About the Neighbourhood Strays

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 students, and we are always adding new original choreographies to our performances. We initially choose the name “The Neighbourhood Strays” 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, and she is a Ph.D. Candidate and Sessional Instructor in the Department of Folklore at Memorial University.

The Neighbourhood Strays are regular performers at SummerDance, the Lantern Festival, Peace-A-Chord, Mary Griffiths Night, and various multicultural festivals, including the popular International Food and Craft Fair. We have also been known to give impromptu performances throughout the city.

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. Once a month, we volunteer our time to give workshops for women’s and children’s support groups. In September 2007, we walked as a troupe in the annual Take Back the Night March, and in October of 2007, we formed a team and participated in the CIBC Run for the Cure.

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.

The Neighbourhood Strays Bellydance Troupe offers a variety of classes in bellydancing, ranging from Beginners to Advanced. We also offer special-interest classes in areas such as Egyptian Cabaret and Bellydancing for Relaxation. Our Bellydance Boot Camp classes are the perfect way to get whipped into shape in a fun and energizing atmosphere. We also periodically offer workshops in such topics as Undulations, Costuming, and Dancing with Drums. No matter where your interests lie, there is a bellydance class for you!

The Neighbourhood Strays are no strangers to media attention. The troupe has appeared most recently on the NTV Evening News with Toni Wiseman. We have also been featured on CBC TV and CBC Radio, and we 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.

Our website (www.theneighbourhoodstrays.com) lists our classes, performances, and pictures of the troupe. We also have our own Facebook Group, which is gaining members quickly.

You can learn more about individual troupe members by going to our Meet the Strays page.