Baladi Musicality with Ranya, Nabawy (accordion) and Joe Tayoun (tabla)  

All about the baladi – LIVE!

Ranya and master accordionist Nabawy are developing a brand-new workshop program exclusive to the Jewels of the Orient 2016!  You may already know Nabawy from Ranya’s acclaimed Baladi instructional DVD, and we are thrilled that he’ll be sharing new layers of knowledge and his wonderful playing with us. We’ll cover different variations of baladi that you might encounter:  baladi awadi (typical for women) and tet baladi (typical for men, but can be danced by pro female dancers too)… historical versions of the oriental show baladi, like the “Nawal” baladi, a old style baladi that was popularized in Egypt on cassette tapes… and variations across different styles of accordion playing. Nabawy will accompany us for live practice in baladi progressions in the traditional styles used in street weddings as well as those preferred by the famous dancers he worked with in Cairo, like the playful, suspenseful style of baladi he used to play for Fifi Abdou to grab the attention of the audience. We’ll focus on awareness of transitions in the music so you can be ready for each new section in a baladi, and especially for the finale!  Ranya and the musicians will offer technique and musicality tips to help manage your baladi with earthiness, balance, good taste, and finesse. 

(Order your copy of the Baladi DVD with your Jewels registration, to prepare for the weekend intensive!)

Dive into three hours of Sword play in a mini-intensive. 

Be it your introduction to the technique of Bohemian Blade Dancing or A brush up.  Learn the vocabulary, movements and transitions that make Belladonna's style powerful purposeful and seamless!

We will explore mechanics, combinations, intention and more!

The movements, history and components of the American Restuarant show.

This workshop includes the history of the development of the American Cabaret Show from 1890 - 1970.  Intensive deep dive into the entertainment industry, immigration patterns, and pop culture in the United States and how "Bellydance" was influenced and emerged during this time period.   Video footage, and photographs will chronicle the journey of the American Bellydancer and the development of the 5 part restaurant/club show.  Hallmarks in the style that define American Cabaret will be taught such as the use of draping to cover and then reveal the dancer's costume, American style finger cymbals, traveling steps and improvisational techniques.   A veil and finger cymbals are necessary for this workshop.   Suitable for all levels of dancers, especially those with an interest in the history of the dance. 

Baladi in Performance: Taking Your Audience on the Journey

Putting it all together from the Friday and Saturday material, we’ll apply performance skills with attention to eye gaze, posture, and breathwork to embody the baladi and connect with the audience!  Building from the Saturday practice with Nabawy, we’ll move from exploring the music and the movements to enhancing the focus of the audience in the performance setting. It’s important to strike a balance between indulging our own enjoyment and working the crowd, and we’ll cover ways to find that sweet spot. According to Nabawy from his experiences working with her, Fifi Abdou always knew how to grab the attention of her audience and how to get it back when it drifted. Western dancers sometimes neglect this interactional aspect of improvisation, and that will be an important focus in this workshop. Ranya’s signature “Breathwork for Performance” method will be applied to help dancers increase their listening and build audience connection specific to baladi, along with some light acting exercises to get you into character. Performance practice, with gentle feedback in a supportive environment, will allow each dancer to work on integrating physical technique, musical understanding, and presentation skills.

Classic and Modern Approaches to Extremely Juicy Torso Work for Accordion Baladi

Deep technique exploration to prep your body for baladi!  Connecting the muscular and skeletal frameworks for traditional Egyptian torso and abdominal movements, working with both shaabi-style technique and classic-oriental technique: We’ll cover postural structuring and imagery to pull movements through the body, using rib cage and pelvic floor relationships… origination from the soles of the feet for earthy baladi…  classic torso lifts from the waist for a vintage look… playing with different layers of abdominal muscles for juicy moves and accents… locating accents deep in the body and allowing them to arise from the smoother movements…. through a delicious warmup and baladi practice flows.

This class is all about the pop, the lock, and the percussiveness of the body in relation to the drum and other percussive noises! In bellydance, there is nothing quite as impressive as the drum solo, and the isolated goodness that comes with illustrating those bangin’ sounds. Khalima will walk you through what it means to be the drum, how to match moves with sounds, and how to safely maximize your isolation and shimmy super powers. Select combos will be drilled!

You know the moves and the choreography, now take your dance to the next level by making sure you bring some of YOU to the performance. Whether you are in a restaurant situation or a full stage show, dancing is more than just 1-2-3 4.  This workshop covers techniques to convey emotions and engage your audience, drills for posture, costuming and makeup.  (Bring makeup with you if you plan to try techniques).  Lorelei will also share tips about waterproofing your makeup.

Learn five diverse ways of adding drama into your choreographies. Yzzah is recognized for her

dramatic performances she will often create this effect utilizing not just her facial expressions, 

but her environment, props and much more. We will utilize different scenarios that will guide 

you into creating pieces/combinations that are spectacular, and that your audience will 

remember.

Basic Middle Eastern drumming for beginner students.  Joe will have 10 drums for students to use.    

Technical Excellence for Bellydance
Sharpen up your bellydance skills from the floor to the roof in this workshop designed to get you ready to improvise to live music. We will focus on muscular technique for bellydance in all body zones, drilling interior and exterior isolations in the hips, torso, and limbs. Students will leave with concepts and building blocks needed to create original and spontaneous bellydance! (Suitable for all dance levels and styles).

Study with Nefertiti as she teaches a beautiful rich chorography in the glamorous golden era of bellydance.  This class will break down technique, costume, styling & hands to showcase the glamour in your performance. Veils will be used for this class. 

This workshop has been cancelled. Hip Articulation,Miasia will help you explore the full range of your hips’ motions from figure 8’s, undulations, locks, pops and shimmies. You will learn drills designed to create more powerful sustained shimmies, as well as to train your body for dynamic and smooth layering.

Aaliyah Jenny shares her secrets to the expressive face during performance. Go beyond the "frozen smile"!

Middle Eastern drumming for those who know the basics already.   Are you ready to starting playing and dancing?  This class will kick start your drumming skills.  Learn from Joe as he teaches the skill of drumming for dancers.  This is an intermediate class.  Not for beginners 

Often times we find ourselves over booked, over committed and running on empty. And after a big festival you can be left inspired, exhausted and maybe even a little hung over.This workshop was created by Belladonna as an elixir for your soul. We all make time for dance, but don't always feel we put "enough" into it,and rarely make time for ourselves to rest, restore and recover.

This restorative time will help you progress in your dance, help you be aware and appreciative of the time you do put into your practice and is a refreshing boost for your body, mind and spirit!Belladonna will lead you through a series of breath work, stretches and yoga poses designed for belly dancers, that will help activate your sympathetic nervous system as well as bring more joy and contentment to your day.

These "me time" techniques can be broken into smaller pieces and applied to your daily life, in order to help you move through each day with more joy and grace. This workshop is scheduled for Sunday, to help you energize and feel your best on the last day of the event!on here

Rhythm Identification & Finger Cymbals for Tribal Fusion Dancers

Rhythm Identification re-invented. Every seasoned dancer should be familiar with the most popular Middle Eastern rhythms. Belladonna will introduce you to a series of industrial strength rhythms, tips and trick to committing them to memory, how to count them, and how to incorporate your finger cymbals!!

You ever wonder how to prepare and do your very best at a competition. Let's look at the score sheet to see how we can maximize all categories, from choosing the music for you to emotional and energy mapping of the music.

Please come to class with an open mind and a positive attitude this is not your typical workshop

Habiba will teach a lush Oriental choreography that has one foot in the Golden Age of belly dance, and one foot in the hot isolations of current Egyptian movement.  The music has 5 rhythmic segments: malfuf, taqsim, maqsum, drum solo and malfuf and, in this choreography, Habiba will show how you can vary your feeling and expression to spellbinding effect.