What Paulette’s students have to say…
Paulette is an inspirational teacher, mentor, and friend. Her wealth of knowledge, experience, and passion are shared so freely and with such love that she cannot help but fire up the same passion in her students – a burning desire to honour her teaching and dance. Yes, she challenges, but also supports and encourages all those who learn from her to be the very best that they can be. I am honoured to have her as part of my dance journey = long may it continue!…Cayte
~~~
Paulette brings years of experience, fortitude and grace to the table. Watching her, you will be enchanted by her dance and the mastering of every move with purpose and finesse.
Experiencing this unique teacher is a must if you want to understand what dance means not only as a community of women, but as a dancer for yourself. You will discover why you dance and the special meaning it has for you.
Learning from Paulette allows you clarity in a safe setting to explore your strengths and weaknesses as you discover this dance.
From new dancers to the highly seasoned professional dancer will be challenged, uplifted, humbled, honored. You may laugh, cry, but you will come away from your experience forever changed.
Paulette is a vivacious force of nature, a truly wonderful lady, and a phenomenal teacher. She cares about each of her students and will nurture you in your own path of learning…Lisa V.
Gypsy Caravan Tribal Bellydance®
Tribal has taught me to trust myself again… Rebecca
~~~
Gypsy Caravan Tribal Dance to me is: earthy, grounded, feminine, a passion, mystical, hypnotic, a sisterhood, necessary.
It is a place where I can forget about the struggles of daily life, my “safe” place, a place where I can just let go and be me.
It is a place where I feel like I am enough. It is a place of fun, friendships, and joy…Brenda
~~~
Gypsy Caravan has not only changed my dance but my life!
Paulette’s love, knowledge, and passion for the dance shines through in everything she does!
It is so very contagious, you can not help but say Yes! I want that! I want to do that!…Allie
~~~
There is such a depth and width to this Gypsy Caravan Style of Tribal Bellydance. When it truly grips your heart, then you will know how meaningful this Collective Soul experience can be, at least that is true for me…What draws to me to this dance is the organic, wholistic, and all-encompassing fullness that it brings to my life, and the amazing connections with lovely dancers locally and around the globe. That is our Collective Soul!…Joyce
Teacher Training
I feel honoured and privileged to be a GCTB teacher. It has become…. not just my pastime or recreational activity, but my lifestyle!
The meeting of women in circles is very powerful. To come together to support each other on our journeys and to look within, connecting with our sacred feminine to find our inner goddess. We feel nurtured, healed, comforted, understood and just damn straight happy!
When you share sacred space it magnifies the power of your intentions and energetically creates a supportive network not only for your circle of women, but for women everywhere…Bolly
~~~
My Collective Soul and Teacher Training experiences have helped me be a better dancer in every way. They have helped me grow as a person and develop confidence in myself as an artist.
But through the process of becoming a teacher under her mentorship I have learned so much more:
how to be a conduit for students’ own evolution, how to read people and see their strengths, how to explain things differently to different people, how to be an ethical leader, and how to trust my intuition.
Through these experiences I have discovered my passion for teaching and have now been able to successfully develop and lead my own classes and troupe…Hilary G.
Collective Soul
Collective Soul reached into the music to which we dance; into those rhythms which move our souls and our hips and into how we can honor and respect them in our dancing and playing. And it reached into the very heart of tribal; into what it is that brings us together as one Collective Soul…Cayte
~~~
Collective Soul is about going to the source to learn in depth what the movement and philosophy of GCTB is about and affirming this knowledge. It is about rising up to the challenge of learning something new and pushing myself to attain the best quality I can as a dancer in this format and earning positive recognition when complete…Ana
~~~
…a great mix of philosophy, practice, anxiety, and joy. Just the right combination…Matt D
~~~
… what an absolute oasis of inspiration and pleasure that rainy day was for me…Margo W.
~~~
…what an amazing experience! To be completely immersed in this dance for three days and to receive individual attention from someone I so admire and respect has really changed the whole way I think and feel about my dance…C.L.
~~~
Workshops
“Attending the workshops … was a truly life-changing event in my dance trajectory. You have inspired me tremendously, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the inspiration that you, your dancers, and the Gypsy Caravan musicians have shared over the years.”…Zanbaka
~~~
Gypsy Caravan’s Paulette Rees-Denis , Taking Tribal Global Auckland 2014
(Document also known as ‘Drooling over the awesomeness!’)
They say you never forget your first time. And trust me I won’t! I have to quietly admit that I was once a Tribal Gypsy Caravan virgin but have no fear (thanks to the beautiful Christine and MEDANZ) the invigorating Paulette Rees-Denis and elegant Nina Martinez “cured” me and I’ll never be the same again!
I didn’t know what to expect but with a whole day of traditional gypsy caravan tribal technique, rhythms, zills and tribal combinations/variations ahead of me I got more than I bargained for. My lack of experience did not hinder my enthusiasm to learn in the best supportive environment. Coming from an oriental background these workshops took the ‘darkness’ out of Tribal belly dance for me. I was able to intuitively use cues and combinations to connect with my fellow dancers, even as a first-time tribalist! It was great being able to see what felt “natural” and what moves/combinations would make my head explode! That’s where Paulette and Nina came to the rescue, with their excellent breakdowns, encouragement and smiling faces.
I couldn’t believe the day had come to an end so soon. I was just getting started! What I thought of and how I saw Gypsy Caravan changed after this rewarding day. It may channel the ancient times and Tribal spirit but it’s always on the move. Travelling around the world, bringing dancers together to make magic happen …Sophie Kaulima-Irvine
