Teacher Feature: Somni!

We are pleased to welcome back Somni - this year as Core Instructors offering TWO workshops - one on Friday and one on Sunday!

Somni is Letty Limbach and Sarah Kate Moore. They strive to create dynamic, mischievous tribal fusion that draws from many forms of world dance. Having completed Rachel Brice's 8 Elements Phases I and II, both members of Somni have also trained extensively with their dance mentor Lacey Sanchez of Florida Tribal Dance. Well known in Seattle for their dynamic, surprising performances, they are inspired by diverse forms of dance including Raks Sharki, ATS and ITS, tribal fusion, hip hop, modern/contemporary, tango, and Middle Eastern and North African folkloric forms.

Friday: 10:30-12pm Contemporary Stylizations
Many of us love the rich aesthetics of belly dance that draw from the past - the Victorian, the Art Nouveau, the tarnished but still sparkly shinies - but what if you want to look towards the present or even the future for inspiration? In this workshop, we'll explore contemporary stylizations in both movement and costume. Drawing inspiration from hip hop and modern dance forms, we'll first look at how we can adapt shape, structure, posture, and attitude to create a contemporary aesthetic using the vocabulary of belly dance. You'll then either create your own combination using these concepts or we'll teach a combination that illustrates these concepts. We'll then move to the costuming realm to discuss how you can adapt these same ideas to creating a unique costume that complements/accentuates the contemporary aesthetics of the movement, while still honoring the costuming lineage of our dance form. This will be a combination movement and discussion class and will include take-home handouts and direction toward relevant resources.

Sunday: 1:30pm-3:00pm Intentional JuxtapositionThis thoughtful article by fusion dancer Hilde Cannoodt has been making the rounds: http://www.hildedancer.com/blog/2016/1/18/unintentional-juxtaposition-in-tribal-fusion. We love what Hilde has to say about the importance of avoiding unintentional juxtaposition. It also made us wonder--what does intentional juxtaposition look like?--and how can we use it to create motivated, inspirational, badass fusion dance? Get ready to explore any and all movement and dance forms you have experience with to create your own "intentionally juxtaposed" combination. This will be a combo discussion/movement class with a focus on personal exploration, including take-home handouts and direction toward relevant resourc

Teacher Feature: Sara Beaman!

Another familiar face to WP is the multi-talented Sara Beaman! Based in Raleigh, North Carolina, Sara Beaman has a passion for contemporary bellydance in all its forms. She performs as a soloist and as a member of the League of Extraordinary Bellydancers, a geek-themed bellydance troupe, and stars in two instructional DVDs, "Fluid Transitions" and "Swordplay for Bellydance". Her style is always emotional, often dark, and usually improvised.

This year Sara is presenting the challenging art of floorwork on Friday from 4:30-6pm: Get On The Floor - Floorwork and Levels. This workshop demystifies the art of bellydance floorwork. Through a series of flowing combinations, we’ll explore basic and advanced floorwork techniques as well as the transitional elements between them. We’ll discuss conditioning, safety considerations, how to integrate props into floorwork, how to ascend and descend gracefully, and how to do floorwork in different kinds of costuming. You’ll come away from the workshop with skills you can put into practice right away. Please bring kneepads, or expect to have very sore knees by the end of the workshop.

She is also vending her gorgeous jewelry as Hazel Planchette in our wonderful marketplace!

Teacher Feature: Samara!

We are pleased to having Samara joining us again from the East Coast!

Samara is a Salem MA-based performance artist who has performed and taught bellydance at events across the US. She earned her Bachelor's in Theatre Arts from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and her Master's in Theatre Education from Emerson College, and has been studying Middle Eastern dance and performing as a living statue since 2006. Samara is the producer of several Boston-area events, including the Geeky Bellydance Show at the Arisia convention each January, and is the resident bellydancer for the burlesque collective Geek Girl Boston. She is the dance child of Neylan in Providence and Tempest wherever she roams and has combined her dance, theatre and performance art training into her own unique style of snaky, statuesque, pop-and-lock bellydance.

Samara will be presenting her workshop "All the World's a Stage: Theatre and Theatricality for Bellydancers" on Saturday at 5pm. While actors and dancers often share the same spaces, shared knowledge between art forms is a precious commodity. This workshop has a twofold focus: theatre terminology, history and concepts useful for dancers; and theatrical techniques to enhance a dancer's stage presence and engage their audience. Prepare for dramatic flair!

Check out her dramatic performance from Arisia! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grlBtBsAQ7o

Teacher Feature: Kryss

Waking Persephone is excited to include Kryss as one of our guest instructors! She will be offering the following workshop:

Raqs Duende (Flamenco Fusion)

Saturday, October 15th 10:45AM-12:15PM

To Register: http://www.wakingpersephone.com/registration-details.html

Flamenco is intense passion and deep immersion into the soul. To fuse Flamenco and Belly Dance is to cross a small strip of water that divides two amazingly beautiful cultures. By taking the upper body stylings of Flamenco, the signature turn, “vuelta que brada”, paseos and marking steps and layering with the hip, chest and torso isolations of Belly Dance there is a fusion that comes from the depths of the body and soul. Workshop focus is on arms, posture & attitude..

More about Kryss
We all come to dance from different places on the planet, in our hearts and in our minds. We come here because something stirs in our Souls when we hear the music all around us. I started in the rigidity and conformity of Ballet, was pulled back to dance in college to add Modern and Jazz to my body's vocabulary, and once the pre-requisites of early adulthood were fulfilled, I found my way to Middle Eastern Dance. My cells hold information about Flamenco and the Indian Classical style, Mohini Attam. When I dove into Dance meditation as a dance and personal practice, I figured out that Dance was basically painting with breath and that so much could be learned about Self and Community through Dance and I feel great Joy in seeing these connections created in others.

My stats... Dance Minor from Newcomb College, trained at Boston School of Ballet and Walnut Hill School of Performing Arts. Soloist with Betty Karam & the Desert Dancers, and !Ole Flamenco Ole! in New Orleans. I'm the director of NOLAmazigh and owner of Crescent Lotus Dance Studio. I hold a Teacher Certification in Dancemeditation from the Dervish Society of America. I've studied dance on 2 continents with some truly amazing people.

Teacher Feature: Katrina

We are happy to welcome Katrina Ji as a guest instructor at Waking Persephone this year. She will be teaching the following workshop:

Spice Box: Intro to Indian Dance

Sunday, October 16th 3:30-5:00PM

Register here: http://www.wakingpersephone.com/workshops.html

India is the spice capital of the world enriched with awe inspiring dances. Spice up your dance repertoire with Katrina Ji as she intertwines a variety of Indian dance steps from classical to folk laced with mudras and coy facial expressions. A series of steps will be taught utilizing a variety of steps with cultural references along with mudras (hand poses) and special facial expressions in the form of a mini choreography. Katrina Ji has been dabbling in Indian Dance since 2001 when she first fell in love with Rajasthani Folk Dance. Since then, she has spiced up her dance with steps from the classical dances of southern India: Kuchipidi, Bharatnatyum, Odissi and Kathak and the folk dances of Northern India: Lavani, Garba, Kalbelia Gypsy, Bhangra and more!

More About Katrina Ji
Katrina Ji, Artistic Director of Culture Shakti Dance Company & Rajasthani Gypsy Caravan

She has appeared on several TV programs in India & the USA in addition to podcasts and magazines. She has performed with some of the worlds most famous dancers!

Katrina Ji tours internationally with Rajasthani Gypsy Caravan and teaches Bollywood Dance at her studio, Culture Shakti in Seattle in addition to a variety of public and private schools.

She specializes in Bollywood, Rajasthani Folk Dance & ATS® Belly Dance.

Cultureshakti.com