Mejance

with Live Band!

The Yousry El-Hefny Group joins Aicha Babacar to bring us a live Mejance class.

Mejance, also known as a Majence, Mergence, Magence, and so many other variations, is an entrance piece to start off your show and works often as a preview of whats to come, expressing all the different parts of the upcoming show.

It's versatility and the variety of styles all in one song have made them a darling of current learning trends.

Bring your veil and learn a unique mejance choreography to the Majence, Azza Sherif, played live while you learn!

Slide Some Oil to Me

(Joint Mobility and Range of Motion)

In dance you are as strong as your weakest link--so let's focus on joint health in this special session. We will explore linking your core strength to your arms and legs. We will conduct self-studies to diagnose joint alignment and range of motion. We will explore injury prevention and recovery. We will move thoughtfully, and with loving care for your instrument of expression.

An intimate talk/Q&A with Donna Mejia:

Anti-bias and Anti-Racism in Dance Studies

Bring your questions, observations, and curiosities to this event. Let's talk about dance studies, anthropological methodologies, ethics, and building a personal practice. For anyone and everyone no matter your identity, ethnicity, education, or socioeconomic position.

The Drop, The Bass, The Funk, and the Hips

African music came to the U.S.A. through the gateway of New Orleans and the Mississippi Delta. This virtual movement class explores black music's relationship with the downbeat and the rhythmic, curvilinear spine. Please have a yoga mat for warm up, and prepare yourself for the whuppin' thump, the thick bass, the crunchy beats, and a whole mess of fun.

Yoga for Bellydance

Yogic exercises to improve your strength, flexibility and balance. Improve your backbends, hip mobility, and floor work, and protect yourself from injury. Bonus: Workshop will include a warm-up you can do in a tight space before performing, and a restorative flow you can do post-gig.

Dancer Recalibration

Offering a 3 part series geared to sharpening posture, increasing endurance, and rehabilitating the body for a long dance life.

Booty Blaster - for powerful hip work and bitchin shimmies
Call to Arms - upper body rehabilitation and endurance for silky arm movement and snow able posture
10 min Shimmy Endurance drill

To Tuck or Not To Tuck?

5 reasons you should know and teach to your bellydance students.

The pelvic floor is comprised of very powerful muscles, which effect our lower back, bladder, bowl functions, sexual wellness, and, of course, bellydance.

Nefertiti will review anatomy, pelvic floor concerns that may affect your bellydance technique, strength exercises for pelvic floor and teach bellydance combinations specifically designed for various pelvic floor concerns.

Rhythm & Grooves

From drum solos to folklore to classic pieces, drums are the heartbeat of Arabic music and dance. This workshop will highlight rhythms commonly found in popular songs as well as a few wildcards. Using movements and combinations that compliment each rhythm, we will focus on musical interpretation while keeping our bodies moving! Learn earthy Saidi, sensual Chiftiteli, ethereal Samai, and more. Start moving to the beat and hitting accents with attitude!

All levels welcome - modifications will be provided to challenge varying levels of dancers.

The Magic of Your Movement

What are some of the qualities that make a dancer stand out to you? Do you wonder how you can add that extra sparkle to your dance? In this class, you will discover the magic of your dance through guided prompts and movement exploration. We will also have a short discussion of the experience of each prompt. You will also receive a list of dance prompts to incorporate into your own dance practice.

Shimmy.Sweat.Stretch: Extra Shimmy Edition

Shimmy.Sweat.Stretch is back! This time we focus on strengthening our shimmies through dance and stretch! Grab your water, your fanciest pants, and let's get our shimmy on!

Creating Your "Queendom"

 Adding Flavor & Spice to your dance

This workshop will focus on adding flavor & spice to your dance to help create your "signature style". Using strong dance techniques, combination steps, and improv skills we'll explore your untapped potential.

Ooey Gooey Melt Into Your Movements

This workshop is all about yummy movement! Learn undeniably juicy combinations rich in ooey gooey, grounded movement, and expression. We will play with and explore concepts of contraction, relaxation, and softness to create texture that is ooey gooey and melts into your movements.

Fusion technique and choreography

Study a challenging and unique spin on fusion belly dance. Drill technique that will inform new combinations which are influenced by urban styles found in hip hop, retro funk styles such as popping, and the timeless influence of raqs sharqi. Build coordination, work on isolating movements, and expand your dance style with unusual combos. This workshop will be high energy, prepare to sweat and have fun. Dance shoes recommended, but not required.

ShimmyHIIT Bellydance Fitness

This unique and fast-paced workout combines the best of two worlds by melding the intensity of a HIIT (high intensity interval training) session with belly dance technique - including shimmy combos and layers. Increase muscular strength and cardiovascular endurance by giving high effort during intense bursts of exercise followed by short recovery periods and belly dance inspired drills. This full-body workout features resistance training, cardio sessions, and core strength work without the use of weights or equipment. This workshop is an excellent training tool for anyone looking to obtain a high level of personal fitness. Athletic shoes and yoga mat are strongly recommended.

Bellydance Basics Workshop

For the newcomer or intermediate beginner looking to practice traditional belly dance. Learn and practice basic shimmies, accents, undulations, and traveling steps. Come away from the experience with a fun combo to practice and create your own.

Datura Style 101

We will introduce some fundamental technique and learn some of the Datura Style (fusion belly dance) vocabulary. Students can expect to dance the combos they've learned in an improvisational leader-follower format.

Creative Bellydance Gestures!

The stage is both your playground and your platform! As a dancer, you use subtleties, gestures, and expression to draw your audience into your performance.

Lotus Niraja will explore how to use human communication to capture and maintain your audience's attention in this class. We'll have a lot of fun practicing creative gestures, exploring methods to frame accents, creative movement, and building energy with "percussive emotions".

Bandari (Afro Iranian) history, dance, music and culture

In Farsi (vs. Persian) Bandar means “harbor”. This high energy Southern Iranian dance from the Persian Gulf not only reflects on ties from the Arabian Peninsula but from traditional African dances that were introduced to the Persian Gulf by African people brought in to work and build empires outside of their native land. Come learn history, musicality, abdominal movements, traveling movements, fun undulations, graceful 

arm, and hands movements, various shimmies, and fun spins and turns!