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w w w . o a kv ill eb ea ve r.c o m O A KV IL LE B EA V ER W e dn es da y, D ec em be r 1 5, 2 01 0 2 4 Artscene By Dominik Kurek OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Oakvilles Joharah Kolishenco can attest to the significance of cultural influence on the instruc- tion of an art. So when she was invited to teach belly dance at the Nile Group Festival last month in Cairo, Egypt she brought along about 20 stu- dents from her BellyUp belly dance studio in Oakville. For my students to be able to go there, experience the culture, but also train under master Egyptian teachers, I knew was really going to change they way they saw the dance, she said. They were really going to under- stand where it came from and all it was about when they experience it in the place where it came from. The mainly Oriental dance (belly dance) festival, featuring workshops put on by instructors such as Kolishenco, took place in downtown Cairo over a seven-day period ending Saturday, Nov. 26. Kolishenco, though she had studied under Egyptian masters, had never taught abroad or even visited Egypt so when she got the opportunity to go, she jumped at the chance. Along with her came some 20 of her students, who range in experience from newcom- ers to advanced dancers. I thought what a great oppor- tunity to bring my students along, to be able to experience that as well, she said. Kolishenco was tasked with putting on one three-hour long workshop at the festival. The aim of her workshop was to teach a six- and-a-half minute modern Oriental dance choreography, but she worried that the workshop would not be long enough. However, she need not have worried as the dancers picked up her moves and enjoyed the fast music she had selected and accom- plished the feat. It was a challenging oriental choreography. It was a lot of fun. It was interesting teaching them because theyre such fast learners. She said her students came from all over the world including Russia, Ukraine, Greece, India, Korea, China, Japan, and only a few spoke English. The teaching method was basi- cally through look at what Im doing and correcting movements, Kolishenco said. She said it wasnt tough for her to teach with minimal words because when she studied under Egyptians instructors, who didnt speak fluent English, thats how she learned the skill. Being the only Canadian instructor at the festival, Kolishenco said she was able to bring a different perspective to attendees. Belly dance is all about person- al expression, she said. Theres a huge amount of emotion and free- ing yourself and letting yourself get into the dance. The way I move, even though the steps and the vocabulary of the dance move- ment is consistent from dancer to dancer, the way that I manipulate movement is going to be com- pletely different from (someone else). Kolishenco said a dance move- ment is a reflection of the teacher and she was able to bring her own style and flair to the festival. Though teaching was the high- light of her trip, Kolishenco said there were many other portions of the trip that excited her. Over the duration of the festival there were about three three-hour workshops each day that people could attend, put on by some belly dance masters. To be able to see my students there dancing and having their pictures taken with these huge great stars. That was really reward- ing for me, she said. The festival is organized by belly dance great Aida Nour, under whom Kolishenco had studied before. On the opening night of the festival Kolishenco got to sit at a VIP table with many belly dance masters and got to attend work- shops put on by some of them. One of them was Mahmoud Reda. Mahmoud Reda is considered the grandfather of Oriental dance in Egypt, she said. He is the king of choreography. Hes actually rec- ognized by the Egyptian govern- ment and funded by the Egyptian government to bring Oriental dance to the stage. Belly dance instructor teaches at Egypt festival ENJOYING THE SIGHTS: Oakvilles BellyUp owner and dance instructor Joharah Kolishenco (centre) and two of her students Veronica Stoneman (left) and Clara Um enjoy the sight of Cairo, Egypt. Kolishenco held a belly dance work- shop at the Nile Group Festival last month and brought about 20 of her students from Oakville. SUBMITTED PHOTO Christmas just isnt Christmas without George Frideric Handels Messiah. At least thats according to the Oakville Ensemble, which will be performing the Baroque Era mas- terpiece again this holiday season. The repeat performance is a result of the immense popularity of the ensembles concert from a year ago that featured the same orato- rio. The concert will take place on Saturday, Dec. 18 at St. Johns United Church, located at 262 Randall St. It starts at 7:30 p.m. The concert will feature sopra- nos Catherine Arcand and Cher Farrell, alto Erika Bailey, tenor Michael Taylor and bass Bob Knight along with the professional choir and orchestra. Advanced tickets are $25 (regu- lar), $15 (senior & student) or $50 (family). At the door tickets are $35 (regular), $25 (senior), $15 (stu- dent) or $70 (family). For tickets and more information, visit www.oakville-ensemble.ca. Messiah performance returns this Christmas season with ensemble See Oakville page 25