BellyUp Presents the

Student's Choice Awards

Thursday, April 8th at 8:00pm.

All ticket sales will go to the Oakville Humane's Society. For every student that registers to perform, BellyUp will donate an additional $5 per performer to the Oakville Humane's Society.

Location: BellyUpBellyDance Studio

About the Awards

We're excited to present the first ever BellyUp Student's Choice Awards night. This will be an exciting night where students create and  perform their very own choreography and their fellow students will choose the 1st, 2nd & 3rd place winners who'll receive some fun prizes. Every participant is an absolute winner in our books for participating and students of all levels are invited to take part in the show. We encourage level 1 through Level 3 students in particular to take the plunge and go for this fun performance experience. Please don't think of it as a competition, think of it as an opportunity to achieve a new goal, shed some of those inhibitions, gain confidence and have a great time!  We want to encouarge all levels to experience the fun and joy of performing bellydance for their supportive peers, friends and family members.

Who should participate?

The Student's Choice Awards  is perfect for you if you've been yearning to perform. Or if you want to set a big goal for 2010 and achieve something that will be very rewarding and gratifying for you. Or if you're trying to overcome your fear of an audience - this will help do it! Or if you're trying to overcome shyness and want to try something bold and gain confidence. Or if you just love being in the spotlight and love any opportunity to get out there and strut your stuff...this is for you!

What style can I dance?

You  have the opportunity to dance your style, to music you choose, and very importantly  let your own personality shine through. You can use moves and combinations you've learned in class or ones you've created all on your own. What students will be asked to look for a certain special something that connects you to the audience and delights the audience with your performance. You can dance for example Raks Sharki, Folklore, Raks Assaya aka Cane, Modern Bellydance, Tribal Fusion or ATS. If you want to use props by all means. Go for it!

Can I dance with a group?

The competition is open to soloists and there is also a category for duets where one duet award will be given. There will be 1st, 2nd & 3rd runner up prizes for soloists.

I've never choreographed before, how do I do it?

First of all choose a song that really resonates with you. Then take some time to just let yourself dance to it as you feel the music moving you. You'll start to feel some patterns of movement develop. To choreograph, listen to the music sitting down as well and start to break the song into beginning, middle and finale sections. Remember how you're taught to count the beat in class. Apply this same methodology so you know how many counts are in each section. Then create a series of combinations that you feel best describes the music. Remember dancing is about expressing and communicating the music visually. Just repeating a bunch of combinations you've learned in class may not fit the music you've chosen so you need to really thing about how the music makes your body feel. Put your mind in the back seat, and let your body feel the music. Think about creative costuming, use of props if applicable, how to enter (on stage or off stage), some surprises for your audience (keep it tasteful) and a finale. Get your choreograhy down with time enough to practice until you know it really well and you're not concerned about your feet, so you can allow yourself to think about what your arms, hands and emotional expression will be. Then relax, keep breathing and perform for your peers at the show and have a great time!

How long does my routine have to be?

When selecting your music, you want to look for something between 3 and 4 minutes in length. No longer! And you'll need to email Joharah your music by February 5th or provide it on CD so it can be put on a playlist for the competition night. Importantly select a piece of music that moves you and that you really enjoy dancing to. If it is over 4 minutes, email it to Joharah and she will edit the song down a length suitable for the competition and return it to you.

I've never performed before, I don't know if I can do it?

We're glad you haven't performed before because this is a great opportunity for first-timers to take the plunge and see if performing is something you might like to do. We know it's a big challenge, but we guarantee you'll have a supportive audience that will cheer you on all the way. And if performing isn't a goal you have in mind, there are alot of other benefits to participating in the competition. You'll gain experience in putting together a choreography that reflects who you are as a dancer. You'll achieve something you've never done before. If you're shy in front of people, this will most certainly help you gain confidence. And who knows, you just may win a fantastic prize!

I don't have a bellydance costume to wear?

No problem. We don't expect you to have a professional bellydance costume! But try to think creatively about what you might have in your wardrobe that could be embellished and turned into a costume. Gypsy skirt, funky pants, hip scarf, decorate a bra with beads and stones. The possibilities are endless. Remember, a costume will certainly get you some more attention from the student judges and will likely add a few points to your score, so it's well worth thinking about something fun to wear for your routine.  You want to make an impression and a costume of any kind will add to your "wow" factor on stage.  

What are the judges looking for when I perform?

Remember the judges are your peers from BellyUp and they'll be given a list of things to look for on their voting card.  For example, they'll be looking at how you move overall. Are you enjoying dancing to the song you've chosen?  Are you relating well to the music? Are you relating to the audience? How well you perform the moves you've included in the choreography? is your routine interesting to watch?  The main thing to keep in mind is that it doesn't matter how complicated your routine is which why this competition is not about what level you're at. Level 1 dancer's have the ability to blow an audience away with their personality and passion for their performance just as much as an advanced level dancer can. The main difference being the repetoire of movements are more vast for the advanced dancer ... not necessarily better.  Remember it's not about how many moves you can cram into a routine ... it's about how well you dance the moves within the choreography and do you dance them with feeling!

Ok, I want to do it, how do I sign up to participate?

You need to register your participation with Joharah by emailing her at info@bellyup.ca and confirm your interest to perform. You have the option to attend the 'how to choreograph a routine" class on December 19th if you choose to do so. If not, just get to work on selecting your song and putting your choreography together and practice, practice practice. You have over 2 months to get ready for the big night!!

What if I chicken out at the last minute?

If you sign up, please sign up with commitment to see the project through to competition night. We want to make this a special night for you and we really appreciate you not backing out at the last minute since we're putting alot of work into creating this event for everyone to enjoy.  Imagine if we had 15 people sign up and 13 people back out at the last minute after all the work we've done to organize it? We wouldn't be able to host the event and would have to cancel. And that would be a shame. So go for it! You can do it!

Can I bring my friends & family to the watch me perform?

Absolutely! There is no charge for registered BellyUp students to attend but there will be a small fee of $7 per guest to attend the show.

What happens the night of the show?

Prior to the evening, the order of performances will be assigned and we'll let you know where you are in the line-up. On the night of the show, you will want to arrive at the studio between 6 & 7pm. You will have the opportunity to run through your routine in the stage area and get comfortable with your floor space. We can also do a sound check at that time so your music runs smoothly for you. You have the option to enter off stage or start your choreography on stage. We'll start the show promptly at 8pm. The students will submit their winner's choices - and while we have a short intermission the votes will be counted. We'll reconvene in the main stage area and the grand prize winners will be announced!!! Then we celebrate everyone's accomplishments for the evening!

Further Questions?

Email Joharah at info@bellyup.ca but please make sure you have read through the above. You may be asking something we've already covered.