Happy Holidays! What's up 2014

Wishing you all a lovely holiday week and all the best for the coming year!

In 2014 there will be some fun new Events coming up, check out our Schedule page for details and links!

First up will be Training Day on 19th of January (only a few spots left! Enrollment linky here)

Furthermore I have been brainstorming with miss Queenie about our 4-Day Dance Intensive in July, for which enrollments are now open via QooKay.be/intensive. Max 20 participants!

www.qookay.be/intensive

Uhh, what else is up? At the moment I am working on a special duet with Mr Obelixx of Portugal for Yamila's International BD Festival in Heerlen 15 March 2014, where I will also be teaching a Workshop.

I'm super honored to be able work with this amazing dancer and teacher, and am very much looking forward to our first (fusion) performance together! 

Ch-check out some of his work :)

Season's Greetings from Mr Chuck Norris!

Too epic not to share :) Happy Holidays!

Meta blog post

Some reading tips for the weekend :)
 

New addition: Stay warm in the winter!
http://balletshoesandbobbypins.com/dancing-in-a-winter-wonderland/

Just received this blog post on learning by Queenie of Belgium. A must read! http://bellyqueenie.wordpress.com/2013/11/30/thoughts-on-learning/

Breathing exercises for dancers:
http://dance.answers.com/techniques/breathing-exercises-for-dancers 

Recalibration! Tips to get out of a rut:
http://lifehacker.com/5891564/recalibrate-your-reality

7 Ways to boost your creativity:
http://www.newsweek.com/forget-brainstorming-74223

And easy fixes for 5 common posture problems:
http://www.builtlean.com/2011/11/28/posture-problems/

And, just for fun, some motivational words paired with an epic display of discipline by co-Belgian Mr Jean Claude Van Damme :)

Enjoy! xxx K.

Give the gift of Dance! :)

New new new!

Gift coupons for workshops, private classes, online coaching, masterclasses and/or DVDs with Khalida :)

Gift vouchers for you!

Personalized gift vouchers can now be ordered by email or via FB.

Happy Holidays! xxx K.

Photoshoot Dance4Children in Brussels

This October I've had the honor to be part of 'Shoot4Children' in Brussels, a charity photo shoot project in collaboration with Belgian photographer Philippe Rikir and makeup artist Kobie Fossey hosted by Dance4Children, a non-profit organization founded by 4 lovely Belgian dancers: Alice, Coralie, Lorenzina and Louise.

Dance4Children

Profits of the two photo shoot days fully went to NGO Sunshine revelation, working on the refurbishment of an orphanage in Libreville.

It was lovely to be part of this project, the shoot itself was held at 2 different locations, the second one was Salle Dublin in Brussels, BE The atmosphere of the day was very relaxed yet super organized, and the results of the shoots were stunning.

Check out a sneak preview at the complete Dance4Children FB Album here. (more to be added soon!) And our new website gallery.

Fan veil action!

A lounge :)

Portrait

A huge thank you to Coralie, Alice, Lorenzina and Louise, and to Philippe and Kobie for this amazing project. <3

ETA: Dance4Children is currently supporting the organization Chameleon which is working to assist victims of typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines, check out the details at Dance4Children's FB page if you'd like to help!

Bozenka's Mediterranean Dance Lab

Hello there,

I've been trying on and off for the past few weeks to write up a comprehensive blog post about my experiences at Bozenka's Mediterranean Dance lab in Crete this September.

Labbers on the rocks! To be 'shopped in: Katrina, Hayat and the Mr-s

Yet.. Every time I start to write, I get overwhelmed. There are so many memories and impressions swirling around in my mind that I feel a bit lost whenever I think back. And then I start to write other blog posts instead..

Anyhow, here goes :) I've been to quite a number of events in the past, intensives as well as festivals, but this Dance Lab was still a different kind of experience for me.

Labbers on a boat!

First of all - I loved it. I was lucky enough to have studied with Bozenka before a couple of times over the years, and I decided to sign up for the intensive after hosting her here at our studio last February. In fact, my husband (the mythical Mr E! :)) was the one who suggested I should 'study more with miss B' after I told him how inspiring her workshops and talking sessions have always been to me. 

So.. we agreed to combine our holiday time with Dance Lab this year, making use of the 'non-dancer package for partners' for Mr E.

What it turned out to be can only be described as an extreme Bo-dance-cation-tensive. Dance Lab is held twice a year (September and May) in Plakiás, Crete one of the most beautiful places in Greece, as you will see in the pictures.

Our morning view @ Plakiás

We were greeted with much love (and a hot meal!) by Bozenka and Mr. W after traveling in late on the first day and got to meet the other 'Labbers' the next morning.

The program contained several dance days and two 'break days', on which we got to explore the island by land and by sea.

Beach trip!

The dance days consisted of a daily warmup (including 2 lovely guest classes - yoga by Hayat and conditioning/yoga/drills by Jennifer!) plus a mix of technique, traveling combinations with and without veil, zills, musicality, follow-along, improvisation, group excercises and choreography, but also time for personal feedback and working on our own solos. Plus - something that made this dance lab a true 'Dance Lab' to me - there was time for collaboration for group numbers, duos/trios, supporting dances and/or helping each other out with our solos. Pwew!

Miss Hayat and miss Jennifer <3

All of the work of the lab week culminated into a show on Saturday evening, showcasing the diversity of dances from the middle east and Greece.

Getting ready to rumble!

The break days were great fun, this edition they included a boat tour, a free day and a jeep safari, which gave us the opportunity to get to know the area (and each other!) better and to relax our bodies and minds a bit in between the hard (dance) work days.

Next to that there were 2 (optional) photo shoots with Mr W, a morning and an evening session, of which you can see a sneak preview here:

Cristina, Katrina, Hayat, Leona, Cheryl, Leila/Hiromi and me :)

The days were intense, diverse and quite long, as one would expect and wish from an intensive. The only thing I wish I had done differently in hindsight for myself is taking a bit more time to stretch on my own after the dance classes, as I was feeling a bit 'worn out' by the last couple of days. So, dear blog readers :) Stretch your muscles daily! It is good for you.

That being said.. still found time to plank.

Planking on the rocks with miss Hayat!

What will stay with me most (next to the sweating, laughter, happy tears, inspiration, joy, beautiful dancing, gorgeous environment and amazing food!) was the warmth, generosity and dedication of our hosts and the participants I was lucky enough to share this dance lab with.

I know it sounds like a bit much (even for me ;)) but both E and I really felt like we were leaving family by the time we headed home.

Tired but very happy dancers - Last day at Lab!

A good 2 months later I am still processing all the impressions and feeling inspired to work hard and 'dance from the heart'.

To all of you considering/thinking of attending one of Bozenka's future Dance Lab editions: DO IT! And then tell me all about it :) 

To conclude.. A big shout-out (and a hug) goes out to miss Bozenka and Mr W, much gratitude to you both for making this dance retreat such a wonderful experience, and much much love to co-labbers Hayat, 'Leiomi', Aude, Nathalie, Katrina, Cristina, Rosanna, Leona, Cheryl, Jennifer, Samarah and Paul :) I (and Mr E) still miss you all, so honored to have spent this time with you!

A Grecian Rose :)

Awesome Articles roundup

Hi there :)

A full report of Bozenka's Mediterranean Dance Lab is (still) in the works, so today I'll share with you my favorite dance/art related articles of the week.

Just teasing - report coming soon!

Feel free to share the love if you enjoy these articles as much as I did!

• Thoughts on musicality by Asharah - Thanks to miss Queenie for sharing!
• Thoughts on staying healthy this winter, also by Asharah - Toasty tips for those in the Northern hemisphere - Winter is coming!
• Eman Zaki by Princess Farhana - An extensive article about Mme Eman Zaki <3
• All about business by Stephanie St Claire - 11 Excellent tips for entrepreneurs, dance or otherwise!
• One more time by Balletshoesandbobbypins - Great general technique reminders. 
• Be a smart dancer! - Be it. :)

And.. for something balletic, a video shared this week by miss Constanze, my ballet teacher, who kindly requested we dance only like this from now on in our weekly classes.

Watch it and weep ;)

A class demo of the Vaganova Ballet Academy

Also, due to some technical difficulties, the Khalida dance website has been re-updated last Thursday, as you can see here.

www.khalidashop.com

In addition to that we've redesigned the Khalidashop page as well to match the new layout *cracks knuckles*. To celebrate this, as well as the upcoming holiday season, there will be a holiday sale of 15% on all DVDs starting TODAY via the shop.

Place your order now to automatically receive the discount.

Happy shopping!

MC Madness and Video love

I am feeling deeply thankful and inspired today, the MC in Würselen yesterday was pure magic (with magical pants! :)) A huge thank you goes out to all brave participants, and a special shout-out to our beautiful solo dancers Nephélé, Marlène and Sonja.

The topics of this edition included working from the core, integrating arm and hand movements, working with lines and expression, improvisations tips and 'singing with your hips'. I am very curious to see what the next MC will bring! A new Masterclass is planned for Friday, 7th of March, go to the MC page for details and enrollment if you'd like to join us next edition.
  

The Magical Crazy pants, gifted to me by miss Bozenka herself at Mediterranean Dance Lab, who had been gifted them by miss Shakira (!) at one of her tours. As some of you might know, my dance adventures started in the early nineties by seeing 'that' video, for which Bozenka had taught Shakira her bd-inspired moves :) Ten years later, here we are. My extreme dance legacy pants. <3

As promised, here are the inspirational videos that were mentioned during the MC

Illan Rivière of France

Check his website here

Fifi's 'Baladi awad' <3
Enough said :)

Ranya Renées 'Tahtil Shibbak'

Check her (highly recommended!) Baladi instructional DVD here

Ranya's Baladi DVD

And last but definitely not least: The beautiful Shereen

Shereen of Czech Republic's Baladi

Hope you'll Enjoy!
xxx K.

ETA: The next Masterclass is planned for Friday, 7th of March 2014. Hope to see you there, too!

Also

Check out this awesome and hilarious DVD review by blogger Ramona (aka OccidentalDancer) of Jillian Michaels' famous (or infamous! Especially if you are a BOOTCAMPee :)) 30-day workout DVDs 'Jillian Michaels 30-day shred' and 'ripped in 30'.

It's all true.

http://www.occidentaldancer.com/2013/10/the-occidental-dancer-14-dvds-in-30.html

Enjoy the read. Made my day!

Back :)

Hello again :) The past few months have really flown by (how is it October already?) so as you can see this blog is due an update or two.

I will be posting some musings and pictures from the past few weeks in the coming days, including piccies from the 'Magie de l'orient' Festival in Luxembourg and my dance adventures at Bozenka's Mediterranean Dance Lab in Crete this September, an amazing experience on so many levels.

Check out a sneak preview of the pictures here on FB.

Labbies on a rock

Also, I am happy to report I've survived my second ballet recital :) Will post piccies (and/or video) as soon as I receive the footage. Thank you miss Constanze!

In the mean time.. What are you reading? I've rediscovered a copy of 'Psychology of dance' and am loving it, right now I'm at the chapter about concentration, in dance practice, rehearsal and performance. A real challenge in these times of online entertainment, I tell you.

My current dance read

Ps: We've updated the Khalida Webpage as well :) Ch-ch-check it out!

Free DVD shipping until end of August!

Good news!

As August will be the anniversary month of my instructional belly dance DVD set we'll be offering FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING on all DVD orders via www.khalidashop.com until August 31st, 2013.

Woowoo :)
Happy shopping!

Back from the UK!

I had a fabulous time in south London last weekend, hosted by the lovely Chloe Dent of UK for performing and teaching a full weekend with my favorite road-trip partner, miss Queenie of Belgium.
 

K, C and Q

Traveling to the UK is always fun, and slightly adventurous. This time it involved driving/co-driving through 5 different countries (DE-NL-BE-FR-UK) in 6 hours, with a bit of relaxed EuroTunnel chillout time in between.

EuroTunnel FTW!

We performed on Friday at a fun glitzy restaurant night at Mekan in Catford (highly recommended! good food, super friendly staff) to kick off the weekend.

And there we were on Saturday morning.. Ready to teach, in the land of Oz :)

The Yellow Brick Road.

Saturday was Queenie day, with 3 workshops in total (drills/technique, fancy footwork and a fun drum solo) and Sunday was Khalida day, following the same concept (technique, combinations and an oriental choreo)

Post-workshop group pictures:

Q day survived! - Barely

K day - Groaarr!

On Saturday Chloe took us out to visit the Old Royal Naval College, a set to many blockbuster films and TV dramas, at Greenwich - Where Time Begins(!) which warmed my geeky heart.

The Old Royal Naval College, home of Many Fabulous Things

Good Times (har!) @ Greenwich

Dramatic view of the Thames

The Cutty Sark - Thanks C! ;)

Walking on Thames Water

All in all it was a fantastic (and super warm! in every sense) weekend. A big thank you to Chloe for making it all possible and for taking such good care of us, and a big big thank you to all participants for their joy, hard work and boundless enthusiasm throughout the weekend :)

It was HOT! Banana proof.

Also: I now have officially walked on 2 different set locations of Pirates of the Caribbean this year - (Royal Naval College and Kauai) Johnny Depp-stalking by proxy :)

Oh, hai!

Also, side note. Apparently it was Hastings Pirate Day on Sunday! HA!

Not only that, they broke the Guiness world record, with no less than 14,321 pirates. ARR! Check out some pretty spectacular picture albums here.

On to the next adventure(s)!

In the mean time, hope to see you around at one of our future Events:

Summer Love Specials, 1-8-15 Aug 2013

Khalida Training Day, 11 Aug 2013

Razia Masterclass!, 16 Aug 2013

xxx K.

Khalida Dance
Bellydancer of the World 2007
www.khalidadance.com
www.khalidashop.com

August - Dance time at Studio Sarossy! New video DBC Hafla

Hard to believe it's already halfway July!

UPDATE: Videoclip of the DBC Hafla performance now online - Ch-ch-check it out!

Next month will be a very special one, as we have 5 Special Summer Dance Days at our Studio Sarossy in Würselen. DE! See details at our Events page

Places are limited for each of our August 2013 events, so be sure to enroll using the links below:

• Thu Aug 1st - Summer Love Special Workshops with Hanaa of BE
• Thu Aug 8th - Summer Love Special Workshops with Fédra of BE
• Sun Aug 11th - Training Day III with Khalida - a full day of dance!
• Thu Aug 15th - Summer Love Special Workshops with Razia Star of UK/USA
• Fri Aug 16th - Exclusive Masterclass with Razia Star of UK/USA

Hope to see you there, too!

DreamBootcamp is here!

Queenie of BE and I are super duper excited, as this Sunday (Eee!) we will be picking up our star teachers Aziza (USA/CA) and Issam Houshan from the airport for the long-awaited DreamBootcamp weeklong and Bonus Workshops July 1-7 in Aalst, BE!



As QooKay Productions, we are super happy and grateful for the enthusiastic participants who will be joining us from near and far. On Saturday 6th of July there will be a spectacular Hafla/Show in Aalst, BE with performances by our main stars and DBC participants.

If you'd like to join us: Last-minute tickets can be ordered via www.dreambootcamp.be/hafla. Hope to see you there, too!

xx K.