The Gilded Serpent presents...
Zumarrad
or Brigid Kelly
Zumarrad a.k.a. Brigid Kelly is based in Christchurch, New Zealand. She started studying Middle Eastern dance in 1998 and began teaching in 2002, initially under the tutelage and mentorship of Christchurch's Gendi Tanner. Today she is an independent belly dance teacher, researcher, and performer, offering workshops and private classes, creating occasional events and delving deeper into our rich, intriguing and developing dance form.
Brigid graduated MA (Distinction) in Cultural Studies from the University of Canterbury in 2009, having completed New Zealand's first masters-level academic inquiry into belly dancing – Belly dancing in New Zealand: identity, hybridity, transculture - under the supervision of Rosemary Du Plessis and Dr Nabila Jaber. Her thesis paid particular attention to how belly dancing intersected with concepts of a New Zealand identity, and she was invited to present some of this research at the International Bellydance Conference of Canada in 2010.
Brigid is a journalist and works by night as a subeditor for several great metropolitan newspapers, all at the same time. She also takes adult ballet classes and dances tango when she can.
Web site:www.zumarrad.co.nz/
Articles on Gilded Serpent by or about Zumarrad
- 12-14-10 Ready, Set, Go! Leila's "Belly Dance for Beginners" & Dhyanis's "Absolute Bellydance Basics: Fundamentals for All Styles"
I stopped being the target market for beginner DVDs a long time ago, though, and I’d be happy if somebody purchased this DVD aiming for a gentle, sexy-feeling workout and fell in love with Belly dance through its influence. - 10-18-10 Tough to Choose What’s Best from Ranya! Belly Dance Egyptian Style: the Baladi,Belly Dance Egyptian Style: Modern Orienta
A dance friend described it aptly as something you can “geek out” on. It is jam-packed with information about the music, different styles of baladi, and the movements to use in this improvisational style. - 9-27-10 Master Zilling with Movement,The Art of Playing Finger Cymbals with Momo Kadous,
Things start to get really interesting when he introduces variations of tone, and I wish he had devoted more of the DVD to this technique. - 9-9-10 Listen and Learn Musical Expertise! Dr. George Sawa: Egyptian Music Appreciation & Practice for Bellydancers
The idea is to listen, learn, and use the clips to get the rhythms, in particular, into your body through free dance practice. If used to the fullest, this resource will give you a wonderful grounding in Egyptian music. - 7-15-10 Sema Yildiz, A Star of Turkish Dance
She was fortunate, she says, to grow up in a Roma (Gypsy) community rich in dance and music – the Fatih district, which houses the Sulukule, famous for its entertainment and considered the oldest Roma settlement in the world. - 3-18-10 Not Last Year's Saiidi
Recently, a belly dance community newsletter here in New Zealand ran an editorial in which the author remarked that the current generation of dancers still perform “traditional styles – Ghwazee, Khaleegy, Saiidi” but innovate with poi, fan veils and Isis wings in a sort of dance evolution that retains respect for the value of the old.
