Monique {Bellydance, Hula Hoop, Circus Arts, Yoga}

Tips For Reducing Muscle Soreness

2012-01-14T06:54:00.000-08:00

If you have been sticking to your New Year's exercise-related resolutions, you may be experiencing delayed onset muscle soreness. Here are some tips to help:

1. Make sure you listen to your body and don't overdo it in class. Everyone in class is at a different fitness level on that particular day, so don't feel like you always have to go 110%, especially after taking a break. It's part of your instructors job to be motivating, but only you can tell how you body feels.

2. Hydrate yourself! Water water water!!! Make sure you drink extra water when you exercise vigorously. Coconut water is also a great way to hydrate and replenish electrolytes.

3. Take an epsom salt bath. We recommend using FIZZ!!! Epsom salt baths can help your body to get rid of lactic acid build up in muscles as well as other toxins, and reduce inflammation.

4. Get a massage. Our resident massage therapist at the studio, Laura Newton, RMT, has experience treating dancers and athletes.

5. Try an infrared sauna session. In addition to stress relief, infrared saunas also help decrease muscle pain and stiffness

6. Get adequate sleep. Your muscles rebuild themselves while you sleep, so try to make sure you give them enough time to do their job.

www.serpentinestudios.com

Have any more tips? Share them below!

Mahari Tribal

2010-10-12T07:32:00.000-07:00

Mahari Tribal is a collaborative tribal fusion belly dance troupe. We made our debut performance in Halifax and the Raqs Hypnotique show in March 2008, but it wasn't until 2010 that the troupe really started coming together. We perform tribal fusion bellydance along with theatrical burlesque and vaudeville style numbers.

Lucy McColl, Terra Jamieson, and myself are the core members, with additional members Karen Holmans, Haleigh Sheehan, and Jen Prescott for larger perfomances. Former members include Katie Eaton and Serrah Hughes.

The Mahari girls are so dedicated; 3 dance classes a week and multiple rehearsals. They put up with me trying to figure everything out and they are really supportive. I feel lucky to have such a great bunch of girls in the troupe. This term we're been working really hard and it's definitely paying off! We're all really excited to be a part of many events happening in Halifax:
(more info about all of these events here: www.serpentinecircus.com/events.html)

Thursday october 14th, 7:15am
BREAKFAST TELEVISION
See Mahari perform on TV to promote the upcoming Nocturne show!

Friday October 15th, 7pm-midnight, $60

TITZ N' GLITZ - Retro Dance Party @ Alderney Landing

Titz n' Glitz is a powerful breast cancer fundraiser, for women only, to support friends, neighbours and people they love who have been diagnosed with this unpredictable disease. Serpentine Circus is entertaining at this even with solo performances byt myself and Scarlet Sparks (Haleigh Sheehan), and Mahari Tribal will be doing a special retro dance party bellydance!!

http://www.titznglitz.com/

Saturday October 16th, 6pm-midnight, Free

NOCTURNE- Redemption of the Dark Side @ Alderney Landing

Performances every 15 minutes, all night long. Atlantic Cirque and Serpentine Circus come together to re-create a long lost circus ground.

More info here: www.serpentinecircus.com/events.html

Friday October 29th, 7:30

MCHA Fundraiser for the United Way @ St. Cahterine's Church on Bayers Rd.

Mahari performs Thriller for this United Way Fundraiser.

Saturday October 30th, 9pm, $15 in advance/$20 door

MasQ- Haloween Gala @ Club 1668
Mahari Tribal will be performing our Voodoo Bellydance number! Uberwench is also performing!!

Facebook Event

www.serpentinecircus.com

It's Time For Fall Classes Again

2010-09-10T07:06:00.001-07:00

I took a month off teaching weekly classes in August. I went to NFLD to teach some workshops at Wild Lily, and perform in a show. I had a great time there with Lori Savory and Vanessa Paddock. I was hired with Miss C for a bachelorette party that was lots of fun.
And I performed at the Casino all summer long again with Haleigh and Caitlan. Caitlan and I have been working on handbalancing acts and I absolutely love it. I can't wait to get some photos and video of what we've been up to.

Some of my fall classes started this week: http://www.serpentinecircus.com/classes.html
This is the first time I've taken any time off teaching classes since I started teaching. It was good to get recharged, but I had butterfies in my stomach when it came time to get back to it. One month off feels like 6 months off. It's good to be back in the groove though. I can't wait for my performance level class to start on Sunday. It's one of my favorite classes. The girls all know each other and there's this sense of community and belonging that is really special. My fall schedule seems a bit less than what I'm used to teaching, but I'm trying to concentrate on training (2 circus classes, 2 advanced yoga classes, and 2 other dance classes every week) and performing (I've got a tonne of gigs coming up with Atlantic Cirque!).

I've now been making a living bellydancing, hula hooping, yoga teaching, and cirque performing for a year now and I feel grateful that I am able to do this. I work hard and I dedicate most of my waking hours to my profession and I've had lots of help from friends - encouragement, guidance, inspiration and photoshop help from Laura, website help (and really when I say help I mean she did it all while I watched) and many hours of being a good listener from Lucy, and many pep talks and rides to classes and gigs from Terra.

I have lots of exciting plans for the upcoming year. I can't wait!!!

Dance with Crutches and Pointe Shoes

2010-07-20T04:48:00.000-07:00

Brilliant.

New Website

2010-04-07T05:30:00.000-07:00

Long time no updates....

New Website!!
www.serpentinecircus.com

We are Monkeys

2009-12-12T19:31:00.001-08:00

Dance...A Real Job?!?

2009-11-25T18:18:00.000-08:00

In September I quit my "real job". A job that paid decently, had great health benefits, a pension, etc. I quit my job to teach dance. Full time.

I didn't just fling myself into this though.
I have a degree in Kinesiology. I've been bellydancing since 1998. I've been teaching since 2006. I took classes for 8 years, most of that time 2-3 classes/week and I was a part of several performance groups before I ever taught. I've been traveling across Canada to take as many workshops with other dancers as I can.

Now, I am teaching tribal fusion bellydance and hula hoop classes in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
I'm also trying to train as much as I can.

Here's what a typical work week looks like for me:

Sunday:
Teach for 5 hours straight with no breaks!!
Teach hoop hoop
2 hour performance level bellydance class.
Another hula hoop class.
Beginner bellydance class.
Then I go home and eat LOTS of food! Hahahaha.

Monday:
Teach a beginner bellydance class.
Take a 1.5 hour class at Atlantic Cirque. I'm working on hand balancing, tumbling, silks, cerceau (hanging hoop) and hula hoop.

Tuesday:
Teach a hula hoop fitness class.
Work on choreography, class plans, costumes, research, advertising, etc.
Take a ballet class.
Teach a beginner bellydance class.

Wednesday:
Take a yoga class.
Take a pilates class.
Work on choreography, class plans, costumes, research, advertising, etc.
Teach a hula hoop class.

Thursday:
Pretty much the same as Tuesday.
Teach a hula hoop fitness class.
Work on choreography, class plans, costumes, research, advertising, etc.
Take another ballet class.
Teach a bellydance bootcamp drills class.
Rehearse choreography with Mahari (the bellydance troupe that I direct)

Friday:
Take a yoga class.
Take a pilates class.
Work on choreography, class plans, costumes, research, advertising, etc.
Often I have a gig or several gigs and/or take or teach workshops

Saturday:
Take singing lessons. No I cannot sing. That's why I am taking lessons.
Often I have a gig or several gigs and/or take or teach workshops

I am also taking Yoga Teacher Training that is one Friday, Saturday and Sunday every month.

So, that's my schedule right now, and I love it. It's definitely a full time job.
The fact that I'm able to make a living out of Bellydance and Hula Hooping is pretty amazing ♥

Bizarre French Dance

2009-11-05T12:32:00.000-08:00

So cool!

Wow

2009-10-23T12:34:00.000-07:00

Nomi sent me this.

Cordyceps

2009-10-19T06:43:00.000-07:00

I heard of cordyseps a few years ago when I worked in a health food store. I knew there was some controversy about where it came from, but I never looked into it. Then I stumbled upon this:

Ligers and Mini Baby Hippos!!

2009-10-19T06:36:00.000-07:00

They exist!! Really!

I Want Sushi Pillows!

2009-10-16T09:47:00.000-07:00

http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/japanfan/af69/

Zeigteist / Venus Project

2009-10-16T08:46:00.000-07:00

Some new ways of thinking about the world, money, and the future

The Zeitgeist Movement is a grass roots campaign to unify the world through a common ideology based on the fundamentals of life and nature. This movement ignores politics, religion and the like, and instead attempts to communicate how all humans are the same at the fundamental level and how it is time we start to work together on a global scale to end the seemingly perpetual conflict and suffering in our current world society.
http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/index.html

The Venus Project presents a bold, new direction for humanity that entails nothing less than the total redesign of our culture. There are many people today who are concerned with the serious problems that face our modern society: unemployment, violent crime, replacement of humans by technology, over-population and a decline in the Earth's ecosystems.
http://www.thevenusproject.com/

Body Image Video

2009-10-15T14:29:00.000-07:00

Laura sent me this great video.

Decidedly Jazz

2009-10-15T14:25:00.000-07:00

I just went to see a show by these guys. The danced to all Amon Tobin music and it was incredible.

First

2009-10-15T14:22:00.001-07:00

This is my first blog ever.