Spring session at The Dark Side Studio - 2008

Registration is currently open for classes in the spring session at The Dark Side Studio

Session begins Monday March 3 and is 16 weeks (15 for Monday classes due to the Victoria Day Monday holiday) and is $272 plus gst (Mondays $255 plus gst)
Only Suhaila drilling is available on a drop in basis - all other classes are session only

Mondays
6 to 7 pm - Basic Black Tribal Fusion - only a few spots left open
7:15 to 8:15 pm - The Art of Cabaret
8:30 to 9:30 pm - Basic Black Tribal Fusion


Wednesdays
6 to 7 pm - Lavender Tribal Fusion
7:15 to 8:15 pm - Suhaila format drilling
8:30 to 9:30 pm - Basic Black Tribal Fusion


Thursdays
6 to 7 pm - Turquoise Tribal Fusion
7:15 to 8:15 pm - Magenta Tribal Fusion
8:30 to 9:30 pm - Lavish Dance Company rehearsal

Online registration (visa, mastercard or paypal)
http://www.cleopatrasbazaar.com/index.php?cPath=145

Class descriptions
Basic Black
Basic black is the level for absolute beginners who have no experience in any style of belly dance as well as a requirement of those who have previous belly dance experience but are new to classes at The Dark Side Studio.

The basic concepts central to tribal fusion style belly dance are introduced at the Basic Black level through verbal breakdown and demonstration. Posture, muscle isolation, and dance movements are taught using stretching and strengthening exercises in the class warm up as well as in the drills used throughout each class. The isolations taught throughout levels at the Dark Side Studio are based upon the Suhaila Salimpour format. It is here in Basic Black that the concepts of this format are introduced and practiced stationary and with basic footwork. Basic arm positions are introduced and paired with isolations.

An introduction into playing finger cymbals is also taught at this level.

Lavender

In the Lavender level, aspects such as the isolations and movements, dance movement and posture that were introduced in the Basic Black level are refined. The speed of the isolations, movements and travel is increased and more complex foot patterns are introduced. The concept of layering is introduced in which movements and isolations are layered on top of one another.

More complex finger cymbal patterns are introduced and the students begin to pair the finger cymbals with dance movement.

Turquoise

At this level, more complex layering in both stationary and moving forms and more intricate foot patterns with movements and isolations and arm movements are taught. The dance knowledge of the students is put into combinations (with and without finger cymbals in the patterns from previous color levels) which begins to take the technique and put it into dance.

In order to begin to develop personal style, the skill of improvising is worked on through the Turquoise level using a variety of approaches.

More complex finger cymbal patterns are introduced both stationary and with movement.

Magenta

Students participating in Magenta classes are required to have attended Turquoise level of classes at The Dark Side Studio as well as hold valid level 1 certification from the Suhaila Salimpour School of Dance.

At the Magenta level, the complexity and length of the combinations (with and without finger cymbals) is increased. The layering of complex and fast movements and performance skills are taught and worked on in mandatory weekly homework assignments.

Students in the Magenta level work with Audra to further refine their own style and personal dancing skills including the creation of combinations and further developing their improvisational skills to various styles and tempos of music, both with and without finger cymbals.

As part of this level, students are required to perform at the Student Salon of that session in which their performance will be recorded and feedback given.

11 days and counting

I can't quite believe it, but it's true. There are only 11 days until the start of the 2007 Suhaila workshops!
I'm busy getting the last minute details ready as well as prepping myself with my calf raises, running and general technique tuning. I'm excited as there are many students from the studio joining in this year, as well as many from the Toronto area.

I've also just posted the Winter 2008 class schedule for The Dark Side Studio. There's a new class added to the schedule - The Art of Cabaret. It's a holistic approach to learning bellydance for those with some experience. We'll be working on technique, music theory, emotional expression and choreography all in one session! I'm looking forward to this!

Due to my training falling at the end of Feb as well as March break with the kiddos, I've shortened the Winter session to only 7 weeks, with 2 special sessions in March. There are intensives in which we'll work on technique and choreography over a 3 days, 9 hour period (similar to last year's successful Dark Summer sessions).

I hope to see you all at the Suhaila show! I can hardly wait for this - the show's going to be just fabulous!

Suhaila mania

It's coming quickly! In less than 4 weeks Suhaila will arrive and we'll be madly squeezing our glutes, contracting upper backs and obliques and generally working our butts off! I'm excited and pleased as the workshop is almost full and tickets to the show are selling well! This time around I'm also excited as 80% of the participants in the workshop are from the Toronto area (as opposed to about 40% last year). I believe in what Suhaila has to offer, in her technique, her format. I really do believe that it takes dancers to the next level, on their way to finding their potential as a dancer, and I'm so happy that dancers from the Toronto area are beginning to become interested and intrigued by the format.

So often I hear things like "I don't like the say she dances" and it saddens me. Not because I believe everyone should like her dance style, but because it is a dance style. If you don't like it, that's up to you. What I believe cannot be denied is the simple fact that technically Suhaila is the best that I've seen!

Anyway, enough of my ranting :)

I've decided to put all Suhaila dvds and cds on sale from now until Nov 12 - Fate, Rhythm ID with Ziad, Repercussion, Remix, Arabian Musicals, Dances for the Sultan, Unveiled, Suhaila Solo, Sheherezade, Choreography, Performance, Fitness Fusion... you name it, it's on sale!!

I'm off to the Heather Shoopman workshop this afternoon for some Indian and hip hop inspired combos and a little LA technique! The Student Salon was brilliant and I'll be posting some photos soon... Stay tuned.

Until next time, keep glute squeezing!

Audra

September comes to a close...

I can hardly believe it, but September is almost over...

Classes are just into their second week (newcomers welcome!) and I've completed the first weekend workshops for the fall. The new Suhaila 101 workshops with Audra was full and the Sunday workshops went well. I highly recommend signing up early for both these in the future as my guess is that by the end of the fall they will both be filling up!

Registration for Suhaila's November workshops is about half full already, and I'm so pleased that more and more people are becoming interested in checking out what my superb teacher has to offer. I really believe that all dancers should take at least one workshop to see what she has to offer.

The Suhaila Gala show tickets are now on sale and selling at a nice rate. The seats are pre-assigned but the theatre really doesn't have any bad seats. It's so lovely there, AND they've just had a large renovation so it should be even better this year! I'm excited that Fathi Al Jarrah, Suhaila's violin player, will be here for the show this year. The line up is set and it's going to be amazing!! I hope to see you there :)