| Workshop Menu:
Choose your favorite course of study
Each sponsor along the Visionary Belly Dancing Caravan Tour may choose the focus of their workshop. Below you’ll find a sampling of recommended classes. They are catagorized into suggested time frames and qualifications of experience. These offerings can be mixed, matched and customized to each locale according to a sponsor’s request. Delilah has an endless list of classes and lesson plans.
1. No Belly Dance Experience Required (and Preferred)
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Belly Dance Appreciation Course
2 to 2.5 hours
Many people don’t grok Jazz or classical symphonic music. Even as they acquire a bit more understanding of what's going on, one individual hears it very differently from another. That is what we are attempting to address in this workshop. We aim to cultivate our ears, our eyes and our awareness to truly appreciate the belly dance.
The class is designed to explain and demonstrate to those who are unfamiliar with belly dancing just what belly dance is and why women love it (and some men, too!). The audience will sit comfortably in a lecture hall or a banquet room. Delilah and company will perform live demonstrations of the principal movements and techniques found in the dance, as well as demonstrate rich avenues for self expression. We will reveal the language of the body and, by illuminating this understanding, all of sudden a bit of magic happens! Audience members will begin to cultivate within themselves a very deep appreciation of belly dance. This wisdom will spread and we will effect the world! Delilah invites guest dancers in the area to come and share their experiences in order to best portray the real story of belly dance.
We don’t want to preach to the choir in this class. It requires a very different direction in promotion and publicity. We want to attract bankers, lawyers, school principals, construction workers, policemen, family members of all ages, therapists, computer geeks, religious leaders, artists, politicians, environmentalists . . .
2. All Levels
• Earth Shake Warm Up and Trance Dance
2 hours
* Taught by Delilah and accompanied by Sirocco
We begin by using our breath to connect with the earth, sinking our root s in deep. Then, we bring the energy up through our bodies and heat things up. Delilah leads a guided journey of dance adventure where we encounter our impetus, our movements, range and diversity, emotions, textures and thresholds. Arm an do and Sol improvise, follow, catch us and take the lead. Very deep, very sweaty!
• Absolute Beginning Belly Dance for Students and Teachers
2 hours
This is a class for all those interested in the subject of beginning belly dance. Eventually, we all are asked to show our friends a few moves. When we can teach, brake down the moves, and articulate the concepts in simple terms, we affirm for ourselves a complete understanding of the dance. This is very important . This class deals with establishing basic alignment in the body for proper and effective isolations. We discuss the five ingredients for a good warm up and we undergo a vivid internal awareness and focus with a 40-50 minute thorough mapping of the internal realms of the body. We will even approach the Horizontal Belly Roll (the most difficult belly roll I know). We will talk about what our goals are and how to speed up your journey along the learning curve by using a weight belt and other training gear. We approach the basic walking shimmy from different directions, because people learn and catch on in different ways. Basic concepts for engaging arms and hands are discussed along with an overview of basic vocabulary. Figure eights — an easy construct — and an hour glass — a more difficult concept — are taught.
• Veil Class
2 to 4 hours
The dynamics of the veil dance are broken down and conceptualized. We then move on to a collection of veil techniques. A short choreographed dance entitled Lilah assists us in mastering transitions from one movement to the next. We discuss styles, approaches and different sized veils and scarves. We work with Gypsy dancing to 9/8 rhythms with a veil. We learn a few veil wraps, and unwraps, as well as artful tucks and veil drapings. As an extended veil banquet, we learn Delilah’s famous Veil Therapy and veil plays veil exchange, veil water wheel, the Veil Oragamy Dance, and perhaps, if time allows, her Prayer to Ishtar dance.
• Floor Work
1 to 1.5 hour
This class focuses on the importance of level change and the beauty of gymnastics. We look at what makes floor work effective and how to avoid sore knees. We discuss the methods of “floor work made easy” and examine the concepts and conditioning that lead to advanced floor work.
• Bellyrolls, Undulations and Coin Tricks
1 to 2 hour
Here, we examine how to begin training and developing awareness in your belly, solar plexus and lungs. We learn rolls, rotations, undulations, body articulations and isolations, such as the belly flutter. Delilah calls it reptilinear locomotion! We also work with traveling steps, like the camel walk, 9/8 undulations, and rising and falling undulations. We learn a dance called Chefteteli Scat. And, of course, last, but not least, Delilah's famous coin flip trick! Bring a silver dollar if you have one.
• Arms and Hands and Phaoronic Belly Dance
2 to 3 hours
Here we concentrate on clear articulation and vocabulary. Arms and hands lend esoteric mystery to our dance — a sense of Medussa, serpentine, ancient goddess wisdom. There is a key to understanding this mystery, as we find out by studying the Delsate system of body language. Without well-defined arms and hands, the dance can look very off balance and much too basic. We will go through a vocabulary of arm and hand patterns and then move into tables inspired by hieroglyphics. We’ll learn two dances:
• Lotus Pool
• Hathor’s Movement Meditation
• Fast Hips Vocabulary
2 hours
We work with fast hip shimmies, traveling steps, and combinations to balady, masmudi 6/8 and 9/8 rhythms, including many of the moves from the instructional programs of Delilah's Belly Dance Workshop, Volume II, and A Retro Choreography, as well as others.
• The Belly Dance Wave
4 hours
We begin by introducing a concept of body language called Delsate, followed by an introduction to a 5 rhythm pattern conceptualized by Gabriel Roth, called the Wave. We are going to adapt and utilize these two important concepts in terms of belly dance vocabulary and music. We learn a deep connection to the source of all movement and develop an understanding of why this dance is such a powerful tool for expression in our lives — very powerful both emotionally and physically!
3. Intermediate Classes
• Circle Balady
1 to 2 hours
A dance choreography performed in a circle. This classes focuses on 7 solid traveling dance techniques. Simple to remember, harder to perfect. Big Stroke, Little Stroke, tension, side swaying 8, grape vine hips, rotating hip circle, top half shimmy walk in and out, improv solo. This dance can be learned in 1 hour, then expanded for a second hour in four other applications: as a solo, a duet, a line dance, and turned to the outside of the circle.
• Power Belly Dance
1 to 1.5 hours
A short choreography with a tribal feel, focusing on the skills of precision timing, undulations, belly rolls, eye contact, projection, protection and power! The dance is performed as a circle and in two lines.
• Combinations
1 to 2 hours
Short strings of steps and moves are learned and repeated to develop content in dances. It’s a good workout and builds confidence in dancer who want to perform. Some times to live drum if available. We also learn some fun pivots , spins and turns.
5. Intermediate /Advanced Class
• Rhythm Dance
1 to 2 hours
Working with a repertoire of various dance vocabulary, we adapt steps and movements to fit into short time increments: 1-2, 1-2-3, 1-2-3-4, like syllables. Then, we combine these syllables to form longer movement vocabulary: 4/4, 5/8, 6/8, 7/8, 8/8, 9/8, 10/8, 12/8. This is an endless exercise. We combine shimmies, hip patterns, body undulations, stops, isolations in different areas of the body, and contrasting textural movements. This class helps to develop a lovely and unique dance. We use music from Rapture Rumi, by Steven Flynn.
• Creative Dance Challenge
2 hours or more
In this class you learn from watching and doing. This is not a movement vocabulary class. What you know is what we use. This is about dance craft and communication. You may be put on the spot to perform an exercise for the class, or at least for a partner. We learn from each other’s successes and blocks, fears and victories. These exercises are deeply rewarding.
• Lamabada Veil Dance to 10/8
1.5 hours
This is a large group choreography which helps us develop spins. Performed to Lamabada, from Eye on the World, by Brothers of the Balady.
• Between Musician and Dancer
2 hours
*A class jointly taught by Delilah and Sirocco.
We’ll answer these common questions: How do I approach dancing to live music? How do I communicate with musicians? A look at the various routines, with drum solo and more!
• Introduction to “How to Become a “Neighborhood Temple Priestess”
2 to 4 hours
Question:
How can we make belly dance an important resource in our community?
Answer:
By sharpening our skills and presentation of the dance in living rooms! By developing skills, techniques, and vocabulary to educate the public on the beauty and wonder of women and the dance. We do this by cultivating a firm agenda and then delivering an inspiring presentation that becomes a pivotal moment in people’s lives. This changes the way a community sees things. The Neighborhood Temple Priestesses are on the frontline, meeting the public and spreading a greater understanding of the deep value of this dance. The public needs to know all sides, not just the “I Dream of Jeannie” or the Egyptian night club dancer, or the MTV eye candy of a fantasy mind. We know this dance is powerful and personal ! We need to straight forwardly determine it in more terms than just dance. We need the skills of storytelling, ritual, history, legend, and teaching, not on a stage or in a dance class where dancers are often seen, but face-to-face with the people in our neighborhoods. This is mostly a lecture class, with demonstrations, a few experiential class exercises, and printed resource materials. .
It’s now time to pass on the wisdom. Further development of this theme will be a focus of the
Visionary Belly Dance April 2004 Maui Retreat !
5. Advanced Classes
For all advanced students, I recommend you watch lots of performance videos by many different dancers. By doing this, dancers can continually add to their repertoire and develop their sense of style and technique. They should listen to lots of music and work with musicians as much as possible. I have an ongoing advanced class that learns through a continual experiential process. I can offer a private class and a critique, but that's about it for advanced students. Most advanced students are teaching and/or are working professionally or in a troupe. So, there aren’t a lot of students who would attend an advanced class.Thus, a private class or an ongoing experiential group process is what I offer advanced students. I do not choreograph for other dancers.
6.Private Class/All Levels
$50 per hour, plus rental of the space. if necessary. Please send a photo, a short bio and a written goal for a private session.The advanced dancer should be prepared to dance a routine.
$15 extra for a written critique
Contact Delilah direct by phone, 206-632-2353, or e-mail below, to schedule a private class and make an advanced payment.
See class discriptions on Bio Page.
Uncle Mafufo's
"Drum Workshop": 2 - 3 hours
Sulyman's
"Make a Ney and Begin to Play" Workshop: 2-3 hours
Sulyman's
" Zil Pattern Workshop": 1-2 hours
ALSO PRIVATE MUSIC INSTUCTION AND COACHING AVAILABLE
Music Appreciation Class
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