Oasis workshops and dinner at Toucan, Devon

Ingredients:       

Nuggets of knowledge shared i.e. workshops – tick

Great social and community gathering – tick tick

Soiree at The Toucan with yummy food, great live and recorded music and friends galore – tick tick tick

Overnight at Lodfin Farm (big up to Elaine and Jim for their warm hospitality) – bullseye

Total = one sparkling, buzzing, fantabulous, almighty weekend!!

Thanks you Kelley!!

Firewater Core Tribal Training with Kristine Adams

dancing - picture from Philippa Moirai

Pips and I caught a train to London to attend the day of Core Tribal Training with 4 fabulous teachers - Philippa Moirai and Hannah Mi from Firewater, Beth of Urban Yoga Monkey and Kristine Adams of FCBD®.  We met old friends attending the day, and made new friends too.

The day started with an intense yoga workshop (big ouch) by Beth, followed by ATS® basics by Philippa Moirai which Hannah Mi then took and turned these ATS® moves into a fusion choreo (very ingenious)!! .... then it was the turn of the lovely Kristine who gave us a thorough dance, zill and conditioning workout.  The workshops ended with a fabulous eyes closed / chill out / meditation / relaxing time, laying on the floor with our heads all pointing towards the middle, with an wonderful brief head/face/neck massage mmmmmm.  Didn't want to get up.

Kristine & Philippa Moirai - picture from Philippa Moirai

After a late lunch, we returned back to the studio to find the floor had been laid out with a circle of fresh roses edging the dance area, soft lighting, goodies to buy and music.  In turn students and teachers got up to dance to various pieces of ATS® and fusion music, whilst dancers and teachers sat around the circle watching, zilling and cheering.  A great end to a truly fabulous day!!!

Kristine dancing - photo from Philippa Moirai

Abingdon Extravaganza 2014

Ashnah rounded off their 2014 outdoor gigs with a bang!!

We joined forces with Iridescence troupe of Swindon and hit the centre of Abingdon, first to join in the procession around town and then to perform in the Market Place.

We had beautiful weather which drew the crowds out.

There were cute majorettes and tall, manly pipers of the Oxford Caledonian Pips Band, smart cadets, a sweet puppet and even Father Christmas came out to play!  It was smiles all around and after getting changed we took ourselves off to our local Pizza Express where we rested, ate, drank and merrily chatted away the afternoon.  Kay and I stayed on to watch the lights and fireworks display.

It's CHRISTMAS people!!!!!

Here's a couple of video links taken by people:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KNBdKJQ1yU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDNDtc_M2jo

Contents in this post belong exclusively to http://ashnahbellydance.blogspot.co.uk

OMEDS Winter Showcase, Oxford

The Oxford Middle East Dance Society (OMEDS) was hosting its winter bash proudly showcasing both its belly dance groups and ATS® tribal dance students (In-Spires) whom Kay White (ATS® teacher) and I (ATS® assistant) were leading out in their evening performance.  Cat, Jen, and Ariel (who was dancing for the very first time in the UK) were wonderful and rightfully left the stage beaming all over!

l-r Ariel, Cat, Jenny

The evening programme included solos from teachers Gwen Booth and Rasha Nour who later also went on to join Josephine Wise’s Johara Dance Company of which they’re members to perform a snippet from their latest show The Mirror.  Special Guest Star of the night was the lovely and vibrant Zara, this year’s Bellydance Trophies winner who covered cabaret and folkloric before bringing the house down and getting everyone up with hot Shaabi sounds – thank you to all the organising team, we had a fab time.