Featured Teachers & Musicians: The Ghosts Project

The Ghosts Project are a band that are near and dear to our hearts.  They were part of the very first (and second) Waking Persephone (back in Providence, RI), and we're thrilled to have them return for Year 5.

Formed in 2006, The Ghosts Project is comprised of Paul Mercer on violin and Davis Petterson on percussion. The band, which is located in Atlanta, features an ever changing lineup of special guest musicians from all over the country.

Paul Mercer began studying violin at age 8, and has performed professionally for over twenty years, His current and past projects include The Changlings, Jill Tracy's Malcontent Orchestra, Faith and the Muse, DP3, Brass Knuckle Surfer and The Sweet Meat Love and Holy Cult. Davis Petterson has been a percussionist for twenty years and has performed with bands such as The Changlings, The Hellblinki Sextet, Strezo, Abney Park, The Nathaniel Johnstone Band and Soriah. They will be joined in Seattle by multi-instrumentalist Nathaniel Johnstone.

The band frequently works with a variety of dancers, pulling not only from their own songs, but creating live improvised music on the spot. This is their third year performing at Waking Persephone, and each year as part of the Gala Shows, the performing dancer gives the band 3 words or phrases, which inspires the music they create right then and there.

Their workshop takes place on Friday 4:30-6pm Dancing To & With a Live Band
Learn the art of improvisation and how to perform with a live band from The Ghosts Project. The percussion, violin & guitar trio will teach you how to adapt your belly dance moves to the spontaneity of live musician with an emphasis on communication between dancer and musician.

And don't miss them making musical magic live at BOTH Gala Shows and dance with them yourself at the Underworld Ball!

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: Jaidra DuRant

We are pleased to welcome Jaidra DuRant as a guest instructor this year! She will be teaching the following workshop:

Basic of Poi

Sunday, October 16th 9:00-10:30AM

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

The word Poi comes from the Maori, and means ""ball on a cord."" Much like dance or music, the art of spinning poi has evolved over time to have many different forms. Today, we spin fabric poi, glow poi, fire poi, and more in intricate patterns mixed with movement to create a dance style that can be meditative or mesmerizing for the dancer and/or the audience. In this workshop, Jaidra will introduce you to the art of spinning poi. We will begin with simple concepts, moves, and circles and build to turns and patterns layered over simple dance isolations. No experience is necessary.

More About Jaidra

Jaidra is a fusion dance performance artist, instructor, and visual artist located in Greenville, SC. She is Co-Director of the captivating theatrical fusion performance group, Discordia Arts. Jaidra has been involved in theatre her entire life and began belly dancing in 2002. Her foray into the fire and flow arts began in 2006 when she picked up fire palms and fans for the first time and fell in love. As a lifelong pyromaniac, the ability to set things on fire and dance around with them is both spiritual and extremely joyful for Jaidra. Her fascination with large dangerous objects and off beat music combine with her background in theatre to create her unique style of dance that often features swords, fire, and intensely engaging imagery.

Finding belly dance was a life altering and healing experience for Jaidra. As a dancer, she loves to work with props as an extension of the body. As an instructor, Jaidra aims to equip her students with the tools to find their personal joy in movement.