Today a group of us went to Kelowna to watch a performance of belly dancers. A group from Kelowna performed in the first half, and in the second half the headliners from Get Bent Active Arts Society in Penticton performed their Bollywood Hollywood. Their show was upbeat, energetic and commanding. I have never seen such fast costume changes in my long theatrical life! (In the finale, they revisited every number in the costume with about 2 seconds transition). Beaming smiles, excellent skills, and narrative choreography added to audience enjoyment. Of particular notice was the kewpie doll grin of Marianne (her solo begins at 2:19 in the video). She has matured even more in skills and still conveys absolute joy and good humour to the audience. It was an delightful afternoon and so I thought I’d give you the opportunity to participate in our fun by sharing this youtube video of the tour group from a previous tour:
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For more information about classes or to support Get Bent’s work with youth in the community, please see their website at http://www.getbentyogaandbellydancing.com/ We are hoping that we’ll be able to participate in a workshop with them or go see another performance again. It was a show that exceeded our expectations.
Shawn L. Bird 
Such a fun afternoon!!!!
aww, thanks for the “kewpie grin” comment, the audience is what actually makes dancing more enjoyable for me!!! So thanks for coming out!! =D
We are aiming to “smile like Marianne” while we’re dancing now, too. We tend to be concentrating so hard on not screwing up in the performance, that we forget to convey the joy we have while we’re learning and practising. (Of course, it’s probably good that we don’t crack up as we make a mistake in a performance…)