Opening circle
We begin each dance session by holding an opening discussion on the history, lineages, and cultural context of the dance forms we are drawing from. This allows us to gain a deeper understanding of the cultural context and meaning imbibed in the movements. My intention is to create a safe space to talk about these important topics so that we can ask questions, make mistakes, and continue to cultivate cultural sensitivity.
$120 / $100
Session #1 6 weeks February 11th to March 18th. Session #2 4 weeks March 25th - April 15th. Each class is 60 minutes. Classes with be held Tuesday evenings 6:00-7:00 at the Abbey studio, Cumberland. I have created shorter sessions for beginners to create an opportunity for exploration without having to commit to a long term course.
As always we will be holding an opening circle discussion about the history, lineages, and cultural context of the dance forms we are drawing from before the first class of the session from 5:00-6:00 Attendance is optional but highly encouraged.
Welcome to this beginner-level Indian fusion bellydance class! Explore this beautiful and deeply transformative moment practice where we weave Datura-style bellydance with exquisite nuances of folkloric and classical Indian dance forms. In this class, we will be practicing foundational directions, shapes, and pathways used in Datura-style bellydance and basic mudras (hand positions), padas (foot positions) as well as some more subtle nuances drawn from Indian dance. With the intention of creating a foundation for a meaningful and focused practice, we will begin every class with a short meditation and somatic movements to cultivate awareness of our physical and energetic bodies. Integration of movements is achieved with careful practice. Through playful warmups, conditioning, and drills we invite the dance into our bodies. Repetition is our friend! We draw it all to culmination by building short dance phrases using the techniques practiced during class and closing with a slow, deep, flowing cool down.
session #1 Sold out
$220
This 11 week session runs February 11th to April 22nd 2025. Each class is 90 minutes. Classes will be held at the Abbey studio Tuesday evenings 7:15-8:45.
Opening circle discussion from 5:00-6:00 is optional but encouraged. Some of the information being shared will remain the same as in previous discussions but it is a shifting, changing entity that moves with me as I gain new experiences, and insights and feel connections with the changing world views.
Elevate your dance with advanced techniques. Layer movements and weave in subtle nuances of Indian dance to create an exquisite tapestry of dance that presents this style in its ripest form. Technique is the key to freedom! This is a performance-based class, bringing together dancers with at least two years of bellydance and/or Indian classical dance experience to learn a challenging choreography. This class will continue to build on the basic building blocks learned in the beginner class. We will be adding layers and diving deeper into Indian aesthetics, Odissi Indian classical dance, and brush on Indian classical music theory. This class is for you if you are excited to practice between classes, love to put energy into beautiful adornment and costuming, and wish to perform this group choreography! The thing I love most about this class is the bond that comes between dancers as we unite in the journey of integrating this dance into our bodies, overcoming challenges, and transcending our limits! There is a special sisterhood that emerges through this challenging dance as we overcome personal blockages both physical and energetic.
$120
This 6 week session runs February 10th to March 17th 2025. Each class is 75 minutes. Classes will be held at the Abbey studio, Monday evenings from 7:30-8:45.
I welcome you to the intricate and endlessly fascinating world of rhythm! Tala, literally translated to ‘clap’ is the term used in Indian Classical music to describe a rhythmic pattern. In this class series I will open up the gates to a magical place where our Indian fusion dance unties with rhythms of North Indian Hindustani music. We will be learning Dadra Taal, a 6 count rhythm and Rupak Taal, a 7 count rhythm. We will learn Bol (spoken syllables of the drum, in this case Tabla), how to count out the rhythms, as well as basic music theory. Through carful repetition we aim to achieve rhythmic synchronicity in our bodies where the rhythms are not simply learnt on an intellectual level, but internalized within our bodies where they can unfold organically through our dance.
The beginning of every class will be dedicated to the study of music theory before we flow into warm up’s and conditioning for deep body-mind awareness preparing us to dive into learning short dance phrases, and transitional moments, where we explore how Tala can bring out different qualities of movement. The last class will feature a live Tabla player. There is magic that happens when dancers and musicians unite!
This is a mixed level class beginner/ intermediate class. Previous experience with Indian fusion and/or Bellydance is required. If you are not sure if its right for you feel free to DM me. Bring a note book, pen, water and comfortable cloths you feel beautiful dancing in.