Thread: Toronto!

hello!

i should probably post this under "travel to the lands of dance" but i think more people visit here so please forgive me that i post here

i have a trip to toronto in about a week's time. where in the city are there good dance class to go to that allows drop-in?

and maybe nice restaurants with nice dancers and nice live music?

please post here or pm me! it's going to be freezing for me there (i don't even have warm enough clothes!) and i think perhaps better to get out to do some exercise than to hide in the hotel room!

You can attend classes at Arabesque (Yasmina Ramzy )
http://www.arabesquedance.ca/

They offer drop-ins & several workshops. I've never been... yet, but I will really soon!

For tribal there is also the Dark Side Studio:
http://www.cleopatrasbazaar.com/thed.../new/Home.html

Enjoy!!

I work at Arabesque, so I was going to suggest coming here but someone beat me to it! :) definitely check out our classes and weekend workshops.

For live music and a dancer check out Ambrosia Restaurant and Aladdin Night club. Used to have good dancers every weekend but now it is sometimes good sometimes not so good (ex. a girl who thinks she is a dancer just because she is Lebanese, wears see thru costumes, etc. - Gross)... you can take your chances or ask me closer to the date if I know who is dancing and if it is worth it (dinner packages at these places are usually $45+)

Hope to see you at the studio!

thank you Mellybelly and Mavea,

does Yasmina Ramzy not teach reguarly class? i'll be there tues wed and thur... have to figure out how to get to studio. hope it's easy to get there by public transport!

i hope i will get to meet you Mellybelly. are you Melissa the teacher?

Not in Toronto but not far. Visiting BellUp Dance Studio would be fun, gorgous studio! Joharah is very very nice, the owner!

I'm from Portugal, but I've already been to Toronto, at Arabesque, in 2006. I loved it. I wouldn't mind of coming back... I miss everyone at Arabesque...

Originally Posted by wingaki

thank you Mellybelly and Mavea,

does Yasmina Ramzy not teach reguarly class? i'll be there tues wed and thur... have to figure out how to get to studio. hope it's easy to get there by public transport!

i hope i will get to meet you Mellybelly. are you Melissa the teacher?

Yasmina only teaches on Saturday now. Yup, I'm Melissa. I'm there teaching 5 days a week, so I am bound to see you - make sure you say hi! :)

it's minus 10 to twenty degree in toronto... crazy... how do you survive there??

went to Arabesque today! Mellybelly is a lovely dancer and good teacher. i enjoyed her class very much and will be back again tomorrow... if i can wake up!

would like to visit Oasis school too but it's too far away. i'm lucky to be only 10 minutes' walk away from Arabesque!

Originally Posted by wingaki

it's minus 10 to twenty degree in toronto... crazy... how do you survive there??

I'm in Montreal, just as cold... I'm not sure how I can make it through winter. Maybe by telling myself that summer is coming?

Now I want to go to Arabesque, too!

Originally Posted by _Maeva_

I'm in Montreal, just as cold... I'm not sure how I can make it through winter. Maybe by telling myself that summer is coming?

Now I want to go to Arabesque, too!

yes, go to Arabesque!

i took class from another teacher today. i think Yasmina has very high standard for all her teachers.

Originally Posted by wingaki

yes, go to Arabesque!

i took class from another teacher today. i think Yasmina has very high standard for all her teachers.

aww thank you! I wish you could stay longer! you should consider coming for the pro-course, it is a lot of fun and great information :)
I hope I get to visit you in Hong Kong sometime

Originally Posted by wingaki

it's minus 10 to twenty degree in toronto... crazy... how do you survive there??

Well I am from Winnipeg and right now we are @ minus 24 Celcius, Toronto is nice and balmy next to us. How do we survive? Well, bellydancing, getting my cardio up repeating a choreo I need to polish is a great way to move energy. Yeah, the key is to move energy, today I bundled up in my parka and Sorrel boots and went for a lovely 45 mins walk around my 'hood. Stopped at the German store for some good cheese, at the Salvadorean store for vanilla beans. It's not as bad as it sounds, granted i would prefer to be suntanning in the beaches of Thailand but then, my stereo with all my ME music would be out of reach.
And to get to your dance studio question, also check out Roula Said's studio and Hanan's. Roula has a very logical way of teaching dance, even if you are a proficient dancer, you will appreciate her classes, excellent alongside Yasmina's. I've gone to Toronto to take classes at all these studios and loved every min of it. They are all very close to bus or train stops, super easy to get to.
Also check out Kensington Market, super fun.

Originally Posted by karla yanina

Well I am from Winnipeg and right now we are @ minus 24 Celcius, Toronto is nice and balmy next to us. How do we survive? Well, bellydancing, getting my cardio up repeating a choreo I need to polish is a great way to move energy. Yeah, the key is to move energy, today I bundled up in my parka and Sorrel boots and went for a lovely 45 mins walk around my 'hood. Stopped at the German store for some good cheese, at the Salvadorean store for vanilla beans. It's not as bad as it sounds, granted i would prefer to be suntanning in the beaches of Thailand but then, my stereo with all my ME music would be out of reach.
And to get to your dance studio question, also check out Roula Said's studio and Hanan's. Roula has a very logical way of teaching dance, even if you are a proficient dancer, you will appreciate her classes, excellent alongside Yasmina's. I've gone to Toronto to take classes at all these studios and loved every min of it. They are all very close to bus or train stops, super easy to get to.
Also check out Kensington Market, super fun.

hello Karla,
thank you for the information! next time when i fly to toronto again i'll keep that in mind.

i think i would have enjoyed the trip more if i had warm clothes. i had to borrow my mum's down jacket which is quite ugly and i wore a silly hat and some girls laughed at me and said a lot of mean remarks while i was waiting in the supermarket queue. lucky they didn't beat me up for it!

Originally Posted by MellyBelly

aww thank you! I wish you could stay longer! you should consider coming for the pro-course, it is a lot of fun and great information :)
I hope I get to visit you in Hong Kong sometime

hello Melissa, i hope you had good show today. yes i'm interested in the pro course but then every of my holiday i have to fly to my husband who lives in london

Originally Posted by wingaki

yes, go to Arabesque!

i took class from another teacher today. i think Yasmina has very high standard for all her teachers.

I will! I just need to tell my mom we're going to visit Toronto soon, hehe, as I don't drive... Maybe in March/April.

Originally Posted by wingaki

hello Karla,
thank you for the information! next time when i fly to toronto again i'll keep that in mind.

i think i would have enjoyed the trip more if i had warm clothes. i had to borrow my mum's down jacket which is quite ugly and i wore a silly hat and some girls laughed at me and said a lot of mean remarks while i was waiting in the supermarket queue. lucky they didn't beat me up for it!

Oh My God! how terrible. This is Canada we need to dress in layers and sometimes we look a lot less attractive than, let's say when we wear a bellydancing costume for example. Don't takeit personally, after all this are the kind of people that call in the National Army when they have a blizzard !!!! We get those all the time.

What classes did you end up taking? I am sure that part was very good, Toronto has an excellent bellydancing scene right now

Originally Posted by karla yanina

Oh My God! how terrible. This is Canada we need to dress in layers and sometimes we look a lot less attractive than, let's say when we wear a bellydancing costume for example. Don't takeit personally, after all this are the kind of people that call in the National Army when they have a blizzard !!!! We get those all the time.

What classes did you end up taking? I am sure that part was very good, Toronto has an excellent bellydancing scene right now

hello Karla,
thank you, i'm ok with their comments. was just surprised.
i took beginner II intermediate I, advance and choreo. wanted to go to more classes but i overslept. the classes were in the evening which was very early morning in hongkong. yes, i enjoyed the classes very much x