ARIELLAH
YOGA INFUSED BELLY DANCE
11:30 am - 1:15 pm
Ariellah’s workshop will focus on yoga infused strengthening and stretching exercises that directly correlate to our belly dance movements and postures. These exercises will allow the student’s body to open up to the movements of belly dance, including shoulders, chest, belly and hips. A brief drilling section will follow a long, intensive yoga session, in order to better understand how the stretches correlate to the movements, allowing students to gain a more fluid, open, strong and grounded physique to accompany their dance practice.
Ariellah performs belly dance all over the world. She studied classical ballet with the Royal Academy of Dance of London for twelve years and has studied and performed belly dance for the past six years, both with Janine Ryle of Danse Mahgreb and as a founding member of The Indigo with Rachel Brice.
Her style infuses traditional Middle Eastern dance with a modern, very dark flavour, that is uniquely her own.
She was most recently featured on the first of its kind “Gothic Belly Dance” DVD and also has her own instructional DVD and currently has other DVD projects in the works.
FREYJA
POPS and LOCKS
2:00 pm - 3:45 pm
This workshop focuses on sharp, rapid, isolated muscle contractions to give your dance that pop lock look and feel. Pops and locks are an excellent addition to any dance style as they add a special flair to all types of music - from traditional drum solos to hip hop and other modern styles. Drills focus on hip, rib cage, shoulder and arm isolations as well as speed, timing and transitions. Listening exercises develop the ability to feel the music in choosing which parts to accent. Theory includes creative breakdown of muscular technique involved in pop locking and tips to get the most out of your practice.
Freyja began her study of dance in early childhood. Her mother studied Flamenco Dance in Spain and performed it on tour across Europe. Freyja’s dance background includes ballet, jazz, hip hop, ballroom, salsa, club dancing, flamenco and Indian dance.
She has developed her own unique style drawing from these sources. Freyja has studied American Cabaret, Turkish and Egyptian styles of belly dance, as well as American Tribal Style, which later led to Tribal Fusion.
Freyja regularly teaches and performs throughout the US, Canada and Europe
AMY
SIGIL UNMATA 110%
4:00 pm - 5:45 pm
No bellydance fusion enthusiast ever drowned
from sweat,
and to train like the UNMATA grrrls, you’ve got to be willing to
get down and get wet. After this rigorous workshop you’ll walk away
with two of Amy Sigil’s signature combos—broken down into
movement components, bootlaced together, and drilled ‘til you’re
ready to drop.
Be prepared to tap into your hidden reserves of strength and sass as you take on this class. Warning: 110% is not for paper dolls. And yes, the music will be very, very loud.
Amy Sigil is owner and director of Hot Pot Studio in
Sacramento, CA, home of UNMATA. For the past decade,
Amy has been developing, teaching, and performing modern
bellydance fusion and her distinct vocabulary of Improvisational Tribal
Style. She formed the professional fusion troupe UNMATA in 2003. UNMATA
has brought home awards such as Bellydance Troupe of the Year 2004, Bellydance
Troupe USA 2004, Ensemble of the Year 2005, and Tribal Fusion Group of
the Universe 2007.
Amy and UNMATA teach workshops and perform internationally at events such as The Spirit of the Tribes, Northern Migration, Tribal Fest, Tribal Quest Northwest, TribalCon, and Tribal Café. Amy has judged for various pageant competitions such as Belly Dancer of the Year and Enchanted Camelot.