Blog

Well hello everybody! Thank you all so much for becoming a member of MEDANZ. We are such a small community in a small country and it seems so odd to know there is so much home grown talent out there and hardly any of our local populace still knows so little of us even though we’ve been here ‘forever’! Most of us just do our best don’t we, having a fabulous time enjoying the learning and being glamorous. For those of us who wish for more and have gone professional then we congratulate you on your fortitude and hard won careers. This year some of our committee wanted to introduce themselves a little more so we have collected up some short bios for you.

Pres - Majida Wahid

Hi beautiful dancers and musicians. I go by Majida in the dance community, and some of you may know me as the dancer who plays the Middle Eastern keyboard and I am based in the Far North.

Somehow I am the new President for MEDANZ! I have never been in the executive before, so this shall be interesting. I was a general committee member in 2016/2017 and I have been in and out of membership of MEDANZ over the years, as my life has fluctuated, but dance and music remain a longstanding passion of mine.

I look forward to a year of working with the keen committee members to bring a festival for all members and hopefully some smaller local events.

VP - Raffaela Cruickshank

Hi, my name is Raffaella (or Raffa for short), my dance name is Nelum (which means Lotus Flower). I have been studying and learning Belly Dance since 2005, here in New Zealand.

I am Italian and I have lived in many countries. I have been teaching Oriental and Folkloric Dance to beginners through my group Arabian Stars since 2013. As a proud member of MEDANZ since 2010, I’ve had the opportunity to learn from incredible local and international instructors at MEDANZ festivals in Tauranga, Auckland, and online. My commitment to the dance community was solidified during my volunteer role as Secretary of the MEDANZ Committee in 2018/2019, and then I continued to contribute as an ordinary member in 2023/2024.

I firmly believe that MEDANZ is a vital resource for dancers in New Zealand. It fosters connections among belly dancers of all styles, ages, and skill levels, creating a vibrant community. The MEDANZ Committee tirelessly works to inspire and ignite a passion for Belly Dance in newcomers. Join us in this beautiful journey and discover the joy and empowerment that dance brings.

Secretary - Jill Murphy

Hi there, I’m Jill Murphy and am serving as your new Secretary for MEDANZ this year.

I love all the forms of this dance and I am always thrilled to be able to watch performances by some of the fine exponents that we have here in Aotearoa/New Zealand.

I started dancing with the Contemporary School of Belly Dance here in Otautahi Christchurch just days after the big earthquake of 2010, on the grounds that if I didn’t go out then, I would be too afraid to ever go out on my own again!!

Although I began with Orientale, the earthquakes not only levelled our city but scythed through our teachers, many had to leave to finish University or take their families away from broken homes and livelihoods and the roughly 13,000 aftershocks. So I changed code, went to the ‘dark’ side and learned Tribal Style and never looked back! Now I play with my dance sisters within Soul Star Tribe in the forms of Fat Chance Belly Dance and Global Caravan and Divine Chaos Skirt and our own dialect.

I also discovered, in the kind arms of this sisterhood, that drumming and creating music and singing are the wonderful by products.

It’s never too late to learn and go forth into the world as a new being. I am 72 in July and I am still fulfilling my potential. It is never too late. You can teach an old dog new tricks! 

Treasurer – Rob James

Rob has been a supporter of MEDANZ since the beginning, on the sidelines, in the wings at performances, running the music and learning Doumbek to accompany Diane. He has been Treasurer of several sports organizations both local and national and brings a wealth of experience to the role.

Diane James

Diane has been part of MEDANZ from the start as a founder member, on the first committee serving as vice-president and then as president returning to help on the committee on several occasions.

Brigid Kelly

I'm Brigid, dance name Zumarrad, from Ōtautahi Christchurch. I've served on the MEDANZ committee many times over the years and am looking forward to seeing what the next 12 months will bring for us. My favourite focus is Egyptian dance, and I currently teach an open drop-in community class at Evolve Studios in Christchurch via my joint project, Ya Leily Dance Club. 

Jeena Monk

Hi there I'm Jini, or others know me as Jeena.  I've danced in Auckland all my dance life (I will not be inserting the number of years here as it is too scary to count...) and I am lucky enough to be one of the members of the Desert Divas in Auckland.  This is the first time I have put my hand up to be on the MEDANZ committee.  I am basically an oriental dancer, however I have dabbled in folk and tribal dancing too - I really do just love music with a good beat!  

So there you go and there are some brilliant stalwarts still working for you, Rob James and Diane James and Angela Mott have been wonderful supporters and we thank them for all for their on going support.