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It's been some time since I sent out a newsletter. I hope you have been enjoying this beautiful summer as much as I have. I've been very busy with many dance and non-dance related activities.
On the dance front…
The Ranya Renee workshop in June was very well attended and fantastic as always. Ranya has such a fun way of teaching and explaining thing. She brought in Egyptian bellydance technique and combinations that were interesting and challenging, and everyone who attended enjoyed the workshop immensely! I hope to *possibly* be bringing Ranya with another amazing teacher, Roula Said, to Kingston for workshops sometime later this fall.
I had the pleasure of attending the Theatrical Bellydance Conference in New York City in July, hosted by Ranya Renee and Anasma. The two of them organized an amazing 3 days of workshops and shows with fantastic instructors from around from around the country, as well as Canada. The workshops not only complemented and built upon each other throughout each day, but each workshop was another puzzle piece in my ever expanding knowledge of bellydance and how to incorporate theatricality into performance, class and personal dance practice. The workshops were very well presented and touched on deep subjects that left the attendees inspired and emotionally charged. For weeks after the Conference, I felt the effects of having my mind and heart opened by the unique content and generosity of the instructors.
In addition to the workshops, I attended several of the shows in conjunction with the Conference. The dinner shows at Je'Bon were full of fantastic music played by Scott Wilson and friends on Friday night and Beatbox Guitar on Saturday night. The calibre of dancing by the performers from around the world was very high and I enjoyed every minute of every performance! The curated theatrical shows at the DNA Theater were exceptional and awe-inspiring. Each performance captured the audience with deeply portrayed emotions and story line that I've not seen much elsewhere within the bellydance community.
I am already looking forward to the 2011 Theatrical Bellydance Conference. I highly recommend it to anyone who has an interest in going deeper into dance beyond just the study and practice of technique and choreography. All of the instructors at the conference have either a strong background in theater arts or a lifetime of practice and refinement of their art, as well as a strong professional bellydance career.
I also had the privilege of attending a couple of intensive workshops with Donna Mejia of Smith College over the Summer. Jenny Cohen hosted her in a hafla and workshop in late June and I attended an intensive workshop with her in Massachusetts this past weekend.
Donna teaches more than just bellydance technique. Her workshops begin with an intensely muscular yoga and stretching warm-up, followed by dance combinations and technique drills that take you into a level of dance and movement we rarely enter within the confines of bellydance. She is truly a fusion teacher who has decades of dance training and a deep sensitivity to the subtle nuances of body movement and kinesthetics. I have included a video of Donna Mejia in performance for your viewing pleasure.
Other than dance, I've been spending the summer swimming in beautiful Catskill Mountain swimming holes, bicycling, motorcycling, camping, attending festivals and just spending quality time with family and friends.
Whew, the hardest part of writing this newsletter for me is the editorial. It's what takes me so long to get them out. I never know what to write. But it's done! Now on to the shameless promotion, without which no one would know what was going on or how to find out… ;)~
Much Love,
Willow
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RAKKASAH - The biggest bellydance festival on the East Coast - is almost here! Running from October 4-10, Rakkasah host many top-notch instructors from across the country in a week of workshops followed by 3 days of performances by bellydancers of all levels and styles!
There are vendors selling everything from practice clothing to costumes, jewelry, accessories, CD's, DVD's, and musical instruments. Anything and everything relating to bellydance can be found at Rakkasah.
Crimson Gypsy Designs is pleased to announce we will be vending our line of BDYWear at Rakkasah! We have a vending space in the SIDE VENDING ROOM, which is down the hallway on the right if you are facing the stage. We will be selling all of our popular styles of tops and pants, as well as a couple of new styles of shrugs and cute skirts to wear over your pants! Come check out our booth and make sure you bring lots of $$$, because you won't be able to resist our clothes!
If there is something you would like to have made for you to be picked up at Rakkasah, please contact us ASAP, as we are in heavy production at this very moment!
While I did not get a specific performance spot in the initial call-in, I will be putting my name on the stand-by list if a performance spot opens up. Hopefully I will get to perform at Rakkasah and share the love I have for this dance with all of you once again!
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My bellydance classes have been going strong all summer and I am very blessed to have such a loyal following of beautiful and inspiring women who study bellydance with me.
This week, September 1, we will begin another 8-week series from the basic moves through more complex compound moves. We will incorporate foot patterns that we will drill in our warm-up, as well as beautiful arm patterns and expression. As always, the B2/Intermediate class will continue to work on finger cymbal patterns in conjunction with bellydance moves and footwork.
At the end of the 8-week series, new students will have a good foundation of the basic and beyond-basic moves that are applicable to any style of bellydance. Continuing students will delve deeper into the moves they've been working on, and will be able to use them with more depth of creativity and expression in their own dance.
Please see my class schedule on the side bar or visit my website for more information about my classes.
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Effective September 1, class fees will increase slightly. Here is the new schedule of fees for Bellydance Classes with Willow in Kingston, NY:
Drop-In - $15
Drop-In Two Classes/OneNight - $25
Monthly Card - $50
Monthly Two Classes/One Night - $90
Please note that if you pay the monthly rate, this is for the full month of classes whether you are able to attend every class or not.
These increases are slight and I feel they are reasonable. However, if you wish to attend bellydance class and there is a financial difficulty, please contact me to see if we can work something out. I'd rather have you in class than not due to financial problems.
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As promised, here is a performance video by the wonderful Donna Mejia. I hope you enjoy it!
You can find more performance videos by searching for Donna Mejia on Youtube.
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