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The Neighbourhood
Strays are a gypsy-style bellydance troupe located in St. John’s, Newfoundland.
We perform Atseguin (Eastern European Gypsy) bellydance with influences from
American Tribal, Egyptian, Turkish, Middle Eastern, Indian, and other forms of dance.
We have received
excellent reviews from our audiences and past students, and we are constantly
working on new original choreographies to add to our performances. The name
“The Neighbourhood Strays” was initially chosen because all of the founding
members were CFA’s. Now, however, many of the troupe members are from
Newfoundland.
The
Neighbourhood Strays Bellydance Troupe was formed by Andrea Kitta. Andrea is a
member of the Middle Eastern Dance Association, the GypsyLore Society, the
American Folklore Society, and the Folklore Studies Association of Canada. In 2009 she moved to the USA to teach at East Carolina University. For more information on andrea please see the founder page.
The
Neighbourhood Strays are regular performers at special events such as
SummerDance, the Lantern Festival, Peace-A-Chord, Mary Griffiths Night, and
various multicultural festivals, including the popular International Food and
Craft Fair.
We
often volunteer our time to perform at fundraising events in and around St.
John’s. With a name like the Neighbourhood Strays, we particularly enjoy
dancing at fundraisers for animal rights groups such as Beagle Paws and the
SPCA. We give back to our community in other ways, as well. In September 2007,
we walked as a troupe in the annual Take Back the Night March, and in October
of 2007-2009, we formed a team and participated in the CIBC Run for the Cure,
and in 2009 participated in the Hearts for Haiti fundraiser.
The
Neighbourhood Strays are available for hire for private functions, such as
corporate parties and weddings. We also offer workshops as a fun alternative to
the usual Bridal Shower activities, or as a unique and interesting Girls’ Night
Out. See our performance information section for more details on hiring for
events.
The
Neighbourhood Strays are no strangers to media attention. The troupe has
appeared on the NTV Evening News with Toni Wiseman, been featured on CBC TV and
CBC Radio, and have had many newspaper articles written about us. Our pictures
are snapped on a regular basis and are often used to highlight stories with
international themes.
In
September 2008, the Neighbourhood Strays opened their very own bellydance
studio but due to troupe changes in 2009 it was closed. Classes are still available from one of the many dance studios located in Newfoundland. See the links of interest section for studio information.
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