Dance. Community. Service.
The NoCo Jewels are the community belly dance troupe of the NoCo Raqs Dance Company.
We’re building something that goes beyond rehearsing choreography and performing onstage. The NoCo Jewels are inspired by the spirit of New Orleans social aid and pleasure clubs: organizations built around community, friendship, celebration, and service.
Safira grew up in the New Orleans area and was an original member and the first Milk Queen of the Mande Milkshakers, a women’s dance krewe built around those same ideas. The NoCo Jewels bring that spirit to the North Country through belly dance.
We are a community service organization that also performs.
What Do the NoCo Jewels Do?
Yes, we dance.
The NoCo Jewels will perform or serve as ambassadors at community events, festivals, fairs, parades, and other opportunities throughout the North Country.
But performance is only one part of what we’re building.
Community service and charitable work are part of the foundation of the troupe, not something we’ll tack on later. Members will participate in service projects and fundraising efforts throughout the year as opportunities arise.
Participating in fundraising does not mean members will be expected to make personal financial donations. The goal is to give our time, our energy, our visibility, and our collective effort back to the communities we’re part of.
Who Can Become a NoCo Jewel?
The NoCo Jewels are designed to be an accessible community troupe with room for dancers at different stages of their belly dance training.
Current students of The Belly Dance Practice Studio may join without an audition.
Dancers who train elsewhere are also welcome to express interest. Safira may ask experienced dancers who are not current students to demonstrate their training so we can make sure everyone entering the troupe has the foundation needed to rehearse and perform safely together.
You do not need to be an advanced dancer to become a Jewel.
You do need to be willing to learn, practice, work as part of a group, participate in the community side of the organization, and represent the troupe well when we’re out in public.
Rehearsals & Performances
Regular NoCo Jewels rehearsals will be held at Studio Seventy One in Gouverneur, generally about every other Monday.
The troupe will continue meeting between performances. This isn’t a group that forms for one show and disappears afterward.
When you commit to a performance, additional rehearsals may be required to prepare that particular piece or event. Whenever possible, performance dates and the rehearsal schedule connected to them will be provided upfront so members can decide whether they’re able to make that commitment.
You will not be required to participate in every performance.
Membership Cost
NoCo Jewels membership is $20 per month.
The goal is to keep membership affordable, and Safira hopes to keep dues at that level as the troupe grows.
There will also be costume expenses associated with performing. Whenever possible, we’ll aim to keep individual costume costs around $100 or less, build costumes gradually rather than requiring everything at once, and use sewing or simple modifications when that makes sense.
Costuming will vary from one performance to another, and options will be available for dancers who prefer more coverage.
Our first planned costumes will be baladi-style dresses for our November performance.
The Roughcuts
Not everyone who wants to be part of this community needs to be a dancer.
The Roughcuts are the NoCo Raqs Dance Company auxiliary: the people who help make everything else possible.
Roughcuts may assist with performances, community service projects, parade logistics, fundraising, setup and teardown, costumes and props, merchandise or information tables, transportation, photography and video, and the hundred other things that happen behind the scenes.
Membership in the Roughcuts is separate from membership in the NoCo Jewels.
A Note About Our Structure
The NoCo Jewels and NoCo Raqs Dance Company are operated as part of Safira’s business rather than as a nonprofit organization.
When we raise money for a charitable organization, funds intended for that organization will be directed to the nonprofit rather than treated as business income.
Our community work matters to us, and we want that relationship to stay clear.
Become a Founding NoCo Jewel
We’re currently building the founding group of the NoCo Jewels, which means the dancers joining now will have the opportunity to help shape what this community becomes.
Our first performance is already planned for November, but participation in that performance is optional. You can become a founding member even if November doesn’t work for you.
If this sounds like the kind of dance community you’ve been looking for, we’d love to hear from you.