Halo Bellydance

Haala's Past Performances and Events

(2005-2008)

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If you came to this page looking for Haala's current upcoming event schedule, click here instead IMG SRC="OliverTwist081213_Hswirlveil_byDurban.jpg" align=left hspace=10 vspace=5 width=225 height=150> Saturday, December 13, 2008 - Haala performed at The Oliver Twist Lounge in Raleigh NC. Patrons enjoyed tapas and martinis, club music by DJ Mark, and two short performances by Haala (in a new costume!) Photo Credit: Durban Saturday, December 13, 2008 - Haala was invited to perform at Bellydance to the Center of the Universe, an outer-space themed bellydance show featuring Lisa Zahiya and SamiTe', who placed first and second respectively in the Bellydancer of the Universe competition in California this year. This was a fabulous show - thanks to The Devoted Collective for bringing them here! Sunday, December 7, 2008 - Halo Bellydance sponsored a Holiday Student Hafla for all area students, their teachers, friends and family at Bond Park in Cary NC. The hafla featured student performances, free-dancing to live and recorded music, refreshments, a Tree of Universal Peace with paper ornaments to decorate, and a Secret Santa gift exchange. Megan Freeman took pictures of the event and we will post them as soon as they are available! Thanks so much to everyone who attended, especially to our many volunteers - we couldn't have done it without you! Friday, November 28, 2008 - Haala danced at an evening wedding reception in Raleigh (private event) Saturday, November 22, 2008 - Haala was invited to perform in Blue Moon Dance Company's annual gala benefit show in Durham. This year the show raised over $1000 for the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina! Thanks to everyone who attended. Saturday, November 22, 2008 - Haala performed at The Oliver Twist Lounge in Raleigh. Saturday, October 25, 2008 - John Price performed at the fifth Annual Haflaween, a Halloween-themed bellydance event sponsored by Blue Moon Dance Company in Durham/RTP. This event SOLD OUT four months in advance! Saturday, October 25, 2008 - Haala provided a demonstration of belly dance in Apex at Infinity Ballet Conservatory & Theatre's Open House. Wednesday, October 22, 2008 - Haala and John Price, with our special guest Nandana of Blue Moon Dance Company, performed at a Moroccan-themed dinner event for 150 people in Raleigh from 6-7pm. September 23, 2008 - Haala is expanding her popular Cary bellydance practice into Apex, and to promote this, she presented a free mini-class and demo of Bellydance at her new Apex studio, Infinity Ballet Conservatory & Theatre, 3462 Apex Peakway, in Apex NC. Haala presented an overview of the history of Middle Eastern dance and also Raqs Sharqi specifically, she showed various folkloric and cabaret style costuming, demonstrated various dances with the assistance of her student Ming, then got everyone up to learn a few dance moves. Afterwards, Haala registered people for the Basics class that will begin the following week - Tuesday, September 30, 2008. There are still spaces available, so visit the Bellydance Basics class page for more information. Pre-registration is strongly recommended! September 20, 2008 - Haala taught belly dance at a bridal get-together in Cary - it was a great way to break the ice and encourage bonding among all the family members and wedding party as they get ready for the big day! Pictures to come soon. September 15, 2008 - John Price of Halo Bellydance (2nd from the left) was invited to perform at The 6th Anniversary Bash for the Raleigh Drum Circle representing Middle Eastern rhythms. The event took place at Lake Johnson Community Park, Avent Ferry Road, in Raleigh, and also featured a variety of drumming, dancing and singing performances from many regions of the world, raffle prizes, open dancing and drumming and more! One lucky person won a free one-hour private lesson with Haala. September 13, 2008 - NCBellydance.org Annual Workshop and Gala Fundraiser. Nationally renowned instructor Zhaleh Fereshteh ("Diva of Shimmies") taught an exciting workshop during the day, and then in the evening there was an entertaining gala fundraiser performance for NCBellydance.org that featured Zhaleh, Haala, her students, as well as a selection of dancers from all over North Carolina. Haala is the webmistress for NCBellydance.org and appreciates your continuing support for the site. You can see more pictures in the photo gallery. September 6, 2008 - Halo Bellydance was invited to perform at Raleigh Wide Open 3 in honor of the grand opening of the Raleigh Convention Center! This was a huge 2-day festival in downtown Raleigh that included a variety of musical and dance acts. The showcase featured talented students Jenni, Zaftig, and Ming, solos by Haala, and drumming by John Price. Thanks to Deep South for putting on such a well-organized and entertaining event! You can see more pictures in the photo gallery. August 22, 2008 - Haala helped celebrate a 49th birthday in Fuquay-Varina. The birthday boy and his wife and friends were such wonderful joyous people!! This is why I love to dance at these kinds of celebrations. August 2-3, 2008 - Halo Bellydance sponsored Grammy-nominated Souhail Kaspar's return to North Carolina. He taught a variety of drumming and dancing workshops that ranged from beginner to advanced level. We were so honored to study with him once again, and with your support we will be able to bring him back again in 2009. June 21, 2008 - John Price of Halo Bellydance presented an Arabic Drumming Workshop at Music Explorium in Durham (RTP). Beginning drummers learned the basics during the morning session, and in the afternoon, more experienced drummers learned an original drum composition. June 7, 2008 - Haala danced in the Colorful Waves' Bellydance Raqs (ROCKS!) event in Durham. (Photo by Woodland Willow Photography.) May 31, 2008 - Gala show starring the world-famous Issam! Haala was honored to be asked to perform at this show, which took place at the Benson Center, Wake Forest University campus, in Winston-Salem. May 22, 2008 - Halo Bellydance Student Hafla. Haala's students and friends convened at the Clear Horizons studio for a relaxed evening of dance and live music. Haala's husband John Price drummed for us, along with special guests: Blue Moon Dance Company's Brian Beaman and John's student Thomas Martin. Cindy Hartzell did a Lia Sophia jewelry give-away drawing and display. Haala led several "follow the leader" dances to get everyone up on the dance floor, then we presented several class choreographies: the Continuing level veil choreography from this session (with Ming and Sherry), drum solos from the Continuing level "Drum Solo A La Carte" class (Jenni and Sherry), and Ming performed a veil solo from the previous Beginning Level 2 class session. It was very nice to socialize together, enjoy refreshments and to dance to the live drumming! Click here to view pictures from the event. (Click on "Haala's student get-together april 08"). Thank you Greta Hervey and Thomas Martin for taking the photos, and for Megan Freeman for hosting them on her smugmug site. May 17, 2008 - Special performance at Oliver Twist Lounge in Raleigh! I danced two short sets - one at 9:30pm and the other at 10pm. Oliver Twist is located at 8111-137 Creedmoor Road in Raleigh. Thanks to everyone who came out to see the show! May 10, 2008 - Mrs. Baquiran's 50th Birthday Party in Treyburn, Durham NC, 8:00-8:30pm. (private event). What a wonderful lady! It was an honor to dance for her and her guests that evening. DJ Raze was the DJ (posing with me in the picture), and I'd definitely recommend him! More pictures from this event to come soon. April 20, 2008 - Bridal Shower appearance in Angier, NC. (private event. The bride-to-be and her guests enjoyed learning some simple belly dance moves! April 19-20, 2008 - Halo Bellydance presented Grammy Nominated Master Percussionist Souhail Kaspar and Rachid Halihal in a weekend workshop and performance in Durham. The Gala performance also featured talented musicians Naji Hilal, Majdi Kurd, and John Price, as well as an exciting bellydance showcase by California's Ziva, Haala and a selection of other talented dancers. You can see several pictures of the show in the 2008 Photo Gallery. We would like to thank everyone that supported us in bringing these talented performers to our area. April 13, 2008 - Baby Shower Performance in North Raleigh, 3:30-4:00pm. (private event). Haala performed for the honoree and got everyone up to learn some simple belly dance moves. We finished with a fun audience participation to Shakira's Hips Don't Lie. April 10, 2008 - Haala was the fitness instructor for the GE Womens Health and Wellness Event in RTP from 2-3:30pm. The top 50 women executives in GE were flown in from all over the country to take part in this health and wellness event. Haala instructed them in the fitness benefits of bellydance. (private event) April 2, 2008 - Haala presented a demonstration of Middle Eastern dance and culture to the Cary Jaycees from 7-8:30pm (private event). March 28, 2008 - African drumming ensemble Rhythmicity invited my husband John and myself to perform with them at the Cary Art Loop this evening. The Cary Art Loop is a monthly art exhibition crawl among several locations in Cary. We invited several other dancers to join us, and everyone had a fun time. It was a very kid-friendly event, with lots of children dancing or playing egg shakers along with the band. You should definitely catch Rhythmicity the next time they perform! February 29, 2008 - Shimmy South 9 performance in Raleigh NC. Photo Credit: Woodland Willow Photography January 26, 2008 - A Night of Hopes and Dreams Gala Performance in Clayton, starring Yasmine of Charlotte. The evening benefited Hopes and Dreams, a non-profit organization providing recreational opportunites for special needs individuals. Location: The Clayton Center in Clayton NC. Watch the video! December 31, 2007 - Haala was the featured dancer at Taverna Agora in Raleigh this evening for a special New Year's Eve celebration! The festivites included a live band, performances by Haala, a complimentary champagne toast at midnight, and party favors. Thanks to everyone who came out and made it such a fun evening - Opa! December 15, 2007 - Haala's Holiday Hafla! Haala hosted a local holiday-themed bellydance event for students and teachers in the area. We enjoyed refreshments, performances, live music by John Price and other local percussionists, shopping at Amara's Costume Emporium and a Swap Table hosted by Audra Evans. Very special thanks to Mara of the Cary Bellydance Meetup for helping me organize this event! December 15, 2007 - Haala made her debut at Taverna Agora for a special Greek Night, which also featured live bouzuki playing, Taverna Agora's delicious Greek cuisine and selection of fine wines. Opa! December 4, 2007 - Haala performed at the Windsor Point Christmas Party in Fuquay-Varina this evening. It was a large gala and also featured roaming minstrels and magicians. December 1, 2007 - Haala was invited to perform at an evening benefit concert sponsored by Blue Moon Dance Company in Raleigh. All proceeds went to Mercy Corps' efforts to aid women and children in the war-ravaged region of Darfur. The benefit raised $1700 for Mercy Corps!!! Thanks to everyone who attended and donated so generously to the cause Photo Credit: Megan Freeman. November 3, 2007 - Baby Shower in Chapel Hill (6:15-6:45pm), then a 40th Birthday party in Cary at 7:30ishpm. (both are private events). Pictures coming soon! October 28, 2007 - Haala and students were invited to perform at a local student hafla in Durham. 7:00-9:00pm. October 26, 2007 - Renowned percussionist Souhail Kaspar returned to North Carolina for a hafla featuring live music, refreshments and dancing. Haala was very honored to perform at this event. Pictures coming soon! October 20, 2007 - Haala returned for her fourth year in a row at Blue Moon Dance Company's Haflaween, a Halloween-themed event in Durham. This event sold out over 2 months in advance! Photo Credit: Woodland Willow Photography. September 22, 2007 - NCBellydance.org 6th Anniversary Hafla at Galaxy Cinema in Cary, sponsored by Belly Revelations. Haala is the webmistress for NCBellydance.org and performed for this annual fundraising event, along with talented dancers from all over the state of North Carolina. I am always very grateful to Belly Revelations for throwing these fabulous events each year, and for their generous contributions to our local dance community. Photo Credit: Megan Freeman. September 8, 2007 - Evening performance and lesson for a bride-to-be's bachelorette party. (private event). August 31, 2007 - Haala was invited to perform in the Turbo Hips Show and Dance Party, featuring Karim "Turbo Tabla" Nagi and Yasmine and the Magic Hips Dancers! She debuted an original choreography to the music of Hakim. At the end of the evening, all the dancers were brought back on stage to dance impovisationally to Karim's drumming. Photo Credit: Carl Miller Photography July 15, 2007 - Afternoon Birthday Party (private event). July 14, 2007 - Blue Moon Dance Company's "Flashback" Hafla in RTP/Durham. July 5, 2007 - Haala taught bellydance at a Ladies Fitness Party in Cary (private event). June 29, 2007 - Colorful Waves Farewell Hafla for Kalila, Triangle Dance Studio, Durham (near RTP). June 21, 2007 - Haala conducted a morning Team-Building event for RTP tech company. June 2-3, 2007 - Haala and other members of the Colorful Waves Dance Troupe performed at the NBC17 Fitness Fair, demonstrating how belly dance can be used as part of a fitness program. Bellydance is a great low-impact aerobic exercise, perfect for toning muscles and losing excess weight! April 28, 2007 - Gala Hafla featuring a live performance by the famous musicians Souhail Kaspar and Dr. A.J. Racy in Greensboro. It was an honor to dance to their music! March 30 - April 15, 2007 - Haala performed as part of the Colorful Waves Dance Troupe, under the direction of Shahzaadee, at the annual North Carolina Renaissance Faire in Raleigh. Her husband led the musicians in the live music set, with newborn baby boy on stage beside them (sleeping peacefully the entire time). December 9, 2006 - Holiday Hafla at UUFR, 3313 Wade Avenue, Raleigh. A collaboration among myself and other local teachers, we presented a festive holiday hafla (party), which included student and teacher performances, live drumming and dancing, refreshments, and a very popular swap table. It was also a benefit for Source Force, a local non-profit charity organization. This was Haala's last public performance before the baby comes in February! November 11, 2006 - Haala performed at the NCBellydance.org Fifth Anniversary Hafla, sponsored by Belly Revelations, in Raleigh. There was an excellent Turkish workshop with Artemis Mourat earlier that same day. Photo Credit: Woodland Willow Photography. October 21, 2006 - This was Haala's third consecutive appearance at Haflaween, sponsored by Blue Moon Dance Company. Haala performed an original choreography with 8 members of her Continuing Bellydance class. The event sold out a month in advance and was an amazing night of performances. One of my favorite events in the area! (pictures posted soon). October 18, 2006 - Haala presented an Introductory Workshop and Demonstration for students and faculty at Vance Granville Community College, Franklin Campus, Louisburg, NC. (pictures posted soon) October 14, 2006 - Haala presented a demonstration of Middle-Eastern Dance at an International Festival in Garner. And with guest artist Shekky Hakim, she also played Middle-Eastern percussion earlier that afternoon. September 10, 2006, Haala danced an original choreography using Isis Wings at Clare Smith's Hafla (Haala is 15 weeks pregnant at this point). There are more pictures of all these events in the Photo Gallery. July 2, 2006, Haala danced at the Festival for the Eno in Durham this year as a special guest of Belly Revelations! Bellydance for a very good cause. (Haala is 6 weeks pregnant at this point). There are more pictures of all these events in the Photo Gallery. Saturday, June 24 - Haala and students were invited to perform at Blue Moon Dance Company's student hafla. We performed a veil choreography to the music of Hamam: The Turkish Bath soundtrack. A wonderful time was had by all! Thanks to Blue Moon for inviting us. Friday, June 16 - Haala danced at Marrakesh every Friday evening. This was the last evening she performed before taking maternity leave. She was accompanied by her husband Idris on drums, and there was also a DJ spinning dance music throughout the evening. There will be a variety of other dancers filling in for Haala the rest of the year, and she plans to return in summer 2007 after her baby is born. Saturday, May 13, 2006 - Haala and Shahzaadee were the featured Belly Dancers at Mediterranean Nights, presented by Layalina Entertainment. For more information on Layalina Entertainment, visit Layalinanights.com. Tuesday, April 25 - Haala presented an Introductory Bellydance Workshop at Louisburg Community College in Louisburg, NC. The workshop was open to all students and staff of the college. Saturday, April 22 - Haala and Shahzaadee (of Eternal Oasis) performed a duet at the Blue Moon Dance Company's Spring Hafla. The theme was "Broadway/TV/Show Tunes" and we performed in gold coin bedlah costumes to the tune of "Big Spender". It was a very fun night, filled with wonderful performances by the belly dance community. April 18, 2006, Haala presented an educational demonstration of Middle-Eastern dance to students at Wake Technical Community College in Raleigh. April 1 - 9, 2006, Haala performed as part of the 2006 Colorful Waves Dance Troupe at the NC Renaissance Fair in Raleigh, under the direction of Shahzaadee. We performed three different sets each day, one with all live music! There were Egyptian and Turkish Oriental and folkloric styles represented, as well as veil, sword, cane, and drum solos. Pictures from this year's performance coming soon. Saturday, April 8 - Haala performed at a private wedding reception in Raleigh in the evening. She wishes Dana and Chris all the happiness and joy in their new life together :) Friday, April 7, and Friday, March 31, 2006 - Haala danced at Marrakesh this evening. She would like to thank all the Middle-Eastern drummers who attended and played a drum solo for the end of her set - there is nothing quite like dancing to live music! Friday, March 24, 2006 - Haala had two gigs in Raleigh this evening. First she danced at Marrakesh in Raleigh at 9pm. Then she was the featured bellydancer at Maanjri Lounge as part of Layalina Nights' Around the World International Party. Thanks to Eddie and all the DJs for a wonderful time! They hold these parties every month, and I highly recommend them -- if I wasn't performing I would have gone anyway! Friday, March 17, 2006 - Haala did a special St. Patrick's day performance at Marrakesh in Raleigh. She wore green and included a Loreena McKennitt song (Marco Polo) as part of the evening's regular Middle Eastern dance performance. For her drum solo, she was accompanied by her husband on tabla ("doumbek") as well as an Egyptian student and other audience members playing tabla! Friday, March 10, 2006 - Haala danced at Marrakesh in Raleigh. Friday, March 3, 2006 - Haala performed for the first time at Marrakesh and had a wonderful time! She would like to thank all her students and friends for coming out to support her in her new venue. Friday, February 24, 2006 - Haala performed at Aladdin's in Chapel Hill. The DJ (Duncan) is really wonderful and I would highly recommend him if you have a Middle-Eastern themed party or event coming up. Saturday, February 25, 2006 - Haala was one of the performers at the Shimmy South Gala Event, featuring Saqra and sponsored by Belly Revelations. The performance took place place at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds, Holhouser Building in Raleigh. You can see pictures of her veil dancing from the show around this website. On Thursday, December 15, Haala hosted a Holiday Hafla Open House at the Anahata Healing Center in Cary, where she teaches bellydance classes. There were light refreshments, holiday-appropriate dances, and live and recorded music for dancing. Students got up to free dance with Haala, and a few brave souls (Vera and Martha) did the student choreography they had learned earlier in the Fall. Saturday, November 12, Haala performed at the 4th Anniversary of Ncbellydance.org, the website she runs for Middle Eastern dance and music in North Carolina. She performed a solo Egyptian choreography, then returned later in the evening to perform a group veil dance set to the music of Silent Night, which was choreographed by Shahzaadee of Eternal Oasis. A wonderful evening! Saturday, November 5, Haala danced at Aladdin's on 153 East Franklin Street in Chapel Hill. There was also a DJ spinning Mediterranean dance tunes!

For more information, email haala@halobellydance.com