Hello everyone! I’m Mallory Beth Power and I’ll be your comic relief Stray! I may be the troupe clown, but I seriously love this dance form.

Here’s a little bit about me. I’m a Newfoundlander, born and raised in Gander (don’t worry, there’s nothing wrong with me). I moved to St. John’s in 2007 to attend university and now I have recently finished the requirements for my undergraduate degree in Folklore at Memorial where I am also continuing studies in Psychology and hopefully, Education as well.

However, my bellydance journey began in Corner Brook in 2004, where I spent my first year of general studies at Sir Wilfred Grenfell College. There, I met my close friend Nicole Hull, who studied bellydance under Elinor Benjamin and danced with her troupe, the Turkish Delights. Nicole and I quickly became close friends and she started to give me bellydance lessons in my residence room at SWGC.

After my first year at SWGC, I moved home to Gander for a year to work, but knew I would be moving to St. John’s in 2007. Nicole suggested I take lessons when I get to the city and told me about Andrea Kitta and the Neighbourhood Strays. That summer, before I left Gander to move to the city, I had already been in contact with Andrea about taking lessons and had even bought NHS T-shirts before I ever met Andrea in person. I felt so drawn to this dance form and was so excited to start learning.

I started my first beginner’s class, taught by Kristine Nolte, in November 2007 and was hooked ever since! I moved on to do intermediates and several other classes with Andrea and have taken many workshops as well with various instructors including: Audra Simmons of the Dakside Studio in Toronto, Monique Ryan from Halifax, and ATS classes from Andrea Kitta and Diane McDonald from Vancouver. I now continue my training at the lovely Wild Lily Dance Center here in St. John’s, Newfoundland.

The art of bellydance has had many positive effects on my life. I feel that bellydance has given me a huge boost of confidence and self-acceptance when it comes to my body and myself as a whole. The amazing people I have met through bellydance have given my life so many colours. The friends that I have made are some of the best I’ve ever had. My troupe mates and fellow dancers have been one of the best support groups I could ever ask for and have gotten me through the best and worst of times.

Dancing, for me, is like a multivitamin for all of life. It is a healing experience for me. It gives me strength and simultaneously lets me be vulnerable if I wish to be. I can express myself through dance and I feel that dance has given me the courage to express myself more openly in life. Even when I dance alone, I never feel alone, because I know that so many other dancers are supporting me. These people are the ones I can turn to when I am down and who can bring me back up again through all the good times we have together.

Dancing keeps me fit and gives me a great workout without even feeling like I am working at all. My dance time is my time to myself, where I am free to be myself and to forget about life’s stresses. It is an escape, which keeps me sane and makes me feel accomplished. This is why I love to dance and why I will continue to do so for as long as I can