Belly dancer brings brilliance

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This article was published 26/08/2019 (2514 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

HOT TIP! Winnipeg belly-dance teacher and performer Beth (Zenobia) Syrnyk has some news: “We’re bringing master choreographer Yasmina Ramzy from renowned Arabesque Dance Company and the Earthshakers out of Toronto for the 10th anniversary of Culture Days in September.”

During that Sept. 27-29 weekend, dancers from several belly-dance organizations are coming to town to be choreographed in a large group for a show on the Sunday. Yasmina will be the mastermind and trainer.

The show will be at the Rachel Browne Theatre at 211 Bannatyne Ave., on Sept 29 from 3 to 5.30 p.m. And because it’s Culture Days, the event is free.

Contact Beth Syrnyk at Au Set Bellydance on Facebook if you want to take part in the show. “It’s going to be something fantastic, something Winnipeg has never seen before. On top of that, it’s fabulous to collaborate with other dancers from across the country,” says Syrnyk, whose day job is working as the retail manager at Marshall Fabrics where she’s known as “The Fabric Pharaoh.”

STREET DANCE FINAL WEEKEND: Street dances on Corydon Avenue have been a huge hit, bringing as many as 5,000 people to the “Patio District” of Winnipeg on the weekends.

The Rock the House Band is playing on Aug. 30 and will be set up at Corydon Avenue and Lilac Street from 7 to 10 p.m. The sextet is a hard-working party band with three of the musicians doing double duty handling lead vocals. They’ll be playing rock ’n’ roll, R&B and even some disco, so wear your silver bell-bottoms!

Talk about work. The band members all have day jobs and play gigs at night. Tenor sax player Chad Pollard is a music teacher; vocalist-bassist Paul Kelly is a shipper-receiver; vocalist-keyboardist Mike Szekely is a city worker; vocalist-guitarist Richard Courcelles is an electrician; drummer Fred Dawes is a real estate agent; and trumpet player Randy Robbins works at Piston Ring. They know how to steam it up and put it out!

On the last night of the series, Saturday, the 200 Aces Band, led by Johnathan Alexiuk, plays ’60s soul, big band, blues and Latin music at the corner of Corydon and Cockburn Street. Expect a big sound to fill the night as they say goodbye to another season of Katia von Stackelberg’s fabulous concert series put on by the Corydon BIZ. The streets are alive!

100 YEARS OF EMPOWERING WOMEN: The Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW) brought delegates from across Canada to its summit meeting and 100th birthday celebration Aug 13-19. A grand celebratory dinner for 300 was held at the Fort Garry Hotel, where the organization first got its start.

The summit was organized by Doris Mae Oulton, who also oversees the impressive charitable trust. This year, it provided $1.2 million for about 200 scholarships for ambitious female high school students needing funds for university, and 28 fellowships for other women to continue their studies and earn their masters and doctorates or continue research projects.

The CFUW is affiliated with 80 groups from across the country, including the University Women’s Club at 54 West Gate. Together, the groups raise at least $1 million every year to give as scholarships. They put their money behind women in non-traditional trades, Indigenous women, mature students and women in the arts and sciences. Local clubs provide scholarships to high school students.

The last day featured a celebration beginning with a plaque presentation from provincial NDP Leader Wab Kinew, Lt. Gov. Janice Filmon and MP Robert-Falcon Ouellette and ended with the dinner.

Spotted: Doris Mae Oulton, chairperson of the charitable trust; Muriel Smith, former head of the Manitoba Teachers’ Society; Sandra Millen, president of the local Manitoba University Women’s Club; Charlotte Jones of Portage la Prairie, who started “book bags” for young children; Free Press columnist Shannon Sampert; Grace Hollett, national president of CFUW from St. John’s, N.L.; Joy Hurst, VP of international for CFUW from Edmonton, and many more.

Fun fact: The early CFUW actually funded some of Marie Curie’s research in the early 20th century on radioactivity. She won the Nobel Prize in physics in 1903 and in chemistry in 1911.

GRANT & WILTON COFFEE HOUSE: Creative genius Al Simmons — musician, inventor of wild instruments, preposterous comedian — and his buddy Victor Pasta from the folk-rock group Vicious Circle, join forces on Sept. 14 at 7:30 p.m. to play the downstairs coffeehouse. They can accommodate 150 in a semi-circle around the stage.

After leaving Winnipeg for Victoria in 1981, Pasta was involved in more than 25 musicals and 35 operas. After retiring 10 years ago, he continued to sing hits from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s in the Jukebox Junkies. Simmons and Pasta have put together a wild and wacky night with some fantastical instrumentation, hijinks and even some classy singing.

“Bring your voices and instruments, all are welcome,” says Phil Spevack, who organizes the coffeehouses with biz partner David Au. Tickets are $15 from Spevack at 204-488-0207 or via email at spevackp@gmail.com.

Got tips? Cool things happening in your world? Been rubbing shoulders with the stars? Email Maureen’s Tips at mscurf@shaw.ca.