The Latest News and Events

02 Aug 2014 Leave a comment

by Erica in Belly dance, Class news, Events, Performance Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Queerfest will benefit the Pride Collective Community Center

Queerfest will benefit the Pride Collective Community Center

Hello lovely people! There is so much going on! First and foremost please check out Queerfest this weekend at the Aquarium at 9:30pm. Bad Weather Burlesque will have a bunch of guest performers as well as the wonderful regular cast to entertain you. We’re raising funds for the Pride Collective Community Center.

Pride Weekend is coming up so check out the drag extravaganza that is the Vixen Variety/BJ’s Cabaret/FM Entertainers showcase at the Garage Bar in Moorhead on Friday, August 15 at 9pm!

Bad Weather Burlesque will also be marching in the Pride parade on Sunday, August 17 at 2pm, Downtown Fargo. Come out and say hi!

My new class session starts Saturday, Sept. 6 at 10am at the Spirit Room in Fargo. Looking forward to seeing everyone after summer break!

Check out our friends up north when the Lovely Dozen hosts a series of workshops with Amy Danielson. There will be a fantastic show that Saturday night, so if you can’t make the workshops you can catch some great shimmying!

And there you have it! Stay tuned for more updates!

World Bellydance Day

13 May 2014 Leave a comment

by Erica in Belly dance, Events, Performance Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Wow, did we have a blast last weekend! First we had a little hafla on Friday night (OK, I was late but I still caught some good stuff).

Improv drumming with Gaia, Lauren Boldt, Natasha, Kelly and Amanda

Improv drumming with Gaia, Lauren Boldt, Natasha, Kelly and Amanda

On Saturday morning we did body conditioning for bellydancers with Lauren Boldt – it was hard, but fun!

Then Shimmy Mob at the Grand Cities Mall!

Then after lunch back to work as we practiced drumming and dancing during the “Insane in the Membrane” workshop. I pooped out after a while because I was not feeling well. But the rest of the class were real troopers.

Drumming and Dancing!

Drumming and Dancing!

And finally in the evening we performed at the UND Burtness Theatre – so many super talented ladies!

Kismet!

Kismet!

And after we all went out to eat I collapsed because my head cold finally got to me. But, as quick as the weekend went it was a great time! Special thanks to Lauren Boldt, who is a fabulous dancer and teacher, and just a delightful person; Natasha and the Lovely Dozen for hosting and doing most of the heavy lifting (especially Natasha for her Shimmy Mob organizational help!); my Kismet ladies who get me through each week; and everyone who participated in the show and contributed to CVIC. Love you all!

The Latest Bellydance News!

23 Mar 2014 Leave a comment

by Erica in Belly dance, Class news, Events Tags: , ,

Greetings everyone! We’ve got lots of stuff coming up:

Winter session is almost over but summer is so far away! I’m going to have four single-subject classes in April to round out the season:

  • April 5: Intro to veil work – I will show some basic moves and we’ll learn a short drill/choreography. Veils will be provided if you do not have your own, but there will be a limited number.
  • April 12: Shimmy intensive – We will learn different types of shimmies.
  • April 19: Music and Rhythm – basic overview of common Middle Eastern rhythms as well as popular dance music. Bring your zills if you have some. (Yes, I am aware this is Easter weekend).
  • April 26: Regional Dance Styles and Costuming – brief overview of the differences in styles of bellydance and the costuming that is commonly worn with it. I will bring samples from my own collection.

Shimmy Mob registration closes for adults in the USA on April 4. Better hurry up and register! More info here. Please consider donating to our chosen charity, CVIC Inc through our GoFundMe link.

Bad Weather Burlesque will be holding a “Burlesque 101” workshop at the Red Raven at 7pm April 7 and also April 28. We will be covering such crossover topics as posture, stage presence, makeup and glitter. This is free and open to the public, although if you want to donate a couple of bucks we wouldn’t turn you down. šŸ˜‰

Hope to see you soon!

Upcoming Events in the Fargo-Moorhead Area – get off your butt!

17 Apr 2013 Leave a comment

by Erica in Belly dance, Events, Performance Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Le Belle de Trois

Le Belle de Trois

Hey everyone! Spring (LOL! Whatevs) is upon us and there is so much happening. I thought I’d keep you all in the loop. Make sure to check out my calendar page too.

Friday, April 19:

Vixen Variety Shows at Big D’s with 24/7 – If VV is there it’s totally worth it, right?

Saturday, April 20:

Edge Life Holistic Expo, Fargo Civic Center, both Saturday and Sunday

Blue Elephant Bazaar at the Spirit Room. Sale starts at 2pm, followed by a performance, meal, and book launch. This is an all-day celebration.

Superhappyfuntime returns to FM. Legacy Ballroom, 9pm

Saturday, April 27:

Le Belle de Trois at The Winery: 3 course meal and 3 course entertainment featuring Enchanting Erica, Ladyking Cole, The Alabaster Disaster, and Jarica Jordan.

Friday, May 3-Sunday, May 5:

CoreCon – fan convention extraordinaire at the Days Inn Moorhead. Visit the KEEP for Kaiju goodness and an in-depth look at nudist films, and see the Mistryl Shimmy Guard debut at the Death Star Visitors’ Lounge. There will be other stuff too. šŸ˜‰

Saturday, May 4:

Vixen Variety Shows at the Legacy Ballroom, 10pm

Tuesday, May 7:

Chippendales at the Garage Bar, Moorhead, 8pm

Saturday, May 11:

World Bellydance Day Stage Show, Firehall Theater 415 2nd Ave N, Grand Forks, ND, 8pm

Friday, May 31:

Naughty Novice Night with Bad Weather Burlesque – check out the new talent and vote for the best Burlesque! More info TBA.

Obviously as the F-M area is pretty happenin’ there is much, much more going on, but this list is the best of the best. I’m not at all biased, really. šŸ˜‰

This Month in Bellydance – March!

11 Mar 2013 Leave a comment

by Erica in Belly dance, Class news, Events Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Vixen Variety Shows

Vixen Variety Shows

February was a crazy month, and March shows no signs of slowing down.Ā Vixen Variety Shows will be putting on a spectacular at Big D’s in Fargo Wednesday, March 13 at 10pm. We’ve just recruited some great hula hoopers and a fire eater in addition to drag, burlesque and of course bellydance, so don’t miss it!

The stars have finally aligned and I will be able to attend Cassandra Shore’s weeklong bellydance intensive. I’m so excited I can hardly stand it! I’ve been wanting to do this for about 10 years. I just got an update today on what we will be doing: two choreographies, a class performance, two professional performances, stage makeup, the works! Gonna be great!

And we’ll be at the Winery again for our monthly show on March 30, this time the theme is “spring.” Chef John could pull anything out of his masterful hat. Whatever it is you won’t want to miss it. Nom!

We’re going to be wrapping up our current class session on March 30 (no class March 23 due to the workshop), and starting a 4-week shimmy intensive to round out the season. That will be April 6-27. After that no regular class until after Labor Day. But we will still have haflas and other events. Check back here for updates.

Looking further out on the calendar, don’t forget CoreCon is May 3-5, where I will co-host The KEEP, which is possibly the best con suite there (totally unbiased opinion), and the Mistryl Shimmy Guard (best bellydance troupe at CoreCon, also unbiased) will be making their debut at the Death Star Visitor’s Lounge.

AND of course May 11 is World Bellydance Day. The Lovely Dozen are hosting a weekend-long workshop with Saroya of Atlanta, as well as the Shimmy Mob! This is going to be a BLAST! If you are interested in the shimmy mob I suggest you register right away so you can come to grips with the choreography. Click the links for more info.

I’m tuckered out just typing about all of this stuff. Hope you can join us!

Fun Times With Friends!

28 Oct 2012 Leave a comment

by Erica in Belly dance, Class news, Events, Performance Tags: , , , , ,

Improv to live drums!

We had a super Saturday! Class field trip with Karen, Cheryl, Mikayla and Bonnie to Gaia Sophia’s ATS workshop with 12 Houses Bellydance in Grand Forks. Loved it! Gaia Sophia is a great teacher and all around super lady, so if you have a chance to go to one of her workshops do it! In the evening there was a hafla and live drumming at the end. The Lovely Dozen were performing acts from their Halloween show, so I ultimately decided not to worry about the red eye too much – it adds to the atmosphere. Here are some highlights.

Gaia Sophia – check out that sweet costume!

Jennifer’s awesome solo

Amanda is a dangerous beauty!

Natasha is possibly the best zombie belly dancer ever

Love Sharon’s costume and moves!

Jenna has perfect balance, poise and grace with a hookah on her head

Yours truly ā¤

Rockin’ out for the big finale

Bernie, Natasha and Gaia Sophia jammin’

The one thing I am constantly amazed by is the generous and supportive nature of the dance community. I am so grateful to know you all!

Special Thanks to:

  • Mikayla for taking many of these pictures for me!
  • Bonnie for having a veil in her car that just happened to match my outfit – you are officially hard core just for carrying that around with you!
  • Gaia Sophia for putting on some great workshops and performances!
  • Lisa and 12 Houses for hosting the hafla!
  • The Lovely Dozen for making this thing happen!

I apologize if I missed any thanks or if I was not able to get a picture of some of the dancers. You were all wonderful and I look forward to seeing you again!

May 12 is World Bellydance Day!

11 May 2012 Leave a comment

by Erica in Belly dance, Events Tags: , ,

A great excuse to come to class! More info here, or just Google to find out what is going on in your area. Tonight the Lovely Dozen is performing in Grand Forks, and Liquid Hip Therapy has a Hafla and Bazaar in Sioux Falls. Next year we need and event, Fargo!