MINI-FESTIVALS - COMING TO A TOWN NEAR YOU

• Have you ever wished that our annual MEDANZ festival was closer to your home so that you and your whole dance group could afford to attend? 
• Maybe you are a small group of enthusiasts who would love to host some visiting MEDANZ teachers, but you don’t think you have the numbers to make this happen?
• Maybe you are a Teacher who would like to extend your students’ skills with a different style or prop, but you don’t have the experience to be able to teach this?
• Or perhaps you are a teacher who would love to share your passion for the dance with some new students, and don’t mind travelling away from home for a weekend?

Your MEDANZ committee have been been thinking a great deal about how we can bring ‘festival’ and all its great opportunities to more of our membership.  So a mini-festival, which brings your favourite MEDANZ teachers to your home town, we think could be a good way to achieve this. Full details of our new MEDANZ Mini-Festivals are listed below.

If this sounds like a whole lot of fun, and you would like to bring a Mini-festival to your home town, please contact the committee by email  committee@medanz.org.nz.

In 2013/14 we celebrated four mini-festivals, Levin in June, Auckland in August, Christchurch in October, and Mapua/Nelson in March.  In 2014 two mini-festivals were held in November, the first in Whitianga, then Dunedin! In 2015 a mini-festival was held in Orewa, Auckland, and in October 2016 we travelled to Blackball on the west coast for some tribal Mini-Festival fun.

In 2017 we have already brought the lovely Vanessa Castro to Wellington, and the super talented Candice Frankland to Nelson! 

So if you and your community would like a Mini-Festival in 2017/18, simply email committee@medanz.org.nz for more information.

Note to Teachers:  there are many new and worthwhile reasons to list yourself and your dance school on the MEDANZ Teachers’ Network.  Make sure you are eligible for all that MEDANZ has to offer by downloading and completing the form on our web site:

http://www.medanz.org.nz/belly-dance-info/teachers-network/

MEDANZ MINI-FESTIVAL DETAILS:

• A Mini-Festival can be anywhere in New Zealand where there is a group of Middle Eastern dance enthusiasts. (If you are a performance troupe without a teacher, you may still qualify).
• Hosts may choose any of the Teachers from the MEDANZ Teachers’ Network to tutor at a Mini-Festival. 
• A minimum of 10 participants for each paid event over the weekend is the aim, although we recognize that this is not always possible in some smaller centres around NZ.
• A Mini-Festival will have from 3-5 events per weekend which require payment:  which may include a hafla with performances (including light supper), plus three or four workshops.  
• In addition to the paid events, several FREE events may be included: ‘Ask The Committee’ a discussion with our visiting Committee Member, a lecture/movie or Q&A session with the guest teacher, plus Teacher/ Troupe training for the host.
• All events will be open to members and non-members of MEDANZ, except the Teacher/Training workshop which is exclusively for the host.
• Advertising and promotional printing plus ticketing will be paid for by MEDANZ in advance.
• Mini-Festival expenses will be agreed to with the committee and advanced to the host prior to the event, so that you don’t have to save up to be able to host this event.
• MEDANZ will accept hafla and workshop registrations and payments up to 1 week prior to events. 
• Only CASH payments for door sales will be accepted and receipted prior to entry.  Door sales will not be eligible for any discounts regardless of membership status.
• The Host will need to have a small team of volunteers available to set up/pack down the venue, organise the kitchen, look after and transport guest teachers etc (specific details will be provided).
• Generous discounts for Full and Family MEDANZ members will be offered.
• Workshop attendees will be invited to fill the performance slots at the Hafla.
• All Hafla attendees will require a ticket, including performers, unless agreed with the Committee prior to advertising the Mini-Festival eg: free entry for workshop attendees.
• The host (or nominated person) is required to write an article for the MEDANZ News, to be submitted within 2 months of the event being held.