MEDANZ | August 2026 Update

Greetings MEDANZ Members,

Firstly, let me apologize for the lengthy delay between updates! This committee has been challenged by sickness, technical difficulties, well deserved holidays and a whole host of other minor things since Festival – which has meant an unusually long silence. We will aim to keep you better updated in the months to come.

A change at the top...

Unfortunately, and reluctantly, Liz Irvine has given her resignation as President. We thank Liz for her enduring passion and support for all things MEDANZ, and we wish her well in the future.

Our Vice President, Melissa Gunn, has agreed to step into the President role for the 2026/27 year. Thank you, Melissa, for making time in your very busy schedule to lead the MEDANZ committee for the remainder of this term. It is very much appreciated and you have our wholehearted support.

Festival Feedback 2026

I know that Festival 2026 in Orewa seems like a distant memory now, we hope that is because you are all busy adding wonderful new memories to your lives! However, we would love to hear your feedback on the festival – click through to fill in our online feedback form. You may answer anonymously, and you do not have to sign into Google to proceed.

Thank you for your considered opinions. It helps us greatly when planning future festivals, and yes, we do read and note every reply.

Donate now!

In response to members' requests at the AGM, we have added a Donate function to our website. You can now contribute to MEDANZ financially if you wish! Read more and make a donation here https://medanz.org.nz/donate/.

Online Meet up

The Committee are inviting you to a Spring Catch-up online, at 7.30pm Sunday 27 September 2026 – a chance to get together and reconnect. Our guest artist will talk about the trials and highlights of being a bellydance performer in Turkey. If you are interested in joining us, simply reply to this email and we will add you to the guest list.

We would like to use Google Meet for this event. If this doesn't work for you, let us know, and we will look at using Zoom if necessary.

Desert Divas Hafla in Auckland, 18 October 2026

Get your dance shoes on: the Desert Divas Hafla is happening in Browns Bay, Auckland on Sunday 18th October between 3-5pm. Poster and link for tickets can be found on the home page of our website: https://www.medanz.org.nz - hope to see you there!

New Members?

MEDANZ welcomes new and returning members, plus MEDANZ membership is currently free! Please encourage your dance friends to join us, to promote your local events on our website and our social feeds, stay up to date with events around the country, receive updates on our next national Festival, and other MEDANZ events that happen from time to time. If you are a teacher, please join our Partner Programme and advertise your classes on our website, which is also free of charge.

Until next month, keep dancing

2026/27 MEDANZ Committee

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