Shake your booty

Anyone who's never had their butt kicked by a belly dancer will get their chance this weekend, when Monique Ryan comes to town.

The renowned tribal fusion belly dancer, burlesque artist and all-round Best Local Performer of 2008, according to readers of Halifax publication The Coast, is coming to St. John's to perform and conduct dance and movement workshops.

The Halifax-based performer has a degree in kinesiology - the science of human movement - and has been dancing for the past 11 years, taking lessons from some of the world's biggest belly dancing stars. Ryan is a member of Pink Velvet Burlesque troupe and is one half of the duo Cabaret Serpentine, performing tribal-influenced and Egyptian-style belly dancing around Nova Scotia.

"I met Monique at a Halifax tattoo convention last May. I watched her perform, and I said, 'Holy crap - you have to bring that to St. John's,'" said Alicia Simms, local tattoo artist and member of the Headline Honeys, a local production company made up of burlesque performers.

As it happened, Ryan's mother was moving to the St. John's area in the fall, and she had been planning a trip to the capital city anyway. She performed here in September to an enthralled audience.

Now that she's visiting again, the Headline Honeys are producing her second local show, as well as helping her organize three workshops, for beginners and experienced dancers of all types.

Friday evening, Ryan will conduct two workshops in hula hooping, which she says burns about 100 calories every 10 minutes.

"Learn to hoop, do tricks to spice up your workout routine, impress the neighbours or add to your performance repertoire," Ryan said in her description of the workshop content. Ryan will provide the hoops, which will be custom-made to fit each participant in advance. Instead of the thin, straw-like hoops you may have owned as a child, these will be heavier and coated with friction tape, making them easier to keep spinning.

On Saturday, Ryan will hold a three-hour beginner/intermediate workshop in tribal fusion belly dance - a modern type of belly dance incorporating elements of other styles of dancing, including flamenco, Indian, Egyptian and hip hop. Ryan will teach the basics of belly dancing movement, techniques to make dancing look slow and serpentine, and lead participants in belly dancing drills, designed to strengthen the muscles used in dancing.

Sunday's class will be for intermediate and advanced belly dancers only. Ryan will demonstrate techniques to improve posture as well as hand and arm movements, teach participants how to improvise movements according to music, and share tips she's learned from belly dance stars.

While spots in the workshops still remain, they're going fast, Simms said. Prices for the classes range from $45 to $60.

Tonight, Ryan will inaugurate her St. John's visit as the star performer in the Headline Honeys' St. Patrick's Day show at the Rock House on George Street, starting at 9 p.m.

"We're really excited to have her joining us," Simms said. "We've picked a line-up of performers that we think really represents the talent that's here in St. John's, and the audience will also get to see Monique's vibrant, engaging dance style."

Performers in the show will also include magician and illusionist James Hawksley, musician Denielle Hann, Bollywood Jig dance troupe, local belly dancers, burlesque troupe Burly-Q Babies, and the Headline Honeys.

Tickets for the show are $10 and are available at Fred's Records, Twisted Sisters and the Mount Pearl School of Dance.

tbm@thetelegram.com