruct residents who can or want to
participate with some bellydancing in homes etc
for free,
do you think I
would need to get public liability insurance to do this ?
How does it
work there.
Thanks for a
great site I visit it often
Zaida Your comments are very, very
welcome. YUM!
I
wish you every success with your bellydance, and with entertaining the
wrinklies.
About
Insurance – I think this would depend on how litigation conscious people are in
your section of the Universe.
I
don’t carry insurance, but I treat my group as a hobby group of like-minded
women and not a formal, commercial venture.
I
charge them $4 per session and ALL the money goes to the owners of the hall –
which is carpeted and air conditioned so it is just perfect.
I
had to chuck out one troublemaker as she just would not accept that I was in
charge and started to create problems when we were dancing in the Aged Care
facilities and I felt that the wrinklies certainly did not want contretemps
brought into their lives and also, that the operators of the Home would chuck
us out.
So
I gave her the heave-ho and she first complained to the owners of the hall I
use for classes, then went to the police then a
private solicitor. They all told her to
go jump.
That
was the only time I felt slightly edgy about not having insurance cover.
Apart
from that, I pointedly tell the girls not to do any move which could cause
physical injury (like neck circles) and also tell them repeatedly,
“If
you feel pain…. Stop!”
So
I feel I have enough witnesses to back me; should someone hurt herself and try
to blame me.
I
have been teaching for almost 10 years and have had no problems other than the
one I have mentioned.
Also,
I ensure the girls do not try to move any of the residents in the Homes. If a wheelchair occupant is in the way, we
ask one of the staff to do the honours.
Good
Luck and my very best wishes to you
PROLAPSE
PROBLEMS
Hi Zaida, I have just found your website and am very
impressed with its scope and simplicity.
I think you might be a good role model for me later. I can see me
encouraging other older women to take up bellydancing
instead of Seniors Exercise classes. I figure that when I get to the nursing
home, I might as well be a teacher as well as a student.
I have been taking bellydance classes for about 12
months now, after doing a few short courses and workshops. I am 56, and feel
that I am at the beginning of an amazing journey. How refreshing it is to hear
about bellydancing from a woman who looks on it as
wonderful fun and exercise for older women. It balances up my 20-something
teacher's 'glitz and drama'. We probably need both.
I have another interest as well. I have pelvic organ
prolapse, which would probably deter many women from bellydancing.
I am a co-moderator of a Community Forum at www.wholewoman.com, which is a
wonderful website devoted to helping women with POP to manage prolapse without
resorting to repair surgery, which certainly has its problems. Christine Kent,
the owner of the site, has a background in dance, and dance is a major part of
the workouts she has designed to help women strengthen their bodies and enable
them to use their bodies better, with the aim of supporting their pelvic organs
more effectively. Changes in posture are the main basis of this work. The
posture that we advocate is very similar to the posture you describe, as is the
breathing. I have been using Wholewoman methods very
successfully for the last five years. I invite you to visit the site and have a
look at what we do.
Bellydancing though, requires me to tuck my butt under slightly,
which is counter to the posture I need to adopt to control my prolapse. Tucking
my butt under creates pressure and fullness sensations in my vulva, which are
evidence of my bladder and uterus falling backwards and downwards. Very unpleasant. I am not about to give up bellydancing, so my teacher is helping me to modify my
bellydance movements, so I can use the posture I need to support my pelvic
organs effectively. So far, so good. One day I hope to
be able to teach bellydancing to women who have
prolapse, knowing that it is possible, and is a wonderful way of affirming
their femininity while they carry injuries that have negative stigma and can
shatter their confidence and enjoyment of being a woman at any age.
Thanks for the inspiration.
Zaida
How nice
to meet you. I would like to point you to this website...
http://www.medtel.com.au/web/product.php?actid=menu_prod_161_128_128_brand
this pelvic floor trainer really works - I
can personally vouch for it.
Whether it works for your problems, I
don’t know, but you could ask.
It is expensive, but if it obviates
surgery....
We entertain at the Homes for Aged Care -
different one each Thursday morning - most of the residents are female and I
have been told that many of the people in Homes are there because of
incontinence; which explains why most of them are female: one of the joys of
childbirth.
I hope you can get your group of older
women activated. Belly Dancing is the best exercise for the whole body
and mind. My husband, Mike has
just had a medical procedure which entailed general anaesthetic and when the
doctor asked him how much exercise he did Mike
replied, 'I belly dance'.
The doctor said approvingly, "Oh
Good" and asked no more questions.
I shall be 73 on 31st July, and there is
no need for you to wait until you are 'older' to start teaching. I only
discovered belly dance when I was 60 so I had to wait until I felt I knew a bit
more than my students before I started learning to teach. You never stop learning, both teaching and
dancing.
Get in there and HAVE FUN!
SELF
CONSCIOUS
HI, I've just found your site after
searching for Belly dancing in Mackay.
I'm presuming because of the very recent
update, that the group is currently operating. I'm hoping so.
I'm nearly 50, not so healthy, but want to be,
very self conscious (protruding belly) and low self esteem.
But I have had a few brief episodes with
Belly Dancing about 5 years ago and LOVED it.
I never did any performances - my self
consciousness and finances both held me back.
Can you tell me where and when beginners classes are on, and of course how much. I have a
very limited income.
I'm hoping very basic costumes or even
just a skirt and top are ok to begin classes with. I can sew but can’t afford
materials at present.
I loved the sessions I did in the past
and really understood the things you said on the web site about attitude and
the wonderful feeling of expressing yourself and the movements being natural
stress relievers.
Looking forward to your reply
Zaida: You
made my day. My Stars said I would meet
a lovely woman....
We are a bunch of women who
just enjoy dancing. I am 73 (well, 31st
July actually - but who's counting?) I have about 20 dancers but luckily they
don't all come at once, usually 14 or so, as the hall is not a big hall, but
air conditioned and carpeted.
9.30 on Monday Mornings - I
am there by 9 a.m. so if you want to come earlier for a bit of one-on-one you
are welcome, otherwise it is a group class and I only give a small bit of
individual attention to anyone I see having problems with a particular move -
don't want to bore the others.
We are all beginners.
You never stop learning.
Everyone moves at her own speed
and the hardest thing for many of them to learn is which is her left or her
right hand... ~cackle~
Loose skirt and top and we
dance barefoot.
Bring your SMILE.
I do this on a voluntary
basis and it is just wonderful to see a woman turn into a DANCER.
We never bare our
bellies. No bra and skirt Hollywood
style.
We all wear covered up
costumes. I feel I don't want anyone to
watch the bellies rather than the dancers.
We dance at 3 of the Nursing
Homes on Thursday mornings, once a month each; but that is an individual choice
and those who don't want to..... don't.
NATIONAL
BRAIN INSTITUTE studies
Hi
Zaida, I have just emailed all my dancing teacher friends, and although we do not
know each other I thought because of the classes you do you may like to hear
this too, please disregard if you have already heard.
The
National Brain Institute has been doing studies for years on the prevention of Dementia, the official result is; Dancing.
Because
of the coordination, memory of steps, socializing, Aerobic activity, happiness
and feeling youthful that dancing brings it is the only prevention known.
So
lets dance and be able to remember our way home.