Tag: Greenstone Belly Dance

on by

This month Greenstone Belly Dance is celebrating its third birthday! We’re excited to celebrate with some free events this Sunday the 18th of July. We’ll begin in the morning with an in-person dance class and birthday picnic in Delft, then we have our online events in the event, starting off with a belly dance quiz, followed by a performance watch party! See the full schedule on our events page.

For those of you joining us in Delft, the Netherlands, we will be supplying cake! But we do invite you to bring a plate of something to share, if you wish. For those of you joining us online, we thought we’d share our 2021 birthday cake recipe with you!

Greenstone Belly Dance 2021 Birthday Cake Recipe (Vegan friendly!)

This chocolate cake is vegan-friendly, and it’s based off the Ultimate Vegan Chocolate Cake from “It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken.” I’ve been making this cake for a couple of years, so I’ve experimented with how I like making it!

Dry ingredients:

1 cup wholemeal flour*

1.5 cups white flour

1 cup sugar

1 cup cocoa powder

1 big teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 small teaspoon salt

*No wholemeal flour? No worries! Just make it 2.5 cups of standard flour instead

Wet ingredients:

2 cups plant-based milk (e.g. almond, oat)*

2/3 cup neutral oil (e.g. canola or vegetable; don’t use a flavourful oil like olive)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Optional: Frozen raspberries

*No plant-based milk? If you’re not vegan, I often use regular milk

Instructions:

Pre-heat your oven to 180C/350F. Lightly grease your cake tin or cupcake tin (I really like making these as cupcakes).

Whisk together all the dry ingredients.

Whisk together all the wet ingredients.

Combine wet and dry ingredients and whisk until just combined.

Instructions:

Pour the batter into your cake tin, or 12 cupcake moulds.

If baking cupcakes, optionally add 3-5 frozen raspberries on top of each filled cupcake mould.*

*In my experience, the frozen raspberries seem to work better on cupcakes than in a standard cake. I’m a dancer, not a baker, don’t ask me why!

Instructions:

If baking a cake, bake for about 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean. For cupcakes, bake for roughly 20 minutes; keep an eye on them and also use the knife method.

Then let them cool a little before you remove them from their moulds/the tin, then enjoy!

Let me know if you make this at home! I’d love to know if you put your own spin on it. This cake is really fudgy, so I usually don’t put an icing on top. Icing is definitely optional if you want to go ahead and add some. 🙂

Happy baking, and hope to see some of you at our birthday celebrations online or in Delft this Sunday the 18th of July!

on by

Hi everyone, Greenstone Belly Dance director, Siobhan Camille, here!

I am delighted to share that I came 3rd in the Professional category of the Hamilton International Bellydance Competition 2020, and also received a special Judge’s Designation for Excellence in Stage Presence!

“Backstage” in my home studio waiting to perform at the HIBC Online Results & Celebration Show on Saturday night! #assuitallday

I had a fab time dancing at 1am at the results show on Sunday morning !😂 I stayed up until 3:30am Netherlands time enjoying the other dancers’ performances (and a particular shoutout to some of my Montréal dance friends, Leyana and Layal, I was so happy to see you dance again), and by the time I got into bed here at 4:30 the sun was waking up!

A huge thank you to the judges for their considered, constructive feedback. I highly recommend entering the HIBC to anyone seeking thoughtful advice to further their dance journey. And a big, big thank you to Aziza for encouraging me to enter. 

A massive thanks to Eshe Yildiz. What an amazing, hardworking and caring woman this competition organiser is. I have a new favourite (paraphrased) quote thanks to Eshe: Don’t be afraid to sing your own praises, because every time you do, you’re sticking it to the patriarchy! 

You can find the full video of my award-winning performance on the Greenstone Belly Dance YouTube channel. If you’d like to see my performance from last night (and epic 50 second costume change) head over to the Hamilton International Bellydance Competition Facebook page to watch the recording. It won’t be up for too long!

An extra special thank you to my friends in New Zealand, Germany, the United Stated, and Canada who tuned in to watch me perform live at the results show. I truly appreciate your support.

on by

(Een Nederlandse vertaling volgt)

Term 2 with Greenstone Belly Dance online is starting on Wednesday May 13 and Thursday May 14 with free trial sessions! Join us for a free trial session before the term begins officially on May 27 & 28.

We’re offering a free online, interactive beginner belly dance class on Wednesday May 13 at 18:00, and a free intermediate/advanced belly dance class on Thursday May 14 at 19:15. Keen to join? Register here or read on for more information.

Online Beginner Belly Dance Class Details

If you like learning new things, if you’re looking to strengthen your body, and if you want to step out of your comfort zone – you’ll love belly dance!

You’ll learn how to access and isolate muscles around the hips and torso to create both soft, fluid movements, and stunning sharp hits and locks.
This course covers both technique and choreography, to give you a technical grounding that can be transferred to any belly dance style, and to get you up and dancing straight away.

Join us at 18:00 on Wednesday May 13 to try Beginner Belly Dance online!

Online Intermediate/Advanced Belly Dance Class Details

This class is designed for belly dancers with a minimum of 18 months continuous belly dance experience under their coin belts. We’ll be working on layering, advanced techniques, musicality, emotional expression, and improvisation.

Join us at 19:15 on Thursday May 14 to try Improver Belly Dance online!

Details for Accessing Live Online Classes

Due to extensions on social distancing requirements, and a desire to keep our students and their families safe, this class will take place online! You will need a mobile device or a laptop. After signing up, you’ll receive a link with details on how to join the class via Zoom. For an even better connection, plug your computer or laptop into your ethernet cable.

Questions?

Contact us here.

I wanna join!

Perfect! Register here.

I missed the free online trial classes. Can I still join an online class?

Absolutely! You can drop into any class between May 27 and July 16 for just 15 euro per class. Register here or contact us here with questions.

Informatie in het Nederlands

Greenstone Belly Dance online lessen beginnen weer op woensdag 13 en donderdag 14 mei met gratis proefsessies! Ga met ons mee voor een gratis proefsessie voordat de klassensessie officieel van start gaat op 27 & 28 mei.

(more…)

on by

Dear dancers, friends, and followers,

I hope you’re all doing as well as possible at a time like this. I know it’s an uncertain, scary, time for a lot of us. Maybe this has greatly affected your work. Maybe there are people close to you who have already been diagnosed with this disease. Maybe you’re filled with worry. I’m sorry and I wish I could do more to help you.

What I can do for you is this: I can promise to do my best to keep you dancing at home. I can give you a time to dance and shimmy and remember that there are still pockets of joy in hard times. I can give you a chance to dance in your own home, but not alone, via our online classes.

As you’ll all know, the social distancing measures have been extended by the Dutch Government until at least June 1. This means no in-studio classes until June at the earliest. However, Greenstone Belly Dance has already taken the plunge into live, interactive, online classes. And we are getting better every time! I’m doing my best to research and invest into new technologies to give you fabulous audio, a great picture, and of course, a great time dancing!

I have just announced block of online classes in April (we were due to take a month break in April; however, I now think it’s even more important that we keep moving to look after our brains, our bodies, our minds, and to get a chance to say hi to your classmates from the comfort of your own home). The free trial classes in May will indeed go ahead, but they will be taught online. At least the first portion of each class session will be taught online. If the Dutch Government relaxes restrictions by June, I will gladly look into moving the classes back into the studio.

I’m looking forward to shimmying with you again in person when we can. But for now, let’s stay home and do our bit to protect the most vulnerable around us. Wash your hands, don’t touch your face, keeping moving as much as possible, stay connected, and look after each other.

Love and strength and shimmies,

Siobhan Camille,
Greenstone Belly Dance