BY CARMEN GELETTE, HILARY THOMSON, AND SUSANNE NAHM Sahda, Vancouver April 2007
Lynette and Leah are masters of their arts and both are warm, approachable teachers. Their teaching styles complement each other perfectly, they were easy to follow and adept at breaking down the moves. Both instructors took the time to answer questions and provide background information for clarification.
This hafla was a sold out event and we're sure that no one was disappointed; from the dreamy,
On February 18th members of Women of Widad piled into a van to take the trip up to Nanaimo to attend a workshop with Lynette Harper. We were excited and all felt that we needed a burst of dance energy after the long winter and also to beat the February blues. When we arrived at the Harbour Dance Centre in Nanaimo we were pleasantly surprised by the sunshine streaming through the windows
What attracted you to bellydance, and made you stick to it?
Dance is life! Returning home from a Middle East journey in 1976, I discovered the bellydance craze had hit Vancouver - and knew I'd become part of it. Sometimes I wonder if I would have stuck to Middle Eastern forms if I wasn't Lebanese, since their
OPA! The newsletter of the Oriental Performing Arts Society, Victoria, Fall 2003
I didn't catch much of Victoria's Fringe festival, being out of town for most of it. I got back in time for the final performance of Earthfire's exceptional theatre presentation Miraj.
This week I joined in on a trend that has been around for hundreds of years but now is suddenly new and hot again. I took a beginner belly dancing class with Lynette Harper at the
Denman Island Dance Retreat: What I did on my summer vacation
By Kim Pechet Sahda, Vancouver September 2003
Well if Hornby Island locals consider Denman Island a “speed bump”, I say . .. slow down and bottom out on Denman. Denman is beautiful, the folk are friendly and home to the Denman Island Dance Retreat. Coordinated by Gillian Saxby and hosted by Lynette Harper and Bronwyn Simons my 5 days on Denman was a treat that I wish to re-treat myself to next year. My buddy Jean Prescott gave me a wonderful birthday present this year. She spirited me away from family, teaching classes and the city to deposit me in amongst 20 of the loveliest women I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. Add to this mix, 5 great days of dance with Lynette and
Review by Lynn Welburn Daily News, Nanaimo 16/4/2003
Miraj (an Arabic word meaning ascent, the journey upwards) was the perfect title for the April 11 performance by Earthfire dance at the Malaspina University College theatre.
As life shifts into the busy patterns of fall, I am trying to retain some of the spirit & grace of Summer's experience at Hollyhock. I had the good fortune of being one of sixteen women who participated in a five-day retreat, "The Art of Bellydancing" led by Nanaimo dancer and instructor Lynette Harper. Let me first tell you a little about Hollyhock, best described as a New Age resort idyllically located
To mark the opening of the Scotiabank Dance Centre in downtown Vancouver, some Nanaimo area dancers will be on hand this week-end to celebrate. Well-known local belly dancer Lynette Harper, and several of the members of her dance
An email dialogue by Lynette and Rahma Haddad Sahda, Vancouver, January 2001
Lynette: The first time I saw a group of women "bellydancing" together in Vancouver was in 1976, I had just returned from the Middle East. I was blown away by the exotic clothing and music that had suddenly appeared at a community event in Kits; and then my mom pointed out one of the dancers: "That's your cousin."
By Gail Johnson The Georgia Straight vol.34 no.1692, May 25-June 1 2000
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You never know what to expect from 12 Minutes Max. Over the years, some of the productions, which showcase local talent, have focused on modern dance while others have emphasized theatre. The most recent centred purely on movement - but in a bizarre twist, this program had a heavy emphasis on one style in particular: Middle Eastern dance. Under the direction of dancers Marthe Leonard and Alvin Erasga Tolentino, 12 Minutes Max featured eight short works by emerging artists; of those, three were rooted in belly dance. Two were choreographed by Marilee "Venus" Nugent, who has been studying and performing Middle Eastern dance for 19 years and performs regularly in Vancouver restaurants. Her solo Set El Hosen was a strong opener to the program , as she swirled and flicked her hips to upbeat percussion, wearing a traditional royal-blue skirt and bikini top with a boa slung over her shoulders for added glamour. Agmal Hob, her work for five dancers, was less intense. Wearing boldly coloured velvet dresses, the performers took to the stage in a V formation, churning their abdomens in unison to the music of Hossam Ramzy. But with the exception of Nugent, the women seemed to lack the passion and confidence that are integral to a belly dancer's appeal. Such assuredness was evident in Lynette Harper's Smokin'. The 22-year veteran of Middle Eastern dance gyrated in a stunning outfit of burgundy, orange, green and gold in this sexy, powerful solo. Harper rippled her body with all the boldness and sensuality of a pro. (article continues for three paragraphs about other performers)
Group spotlight: EARTHFIRE
MID-BITS Summer 2000
Earthfire is a high-energy dance troupe featuring five seasoned performers. Each dancer brings a unique style and expression to traditional dance forms, based on personal connections with Turkey, Lebanon, and Russia. Since their 1997 debut at Tofino's August Winds Performing Arts Festival, Earthfire has presented performances and workshops in theatres, community halls, and festivals in Vancouver, Seattle, the Gulf Islands, and around Vancouver Island.
An Interview with Lynette Harper....by Laura Wilson Q.
Sadha October 1997
Q.Tell us about your involvement with bellydancing on Vancouver Island.
A. Vancouver Island is a special place - you're never very far from a spot that can take your breath away with its spectacular natural beauty. The people who choose to live here have something special to offer, particularly the artists and performers you can find all over the island. It's too simple to say that Islanders are "mellow", or "laid-back". But
By Goody Niosi Harbour City Star, Nanaimo 14/11/1998
The Spice Girls may have Girl Power, but Nanaimo's own Earthfire has Woman Power; a force that's gathering enthusiastic fans wherever they perform. Earthfire is a troupe of women who dance together with joy, energy and exuberance. And although they perform folk dances from all parts of Europe, they're probably best known for their Turkish gypsy dances, popularly called belly dancing. The dancers are Lynette Harper, Faith LaFave, Serap, Sahira and Taissia Sinclair. When they aren't dancing they are students, a researcher, a computer nerd, a counselor and a teacher. Their backgrounds are Russian, Turkish, European and Middle Eastern. They share a passion for the dance. Lynette Harper describes gypsy dancing as a wonderful, exuberant, free, dynamic dance style.
Imagine the combo of belly dancing and museum work! Lynette Harper has found the link. Born in Vancouver of Lebanese parents, belly dancing just seemed to come naturally. Her list of dance performances is impressive. From the Vancouver Sea Festival and Robson Square
With its Middle Eastern Fantasy, the Middle Eastern Dance Association of Vancouver turned up on the stage of Granville Island's Waterfront Theatre Monday night in an entertainment that was about half Turkish delight and half Bosporus bore. The height of delight arrived about three-quarters of the way through the program when Lynette Harper, whose name would suggest that her connections with the Middle East are purely artistic, impersonated Salome in a Dance of the Seven Veils. Whether Harper's self-choreographed version of Salome's seductive gyrations had much to do with what actually went on at the court of Herod and Herodias cannot, of course, be established. Nevertheless, this attractive dancer shed her jewel-colored veils very prettily as she spun, whirled and undulated to some wonderfully beguiling music from Egypt. In all, there were 15 items on the program, with such fanciful titles as Sweeping Dance (four young ladies with brooms), Cane Dance (one young lady shimmying while balancing a cane on various parts of her anatomy), and Halt Inla (two particularly lithe young ladies in what looked like a Middle Eastern representation of The Bump.)
We were excited and all felt that we needed a burst of dance energy after the long winter and also to beat the February blues. When we arrived at the Harbour Dance Centre in Nanaimo we were pleasantly surprised by the sunshine streaming through the windows
my 5 days on Denman was a treat that I wish to re-treat myself to next year. 
The Spice Girls may have Girl Power, but Nanaimo's own Earthfire has Woman Power; a force that's gathering enthusiastic fans wherever they perform. 
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