In Loving Memory
of
Carol Arnup
Dancer, Diva, Friend
Hi, my name is Julie Duffy. My friends, Julie Thomas, Jeena Monk and I had the pleasure of shimmying, popping and dropping with Carol for the last three years as the Desert Divas Middle Eastern Dance Troupe.
The three of us were delighted when Carol joined the troupe in 2016. We wanted a dancer who was keen, joyful and dedicated. We got that – a dancer filled with passion, vitality and fun, who put her heart and soul into every class and every performance. Her positive attitude and sense of humour were infectious. She stole the show when performing with her cheeky smile and exuberant personality. We marvelled at her skill with interacting with the audience; people loved to watch her.
We are truly honoured to have shared the stage with her and that she chose to be a Diva.
Some of our most precious memories revolve around our twice yearly troupe retreats. We spend the weekend at Tinopai, where we hire the hall, work on new choreographies, and dance until we drop. Of course, this works up an appetite so the food is delicious, and the cocktails and wine flow leading to an increasing amount of hilarity. Once well-oiled, we dig out video footage of past performances and watch our triumphs with pride and high fives, and tease one another about our disasters.
Earlier this year we volunteered to team teach one of our choreographies at the MEDANZ festival. This is the annual event where belly dancers from all over New Zealand get together for a weekend focussed on dancing and connecting. Carol had no experience teaching, and had a few qualms, but with a little encouragement, and her typical can-do attitude she rose to the challenge. That evening, the class participants performed the choreography with us at the Hafla. It was beautiful, and Carol felt justly proud of overcoming her nerves and passing on her knowledge.
We also performed our voi dance at festival.
All dancers have stories about the difficulty of performing with props, whether it be cane, veil, sword or anything else we use to create a dance. During practice sessions we tame them until they behave as expected, and so we enter the stage with confidence, but the second we’re in front of an audience they take on the qualities of a tantruming toddler.
Carol’s particular nemesis was her pair of white silk voi. Voi are long lengths of silk with a weighted end, which allows them to flow beautifully and look spectacular. Carol had a love/hate relationship with hers. When they behaved she adored them, but when they didn’t she’d curse them. To Carol’s credit, she managed to laugh off several mishaps during voi performances, including wrapping them round the light fittings at the Bays Club, and ending up with them tangled in a bundle in her arms at the Sahara Spice hafla. So as you can imagine, it was a major decision to put our voi dance forward as a festival performance. To dance it in front of our peers, and the best performers in New Zealand was a big deal for all of us. So much could go wrong, but when the voi behave they’re a wonderfrul accompaniment to the dramatic music. So despite out trepidation we decided to do it. On the night, clad in our new blingy red costumes we waited with bated breath for our turn. We needn’t have worried, all of our voi behaved perfectly, and Carol was thrilled, bubbling over with joy the way only Carol can.
If you’d like to see Carol performing at festival, the video links are on the video page.
A while ago, Carol received a compliment via text from Julie T. Unfortunately, it included a spelling mistake. The letter Y had been replace with a T. Carol roared with laughter, and instantly became our “Little Rat of Sunshine!”
Carol was so much more to us than a dancer, a Desert Diva.
When she joined our troupe we hadn’t bargained for how quickly Carol would become a dear friend. We shared tears as well as laughter. Her openess and honesty coupled with a massive heart and loving hugs and kisses made it easy to build close, strong friendships. We loved her so much, and knew she loved us too.
For a small person, Carol leaves a giant hole.
We are all richer for her presence in our lives.
Carol, you inspired us. You danced into our lives, left footprints on our hearts and glitter on our souls.
We will never forget you.
The three of us were delighted when Carol joined the troupe in 2016. We wanted a dancer who was keen, joyful and dedicated. We got that – a dancer filled with passion, vitality and fun, who put her heart and soul into every class and every performance. Her positive attitude and sense of humour were infectious. She stole the show when performing with her cheeky smile and exuberant personality. We marvelled at her skill with interacting with the audience; people loved to watch her.
We are truly honoured to have shared the stage with her and that she chose to be a Diva.
Some of our most precious memories revolve around our twice yearly troupe retreats. We spend the weekend at Tinopai, where we hire the hall, work on new choreographies, and dance until we drop. Of course, this works up an appetite so the food is delicious, and the cocktails and wine flow leading to an increasing amount of hilarity. Once well-oiled, we dig out video footage of past performances and watch our triumphs with pride and high fives, and tease one another about our disasters.
Earlier this year we volunteered to team teach one of our choreographies at the MEDANZ festival. This is the annual event where belly dancers from all over New Zealand get together for a weekend focussed on dancing and connecting. Carol had no experience teaching, and had a few qualms, but with a little encouragement, and her typical can-do attitude she rose to the challenge. That evening, the class participants performed the choreography with us at the Hafla. It was beautiful, and Carol felt justly proud of overcoming her nerves and passing on her knowledge.
We also performed our voi dance at festival.
All dancers have stories about the difficulty of performing with props, whether it be cane, veil, sword or anything else we use to create a dance. During practice sessions we tame them until they behave as expected, and so we enter the stage with confidence, but the second we’re in front of an audience they take on the qualities of a tantruming toddler.
Carol’s particular nemesis was her pair of white silk voi. Voi are long lengths of silk with a weighted end, which allows them to flow beautifully and look spectacular. Carol had a love/hate relationship with hers. When they behaved she adored them, but when they didn’t she’d curse them. To Carol’s credit, she managed to laugh off several mishaps during voi performances, including wrapping them round the light fittings at the Bays Club, and ending up with them tangled in a bundle in her arms at the Sahara Spice hafla. So as you can imagine, it was a major decision to put our voi dance forward as a festival performance. To dance it in front of our peers, and the best performers in New Zealand was a big deal for all of us. So much could go wrong, but when the voi behave they’re a wonderfrul accompaniment to the dramatic music. So despite out trepidation we decided to do it. On the night, clad in our new blingy red costumes we waited with bated breath for our turn. We needn’t have worried, all of our voi behaved perfectly, and Carol was thrilled, bubbling over with joy the way only Carol can.
If you’d like to see Carol performing at festival, the video links are on the video page.
A while ago, Carol received a compliment via text from Julie T. Unfortunately, it included a spelling mistake. The letter Y had been replace with a T. Carol roared with laughter, and instantly became our “Little Rat of Sunshine!”
Carol was so much more to us than a dancer, a Desert Diva.
When she joined our troupe we hadn’t bargained for how quickly Carol would become a dear friend. We shared tears as well as laughter. Her openess and honesty coupled with a massive heart and loving hugs and kisses made it easy to build close, strong friendships. We loved her so much, and knew she loved us too.
For a small person, Carol leaves a giant hole.
We are all richer for her presence in our lives.
Carol, you inspired us. You danced into our lives, left footprints on our hearts and glitter on our souls.
We will never forget you.