Belly Dance

 Slinky and serpentine, channel your inner shapeshifter.  Imagine moving like incense smoke through space. This workshop focuses on developing and maintaining the posture and muscle control to execute extremely slow and sinuous movements approaching controlled contortionism.  We will begin with a very thorough warm up and series of strengthening exercises targeting the quads and core to prepare for smooth level changes and floor work.  Developing flexibility in the hip flexors, legs and back will also be addressed.  We will then move on to drills focusing on posture and technique, moving on to breaking down isolations of the chest, shoulders and hips.   The execution of the slinkiest of snake arm cycles and traveling movements akin to “moving through honey” will also be broken down and drilled.  We will then progress to very slow and controlled level changes and short combinations utilizing the isolations we have been drilling.  The combinations will be linked together and expanded upon to form a complete choreography.

Week 3: Thillin' Drillin

This workshop is all about establishing muscle memory and getting a great workout in the process! We will work on drills emphasizing the upper body including the breakdown of movements such as circles, figure eights, pops, locks and isolations. We will then move on to more complex drills and practice layering the movements with different variations such as levels and timing with the music.  Once we feel comfortable with layering shoulder shimmies and chest pops for example in place, we will experiment with traveling movements such as the sidewinder and the sideways flatfooted slide walk.  The workshop will conclude with a brief sub workshop on getting the most out of your bellyrolls, flutters and other abdominal isolations.

Week 4: Putting it AAALLLL Together

Wednesday May 26th, 6:30 - 8:00 pm

 This workshop focuses on reviewing all that we have learned in the previous 3 weeks and how to work all of the new elements in our dance repertoire into short combinations and choreographies.  Whether you are interested in pursuing learning more about the art of tribal fusion bellydance or you just want to find new and impressive ways to strut your stuff on the dance floor, this workshop ties it all together.  Come ready to sweat and above all have a great time!!!  One of the best and most compelling things about this style of dance is the bond and camaraderie created between you and your fellow classmates!