Tribal Bellydance Boot Camp - THIS SATURDAY!

The whole enchilada, all in one workshop! (or two, if you're up for a workout!!)

Join us for two challenging and inspiring workshops, which review 6 to 12 weeks of information in each workshop, giving students a big picture look at the tribal bellydance format as taught by Shay Moore.
 
Intended as a supplement to regular tribal bellydance studies, these workshops are particularly timely for students preparing for summer performances, who want to refresh their repertoire before hitting the stage.  Students will be challenged in mind and body, and at the end will walk away with a rejuvenated palette of movements and concepts, as well as a comprehensive list of movements and skills broken down by level.

One Hour Level 1 ATS Boot Camp: $15
One Hour 45 Minute Level 2 Boot Camp: $25
The Full Meal Deal: $35 (save $5)

Register online at http://www.doubletakebellydance.com/p/workshops.html


LOCATION AND TIMES:

m'illumino
6921 Roosevelt Way NE
just north of Seattle's U-District in the Roosevelt neighborhood
Doors open at 12:30pm for sign-in

1-2pm Level 1 Boot Camp - every move and concept in ATS Level 1 broken down and drilled for an hour. The ultimate jam to solidify your Level 1 vocabulary. All levels welcome.

2:15-4pm Level 2 Boot Camp - the Level 2 body of movement is expansive, but we'll tackle it all in a mere hour-n'-fourty-five.  Vocabulary is based heavily in ATS, but includes inspirations from Gypsy Caravan, inFusion Tribal, and other creative tribal bellydance troupes.  Every move will get a very brief breakdown and will be drilled in combination with other moves and concepts from this level.  This is a chance to fill in any gaps in your notes from Level 2 classes, or for Level 1 students to try the Level 2 moves on for a couple of hours in preparation for moving up.  This workshop will be very fast paced and definitely a fun challenge for all levels. Minimum 6-months ATS experience recommended.

Hope to see you there!
-Shay

Tomboy to Tribal Diva? A workshop review...

Hair n' Make-Up Workshop Review
or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Glam
by Rebecca Slingwine

As you probably know, Shay held a performance hair and makeup workshop a week ago! The focus was on getting students familiar with ATS hair and makeup appropriate for a variety of settings, from the stage to the up-close-and-personal. We didn’t leave the workshop experts, but the point was to give us familiarity with the big ideas so we could go play with them and find our own style on our own.

To put it mildly, I am not a makeup girl. To demonstrate how much of a not-a-makeup-girl I am, I will show you a picture of me in my natural habitat:

(Picture courtesy of my awesome bench partner, Eunice Lau.)

 
No makeup, hair in a ponytail, and yes, what I’m doing to Mocha’s forelock is the extent of everyday hairstyling skillz.

I showed up at the workshop pretty nervous, but I was armed with my notebook for note-taking, and my camera for picture-taking when words failed me! BRING IT ON, HAIR AND MAKEUP!

A Thousand Words - Body Lines in ATS

In my classes, we talk a lot about the importance of body line American Tribal Style. In my experience, I find Carolena Nerriccio to be a visual artist of the human form--when developing moves over the years, every creative decision has been anchored in strong lines, presenting the body in the most flattering and powerful way.  It is these striking, editorial shapes which make tribal bellydance so uniquely riveting.

In class, we often discuss the moves as a smooth and seamless series of moving images.  We talk about the idea that a photographer snapping away should be able to capture the key shapes--those magic moments when we are expressing the innate power and grace of the movement.

So ya wanna play a little game with me? Let's play "What move is this?" Below are a series of ATS dancers and troupes performing, followed by a list of common ATS movement names.  You try to match the image with the move they are demonstrating.  Take a look and see how every movement has an iconic shape, body line, gaze, presentation--every element of the Classic and Modern ATS vocabulary considers the body line to suit the overall aesthetic.

For example, here's an easy one, from the lovely dancers of MOIRAI TRIBAL in London:

 

Anyone who knows their ATS from a hole in the wall recognizes this dramatic posture as part of the Camel or Camel Walk.  Look at the long line of their arms, mirroring the graceful angle of their extended legs, their gaze down and to the left, with the ribcage lifted and strong anchoring the lowered center of gravity.  

You ready to give it a go? Here are 10 images, so you can try to place the moves from the image alone.  Below those you will find the list of moves to choose from if you need a little nudge here or there (listed is what we call it in my classes, with the common usage name in official ATS parlance).  I have also included two bonus partner moves/combos not listed in the multiple choice--BONUS POINTS!  Comment with your answers.  I will list the answers in a future post.  After the break, here we go!

DTBD Student Spotlight - Jenna

Name:  Jenna (Brenna Glenna*)
Age: 32
Profession:  Speech-Language Pathologist
Hobbies:  tribal bellydance addict, singer, musical theater aficionado, amateur foodie, coffee fiend, snowboarder, shoe-hunter, and rabid roller derby fan
How long have you been studying bellydance: First class and first attempted shimmy: January 2010

When did you first see bellydance? What were your first impressions?

To be honest, I had never been particularly interested in bellydance, it conjured images of slinky veiled olive-skinned beauties in
outrageously bespangled bedlah sets. As much as I enjoy ridiculous amounts of sparkle (and I do), my previous notions of bellydance were,
while impressive, not for me. Then a friend encouraged me to study ATS. That first YouTube video of Nomaditude completely changed my mind
about bellydance, as well as my thoughts about my potential to participate. It was interesting and beautiful and extraordinary and also approachable!

Skillz & Drillz! - Exploring Texture

Movement isn't merely a series of precise muscular contractions--it is a shaded expression which is the result of various artistic options we have at our disposal.  A movement can be fast or slow, big or small, can be deeply intense or light and airy, and so on. When working as a group in ATS, we try to synch up our expression, making similar choices to create a cohesive look.  But when expanding our abilities as an individual, it is fun to explore the possibilities!

This month's Skillz! Drillz! exercise explores the many textures we can bring to our movement.  Create a combo utilizing three or four different moves, 16 counts each.  Dance your combo through making it as big as possible.  Repeat it again, this time trying it as small as possible.  Repeat at hyper-speed, then again at mega-slow, and so on with each option.  Then split up your combo into parts and assign a different texture to each part--first half n' half of opposing textures, and finishing with all four sections layered with a different texture.  See how the use of the same moves but with different intent and focus can change the entire look and feel of what you are doing.